New Hair

Okay,
I have had my history of hair cutters. First was my very own mother, of course. Then came a one-time visit to super cuts (they missed a piece). For my late teens, I visited a friend of my mom's who had her own little place in a strip mall. And for most of my twenties, I went to the Toni and Guy Academy in Carrollton. I like them well enough, but they take forever. First there is the really long wait at the beginning, then I have to explain at length and in detail several times what I want, then they have to hunt down an instructor and get the green light, then they have to carefully and slowly highlight and wash and cut my hair. It takes usually four to six hours, which I wouldn't mind if I didn't have school-age kids to pick up, and other constraints on my time. If I had a ton of time on my hands, I would do it because I don't mind sitting all day in a chair reading People magazine while someone fusses over my hair.

But, to be a realistic mommy, I need someplace faster. One lady I know from church will come to my house. And she is fast. Two things that you just can't beat when you are short on time and babysitters. She is also very affordable.

Today I went somewhere different. The lady from church didn't get back to me right away, so I made an appointment with a lady that came recommended from a friend who's hair I love. And I have to say I think this is my favorite hair ever. I love bold color, the shape, the way it falls. And from a similar haircut a few years ago, I am looking forward to ease of use. She wasn't the cheapest, but I do believe she was the best.

Hailey-isms

Hailey is so cute when she mixes up her pronouns. She always says things like "It's him's favorite!" or "Where's hers going?" I think it will be a sad day when she grows up and realizes that is not proper English.

She also adores Scooby Doo. It comes on Cartoon Network during the day. There is the classic 1969 and 1970 version, a 1980's version called "A Pup named Scooby Doo" where they are kids, and "What's new Scooby Doo" from 2005. She calls the 2005 and 199 versions the REAL scooby doos, because they are grown ups. She doesn't care for the 1980's version (and I have to agree with her).

Hailey is famous for her imaginative play where she puts on little theatrical productions with her food or other tiny objects or nothing at all, just using low voices intermixed with high squeaky voices to contrast the different characters in her play. Her favorite characters in her plays these days are the crew from Scooby Doo. She'll say "Oh, no Velma!" "Where yous going Shaggy?" and so on and so forth.

And don't tell her, but she's getting Scooby Doo figurines for Christmas. We're looking forward to seeing the characters in her little plays take shape.

Callings

In our church, we have callings. It's what we do to contribute, and there are so many different ways to add our volunteer power that it's amazing. We are always asked if we will take on certain responsibilities, never left to pick them out ourselves. I think that's great because you never know what you will end up loving in the end. I thought it might be fun to share what I have done over the years.

I am a counselor in the Primary presidency right now. I coordinate baptisms for our eight-year-olds, give lessons to our three to twelve-year-olds in a large group, and attend and assist with kid-friendly activities on Saturdays. I also plan, write and coordinate the program our kids put on every year for the congregation. It's probably my favorite of anything I've ever done.

I was once on the activities committee. I helped plan and carry out parties for the families in our congregation. They asked me because I was touted as being creative, but I have to admit I did more good bringing my organization skills to the table than my brainstorming power.

I taught the fourteen and fifteen year old girls. I have to say that was the most challenging calling I've ever had.

I taught Gospel Doctrine, otherwise known as adult Sunday School. I was scared to death of that one, but turned out to love it.

I was also a secretary for Primary. I kept attendance, took notes, and made talk assignments. I used to think I'd make a great secretary. I now know I'm pretty terrible at keeping track of details and making sure stuff gets done on paper.

I was a counselor for Relief Society, the woman's organization in our church. I taught lessons, visited ladies, coordinated music and singing, and attended what seemed like a lot of meetings. Unlike some people, I don't actually mind meetings too much, especially if they double as playdates for my kids.

Michael and I taught the eleven year olds for many years. I enjoyed that, too. We used to work "talk time" into the lesson, and have class parties. The kids thought we were awesome. They still track us down ten years later and tell us how much they enjoyed us teaching them.

Sweet Potatoes! It's a miracle...

Today, I had a jar of sweet potatoes from the pantry. I gave Emberly a cracker to hold so I could pull th sneaky pea act on her with this other pureed food. I dipped the spoon and brought it by her mouth...and it opened. It looked so foreign like that, lips hanging apart, eyes on the spoon. I forgot that was how it is with so many other babies. I put the sweet potatoes in...and she swallowed them. Didn't spit any out or smear them on the high chair or all over herself. Then it happened again and again, spoonful after spoonful. I was beside myself by the time we were done because she had eaten the entire jar. It was one of those half-sized baby jars, probably not even four tablespoons, but still, it was a first for us to finish a container of food in one sitting. Usually after about ten spoonfuls of grunting and back arching I put it away.
I pulled some pureed pears from the fridge and got the expected response, clamped lips, angry grunts, smeared and spit out food. But hey. A whole jar of sweet potatoes. I felt like doing a jig.

googled myself

I don't even show up on the first page. You think owning my own name as a url would count for something.

Apparently, you get to be high on the Heather Whitley list if you have a doctorate in Pharmaceuticals at the University of Alabama. Or if you are an embarrassment to Texas Tech and got yourself mentioned in a letter to the editor in the school paper.

Michael Whitley, on the other hand, shows up third on his list. In fact, if I google "Heather Whitley, Michael" a post about me on Michael's blog shows up. That genius internet guru must know something I don't know.

Christmas memories

This afternoon, we set up the Christmas decorations. Ansley and Hailey were very excited to see the Christmas village go up on the kitchen bar. When Emberly saw it, she was also very excited. She wanted nothing more than to grab the lit up house and taste it. Seeing her so excited about the decorations reminded me of Ansley's second Christmas when she was a little more than a year. She only knew one word: Dis ( a.k.a. This). After I set up the Christmas decor that year, she would take my hand several times a day and lead me over to the village on the bar, and, pointing excitedly, say, "dis! Dis!" I would lift her up so she could get a closer look at the fascinating houses.

Emberly is crawling full force now. She is just starting to clap... although she mostly loves to bang things together and is probably imagining she is banging things together with empty hands rather than realizing the clapping hands for what they really are. She smiles at strangers in restaurants, cocking her head to one side, as if to snuggle her own shoulder. She does love to snuggle and will invariably quiet down if she's being held (unless she has an earache and can't breathe through her nose and feels downright miserable). She loves phones and remotes and combs (oh, and hair and glasses). She knows exactly what she wants and what she does not want, and will let you know in no uncertain terms, although she won't go overboard with an emotional display when a angry squawk will suffice.

Piano and other living room additions

Michael came home with a surprise tonight (well, the girls were surprised, anyway). A Young Chang ebony professional upright piano. He had championed the project all by himself, searching Craigs list for weeks, showing me links, visiting and checking out the piano, researching movers and tuners and inspectors. Our piano was built in 1985, has an almost new look to the exterior, and, according to the piano inspector, only needs routine maintenance of a felt piece replaced and post-move tuning in a few weeks.

I love the way it plays. I also think the finish looks very classy in our living room. And it is a full upright like I grew up with, just with a different finish and cleaner lines. After the girls went to bed, I played with the dampener on for an hour or so and just loved it.

Ansley took an informal piano lesson from Auntie M before she left for college, and just reveled in the experience. So we're hoping that enthusiasm holds up for real piano lessons in the near future. I haven't found a teacher yet, but now I have a strong incentive to start the search.


We also got a great photo of Emberly from her 6-month professional pictures. (forgive its sideways appearance, I am formatting challenged). I think it is my favorite; and anybody who's been to our house knows how many great pictures we have of our girls.



The Emberly photo took the place of the old living room clock, so we needed to get a new one. For some time, I've wanted one of those really really big clocks from Target. And Michael actually told me to go to Target and buy one (by myself!) and enjoy dinner out while I was at it. Isn't he wonderful?

Anyway, we put it right below that drywall window thing at the top of the stairs. It looks awesome, at least to me.

Sneaky Peas!

Emberly does not like peas. Not one little bit. She sees a spoonful of peas coming at her, and she clamps her lips shut like a gecko. Then it's like breaking into Fort Knox to get peas down her pipe. But I have a trick. And it involves a wonderful new invention, the baby safe feeder.

A baby safe feeder is a bag of netting with a plastic handle. You fill the netting with a piece of fruit, in this case Emberly's favorite bananas, and they can eat the food through the netting without choking on big chunks. Emberly likes to run the show when it comes to feeding, so she'll open her lips for that bag o bananas if she's the one holding it. And that's when...

SNEAKY PEAS ATTACK!

Mommy has been waiting in the wings patiently and furtively with a spoon full of peas. They piggyback every bite of bananas Emberly opens her mouth for. The surprising flavor of peas on top of her bananas make Emberly pull the most interesting faces, but the important part is she actually swallows some of it.

This trick also works with carrots and sweet potatoes, which she is not fond of, but likes better than peas. Who knows what her personal tastes will reveal in uncharted vegetable waters, but I have a feeling bananas-in-a-net will play a key role in getting other veggies through that well guarded door.

Ansley-isms

Ansley loves to jump rope. She does air jump roping (similar to air guitar) while she waits for me at carpool after school. She practices jumping at home in the evening counting by fives, and announces with excitement her new high number for the night. The latest is 95. She is working on memorizing all those cute poems you chant while you jump, like "Cinderella dressed in yellow, went downstairs to kiss a fellow, made a mistake and kissed a snake, how many doctors did it take? 1,2,3..." The music teacher jumps rope with Ansley and other jump rope enthusiasts at recess. Ansley and she are jump rope soul mates.

Ansley is also a nibbler. A methodical and systematic nibbler. She nibbles the breading off her chicken nuggets before the first bite into the meat. Every time, no exception. And I just noticed she did the same thing with a Butterfinger from Halloween... something eerie about a naked bar of peanut butter crunch.

Halloween

Halloween wore us out. Emberly's been teething (three teeth now and two almost here), so the parents haven't been sleeping soundly. The girls enjoyed every moment and were fully energized by candy supplements.

Right after school, we drove to Michael's work. In their cafeteria, they had carnival games, a balloon artist, a face painter, and snacks like fresh popcorn, cookies, cupcakes, and drinks. Ansley loved the games because they handed out participation prizes. She got her arm painted, but then mentioned regularly that all that paint felt funny, and washed it off before bed so it wouldn't bug her. She and Hailey both waited in a very long line with Michael to get a balloon butterfly on a straw, and barely made it in time to enjoy 60 seconds of bounce house before they deflated it.


There was so much candy at cubicle trick or treating that Ansley's Spongebob basket was overflowing. We said some hellos to Michael's coworkers who were still there. And then we went home for thirty minutes before we headed to the church.

Michael's parents met us there. This is their first year with Melissa away at school. Nice for us because Michael's dad chatted with Michael while they handed out candy, and his mom helped me manage three kids in the trunk or treat craziness.

This is also the first year our ward added activities to our trunk or treat. The chili cook off was like a pot luck gone bezerk. I have never seen so much chili in my life. Fortunately, they had every variety of chili you can imagine, so I was able to find a low-bean non-spicy version that resembled soup. The girls just ate rolls and cornbread.

We happened upon the calk walk before the people in charge even showed up. Ansley and Hailey took the last seats available, and the parents looking on asked each other who was in charge of this thing and when were they going to show up and get things started. When they did show up, the responsible adults hadn't figured out how to award the cakes yet, and took a few trial runs and a lot of debate before they settled on a method. At least I assume they settled on a method; one of those trials ended in us getting a brownie cake and making a speedy escape (they were considering a longer process of elimination, and there was already a line forming out the door). I'm sure they'll have it down next year so the cupcake rewards will come swiftly, and the whole thing will end in time.

The trick or treat portion was fun. The activity was combined with the 5th ward who shares our building, so I didn't recognize everyone, but candy speaks a universal language. The girls must have felt like trick or treating experts, because they kept running too far ahead and had to wait for us old people to catch up.

Then we went home and marveled at the mountain of candy on the dining table. It seems like a lot more than years past; maybe trick or treating takes skill, and Ansley is old enough to pick up some candy acquisition talent.

Emberly was happy just to be held and mostly behaved herself. She got a lot of compliments on her cuteness. Ansley and Hailey also behaved themselves, although they didn't have much reason to complain.

p.s. You may notice the stroller in the pictures does not have a cup holder. It drives me nuts, but it does have great off-roading capabilities and weighs less than 13 pounds with tall handles for tall parents. I would never use it for shopping but it works great for walking to the park or outdoor activities like a trunk or treat.

High Chairs

Okay, so here is something else I have opinions about. Perhaps it was the scarring experience we had with our first high chair, and subsequently the happy relationship we have with our current.

I do not like stand-alone high chairs. They take up too much room in the kitchen. If you have a big kitchen and really want a stand alone high chair, get one with wheels on the bottom. Their tall height is an advantage if you are cooking and need a place to put your baby so they can still feel close to you. And they might want to follow you all over the kitchen as you work, thus the handi-ness of wheels.

Our stand-alone high chair had two pads and a big tray, all of which were evil. One cover was foam encased in plastic, the other was cloth. The cloth one took a special tool we fashioned out of a wire hanger in order to put it on the chair. The elastic bands had to be fed through tiny holes and routed around and behind in a way ordinary fingers were incapable of doing. It also shrunk and faded in the wash and never looked very good or fit very well after that. So we ignored it and just used the plastic undercover. We still got food inbetween the cover and the seat, but it was easier to install. It worked okay for a while, but after a month or two, the plastic coating cracked and the food and baby goo was directly absorbed into the inner foam. Very gross. Virtually impossible to clean. THe very big tray didn't properly fit into the sink for cleaning, and was a waste of space in my opinion because a baby's portion of food is never that big.

Our new version is the first years booster seat. It attaches very securely to a folding chair, which is small and easy to scoot right up to the table. There is one cloth a pad on the back of the seat which can be installed in seconds using fingers only, and retains it's shape and color after washing. The padding does not extend to the seat portion. That is molded plastic only. This is where all the gross food deposits during a meal, so a non-layered, wipe-clean surface that won't crack is essential. It also detaches and can be cleaned separately incase the mess is too big for wiping and needs to go straight to the sink. My favorite part, though, is the tray. It is small. It fits easily in the sink; in fact, it fits in the dishwasher. I have seen that big high chairs now have detachable parts of their tray that fit in dishwashers, but that is assuming your baby won't muck up the edges of the other tray part with their perpetually gooey hands. My experience is the sides of the tray are just as messy as the top.

So here are my suggestions for high chairs.
1 Get a booster seat instead. Smaller tray. Saves space. More intimate dinner arrangement.
2. Get a booster seat without a pad on the seat. You'll be washing it constantly.
3. No matter what you get, make sure you can reattach the padding yourself within ten minutes.
4. If you insist on a big high chair, get one with wheels. Your high chair can double as a baby holder while you cook, and you want it to be mobile.

Strollers

Michael says I have a stroller fetish. It's probably true. I tend to obsess about certain things and completely neglect others. But I figure if I really am obsessed about strollers, the world might as well benefit from my over-focus.

There are certain things every stroller should have.

The first is a cup holder tray. You might think that is silly if you've never had a stroller before, but they are invaluable. My local resale shop refuses to buy strollers without them. It is the place you put stuff you need to set down for a second, and when you are pushing around a baby, you have stuff like that all the time. Your cell phone and car keys end up here if you have no pockets.

The second is a light weight. I'd say nothing over 13 pounds. It's bad enough that you have to tote your 18 pound baby in a 10 pound car seat everywhere, why burden yourself with an 18 pound stroller, too? Light weight strollers are easier to get in and out of the car and most likely easier to push. Light weight is usually accomplished with an aluminum frame.

The third is small size. I say this because most often you are pushing that stroller through a narrow isle in a store or on a crowded sidewalk at an outdoor event, or in between cars in a parking lot. Width matters, even if it is a matter of inches.

The fourth is a big basket underneath. This is essential for me, because I am dying to get weight off my shoulders by putting the baby in the stroller, so why would I continue to hold the diaper bag? And because most diaper bags are big, you want a basket that is big. I'd test it at the store with your diaper bag to be sure.

I am a believer in the stroller frame. That is the stroller that only holds a car seat carrier. They are inexpensive and serve their purpose of the first little while. You don't have to be concerned about fabric pattern or cushi-ness or even how far back the seat tilts. If you want to go for a walk with your baby around the neighborhood, just strap them into their car seat and stick it in the stroller frame.

I am a believer in getting a nice quality lightweight stroller after they outgrow their carrier car seat. No 5.99 umbrella strollers from Wal-mart, or the ones you get free from babies r us with a $50 purchase. Get one with a cup holder tray for you and baby, with good padding and easy-snap buckles. With higher handles if you happen to be over 5'3", your back will thank you. With a big basket for holding your diaper bag, and once again, your back will thank you. And get one under 13 pounds. Your back will once again be grateful.

I believe jogger strollers are good for active people. They should have aluminum frames and an optional pivoting front wheel (anybody whose owned a jogging stroller knows what I am talking about on the front wheel).

I am not fond of travel systems. The plastic on the frame fades and cracks. Their size is usually over the top, and their weight is, too. Their cloth patterns often show dirt. Their wheels are usually cheap and hard to push. Most people I know who own them never use them past the carrier car seat part of their babies' lives, making them useful for a very short period of time. I can usually spot a first time parent because they have a travel system. Seasoned parents find a variety of other routes to get the job done.

been a while

So I've missed some major events, like the big birthday party. It was fun. We invited relatives and two families from church. There was little mermaid decor, a simple rectangular cake with candy letters (gasp! I know; my reputation for great cakes was ruined this year), and a disney princess pinata. Ansley is now seven and Hailey is now four.

Emberly started sitting up over a month ago. You'd think I'd jump all over the chance to blog and post pictures of that. She also says "ga" now. It's her favorite word, especially when she cries. She gets two ounces of rice cereal in her bed time bottle, and so far, it seems to help her sleep a little. She outgrew her carseat and we gave it to goodwill. We are borrowing the Peterson's newer and bigger carrier carseat so we can postpone the inconveniences of the big girl car seat as long as possible. Oh, and she loves to gurgle. She does it when she is happy and sad and just plain bored, but especially when she doesn't feel like eating yet a bottle is presented to her and she wants to chew on the nipple for teething purposes.

We visited the Mings in Austin. Angelica is due in November and Vivian started preschool this fall. Ansley and Hailey always love visiting "Bibian."

I actually got enough momentum to post today because it was Emberly's six month check up. She got three shots. Very sad; in fact, too sad to nap more than thirty minutes today. The doctor said she is amazing in her development questionairre. She is not 90% for size anymore; she is 17.5 pounds (75%) and 26 inches (55%) and 80% for her head, although I don't recall at the moment what the actual circumference number was.

I know that person!

Michael teases me when I say I know someone. For some reason, I get very excited when I spot someone from afar that I am just sure I recognize. Most of the time, I just can't place the name, but I am so positive I know them from some mysterious time long ago. It's a long-running joke and I've learned to recognize the fact that half the time, I've tried to identify people who have turned out to be total strangers and only slightly resemble a guy from my English class in high school.

The girls and I went to Walmart this afternoon to buy a shredder and look for the last few elusive school supplies. Ansley and Hailey drooled over the plastic banks shaped like crayola markers. Emberly, her nap cut short, fussed in the stroller to the rhythm of a ticking time bomb.

I was walking up a main isle, looking for the sub-isle that contained construction paper, when I glanced up at the oncoming human traffic. There was a handsome man in his mid forties in a loose lime green linen button up and airy beach pants. I smiled and he smiled back, and I instinctively felt like I knew him.

My first thought was panic. He smiled at me as though he recognized me, too. Would he feel disappointed if I didn't greet him by name? If Michael was there, I would have whispered, hey, I know that guy! And Michael would have smiled knowingly (and then he would have pointed to where the construction paper was, because he is an expert at finding things, whereas I am not).

But this time I really did know him. It just took me a second to remember how. And as soon as I thought of it, I had to find him again and look at his face to make sure I was right. I spotted him from the other end of the organizational isle. He was looking thoughtfully at dry erase boards. And I was sure. It was Peter Walsh.

And just who is Peter Walsh? To me, he's like Tom Cruise. Or George Bush. Or Michael Jordan. But to most other people, he's just the organizational expert from the TLC show Clean Sweep (the Australian guy who helps people part with their beloved junk).



I used to watch Clean Sweep religiously. If you've seen the show, you'll recognize some of the methodology in my post about cleaning the playroom. I could say it changed my life, but really, it just gives life to philosophies I already had, and creates concrete shape for ideals I long to hold.

I didn't want to be one of those blubbering fans who can only think to say, "I love your show! Will you sign my..um...shredder box?" And Emberly's delayed nap time bomb was about to go off. So, with reluctance, I took my shredder, school erasers, and red pencils to the check out.

And then I saw a sign. In the main entry isle by the front door, a small printout on a metal stand read: Meet Peter Walsh Today. Organizational expert and tv personality. (this is also where I got the name; I'm terrible with names).

Aha! I am right! I love being right. Although I have to admit, it doesn't happen all that often, especially when spotting people I think I know. But when it does, I love to bask in it's glory.

I get comments that I should post with pictures. So here is a picture of Peter Walsh. (Although I'm sure those comments are made out of interest in seeing my adorable little girls and not so much a middle-aged australian tv personality).

Emberly's four month check up

She is growing so fast. It's hard to believe it's already been four months.

The statistics shouldn't surprise anybody who knows Emberly. She weighs 15 pounds, 11 ounces (although at home she's weighed as much as 16 pounds). She is 25 1/2 inches tall, and her head circumference is 16 and 3/4 inches. All three of these are in the 90% percentile for her age. She is almost too long for the 6-9 month carters sleepers (by the way, carters is so inaccurate with their size charts due to shrinkage in the wash), and we have to be careful about pants that are too small for her waist.

The doctor said she could eat as much breast milk as she needed. I was worried because she does eat so much, but he said spitting up was a sign of overeating, and since she does so little of that now, the quantity is just right for her body type. He said one of his patients used to drink 54 ounces a day, but then again, the mother was almost six foot and the father was a professional line backer (and the kid grew up to play football too).

The doctor also alleviated my fears about flat head syndrome. I never worried about it with my other two because they were held a lot more because of fussiness, wanted to sleep on their stomach after they learned to roll over, and didn't get that good-baby bald spot at the back of their head. But he said at four months, if she didn't already have signs of flattening then nothing would be happening now, and her head still looked nice and round. So no big white plastic helmet head for us. :)

Emberly has two teeth now! And probably more on the way. We are actually enduring some fussiness now from her due to teething; it mostly manifests itself as crankiness for an hour or two before she is due for a nap or bed time, and a little more tossing and turning at night. Still manageable.

First tooth

Michael discovered Emberly's first tooth last night. She was chewing on his finger, and it started to hurt, so he felt around, and sure enough, the bony ridge of her bottom front tooth had broken through the gum. Not enough to see unless you look right into her mouth, but you can definitely feel it. Michael said she must be a pretty good baby if she's been teething all this time and we didn't even know it.

Bed time prayers

We listen to Ansley and Hailey say a prayer every night before we tuck them into bed. Ansley always prays that she won't have bad dreams, that the next up and coming event will be fun (she is big on anticipation), and that she won't get so mad at Hailey all the time (little sisters can be a trial sometimes).

Hailey always says she needs help, but she can really do it just fine on her own. After a few promptings, she launches into all her thank you's. The last few days she has started with "thank you for eyeballs." I am not sure what that is about, but I try to keep a straight face, as we often have to remind her to be reverent during prayers and I don't want to giggle and show a bad example. She also says thank you for various parts of the house like windows and walls (I suspect she is looking around the room for ideas). SHe almost never asks for anything, except occasionally she'll pray for help to be nice to others. She can be very sweet sometimes.

Playroom overhaul

We visited Steve and Amanda's new home last week, and I was so impressed with the playroom in their new house that it inspired me to clean and purge ours. Michael and I had talked about needing to do it for some time, but it seemed like such a major undertaking that I had a hard time getting excited about it. As it was, it took two whole days.



First, we took all the toys from all over the house and put them in the playroom, and let it spill out into the front hall when we ran out of room.




Then, I separated books from toys. Then I pulled out my favorite toys and books, and from what was left, I let the girls each pick a small number of their favorite toys and books. The toys that left the playroom filled seven garbage bags. And there was a really big box of books.



But was is left is in such order that the girls have discovered toys they forgot they owned, and actually have room to play with them. The books are not falling off the bookshelf, and can be neatly stacked there with room for boxes of smaller toys.



And the number of toys is so manageable that the girls can clean up the playroom by themselves and it looks just as nice when they clean it as when I do.

The best part is their toys all fit inside the three toyboxes by the window. This used to be a general dumping ground that got so full, it wound mound up against the window and run into the miniblinds, as well as just spill out the front, so it didn't really look clean even when they put everything away. Now, there is plenty of room to put everything inside of the toyboxes. It is so wonderful when everything is contained.

My Pleasure

Hailey is so funny. She picks up on little sayings that grown ups say and repeats them at just the right time in conversation.
The other day, I thanked her for putting her plate in the sink. She said, "My pleasure" in the most naturally grown up way, it just made us all laugh.

Breastfeeding and decor

About two weeks ago, I just about gave up on breastfeeding (but not breastmilk). I found I was avoiding the times I was supposed to nurse, and looking forward to the first time at night that I could pump. Emberly also got fussier and fussier about eating at the breast, and tended to eat more at night so she could just snack on the breast and avoid a full feeding. I pumped exclusively with Hailey, and missed a lot of the conveniences that came with it. And I liked the control over scheduling of milk expression and feeding that it gave me.

My mom had given me a double ease medela pump that she had bought used for Aubrey, who used it during the month or two that she nursed. But the power seemed weaker than what I was used to, and I suspected that the motor might be too small or just dying. So I purchased a brand new pump to keep my milk supply up for the whole year I plan to feed Emberly breastmilk. I hear a lot of people have a hard time keeping up their supply when pumping exclusively, but I only ran low once with Hailey, and made up for it with more frequent pumping.

Here is the pump I bought. I like it because the bag can be used for other things (about the size of a large diaper bag) and I can take smaller pieces of the set with me as I need them.



I am also excited about my new quilt set. We haven't had a bedroom set in years, and the last one was one of those sets that had a comforter so thick we only used it in the dead of winter.

I wasn't actually looking for new bedding (although I have wanted new bedding in the back of my mind for some time). Angelica had come to visit us, and since she was upgrading to a king size bed, she was looking for a new bed set. We visited Pottery Barn and I was rather unimpressed with their selection. But right across the hallway in the mall is a place called Restoration Hardware. It was my first time inside the store. IT was a lot of faucets and other kinds of hardware, obviously, but they also had soaps and lotions, candles, towels, furniture, and bedding. And there was this quilt, the one I had always halfway pictured in my mind as what I was looking for, middle weight, solid color, soft yet durable fabric, with a pretty and intricate embroidery pattern.

I talked to Michael about it and went back the next day and bought it, along with some European pillow shams (square as opposed to rectangular). Michael says he is used to sleeping with just a sheet that it is something of an adjustment for him, but I absolutely love it. In fact, I love it so much, I make my bed just about every day. And that hasn't happened since...well, I don't think I've ever done that before.




Here is a picture of Emberly in her baby swimsuit and sunglasses. The suit is 3-6 months, and it is already pretty tight on her, so she may outgrow it before we actually get her some real swim time.

2-month pediatrician visit

Emberly is growing like a weed and very healthy. She got three shots today, which Michael witnessed while I took the other girls to the front desk to pay the bill. From what I can remember of her stats, Emberly is almost 13 pounds (90%), 23 inches long (75%) with a normal size head (50%).

Dr. Moshier asked us about eating and sleeping habits, and we said she was eating well, and sleeping extremely well. He said from his experience, there seems to be more than a coincidental amount of good third babies...almost like fate is throwing you a bone for enduring the first two.

6 week midwife visit

Here is a picture of Emberly with my midwife, Susan Akins. I believe Susan said marie was her middle name, too, so that adds even more significance to Emberly's middle name. Susan said that she was talking about Emberly to another patient just the other day when someone asked how big was too big in terms of baby size. She used Emberly as an example of how you just never know what size you are capable of birthing.

I am healthy and right back on track. I lost all my pregnancy weight after just a few weeks and have been holding steady at 150 ever since. I guess my body likes that weight, although I know there is still a lot of flab I could stand to lose around my mid-section. I'm not too worried about it, though. I don't have time to get out and jog the neighborhood these days. And there are a few sets of clothes I fit into just right.

Did I mention I love my midwife? She has decades of experience and a personality that really puts me at ease. After all that pregnancy care provider fiasco, I am so happy with who finally ended up with us in the delivery room. I feel like I can ask her anything without making her defensive or suspicious, and I trust her implicitly to expertly handle any crisis the way I would want her to. You really need that kind of trust in order to relax and properly work with your laboring body, so I am so glad events turned out as they did.

Emberly is sleeping well. She often has a very fussy period in the late evening until she falls asleep about 10:30 or 11pm. Then she sleeps pretty well, only waking up to eat, until about 8 or 9 am. The longest she has slept straight is 6 hours, which was a few nights ago. But since she doesn't wake up in such a dramatic or extended way in the night, it isn't that bad. I have her moses basket by the side of the bed and just lean over and stick a bottle in her mouth for a few minutes when I start to hear her stir. I don't even have to wake up all the way except for once a night when I get up to pump.

She is also eating better. At the beginning, she would only latch on for a few seconds and then cry and pull away when my let down started to choke her. And then she was so worked up, she wouldn't latch on again. I learned from la leche league that this led to Emberly drinking more formilk and not so much hindmilk, which in turn lead her to be fussy and have a lot of gas and green stool. To fix this, I pump the first minute or so of letdown (until it stops spraying spontaneously), and then I let Emberly latch on. She still pulls away several times at each feeding, but she is willing to go back, and it doesn't spray all over her when she pulls away. It is a complicated process that involves a impatient baby, a bouncy seat, a boppy, a bath towel and a complete lack of modesty on my part, but she is nursing for 3 or 4 minutes at a time now instead of 30 seconds (and her digestive system is much happier too).

I end up throwing away about six ounces of foremilk a day, which doesn't seem like too much in the over production department. Hopefully when Emberly has her next growth spurt, I will also have a reduction in my letdown. Perhaps that extra production will just mean I won't have to nurse as often to get my milk supply up for the next level of demand for a bigger baby. It might also mean that the nursing process will be simple enough that I can discreetly do it in public. For now, it is an at-home only event. These days, I either pump and bottle feed on the road or just make very short trips.

2 week pediatrician visit

Today we saw Dr. Moshier for the two week well visit. Emberly was 11 pounds 3 ounces and 21 and 3/4 inches long, so one ounce less and half an inch more than her birth size. Her head was 14.75 inches. So that was 50% for head and height, and 95% for weight.

In case you don't know, we absolutely love our pediatrician. We knew a nurse in our ward before Ansley was born who asked other nurses around the hospital for their favorite pediatrician, and he came back as the best one with a pleasant bedside manner. He is competent and knowledgeable, and also treats us with respect no matter how many questions or concerns we have, or how many things we've "read about" and want to know more. It's so nice to be treated like an intelligent adult by a medical professional.

She also got her second PKU test, and screamed like a normal baby for the first four foot squeezes, but stopped crying before they even finished filling out the test card. The nurse commented that she must be a brave baby to not cry even all the way through the test. Who knows if it's bravery or not, but I'm not complaining. She slept for over three hours straight afterwards.

Emberly Marie

Here I am on my due date.



And here I am after they broke my water. I told Michael I didn't even feel pregnant anymore because it was so much lighter and smaller than before. He pointed out that I still looked very pregnant.



And here is Emberly Marie Whitley. She was born at 11:57 am April 5th, 2007. She weighed eleven pounds four ounces and measured twenty one and a quarter inches long. It was three and a half hours of natural labor, an hour of which was pushing. The only complication was classic shoulder distocia, which was scary at the time, but everything turned out okay once she was out.



Things have been very smooth since then. Emberly is our best newborn yet (I don't say baby because we are still waiting for the other shoe to drop). She sleeps two to three hours at a time at night and rarely cries (actually, it's probably a normal amount of crying, but just feels like nothing to us). My stitches are healing at a remarkable rate (was able to walk around the post partum floor 24 hours after delivering). Nursing is interesting, messy, and somewhat awkward, but not overwhelming now that the soreness is starting to go away. I've lost all but 4 pounds of my pregnancy weight (half of which was the baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid). Ansley and Hailey are adjusting to their new roles rather well, and Michael and I are actually getting at least the minimum amount of sleep needed to function (we could always use more, but we're not zombies). Overall, it's been our best newborn experience yet.

Another sonogram and looming deadline

My due date is Saturday. And it is as accurate as you can get, because I knew the day I ovulated (July 8th). That date matched up perfectly with the 9 week sonogram. So there is no avoiding the actual 40 week mark (although I read that white females with private insurance...i.e. healthy and well-educated pregenancies, tend to have a gestation period 10 days longer than the 40 week average of other ethnicities or socio-economic groups).

I had another ultrasound this morning to re-measure my fluid index. As I posted earlier, It was 27 at Christmas, 34 in February, 32 last week, and today it was 30. I had thought the top of the normal range was 25, but Jessica the ultrasound tech said normal actually topped out at 20, and medical professionals start to look worried when it goes over 25. Either way, I'm not sure I'll hit a low enough number by next week to make everybody happy. But I am going down. That's a good thing.

The babies biophysical profile was 8 for 8 again today, including a nice long session of practice breathing and all the body parts with the appropriate amount of movement. She was so active in fact that Jessica had a hard time capturing the heart beat and blood flow through the cord. When she finally caught the heartbeat, she seemed to see a dip in the rate, so she called Susan the midwife and confirmed that an NST (non-stress test) would be a good idea, just to make sure. I personally think any heart rate problems with the sonogram were a result from me laying on my back (the bed-angler was broken) and the overactive baby that wouldn't let her get a good solid reading.

A non-stress test is basically ten minutes or more on the fetal monitor in the observation wing of labor and delivery. So I drove to Baylor Medical Center, signed in, firmly told them I was laying on my left side for the reading (they said it didn't matter either way), and waited for a long enough test strip to show up that Susan could review. I was there for about an hour, which was fine because my results were spectacular, including some small contractions with perfect response from the baby's heart (the medical professionals are very reassured when the baby responds well to contractions...they use that as a forecast for how the baby will handle the rigors of labor).

Susan actually came down to labor and delivery to see me, which was nice because I wanted to talk to her about the fluid levels and what would happen next. She was very happy with the readout and said I was free to go. She said that 30 was still high, and that they would still want to induce me, probably early next week; and that would be decided sometime between tomorrow and my visit with an OB from her office on Thursday (routine procedure for all midwife clients to see an OB from the practice at least once). I told her Lindsay had been talking about starting off the induction with artificial membrane rupture, which I had read in What to Expect When YOu're Expecting and several other books was a big no-no with high fluid levels...it increases your risk of cord prolapse just as much as if you were to spontaneously break your waters, which is what the induction was supposed to circumvent. Susan replied that they wouldn't use the usual crochet hook and rip a hole in the sac, but rather a small pin-prick for a slow leak that would let the head settle slowly onto the cervix (which I had read was a viable alternative in my situation). Going into labor with strong contractions is still preferred, so we are still working on natural induction methods to get me going this week.

I know that ruptured membranes is the point of no return as far as induction goes, so I asked her what would happen if I didn't go into labor with this step. Susan said that 18 hours after membrane rupture, they would give me antibiotics as a precaution, and would let me go as far as 24 hours before they needed to see signs of active labor. This is a big improvement over many OB's, some of whom do a c-section as soon as 12 hours later, and most will do a c-section after 24, no matter how far along you are. Susan also said the second course of action would be cytotec 25 micrograms (vaginally inserted cervical softener), which I still want to research. Cytotec is FDA approved for ulcers, not induction, and tends to be so strong that the side effects in some cases are really horrible, including a few cases of maternal death. I think Susan referred to it as the rocket fuel of birthing babies or something like that. I know there are other cervical softeners out there, and want to read up more on them so if it gets to that point (hopefully it won't) then I could have a substitute request. Susan said pitocin was not a good choice for secondary induction methods, and I tend to agree. It makes contractions harder for both me and the baby, puts me in the bed with the monitor (to watch for the very likely fetal distress), gets an IV in me, and all sorts of other interventions that go down a road I want to avoid at all costs. Susan told me drinking rasberry leaf tea and evening primrose vaginal suppositories would be good to add to our list of attempts.

Susan did a cervical check on me and said my cervix was very soft (so soft it was hard for her to pin down), posterior, 50 or 60% effaced, and just about 3 cm. A soft cervix is good because that means it stretches easily with pressure from a baby head. Posterior is bad, but might be a temporary thing just because the baby is not at a lower station (susan said she was high, but didn't give me a number). 50 or 60% effaced is the same as last time, but 3 cm is definitely an improvement. It means I am officially done with early labor, lol. I passed my mucous plug today, which doesn't mean much, except that I am still dilating and opening up. My books say a mucous plug comes hours or sometimes weeks before labor.

Susan didn't know how to figure my Bishop's score from her new findings (which surprised me), but said it might not be relevant in my case because of the babies failure to drop consistently. I don't know if I believe that or not, but I am reassured that I got another cm and considerable softness to add to my score. My guess is it brings me up to a 6 or so. I would still like to be at least a 9 before they do anything permanent like break my water.

In other news, Hailey has a virus. It is not influenza, because Michael took her to the pediatrician and had her tested, but it does come with a really high fever (104.3 at one point, and around 102 with tylenol and ibprofen). The Pediatrician said to limit her exposure to me, which means I haven't touched her since this morning; Michael has been medicating her, holding her, etc. It's a good thing he is working from home this week, but also awkward at points when he needs to actually hunker down and get seriously focused on an assignment...This afternoon I just watched Hailey from a distance, ready to call Michael if physical contact was needed at any point to help Hailey. I've purelled myself like three dozen times today, and bought another container of clorox wipes. I washed all our sheets, because Hailey has visited our bed recently in the morning. Michael aired out the house by opening lots of windows, even though it was raining outside. It would be very bad if I had a virus with a high fever and went into labor.

38 (almost 39) weeks

Picture of me at 38 weeks on Saturday.

On Friday, I had an ultrasound to check baby's well being and fluid index. It was lower for the first time since they started tracking it at Christmas. Thirty two. Last time it was 34, and the time before that, at Christmas, it was 27. The baby is healthy as a horse with 8 for 8 of vital signs, including practice breathing.

I also had another visit with Lindsay on Friday, who said she didn't think this would be the week to go into labor (and she was right, because I made it through to the next appointment). She didn't do a cervical check or even a fundal measurement. We discussed different positions for pushing and which ones would slow down the probably fast descent and decrease the chance of tearing.

Today, I went back in, and requested a cervical check out of curiosity. The dilation and effacement were pretty much the same (2 and 60% instead of 2 and 50%), but she was quick to point out that those meant nothing about predicting the onset of labor. She said because I was almost 39 weeks, that there was a good chance I could go into labor any day now, mostly because it's near my due date and Hailey was born at 39.5 weeks and Ansley at 40.5 weeks.

Lindsay's big concern was that the baby was still not consistently engaged. I was at a -1 station last time she checked, and now I'm at a -3, with a pocket of fluid in front of the face (which is at least pointing the right direction; anterior or towards my back). She knows very well that it might have been at a -1 or even 0 just yesterday because the baby isn't sticking in position.

While this is not uncommon in subsequent pregnancies, it poses a bigger risk for babies floating in extra fluid. If I am not in active labor when my water breaks, the lack of contractions may mean there is not enough pressure to get the baby's head to "cork" up the cervix right away, and the cord might slip in and get pinched or fall out. This is a small risk with every pregnancy, my extra fluid just increases the risk slightly. So she told us to call right away if the membranes rupture before labor begins. Then they can help us assess fetal movement and position to rule out emergency situations.

Of course, the easiest thing would be to have contractions and be well into labor before the water breaks, so the contractions funnel the head in the right direction in a timely manner. So we're going to do what we can to bring about that scenario.

I have another ultrasound on Monday to recheck the fluid levels. Lindsay did say if I could get back down to a normal fluid index of 25 or less, then her worries would go away. But if I can't, they want to look into induction after the due date, as natural as possible of course, starting out with just breaking the water and see if labor kicks in. My current Bishop's score is only 4, so I hope if it comes to induction that my score is higher by the time they decide it's time to do it (scores of 4 or less tend to fail with induction, 5 to 8 needs cervical softener before trying to induce, and 9 to 13 is likely to succeed).

I am taking hope from the fact that my fundal measurement hasn't changed in over two weeks. (I think the last time she checked it was 38, so I'm guessing that's what it is now) Perhaps that means my fluid is going down steadily, and that I can be officially declared low risk again with this next sonogram.



3-d picture of baby's facial profile from Friday's sonogram (sorry it's sideways).

Michael's shower project

I really can't believe I haven't posted about this yet, since it has been such a big part of our lives the last three weeks. Michael went to re-grout some loose tiles in our master shower and one came out altogether, revealing rotting and molding board beneath. He kept pulling at tiles until it was obvious to him that he might as well rip the whole thing out and redo it. He bought super-filter masks to keep the mold from making him sick, tore out everything, including insulation, down to the studs, bleached the studs, and then started rebuilding. Dan and his Dad have been a big help to him along the way. Now he is tiling and hopefully we can have the shower glass estimator out early next week to give us a price on a new door and install it asap.

Shower renovation pictures


And here I am at 37 weeks. Everyone at church today told me I was ready to pop, especially since you could see my belly button poke through my sweater like the indicator on a Thanksgiving turkey. And apparantly, I am in full waddle-mode now, or so I hear. It only makes sense that I would walk that way when it feels like I am carrying a bowling ball between my legs. Is there anyway to carry a bowling ball between your legs without waddling?

36.5 Weeks

Here is a picture of me at 34 weeks. We missed the picture of 35 weeks and 36 weeks is on the new camera, which needs hardware to upload the image.

Saw the other midwife, Lindsay, today. Very nice. I'm excited about delivering with this practice.

I had high blood pressure (for me, anyway) 108 over 60 something. I'm 38 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight, which is about normal for me, maybe a smidgen high, for this stage (I can tell by my hips that about 15 pounds will be mine to keep and work off later).

The baby's heart rate was in the 150's. Lindsay says sometimes the heart rate slows down before birth because it doesn't need to be so fast, but keeping up a good pace like this one is still normal and doesn't mean anything (she was sure to point out that it was not an indicator of how active a newborn it would be :)).

They took a sample for the GBS test today and will find out the results in two days. If it's positive, I'll get antibiotics in labor every four hours through a heploc. I told Lindsay about my concern about a yeast infection in reaction (since I've had so many in this pregnancy), and she said they would be very proactive about dealing with that and other side effects of such powerful antibiotics. She jokingly told me to think "negative thoughts," but only for this test, not in general.

My fundal height is still measuring 2 weeks big, about 38 weeks, and Lindsay said she could feel all the extra fluid near the top of my uterus (yes, I am just like a big water balloon right now). I joke that our baby just loves swishing around in her own personal swimming pool. Lindsay smiled when she said she would have to put a note on my chart to watch out for projectile fluid when my water broke. It's happened to her before and she wanted to be prepared. :)

The cervical exam was optional, but I opted for it out of curiosity. I am 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. This is about where I was with Hailey a few weeks before I delivered, so it doesn't mean anything other than I won't need a cervical softener at 42 weeks to induce (doubt I will go that long, anyway). At least I'm 20% of the way there already, even if it's the easiest 20% of labor.

Lindsay said the baby was at a -1 station and she pushed it to a -2, so in the right spot, but still able to float out of it. That would explain why I sometimes suddenly get a lot of pressure in my hip and lose the ability to control my leg muscles for a few seconds. It probably also means that we'll go straight to the hospital when my water breaks just to be sure the baby was properly engaged at the time.

When I was headed down to my appointment, the office called and said that one of Lindsay's patients was on her way and in labor, so I should expect my visit to be short and sweet. It wasn't. I waited for twenty or thirty minutes, which surprised me. Lindsay came in and said she had just come BACK from a birth. Apparently it was a women with a speedy labor, and they had labored at home for a few hours and waited a little too long for the sitter, so the baby was born only 15 minutes after they arrived at the hospital. This made me glad that, first of all, their office is on the hospital campus, and secondly, that Dan has offered to watch our kids, and he lives a few blocks away and works in Michael's building. I'm not worried about waiting too long because our sitter has a long commute.

I am feeling great these past two days. I had horrible ankle swelling and fatigue through Sunday. But this week, the swelling is gone, I'm not tired during the day, and I'm running errands and cleaning out closets (sounds a lot like nesting, doesn't it?).

Michael bought a new camera (since our old one only works when it feels like it). He also got the crib put together in the upstairs bedroom. We'll probably move the nursery downstairs in the summer, but for now, Hailey is still occasionally coming into our room in the middle of the night with a huge blanket wrapped around her, which isn't a safe situation for stairway travel in the dark. And the baby will be in the portable moses basket for the first few months anyway, so the crib location is not really important.

I have all the baby clothes washed and in drawers, and bought a few basic things like diapers and pacifiers at my last grocery store trip. We really need to practice our relaxation exercises and I need to finish packing the hospital bag. So I'm hoping this baby gives us at least another week to pull things together.

Lots of news

Here is a new post! I know some of you have been eagerly anticipating it. I don't have pictures, but I do have news.

First of all, we had a wonderful Valentines Day. Michael and I went on a five hour date on Saturday and enjoyed dinner at Maggianos, ice cream at cold stone creamery, and the new James Bond movie. On Wednesday, Michael had to leave for youth activity at seven, but we had a great time exchanging valentines before he had to go. Michael made home-made cards for the girls and me, and gave us all yummy chocolate (now there's a man who knows what women of all ages love :). The girls and I picked out cards and drew pictures and notes on them (Hailey's picture of Daddy was really impressive), and gave him some small valentine-y gifts, the biggest hit of which was a gorilla that jumps and sings "jump for my love." Michael and Ansley and Hailey have a few minutes of jump-dancing with the gorilla every night now.

We just found out today that Ansley qualifies for PACE, the gifted and talented program for our school district. Here's a link to the program:
http://k-12.pisd.edu/currinst/pace/pacecontents.html
Ansley's teacher recommended her for the testing process, and Ansley just barely missed the cutoff for automatic admission in the first round. The review panel asked Ms. Hughes if they should continue reviewing Ansley, and Ms. Hughes really championed our little girl, saying that her non-verbal skills tied for the highest score of any other kindergartner, and were ahead of the other candidates by a wide margin, and her verbal test results were only inhibited because of the shyness of her personality. Ms. Hughes had documented all of Ansley's "bright moments" throughout the year, so she put them in letter form and submitted it. The district leader of Pace said that letter was so good they would use it as an example of how to recommend a child for the Pace program.

Other big news is that we are switching care providers and hospitals for this pregnancy. Last Thursday, Craig Ranch OBGYN fedex'd us a letter stating they were no longer comfortable with the doctor-patient relationship and would provide 30 days of emergency care while we found another provider. Fortunately, we had several referrals to consider and have managed to find a provider that is willing to take us this late in the pregnancy and fits our needs. Susan Akins is a certified nurse midwife with extensive experience and a practice of eight doctors to support and back her. She has privileges at Baylor University Medical Center. Here is a link to her group practice:
http://www.wha-docs.com/ourmw.htm

Normal life marches on. We have all had colds for several weeks, starting with Ansley and a week off school because she was so miserable, and even feverish at some points. Michael and the girls all ended up with antibiotics, Michael for bronchitis, and Ansley and Hailey for ear infections (I might be mistaken, but I think it was Ansley's first ear infection). Hailey loves having "sleepover parties" with her blankets and stuffed animals on the floor. Ansley is doing great in school and at her class at church. Her primary teachers say she is just the cutest thing and they love having her in class. Michael has been working a lot of overtime trying to finish up his work load early so the office won't have to call him and have him do work while he is on leave for the new baby. And my belly is getting bigger every day. The baby is head down, but not really engaged yet, moving her head to my hips and back to the cervix regularly, as well as rotating as she kicks me from all angles. In fact, she did this in the midst of our level two sonogram check up a week ago, proving she's not quite ready to leave her happy little swimming pool just quite yet.