50/52

Connor: He is so incredibly proud to have a brother and dotes on Callum all the time. It really does make my heart soar. And I've even heard him call the baby Callum a couple times, so maybe he is coming around about the name.  

Isla: Even though she can be pretty rough and isn't into dolls at all, she is all about hair bows and sparkle. 

 Callum: Oh the newborn squish. I can't get enough cuddles from him at the moment. I really am loving this new baby in our house. 

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

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Callum, the first 24 hours

Callum Robert

December 9, 2015

12:07pm

7lbs, 14oz,  21 inches 

My labor and delivery ended up being much longer and more complicated than I thought…or really than anyone thought. The midwife thought I was going to deliver at like 6am, but Callum wanted to keep us guessing. Just like I did with Isla, I was able to grab Callum as he was coming into the world. And I was the one that announced that he was a boy. In fact, they all seemed shocked that I knew so quick, but I got a peek as I was bringing him up to my chest. The midwife and nurses were awesome. They did delayed cord clamping. Ian cut the cord. And Callum was checked out while in my arms. It was a great, albeit quite stressful at times, experience. I can't be any happier over having this little boy in my arms. Now enjoy some photo goodness of Callum's first 24 hours. 

 

 

^^ We didn't tell anyone that Callum was a boy until Connor and Isla came and found out. It was fun waiting and letting them find out, then telling everyone else.

^^ Connor and Isla were super excited to meet Callum and check him out. They wanted to check out everything about him. Connor immediately told us he didn't like Callum's name and two days in, still refuses to call him it and instead calls him Robert. 

 ^^ Both the nurse and pediatrician that came while Connor and Isla were visiting were super great about involving them. They let the kids listen to Callum's heart and check his temperature. The pediatrician even asked the kids to introduce him to Callum. It was all really sweet. And I was slightly surprised how sweet and involving all the staff were with Connor and Isla. 

 

We were able to leave the hospital just after Callum hit 24 hours old. I don't remember this with Isla, but apparently there are a bunch of tests they run at the 24 hour mark. So after the tests were taken and we got the bilirubin results were back, we were free to go. Callum cried as soon as we put him in his car seat, but quickly settled down. Now we are at home and Callum is getting used to being the third child…being manhandled constantly and living life in a house that rarely quiets down.

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40 Weeks

Well, I've made it to the invisible finish line…now to see how much further I will go. Up until about two weeks ago, I was feeling pretty awesome. But between the nonstop braxton hicks contractions and the baby stretching itself out from top to bottom, I have been feeling increasingly more uncomfortable. I have to say, I feel lucky to have made it this long feeling so well though. I actually convinced myself this baby was going to come early with all those bh contractions I've been feeling and given the fact that I've been dilated a bit since 36 weeks. No such luck though. What can I say, I make quite the hospitable home.

You should have seen the looks of pity I got during the school run on Monday. Apparently everyone thought I was going to have the baby this past weekend. No such luck. I am holding out for tonight…it is my due date after all…hey, it could happen!

On Sunday, a little boy pushed in my belly button and said, "Your baby is sticking out." Oh, the innocence of children! Of course, I can handle cute things like that from kids a lot better than I can handle the comments from adults. If I get asked one more time, "Are you going to have the baby today?", I may slap someone. I can't predict the future folks, so stop asking!!! But if you want to offer me some chocolate, or perhaps offer to watch my kids, or just tell me I look good, you will be on my good side. Just saying.

In case you care, here is how I felt at 40 weeks with Connor and at 40 weeks with Isla. Maybe this baby is a boy, given that I had a lot more of the pregnancy rage going on when I was pregnant with Connor than with Isla and I am totally having it again this time. Soon, very soon, we will know what this little babe is.

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49/52

Connor: I love how this kid has to put on his entire tball uniform every time he wants to play it, even if he is just batting by himself in the backyard. 

Isla: She has played under the Christmas tree nonstop since we put it up. I love it. She takes her stuffed animals under there with her and will even tuck them up in the tree and leave them there to play with later. 

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

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The Christmas Card Challenge is Back

Usually I am that person that has our Christmas card picked out and designed well before Thanksgiving. Then I take advantage of the cyber Monday sales. But, this year is a little different. With the baby joining us sometime in the first half of December, I thought it would be nice to wait and include the baby in the card, even if that means getting our cards out {gulp} after Christmas.

Even if my Christmas cards are headed out late this year, that doesn't change my enthusiasm for getting Christmas cards in the mail. And my Christmas card challenge is back for a third year in a row. The categories will remain the same:

      * first card to arrive
     * best handwritten note
     * best photo(s)
     * best update
     * best overall

The first card to arrive category has already been taken…by a card that arrived in my mailbox on the day after Thanksgiving, while I was decorating for Christmas. It left a huge smile on my face with it's perfect timing, given that I had literally just hung up my Christmas card holder.

With Ian now having his own coffee roasting company, I can't in good conscience give out a Starbucks gift card to the Christmas card challenge winner this year. So, this year I will be giving a bag of Bean Counter Coffee Roasters coffee to the winner.

If you want to join in the fun, but don't have my address, feel free to email me at jgrimbleby{at}gmail.com and I will provide you with an address to send it to. And if you are looking for some inspiration, here are the winners from last year and from 2013.

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Twas the Day Before Thanksgiving...

The morning before Thanksgiving was a crazy one for me. Both kids had school Thanksgivings. Connor had a performance at 9…the exact time I am supposed to drop Isla off at preschool. And her school isn't one you can take kids early. Thankfully, her teachers allowed me to drop her off early that morning and let her chill with them while they were getting the class ready. Connor's class performed three Thanksgiving songs. Connor participated in the hand movements for every single song, but did not sing one single word. He was particularly animated for one of the songs and got a lot of laughs out of the audience…and I got some comments from parents later. Not unusual for this kid! Now, since his performance, he has sung the songs with movements for his grandparents and some others. I think he just must not like singing in front of groups of people…though obviously don't have a problem with attention on him, given how animated he gets. 

^^ Isla and her friend Gracie. They have been good little friends at school since last year. 

^^ Sweet mother, daughter pictures

^^ What taking pictures with Isla really looks like. I ended up with several pretty funny outtakes…think her lunging toward the camera or squeezing my cheeks. The good news is, holding her while trying to take pictures is an ab workout all of it's own…hence the reason I haven't worked out at all this pregnancy…haha

I had a doctor's appointment across town between the kids Thanksgiving shindigs. Thankfully they weren't running behind that day, so timing ended up not being an issue. At Isla's Thanksgiving thing, they performed two songs, then we had a Thanksgiving feast…like an actual Thanksgiving dinner. Isla did well singing. She literally didn't look away from her teacher the whole time. She looked extremely serious, but sung and did all the had motions. She wasn't quite as interested in her feast. She did eat some turkey and fruit though. She was more excited about them being able to take home their owl crafts that had been hanging in the class for a couple weeks. That literally consumed her thoughts. She didn't want to waste her time eating and just wanted to get her hands on her owl. 

It was a good, albeit busy morning. It's always fun to see the kids differences in personalities come out in things like performing for audiences. And it's always fun to watch them beam with pride to have us come to something at their school. 

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39 Weeks

Things are getting down to the wire here. I will be happy to have this baby in my arms, and the nightmares of labor gone wrong out of my head. But, there is also something so sweet about feeling a life moving around inside of you.

I put the car seat in my car this weekend. Both kids were fighting over who gets to sit next to baby. Of course, they may be quickly fighting over who has to sit next to baby if it's a crier! Isla is currently situated in the middle, between baby and Connor. She seems excited about being able to be next to the baby. My hospital bag is mostly packed, though I do have a list of the things I need to add to it once I go into labor. And I think I have mostly everything I will need for right away after the baby is born. I am definitely being a minimalist parent this time around.

Connor asked me the other day if I was stretching out my shirts with "your big belly". I got a kick out of that. And I get a kick out of hearing the kids talk about the baby crying. Like Connor saying it will cry when he runs through the house too loudly and Isla saying it will cry when it's bored. Isla told everyone at her school that the baby's name will be butterfly if it's a girl. Though it's a great suggestion, I am thinking it won't happen ;)

Ian thinks the baby will come this Thursday. I think by the end of the weekend…or maybe I hope…because I also think it could stretch things out for a while longer. All I know is, Sunday night I was in pain all night and had trouble sleeping. I thought for sure Monday would be the day, as I had never had that happen with either of the other kids. But, my stomach calmed down midway through Monday. So, we shall see what happens.

I still get nervous about the kids getting off to school with everything they need if I am in labor. Or them being picked up in a timely manner. Or, my favorite, us missing trash day on Thursday…Ian and I were laughing about this because we totally missed putting our trash can out last week and I said it would be ironically funny if we were in the hospital with me in labor on trash day this week. Oh, the things one obsesses over when wondering when the baby will come!

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