Baby Rhett is finally here!

HALLELUJAH!!!

Here he is: Rhett Abraham Droubay, born June 10, 2009 at 11:22 AM. He weighed (so they say--I have a hard time believing it because he is soooo tiny to me) just over 8 pounds and was 19.5 inches long. Neither Annie nor Carson were this tiny in their clothes, but I'll believe the hospital scales, okay?

First things first: Ryan chose the name Rhett (which I struggled with at first, but it has totally grown on me now) and I chose his middle name. I named him for my Dad, whose response was: "why would you do that to him?" Well, I'll tell you why--because my dad is an honorable man who I really admire and who means the world to me. I wanted to honor my dad as well as give my son a name he could wear proudly. Both Carson and Annie have also been named for people who are important to Ryan and me.

Well, as many of you know, the births of our first two children were lengthy and quite traumatic for poor ole' mommy. So, my doctor, who is AMAZING by the way, made the decision to take him at 39 weeks, with the hopes that he could spare me a little trauma. This pregnancy was really difficult and very painful toward the end--I know I'm not unique in this--and I was glad as induction day approached, let me tell you! The only thing that made me sad was that I absolutely love feeling the baby inside my tummy, and I knew I'd really miss that when it was over.

Anyway, we reported to the hospital (Mountain West Medical Center in Tooele--AMAZING Labor and Delivery nurses and staff, by the way) Tuesday night (June 9). They started me at about 9:30 and again at 1:30 AM and gave me some medicine to help me sleep. I woke up at about 5 AM or so (I think) feeling some stronger and more regular contractions and dilated to a 4. I am sure I speak for laboring women everywhere when I say that there is not much more frustrating than feeling the pains and hearing some pathetic number like 3 or 4. GRRRRRR!! Anyway, about this time, I felt a huge kick from the baby and immediately realized my son had broken my water! This has not happened to me before, so I was unprepared for how fast labor progressed after that. I think I was on the Pitocin drip by now, and the contractions started to worsen. By the time the blessed nurse anesthetist arrived (LOVE her and her little cart of joy), I was dilated to a 7. Then, immediately after the epidural, I was at a 10! I have not progressed like that ever before. I almost couldn't believe it. But, I couldn't push and the baby was high, (and I still had the sleeping meds in me), so I rested for three hours. At 11AM we prepped for the Great and Terrible Pushing of 2009 and holy moly, he was born on the FOURTH contraction! I almost don't know what to say about this. I am accustomed to pushing for two hours and pleading for the vaccuum, and thinking I'm going to collapse from exhaustion, but I actually ENJOYED this experience, if you can believe it! My epidural was perfect, I felt great, and it could not have gone much better than it did.

Here is his first picture:



Here are some other pictures:

Here he is with Carson and Annie. I put this in because it was really cute to see the kids with their new baby brother. They both wanted to hold him constantly and this is actually when Carson would NOT release his grip. We kept asking him, "can Daddy have a turn? Can grandpa have a turn? Mom? Annie?" and to each question his answer was the same: very serious face, "No. It's Carsie's turn now." Very matter-of-factly. You can tell that he really likes this little man. Here he is, petting his face--I know, it looks like poking, but he was actually petting it. hilarious.



Annie was super cute as well. She raised her hand (like in school) when the nurses brought him in the room and immediately asked if she could feed or hold him. Here they are right before we brought him home on Thursday:



Here are some pictures (the best I can get so far) of his face and features. We think he looks alot like Carson's baby pictures as well as my dad. So appropriately named, I guess!

getting ready to go home from the hospital

chillin' on the couch

three days old

Here is his royal tininess:

this is the day we brought him home. I love this picture!

We are so happy he's home and healthy. We are truly blessed!

Feelin' Nostalgic

Okay. So I know pregnant women can get a little neurotic and most definitely emotional toward the end. I am SO not the exception to this. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to meet this little baby who's been somersaulting around my tummy for the last who knows how long. I can't wait to see what color hair he has, what he looks like, (the thrill of being able to pick something up off the floor is in there somewhere), etcetera, but I'm a little sad too. I have been hanging out with the coolest toddlers ever for the last little while and I'm a little worried I'm going to be totally abandoning them. . . is that crazy?

I just have loved watching Annie and Carson grow older and older, being able to hang out with them in the backyard, play with them, and talk with them. They are so fun and SO DANG FUNNY!! I've accepted that I must once again return to mustard-poo filled diapers, and sleepless nights. I don't love the idea, but I'm fine to do it. It's totally worth it, and babies smell so good, ya know? But my heart feels a tad sad to think about those little kiddos having to share their mom more than they already do. I know it's not the end of the world. . . .

I just wanted to throw that out there to the Land of Blog.

And then, to share some of what we've been up to lately:

I already told you about the tire swing. Still a big hit, for the kiddos and neighbors too. It is so fun to watch them spin and spin and spin. So far, we've had no tossed lunch or any other meal for that matter. All's well, folks.

About a month ago, I had to go to Park City to put on a conference for the Utah Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. I do this every year in my role as the work-from-home Administrative Assistant that I am. I absolutely love doing this. It is the perfect job for me and the weekend away does wonders for my soul. . . . . . . ahhhhhhh. . . .

Anyway, while I was gone, Ryan took Annie and Carson to the zoo. They are still talking about this. Annie has been doing this new thing where she wants to dress herself, and most days, we just let her do it. I tell you this to explain the hat she is wearing. She just loves this hat.


Here she is BEING an elephant. Check out that trunk! For those of you who don't know, Annie is obsessed with elephants. I'm sure this exhibit was the highlight of her zoo experience.


The highlight for Carson, on the other hand, was of course the zoo train. Trains are referred to as either "trains" or "choo-choo planes." Don't get it, but okay. I'm not gonna argue with a 2 year old about that one! Ryan said that Carson started getting a little stressed as they were waiting their turn for their 2 minute zoo train ride. "Carsie turn! CARSIE TURN!" Can you imagine how frustrating that wait must have been? My goodness!

And how cute is that tender sibling moment, eh?

Other highlights of the past little while include Annie's first dance recital -- NOTHING short of hilarious! and graduation from preschool. This I missed, but I hear it was quite the show. They made a video of the children that were graduating and I'm so glad we got one because it was so funny. Annie was in it a few times and definitely has a flair for the dramatic. So like her dad.
Ha ha! Note the sarcasm. . .


Another thing Annie and I have been doing is gardening. Here she sits, my little preschool graduate, in the front garden amongst the bee-you-ti-ful flowers we've been caring for. I can't believe how much she is growing up.

Well, on to packing and bed. We are headed to the hospital tomorrow evening to be induced for (hopefully) a Wednesday delivery. So far so good--I'm excited and happy, nervous and a little overwhelmed, but we'll make it through!

A Kid's Life

Alright, it's been THIRTY years since I was her age, but my memory has not dimmed such that I don't remember the utter joy of a hot, stinky tire swing on a warm summer day. I'm telling you, it does NOT get much better than this! You can see the relaxation in her face. Ryan decided today to put up the tire swing and you should have seen the smile on his face when he heard her shrieks of pure elation. It is far enough away from the trunk of the tree that we can get some serious rotation and height on each push. Classic. Absolutely classic. And major daddy brownie points today, dear.

I can remember being a kiddo and turning the tire swing so many times there were huge knots in the rope, and releasing, fully knowing I'd be moments away from tossing my lunch by the time the spinning ride of death was complete. Didn't matter. The tire swing is a childhood must. I'm so excited to watch her experience this and all the other joys of summertime this year. Maybe I'll start to feel like a kid myself! Wouldn't that be nice!

Battle Chicken

Well, our roosters (and hens too) were getting pecked to death by each other, so Ryan decided to let our rooster roam our horse corrals and the barn area. This has turned out to be quite entertaining for me. First of all, call me a city girl if you want, but I just think it is so funny/interesting that the thing just is content to strut around our back property all day long. He stays within the property (with the exception of two days ago when he went a-calling over to the ladies in the chicken coop). For a few hours at least, he paced back and forth in front of the window. Anyway. The first night he was out, Ryan said that Maisey was sleeping on the barn floor and the rooster had stolen her bed (up on the haystack--its a Maisey-sized burrow she's dug out for herself. . . ) So, I had to check it out for myself. (Okay, really lame here) So I went outside, in the cold, with a flashlight, at 11PM and there was Maisey curled up in the middle of the garden and yep, you guessed it, the rooster was cozily squatting away up on the haystack.

But, sadly, it hasn't been all fun and games. This crazy rooster likes to intimidate Annie and Carson. It chased Annie twice before her dad and Dennis taught her how to assert herself with the barn animals. It involves an uber-confident persona and a long stick. She's learning quickly. Carson, on the other hand, is utterly defenseless. The rooster had him down on the ground and had backed up and rammed him twice before Mr. Droubay reached him. It did not go well for the rooster. Then, today, the rooster was crowing and I crowed back, just to amuse myself. He ignored me. I walked away and heard him chasing me. We had a chat about that.

Then, Ryan decided to rope the chicken. I happened to have a camera and preserved the moment for all to enjoy:



So, yesterday, Annie and I were discussing the rooster and I said it was time to name him. She has been wanting to name the baby "Nemo" for about two weeks now, so I suggested that this might be a better name for the rooster than for the baby. Oh no, she said. The baby was now going to be named "T-Rex" and the rooster's name was "Battle Chicken."

Battle Chicken? nice.

So, thus concludes the anecdote regarding Battle Chicken. It has it all: suspense, humor, violence, triumph, and perhaps a smidgeon of boredom for the reader.

Thank you for your attention.

You may need to admit you have a problem when. . .

Your darling 2-year old refers to diet Dr. Pepper as "Mama's ba-ba."

ha ha ha.

I'll NEVER give it up!. . . . . . . .

Funny Funny Annie

Okay, I'm ready to move on from The Mullet.

Ryan and I went to DC last weekend and it was great! I went for business but we managed to fit in a little fun while we were there. My boss and I were up on the Hill on Friday visiting with the offices of our representatives and senators. It went well and I learned a lot. Ryan hung out on the Mall that day and had a good time. We spent some time on Saturday at Arlington National Cemetery. This was an amazing experience. I won't wax too poetically about it, but suffice it to say, I walked (waddled) away very humble and grateful for the unbelievable sacrifices men and women of our (and others) country have made for the life I enjoy daily. We also spent some time at the Smithsonian--Museum of Natural History, tried the National Archives but the line was loooooong (about 2 hours) just to get in. Then we went to try and find paintings by Charles Russell (Ryan's fave) at the Museums of Art, but to no avail. We did see some good stuff there, however. I've been to DC and specifically the Smithsonian several times when I was younger, so I've probably seen most of it already, but I was bummed that Ryan didn't get into the Archives. Well, we made a commitment to come back with our kids when they are older. Annie would have just LOVED the Museum of Natural History. Cool stuff.

Anyway, back to funny Annie. She has said some funny stuff the last few days and I wanted to share. Richard, please forgive me for this one, but it's too great to not share. I was driving Annie to preschool on Monday morning and she said nonchalantly, "Grandpa drives too fast." I was a little taken aback. "How do you know this?" She continued: "Well, because when he was taking me to school on Friday (they stayed with Ryan's parents while we were gone), he was driving too fast." "Yes, Annie," I continued, "but how do you KNOW he was driving too fast?"

"The policeman told him to slow down!"

nice.

"And then he told Grandpa he could go."

busted.

So, being the kind and respectful daughter-in-law that I am (chuckle chuckle), I immediately dialed him and inquired as to whether or not he had made an unscheduled stop on the way to drop Annie off at school on Friday.

He had.

priceless. just priceless.

Then, later that day, I was doing some work, and she came up to me and said, "Mom, is Darryl Hannah nice?" WHAT? HOW? Where? Darryl Hannah? Where do they get this stuff? She continued: "How about Tim Curry? Is he nice?" I busted up laughing. I had finally figured it out. She has a video (and loves the previews) that she has been watching that has a preview for a movie they did together (I think it's the Munsters or something like that) and the voice-over says the actor and actress's names and they're the monster mommy and daddy. Fair question. So we had a nice chat about what actors and actresses do, and how the people they pretend to be might be nice or not so nice, but they are probably nice people, etcetera.

It was just really funny to hear my four year old say these people's names randomly like they live down the street. Too funny!

Kids are hilarious!

The Haircut

My daughter has a mullet.

. . . sigh. . .

And I have one question: What the heck?

Just when I think, they can NOT raise the bar on their craziness any more than they already have, they do! And feel free to laugh at my parental naivete--I'm sure there's more trouble on the close as well as distant horizon.

I was fixing a clog in my vacuum hose (which ironically was full of hair--albeit Jack's dog hair) and apparently I was a bit TOO engrossed in the task, when she walked in holding THIS in her hand saying, "whose hair do you think THIS is?" with a big smile on her face:


What are you SUPPOSED to do at a time like this? I just started crying. We just got her this beautiful Easter dress (at Costco, LOVE Costco) and shoes, and hair accessories. I just figured out how to have her wear her hair down like SHE likes it yet out of her eyes like I like it. I have a friend who is an amazing photographer who was going to take pics of my kids. And, you know what? I really think her hair is pretty when it is down! I am sure many of you have dealt with similar self-haircut disappointments before and can attest to the fact that I won't feel as horrible tomorrow.

Here is a beautiful before picture: This was taken last summer in CT at my parents' house. It's the best I have of her long beautiful blonde curls:


It is difficult to see from the above photo how long it's gotten, so here's an example from today. Bear in mind that her hair is really thick and there is a surprising amount missing on either side, but again, difficult to tell from the rear:


And the side:


And, lastly, the fabulous front:


Thank goodness for Grandma. Ryan and I are going to DC tomorrow and I asked her if she could schedule a "fix-it" hair appt. for Annie while we were gone. She said she would and called and PRESTO, Heidi (thanks, by the way) had an opening right away. So, off they went. Here is the result:


I guess we'll live. Worse things have happened than this. I think it's cute, although it will take some getting used to. And a little bit of a learning curve for me to figure out how to style it! She was pretty happy about it. When I asked her why she cut it (I never learn, why do parents ask their kids why they've done something naughty? Do we expect they'll give us some glimpse of personal accountability or wisdom gained from the experience? or even honesty, for that matter?) Anyway, she said she wanted it short.

I told her, "next time, ASK!"

what is next?