I thought newborns were supposed to be sleepy

This isn't the first time I've done this newborn thing. Even so, I'm having a hard time remembering something. Aren't new babies supposed to sleep all day? (Experience has already taught me they are up all night.)

I had two opportunities for naps today. Sarah didn't let me take either one. I finally got her to sleep 10 minutes before my first nap time was over. At least I got some computer time in that way. (A neighbor had called up and offered to take Rebekah and Joseph for me so I could get some rest. It was a really good idea - or so I thought.)

During our official nap time after lunch, Sarah was determined to stay awake. She started out asleep. Just as I started to doze, she woke up. Over half the time was gone before she started getting really sleepy again. Even then, I had to put my arm over her and set my face mere inches from hers. I was cross-eyed and she was getting an earful of my warm breath. I guess she liked it because she settled down and went to sleep.

Unfortunately, in order to get my face that close to hers, I had to put my unused arm (which was under me) behind me. Eventually, that part of me went to sleep, too. It was a little tricky getting up after that!

And what of this evening? Sarah has been awake for the past 6+ hours. She's looking all around, her tongue is slowly poking in and out of her mouth, she waves her hands in the air, occasionally she asks to eat or have her diaper changed, but she doesn't fall asleep. Combined with this morning and afternoon, this is a lot of "alert" time. Aren't newborns supposed to be sleepy? (I know I'm sleepy!) She's not even 3 weeks old. I am hopeful that this means she'll sleep really well tonight, but she won't make it through the night with her tiny tummy. I sure pray that she won't get her "second wind" and keep me up all night, too. I want some sleep!

Sarah - Center Stage

OK...time to put a story to the pictures and get them into some sort of order.

These first pictures are all of the kids on their second visit to the hospital. They all wanted a turn holding Sarah. You can see that Joseph found a way to stay in the chair, regardless of whose turn it was! Such a sneaky boy.

These next few pictures were taken one quiet morning before the sun came up. The nursery would keep Sarah until she got hungry and then a nurse would bring her to my room for a feeding. If it was past 6 AM, I didn't bother sending her back (it takes her an hour to eat anyway) and chose to enjoy a little pre-dawn bonding time. That doesn't mean I was able to stay awake the whole time, but we bonded anyway. :)

Here she is, past ready to eat. Her tongue is working and looking for food. Hey! No starting without me!

Ahhh...! Contentment comes in a good swaddle and a full tummy. You can see the sunlight is starting to gather and is reflecting on the sheets behind her.

Here is what you get if you are not swift enough with getting her majesty into a good, solid feeding latch!

Such peace. She stopped liking that pacifier. We'll have to convince her eventually that she likes it again.

The hospital provides a "Stork Dinner" for the mommy and a companion on the night before her release from the hospital. I chose Chad as my companion. :) Here is our dinner. It was really yummy, especially in the shadow of being labeled "hospital food." I couldn't eat very much and wasted about 3/4 of some very good cheesecake. That's probably a good thing, but when am I going to get cheesecake again?

Here is Sarah on Sunday afternoon. She's all dressed up and ready to go home. I've learned that "newborn" sized clothes don't give much room to grow when you start out at 20 inches long. The outfit is not too big!

Here is Chad, dressed down from his church clothes of the morning. Maybe if I was an expert photographer, I'd be able to snap a picture of him with his eyes open. Sarah was upset at the delay and was letting us know her feelings.

We finally made it home and have had to hold the kids back ever since! They all want to hold her! Joseph has had a cold the whole time. I'm hoping Sarah has enough natural antibodies to keep her safe during this round of germs. Short of isolation, I don't know how to keep her from being exposed.

Here, Rebekah and Joseph are loving their baby. Such a cute bunch of kids!

These last two pictures are to show just how tiny and adorable our new baby is. She only sleeps this soundly when the sun is shining. I think she's part owl. The last picture is Sarah sleeping on her blanket, which is spread over my pillow (it has a green pillow case). It's just a standard size pillow. She fits on the pillow with more than enough room to spare!

These videos were taking during an early morning bonding time. Moving pictures are always so cute.





Even when they're just videos of a crying, hungry baby.

Next post....

...will be by Chad. He'll bring home some pictures and post them here for everyone.

Heads ups: Chad is man of action and great devotion. However, he is also a man of little words. Don't be disappointed by just some pictures and hard facts. I will be back to add the prose and recount the important stories before too long. :)

I slept a whopping one and a half hours. (But I got a luxurious 30 minute shower to make up for it.) I am so glad that I will have drugs to make me sleep. This insomnia is ridiculous!

Less than 24 hours!

The baby will be here soon! I expect it to be born by 8 AM tomorrow morning (or very close). By this time tomorrow, I should be lying in recovery...pleasantly drugged, getting my first real sleep. Or I could be awake a nursing a baby while flat on my back like I did with Joseph. Each situation seems to have its differences.

This morning I have already baked Rebekah's b-day cake (for Sunday) and put the bassinet together. A load of laundry is running and I have a few errands to run. We did a bunch of cleaning last night (I went to be weighing less than I weighed that morning!) and there is just a bit left to do. I have to remember to water the plants. I want to change the sheets on the bed. Somewhere in there I hope to get a nap, though I haven't been able to fall asleep during nap time for the past week. I have a book to read, but may end up taking that to the hospital.

Daniel has pack meeting tonight and will get his first red bead toward his Bear rank (it's really MY bead.) Chad has a PPI with the Stake President while we're there.

My mom will be here this afternoon. I have to wake up around 4 AM to leave by 5 and arrive at the hospital by 5:30.

And there is my "to do" list. Thanks for reading along. :)

A week from today!

Exactly one week from now, I'll be laying in a hospital bed, pleasantly sedated and many pounds lighter! I'll be a mother of 6! (Though not likely any more responsible.)

I'm looking forward to next Thursday for the obvious "new baby" reasons and also because there are so many crazy things going on with me that I want this pregnancy over! I think my body is saying that it's done having this experience as so many new afflictions have come over me. Nothing has been serious (as far as makes a doctor concerned), but I've noticed a big difference between this pregnancy and the first 5.

Now on to the next stage of my life...raising the children to adulthood!

I should complain more often

Remember my post where I made remarks about extravagant spending and living high on the hog? Remember that I complained that I would like a new computer and a new van? Well, I don't know what's in the air here in Idaho, but within a month of that post, I have both. How does that happen?

I've already mentioned the new computer. I have been enjoying a faster machine and have had less time to wait for things to "process". The only negative thing I have to say is that this computer puts out A LOT of heat. With the weather that we've been having lately, I've been reducing the amount of time that I sit here just because I can feel the heat radiating out of the computer desk. I've even started turning my computer off at night. (All "green" enthusiasts are gasping at my utter disregard for the environment and cheering that something finally got to me.) So I guess it's a good thing. I just assume that the energy I'm saving at night is being used up during the day to keep my computer room at 85 degrees. I'm going to love this in January.

And this past weekend I passed on our old, hard-worked Pontiac TransSport to a well-deserving family, and adopted a 2007 Toyota Sienna! It has 8 seats and a DVD player as well as a 6-CD player. My kids still keep talking about the new baby that was supposed to be the catalyst for even getting a new van. I think we've confused them. NO NEW BABIES ARE BEING BORN HERE FOR AT LEAST 10 MONTHS! This is the newest car we've ever had and I'm suddenly very picky about what the kids can eat and how they can move about the vehicle (inside and out). It took me a few minutes to figure out how to work the wipers this morning. (It was actually raining today!) We had most of the money in our savings, so our loan was small and should be paid off in a short time. Just in time to start paying off medical bills on the new baby that is planned for, but not yet coming. (Just want to be sure everyone is clear on this point.)

So while I've found the lucky moment that I get the things I wish for on Blogger, I'd like to say that I'd like to have a healthy family, sufficient food and clothing and a large chunk of cold, tax-free cash!

Now I'll just sit back and wait for it to arrive...

You're Invited

We're having an open house for anyone who wants to see the new house and meet the new baby. If you're actually going to be in the area this weekend, let me know and I'll give you directions! :)

A very long update

20 November 2007

This is for all of you faithful friends and family that have been checking our family blog daily hoping that I finally got around to sharing the details of Joseph’s birth.

I have had a hard time finding a good time to blog. The pain medicine I’m on helps with the pain, but slows my reflexes and brain functions. It slurs my speech, too, but at least you’re spared having to listen to that! And if I think I can function well enough, that’s when one of my FIVE kids needs me!

Even now, after I’ve written an entire 2 paragraphs (my hands are a little shaky and my mind won’t focus), I had to take a break to help Rebekah put on her socks and shoes, answer what else starts with ‘s’ besides snake for Nathan and then convince Leah that she CAN put her socks and shoes on by herself. Chad and Daniel will be home in 5 minutes before we all “drive into town” for TaVaci classes this afternoon. Normally, this would just be my job, but since I’m so safe behind the wheel, Chad gets to do the driving.

But I knew this would be nearly impossible to sit down and get accomplished, so I’m typing it first in Word and will post when it’s finally done. I’m hoping for this week sometime.

Joseph is one week old today. While he spends 95% of his time either sleeping or eating, we’ve learned one thing about his personality: he does not like to have his diaper changed! This became quite clear the first days in the hospital. It’s very strange to me. I’ve never had a baby react to diapering in such a manner. Normally, getting his outfit changed falls into the diaper rule, but not as severely. If he cries this bad when the cold air hits his personal space, I can only cringe at the response he’s going to have during his circumcision!

For those of you who don’t know much about our family, all of our babies are born looking identical. Maybe it’s delayed multiples. In fact, after 2 or 3 babies, I was programmed to think that all babies should look a certain way. I get a small shock when I see other newborns that don’t look like a Collett. How is that even possible? Anyway, Joseph was the very same. It was almost a spiritual experience to see him for the first time because I felt like I already knew him!

He is such a sweet little baby (minus the diaper issue). The past few days he’s started having a little time each day where he stares at me through half-open eyes and seems ready to listen to whatever I want to say. He’s so serene and almost seems to exude wisdom. At times like this I just speak slowly and softly and say his name over and over.

I have particularly enjoyed his extremely soft face and hair. If someone could create a cream that had that result, I’d buy it by the case! On the flip side, the rest of his skin has been peeling like crazy. At first, he looked like he had wrinkled tissue paper for skin, but now he looks like a molting lizard.

As for the hospital stay, it was pretty much uneventful (thankfully). I didn’t have any complications. Joseph had a very low jaundice risk. He didn’t have any problems with nursing. In fact, he latched on the very first try and has been latched on ever since! (If you can imagine how that feels, you’re sympathizing with me right now.)

I was awake for the entire c-section, the clean-up afterward and the hour of recovery that follows. (It was during the recovery hour that Joseph got to nurse for the first time.) I have never been awake for the entire procedure. Somehow, I felt a little cheated out of some of the deep sleep I had been anticipating. I still don’t feel like I’ve caught up. But I got to hear most of the Doctor’s conversation and participate in some of it.

It was decided that I’m nearing the limit of my pregnancies. I told the Dr. that we’d like one more, but I’d respect his opinion. He thought I would be fine with one more, but the scar tissue was getting more and more difficult to stitch closed. Someone made a joke that I’d probably get twins and the Dr. said that wouldn’t be a good thing. If any of you know my history, that’s got more than Murphy’s Law to make it happen for me. (So far, I’ve avoided any extra trips to the hospital with this baby.)

I only had one moderately annoying nurse in the hospital and a couple of mildly annoying ones. The rest were awesome. Everyone got all excited about my blood pressure. I guess they don’t see low blood pressure very often. It averaged something like 88/65 but went as low as 75/55ish and all the way up to 112/80ish. They liked to ask me if I felt ok or if I was dizzy. The only time I had any problem was during the delivery when it dipped into the 80’s and I got sick enough to throw up a bit.

We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 AM on Tuesday and left at 1PM on Friday.

I can’t believe that it’s already been a week! Joseph is so sweet (even when he’s using his killer suction on me at 3 AM) and I feel overwhelmed to think that I’m the mother of FIVE beautiful children (some with current behavior problems) and that they are healthy and have the ability to be happy.

To top that off, I have the blessing of being married to Chad, the best man in the world! He’s done so much for me and the kids and I just keep feeling more and more in debt to him. It’s not easy to deal with a hormonal wife, stressed out kids and work on moving a houseful of furniture and food storage within 3 compact weeks.

*
Now it's Thanksgiving evening. Chad worked all day to make the big meal. He is a wonder! I worked the whole day to stay in bed and tend to Joseph. I've got a few pictures of the kids eating their dinner, a movie of Joseph this afternoon and one or two more pics thrown in for fun.
I am very thankful on this day of nationwide reflection. We have a nice home (two actually...anyone want to move to Idaho?), a generally healthy family (although the pharmacist does see our name quite often), temporal and spiritual comforts and a bright future.

Oh Boy (or Girl)

Well, most of you now know that the hidden message was that we are expecting another baby. I tried to leave it as long as I could to give everyone the chance to figure it out. Some of you needed more help than others.

So now I am back to incredibly long days as I feel yucky and exhausted. Today has not been the best. If you don't hear from me much, it's because I don't feel like blogging. I figure I only have 8 weeks to go of this!

We went to Utah on Friday (returned home Sat. evening) for a family Easter BBQ. Surprisingly, I didn't feel too bad until about the time for the BBQ on Sat. I gained 2 lbs. trying to keep enough food in my stomach to keep the queasies away. I have some pictures of our mini-trip that I'll post later...someday...maybe.

This baby is due in November. The strict 40 weeks, typical calculated due date is 22 November. We won't make it that long. (Thank goodness!)

Chad is getting released from Scouts. He was sustained as the Exec. Sec. today. I'm already planning on how to get myself and the kids ready for church each week while Chad is in meetings for 2 1/2 hours. I've decided to get them all dressed the night before. I credit myself with cunning and foresight for coming up with such an ingenious plan. (You can already see how well my mind functions under such less than perfect emotions and conditions.)

Welcome, Baby Manna!

We have a new little addition to our family. Or at least, that's the rumor circulating around the communities. You may remember that I mentioned we received some formula samples. We've also received a sample diaper...size one. We have received a few mailers detailing the stages of development of newborn babies and just today we got a coupon for $5 off any purchase at a grocery store about 35 minutes out of town. Someone has started a very powerful rumor that we are now a family of seven.

So, I have decided to name the baby Manna. If you recall from your Bible reading, Manna translates to "What is it?" That's what I'd like to know! Maybe we'll receive another gift bib from our alma mater. If it's pink, I'll know Manna is a girl.

Just in case any of you are thinking this is my twisted way to announce that we DO have a baby coming, let me make it as clear as possible...NOT YET!