Yawn

 

Less than two weeks old, and he's already bored with us.

*My apologies to my Facebook friends for the duplicate picture and caption. I just couldn't resist posting it here as well.

We're in it for the gifts

Sure, we wanted a second baby because we thought Mary Clare would be a great big sister, and because we both have great relationships with our siblings. But let's be honest here -- we totally had Charlie for the gifts. And for the food that our friends and family members keep delivering to our door. Yes, babies are a lot of work, but whatever. If this sweet elephant pillow -- and the sweet guy snoozing next to it -- don't make you want to have a baby right away, well, then, God have mercy on your soul.

Thanks to the Rheineckers for the adorable pillow in the picture, the Mahers, Flemings, Joneses, my parents and Chip's parents for the delicious eats, and to the Allamans for even figuring out how to feed (and pamper) us from the wilds of Iowa. And of course there are countless other friends and family members who have showered Charlie and his sister with thoughtful gifts, as well as kind cards and well wishes.

So maybe I have it wrong. Having a baby is great for the soft and snuggly gifts, but most of all it makes you realize how completely fortunate you are to have such caring and supportive family and friends. We are lucky ducks, alright.

One tough toddler

In the run up to the birth of Baby #2, Mary Clare decided to add some excitement to our lives by injuring her leg/ankle on a slide the first weekend in June. I didn't write about it here, because oy vey, the drama. Chip was convinced that the x-ray tech at the urgent care center missed something, and I was convinced that it was just a sprain and would eventually heal. 

Unfortunately, poor Mary Clare was still limping around last week, so at the urging of my mom and our friend Sue who is an OT, I gave up my argument and Chip took her to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon on Monday. Of course, you know Mary Clare came home in a walking cast that afternoon. And of course I submitted her to a video interview the second she limped through the door. No mercy.

In the original x-ray tech's defense, small fractures in the tibia rarely show up in the initial x-rays because children's bones are so porous. What did show up on the second set of x-rays is the new bone growth. In my defense, our pediatrician and even the ortho said that these things will often heal themselves, as they frequently go undiagnosed. And in defense of our parenting, the ortho also said that his practice probably sees at least one tibia fracture from a slide incident every day. So there. I have absolved all guilty parties, just like that. Convenient, no?

So now we have a Mary Clare who is on the mend, and a mommy who has completely lost any credibility when it comes to medical-related decisions. Obviously I'm glad that we got this taken care of and Mary Clare's leg will be healed in two weeks, but ugh, the guilt. And the not being right. I honestly can't decide which is worse.

The meeting

So, these babies ... they take more time than I remembered. The days fly by, and I'm lucky if I manage to cross one thing off my list of things that absolutely have to be completed. So, sorry, blog, but snuggling Charlie trumps the old blog every time. He's just more cuddly.  And vocal.

Without further ado, here's a video of Mary Clare and Charlie's first meeting. It couldn't have gone better, and really, is there anything cuter than the way she says Charlie?

The second video is of Mary Clare giving Charlie the teddy bear she picked out for the new baby a few weeks ago. She wrapped it up and everything, and let me tell you, it's kind of cute to see a toddler swaddle a bear in tissue paper, plop it in a gift bag and say, "night night!" (Please pardon the random ending ... trying to video while hooked up to IVs and such is a bit cumbersome.)

Charlie, in turn, gifted her with a doctor kit, which was quite the hit.

Things continue to be just peachy keen over here. Charlie may have his days and nights mixed up, but I think we'll keep him.

Blaspheming B

At three-and-a-half, Brennan is a master of bedtime stall techniques. Sherri said that lately he likes to come out of his room because he is "sad" about something. Usually it's the fact that Brian is traveling for work, but it could also be a bug bite, a boo boo or the fact that Alexandra cried during dinner. Three nights ago. 

So when Brennan came out of his room tonight, Sherri was ready for the standard sorrow song and dance. 

B: I'm sad.
S: Why, Brennan?
B: I don't want to go to school tomorrow.
S: You have to go to school. Mommy and daddy have to work.
B: But I don't like school.
S: Yes, you do. It's vacation bible school, remember?
B: I don't want to go.
S: Why don't you want to go?
B: I don't like Jesus.

We made it

We are home, settled in and adjusting to life as a family of five. The jury is still out on whether or not Buddy has even realized Charlie is here. Thus far his only concern has been eating and sleeping, so I guess at least he and the baby have that in common.

Since I am too tired to begin writing about the actual birth or our time at the hospital, much less editing and uploading the hundreds of photos Chip took, I'll leave you with a few favorites from our stay at St. John's.

After looking at these, I have to say, those are some fine looking kiddos we made. And well, the shots of Chip with the kids make me kind of head over heels for him as well. Despite what I may or may not have said during our long stay in smallish quarters at the hospital. It was the meds talking, babe. I swear.

Charlie

Yesterday we welcomed George Charles Lindh IV into our family. Born at 3:25 p.m., Charlie weighed in at 8 lbs., 11 oz., and measured 20.5" long.

While Charlie's size was not a huge shock given the size of my belly, we were both stunned when we saw that we had a son, especially since Mary Clare was insistent that the baby was a girl. Given that this was Dr. Simckes' last official delivery, Charlie was presented to us with quite a bit of panache and flair. It was a moment we will never forget. 

Mary Clare has already mastered her brother's new name, and will meet him this morning. I'm certain that their first official meeting will also be a moment we will never forget.

Go time

Well, today is the big day. TB is becoming a party of five. We're leaving for the hospital in a bit, and hopefully sometime this afternoon Baby #2 will join our merry band. Friends, family, coworkers and perfect strangers are evenly split on whether it's a baby boy or girl. Mary Clare consistently -- and emphatically -- insists we are having a BABY GURL! so we shall soon see if big sister is correct.

I must admit to being a bit nervous now that the day is upon us. Yesterday we pre-registered, did blood work and met with the anesthesiologist (so different with a scheduled c-section!) for a consult. The anesthesiologist said I might still have some of the shaking and tremors from the anesthesia, but she assured me that it will be a far more pleasant experience than last time, when I labored for 18+ hours, was pumped full of fluids and other goodies, and Dr. Simckes tried to turn Mary Clare, before eventually deciding that we needed to do a c-section.

Oh, hell, what do I care? Even if the anesthesia does another number on me, it is all worth it for that moment I hold our sweet baby for the first time.

Stay tuned for the big announcement!

Oh, yes, it got bigger

So, here we are at 39 weeks, and considering Chip busted me last night washing the washing machine (complete with a scrub brush for the nooks and crannies), it's safe to say that I'm ready to have this baby. The fact that my parents are back and Mary Clare is on the mend from last weekend's ankle sprain also make me feel infinitely better about this whole birthing a baby business.

This, of course, does not mean that I'm not in a full-blown state of frazzle. For instance, despite knowing the time and date of my c-section for months, plans for Mary Clare were still up in the air until this morning, and when my mom asked about Buddy, I believe my response was, "Oh, CRAP." While I had packed bags and emergency pick-up plans in place, I was clearly banking on my ability to will this baby to stay put until Nana and Papa were back on U.S. soil. And now that they are, thankfully my mom is in "never fear, Nana is here" mode.
 

Most of the items left on my to do list are of the variety that it won't be the end of the world if they don't get finished, but at the same time, the idea of Mary Clare not having a perfectly wrapped gift from the baby waiting for her at the hospital is simply unfathomable. And I'm sorry, but those Topsiders Chip didn't like simply have to go back to Macy's pre-delivery. For real, my nesting knows no bounds.

But hey, Mary Clare is cute, right? And those fierce hugs I talked about a few weeks ago are just as good as they look. So let's focus on the cute and not the crazy. 

Relief

Mom and Dad Thole are back. Glory, glory, we made it.

Boho girl and her bangles

Taking stock of mom's faux bling.

Lining them up, just to freak out Aunt Sherri.

Admiring Guarding her handiwork. Heaven forbid mom would actually want to wear them.

And last but not least, Mary Clare's new room

Considering I never really did anything too terribly outrageous to our guest room, I had a very strange attachment to it. Probably the damask curtains. And maybe that I was able to come up with what I thought was a pretty put-together room based on items we already owned.

Sadly, the guest room and damask curtains are no more. Well, the curtains are carefully stored for their second lease on life, but our guest accommodations have now been reduced to an air mattress on the floor.

The demise of the guest room means, of course, that Mary Clare is now ensconced her new room. Note that I am calling it a new room and not a big girl room. This would be because Chip and I think "contained child" has a nice ring to it, so baby girl will continue to saw logs in a borrowed crib until she figures out how to escape (cue the sound of me furiously knocking on wood).

And so, it is now my distinct pleasure to once again bore you to tears with details about one of the rooms in our home. Why all the details? Well, clearly, I read too many home design blogs. So if it's all too much for you (ahem, Andy), just look at the pictures and leave a "looks great" in the comments section. Thank you.

So, the color palette for the room was based on this great Robin's egg blue damask quilt I scored at Home Goods this winter. Sadly, it has to lie in wait until the fateful day that Mary Clare transitions to her full-sized bed. Thankfully, my mom was appalled at the thought of her granddaughter resting her brown locks on a plain white Circo sheet, so she made two crib sheets for me out of Robin's egg blue fabric I found at Joann's. My mom and dad also get kudos for the striped cornice boards, with Mom Thole getting bonus points for hemming the white West Elm panels not once, but twice. And she's still planning to make red chair pads and accent pillows, so really, we're past the point system here and are looking more at Nana of the Year status.

The rug was a last-minute addition because my design team decided the room needed more barn red accents. (My mom actually used the term "anchor," so maybe she's perusing the home design blogs as well.) Hopefully I can still work it into the room once the full-sized bed is in place. And speaking of red accents, the Raggedy Ann doll was a first Christmas gift from Chip's parents to Mary Clare (apparently Chippy was quite fond of his Raggedy Andy), and the blue and red stick horse also belonged to young Chip. The rocking chair it's resting against was mine, with Chip doing a great job of sanding and repainting it in a glossy white. Mary Clare is a big fan of her "baby rocking hair" and "mama rocking hair," which is quite cute.

The crib is on loan from our friends Chelsey and Clint, and to say that I am beyond delighted at how well it matches the existing furniture we inherited from Chip's grandparents is an understatement. (Thanks again, Allamans.) The items on the dresser are a mish mash of things we had and things I found, and of course I had to add grosgrain ribbon trim to the lamp shade. I'm addicted.

And the last view of the room makes it clear that not only is Mary Clare still in a crib, but she is still in diapers. One thing at a time, I say. And really, she does love to lie on the changing pad and look at herself -- particularly when she is crying -- so who am I to deny her these moments of vanity?

The frog print on the dresser is from an Etsy shop run by someone Chip actually went to high school with (those PWHS Longhorns are everywhere), and will eventually go on the wall with a collection of other white framed items once the full bed and the rest of the furniture is placed. And I couldn't photograph it because of the glare, but this coordinating apple print from the same shop is the first thing you see when you walk into the room. In case you can't tell, I kind of dig her quote prints.

But, best of all, Mary Clare digs her new digs. The evening after her first night in the room, we were reading books in the nursery, and when I asked if she was ready to go to bed she jumped off my lap, said "Yes. New bed!" and darted into her new room. So while she clearly doesn't appreciate the lengths her Nana will go to for her, or the fact that I scoured Joann's with paint and fabric swatches in order to get just the right shades of blue and red fabrics, I have to say, it still felt good.

Nursing the nursery update

Because I seem to be all about going down to the wire with Baby #2, it's fitting that I just finished the nursery update -- which really isn't much of an update, to be honest -- last night. Also, take the word "finished" with a grain of salt, because as Chip will attest, nothing is ever finished around here. Certainly, I find crossing things off the old to do list to be one of life's greatest joys, but when it comes to finishing touches, my ability to tweak knows no bounds.

So, without further ado, I offer you photos and deets on the nursery update, whose walls certainly saw their fair share of various shades of blue paint over the past three months. Photos of nursery 1.0 are here if you are up for a little comparison.

 

The crib, bedding and curtains are all original to Baby #1, aka Mary Clare. Considering how much work my mom put into sewing everything, and how much I love the fabrics, swapping out the soft goods wasn't really an option. Like, at all. The only new items in the picture are the paint color (love!), the light fixture and the Lladro guardian angel in the window sill, which Chip gave me when Mary Clare was a newborn.

Same dealio in this corner -- everything is pretty much the same. I kept the Friends of Violet print (too much glare when I tried to photograph it) to the left of the dresser, and the fabric boxes and Carl, the rocking lab, are all originals as well. Please note that Carl's collar matches the bedding, because, well, that's how my mom rolls. Even the Anne Fleming-made baby book and booties are left over from Mary Clare because they just look too darned good against that espresso finish. The frame on the Buddy print did get a white coat of paint. I was going to put it in Mary Clare's new room, but I really like it here.

And here we have ... more sameness. The chair, pillow and quilt (again with my mom) and custom canvases (again with Anne Fleming) are originals, but the lamp/side table did get a coat of ivory paint and a new lamp shade with grosgrain trim. The small silver cup, engraved with Chip's given name, made its way home with us when his parents moved last year. I love it.

So, there you have it. A whole lot of the same, but for whatever reason, the new carpet and dark blue wall color (Velvet Dream!) do it for me. I particularly like how everything pops against that deep blue. Hopefully Baby #2 will agree.

I'm not ashamed

So, here I am, about to be a mom for the second time, and all I can say is: I miss my mommy.

It could be the hormones. It could be the fear that we will have this baby before my parents return from Italy. It could be that there's something comforting about knowing my parents are usually only 45 minutes away if we need them. But mostly, I just miss talking to my mom. We speak on the phone every day, and well, we all know that I am a creature of habit. And while the updates are nice,  the brief text messages we've exchanged since they've been gone aren't cutting it.

So, yes. I love that my parents are having a blast, and are enjoying the company and the sights, but it's about damn time they get their asses home. Who told them to go on this trip, anyway?

Oh, wait. Stupid hindsight.

Oh, you will like it, alright

At this stage in the pregnancy game, this is what it has come to, I'm afraid. Camera phone photos taken in front of the dishwasher. We've reached an all-time low here on TB.

But like I tell Chip when he learns that we will be having carry out for dinner yet again, you will take it and you will like it. So if you want blog posts, you will take the cheesy grins, the random backgrounds and the grainy photo quality, and you will like it.  

However, all threats and raging pregnancy hormones aside, I do think we can all agree that we do like the dress Nana made for Mary Clare. I mean, come on. Who can resist a monogrammed pillowcase dress?

That Nana. At least she doesn't cut corners.

Elder envy

How do you know you're over being pregnant? When you see a 75-year-old man in Madras shorts piling booze into the trunk of his Porsche Boxster and think, "Man, I wish I was that guy."

No offense to Baby Lindh and not to sound like a booze hound, but mama is ready for a few cold ones. Cold ones being Schlafly APAs, key lime martinis and any cocktail that includes champagne, namely Bellinis, mimosas and my fave from last summer, champagne with strawberries and muddled mint.

On a completely unrelated note, there may or may not already be several bottles of bubbly in our basement fridge.

Arrivederci

Nana and Papa,


While we are beyond excited for your Italian getaway, we surely do hate to see you go.

Have oodles of fun and think of us as you explore Rome and Florence. And whatever you do, definitely have gelato every day. Maybe even twice a day. (It's that good.) But oh, please do hurry back. A baby-to-be and an adoring toddler anxiously await your return.

With love,

The Team

Well, what do you know

Yesterday's post, you know, the one that had "huge mama" in the title? Yeah, apparently that was my 500th post here on TB. 


Classic.