Christmas Catch Up

Like the rest of you, we've been so busy that we haven't had a moment to think about changing the blog. We've finally made it through Christmas, so it's time to provide a few highlights.

This first picture shows Sam's devilish look. He gets that just before he's about to do something naughty - like stopping Elliot's swing.


Santa made an appearance at a friend's house while Troy was officiating a wedding. Annika did alright with Santa; Sam was freaked out; Elliot didn't care (we think). Santa had to sneak into the pictures to keep Sam calm.


I thought I'd slip in a cute picture of Elliot because as I write this he's wailing (again). I need something to remind me that newborns will eventually stop being newborns. We think he's having tummy troubles, which is complicated by his eating all the time. This will pass - we hope.


Annika was surprised with her first violin for Christmas, complete with lessons from mom.


Finally, Sam got a nice chair, which he likes, but he and Annika love the box it came in. Lord, save us all. It's chaos in the HB house right now!

Letter to Santa

This is a first for the HB family. Annika decided to send a letter to Santa with a very specific request for Christmas. (The added bonus is that she got to do it as part of her home-schooling.) The mailman picked it up and sent it to the North Pole - all for a first-class stamp! I wonder if Santa will hear her plea...

Soccer is Done. Time for Flying.

Annika completed her first soccer season, which she kind of enjoyed. (If you recall the drama at the beginning of the season, her liking it was more than a moral victory.) She loves having a trophy for playing this season.


Now that she's done with soccer, I think she's trying to take up flying. So far she knows that three helium balloons are not enough to get her airborne. I have a feeling she'll keep trying. She's a girl who doesn't understand the meaning of "impossible." Good for her.

Sleeping

This has been happening a lot in the HB house lately - just not for the length of time that we'd like. (You may notice that we don't have pics of Jess sleeping. That's because she doesn't sleep.)

The Birth Story

Troy and I wanted to share with you the story of Elliot's birth. Thanks to all of you for sharing in our joy!

I woke up on Thursday morning around 2 AM and noticed I was having some contractions that were very mild but felt different from the Braxton Hicks contractions I had been having for weeks. Uncomfortable, I moved from the bed to the couch and woke up around 5:45 AM unable to sleep anymore but not in labor. I went to the bathroom and noticed some bloody show (which I had never seen with the other pregnancies) so I was very encouraged.

I had my 40-week appointment that morning, so I woke up Troy and we decided to get to our appointment early just in case anything happened on the way (we live 1 hour and 20 minutes from the birth center. We left the other kiddos with my mother and drove to Savannah. Since we were there an hour and a half early, we walked around the center of Savannah hoping to encourage my body to progress.

I can summarize the next few hours of the day as “checking in with the midwives.” At 10:30 AM they checked the baby’s heart tones and did a cervical check. I was almost at 4 cm and 80% effaced and contracting every 5 minutes. The midwives wanted me to stick around Savannah to see what happened. Troy and I went to have lunch and then walked around the center’s nature path for about a half hour. I was checked again around 1 PM and I was still at a 4 but was “softer” so we were encouraged to do some more walking. We went to a mall and did holiday shopping and it was then that I felt that the contractions were getting stronger, and I was getting a little tired from all the walking.

We came back to the center, and I was checked a third time. I had progressed to a 5 but was not in active labor. Troy and I are convinced the midwife took pity on us and did a little “investigating.” The midwife adjusted my belly to encourage the baby line up with the cervix and she felt the baby’s head with her finger and said, “Wait a second, do you feel wetness?” I said “maybe” and sure enough, my water broke and she said “and now you’re at a 6 and you’re not going home!” This was around 3:30 PM.

Troy and I moved back to the birthing room, and just like with Annika and Samuel, once my water broke, the labor progressed quickly. I labored on the toilet for a few minutes and then the midwife set up a birth ball and pillows. I labored there on the ball for about an hour and then I really wanted to labor in the birth tub. The delivery nurse filled the tub and I went in around 5:15 PM. I had labored in a tub with the other births, but this time, the tub was so refreshing and relaxing I worried for a few seconds that it would stall out my labor. But it actually did the opposite. With minimal discomfort, I progressed to fully dilated by 5:45 PM. Around then I had three strong contractions in row (which I guess was transition ha ha) and I told Troy to get the midwife because I felt an urge to push.

I have to say that pushing was the only part of the birth process where I began to feel strong pain and self-doubt. We decided at that point we would try to birth in the tub. The midwife encouraged me every minute of this time and she and delivery nurse encouraged Troy to sit behind me as a support and it was so helpful. I tried to allow my body to gently release the baby through the birth canal and out, but that was proving to be very difficult. I felt the “ring of fire” and knew the end was close, but couldn’t seem to get the baby’s head to pass. The midwife helped by holding the cervical lip and his head was through. But he still wasn’t coming out…his shoulders were stuck! So the next few moments were a bit of an acrobatic feat. The midwife said “we have to get this baby out,” instructed me to turn around in the tub onto my hands and knees and with one strong push, our son was born!

Elliot James arrived into the world on November 13, 2008, at 6:22pm. He was 9lbs 6oz, 21 inches. His head is 35 cm and his shoulders 36.5 cm.! (hence the slight pause in his birth).

We stayed the night at the birth center and returned home the next day around 2 in the afternoon. I have nothing but praise for the birth center and staff. They helped make this birth be such an empowering and happy occasion. The only intervention I needed in the whole process was some stitching to repair some tearing from the birth. Elliot and I were given the space to bond immediately, which was combined with having close attention paid to our health over the course of the first evening. It was wonderful to feel cared for, safe, and calm throughout the whole experience.

Day Three

Sometimes it's hard to believe how quickly kids grow. We waited almost four years between Annika and Samuel, so it's strange to have another newborn around so soon. I just can't believe how big Sam already is - especially in comparison to his new brother, Elliot.



Pastor Bob stopped by to meet Elliot.


We finally got Sam a real high chair, and the kids actually were reasonably helpful in putting it together. Sam loves his new chair.

Elliot James Arrives

Our third child came into the world in Savannah, Georgia, at a birthing center, yesterday at 6:22 p.m. We had spent the day in Savannah thinking that it was going to happen, so we strolled through downtown, got to the know the Savannah Mall, and all points in between. I'll let Jess give the details of her birth story some other time, but things did go very well. Her water broke around 3:30, and Elliot greeted us less than three hours later (all 9 pounds 6 ounces of him!). Jess was able to have a water birth this time, and I think that she really liked this type of birthing (as much as anyone enjoys giving birth, right?). Here are some pictures from our day.

The first picture is Jess and Elliot getting some immediate mom-son time after the birth.




Jess asked two friends to make Elliot's going home outfit, replete with freshly hatched chick on the shirt. He's already making the ladies swoon!


Annika and Samuel waited at home with Grandma Judy. Annika immediately played the role of big sister. Sam couldn't quite figure out what this new thing was, but now he runs around pointing at the baby and saying "dat." I think he thinks Elliot's pretty cool.

Lions, Dorothy, and Princesses, Oh My!

I wrote this last year, but St. Simons Islanders really take Halloween seriously. We went to our friends' neighborhood again this year. Sam was the Cowardly Lion, and Annika, along with about every other girl, was Dorothy. (Jess' stomach was a jack-o-lantern, and I'm too lame to think up a costume.) Here are some shots of our fun evening.



Sam figured out how to trick or treat right away. The first person he went up to allowed him to grab about six Nestle Crunch bars, so he got into it for the rest of the evening.


Pastor Bob and Mary Ann fed hungry families hot dogs.


This picture is mostly to show off Jess' belly, but check out how Annika turned into a ghost for Halloween. Spooky.


We ran into most of the Disney princesses traveling the neighborhood. Many of these girls go to our church, and we loved running into them in costume. We know some fun people! Did I mention that people take Halloween seriously around here?

Feeling Halloweenish

Annika's been pretty sick the past couple of days, but we wanted to make sure that we carved our pumpkin with a few days to go before Halloween. She designed the pumpkin, scooped out the innards, and supervised while I carved it. We even baked the seeds afterwards with a little butter and nutmeg on them. Yum. To top it all off, our fall weather has finally arrived. The days are beautiful and warm, and the nights are pleasantly cool. Wish we could press pause on this weather.

Lining Things Up

Both of our kids from a very young age have liked to line things up. I won't say that they like things orderly (one look into our house at midday would dispel that notion immediately), but they do like lining up toys. This evening Sam decided to make a train out of his cars (and a couple of Thomas pieces). Sam likes cars and adores trucks. I don't understand the boy and trucks, but I guess he's on his way to becoming a good southerner.

"Friendly Birth Place"

Those of you who know Jess well understand that she highly values having a midwife deliver our children. We were able to have midwives both in Ann Arbor and Princeton, but they do not exist in Glynn County, Georgia. After many visits with local OB/GYNs, Jess decided that she was unhappy with what was available to her around here for birthing, and she was able to find an amazing place in Savannah that treats birth as a natural process rather than a risk to be mitigated. Annika, who is pretty emotionally in sync with Jess, knew how stressed her mom was over the prospects of birth here, and now she's taken to calling our birthing center "The Friendly Birth Place."

We all had a chance to visit there today, and it was truly wonderful. (It even uses solar power for electricity and hot water!) There are two birthing rooms. The pictures below are of one of the rooms. Missing from the picture is the sizable jacuzzi, where Jess hopes to labor. Just start praying now that we have enough time from knowing we're in labor to getting to Savannah!

Best Baby Shower Cake Ever

We had a very nice baby shower at the weekly church dinner this week. It's nice to be a part of a church that genuinely loves its pastors, staff, and members, and we felt that this evening. I do have to say that this has to be the best baby shower cake design ever. Apparently our church is concerned that I might dip our newborn into a cup of Starbucks coffee like I would biscotti or a scone. I sure would be freaked out to have a baby emerge from a steaming mug of coffee, but I'm guessing Jess would rather children enter the world that way than actually go through birth at this point...

Enjoy the pictures.

Boo!

We're still trying to figure out if this is a St. Simons thing (or if it's another Hallmark holiday), but we got "booed" the other day. It was fun that someone surprised us with a treat, and Annika especially enjoyed "booing" two other neighbors the next night. We sneaked out after dark to leave a surprise on their porches. Good times! (The last picture is a preview of Sammy's Halloween costume.)

We Survived!

So, we resumed soccer today, and - surprise, surprise - I think it was a success. Annika seemed to be enjoying herself - at least for the first half. (And about half the kids were rolling around the field late in the second half, so she wasn't alone with that!) While there were no touches on the ball today, there were no tears, and I think that's a great start. As you'll see in the pictures below, she's one of the youngest and smallest playing, so I say, "Bravo, Annika!" We're very proud of her.

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words (And At Least That Many Toys)

This picture sums up our day with Annika. When she went to bed, everything in her room was put away - thanks to her hardworking mom. In a little under two hours, she quietly got out virtually every toy in her closet and littered her room with them. (Here's a game: Can you find Annika in the picture?)

Our entire day with her is pretty much summed up in that picture. We took her to soccer practice (#2), and she spent pretty much the entire practice grousing about her shinguards hurting rather than actually learning how to dribble a soccer ball. I'm guessing this whole season will be more a test of our perseverance - we won't let her quit - than it will be a time for her to enjoy learning something new.

The irony in all of this is that I start teaching a parenting class at the church tomorrow. I've never felt less-equipped as a parent than I do right now. Thank you, Annika for breaking us. Ugh.

Random Pictures

Since it's been almost a month since we last posted, I thought I would just put some random pictures up from this summer. With the fall coming, our schedules really picked up the pace. (And we seem to be doing a great job ignoring the fact that another HB is going to arrive here in two months.) Annika started soccer today, so I'll try to get a couple of pictures up as soon as I get them loaded. For now, these will have to suffice.


Sam does lots of "boy" things - cars and balls especially - but he loves stealing his sister's dress up stuff and cruising the house in it.


Sam and Laila are kindred spirits. She's only 1 month older than he is, and you can tell.


Annika took a couple trips to the beach this summer. It's actually a good place to cool off when the temps hit almost 100. She even lost her legs once.


We're proud members of the Jacksonville Zoo. On this trip, we got to feed the Lorikeets. Sam thought it was interesting - some of the time.


Finally, Annika's learning how to spell. Here's one of her first efforts with Sam's name. We'll keep trying!