new adventures

i remember the first time i ever had a bedroom all to myself. i was about 8 years old. before i left for a trip to stay with cousins, my parents asked me if i could paint my room any color what would it be? i told them either purple or blue. when i arrived home from my trip, they had moved me into a room by myself. the walls were painted a lovely shade of blue...baby blue. they had gotten me a new water bed too. i was in hog heaven!

well, little mother hen moved into her own room last week. we had been talking about it for months. she and captain adventure have been sharing a room off and on since he was a baby. but, she's seven now and started first grade last week and it is definitely time for her to have her own room. we moved sammysosa into the room with CA and LMH went to SS's room.

mr. hubby helped moving all of the big furniture and painting. we were able to do it in one day. she loves it! i'm really glad we decided to do make the move. we were really worried about how captain adventure would do with sammysosa. we thought of all of the naughty thing CA could do with SS in the room...climbing into the crib, trying to take SS out of the crib, throwing things into the crib, staying up until the middle of the night...you get the point.

so far, our fears have been unfounded. captain adventure has done really well. it took a few nights to get used to each other, but they love to be together now. sammysosa wakes up earlier than CA and starts singing and talking quietly to himself...he eventually gets really loud and starts yelling at CA to wake up. it is pretty cute.

little mother hen is so thankful for her own room. she loves being by herself and her attitude is getting better. she has been spending hours and hours up there just puttering around...rearranging her drawers, drawing pictures, stickering things. it's too cute!

i am so glad we finally decided to make the move. we're such wienies sometimes.

wordless wednesday

i wonder why we call her littlemotherhen...

unbelievable

Happy 7th Birthday Little Mother Hen!

age 1

age 2

age 3

age 4

age 5

age 6

age 7

dear little mother hen,

i cannot believe that 7 years ago today we met you for the first time. we had been waiting and waiting (and waiting) for you. here is the story of your birth...

i was due June 30 (at least that is what the doctor told us) and as you know, your birthday is july 11...tells you what the doctors know. towards the end of my pregnancy with you, i started to really feel crowded...i was sure that you had no room left to grow. i told our doctor this several times, but each time she reassured me that you were fine and that i just wasn't used to having a baby inside my body and that there was plenty of room.

so, you were a week overdue and we were becoming anxious about your birth...wondering if you would ever come out or not...when one night i was laying in bed with your dad (who was sleeping) and the contractions started to come...they never really hurt, but they were consistently becoming more frequent...after almost 2 hours, i woke your dad up and we went outside to walk. he walked with me at first, but pooped out after a while and i continued alone...i just walked up and down our road...he stayed outside with me and we talked. the contractions eventually slowed down after a few more hours and were completely gone just after 3am. i had a doctor's appointment later that day...our doctor was gone (of course) and i had to see her partner. i was having contractions again by this point and he checked me only to find that i was no more dilated than when i last saw our regular doctor. (poop!) so, we went on with business as usual...i would follow up with our doctor a few days from then.

we called momo and poppy to tell them what was going on...they packed up and came down to lafayette to camp out until you were born. momo drug me outside every chance she had to walk. we walked. and we walked. and we walked. all the while, i kept having contractions...but nothing that ever hurt or strong enough to get labor really moving. momo and poppy stayed for a few days, but then went back home when we realized that you weren't going to come out of my tummy willingly.

when we saw our doctor the next monday, we talked to her at great length...she decided to induce labor two days from then...on wednesday july 11, 2001. cool! i was so excited that i wasn't even scared! we called everyone to let them know the plan and they all began making their plans to come for your birth.

on the morning of your birth, we woke up very early. we had to be to the hospital by 6:45 so they could check us in and we could be in the maternity ward by 7:00. the lady that checked us in was very nice...she asked us about you and ourselves...she could tell that we were excitedly nervous and took great care to help us feel comfortable. when we were done, someone came to escort us to the labor and delivery unit.

i was shown where to change and what to put on (a lovely hospital gown, of course). your dad bugged the nurse and went through every cupboard and drawer while the nurse did my admission assessment. (poor girl) she was such a good nurse...kind and thoughtful...she took very good care of us during her shift. we also had a student nurse with us that day...i was the only one in the entire unit who would agree to have a male student follow us through the labor and delivery process. (everybody needs to learn.)

our doctor came shortly after 7 and broke my water. there was a lot of water.

we hadn't been there very long when momo and poppy arrived. they were just as excited as we were. nobody could wait to meet you! of course, momo made me start walking again...we walked and walked and walked. i was back in bed taking a little rest when mamaw, papaw, aunt jenny, and dylan arrived. we visited for a few minutes and then momo and i got back to walking. the nurses teased us about how fast we walked. a little later, aunt sara and aunt megan arrived...followed by mike, josh & kristi, sam, tammy & the girls...you were very popular!

just after lunch, the nurse and our doctor checked me and found that i was dilated to 3 cm. (we had 7 more to go) we talked to our doctor and she decided to hang a medicine called pitocin to help move labor along a little more. pitocin makes your uterus contract strongly...after about 2 1/2 hours, i couldn't stand it anymore and asked for an epidural. the pain was getting to be too much and i wanted to be comfortable and enjoy the labor and your birth. after they put the epidural in, i was not allowed out of bed. (too bad for momo!)

the afternoon continued with me having contractions and the nurses turning my pitocin up as high as they could...still i was not progressing. we all continued to visit off and on as i rested.

around supper time, our doctor came in and checked me...still 3 cm...i had been stuck at 3 all day! we talked a while with her and she offered to let me labor through the night...or have a cesarean section. your dad and i talked and we decided on a c-section. we figured that if i was 11 days overdue, had been laboring all day, wasn't dilated past 3...then there must be a reason.

the anesthesiologist who would care for us was away from the hospital for a few hours...when he got back, we were wheeled to the OR to have you! your daddy video taped your birth...he stood and watched the entire surgery. i couldn't believe it! i couldn't feel pain...just my body being tugged and rolled around. after what seemed like forever, you were finally out...when i heard you cry for the first time, i cried. i still cry every time i watch the video and hear you cry. your daddy told me you were a girl. a girl. we had a little girl. unbelievable!

i waited to hear your weight...i heard our doctor say you were big when she pulled you out. and then there it was. "10 lbs 15 ounces" (i'm sorry, what?!) i laughed and told our doctor that she wasn't a very good guesser of weights (she thought you'd be in the high 8 pound range).

you were the biggest baby in the nursery...there were 34 other babies that day (shocking, i know) you also had the most hair. you looked like dick the bruiser laying next to the other babies. it was too cute.

our families stayed to watch you have your first bath then they went home. they had a long drive back and it was late.

after i got to our room, they brought you in...you breastfed for the first time...you were an expert right away. your daddy stayed with us for that first night. our little family was growing before our eyes.

i can't believe that seven years have gone by since that night. i can still remember your birth like it was yesterday. you are growing and changing every day. you are a kind, thoughtful, loving, caring, smart little girl. we are so blessed to have you.

happy birthday peanut.


i love you,


mom

dear little mother hen

i cannot believe that it has been almost seven years since we first met. you have grown in so many ways since that night. (for one thing, you don't take baths in momo's kitchen sink anymore.) your dad and i have been with you for every major (and minor) accomplishment in your life...including graduation from kindergarten last week. you are officially a first grader! what?!

you have become such a sweet, thoughtful, intelligent, kind young lady. i am so proud of your hard work...in school, at home, in life in general. you worked hard in school this year...you're reading at an almost second grade level! your writing is much neater...and it is becoming more creative. you are a great helper to me...with your brothers, with grandma jingly keys, with cooking -- you love to help cook. you are thoughtful. you love to leave love notes.

i just can't even begin to know where the past seven years have gone. i can't believe we have a first grader in our family! you're such a big girl now. i look forward to continuing with you on your life's journey...getting to know each other better and in different ways...watching you grow up and learn about life...seeing you accomplish your own goals. you are an amazing girl!

i love you,

mom

she's a safety girl-- (practically) wordless wednesday)

ok, so after approximately 13 minutes of being outside on bikes and scooters, there was an accident. little mother hen was riding too fast and took a spill. now, our rule is that they must always have their helmets on. other safety equipment is up to them...i can only argue so many times in a day, after all. so...she took a nasty spill scraping both knees and her hands...and that's when she decided to start wearing all available safety equipment at all times. sometimes she wears it when she's just chalking or kicking the ball. what a nut. she's pretty cool.

bedtime shenanigans take 2

me: (standing in the bathroom waiting for captain adventure to come take a bath) CA, please come here and go potty.

CA: i alweddy did.

me: um, where did you go potty? i'm in the bathroom and you haven't been in here.

CA: (silence)

me: CA? is there a problem?

CA: i go potty in my room.

me: where?

CA: behind the door.

(this conversation was followed by yet another conversation about where big boys do and do not go pee pee.)


***************

and since i have your attention, here's another captain adventure story...

little mother hen: mahm! come quick! CA is being unsafe!

me: (running up stairs) what's wrong?!

LMH: CA was standing in the sink.

me: (i'm sorry, what?!) CA! were you standing in the sink?

CA: (big wide eyes) yes mama.

me: (l-o-n-g lecture about being safe, the need for CA to stop acting like a monkey/animal and start acting like a little boy, etc...)

seriously?! i can't believe the things he does. i don't even know what to say sometimes. other people who i tell stories about CA to tell me that boys are just like this. you have got to be kidding me. they really have no common sense. i just don't get it.

taking appointments for hair cuts

so, we were sitting at the table eating dinner the other night and i was in mid-sentence when i noticed a problem...

(with shock in my voice) ME: um, little mother hen, did you cut your hair?

(with surprise and a straight face) LMH: no. is it cut?

ME: uh, really? you have no idea that your hair is cut? is that the story you're going to stick to?

LMH: yes, mama....(long pause)...um, actually, i forgot, i did cut it.

ME: where? when? how did this happen?

LMH: (giggling) oh. i forgot. i did it while mrs. teacher was in the office.

ME: so you did it at school?

LMH: no.

ME: someone else cut your hair?

LMH: (tears in her eyes) no. (l...o...n...g...pause...) oh wait. i was confused. it wasn't at school. it was upstairs.

ME: where did you get the scissors? when did you do this?

* this conversation continued like this for several more minutes...it took a while, but she finally admitted that she cut it so she could see what it would look like short and so that her "hair cut girl" would know where to cut. interesting.
soooo, if anyone needs a cut, let me know and we'll get you scheduled with little mother hen. she's quite creative.