Except I'm one of those weird people who are obsessive about the baby book. DO NOT mess with my babies books. Every single child of mine has three books. The First Year "Baby Book", and the Toddler years (2 & 3) Book are filled out in minute detail the day something eventful happens, like potty training success and talking. Then we have the childhood book, a book chronicling the big achievements until they turn 10. Every other mother I know has given up long ago on filling the baby books with cute anecdotes and important dates, and yet all five of my children have up-to-date books. Do not ask me how, it's a mystery to everyone.
This brings me to an announcement.
Helena Joan Louisa J.
6 pounds 4 ounces
20 inches
August 16th 2011
She's a little girl who knows what she wants, she didn't give me any indication that she was ready to be born and then she decided she would like to come out RIGHT NOW. One hour and seventeen minutes of labor. I had been to the OBGYN that afternoon and I wasn't effaced, dilated, nothing. I picked up the kids from their various schools, felt labour pains, and decided to drive 5 minutes to pick up Nick at work. He drove us all home, he evacuated the car or children and their things, grabbed our baby bag and infant seat, and went to the hospital. She was delivered seventeen minutes later, much to everyone else's surprise. My water never even broke, she was born en-caul.
So we had another baby. We sent Theo into second grade, Sera into first grade, and Pippa and Viv into preschool. We've been getting the kids settled into their school schedules and various after school activities, of which there are many. We put Theo in Hockey again, Sera in figure skating again, and Pippa and Viv in CanSkate. Thankfully that's all on Thursday night, in the same place, at close but not too close times, so we get it over with all at once. We've also got all four kids in different levels of swimming and soccer. Have you ever tried to monitor 4 different children in two different pools at the same time, while comforting a squirmy baby? That's my Tuesday night. Nick takes the kids to soccer on the weekend and he usually takes the baby with him to pass around to the various baby-crazy moms, giving me a morning free of all children. He's a saint. We've also got the girls in ballet classes and Theo in baseball. Life is hectic.
We're busier than ever because we've found that the kids all do better with structured activities during the week, keeping them busy and tired so that they can fall asleep by 8 and be well-rested for school the next day. A few people have told us to let go of a few activities, and we will as the kids finish the seasons and decide that they don't want to do it again. Maybe we'll try gymnastics, tap dancing, or karate next. Or maybe all four of them will want to do it all again. For now, we're trying what's available and affordable while Nella (her nickname) is still young enough to sleep through most of it. We've been blessed so far with the easiest baby on the planet, the kind of baby that makes us think we've finally got parenting perfected, the kind of baby that makes everyone who meets her want another baby. This is how I know we are done; If we had another baby we would be given a baby with reflux and colic who do wouldn't sleep or nurse or poop. Nick is relieved to hear that I won't be trying to convince him to have another baby, he dated me and we agreed on two kids, proposed and I upped it to three, married me and I said four, and then we were a family of six and we weren't quite full. So we got two dogs, and when that didn't work I got knocked up.
Nella is 9 weeks old and is either very agreeable in nature or is pretending to be 5 days old, because I'm getting 8+ hours of sleep every night. She goes to bed around 9, wakes up at midnight for a nurse, another nurse at 3, and then another at 6. She sleeps until whenever I wake her up to change her and put her in her carseat to take the kids to school. Good girl.
But now I'm tired and it's time for bed. I'll try to update this place more often from now on!
