blur

Last week was basically a blur.

Albeit one of the best blurs of my life, it was still a blur.

Just a warning that this post contains Claire's birth story, so if you're not into that sort of thing, don't read on.

All day Thursday, November 11, I was convinced my water was breaking....a slow leak kind of thing. Finally, at 4:30 I went to the OB because I certainly didn't want to show up at the hospital and not know if it was the real deal or not. The doctor's office was a much better place to make a fool of myself. So, in I went and they did a little swab and told me I had progressed a little from my last appointment, but that my water had not broken.

From there, Greg met me in town and we went to TJMaxx to burn some time before my pedicure appointment at 6:30. After my pedi (in which I told her to definitely rub my ankles...anything to help speed labor), I picked up dinner and headed back to the farm.

Greg and I watched an episode of Big Bang Theory, then got halfway through The Mentalist when we decided it was time to get some ice cream. Greg headed downstairs with the dogs to dip it. That's when the gush happened..........

Thankfully, I was neat about the whole thing and not a drop got on anything but the pajamas I was wearing. G had to put the dipped ice cream back in the fridge to bring me some towels, but other than that, I was neat and tidy during the whole thing. So, at 10:30, we headed to the hospital, calling only my parents to make sure the dogs were taken care of that night and next morning.

So, there I was at the hospital, having contractions every 2 minutes, but nothing was too terrible and I wasn't progressing at all. I worked on the computer, read my Bible lesson, Greg snoozed....anything to pass the time.

Because my water had broken, I had to deliver Claire within 18-24 hours (hospital policy) to avoid infection. After talking to the nurse, she was convinced my water had broken much earlier with a high leak, but there wasn't enough of a sample to turn the swab at the doctor's office.

So, at 6:00 that morning, my OB wanted to start me on the dreaded pitocin. I didn't want to do it, but more than that, I didn't want a C-section, so I had to do something to make progress.

They began at 8mg and worked their way up to 22mg before the pain was so excruciating that G and I started discussing an epidural. Originally, I hadn't wanted to do it, but at 22mg, I still wasn't progressing so we went for it. Our rationale was this:

• I needed to relax in order to progress, and the pitocin contractions didn't allow me a break in between to recover from the previous one. And, I really needed to make progress anyway otherwise the C-section talk would commence.
• If I ended up needing a C-section, I would rather already have the epidural to avoid general anesthesia.

Almost as soon as I got the epidural, I passed out. That's one thing they didn't say in the birthing class. That thing will KNOCK. YOU. OUT. It did me anyway, so I slept for 2 hours. When I woke up, I was at 7cm and 100% effaced, which was a far cry from the "maybe 2cm" the nurse was generously giving me just before the epidural. My contractions had taken a regular pattern and I was well on my way.

Greg woke up, too and went to the cafeteria and brought his lunch back up to L&D. About that time, my mom came and we chatted for a few minutes then I asked for the nurse to check me again because I thought I needed to push. At that point, I had gone from 7cm to 10cm in 30 minutes. Greg was still calmly fixing his plate and commenting on how good his salad was.

Mom left the room and the nurse got everything ready, Greg was still munching the whole time and I was increasingly saying, "I think I need to push....Greg, tell the nurse I need to push."

When the nurse finally told me I could push, I asked where my doctor was. She told me not to worry, they don't call him until the baby crowns and there is plenty of time for him to get there. I tried to protest, but she said, "Don't worry, I've done this before."

I felt a little silly, but after one push, she was the one scrambling: "Okay, stop pushing!" She hurried to the nurses station to ask if my doctor had been called. The next 10 minutes or so was spent trying to see where he was and if he would make it to catch the baby. He arrived in a hurry and I just had to give one more push. At that point, he calmly said the cord was wrapped around her neck a couple of times, so instead of Greg cutting the cord, he did. That was fine by us as we were more than thrilled with her safe arrival.

Just to prove I'm human, I did have a couple of tears (one from each eye) when they plopped her up on my belly. There's not a word that can adequately describe that moment. We had waited so long to experience it and by far, it was worth all the pain, time, and expense to get to that moment.

This is one of my favorite photos Greg took right after birth. Claire has such long fingers and this photo looks like she's saying "Why is this happening to me?"

She was born on Friday, 11/12 and we were sent home on Sunday.


No one tell Claire her mommy put her outfit on backwards.

Meeting her siblings for the first time. (More on that later).

Then, on Tuesday, we went back for a checkup at the pediatrician. At that point, she was readmitted to the hospital because of jaundice and weight loss. I only took a few photos of this hospital stay because it was heart-wrenching...and I was busy the whole time. We had to weigh her before and after every feeding and I was pumping and adding about an ounce to her regular feedings. Luckily, I had good friends (and my husband of course) to watch Claire around the clock, though. She kept knocking those goggles off her face, so their job was to wash bottles and keep her eyes protected. She's going to write them a massive thank you note after her first eye doctor appointment, I'm sure of it.

We were dismissed the next day, but (whew!) that was a tiring event.


We're now home and happy and doing well. More updates to come.

39 weeks

Claire Thomas Foster

11/12/10

1:37pm

6 lbs 11 oz

20.75” long

Everything went very smoothly, and both Claire and I are doing very well. Greg said everything went great for him, too, and we know that was of utmost importance J

Claire’s coloring is great and she has brown hair and blue eyes (for the moment). We’ve already been visited by both sets of her grandparents and her “cousin” Natalee, who said she would teach her “big girl stuff,” which I assume is all about princesses and fairies.

If all goes as planned, we’ll be home Sunday afternoon.

Thanks so much for all the prayers offered on our behalf. Now the real job begins!

every time

Every time he sees a cool car, he wants his photo next to it.

Sad that I didn't get the full shot otherwise I'd be able to remember what this car is.

9 years, 8 weeks ago

Gardencourt, Louisville, Kentucky.

Greg and I were here 9 years, 8 weeks ago.

We took pictures (on film...ack!)


I walked down this aisle.
Well, it looked more like this from the direction I came.


Said our vows.

Ate some caprese salad and pasta.

Fed each other cake.

Then ran to our 1990 2-door maroon Honda Accord.

And that was the last we saw this beautiful place until today.

It was strange being back. Strange in a good way. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. We were sitting at dinner, eating chips (which are so good for my swollen feet), and despite every thought of how my grandparents tortured me wanting to drive around and see their old house, or old business, or whatever, I said to Greg, "I don't want to sound like an old fogie, but at some point I'd like to go back to Gardencourt, just to see it."

He thought it was just as good a night as any, so we headed over there in hopes that another event wasn't going on, and we were in luck.

As soon as we arrived, he began reminiscing about the last time we were there. He mentioned the goup (you infer) under our door handles and the "item" that fit snugly over our gear shift. Yep, those are his fond memories.

So, it won't surprise you that these are the first photos he took of the place.

mmm...hmmm.
And, it was at this point, I turned around, scowled, and rolled my eyes.

But then later, I realized, I wasn't any different than he.

Now we have old memories and new ones here and I love every one of them.

typical greg moment #348 - 7 years bad luck

The first thing I noticed about this photo was not the gingham apron.

Nor was it the fact that Greg's doing dishes.

It was the first time I noticed the bulge in the waist area.

When I showed it to Greg, he immediately noticed the same thing.

His reaction was to first blame it on the shirt he was wearing and the big Thanksgiving dinner. After about 15 minutes of discussing that the camera doesn't lie, he donned his gym shorts and headed to work out.

He was prepared.

He had already added the Men's Health app to his phone and was eager to try this exercise:



He did it in the exercise room surrounded by 8 foot mirrors:


Oh yes, my husband did this.


He decided the medicine ball would be too much for the drywall to bear.

The mirrors were the best option.

meeting ree

My big Christmas surprise for Greg this year was meeting Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. He's been a follower of her's since Davinie introduced him, and ever since, he's been bugging me to take photos like she does, and cook like she does, and I strongly believe the reason we now own 80 acres and 19 cows is in large part due to Ree.

Basically, if something were to ever happen to Marlboro Man, he would be able to step up to the plate...literally and figuratively.

Anyway, back to the story.

A few weeks ago it struck me to check her blog to see her upcoming book signings, never dreaming there would be one as close as Nashville. When I saw that it was on Dec 8, I asked Greg to take off work so we could travel the hour to Nashville to Christmas shop. Luckily, the signing was at a bookstore at the mall we most often frequent, so it was a plausible excuse. That and the fact that Greg is as easy to fool as a 3 year old....

We get to the mall and I ask him if he wants to go to the bookstore to look for a gift for his dad, and he agrees....the compliant shopper that he is. I thought for sure there would be a huge sign giving away my plan and I could catch the look of surprise on his face.

Nope....nothing.

So, even more obvious, I tell him to head over to the cookbooks and look for his dad.

Still nothing, so I went to the counter and asked if I had the right day.

The lady said, "No, it's not today....(pause)....it's tonight."

to-MAY-toes
to-MAH-toes

whatever.

About that time, I motioned Greg to the counter and asked if he'd like to get his dad the Pioneer Woman Cooks. He was excited at that notion.

Then, I asked if he'd like her to sign it tonight and this is the look I got along with a "NO WAY!!!!"


(I should mention that look was reenacted because had I brought my camera in initially, there was no way I could have kept this a secret.)

Then, I said, "I KNOW!!!! What are the chances we'd be here the same day????"

He fell for that for about 30 seconds. Thirty glorious seconds.

Then, he went on to tell me what a wonderful wife I am.


Later that evening, he told Ree about his farm and cows, and not a mention about me being a good wife. Oh well.....



(I really should pay attention to my mom when she tells me not to slump.)


You only get one chance at a shot like this, and I'm glad this was a good one.



Too bad this one wasn't for all parties involved. (Hyacinth & Betsy)

They were giving out Ree's tees, very nice ones by the way from alternative apparel. And, if you know anything about them, they run VERY small. As in, I normally wear a size XS or S and I definitely need the M in these. So, I ask if both Greg and I can have one (Greg to give to a friend), and Betsy said, "Yeah, I'd love to see you wear that!"

Which caused Hyacinth to erupt in laughter....followed by Betsy when she realized what she had inferred. Too bad, Betsy, Greg's heart is with Ree. :)

But it did make his night. The whole way home he talked about how he "still has it."

Fun night and definitely worth the wait.



Met a new friend from Murray, KY, who teaches high school English and is a digi-scrapper while waiting in line.


Also ran into some old friends from Shelbyville, TN, when I lived there from 1988-1993.

Some tips for the day, if you're planning to attend one of Ree's last book signings:

• Wear comfortable shoes because you're going to be standing on a hard floor for a long time
• Plan on waiting between 1-4 hours
  
• If the signing is at a Davis-Kidd Booksellers, they give out Group numbers, 25 per group a week in advance. (wish someone would have given me the heads up on that)
• Chances are the location has no idea that Ree will draw such a huge crowd....they'll be underprepared.....but the good news is that the crowd is nice, friendly, and you'll have a great time!
• You're going to see way more redheads per capita than at any location....EVER, but don't feel left out. Ree didn't show partiality as far as I could tell
  

typical greg moment #584 - Lost Rolls of Stamps

I asked Greg to get a roll of stamps at the post office.

He came back with FOUR rolls around his fingers as rings.

Greg: I've got stamps!!!!

Me: FOUR ROLLS?!?! I only asked for one!!!

Greg: It's not like we won't use them.

At this point, I had done the math and figured out it was $176 in stamps. It goes against the very core of my being to spend more money on something than is necessary at the time. And, it goes against the core of my core to give more money to a government organization than is necessary at any time.

The next day, I had a few things to mail and I walked over to the stamp drawer to find this:



No stamps.

Not only were there no stamps, there was not even one roll of the four.

I immediately called Greg and asked him where the stamps were.

Greg: They're in the stamp drawer.

Me: No they're not.

Greg: Yes they are.

Me: Do you want me to send you a picture? Where did you put them?

Greg: Check your desk drawer


Me: Nope.

Greg: Check the container on my desk.

(no judging here. he absolutely loves his barn-door-on-sawhorses-rigged-desk.)

(but you can judge the Ironmind egg-shaped hand-exerciser thingie. I judge him constantly for that and it doesn't seem to bother him.)


Me: Nope not there either. I'll look around.

The following 23 minutes were spent turning the place upside down looking for the stamps.
I know it doesn't seem like a long time, but if you've ever fervently searched for something, you know 23 minutes is a long time.

Still there were no stamps to be found.

My envelopes would have to wait. I was not about to go buy another roll of stamps when I knew there were 4 somewhere.

That night, I pestered Greg until he went through all his pants pockets, and all his jacket pockets, and his backpack, and even his carhart vest pocket (his new favorite outerwear....he even tried to wear it to the movies the other night and I strongly prohibited it. Just because we have a farm doesn't mean we have to dress like it.)

Still no stamps.

The next day, I searched again. I searched high and low and even commissioned some help from Lorie.

Still no stamps.

I asked Greg to retrace his steps.

Me: Greg, you walked in and said, "I have stamps!!!!" Then I said, "FOUR ROLLS?!?!?! I only asked for one!!!" Then, what did you do next?

Greg: With me, there's no telling. (the understatement of the year)

Me: Greg, it's $200 in stamps (okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not far off). Think please.

Greg: I can't.

Me: What do you mean you can't? You can't remember what you do each day? Just forget it.

Time passes that day and still no stamps.

Then, I walk upstairs and see this:


It may look like two baskets in a chair to you, but to me a beacon from heaven was shining upon it.

At that moment, I remembered the same day Greg bought the stamps, he went up to the house to get the baskets out so they wouldn't become dusty when the wood floors were sanded.


And they promptly went back to where they belonged.


And, the world was restored to order.

big bang

We were sitting in the apartment and we heard a loud bang.

Greg jumped up and looked out the back porch because it sounded like a neighbor had thrown something over the balcony in anger. But, there was nothing.

A fit of complaining ensued about how tired Greg is of living in the apartment and how glad he'll be to be away from all these loud neighbors.

About 20 minutes later he went to the fridge to grab a drink.


And, then, he felt stupid and apologized for his rant.

In his defense, the night before he had been woken up by a domestic dispute in the parking lot outside our window.

______________________________________________________________

Speaking of big bangs, we've just been introduced to Big Bang Theory. If you haven't seen it, it's hilarious. It reminds me of the nerd humor that kept me so entertained when I went to the Governor's Scholar program in high school one summer. I tried to say it wasn't 5 weeks of nerd camp, but there's no reason to lie to myself now. There was a whole different level of humor...lots of jokes based on science and math.

And, a new show that's on my radar that's equally as funny, Community. I watched the pilot episode 3 times...not by choice, but I wanted my mom and dad to see it, and I happened to be sitting in the room when they watched it at separate times. It has a good mix of characters and Ahbed (sp?) is hilarious.

My favorite line from the show:
Text: "Con-4-s8-tion on field"
"Who sent that text?"
"Someone with a misguided sense of abbreviation."

Ever got a text when you wondered why the person just didn't spell out the word because it would have used the exact same number of characters?

boston

Overheard last night

Greg to my dad: Have you ever been to Boston?

Dad: Naw (that means "no" if you're in the south). That's one place I've never been. Been lots of places, but never there.

Greg: I almost went to school there.

Dad: Really?

Greg: Yeah, a school for boys.

(long pause)

Unruly boys.

Just so you know, this is the first I'd ever heard of Greg's potential education in Boston.