Malware, marksmanship, & my mom...

We acquired a virus on my laptop on Wednesday that I astutely (and with pride, I must confess) got rid of by doing a ‘system restore’ and taking the computer back to a date prior to its arrival. One benefit, I guess, from our Terrible Laptop Incident of the winter – learning some new skills. The only possible residual problem we appear to have is that I can’t utilize Google in any format including gmail, blogger, my Google reader, or the like. Very odd and quite annoying. I’ve gotten online to blog several times only to be foiled. I’m checking the account at our dear friend/neighbor’s the Scherreis’ house and throwing this up from there (hence the crazy font issues and formatting errors; my skills are lacking on a Mac). Hopefully I’ll sort it out soon.

After spending three weeks watching every Netflix movie we could get our hands on, we realized we’d maxxed out the possibilities of our cable TV-less life… right at the advent of a “Hunker Down and Have a Lot (More) Home Time” phase as we prepared to welcome a newborn. So we added cable a few days before L’s birth, a move we haven’t regretted. We got the Outdoor Life Network, and watching hunting shows has become a new favorite pastime – especially as a father-son activity for Y and J. This has prompted a renewed interest in archery for the little man, and his skills are actually getting very good. He gets up in his “tree stand” (the play set) and can shoot, all by himself now, the full length of the yard.

Meanwhile Lucy is becoming more of a normal feature of daily life in our household for all concerned and continues to be a delight. Her two week doctor’s appointment this morning revealed that she is not gaining weight adequately – no surprise (though still disappointing) given my low-milk-supply issues that were identified when J and Q were infants – so we’ve begun supplementing breastfeeding with formula which should help.

My dear mom arrived last night to spend a week with us, which is a godsend. Since L’s arrival Y has taken three full days and five half-days off of work, which has been adequate for my needs but hard on him- very intense schedule and the need to be totally ‘on’ all the time in both spheres. So we’re both relieved that Nana is here!

First days home

Today was L's fourth full day in the world, a reality I continue to find amazing. She was exceedingly fussy on Tuesday (and her cries sound a lot like screams, to be honest), the day we returned from the hospital, which had me rather worried but happily hasn't had such tough days since. Things are going fine so far, not the least because Y is only working two half-days this week and some lovely friends have been providing us with dinners (praise God!).

J and Q are interested in L to varying degrees, J more so than Q. He asks about her continually, wanting to know what she will eat for lunch, or snack, or dinner - not yet convinced that the answer will be 'milk' every time. He likes to hold her whenever he can. Q isn't as focused on her but seems not to mind her at all either. This afternoon she asked to hold her for the first time, and Y succeeded in helping her do so without mauling her (though only just). More often Q seems to fix on baby-related objects that are newly in use in our house - a burp cloth, a pacifier, a sling - and asks what they are... repeating the answer after we give it.

It's fun to see how the kids respond to her, and I find it interesting that the arrival of a new baby into a household that has older children seems to be shaped so much by them and their involvement in her life...

New baby girl Arico!

Our dear sweet girl was born this afternoon at 2:30 pm after an eventful labor. Yesterday the family took an outing to Matilija Canyon, our favorite mountain haunt, for a very low-key "hike" (basically a short walk on a dirt road). The day was beautiful and it was our first family outing of this type since before vacation, surgery, recovery, etc. After a pizza lunch in Ojai, we returned home and put the kids down for a late nap around 2 pm. Not 10 minutes later, my water broke in an enormous and unquestionable gush.

Contractions started about 6 hours later at 8 pm, and I lay down thinking I'd rest for a few hours and then call in our sitter and likely head to the hospital mid-night when active labor ensued. Not so. Instead I had prodromal labor, almost identical to my labor experience with J, all night with erratic contractions every 10 or 15 minutes - strong enough to keep me awake but otherwise not progressing into active labor. In the morning after a hot shower, a walk, and some yoga exercises, our babysitter arrived and Y and I drove to the hospital around 10 AM expecting them to want to induce me (since most doctors usually want to see a baby born within about 24 hrs of water breaking due to an increased risk of infection). Instead we got a lovely and very supportive nurse named Paris who had herself had a home birth and, after determining that my water was clear and that I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced, was fine with my wish to see if labor would ensue naturally on its own. It did, after walking the halls with my wonderful doula Tara for about an hour.

At 2:30 pm, our lovely baby was born. I had not been rechecked since my arrival each check increases the risk of infection, so I had no idea how far I'd progressed. A jacuzzi was being filled for me to get into when I felt the urge to push - at which time they literally rushed the doctor in, TV-show style - to facilitate the delivery. Our little girl emerged within about 10 minutes - for which I will be eternally grateful. She's a doll with features like her brother's and weighing exactly his weight too, 8 lbs 13 oz (nearly a pound less than her older sister). Praise God for this beautiful new blessing.

Y stayed with us for about 3 hours and then headed home to relieve our babysitter of the other two kids... Amazing to think we are now a family of 5!

Farm fun

Our friends Dave and Courtney, whom we know through church, have been our primary link to suburban farming here in So Cal. They've kept backyard chickens for several years, so it was through them that we got up and running with our own tiny "flock." They participate in a local CSA (community supported agriculture) scheme which we've long wanted to do, and we just joined their group and now receive fresh veggies straight from the fields each Friday. The take their kids (1, 3, and 5 years old) berry-picking and advise us of the haunts. They even can tomatoes, which we hope to do soon too. True kindreds, and we've been lucky to start spending time with them. Courtney is in my playgroup and even hosted a surprise baby shower for me last week with the help of the other girls, which was very touching.

Dave's childhood was spent on 20-acre farm here in town that hosts a lemon orchard, and he and his siblings raised 4-H animals when they were kids. His dad still lives on the farm, and this summer they decided to buy a couple pigs and house them in a working pen that's still there. [We'd planned to go in on the pigs with them but timing ended up coinciding with York's cyst and "Discontent" part of our summer, plus baby-prep time, so we had to pass... though we will be buying bacon and ham from them come winter!]

On Saturday we had the pleasure of visiting the farm with Dave, Courtney & co which was a highlight of the month. In addition to hanging out with pigs "Melon" and "Sally" (named by their kids, not surprisingly), we also got to check out the horses on the neighboring farm, take a bona fide tractor ride in a wagon pulled by Dave, and get the kids onto various types of off-road machinery in the well-kept barn. And get good and dirty of course - always a goal. It was a great time, as the photos below attest.

Early 2nd birthday celebration

Sunday was Q's special day, celebrating her (nearly!) two years of life. We adopted the birthday morning tradition of our friends the Marburys and got her a candle-laden donut to kick off her day, which she loved. What kid wouldn't? After breakfast while still PJ-clad, we opened gifts of dollhouse, food for her new play kitchen, some dress-up clothes, and a new baby doll. She was delighted. Our pizza dinner birthday celebration with our neighbor friends was great fun too.

The transition between a 1-year old and a 2-year old is pretty amazing. A year ago Q was still crawling (and climbing things) with a bit of cruising here and there and the occasional attempt at a word. Now she's running, talking, engaging, exploring the world - a full-on girl. She has a great sense of humor and a decided sense of her likes and dislikes, which she's not afraid to make known. This emerges most notably in flare-ups with her brother that are now as often prompted by her as by him; sibling spats have definitely become commonplace over the past month or so - though for the most part they get along well and enjoy each other.

Her singing is quite hilarious, especially her rendition of "Old MacDonald's Farm" with only one chorus of "a boo bee bear" (rather than "moo moo here and moo moo there")... We have all started imitating her which brings giggles from everyone.

Happy almost birthday, our dear little much loved Q!

Assorted activities

During the two weeks Y spent lying on the floor recovering from surgery, he and J took to playing a great deal with a cowboy and Indian action figurine set that had not previously been a central toy set. The enjoyment they gleaned from this called to mind the large box of his GI Joe toys from his childhood that his mom has been storing in her basement for the past two decades. Nona happily accommodated him by mailing them out to us (thanks Nona!), and their arrival has been the source of much enthusiasm on the part of both father and son. Here are a few of the treasured items in the sandbox where they now routinely spend a great deal of time with their new master.
Though Q's birthday isn't for two weeks, we thought it wisest to celebrate on the early side since it's anyone's guess how the next few weeks may go down with her baby sister's arrival. At age two, Q won't know the difference anyway, so we're doing cake-n-ice cream tomorrow evening with our neighbor friends as has become our bday norm in the year we've lived here. She's getting a wooden play kitchen as her main gift, and I'd been warned by friends that the set-up for the item is not for the faint of heart... so last night Y delved into the box -- with a bit of assistance, of course.

Handy "helpers"

Y's cyst emerged one month ago today, and 31 days and 5 posts on this topic later - I could not be more ready to move on with life. Happily he had a good report from the surgeon yesterday at his second post-op appointment where he also had the remainder of his stitches removed... And appears to be feeling a bit more comfortable now. He should evidently expect it to feel slightly better now day by day. The baby's heartbeat was completely normal for a third straight week at my OB apt on Monday which is great news too and puts me back in the 'normal birth' category. So we corporately seem to be on the up and up at last; thank you Jesus.

Y and I accomplished some pre-baby sorting of clothes and related items last night after dinner and the kids "helped" by running around in their PJ's, jumping on the bed, and pushing each other around in a laundry basket. Q has developed this hilarious habit of making loud grunting noises as a kind of show-and-tell piece bearing witness to her exertion of effort - climbing up the bed, for example, or trying to push her brother in the basket. It was one of the more enjoyable and low-key evenings we've spent as a family in weeks.

Summer of our Discontent

During the spring of Y's and my engagement 10 years ago, we did a min-book club together in which we read exactly one book (but hey, better than zero right?): Steinbeck's The Winter of our Discontent. Neither of us remember much about the plot but we liked it at the time.

Now we appear to be having the "summer of our discontent," or so we joke. First long-anticipated trip back to the northeast was consumed by rain and hospital visits (for me/baby heartbeat and then, worse, Y and his pilonidal cyst ordeal). A week back in CA with flurry of related appointments for us both and then surgery for Y. And now, as we anticipate the baby's arrival, hanging out at home with Y lying on his belly on the floor - the only position that gives him some relief from his discomfort.

When the surgeon told him he could go back to work two weeks following the surgery (he ended up going back Wednesday due to limited sick time and the baby's pending arrival), we both assumed that meant he'd be feeling more or less OK after 2 weeks. Wrong. The pain level has been about the same for the past 5 days. Getting through the work days last week took so much out of him that lying on the floor all weekend seems the smartest thing to do to try to make up for lost rest - and hopefully healing. He finally went online and sought some input on what to expect at the "Pilonidal Support Alliance" website last night (how classic is that - a support group for folks undegoing surgery on tailbone cysts) and gained some helpful info - 4 weeks till 'back to normal' is standard for the procedure he got - and some potentially worrying info - folks whose incisions didn't heal, reopened them, etc.

Now that I'm 38 weeks, we moved some furniture around and set up the baby's room yesterday. Poor Y winced his way through putting up the crib... Not fun. We'd anticipated a couple weeks of 'normalcy' and nice family time before the baby arrives but now it seems we'd be fortunate just to have Y feeling less-than-miserable by the time I go into labor.

Of course in the big scheme of things we totally get that all this is just a nuisance and will pass. Low-grade issues compared to any number of possible things, and we're trying to keep that in perspective and take things a day at a time till it passes, which of course we will. Figure out what God is trying to teach us in all of this...

Meanwhile, off the kids and I go to church while Y pulls out his cushions and books in his spot on the floor!