December Daily: 2010 Foundation

I spent the past two weekends building my December Daily album. I follow Ali's advice and make this in advance every year so that when December rolls around all I have to do is plug in some photos and write about them. I really debated whether or not to do this this year, having a new little guy around, but decided that I would regret not doing it because it really is one of my favorite albums to make.

This year I went more for a uniform look and also used loads of transparencies, similar to what Ali did as well. I bought some new paper this year, not very much, but everything else was from my stash.





In making the cover, I painted chipboard cream colored and then re-discovered some metallic enamel paint and put that on over the cream. I love how it turned out. I adhered some thick glittery snowflake paper to the front and back and then covered it with acrylic.

The transparencies that go over the pages are really thick and the patterns are festive. My favorite is the wood one.




I cut some baseball page protectors to size and added simple things in the pockets. It's hard to tell, but there are some candy canes and violins in this page.




The red damask paper is my favorite of the set. It has an embossed velvety feel to it. It's so pretty I will have a hard time covering any of it up.

I really love this Santa paper as well.

A look at another transparency.

This is a clear acrylic transparency that I added a rub-on to with some jewels.

Here's another baseball protector. This time I added two ornamental stars to the pockets.

The wood patterned transparency.

I love putting this together. It's fun to envision how I'm going to add the photos.

I am going to try really hard to keep it simple this year. It seems that by the time I am done, the album is overflowing. I think I will aim for one photo, possibly enlarged, or maybe two 4x6 photos. Since the album is 8x6 in size they will fit perfectly.

So, we'll let this simmer for while and pull it out in December for a fresh look and begin to fill it. I can't wait!

It looks like Cubby's evil plot to become the favorite auntie is working....

This boy

photo of Tyson and Cubby playing Memory

Tyson is really into games at the moment. Everyday he asks us to play some with him. His current favorites are: Candyland, the Memory Game, the "Life car game" i.e. the Game of Life, Connect 4, and Mister Mouth (found at Aunt Leanne's).

He also really like puzzles. Especially toys that are like puzzles. Anything that he can build and fix and figure out. It's fun to watch him use his imagination and invent something new.

Not surprisingly, considering how much time his Mama spends on the computer, he loves to play games online. He likes pbskids.org, thomasandfriends.com, and disney.go.com. I really like him to play the PBS one because they don't seem to be "fluff" games. Most are helping him learn letters or figure something new out.

Ever since Jack has been home, Tyson has been waking up pretty early (6:30-7:00) and climbing into bed with us. I try to remind myself that these times will be gone soon and to cuddle with him when he wakes up.

When we go for walks in the evening, Tyson usually rides his bike. Last week, he was pretty daring- going really fast down the ramps and putting his feet up to coast. Then he wrecked going around a turn. Now, he is so cautious that he will get off his bike if the sidewalk looks even a little bit uneven or sloped. It makes for an extra long walk. :) He also is good at telling us to go right or left next and knows his way around the neighborhood well.

Tyson is a happy little Sunbeam in Primary. He usually sits really well, with just the occasional standup or turn around to look at the boys behind him. Last week he told me he gave his suit coat to another little girl in his class because she was cold. Such a little gentleman! Hopefully that continues......

His snacks of choice are: pretzels in a bowl, peanut butter on a spoon, bananas, hot cocoa, and dried cherries.

Tyson isn't that opinionated about what clothes he gets to wear during the day, but is very particular about his shoes. He has very specific ideas about what shoes should be worn when. He only wear his "new preschool shoes" to, you guessed it, preschool. He likes his brown shoes for riding bikes and balks at the idea of ever wearing his church shoes to somewhere other than church.

If his mother lets him or remembers, Tyson likes to paint at the kitchen table, play with homemade playdough, and set up his play-tent in his bedroom.

We sure love his little four-year-old. He is asking such inquisitive questions, learning to follow directions so well, and getting ready to learn how to read! It's a fun time.

Six weeks-ish

Before Jack was born I had all these visions of the great newborn photos I was going to capture. I was so excited to try out some new things and use my little baby as the guinea pig. As it turned out, I brought home a baby who was not exactly a "new" newborn, almost a month old. He was long too, not the tight bundle you see swaddled in pictures. This leads us into photo shoot numero uno.

Photo shoot, or should I say torture session? Instead of deeply sleeping like I had hoped, Jack woke up soon after we started. I took a few before I felt so bad for him that we stopped. Poor kid.




Not exactly cute and cuddly..... Still cute I guess. :)

PS. I promise that he loves to be swaddled. Demands it in fact, but not for picture time I guess.

Tyson decided it was his turn. Then in good fun, my sister went next. Their amount of cooperation was decidedly much better than the youngest.




Jack has started giving us little tentative smiles. It definitely makes big brother happy. His parents too. Melts my heart into pieces every time.




Bravely, I attempted to do another little photo shoot. This time there was no undressing of a sleeping baby. No swaddling in scarves. Not even coaxing to a cute position. Just the raw sweetness of my alert baby.

Much better.



I want to draw attention to the little size 2 moccasins on Jack. My parents brought them back from Canada for us. This was after considerable time taken, I'm told, of searching for them. Thanks Mom and Dad! They are precious!






Getting sleepy after all of this business. It's hard work being followed by the mamarazzi.

Adjusting

Can you believe that it has been almost two weeks since we have been home? It has truly flown by. We are getting used to our new "normal", and it is starting to feel good. Jack is becoming more awake and alive and is actually letting me sleep a little longer at night. Tyson got to start preschool last week and is learning to be a "gentle" big brother.


Dusty is so glad to have his little boys home.


Tyson tells me daily how much he loves preschool. He waited so long to go.


On a side note, Jack has curly hair when it gets wet. I don't know where he gets it. My grandpa maybe?


We've also discovered that Jack loves to sleep on his tummy. He fidgets in tummy time for a minute or two and promptly falls into a deep sleep.



My mom and sister came down for the weekend and made masses of food for us and cuddled the boys. I sure am appreciative of their help.

I am loving the fall season and the warmth and fun that it brings. We are planning on catching a football game on Friday, and I plan on making the foundation for my December Daily album this weekend as well!

What I learned when your baby is in the NICU

• Don't even bother putting mascara on in the morning. You are going to cry it off before the day is over.
• There is always a baby worse off than yours so be thankful inside and don't be quick to spout off how hard it all is.
• The nurses are generally a treasure trove of information. You might get the occasional weird idea, but most of it is good stuff.
• Get comfortable as quickly as you can with the cords/monitors/routines/equipment. You'll feel better.
• Guilt is your new best friend. You want to be everywhere at once. But try your hardest not to feel guilty. There is no way to be home as a wife, with your other children, and at the hospital with your baby at the same time.
• Let go of your expectations. Just show up and rock your little one. If you have good news that day, so much the better.
• They teach you things in the NICU that every parent should learn when they take a baby home.
• Take breaks for yourself, even if it seems cruel to leave your baby lying there without you. Don't feel guilty about it!
• When you find a nurse who really loves your baby, and who you get to know, leaving your little one becomes so much easier.
• Make friends with other NICU parents. It makes life seem semi-normal and they totally get what you are going through.
• It's okay to have mini-meltdowns. You just had a baby, your hormones are crazy, and coupled with the crisis, your stress is high.
• Don't be afraid to tell people they can't come visit today. Sometimes it only adds more stress, however well-meaning they are.
• Learn the rules as quickly as you can so you don't set someone up for failure (sorry little brother).
• The nurses really try hard to look out for you and your baby.
• Ask millions of questions. After they are answered it's easier to put the pieces together and feel like you know how your baby is really doing.

Probably the hardest lesson I learned in the NICU is that the worst thing you can go through is to be rocking your little baby, who is getting slowly better, and listen to the mom next to you racked with sobbing and grieving because her baby is dying and won't live through the night. The empty bed space the next day is haunting and lonely. It just doesn't get more real than that. It's all the more reason to be grateful that even though your are having a rough time, you should be truly grateful for the warm, breathing baby you are holding.

Still fresh from the experience, I am sure that my remembering will change over the years, and that I had an easy go of it really, since we were only there for a month. So many are there much longer and have far more touch-and-go moments. I feel oddly grateful for this trial in our lives. I feel that it has opened my heart and humbled me. When I feel frustrated with the after math we are dealing with, I try to remind myself that I got to take home a healthy baby boy when it was all said and done. So many parents don't get that chance.

Coming Home

On Wednesday of last week, we were discharged from Primary's NICU. It was a red-letter day for us. So exciting. As luck would have it, Dusty could not come until Wednesday night, so I got to do the honors all myself (with the help of wonderful nurses). I must admit it was strange being by myself with just Jack for the rest of the day. Where were the beeping monitors that told me he was still breathing? Where were the fussy baby neighbors? Where were the cords that kept my baby within two feet of his bedside? It was nice to be free.


Sweet volunteers made this poster for Jack, as they do for every little baby. Didn't they do a cute job? I loved answering the questions but was saddened by the fact that I could tell you how to tell if my newborn was in pain.

When it was finally time to leave, I loaded Jack up in the car seat. Doesn't he look concerned? This was a new place. He had only been in the car seat one other time, and that was for his car seat trial.


This photo was taken on Thursday, literally minutes after Tyson arrived with my Mom. So touching.


It feels so good to be home. Everybody asks how I am feeling and I have to remind them that my baby is already a month old and so I am feeling pretty darn good. Still tired though. :)

I am so very grateful that I got to take home a healthy baby. Many moms don't. But more on that in another post.


I am also so glad for the support and visits of my two sisters who lived near the hospital. They brightened my days and helped me not to go crazy after being in the hospital all day long, day after day. We had some good moments together.