The TRUE effect of children

When did I get old? I know, I know. I'm only 31 (although that's something that the 3 1/2 year younger Elisa likes to tease me about). And when you're growing up, you have this idea about aging - that things are all good until you hit about 40, the downhill slope commences, and you say the big "sayonara" around 80. Living it is a slightly different experience. Now, granted, I don't say I'm getting old as a negative. And to be fair, while there are some physical signs that I'm not an 18 year old anymore, its the mental and lifestyle changes that have been entertaining me lately. Because well...my kids made me old. It's their fault...or blessing.

The whole point of this was an analysis of our weekend thus far. For those of you not single, do you remember your youthful weekends? Should I paint the picture to remind us all? Stay up on Friday night watching something meaningless like a Real World marathon, crash at 3 in the morning, sleep in until 11AM, scoot around the house looking for something good to eat while you surf the TV trying to find some interesting movie to watch. Follow that up with a late lunch involving fast food, french fries, and grease, which miraculously never finds its way to your "love handles" or "thighs". No, food just disappears into the great oblivion known as a hormone ravaged metabolism that only knows full speed. Then it's time to start calling your friends to find something to do, hopefully involving more fast food, mindless entertainment like heading to the "sev" for a slurpee and then wandering around looking for trouble. You get home just in time to realize that the Road Rules marathon started 45 minutes ago, and you can't look away. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

You get married and your life changes - sure, you still go out, still stay out late, and still eat more processed food than is humanly possible, but you find yourself heading to bed at midnight instead of 3. You wake up at 9 instead of 11. Subtle differences, but surely not enough change to make you think you're turning into your parents - after all, it's still easy and natural to look at their lifestyle and choice of activities and say "I'll never do that!"

So here I sit, one 7-year marriage, 2 dogs, a 3-year old, and a 3 1/2 month old later, and I realize that I'm starting to like some of those things I used to scoff at as I watched my parents go about their business. For the new parents of my generation, raise your hand if you've experienced any of the following (lets cover the weekend routine again):

• Friday nights are pure bliss because you might be able to sleep in until 7 instead of 5:30. That is, if one of the kids doesn't decide that it will be fun to wake up 3-4 times that night in hopes of hanging out in mom and dad's bed.
• The nightly news provides the lovable bookend to your day - you tend to turn the TV off right after the weather (if you're female) or just after sports (for the males)
• You wake up sometime in the middle of the night, wondering when you last slept through the night.
• You realize you actually have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night (this only happened in youth when you polished off a 6-pack before collapsing for sleep)
• You're woken up by a child staring you right in the face whispering "Daddy" or "Mommy". It's like a nightmare when it happens, because the kid likes to get REALLY close to your face when he/she wakes you.
• You throw the kid into bed, hoping that he/she will go back to sleep. You still convince yourself that it's possible. You end up disappointed.
• The first thing on TV is Mickey Mouse, or a Little Einstein. Sadly, you find yourself thinking "oh I know this episode!"
• You're out of bed at 7:00, thinking its a waste of a day to stay in bed any later.
• Breakfast in bed is for those who are physically unable to face the world due to sickness - instead, you make your meal and wolf it down, staring at the house that experienced a twister called child #1.
• The highlight of your day is when the newspaper arrives. Pure bliss, as you find a way to drink your coffee, read an article, put a pacifier in your child's mouth, stop the other from crashing their tricycle into the couch, and read another article.
• You actually get excited about errands - especially when the word "Costco" is involved.
• You find yourself interested in activities listed in the newspaper, but by the time you finish the paragraph stating times/dates, you have already built a checklist in your mind of what you'd need to finish before being able to do the fun activity, and decide it's probably not worth it.

This is all before 10:00am. And the sickest part of all? You love every minute of it. And then spend the rest of your day, finding ways to convince yourself that you're completely different from your parents.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

What not to do at a Botanical Garden..

I feel so accomplished. Two blog posts in a 1/2 of a week. Maybe the writing of the blog is becoming therapy - or at least a way to unwind each night. I had one thought kind of eating at me today, which necessitates the obvious blog post in progress. So here we go.

I personally think that Elisa has one of the sweetest jobs in the world. She has flexibility of schedule, a challenging position, super benefits, and the chance to work for a non-profit, and a cool one at that. Elisa's work at Red Butte Garden also has another perk - concert tickets. For those of you that don't know, Red Butte has a summer concert series, which usually includes bands and artists looking for (or needing) a more intimate environment. We have been able to go to 1 or 2 concerts a year for quite awhile now, but hadn't ventured out this year. Until Tuesday. Barenaked Ladies came to town, so Elisa, Lukas, Miles, and myself grabbed some food and headed up to the Garden.

The point of the story is not to say that the concert was fabulous. That would make a boring post, no? In fact, the concert was very good. But to say that the Barenaked Ladies had poor comedic timing would be an understatement. About 1/3 of the way into the show, the band had the crowd into it. Good songs, funny banter (the band is like a group of comedians that happen to sing). Suddenly, after singing a song from their kids CD (ummm...Barenaked Ladies has a kids CD?), the lead singer went into a diatribe about Ozzy Ozbourne biting the head off of a bat. To be "as extreme", he threatened to do worse at Red Butte - and to take a life. He proceeded to rip out a plant and bite a leaf off.

In any other venue, you'd probably laugh and move on. But let's think this one through. A concert. At a botanical garden. Killing plants/flowers. Impressively, Barenaked Ladies pulled off the equivalent of someone wearing a full fur coat to a PETA event. Probably not a good idea. A word of advice to the band...the patrons of the gardens probably like plants and flowers. Some to the extreme. Some to fulfill the "green" desires of their soul. Don't pull the flowers. Don't eat them.

Wait a minute - didn't we learn that in Kindergarten too? Hmmm...I might have to Google to see if they teach that lesson in Canada.

Lagoon & Other Musings

It's funny - I created this blog long ago, thinking it would be a convenient way to share pictures and stories with family and friends, and then never posted. Elisa took over on the posting duties, and did a fantastic job. But she's busier than ever now and I figure I can go back to posting on our blog. Maybe we can have joint duties. Elisa can make sure we get 100 pictures on here. I can just write about - well, anything and hope that it entertains. So let's catch up.

Two days ago, Elisa informed me that the yearly tradition of Catholic Lagoon Day was on Sunday. I hadn't been to Lagoon (besides a quick jaunt for Frightmares, which better described the Saturday crowd than the festive atmosphere) for about 7 years. And my memories of the place had turned the amusement park into the Ghetto Booty Park of the Western United States. Granted, it still is to some degree, but taking the family up for the day ended up being spectacular. Good enough that we're seriously considering making it a yearly tradition.

There are quintessential moments in life, where decisions you have made in the past tend to manifest themselves in a "I was SO right on that one" or "What was I thinking?" realization. Who'd have thought that one of those moments would have happened at Ghetto Booty Park?! In all seriousness, the pure joy of watching Luke experience his first real amusement park made me so thankful that he is on our lives. All told, he went on 15 rides and could have done 15 more. My favorite part was going on the new Jumping Dragons, which for all intensive purposes is an adult ride (for those Ghetto Booty aficionados, think of the Musik Express on steroids). Luke wanted it to go faster and faster, and now proclaims "Dragons" as his favorite ride of Lagoon.

For his part, Miles was our typical 3 month old - eating, sleeping, and blowing out of every outfit we put him in. Seriously, I think the kid propels 2 feet off the ground every time he needs to go #2. Elisa had two of the grand experiences, which resulted in what we'll call "mustard" on her arms, nursing cover, 2 infant outfits, and burp cloths. That's what she gets for not getting a ride pass, apparently.

Needless to say, it was so much better than we thought it would be. Lagoon has shockingly made its way back into our yearly fold. The question is - how to implement it? It's the reason for the poll. I think Elisa's in the corner of using Catholic Lagoon Day as the organizing force for our yearly jaunt to Farmington. I, on the other hand, might prefer making our own tradition. Perhaps taking 1/2 a week off in the summer, and going on a Wednesday, mostly to avoid crowds. We'd love your thoughts. We do have an entire year to over-think it, too.

Thus ends my first real post on the blog. My goal is to update this at least weekly. We'll see how I do. But I did think it would be fun to also add a section of quick hit thoughts to summarize the week (or events since our last post). Enjoy. Leave comments. See you next week.

Quick Thoughts

• Draper decided the prudent 4th of July ordinance would be banning all fireworks in the city. Hooray for feeling like a Fireworks Prohibitionist, lighting sparklers in the backyard.
• Yes, Lagoon was a hit. But every time I get near a water park, I ask myself "Why?". Not about the water, or the park, or the activities. But "why" to the choice of outfits that men and women decide to wear. Cover up ladies and gents. It's for the kids.
• I'm not a Jazz fan (at the hardcore level). But dude...could the summer be going any worse for that franchise? Yikes. Next thing you know, Deron Williams will become surly. Oh wait...
• I love Luke - love him to death. But his incessant desire to watch Little Einsteins has me dreaming of rocket. And not good dreams. Nightmares.
• Speaking of TV, one of my friends got me hooked on Wipeout this season. Easily one of the most hilarious shows on the tube. If you haven't watched it, try it out. The commentary makes the show.

Lukas vs. Miles

Miles just over 2 weeks

Lukas just over 2 weeks

The comparison. We don't think they look anything alike... what do you think?

Miles is 3 weeks old today!

We can't believe it's already been three weeks. Time flies!

Miles at 2 weeks

Miles loves his binkie

A smile? or maybe it's just gas. =)

Rollie Pollie

The boys!

Lukas loves his baby brother. Sometimes a little too much. lol

He always has a curl on the top of his head

His favorite position to cuddle. We call him our little Koala.

Miles weighed in at his two week appointment at 9 lbs 4 oz. Wow! What a big little dude! He gained 22 oz in two weeks and grew 3/4 of an inch, going from 20 1/2 inches long to 21 1/4. What can I say, mom must have good milk!!!

Lukas continues to love his baby brother. He goes to Grandma's house twice a week so mom can put a few hours in at work. He looks forward to that because mom is still pretty overwhelmed with two kids, so when he is home with mom he's normally watching TV. I know, what a great mom! I will get there. I have to remind myself it's only been 3 weeks.

Easter

The 4 of us. I'm still not used to saying that.

My sweet boys.

Our little bunny!

Cute little butt!

Easter was an adventure. Miles was a day shy from being a week old. We'd only been home from the hospital for 4 days and I was still in a lot of pain. But Easter had to happen for Luke! We had a small collection of people over to celebrate. Mostly just the grandparents because we couldn't handle the crowd we normally have for Easter breakfast. It went well. Both sets of parents took care of the food, so Brad and I just had to open the door. Which is good, because we were in no shape to host a big Easter on our own. =)

Lukas loved hunting for eggs this year. Every pose we got is pretty much the same, and he kept asking for us to take more and more pictures of him doing the same thing. But he was sure cute! The Easter Bunny got him a scooter, candy, and some new movies. He loved everything. Then got spoiled more by the grandparents. Brad and I didn't have time to get Miles a basket, not that it really mattered. LOL.

Miles is growing well right now. Eats a lot and on average will sleep 4-5 hours through the night. We have an occasional rough night but overall he's been an angel. We love having him around.

The Grandparents

Grandpa Dave

Grandma Gayle

Nana

Papa Ed

Now we are 4...

Not the best picture of me, but this is the first picture of the 4 of us. We're pretty cute!

Luke's a bit unsure, but he can't stop asking to hold him now.

First time Lukas got to see his baby brother.

Proud daddy.

Checking him out, making sure everything was still okay.

Mom's first time holding him after we knew he was okay.

Welcome Miles Jeffery Pierce

Miles Jeffery Pierce

March 29, 2010, 2:42 PM

7 lb 14 oz

20 1/2 inches long.

The birth story:

I went into the hospital at 6:45 AM on the 29th to be induced. I was already contracting on my own, with contractions about 3 minutes apart but not strong enough to cause my cervix to change. My doctor showed up at 9 AM to break my water and start Pitocin. I didn't need much at all. My water breaking pretty much did the trick. With a low dose of Pitocin going, the contractions started to get more intense and much closer together. At that point I decided I wanted an epidural.

I have problems with the medication they use for an epidural. My BP drops and they have to monitor it closely so I don't black out. They decided to start with a low dose, and, as expected my BP dropped. The anesthesiologist was wonderful. He stuck around to help bring everything back to normal. Only problem was, it took on my belly and my arms but nothing below. Things were numb but I could still feel pain. That all started around noon, then at about one, I had progressed to about a 7. Things were moving quickly. I was still in pain but was resting pretty comfortably.

Then at 2, I was told I was at a 9 and with another contraction or so I'd be complete. They went to call the doctor. That's when things got terrifying. About 6 -7 nurses came rushing in my room. They grabbed my legs and started rotating me from side to side. I could feel everything! One nurse started calling out for the doctor, and even though he was on his way, she said it wasn't fast enough and to get the on call doctor ASAP.

Within seconds my doctor walked in the door followed by the NICU. Brad and I were scared and confused. All we knew is we couldn't hear the beeping of the baby's heart beat any more and it had been a few minutes. My Doctor grabbed the forceps and told me I had to push. It was horrible. I was terrified, I kept asking the nurses what was wrong with the baby and what was happening. I had one nurse that looked me in the eye and said the baby was in distress and they had to get him out immediately. She also knew how much pain I was in and told the doctor the epidural didn't take. So, I pushed with everything in me to get the baby out. It was the worst kind of pain I've ever felt. As I was pushing, the doctor was yanking the baby out with the forceps. He was able to turn the baby and get the cord to loosen up around his neck and we could hear the heart beat slowly increase. I pushed maybe 5 times. It felt like the doctor had literally yanked the baby out of my body. Then he put him on my belly. He wasn't moving at all. No cry, no movement. I thought he was gone. So I just grabbed him and pulled him to my chest. He jerked and suddenly started to cry a bit. The nurses took him away and started working on him. A few minutes later, he'd pinked up and was fully alert. The NICU stayed for a few minutes then were told they weren't needed.

He was okay. Better than okay, he was beautiful. He instantly started nursing and Brad and I were both relieved and overjoyed. I let the doctor do all the repairs to me as needed w/o medication. At that point, I didn't see the point, I had already experienced the worst. I was so attached to the little guy I didn't even want to let Brad hold him.

We later talked to the doctor to find out exactly what had happened. Turns out that Miles descended into the birth canal too fast. When he did that, the cord wrapped around his neck and along the side, I had a contraction at the same time that put him in prolonged Decel (6 minutes exactly). The contraction wouldn't let up to allow the cord to become loosened. When my doctor turned the baby, we slowly started to hear the heart beats go up again. But the worst could have happened. If it weren't for my doctor and the staff at St. Marks, we could have lost Miles. It was truly terrifying. Poor Brad was shoved to a corner I kept reaching for his hand and all he could do is touch me. Afterwards, he told me he couldn't even bear to watch what was happening, and he'd never heard me scream that way. Wow, Brad was great to to sit there and tell me it was all going to be okay when even he didn't know what was going on. But Miles is perfect!

Now... the baby is doing great! My healing... taking longer than I wanted it to do to the rough way Miles came out. But I'm enjoying my pain medication and resting feeling blessed to have my littlest boy.

Lukas is adjusting well. He wants to help all the time. Sometimes when we feel overwhelmed we have to remember that he's only 3, and a 3 year old that's adjusting faster than his parents are. He's amazing. More pictures to follow.

Big Boy Now!

39 Weeks Pregnant. HUGE! Day before being induced.

Baby Powder mess. I made him cover his "parts" but it was everywhere! Just can't see it well on the floor.

Caught in the act.

Typical boy, always wants to be naked, even while reading.

He had to put his coat on by himself. It's upside down. Found him like this reading Goodnight Moon to the dogs.

The Amazon purchases...

Well, I'm behind again! Surprise, surprise. So here's the scoop. We are set to have a baby any day now. Hopefully before Monday, but if not, Monday the 29th is my induction date. I'm not working anymore after today. I'll be working a bit from home here and there as needed, but due to the office move, I'll just be in the way if I hang out in the office.

Lukas is growing and learning so much these days. He potty trained himself in early February. I believe it took about 2 weeks to be fully potty trained. He has to do everything by himself these days too. He takes himself to the potty, washes his own hands, brushes his own teeth, dresses himself... you name it, he does it. Remember how we were so worried about his speech and how he wasn't talking? Well, he does that now too! Actually he went from not saying anything to speaking in full sentences. He now can memorize his books after having us read them to him once or twice. We are amazed with his memory. Much better then mine, must take after daddy.

Our most recent Luke episodes that deserve some recognition:

Lukas made a purchase on Amazon.com. He purchased a nursing nightgown, a frog bath thermometer, and wipes for "baby brother". We have since turned off the "1-click shopping" after the ding of just over $100 to our credit card and the $15 of express next day shipping. It was one of those experiences we will never forget. I can't believe he can navigate the computer better than I can. This all happened under mommy's watch.

Last weekend, under daddy's watch, Lukas discovered the baby powder in "baby brothers" room. He decided to get himself naked and powder himself all over. When I got out of the shower and found what he did, I couldn't stop laughing. I found him full of powder, naked, on his bed reading a book. Boys! Guess they like to be naked. It was so funny I had a really hard time punishing him. Actually I did nothing at all but take a few pictures, laugh, and put the powder out of reach. I figured it was my fault for leaving it where he could get at it, right?!

Anyway, here's bunch of pictures over the past few months. Maybe the next pictures will be of our newest addition! Haha... I've decided this baby has taken up permanent residency in my uterus! =/

Luke's 3!

Luke got excited about the singing!

Standing up to blow out the candles.

The cake was a success!

I know, I'm behind again on the blog. Let's just say I don't have much free time at all these days. But today is Luke's birthday. He's 3! I can't believe he's 3 already. I wish you a very Happy Birthday, Mr. Luke!

The Announcement!

I know, I know, it's been ages since we made a post.  Life gets crazy in the summers!  Instead of trying to catch up, I'm just going to try to start now!  Here's what's going on...

  Luke is doing well.  His speech has finally developed.  He's a little chatter box these days.  He's cute and very excited that he's going to be a big brother.  Yes, there it is.  We're pregnant with our second baby.  It's a boy and he's due April 3, 2010.

Happy Easter!

This was the first Easter that Luke really got into.  He was very interested in painting eggs and hunting for them.  We hid them multiple times and with the help of cousins, Luke found them all.  We think Luke enjoyed being outside just as much as he liked hunting for the eggs.  I bought him a raincoat in Seattle that he refused to take off.  It was chilly, but there was no need for the rain coat. =)  The day began with a big breakfast with all the family and ended with the three of us playing outside.  Here are a few pictures to enjoy!

Luke on his tricycle

The raincoat...

Sweet Luke

Auntie Kat and Luke

Grandma, Aunt Connie and Luke

Jack, Luke & Emma

Emma helping Luke find eggs.

Luke's belly is popping out of his shirt. =)

Fishy Face Please!

If only Luke would stay still for a picture!

Making mom an egg

"Look what I found"

Luke was more interested in the eggs than his present

Our eggs.

Painting Eggs