Introducing Ari Elias Andersen

I've been meaning to update my blog for the last 4 days, but when I find myself with a spare moment all I want to do is stare at this face:

In my last post I optimistically alluded to a scheduled induction that was to have taken place on Wednesday. Well, it didn't. Turns out that things can get pretty busy in the L&D department during the year of the dragon. (Oh yes, it's a real thing and has resulted in quite the baby boom in our densely Asian neck of the woods.)

An elective induction several days before one's actual due date is not top priority when things get busy, so I wasn't surprised when I got bumped from the schedule Wednesday and was told that Thursday wasn't looking any better.

I was surprised when I started feeling real, actual contractions on Wednesday night that continued through the wee hours of Thursday morning. But just as things seemed to be speeding up, they started slowing down all over again. So when Yo suggested that we go out to get something for dinner, I didn't hesitate to send Yo and my mom to take Kai to The Habit and leave me at home for a little R&R.

Wouldn't it just figure that that's exactly when my contractions started to kick into high gear? By the time Yo got home they were coming every 3-5 minutes and I was on the phone with the on-call doctor who told me to head on down to the hospital.

By the time I got checked out, those contractions were coming every 2-4 minutes so Yo and I politely declined the nurse's suggestion that I go home with some morphine and come back in an hour. Umm, no thanks, and P.S. where's my pain meds?

I won't go into all of the hairy details of my labor, but will say that it was practically identical to what I experienced with Kai (just a little more dramatic and worrisome at 2 junctures). So suffice it to say that I was admitted around 7:00 PM and was holding little Ari at 2:37 AM the following morning. He was 20" long and weighed in at 7 lbs 3 oz. Every nurse who came into our room commented on his blonde hair (not surprisingly they don't get a lot of blonde babies around here).

Overall, things went pretty smoothly once I got the epidural (and believe me, I didn't wait long to ask for one). Little Ari did not respond so well to my contractions. His heart rate kept dipping giving me and everyone else a bit of a scare. The nurses kept trying to position me so that his heart rate would perk up. I spent a few hours tuning everything, but his heart rate monitor out. The medical team came in a few times and the doctor was concerned enough about needing to do a c-section at one juncture that he ordered labs to do my blood work in case I ended up needing a transfusion.

Luckily with the help of some oxygen and several prayers, Ari's heart rate returned to normal and I was allowed to continue laboring. Just like with Kai, I took longer than expected to go from 1-5 cm, but sailed from 5-10. I warned by doctor that this was likely to happen, but I guess that he didn't take me seriously, because as I was feeling that urge to push, he was busy performing a c-section and I was told to do my best to wait. So Ari was born at 2:37 AM instead of 2:15. Five minutes of pushing did the trick, but Ari came out with the cord wrapped around his neck (just like his brother) and was floppy and silent as the nurses tried to rub him down and suction him.

The nurses quickly swept Ari up and paged a NICU nurse who flew into the room just as Ari let out his first cry. While I was pretty calm while all this was going on, Yo was given quite a fright and it took him a little while to recover. Luckily, Ari pinked up nicely and proved rather quickly than he has a healthy set of lungs and rigorous kicking skills.  And Yo had recovered enough composure to snap a few pictures.

Poor kid barely had a chance to catch his breath before he was put through the full regimen of newborn rituals...

But before long, Ari was swaddled as snug as a bug in a rug and sleeping contentedly.

Which is a good thing, because he had a big day of introductions the following morning. My parents brought Kai over to the hospital. I was excited to see him and thought it would be best to be waiting with open arms and all my focus on Kai, instead of making it all about baby. Well Kai ran in and climbed up onto the hospital bed with me. I barely had a chance to hug him and say hello, when he looked over and spotted Ari sleeping and said, "Oh, is that a baby? Can I hold him?"

My parents were also anxious to make Ari's acquaintance. He was happy to comply.

And of course I had to snap a picture of my 3 boys together.

By noon, Yo and I were already asking about how soon we could be discharged. The nurses were rather insistent that we stay at least one more night so that they could test Ari's weight gain and see if he has jaundice. We agreed, but by Friday morning we were so ready to go home. It felt like people were coming into our room all night long and we had a screamer of a baby rooming next door. Of course it took longer to wrap everything up at the hospital than we were hoping, but before lunch time we were heading home with our little bundle of joy.

Go time...

For the last couple of months I've been gently planting seeds with my Ob/Gyn to see how open she would be to inducing me...and preferably by my due date. By her initial reaction, I didn't think that I stood much of a chance, but after a tip from a few friends with the same doctor who were induced by their due dates, I kept pitching the idea. And it paid off, at my 39 week appointment on Friday, my doc asked how early I'd like to have this baby.

I have to admit, getting what you ask for can be a little nerve racking. So when she said that the earliest that she could possibly schedule me for was last Sunday, I back pedaled a little bit. But decided if she was willing I'd commit to Wednesday... as in tomorrow.

Holy crap! Timing wise it's a few days earlier than I was expecting, but in some ways is ideal because my mom flies in tonight and we will get to maximize her time here. But there is nothing like a fairly definitive end date to a pregnancy to kick your baby-prepping butt into gear. So I've spent the days since Friday trying to check the final things off of my "To Do" list and trying to wrap my head around the fact that we are about to become a family of four.

In the few quiet moments that I've had between cleaning the house, stocking the fridge, and spending as much quality time as possible with Kai, I've had moments of anxiety over the impending labor and delivery of this child. It's no secret that I'm a needle/pain/anything medically-related-phobe. It's true, I'm a bit of a wuss and I'm not afraid to admit that I am dreading the IV placement perhaps more than any other detail that is likely to transpire tomorrow...somehow pain really does numb fear and that dang IV comes before any of the real pain has set in. But this morning I woke-up feeling more resolve. It's time to soldier up, as they say.

I've also had little moments where it has hit me that I will have a new baby, a new life, a new piece of my heart to hold before the week is over and that my life will forever be changed because of it. And that blows my mind.

If all goes well, the next time you hear from me it will be to announce the details of that little one's arrival. 

Kai(ism) of the day

Kai insists on holding a giant toy dump truck in his lap anytime he is riding in the car. Today on our way down to Gilroy Gardens, Kai dropped that truck and asked me to pick it up for him, which was impossible at the time because I was merging into some traffic. After I finish merging, I glance over my shoulder and see that the truck is back in his lap.

Me: How did you pick up the truck?
Kai: With my feet.
Me: Wow, that's pretty impressive.
Kai: Yeah that is impressive because I don't even have monkey feet.

Gaga for Gizdich

Heaven on earth looks a lot like this....

Gizdich may be my favorite find of the summer...and that's saying something because Kai and I have packed a lot of fun into the last couple of months. And my favorite part of Gizdich is their cute little country store and restaurant area that's pictured above.

Today we made our second trip to this charming destination with some friends. The weather was perfect--not too hot, but sunny with a light breeze--the air was fresh and the picnic lunch special was as good as I had remembered (lemonade, bbq chips, turkey sandwich, fresh strawberries and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert).

Kai on the other hand is a fan of the picnic area's other amenities...

And it never hurts to have the company of a good friend...

Apparently I'm a robot

Am I the only one who struggles to prove my humanity as prompted by various websites such as the following?

I get these darn things wrong more often than I get them right. And is it just me, or are they making these things harder and harder to decipher? Any guesses on the above. I've stared at it for several minutes now and still have no idea what it says.

Gilroy Gardens

I finally thought to bring my camera along on one of our trips to Gilroy Gardens. Of course, Kai was having one of those days where he absolutely refused to look at the camera. See exhibits A, B, C and D below.

But I thought it would still be worth posting my not so great shots from the water park area of GG. It was Kai's first time there and quite entertaining for both of us.

I wasn't sure whether Kai would like getting splashed with water or how he would handle all of the bigger kids who were running around like crazy, but he held his own and kept finding big boys to shadow. Most of the bigger boys were really tolerant of their little admirer...the one who wasn't and got a little shove-y with Kai got to meet my alter ego, Mama Bear. Let's just say you don't want Mama Bear to come out--she's a fierce one.

A highlight of the day was when Kai experienced the water slide for the first (and probably last) time. I had my camera out and was trying to snap a few pictures of Kai playing in the spouting water when Kai followed a stream of big kids into the tall tree structure that leads up to the entrance of a very tall, enclosed, water slide. Those of you who know Kai also probably know that Kai has a weird fear of enclosed slides...even of the shortest variety. This fear is heightened anytime there is a curve in the slide which prevents Kai from being able to see the exit from the entrance. In other words, this was his worst nightmare....

I tried in vain to beckon Kai down. But in the hustle and bustle of the line he couldn't hear me. So I watched with part amusement and part trepidation as Kai stood in a line obviously oblivious about what he was standing in line for. From the bottom of the slide I could see as Kai got to the front of the line he had some hesitation. I really thought that he would turn around and walk back down the stairs, but there was a long line of kids behind him so I think he felt kind of stuck.

Before I knew it, Kai was climbing into the slide. I saw him flip onto his belly and head down the slide in that position with his feet first. The worker at the top of the slide tried to holler a warning to the worker at the bottom of the slide that there was a really little guy coming down the slide...fast. By the time the guy at the bottom registered what he was saying, Kai had already shot out of the slide at torpedo speed. The GG worker gasped as Kai flew right off the end of the slide...... into his expectant mother's arms. I literally caught him mid-air.

The GG workers looked almost as relieved as Kai did.

Kai said to me, "I didn't like that slide," and then spent a few moments recovering at my side before he was ready to hit up the splash zone again. As for the slide.... he stayed away for the rest of the day.

Babymooning Part 2

After such a crazy and wild night, we felt totally justified sleeping in Sunday morning. Ok, I was lame and woke up at 7 AM as usual, but I kept my eyes closed until at least 8 AM and managed to entertain myself in bed until 9:30 AM. I so envy Yo's ability to fall asleep every time he blinks for too long.

Yo commented that he would be content to lay in bed all day, since laying in bed is no longer all that comfortable for this expectant Momma, I vetoed that plan and made him stick with our original plan to go to Big Sur. I've always heard how beautiful it is down there, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to go.

The drive was awesome. There were so many breathtaking views. We even took the time to do the 17 mile loop. A word to the wise, it's a bit overrated. There were definitely some pretty views during this portion of the drive, but honestly we saw way better views about 10 minutes south that were totally free. (Who knew the 17 mile drive costs nearly $10? I didn't.)

We stopped at a few of the lookouts between Pebble Beach and Big Sur to enjoy the views and snap some photos.

Our destination for the day was Cafe Kevah, a popular dining spot in Big Sur. We got there just as the clouds had burned off. Really the weather couldn't have been more perfect and the view from the patio dining area was phenomenal. Yo ended up ordering a twist on eggs benedict made with fresh crab and avocado and I got a panini sandwich with ham and fontina cheese.

We would give the food a 3 out 5, but the view and ambience was definitely a 5 out of 5 so I wouldn't mind going back.

Yo did a little victory dance for me after he conquered his lunch (and half of mine).

Honestly, we both could have stayed in that spot for hours just enjoying the fresh air, the sunshine and a light ocean breeze. But we had a child (who I was really starting to miss) and laundry and a long work week for Yo to get back to, so we mustered the will to leave.

We had an absolutely fantastic babymoon weekend, but both of us found ourselves talking about Kai almost everywhere that we went and with everything that we did. It was a very surreal experience having all of that time together and not having Kai with us. We agreed that it felt like a piece of us was missing and we were anxious to get home to pick up our loving little chatterbox.

On the other hand, there were so many times during the weekend that Yo and I just found ourselves laughing together and enjoying each others' company. We got to hold hands and talk over dinner and cuddle in bed without a certain little boy wedging himself between us. Spending such quality time together reminded me of the days when Yo and I fell in love and as it turns out, I'm still crushing on Yo after 7 years of marriage. So we've made it a goal to make more time for just the two of us.

And I'm really looking forward to that. 

Babymooning Part 1

Our friends the Aufdermauers were kind enough to watch Kai for a whole weekend so that Yo and I could enjoy some nice time together before the baby is born. We did our best to take advantage of this amazing gift and planned two fun-filled days together.

On Saturday we....

Saw a matinee of the new Spider-Man movie. We both really liked it, but agreed it was about 30 minutes too long... which would have mattered if we had been paying for a babysitter.

Ran some errands to pick-up the last couple of things that we need for the baby, like a second one of these to go in Yo's car...

Tried a new sushi place that got good reviews on Yelp. We both really liked it, but were limited to ordering only rolls that aren't raw (i.e. fried). We are anxious to go back post-baby to sample the rest of the menu.

Took a long afternoon nap and then went and did a little of this for the first time in years...

By the time we were done golfing (and let me tell you, it took quite a while), it was almost 10 PM, but since Yo and I were living la vida loca this weekend we decided to hit up The Habit to get a shake. Haven't heard of it? It's a great new burger joint. I can tell you all about it because I've been about 10 times in the short few weeks since they opened.

I'm quite certain the staff recognizes me by now, which is totally embarrassing. Who wants to be known as "the pregnant lady with the burger craving." In my defense, I keep telling my friends about this place and then they want to go check it out with me, and I'm a good friend so I comply. It's altruistic, really. I'm such a good friend I might have gone twice in one day--once with a friend for lunch and with another friend for dinner. I deserve a medal.

After pounding our shakes we hit our second wind. So we did what any rebels without a cause would have done at 10 PM on a Saturday night... we hit up Target. It was crazy. I stocked up on my favorite Tums knock-off, broke down and got one last maternity shirt to replace my current favorite shirt that got stained, and a week's supply of Cliff Bars.

So how did we top such a wild and crazy day? You'll have to tune in tomorrow for a post on our even more exciting Sunday...

Drumroll please.....

My business finally has a website up and running. To check it out go to www.mobilitydx.com.

All about Kai

On the eve of a scheduled c-section, a friend of mine recently commented that she was going into the big day with a mess of emotions. Fear and excitement I could relate to, but when she said that she was feeling sad for her 2-year-old she kind of lost me. Maybe I'm a little biased as a 2nd child, but throughout this pregnancy I have often felt guilty that this baby will never enjoy the undivided attention that his older brother got to relish in for nearly 3 years.

But yesterday as I was lying in bed, thinking about how drastically all of our lives are going to change in a few short weeks, I felt sad about Kai for the first time. I didn't necessarily feel sad for him because kids are super adaptable and Kai is young enough that he never will really remember life without a brother, but I felt sad that my baby is not going to be the baby much longer.

So I got out of bed, and sneaked down the hall into Kai's room and spent a few minutes there watching my sweet little boy sleep. When I climbed back into bed I thought about how I need to document all-things-Kai before this baby is born, because I have a feeling that he and this blog may go neglected in the weeks after.

I want to be able to remember Kai at this sweet age and to tell him what life was like in our house right before his baby brother was born. Here are a few things that I want to remember about my best buddy...

Every morning starts off the same (no matter what day of the week it is). At 7 AM I hear the pitter patter of your little feet shuffle-skipping down the hall, and the quiet creak of our door as you come bounding in the room with your alarm clock in hand proudly announcing, "The sheep waked up, Mommy!"

Sometimes you ask, "Can I watch a little bit of TV?"

On these mornings Pappa and I happily pull you into our bed and turn on your show so that we can enjoy another 20 minutes of slowly stirring ourselves into wakefulness. Other mornings you beckon me, "Come to my playroom with me, Momma!" and whether I'm ready to peel my very pregnant self off of the bed or not, I can never turn down your hopeful invitation.

Most mornings you can entertain yourself for hours at a stretch while I am only a background accessory to your play. The train table is still one of your favorite toys. You love pushing long lines of linked cars over and around the tracks and have become quite the skilled track builder yourself. When you are not playing with your trains, you tend to favor your big trucks and your airplanes...any mode of transportation really.

Since you were little I have made up silly little songs for you at your request. "Sing me the song about the dump truck," you say, and I do my best to comply changing the words to familiar tunes and feeling proud when the words of my song manage to rhyme. You have picked up on this trick and often make up songs of your own that parallel your play.

When you are not singing, you can be heard narrating almost everything that you do. Your use of grown-up words like "situated" and "actually" is comically contrasted with your little toddler voice and intonation. No sound in this world is sweeter than your constant, happy chatter.

From a very young age your love of people has been evident. Whenever you are out and about you are constantly "making friends." You say hi to every stranger that we encounter and sometimes will not stop saying hi (over and over and over again) until the target of your salutations has adequately acknowledged and returned them. It can be a little embarrassing for Mommy at times, but I adore how friendly and open you are and hope that you never lose those qualities or your belief that a stranger is just one hello away from becoming your friend. 

Although you are not immune to the occasional 2-year-old melt down, for the most part you are polite and cooperative and composed beyond your years. You've recently taken an interest in going to my prenatal appointments with me. You amaze the nurses and my doctor with how you sit patiently in a chair throughout my appointment and politely thank them for the stickers that they give you. When I ask you questions about what the doctors are doing, you answer with explanations about how they weigh mommy and take my blood pressure and listen to the baby's heartbeat. I am amazed at how much information you absorb and later apply.

Because you are such a sponge and pick up most concepts so easily, I was baffled about why colors seemed to be such a struggle for you. For months you identified every color as blue. I was tempted to believe that you might be color-blind, but when I would say to you, "Kai, this car is red. What color is this car?" and you would say "Blue," I realized that disinterest in colors or sheer stubborness were more likely to blame. Well recently, with the help of some colorful M&Ms, you have finally taken an interest in your colors and overcome that stubborness. You still have a hard time distinguishing blue and green from each other so we will wait and see if this is something that goes away in time or not.

If I had one complaint, it's that you are still hard to feed. You have a sweet tooth like no other. If I let you, you would be content eating cookies and candy all day every day--washed down by the occasional swig of chocolate milk, of course. While you'll happily eat healthy foods at your friends houses you turn up your nose at those same foods when I try to serve them to you at home.

That small complaint aside, I think that I won the lottery in getting a first kid who has been as good and easy as you have been. You are sweet and intelligent and friendly and funny. You have set a really high standard for your siblings and I'm sure that they will forever resent you for it.

You remind me all the time that you are a big boy and that you can "do it all by myself." I've watched you change and grow since the day that you were born, but it still amazes me how far you've come and how much you've learned. In the last few months you've made some important steps toward your independence. You are potty trained, sleep in a big boy bed, prefer to walk rather than be carried, climb into your car seat without my help, and have and exercise the ability to express just about any need or thought that is on your mind.

This summer I bought you several books about becoming a big brother (and what an excellent big brother you are going to be!), but I also bought you, "I'll Love You Forever," which has come to be one of my favorites because whenever we get to the lines, "I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be," you recite them along with me in your sweet toddler voice and snuggle up extra close to me.

Mommy is so proud of you for being such a big boy. I tell you all the time how you are my special little helper and that you being able to do things for yourself is going to really help Mommy to be able to take care of the baby after he is born. But I also remind you that no matter how big you get, how old you grow, and how many younger siblings you have...you will always be my baby.

Love you Kai Kai!