Happiness is...

Waking up every morning remembering I have a new baby and I AM NOT PREGNANT ANYMORE!

Hugging my husband again. (The real kind of hug, not the "Here, let me move my gargantuan belly off to the side first" kind of hug.)

Seeing my ankle bones again

Laying on my belly again

Food tasting good again

Getting my brain back (sort of)

Looking forward to many months of non-pregnancy

Still being 30 lbs. heavier than pre-pregnancy weight and not caring a smidgen!!!
(because it's still better than being pregnant)

Feeling happy again

Ok, I'm really done with the pregnancy posts. I just had to say one more time how wonderful it is not to be pregnant!!!

And, as an update, I had gallbladder surgery a few days. I guess it's pretty common to have gallbladder problems during or shortly after pregnancy, and I happened to be one of the lucky ones. But, other than a few painful attacks, and an absolutely no-fat diet for a week, it wasn't that big of a deal. I'm on the road to recovery now and

Happiness is...

Eating your first chocolate after having your gallbladder removed.

What's your happiness today?

BABY JACK

Jack William

Born: February 25, 2010

at 3:25 p.m.

8 lbs. 9 oz. 20 1/2 in. long

Ok, here he is! I know, I know. We are the worst at updates and announcements. My poor siblings had to wait until my Mom got back from visiting us to see pictures of him (from HER camera, of course). Yes, we're pathetic like that.

But, my excuse? I've been busy!!!!! Busy enjoying a new baby and adjusting to 5 little ones now. It actually hasn't been too bad, since Jack is an amazingly easy baby. He already has superpowers. He can sleep soundly through the cacophony of 4 rambunctious kids. And I mean soundly! He's amazing, and we feel so blessed to have him in our family.

This is the bili-bed that he spent a day on at home. His jaundice was pretty high, so they brought over this bed. He looks like a turtle in it!

The day after using this, his bilirubin had gone up to a semi-dangerous level, so they sent us to NICU (AGAIN!) where supposedly his bili levels were back down to the original level. Alas, we had already checked in to the NICU, and frankly...they don't let you go until the fat lady sings.
So, we spent 2 days there, and then we finally came home for good.

Everyone set to take Jack home!

And miracle of miracles-Kevin-the not-quite 2 yr. old is soooo good with him. He didn't even really get that there was a baby in my belly before Jack was born, so suddenly when this creature came home from the hospital, I wondered...but Kevin took it all in stride.

Jack's first bath.

What a babe.

I think I see the beginnings of a cowlick which Jack might hate someday, but I am enamored. I think a cowlick on a little guy named Jack is perfect!

THREE WORDS

BERTHA
IS
GONE!!!!!!!!!
YAHOO!
(I guess "yahoo" makes 4 words)

Newton's Laws

Newton's Laws of Motion
for Pregnancy

1. An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force.

This is demonstrated when you roll over in bed and the baby doesn't move with you. Ouch!

2. The greater the mass (of the object being accelerated) the greater the amount of force needed (to accelerate the object).


OH! That's why my friend asked me if I had just ran to the phone when I answered totally out of breath. (I had walked 3 steps to get to the phone.)

3. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. That is to say that whenever an object pushes another object it gets pushed back in the opposite direction equally hard.

This is what I like to call bladder kickball.

There you go.
Newton's laws apply to everything!!
Or maybe everything applies to pregnancy...

HUGE

*********WARNING!!!**********

This is another pregnancy post. If you're sick of hearing me complain...don't read on..

So, I'm huge.
I know it's true because I am a pretty observant person. Yessiree.
Here's my list of

Clues:

1. I outgrew all my maternity clothes a month ago (and those clothes were huge)

2. The scale seems to tell me that I've gained 50 pounds, and I've still got 2 more months to go. I would say it's lying, but when I suggest this to the midwives they just nod their heads and scribble something in their folder. I don't think they believe me.

3. I've been measuring 3-6 weeks too big for the last month and a half.

4. I knock into people with my belly when trying to maneuver through the crowded hallway after church every Sunday.

5. It is painful to stand at the kitchen sink, but my arms are too short to scrub the dishes properly unless the counter presses into my belly a couple of inches.

6. My belly pushes my legs out 45 degrees whenever I sit down or walk up stairs.

7. If I sit too long, my legs fall asleep because my belly cuts off their circulation

So, it doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes to ascertain that I AM HUGE>

But, fortunately, mercifully, thankfully-JUST IN CASE!!!
I have people around me to remind me how HUGE I am.

Like the stranger at Fred Meyer who was staring at my belly for so long that even my daughter noticed and said, "Mom! That lady was staring at your belly! Isn't that....rude??"

Ok-maybe I'm paranoid. I guess she could have been counting my kids 1, 2, 3, 4...and seen my belly ...5! Maybe that's why she was staring.

Or the person at church who says (without fail, every Sunday) REALLY Loud, "WHOA. You sure are big. When are you due?????!!!!"
Maybe I should just write MARCH 17 on my forehead before venturing out of my home.

Or the other stranger at Fred Meyer who said, "Any day now, huh?!" when they saw me waddling next to them. I should've just told them "Actually, I'm 2 weeks overdue!"

Or the people who ask if I'm having twins when I've told them repeatedly, "nope, just one baby in there!"

Aren't I lucky to have these people around me??? JUST IN CASE I forget.
............................................................
Ok-I feel guilty for being so sarcastic. I haven't quite locked Bertha in the closet, yet.

So, I'll finish by saying THANK YOU! to all my sweet friends and family who DO NOT remind me how huge I am.

Like my awesome sister-in-law who saw me at Christmas and said she thought I was due in MAY!!!!!

Such love...

And just because I know you're dying to see...
Here's a picture:

Me in a black shirt.

Insight

I love it when you get a glimpse into your child's mind.

For instance, today I was grading Olivia's logic work from this morning.
She's just finished a section on analogies.
You know...hot is to cold as rough is to _______.
So, today she got to make up her own analogies to wrap up the section.

The last one on the page gave me insight into her perspective. :-)

It was this: Teacher is to student ______________________-and she was supposed to make up the rest.

Olivia's completed analogy: Teacher is to student as master is to slave.
Hmmm....
Guess it's clear how she views things.:-)

Tornado

Right now
My house
looks like a tornado came through
Literally.
You know when you see those stories on the news where people are living in filth and squalor? And everyone is appalled and the children are taken away and the house is condemned?
Yep, that's us right now.

Ok-I admit-minus the animal feces and 10 poisonous snakes that roam free. It could be worse.
But, really all it takes it one day of ME doing nothing and this is what we get.
Please tell me mine is not the only house that looks like this some days? or weeks....:-)
Please.
It would make me feel better.

Sam and I fantasize about making really weird movies together-like Napoleon Dynamite movies. On days when our house looks particularly messy, we've talked about doing a commercial for a household cleaning tool that would work much like a powerful leaf-blower. Blow that thing around for a few seconds and Voila! The floor is clear and ready to be vacuumed. :-) Wearing really cool goggles, of course.

Today would be a perfect day to start that commercial.