Newborn House Arrest? NO THANK YOU.

*********Baby Pool Announcement!!**********

Can you believe that out of FORTY baby pool guesses, the winner would be my very own wonderful sister-in-law?? Candace took the prize-- barely winning out (by one hour!) over my bestie Rebecca. She guessed his height exactly as well. So, CONGRATULATIONS, Candace! I will be sending you something fun in the mail shortly. Also- I love yoooooo! smooch smooch!

*****************************************

I've been wanting to do that thing where you compare your kids' newborn pictures, but am not nearly organized enough to get a "same outfit, same hat, same background, same pose" capture like so many bloggers seem so able to do. I found these two poses somewhat similar, however, so I thought I'd do a side-by-side comparison of the boys at just a few days old:



Myer is on the left, and Ezra is on the right.

They look somewhat similar in these photos, although in real life I think they look really different. Myer is obviously much BEEFIER than Ezra was (hello, two extra pounds! Owww!) Ezra DEFINITELY had my eyes & dark eyelashes when he was born, while Myer seems to have his daddy's brow & eyes. He also has Chris' head shape and bigger lips. I'm thinking we might have a mini-daddy on our hands, while Ezra was a mini-mommy. How fun!

We are all doing incredibly well, and Myer has still been sleeping pretty much all the time. He sleeps for 4 hour stretches at night, so we're getting plenty of rest so far, and he eats like a champ!

Chris and I have been out & about quite a few times, because we don't particularly agree with the "LOCK DOWN" theory if momma and baby are doing well and feeling up for some fresh air and company. Also, GASP! WE ARE NOT TERRIFIED OF GERMS! So, there's that.

So far, everywhere we've been, people react with shock and stifled horror that we have had the audacity to walk out our front door with our newborn baby. Maybe it's an Oklahoma thing? I don't know. Anyways, it's annoying. For me personally, it's much healthier to be out of the house every now and again- grabbing coffee or sitting at church- rather than being cooped up in my bedroom. I feel amazing physically, and the air and company have done me good. I don't remember such reactions after we had Ezra. (We were out & about just as much with him too.) Maybe it was the laid-back California mentality or the fact that none of our friends had ever been around babies before so they didn't know most people stayed home for WEEKS after giving birth... I don't know.

Since I feel great, and Myer is doing great, we do things. We go places. And we don't think that makes us bad parents.

ANYWHO, I've started writing down Myer's birth story since it is still so fresh in my mind. Every single time I close my eyes, I see a replay of the events of his birth. Funny how life-changing events seem to hunker down behind your eyelids like that. I absolutely love it, and I'm trying to capture the day before it starts to fade away. I'll post that soon.

Happy Monday, all! Myer has his first doctor's check-up today... wish us luck!

Myer has BIG HANDS.

New Life.

I know it's a little early to be making sweeping, grandiose statements about how wonderful life has suddenly become, but I just can't help it. There is new life bursting from the seams of this little house of ours... new life that eats and sleeps and poops! But, also, new life in the hearts of those changing all these tiny dirty diapers...

Sleep is for Babies.

I'm supposed to be napping in the bedroom but SHHHHH I am blogging and looking at pictures of mah new baybeeee instead.

We got home yesterday afternoon and I have been floating around in a cloud of pure bliss & happiness ever since. I'm too happy to sleep.

But Myer sleeps a lot! One time he did this:



Oh! And then later he did this:



And then... you will not believe this... but, look! He slept some more!



Then we all went out for some tea and coffee and cupcakes. Myer will not remember this outing, however, because guess what? He slept all the way through it.



I am feeling pretty much amazing- like I didn't even birth a child two days ago- and you guys may not believe me when I say this, but the only part of me that is currently in any discomfort is my LEFT BICEP MUSCLE. I've never had such a sore muscle before. It hurts when I even glance at it too forcefully.

Apparently, I was using that arm as counter-pressure on my tailbone during the 'pushing' stage of my labor. I've injured my tailbone pretty badly a few times in my life, and during transition/pushing it felt like that bone was going to re-break unless I pushed on it with all my strength. So... YEAH. My arm is sore.

Anywho... life is good and we're pretty much all just drowning in love. It feels so so good to be home!

My Baby is A Rockstar (And less than one day old!)

Thank you all so much for your well wishes & welcomes to the newest member of our family! We are set to go home today from the hospital, and I cannot wait to have all of us together in our cozy little house again. (That's probably the BIGGEST appeal to homebirthing for me... once you're done, you're at HOME!) All this time in the hospital seems unnecessary (AND BORING) to me, although I DO enjoy some of the perks of as well...

i.e:

-Room Service
-House Keeping
-Prescription strength ibuprofen (those after pains are a doozie...)
-those great hospital swaddling blankets
-Constant free drink refills and snack accessibility
-and great views of the city from this room of ours!

Everything has gone really smoothly and perfectly since we've been here, so I am very thankful for that. I will write more about the birth later, but it was a very different experience from Ezra's birth because my midwife was actually THERE this time, and we had so much help and support from the moment we walked in... it felt incredible.

Wanted to share a few more pictures for all of you out there, but especially for my family far away that can't be here with us during this extra special time...
















Oh, yes! Re: The mohawk... these really hip and stylish nurses came to give myer his first bath yesterday, and when they brought him back they said they just couldn't resist "hawking" him because he had the perfect hair for it. HAHA. I (obviously) almost died from the cuteness, and his hair is STILL standing up like that even after an entire night of wearing a baby beanie.

Such a rockstar already.

Introducing.....

myer elliot clark
"bringer of light to the Lord"

born January 12th, 10:32 AM

21" 8 lbs. 1 oz.

We are all doing GREAT!!!!

I started having contractions around 7:00AM this morning. We got to the hospital at 8:45 AM, and he was here at 10:30 AM!!

We feel so blessed and are over-the-moon in love with this little guy. He's very mellow and quiet so far, and has us all wrapped around his microscopic little pinky finger already.

Thank you, Jesus!!!

Ring Sling!

Nothing new to report today... I still feel really good and am enjoying these final days of pregnancy! I know I am going to miss being pregnant once this little guy makes his arrival, so I am trying to soak up these moments like the last days of Summer Vacation... the last days of rest before the whirlwind begins.

I must confess, I was secretly hoping (and praying) that he would be born on the 9th (yesterday). 1.9.09. That's just a cool day to be born. PLUS, it was a full moon, so my chances were good! But, no such luck. Now, I'm aiming for the 12th because it's my best friend's birthday. (Hi, R-Tron!)

I spent part of the day making a sling out of some fabric I fell in love with and some rings I ordered from slingrings.com. The fabric was originally $24 a yard, but I got it for $6. The rings were about $3, so the whole thing cost me less than $20! Also, a friend of mine from California was kind enough to let me borrow her Maya Wrap Sling for awhile, so I'm finally feeling covered as far as carriers go. (Thanks, Debra!!!) Now I am totally ready!

Here's the fabric:



And here's the sling:



Now all I need is a yummy munchkin butt-butt to fill it... woo woo!

Golden Thread.

I'm still here... still feeling excited and like I want to meet my baby soon! This morning I woke up to the "show" (I'm trying to be discreet here, but if you've had a baby before you will know what I am referring to) and have felt pretty normal all day since then. I am just SO thrilled to know that my body has been busy without me even really knowing it. I am ECSTATIC to know that I am already at 3 cm... that's way more progress than when I showed up at the hospital (in pain) to have Ezra, and I have been pretty darn comfortable up to this point, so I'm over the moon! Go body, go! I am so proud of its progress.

I am feeling empowered and in awe of this process once again. Our bodies are unbelievable, aren't they? I am excited about the pain, the triumph, the awakening of labor. I am yearning to see my husband fall head over heels in love again... overcome by a boy no bigger than his forearm. A "David & Goliath" conquest played out before my very own eyes...

This baby has already accomplished much in his life without ever even taking a breath. In the throes of loss and suffocating depression... A light! A light!

On the heels of God-induced joy came the knowledge of new life... almost like our little family had stopped in the desert to build an altar for what God had done in our hearts. A remembrance. A symbol of His goodness and love for us. A baby... and now he's almost here!

I'm praying that things will kick into gear sooner than later, but I am also well aware of the fact that this baby will get born at the EXACT moment he is meant to. It could be tonight, or it could be two weeks from now. My heart and my home are ready... the rest I will leave in Good Hands- The very same hands that have been busy slowly knitting this child together and stitching up my broken heart with strings of golden thread.



Oh, the anticipation and joy of it all! There's nothing like it in the world!

UPDATE: Good News & Bad News.

**UPDATE**

--My midwife checked me this AM, and I am currently 3 cm dilated (measuring 4-5 cm on the outside) and I still haven't really felt any "contractions" as of yet. This is great because when I had Ezra, I was only dilated to a 1 when I showed up at the hospital. I had him 5 hours later, but I'm already farther along now than I was with him then... Wahoo!!

--I tested positive for Group B Strep... meaning I won't be able to labor at home like I'd hoped, but will need to head to the hospital as soon as my contractions become regular or my water breaks so they can give me antibiotics. The thought of this baby getting a dose of antibiotics before he's even born is a bit unsettling to me, but I'm going to do my research and make sure I know my options before I agree to anything for sure. I don't want this little guy to get sick!

So.... ANY TIME NOW!! Stay tuned!

Place Your Bets! It's Baby Pool Time!

Dearest Darling Uterus,

Take a long hard look, if you would, at this picture of the last child you nurtured within your walls four years ago. Isn't he amazing? Look at those eyelashes!


photo by the amazing cameron ingalls!

Now, the way I see it, this current baby is pretty much ready to go. At this point, he's only getting BIGGER and creating deeper and itchier and stranger-looking stretch marks around my poor belly button by the hour. So...

LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD, SHALL WE?!?!?! HMMMM&*^!%*&^%!? RAWR!!!

Love,
Excessively Eager Em Jo


**************************************************

Dearest Darling Husband,

How do you know me so well? On New Years day, you announced you were ready for a change. A "mixing it up" of sorts. I agreed absent-mindedly, although I had no idea what you could mean by it all.

Later that evening, after Ezra was asleep, and I in my perpetual bath, you carried out your plan of action.

YOU REARRANGED THE LIVING ROOM FURNITURE.

I knew then, more than I ever had before, that God created you just for me.

Rearranging furniture is like crack cocaine to me. I would do it every day if I weren't aware of the social implications for such behavior. (Read: One way ticket to the Looney Bin.)

I LOVE my new living room. I feel like I can breathe again.

And I love you.



Forever Your
Furniture Flingin' Wife


**************************************************

Dearest Darling Ezzie Bug,

I LOVE the way you talk about meeting your brother. I love hearing you tell him all the things you are going to teach him. And I love the way you want to 'rub my belly' almost constantly throughout the day.

But I DO NOT love how you keep saying this baby is going to be born on your birthday. That would make him two weeks late.

Just the THOUGHT of that possibility causes mommy to daily eat her weight in peanut M&M's... and wonder warily if she has a little prophet of doom on her hands.

You're officially banned from the baby guessing pool.



Love,
Your Massive Mamma

**************************************************

Okay! So... speaking of date guessing...
let's Baby Pool it up!

Leave a comment with your best guess of the date of birth, the time, the weight, and the height of this little guy, and the winner will receive... something! That I haven't decided upon yet! But it will be great!

Here's the info I can give you:

The official due date is January 24th.

Ezra came 10 days early at 4:24 AM and weighed 6 lbs 4 oz. He was 20 inches long.

Good Luck, all!

37 Weeks and BORED.

37 Weeks.

If I haven't mentioned it here before, it's probably because I ran out of babies to wear about 3 years ago, but... I'm very into "baby wearing". If there's a way to strap a baby to yourself out there, I know about it and have probably tried it. I know how to make a baby sling using nothing but a bedsheet and a slipknot. I know the kangaroo carry and the hip carry and the cross carry and the rucksack carry. I know how to strap a baby to my back or create a hands-free cradle sleep carry with nothing but a piece of long stretchy fabric, and I know that my baby carriers have gotten much more use than any of my strollers ever did.

On the cusp of this baby arriving, I have found that my brain has been completely hijacked by the subject once again. I have been touching up on my baby-wearin' skillz and making sure I have everything I need to start wearing this guy right away. I'm suddenly obsessed, is all I'm saying.

Here are the current carriers that I have:

The Ultimate Baby Wrap, in Navy Blue.

The Sleepy Wrap, in Slate Gray.

and the New Native Baby Sling in Black.

I also have two other pieces of fabric that I use as wraps. So... FIVE options. That seems like plenty, no?

Apparently, five is not enough. I am suddenly convinced that I MUST have an adjustable ring sling to make my life complete.

Here's an example of my dream sling:



...from this etsy shop, but it's a bit on the pricey side and I will probably just end up borrowing one or getting some fabric and making my own.

So... yeah. This baby needs to come soon because I am bored and have been spending way too much time thinking about all this. BOOORRED.

In other news, I had an appointment on Friday and everything is going great. Baby's heart sounds excellent, and the little guy is head down just like he should be. I'm feeling good and my hospital bag is FINALLY packed. The car seat is ready, the nursery is ready, the closet is ready, and I've even been getting lots of fun goodies in the mail from our amazon baby registry the last couple of weeks. My mom is flying out on the 20th to stay for awhile, and we are hoping the baby will be here by then or by the time she has to leave again... After that, the rest of my family is coming out in mid-February to meet the little guy. Wahoo!

Here are a couple photos of the closet and the nursery as it stands right now:

Chris BUILT these closet shelves from scratch. He never ceases to amaze...



The changing table.

It seems that everything is in order and all that's left to do is wait. (NOT A STRONG POINT OF MINE.)

PS. Do you like my new blog banner? I rang in the New Year by crouching over my laptop and creating it. I didn't realize it was a New Year until 12:15 or so. ***MASSIVE BLOG NERD ALERT***