Future boxer?

Introducing Oliver

This is Lael again. Thank you, Brad, for doing the updating yesterday. You did well, but I'm still going to be changing my blogger password to avoid you hijacking my blog any time soon.

Here are some pictures of the new little guy. We are all crazy about him! He is a very happy and sleepy baby so far. It looks like we will be going home tomorrow morning. I am enjoying this very quiet hospital room, but I miss the other kids!

3:00 am Saturday

12 noon Saturday

Oliver Thomas James

Kisses from Camille

One excited big sister Lucy

Kilian finally has a brother!

Love those round cheeks!

It's a ... is it really that important?

Don't you agree with me that people get too caught up in all that "is it a boy or a girl?" or "what's his/her name?" or "how much does he/she weigh?"? Yeah, me too. Let's all just enjoy the fact that a baby was born to us today.





Okay, if you simply must know ... scroll down.

It's a boy!!!!

Oliver Thomas was born at 11:22 AM. He weighs 8.5 pounds and he's looking very healthy. Lael is doing great, too. Thank you for your prayers.

We're here

at the hospital. Lael won't be posting as she is pretending to have painful contractions, so it's husband Brad here. Who would be reading this blog at this time of day ... perhaps Jody in London? Jody, in case you are reading this, we are deciding which of your excellent names to steal.

Highs and Lows

The kids and Brad are finished with school as of today. I was able to attend the awards ceremony for Kilian this morning and am so proud of my A honor roll kid. That was the high.

Then all the kids grouped up in various combinations for pictures, sometimes involving bunny ears with mostly smiles. A few minutes into all the pictures Kilian's little friend *B* started to cry (she's the one that is leaving for Germany tomorrow), and then her mom started crying and then a few other kids did. I am the unstable 41 week pregnant mom, so of course I did too. That was the low. There is just not much you can do to help 7 year olds that don't know if they will ever get to play together again.

In other news: I figure my odds of having a baby today are good since
1) my doctor left town
2) our minivan had to be taken in for major transmission work, so we only have 1 Camry between Brad, me, his mom (with the other three kids)
3) when I called my mom and asked her to pick me up to take me to the school, her car wouldn't start, and
4) it might get stormy this afternoon/evening. I sure hope it happens anyway!

I'm beginning to wonder if she's right

Lucy at breakfast this morning: "I'm thinking you don't have a baby, you're just eating a little. I'm just making a joke."

I can understand why she may be questioning this.

and the Dr. said...

No changes at all!

I have another appointment next Wednesday and then they are saving a spot for me at the hospital to induce next Friday, May 29th if need be. That will be a full two weeks late, and I can still cancel that if I want to as long as my blood pressure stays low.

They also did a stress test on the baby today to make sure things look good and they do. So now we just wait. I was induced with the first three and am insisting that we see what happens without an i.v. and pitocin this time. I want it to be just like in the movies where I say, "honey....it's time!".

Now I'm going to go walk the dog some more!

Still waiting....

ever so patiently. (or something like that)

Trampoline

Grammy in town (Brad's mom), tons of walking, spicy food, and even jumping on the trampoline. Still no baby news. I go back to the doctor tomorrow afternoon and I think he plans to talk about the induction date at that point. I really do not want to induce, so we'll see what happens!

For the baby book - Camille, me and my extremely white legs bouncing a little yesterday.

The kids "decorated" our trampoline the other day with rose petals and leaves. I'm thankful they knew to leave out the thorns.

While I try to be funny about helping this baby out ASAP, I would be lying if I didn't say I am enjoying every minute of these exciting last few days. What a blessing and privilege!

Update via Cartoons

Click here for my point of view

Click here for Brad's point of view

* It looks like there was a problem with the 2nd link - I think I just fixed it. Just click on the cartoon to make it larger when you get there.

Planning ahead

One of Kilian's very best friends, *B*, who happens to be a girl, is moving to Germany a couple of days after school is out. Her dad is in the army, and they are hoping to come back and live here after he retires in a few years. Since there is not a new baby in our family yet, we were able to attend a surprise going away party for her this morning. It was at a paint your own pottery place and all her 1st grade friends signed a plate for her to take to Germany.

So as soon as he woke up today and I told him the plans, Kilian went outside and cut 5 roses for her...completely his idea. Then while he was putting his shoes on he asked how old people are when they get married. I answered that they are usually in their 20's or 30's. He asked if *B* would be back before she was 20.

As I typed this, I remembered posting another story about these two from about a year ago. Click here to read it. I'll have to get her mom's permission to post a picture of them together. They are sure going to miss each other!

Guess who borrowed my camera?

Maybe she's right, it was time for a Lucy picture on here.

An why not add a story? I try to limit sweets for the kids. Unless they have lost their "sweet privileges" for a day, they get to pick one sweet afternoon snack. On Monday night, Lucy lost her sweet privileges for Tuesday, which happened to be the day I bought some ice cream sandwiches. So Tuesday afternoon she had to watch her brother and sister eat one, while she had popcorn.

Wednesday at school, they surprised the kids with snow cones at recess (and it was a very hot day). I didn't know about them until Lucy found me and announced that all the kids had one except her. She told the teachers that she was saving her "sweet" for ice cream sandwich at home. I am super impressed with her discipline, and it cracks me up that she was not taking any chances on missing out again.

Flowers for Noni

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and this was Kilian's present to her. He picked one flower from our yard for each kid (including 'New Baby').

Test Run

Camille has been having lots of fun letting her toys try out the baby items as I get them out and clean them.

Monkey in the swing

Other monkey in the car seat

Cat in the cradle


Barbie in the bathtub

I love how nurturing she can be, and I can't wait to see her "help" with the baby...that is until she pulls a monkey out of the swing by its leg and throws it over her shoulder so it lands on its head on the floor. Then I worry a little bit.

Nuthin'

I've got no funny stories, or pictures today...and no baby news either. I do go to the doctor tomorrow, though. I plan to post (or have someone else post) the news ASAP after baby arrives!

My Day Squared

This year Mother's Day fell on my birthday, and I've been well taken care of. I got to:

• choose a homemade meal at my parents last night (grilled salmon, fixins and layered pudding dessert)


• be served breakfast in bed by Kilian this morning- all by himself. He was the first one awake, so he made his version of cinnamon toast and brought it to me with a cup of water


• take Camille to the nursery at church, and had two very well behaved kids all during mass. Lucy twirled my wedding rings around and Kilian held my other hand and leaned me


• take a nap on the couch


• eat at one of my very favorite restaurants (Texas Roadhouse and without a wait!)


• fish a bouncy ball out of a toilet


• But did not get to have this baby - at least not yet. There are still about 2 hours left, so we'll see!

Outta Here

About three or four weeks ago Kilian was frustrated when I made him go to his room after he displayed some disrespectful behavior. He thought he should be able to stay in the room with me and plead his case, but I didn't really want to hear it. So, while in his room he came up with a check mark system.

When Brad and I reached a combined total of 50 check marks (for "not being good grown-ups"), Kilian was going to leave us. So over the course of weeks we've accumulated several check marks, sometimes just one or two, but I once "earned" 25 in just one incident. The paper with the checks is usually taped to his door.

Today I "earned" check marks 49 and 50 and he said he was leaving after supper and after we walked the dog. I just asked him lots of questions, like "How are we going to let you know if you have a new brother or a new sister?", and "Aren't you going to be sad that you'll miss the grilled salmon your G-Pa is fixing tomorrow night?".

He went from leaving, to going away for just three days, to deciding that it really wasn't fair for him to give me 25 check marks on that one day. He has decided to remove 20 from our total. WHEW! Lucky us!!

The part I love is that while Kilian was debating what to do, opportunist Lucy looks at me and says, "Mom, I think you are the best parent in the whole world."

Soccer, Strawberries and Saturated Fat

While waiting for baby, we've been staying busy. Camille continues to change dresses about 4 times a day. Sometimes she adds interesting accessories such as her brother's t-ball cap and soccer cleats.

Kilian is enjoying this soccer season. He tried it when he was 4 and did not care for it, so we took a long break. He is much more into it now. No more picking up trash and playing with the ants in the middle of the games. I sure wish I had a camera with decent zoom...*hint to Brad*.


A funny, but telling, picture that Brad got. Here are me and my belly acting as a jungle gym for the girls at a game.

And finally - Miss Lucy with some strawberry glasses at the dentist. She did great during her checkup!

An interesting note about Lucy...one afternoon she wanted cereal and milk, but we were out of milk (bad mom). I said she could try it with half and half and poured a little bit. She LOVED it and asks for it all the time now. I usually pour a combination of milk and half and half in her bowl now. I think she is still under the 10th percentile in weight, (50th in height) and we're not at all worried about his new habit.

The Expiration Date

For some reason I look forward to this weird little milestone with each new baby. I'm so pleased to announce that our milk will not expire until after this baby's due date!! Not that this gallon will even come close to lasting that long...and not that our babies ever come as early as their due date.

Stupid Rule

"Stupid" is one of the words we are not allowed to say in our house. Camille recently learned this word, and very soon after she learned how I feel about it.

So, this is what I sometimes hear while riding in the car with her:

Mom, is stupid is a bad word? We cannot say stupid. We can get in trouble if we say stupid. Stupid can hurt people's feelings. Stupid is not nice. I don't want to say stupid. We can't say stupid. Stupid is not a good word.

Repeat about 3x.

She seems to understand, yet manages to work that word into conversation about 30 times between our house and the school when it is time to pick up Kilian and Lucy.

Oh happy day!

I have been researching and studying and comparing and shopping for a baby sling. I had decided on the Hotsling brand. The pricing looks something like this

Local baby boutique: $59.00

Hotsling website: $48.00 (plus shipping)

Ebay: $45.00 (free shipping)

Target.com: $39.99 (plus shipping)

I cannot begin explain how happy I was to find my size sling in the above neutral pattern on a clearance shelf in Target for $9.99 this morning! I guess someone ordered it through Target.com, then returned it to the store. It is in perfect condition.

Now is the part where I annoy Brad by asking how I should spend the $30.00 or so that I "saved" by finding this.

It is also the part where I annoy myself by noticing how tiny that model is carrying an infant in the picture above.

An embarrassing solution

Camille and I were drinking chocolate milk together this morning and I somehow let some drip down my face and on my shirt. Perhaps I should start using a straw cup like her. She watched me dab the drops with a paper towel and said: "Maybe if we can find a bigger bib, it can be for you!".

Presidential

Kilian's class put on a play called "First Grade Goes West" last week. They did a great job. Kilian was Thomas Jefferson, and a very good one, might I add.


I'm posting a video (1 min 18 sec) for family or anyone else that could use a refresher on the Louisiana Purchase!

Kilian is in the center, with white hair, a vest, and his arms behind his back.