Snug as a bug in a rug

The upstairs air conditioning in our home is an all or none proposition.  The choices are stuffy or chilly.  Since we do not enjoy stuffiness and since the girls are usually wrapped up in this really plush lavender (Gracie) and pink (Lauren) blankets, we opt for chilly. 

Although George has a new plush blanket (in a very masculine ecru), his noggin needs some attention, too.  When the girls were born, they had one hat that actually fit on their heads.  The regular newborn size hats were huge on their tiny heads so my mom knitted them a few hats sized to fit them.  Because the hats stretched over time, George can wear them, too.  Perfect for bracing the arctic chill in his room. 

Life in a Day

Life in a Day is a documentary created through the synergy of National Geographic and YouTube.  Check out the site and watch the trailer here. 

The website describes the effort as follows:

"Life In A Day is a historic global experiment to create a user-generated feature film shot in a single day. On July 24, you have 24 hours to capture a glimpse of your life on camera. The most compelling and distinctive footage will be edited into a feature film, produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald."

The film opened in a limited capacity on July 29th.  Although it does not appear to be opening in my city any time soon, maybe it is available in yours.   

Rugs and Restoration Hardware

I used to adore Restoration Hardware. Maybe 9-10 months ago they retooled their image, had a marked shift in inventory and, basically, tossed the RH I knew and loved out the window. I tried to console myself with Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel. Deep down, I knew it wasn't the same. Ultimately, I tried to bury my feelings.

Today, the old wounds resurfaced. I have spent the past hour online searching for the perfect silver sage rug to go in Baby George's room. The exact color I am looking for is kind of a eucalyptus color -- a silver green.  Finally, my search took me back to Restoration Hardware.

They have a rug in silver sage!

They have one in eucalyptus! (Of course they do; they do everything perfectly.)

Cue "Reunited" by Peaches and Herb.

Wait. Wait a minute. What are those tiny little words beneath the swatches?

PRODUCT NOT AVAILABLE.

It was a really old link... to the old Restoration Hardware. 

Restoration Hardware, we are so broken up. AGAIN.

Friday's quote

If you begin the day with love in your heart, peace in your nerves, and truth in your mind, you not only benefit by their presence but also bring them to others, to your family and friends, and to all those whose destiny draws across your path that day.

-Unknown

Weekly update

Having three children under the age of five does not leave a significant amount of time for blogging. Therefore, the daily updates are hard to manage, although that may be a good thing, depending on your tolerance for the detailed minutia of life with a newborn.

This week, George had his first post-hospital check up. Our regular pediatrician was on a Disney cruise with his family (also three children under five, I think), but we saw one of his peers. George is doing great, although his weight has not really climbed much since birth. He is hungry and, likely, very frustrated. He will gladly devour four ounces of formula at one feeding, but he has difficulty keeping it down. He manages better with three ounces, but is often hungry afterwards. So... his pediatrician (the fill-in) recommended a new formula, one with a cereal mix (or adding cereal to his regular formula) to provide more calories and nutrition. George is a lucky duck because we know (from the girls seeing him) that our regular pediatrician tends to be anti-cereal at this age. We knew George was hungry -- ravenous, in fact -- and we are definitely eager to get more food to him. He is scheduled for a recheck in three weeks. We will weigh him again Tuesday (a week from his last appointment); if he has not gained weight, we will reschedule sooner.

After the appointment, we made our way to the hospital to drop off some cookies to the nursing staff who took care of us when George was born. We had some really excellent nurses this time, and the least we can do is to send some chocolate their way.

As for the original monkeys, the girls, they have continued with their summer routine. They were really excited about sending cookies to the nurses, and Gracie was especially willing to preview/sample the cookies and provide some quality feedback ("they are REALLY good!!!"). They were a little concerned about George's appointment. Lauren asked, "Is he gonna get a shot???" Gracie was very concerned that he wouldn't come home after the appointment. We assured her that he is ours and that we will always bring him home after his appointments.

"But, are you going to bring home?"
"Yes, we are going to bring him right back home."

Here is Baby George in the waiting room:

A very bright spot in the week is that I was able to resume driving as of Wednesday. Accordingly, I picked up the girls from preschool Wednesday with Baby George in tow. He was a big hit at school, and the girls were basking in the glow of their new-found "big sister" status. They celebrated by having meltdowns on the way to the car. Gracie was crying in response to an admonition from one of her teachers (after Gracie told her teacher "no," she would not relocate at the lunch room table, thankyouverymuch), and Lauren was crying a) because she did not eat lunch and b) because she had to hold onto my arm (v. hand) since I was carrying George's seat... all of which is totally normal, I am sure. Today we resumed our preschool activities at home, and I am sure they were already rethinking their demands of one-on-one, undivided attention. We have gymnastics on the schedule tomorrow, and we will see how they respond to having Baby Brover hang out with them for that activity. It should be interesting.

Otherwise, there are many, many images to share, and I will try to get to that tomorrow. It is so much simpler to forward all pics through Instagram, but the quality is definitely not the same. (That reminds me that I did a little photo shoot with George Tuesday after his appointment, and I at least need to get some of those shots posted.) Anyway, I will try to share more soon, but, if I do not get to it, have a fabulous Friday.

Sweet dreams

Hush Puppies

I don't know why, but watching Baby George enjoy his mid-morning snooze prompted me to reach for the iPhone and (uncharacteristically) enjoy a Jimmy Buffet song.

..."I got my Hush Puppies on. I guess I never was meant for glitter rock and roll..."

Weekend update

This past weekend (and I realize this is an untimely update) we ran some errands, including a trip to Babies-R-Us for some essentials, Lowe's and then a quick stop for a shaved ice.  During our driving about, George did great, and he will really get a lot of use out of his gear. 

The girls were treated to some new sunglasses. 

Waiting patiently...

...(and captively) while mommy takes a shower.

Sunshine

The girls' nightly routine consists of dinner, play time and heading upstairs for bath.  After bath, they do the usual (comb hair, brush teeth, etc.) before climbing into bed.  Then we read two stories, pray, read devotional, and then sing two songs of their choosing, closing with "Jesus Loves Me".  A couple of months ago, Gracie introduced "You Are My Sunshine" into the rotation, and that has consistently been her song choice for the last 7-8 weeks.  Lauren has been choosing "Do You Know the Muffin Man?".  So... each and every night... for the last 7-8 weeks... equals a lot of renditions.   
Little Baby George has been hearing these songs nightly, too.  And, believe it or not, "You Are My Sunshine" is clearly his favorite song.  Nothing quiets him more noticeably than that tune.  Of course, it is a short-but-sweet song so we tend simply repeat the verse and chorus a few times,  then hum for several minutes and hope that he has drifted back to sleep.  We are hoping for a dance mix in the future, something lasting at least 10 minutes.

Being big sisters...

...is out of this world!

A couple of weeks ago, it was "space week" at preschool. They learned all about astronauts and rocket ships, and they came home with these cute pics/frames.

Friday's quote

Some minds seem almost to create themselves, springing up under every disadvantage and working their solitary but irresistible way throughout a thousand obstacles.

-Washington Irving

Thankful Thursday

This is my first time to link to "Thankful Thursday," but after the wonderful week we have had we would be remiss not to express thanks. 

First and foremost, we are thankful to have our angelic new son home from the hospital.  We are also thankful that his twin sisters adore him and love him as much as we do.  We are thankful for our friends and family who helped us through the last 7-10 days.  We couldn't have had such a wonderful experience without their help.  We are thankful for all of the congratulations we have received and for the gift of friendship. 

Happy Thursday!

Thirty

My one week post-op appointment was yesterday morning. Skip drove me to the appointment, and George joined us.

If you are squeamish, skip this paragraph and move on to the next. I was somewhat prepared for the staple removal to be more lengthy than last time. Dr. P looked at my incision at the hospital and said, "Wow, Dr. M got a little 'staple happy,' didn't he?" Dr. M assisted Dr. P last time, and I was evaluated by Dr. M the week before delivery. While Dr. P is quite young, Dr. M has been around the block a few times, and he has that reassuring presence that only a lifetime of experience can bring. Therefore, I wasn't alarmed by the "staple happy" comment; instead, I knew if he used that many staples he probably had a reason for doing so. Of course, that doesn't mean I was excited at the prospect of removal. Dr. P's assistant made a quick job of removing them. Skip stood at my feet and counted them off. In all, there were 30. On the bright side, Dr. P's assistant said it is one of the best incisions she has ever seen. I may be in no position to compete in any swimsuit competitions, but I could probably take first place in an incision competition. On the super-plus-bright-side, staple removal is not really painful -- unpleasant, sure, but not painful.

During the drive to the appointment, the trek through the parking lot and into the hospital, through sitting in the waiting room, the appointment and all the way back home, George's eyes remained completely shut.  He was sound asleep.  We have made no progress whatsoever in getting the days/nights reversed.  He spends his days downstairs with the girls but manages to sleep through any and all of their noise, play and the occasional fit.  He is immune to any sound they can make.  The only activity that awakens him is a bath.  Otherwise, he is in a cocoon of sleep.  Today we are taking it easy.  No errands or appointments.  George is having a sleep-athon. 

Siblings

Skip took Tuesday through Friday off last week, and he took Monday and Tuesday off this week. So today was my last day with his expert organization and time management skills. (Not surprisingly, he has re-organized the entire house since we came home Friday afternoon.) He will be my driver to my appointment tomorrow to have staples removed (I am still unable to drive), but then the odds will be one against three. By tomorrow afternoon? He should not be surprised to find me locked in a closet, at the hands of our three angelic children.

We took today very easy. We finally loaded everyone in the car this afternoon to run some errands, and we got to try out the new seating arrangements, i.e., the girls in the "way back" in booster seats, George and I in the middle row, and Skip up front. I suppose he really is the driver, now that I think about it.

Otherwise, we are slowly resuming our routine. Skip returns tomorrow in a limited capacity (hours not quite so long). Lauren and Gracie have maintained their preschool and gymnastics schedules. I am going to take it easy for the next week, and then we will resume our home activities (preschool at home) next week. Of course, the girls have learned many new things over the last couple of weeks. They have learned about doctor's offices, hospitals, babies, nurses and physicians. They especially liked mommy's labor/delivery nurses who introduced them to "Baby Brover" for the first time.  This type of small touch comes as no surprise to those of you with multiple children, but I thought it was really sweet that they took so much time and care to introduce the girls to their new brother.  

Meeting George for the first time:

Such a sweet and exciting moment for them all:

They have learned all about new babies.  They have learned about belly buttons, soft spots and how babies communicate.  Finally, Gracie and Lauren have learned that George is different.  While helping change diapers, Lauren commented that George's "hiney" is different.  So we explained that girls' and boys' "hineys" are, in fact, quite different, that boy privates are called penises whereas girl privates are called vaginas.  Skip quickly amended the explanation by saying, "...But we do not use those words in public -- just at home.  We only talk about private parts at home." 

Wish us luck with discretion. 

4am

We are enjoying a post-4:00am-feeding snooze.

Georgie fever

In the way of a weekend update, I can only report that our family, along with the Oates and Lindsey families at large, now have Georgie fever.  We are completely in love with George.  He is a precocious scamp, that one.  He does have his days/nights reversed, and he really turns on the charm during the night hours, at which time he becomes ravenous.  We noticed Friday night that he nibbles on our faces when he is really hungry, and he also snorts a lot.  The snorting is nothing short of adorable.  We love him more than anything (with the obvious exception of his sisters).

Lauren and Gracie continue to be enthralled with him.  They love having the extra company upstairs, and they are helping with all of George's care.  I have finally gotten the hospital pics loaded and will try to get an update and some photos of the girls posted very soon.  In other Lauren and Gracie news, we sent a pic from the hospital (of Lauren & Gracie holding George) to preschool today, and I think they felt like the super big sisters they now are. 

George continues to spend his days asleep -- sound asleep.  He sleeps solidly through the cacophony of sounds the girls make, through toys being bounced off of the floor, through the constant waves of noise that comprise the background noise of our home.  Although the below pic was taken at the hospital last Friday, this is his favorite daytime pose. 

 

We feel confident he will (eventually) get the day/night equation right, and we look forward to seeing him grow into his very large hands and feet.  For now, though, we are enjoying our tiny monkey.  

Getting settled

Georgie has unpacked his bags, has settled in and adjusted to his new digs. We are still working on getting everything in order. Although we are unpacked, I still have not loaded any pics (the pics posted here are from my iPhone via Instagram). A brief report on our adventures so far:

1). Georgie slept about 30 minutes last night.

2). Georgie does not like baths.

Departure

Yesterday was a busy day for us at the spa. (I jokingly began referring to the hospital as a swanky spa about the time I was trying to climb onto the table in the operating room Tuesday morning.) We had wonderful visitors, a photography session, and then many visits with various staff. During that time, we were doing testing for the little jaundice issue. Our final word last night was that George's bilirubin would be checked first thing Friday morning. I would also have some blood work, but we were confident we would be out of there by 9:00am. Everything started rolling into place at 4:30am Friday morning. By 6:00am, both George and I had our labwork completed, and we were awaiting the results.

With the progress we were seeing, Skip began "crashing" the room. It wasn't long until we were looking at tossing some final items into our bags (see above suitcases). When the pediatrician arrived, she commented on the levels and mentioned that she wanted to get an additional reading. Nothing was wrong, per se; she wanted the reading to know whether to tell us to have George checked in a couple of dYs versus being checked in two weeks. S S Sooo... She wanted additional lab work at 11:00am.

"You're not in a hurry, right?" she asked.

The slightest glimpse around the room would reveal to even the most casual observer that we were ready to leave. The room had been crashed. We could vacated completely within five minutes.

But we just sort of hung out instead. Blood was drawn at 11:00am, and then we made our way home.

Friday's quote

If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.

-Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

First portrait

This afternoon the photographer made the rounds on our floor. George got all dressed up for his sitting. Here he is (above) waiting patiently for his appointment.

Today was a very busy day with lots of visits from grandparents, and Lauren & Gracie. Baby George is very slightly jaundiced, and therefore, he spent the day under the lights and missed out on the full benefit of being coddled. He is hoping to make up for that really soon.

Blue

Baby Brover

Baby Brover received visits from his twin sisters (also know as "mother hens") yesterday and today.

Yesterday they were the first visitors to meet Baby Brover. The nurses allowed them into the room briefly while we were getting situated. Then they joined the rest of our family in the waiting room until everyone visited an hour or so later. At that time, they got to oversee Baby Brover's bath. Lauren started crying, in empathy and wanted the bathing to stop. Everyone calmed down once George was settled and allowed to rest -- at least everything was calm until time for Grammie to leave with the girls. I knew Gracie cried a good bit as she was saying goodbye. Then, after she left, the nurses assigned to us came in to see if I was ok. I did not fully put one and one together until I learned later that Gracie wailed all the way down the hallway and to the car. She recovered her composure once lunch plans were made at Chili's with Lexy (cousin LEXY!!!) and Auntie Melinda.

Crisis averted.

During the return trip today, the girls held baby brother, sang to him, and took good care of him.

Everything worked out well until departure time again when Gracie started crying for George to go home with them.

I am not sure if this is unwavering devotion or a ploy for better lunch plans.

William George Lindsey

Yesterday we welcomed William George Lindsey at 7:50am. George weighed 7 pounds and is 19 1/2 inches long.

More updates and photos to come.

A family of five

Tonight is our last night as a family of four.  We are very excited to welcome "Baby Brover" to our family tomorrow morning, but we are also a little taken aback that it is the end of an era. 

Needless to say, we have been exceptionally busy today with preparations.  On the eve of the girls' birth, I remember working until about 8:00pm and then readying the house for our departure.  Finally I got around to packing bags for the hospital at 10:00pm.  It would be tempting to think that I am fully prepared this time, and I actually have executed some things earlier this time.  For example, I finally packed a bag for the hospital at about 5:30pm.  This bag packing procrastination has  been driving everyone crazy, but I legitimately couldn't pack previously because I needed some of those essentials on a daily basis (or so I argued to concerned individuals such as Skip and my mom).  Funnily enough, though, once I packed today, I realized I probably could have done so sooner (shhh!  don't tell them!).  All of the household beds have been stripped, laundered, and re-made.  Laundry is current.  The neighborhood cats have been fed.  The girls' clothing has been planned for the next week, and instructions about their schedules distributed to grandparents.  Plus a zillion other tiny little things.  We are all set.

We have enjoyed our cozy nest of four, but we are also very excited about the new era. 

39 Weeks

Here we are!  39 weeks!  Lindsey Baby #3 is likely more than 20 inches long and weighs an estimated 7 pounds -- at least according to online resources.  Our last two ultrasounds were performed by a newly hired employee who is very, very stingy with the information and would not offer up anything other than what was strictly ordered... so no more sneak peaks and sneak measurements. 

As an aside, does anyone remember the episode of "Friends" when Rachel was still pregnant at 41 weeks?  They were headed to one of the last OB appointments when Ross asked Rachel if she wanted to change clothes... because what she was wearing did not seem appropriate.  Don't worry; I am wearing fully appropriate clothing.  However, I am reminded of Phoebe's next line.  She jumped up, turned to Ross and said, sotto voce, "My God, man!  Don't anger it!"

Not allowing a 9 month pregnant woman to see her child's face on the sonogram screen is playing with fire. 

Am I right? 

Don't anger it. 
 
Anyrate.  Baby Lindsey is approximately the size of a mini watermelon, and we will check out his size for ourselves after delivery tomorrow morning!  That's great news because I peaked ahead at his stats for next week, and he would then be the size of a pumpkin. 

Friday's quote

Where there is love there is life.

-Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

38 Weeks

Thirty-eight weeks, and we are holding steady.  In other words, Baby Lindsey has not arrived yet.  We are, however, scheduled for delivery next Tuesday, and we are certainly hoping that he does not decide to make an early appearance -- particularly since we learned today that he is breech.  He is also facing outward, as if he is already being carried, Baby Bjorn-style.  The little peak we had of him via sonogram today explained why my upper tummy feels like it is about to explode.  Maybe he will flip into a less uncomfortable position soon. Otherwise, he is an estimated 6.8 pounds and is a little over 19 1/2 inches long.  I am negotiating a deal with him that I will keep a steady supply of coconut shaved ice coming his way if he will move into a more manageable position.

Friday's quote

Statesmen may plan and speculate for liberty but it is religion and morality alone that can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.

-John Adams