Gabriel is....(Part 2)

This is a continuation of the "What I Love About Gabriel" posts--part 2! More to come later =)

Gabriel is…loving.

From the moment of his birth, Gabe has been an affectionate child. He gives bear hugs like none other, holding on with his considerable strength as he burrows his face into your neck like he is making up for every moment you were away from him. His fingers wind their way into your hair as he twirls it. He can never get enough kisses—on his face, his hands, his cheeks, his lips…he adores the way you adore him. Though normally a hurricane of activity, he will lay beside you for hours, content in your arms, a hand absent-mindedly stroking the side of your face. You can feel the contentment and peace radiating off of him because nothing makes him happier than just knowing you are there.

Gabriel is…strong.

Physically, Gabriel is formidable. With a small body that is in a constantly dynamic state, his muscles are healthy and strong. He has no grasp on the concept of impulse restraint, so he puts all of himself into everything he does: jumping up and down while watching his favorite show; wrestling the captive pacifier from your hand; or when clinging to your neck in his patented Gaby-hugs. Flat-footed, he is able to squat on the floor in an impossible state of suspension, his calves holding him steady and upright. Though she has always been considerably bigger than he is, Gabriel will never be a victim to his big sister—he has no qualms with defending himself from her aggressive and occasionally selfish behavior—but he never uses his upper-hand to bully her, to fight her for things he wants. Even with his physical superiority to many kids his age, Gabriel has in no way been forceful or violent toward them.

Gabriel is…curious.

His is a very inquisitive mind. Gabriel wants to know how things works, why things do what they do, and how he can control it. People are a mystery he is uninterested in unraveling, but their functionality fascinates him. Interiors of mouths are meant to be examined, joints are made to be manipulated, spots and skin discrepancies are meant to be explored. Gentle fingers will probe teeth and gums, open and close eyes, and bend and twist ears as he puzzles out the reason and the purpose behind the different body parts that serve no obvious function. He loves repeating experiences again and again, experimenting with how he can alter the event by plugging his ears or standing on his head. Hinges are scrutinized; leaves pulled apart; books maneuvered for signs of strain…his brown eyes brighten as he catalogues every detail. He wants to see things from every angle imaginable and nothing is too petty to elude his interest.

Emerald Quotes 8-31-11

Overheard by my sweet Emerald lately...

-awed voice- Wow, Mama--I the most goodest singer ever!

Mommy, can i have a cheese sandwich for lunch? And can I have a hamburger on my cheese sandwich?

(Me:)...you want a cheeseburger?

(Emerald:) Yay!! Yes please!! With fries!!

Emerald was pretending to text on her toy cell-phone, saying "Dear Emerald, I am six years old. Monsters make me real scared; I gotta build animals. Can you help me?" (playing "Veggie Tales", lol)

(Emerald) What is that a picture of?

(Me) It's the Death Star, sweetie.

(Emerald) Is it one of Daddy's cars?

Trying to make plans for Emerald's birthday, she gave this input: Tinkerbell is nice, and I like Minnie Mouse...but I want a Cap'n America birthday party!! (she has now been talking about her Captain America birthday party for weeks!)

Related: I was showing Emerald costumes on Party City's website, asking what she wanted to be--Minnie Mouse? Strawberry Shortcake? A princess?

She yells, "no, mama--I gonna be...CAP'N AMERICA!"

After some thought, she adds, "Gaby can be Thor and Benjamin is Spider-Man!" (Avenger's Assemble?)

Emerald has been throwing a lot of fits lately--hazards of being a three year old. As I laid her down for nap, she whispers "Mama, I so sorry for screaming. I can be better..."

Getting better at bargaining, probably due to all the "Pawn Stars" she watches with us; I told Emerald she could have bubbles if she poops in the potty. She squints at me and says "Bubbles First".

This will be humiliating to her one day, but that's a very good reason to remember it, lol.

Emerald was sitting on the potty when I hear her yelling "Mom, help!! I need a doctor!!" (Drama queen!)

Actually very sad: I told Emerald I loved her recently, and she said "why?" :-(

Emerald: Mommy, I can't pick you up cause you too heavy, so you gonna hafta pick me up.

She's been asking me to sing to her recently, and she sings to me more as well. My favorites:

"If I crash and crash and burn, I not alone?"

"I like the Sausage Man! What the boy's name? Is it Gabriel? Gaby, sausage is not for the floor, it's for eating!"

"Mama, I can fly! I fly like a G-6!" (You are so not listening to your Daddy's music anymore!)

"Can anybody find me sumbody to love?"

Emerald hugged my protruding belly and said "I love you Benji-Bubba"

I was stressing out, worried about silly little things, when Emerald came up and whispered, "It's okay, Mama--you can pray if you want to".

(Emerald:) Mama, that's gross--I don't want dirty cheerios.

(Me:) -sigh- they're not dirty, they're cinnamon

The following are contributed by Grannymom: =)

On the way from her house to our house Emerald said: Where is your friend dad-dad?

I said: He’s at work.

She said: does your friend live with you?

Pulled into driveway, I open the garage door: she says: Home again, Home again, giggidy gig. (I’ve said that a couple of times before…..she picked it up quick!)

In garage she says: Grannymom, you have a rake.

Yes I do. What do you do with a rake?

Rolling her eyes, she says: you rake leaves with a rake Grannymom.

Amniocentesis

That test I've been yapping about for the last few weeks--the amniocentesis--was actually scheduled and performed today, and we just got the results back.

Michael took off from work to take me. There are somethings that I am just a baby about and the amnio is one of them...

Basically, Dr. Hales (the specialist OB we see) inserts a thin needle through all the way into my uterus and extracts amniotic fluid from around the baby. The lab then tests the fluid to see if the baby's lungs are developed enough to be born.

Ken watched Emerald and Gabriel for us while Michael took me. He stopped and got me a big cup of Sonic ice on the way, which turned out to be a bit of a mistake because the office was so cold I was shivering uncontrollably. Probably partially due to nerves--some women say that the test doesn't hurt at all; others that it is just a little uncomfortable pinch...I am one of the ones that experiences painful menstrual-like cramps around what feels like the biggest needle in the world. Like I said, I am super immature about it, but it hurts and I don't want to go through it alone, so having Michael there was wonderful.

Unfortunately, my fluid levels were low again which made it difficult to find a good place to take. I have an anterior placenta that lays on top across my right side, which meant that they had to put the needle through the placenta to do the test. Just makes it hurt more and made me bleed a little, I hope it's okay.

After the test, which went very quickly, we had the NST. This is the first one Ben had trouble with--he was lethargic, but as Beth pointed out...it's Monday, everyone is moving slow this morning!

Now I am home and I hurt and I'm exhausted from not sleeping last night, so Mike is letting me laze about. He's nice like that.

The nurse called about an hour after we left:

One number came back positive, but the other was not, so the c-section was pushed back to Sunday, September 4th at 9am.

Okay, seriously: who does planned surgeries on a Sunday?! I sounded so stupid, because I repeated "Sunday?" on the phone with the nurse like five times.

So, I guess we are having little Ben on Sunday, which puts me coming home from the hospital on Wednesday, the day the kids start daycare. I have a Dr. Killeen appointment on Tuesday, an NST on Thursday, and then we have a baby.

How we are feelings:

Kids don't care. What did you expect? They have no idea what is going on, lol.

Michael is fine no matter what day we have the baby; he's agreeable. He was going to start his vacation on Wednesday, but I guess he will hold off until a week from today (since he all ready has Sunday off).

Me? Sure, I'm uncomfortable. My fingers are officially too big to wear my wedding ring, and I haven't had a good night's sleep in months. But Benjamin is my priority--if they told me that he needed another month, then that's what we'd do. I wouldn't risk the health of my little boy just to make it easier on myself.

Sunday has the added benefit of being the day that my parents come into town--they will probably miss the actual birth (unless the hospital is running WAY behind that day, lol), but they will be here for our hospital stay and coming home and everything. No idea what I am going to do about Emerald's birthday party...won't think about that right now. We'll take care of her; she'll have a great birthday.

Anyways, that's my update. I'm going to go take a nap.

6 more days is our new goal!

--Andie--

My Husband

I have been feeling affectionate toward Michael lately--I get this way before I have the kids, because I feel so blessed and lucky to have such a great husband and friend in him, and having a baby together bonds you like no other. When the sleepless nights, waning patience, and short fuses of having a newborn takes over, it's nice to be able to look back and see all the things that make me just plain ol' like the guy.

So! Here, in no particular order (and far from all-inclusive list), are 20 things I love about my Mike!

1. Regardless of the circumstances, no matter how he feels about me at the time or whether I deserve it or not, Michael always treats me with respect.
2. Every day, he makes me beautiful, cherished, and loved.
3. No matter what we are doing, we always have fun together; he can always make laugh.
4. He works very hard at jobs he doesn’t like to provide for me and the kids, sticking with it even when it gets really discouraging.
5. He truly adores his children, and is an amazing father; Emerald and Gabriel worship him, and even ECI raves about how great he is with them.
6. He knows the most random, interesting things and it’s entertaining to listen to him talk; even if he doesn’t know about something, he can usually make up something pretty believable ;)
7. Though I know how important a clean house is to him, he has never made me feel bad or gotten angry at me for not keeping a tidy house—when I am able to get stuff done, he always notices and thanks me; when I don’t, he never says a negative word about it J
8. He genuinely gets along with my family, and makes a conscious effort to form bonds with them, and I think they all like him too.
9. He is intellectually my equal (or maybe even smarter than I am), so we have the best discussions over every topic imaginable.
10. . He is a good Christian man that comes from a good Church of Christ family; we share the same beliefs (for the most part; there are small things we disagree on, but he respects my views and I respect his) and agree how we want to handle our children’s spiritual development.
11. For the most part, on most subjects, we agree and see eye to eye including our priorities and how we want to raise the kids; but even when we don’t, we have civilized discussions and come to compromises peaceably. He would never demean my point of view and keeps an open mind, sincerely listening to me.
12. He is never too busy to listen to me pratter, chatter, complain, vent, rant, babble, or talk just for the sake of talking (and ask anyone that knows me—that is no small feat!)
13. Even though he doesn’t like pets and doesn’t want them, he humors me in letting me have cats, and takes out their litter box so I don’t have to.
14. I love his dorky taste in music, and how he gets into it singing and dancing with me and the kids J
15. He never judges me, even when I say or think something just awful. I can be a negative, grumpy, pessimistic person and he doesn’t look down on me for that.
16. Even at his angriest (and he can get pretty angry), he has never demeaned or belittled me in any way; he never swears or calls me names or yells, or loses control of his temper. I don’t worry that this argument might end us because there has never been a situation it felt like we couldn’t work through.
17. I trust him fully, and he reciprocates--though we live together, we are able to maintain and respect one another’s privacy. He doesn’t burst in on me in the bathroom, dig through my emails or texts (though he has access to my laptop, phone, and all my passwords), or otherwise act paranoid or jealous; and I don’t feel the need to invade his privacy either.
18. No matter how tired he is, he helps out after he gets home with whatever I need help with around the house, even if it is just letting me have a break from the kids.
19. He’s super supportive of anything I want to do, willing to do what he can to help me achieve my goal and rooting for every step of the way.
20. He makes me feel very safe; not just because he is my protector and I know he would do anything to defend me and the kids, but because he refuses to let me feel or act like a victim. He taught me how to stand up for myself, to not back down, and to fight if I need to J

Mike is a pretty neat fella. I am really lucky to have him!!

--Andie!--

On the Sunny Side of Life

I am letting worry and frustration and depression get to me tonight, which is not doing me or anyone else any favors, so I am going to talk about the things that make me happy.

A couple nights ago, Emerald asked if she could sleep in her big girl bed.

Since Gabriel sleeps in our bed, Emerald has been doing the jealousy thing and wanting to sleep in a pallet beside our bed. It has been a problem because I have to get up to pee about a thousand times a night, and her pallet makes it difficult to walk around the room to get to the bathroom.

But the other night she asked if she could sleep in her big girl bed, so I helped her clean up and set up her room, put her blankets on her bed, pick out a few stuffed animals to lay down with her...we did the whole bedtime routine thing where they take a bath, I sing a few songs to them, we read a book, say prayer, and have hugs and kisses time before they go to sleep.

She laid awake for a while, but as soon as Michael kissed her goodnight, she fell right to sleep and stayed there all night! She didn't get out of bed until I woke her up at 8 the next morning.

Ever since then, she has slept in her room--she is very proud of being on her own. I am a little more skittish with her sleeping so far away, but I'll get over it.

Other good things...Gabriel keeps trying to talk. It isn't consistent, but sometimes he will try and say "hi" or mimic Mike saying "I love you!". He is putting more effort into socializing, being more affectionate, and much more engaged. I think it's because he is getting a lot more of his sensory needs met, but we are all very grateful--it is nice to see Gabriel making some progress.

We did his yearly evaluation with ECI (I may have mentioned it before) but it shows that he has been improving across the board, in all developmental fields. In motor skills, he is actually advanced for his age! His progress is about 5-7 months in each area. It is really encouraging to see these things because it is so, so easy to get caught up in what he is not doing that it feels like we are just treading water, not moving forward at all.

Despite all my pregnancy woes, Benjamin is doing fantastically. He is growing well, always passes his NST's with no trouble at all...he is healthy and beautiful and perfect. This is the best that I could hope and pray for. Who cares what happens to me--I can handle it--but I don't want it negatively affect my little boy. Thankfully, it is not.

Michael's work has been super understanding with letting him take time off of work to be with me for doctor's appointments and to stay home and help me. They are a wonderful set of people, and I am happy most days that Michael works there. I know it is not his dream job, or even one he enjoys, but they do take good care of us, and they are so flexible and agreeable. We never have to worry that Michael will lose his job because he had to choose to be with me over going into work one day. Obviously if he is not there, he is unable to sell so we want to keep that to a minimum, and we don't want to lose the faith of the management so we would never abuse the privilege, but it is nice to know that if we need it, we don't have to be afraid to ask.

I am selfishly thankful that Beth has not had to move out of town yet. I know it is coming, and I will not make it worse for her having to leave when the time comes, but I have really loved having her here near us. She spent so much time away--in New York, in Austin--that for a stretch of a few years there, we never got to see one another, and it has been just amazing to have her just a few minutes away. And for right now, she is still here! And there stands a good chance that she will still be here when I finally have this baby beast. I have some amazing friends, I really do, and having them in town has made me spoiled, but I love having them around.

We have had a ton of help from Michael's family, and I could not be more grateful for that. Worrying about who will watch the kids while we go to yet another doctor's appointment would have been an added stress that frankly we could not handle, but Grannymom and Ken and Rhonda have been amazing. I am really appreciative that they live here, too :) Plus, Emerald and Gabriel just adore seeing them more often. You can see their sweet little faces light up whenever Grannnymom walks through the door, and that means so much to me.

Finally, my parents are going to be here on the 4th of September! I didn't want them to miss out like they did with Gabriel and just end up seeing a fat, pregnant, and cranky me. They will be such a big help, and to be honest, I need my Mommy and Daddy on big things like this. I would like to live them forevers, but I am grateful for anytime that I get with them at all. And in October, my Amber will be coming down with Grayson; Jarrod and Julia are planning on coming to visit...I couldn't be happier. I am blessed to have such a wonderful family, and getting them to come and visit me is just the best. I can't wait to see all of them.

It's 10 now and I really should be heading to bed. Feeling a bit better about life and everything--I have a lot to be thankful for, and I am not going to be an ingrate. God really has blessed us.

So toodleoo and goodnight!

--Andie--