Monsters

Owen & Gus have hit the "monster" phase the past couple of weeks. They run through the house claiming to be chased by a monster or a shark with sharp teeth. They refuse to go near rooms where the lights are off. Our incredibly mellow dog Tucker has morphed into a T-Rex that tries to eat them when they are outside. Amy & I are a bit perplexed on how this all started. We did notice that a couple of the TV shows they watch had episodes that talked about nightmares, ghosts, etc. But the shows are cartoons for preschoolers on Noggin or PBS ("Little Bear" and "George Shrinks") and are pretty tame. So much for the Homer Simpson method of letting TV raise our kids.

My challenge as a sarcastic father is to try to nix the notion of monsters instead of embellishing it in exchange for a laugh -- even if it is one that only I find funny. So when Owen says to me, "Dad, you're a monster!" and runs screaming to the next room, I have to bite my tongue and reassure him that I am merely a benevolent mortal and not in fact a slobbering monster who has come to eat the resident toddlers in the house.

Still, the devil in me is reminded of the classic Far Side cartoon from Gary Larson. Resist the temptation, Derek, resist the temptation.


Cheers!

Constant Companions

Being a twin requires you to share in a lot of things with your sibling -- room, toys, meals, baths, clothes, and attention to name a few. There are times at home when Owen & Gus act out simply because they are demanding their own individual time away from each other. So having a constant companion can at times be stifling for a toddler.

That said, there are clearly times when it is great for the boys to have a constant playmate, especially as the weather gets warm and the boys begin to get outside with their boundless energy. So Owen and Gus got a treat this week with an early birthday present as the playset was delivered and assembled in the backyard.

Each of their reactions was a microcosm of their little personalities. Gus couldn't test the playset out fast enough as he ran from slide to steps to swings, chattering the whole time in breathless sentences, clearly in little boy heaven. Meanwhile Owen stood back and observed his new contraption as he sized up the entrances, exits, construction features, architecture, and design. Once he had the playset accurately sized up he bolted for the swing where he flipped over, landed on his head, got up with a face full of mulch and a smile on his face. He and Gus laughed and played as hard as they could.

"This makes me very, very, very, very happy," Gus proudly stated.

The parents were nearly as excited as the boys as Amy & I were able to share our first happy hour together since last summer as we watched from the deck as the boys entertained themselves. Having a constant companion has its advantages.

Cheers!

The anticipation....

....and the site of many fun hours for little ones.

Working Woman

Laptop, check.....conference call, check.....notebook, check.....sleeping infant, check.

Multi-tasking at its finest right here. Cheers!

Grinner

Despite Tess's best attempts at not being photographed showing off her new grin, Amy caught her today.

Cheers!

Cadbury Hangover

Easter has come and gone. Eggs were dyed and hunted. Chocolate was consumed. Toddlers were wired from sugar highs.

When you stop and think about it, the idea of knowingly searching for plastic eggs filled with chocolate and candy that are hidden virtually out in the open is a pretty exciting notion, especially for two year-olds that are known to get excited at the mere possibility of watching the same Diego episode for the 212th time. So it goes without saying, Easter was a hit for Owen and Gus.

Amy & I took the boys to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday at our church. Yesterday, our neighbors had an egg hunt for the boys after they woke up from their naps. By last night the boys professed their love for the Easter bunny more willingly than for their mom and dad, who make them take baths and stop eating candy. Mean old parents.

When we weren't hunting for chocolate, there was definitely some time devoted to basketball over the weekend. Amy was gracious enough to take all three kids and give me an evening off on Friday so I could go to the RBC Center to watch the first round of NCAA tournament games. The games themselves -- UNC blowing out Mt. St. Mary's and Arkansas beating a lackadaisical Indiana team -- were uneventful. But to get out and tailgate on a great spring day and follow that up with four hours of live basketball is treat enough for me. I was a happy camper.

There were some great games over the first weekend although my beloved Cats bowed out in the first round. Western Kentucky posted an upset over Drake on Friday which still holds up as the best game of the tournament so far. Going to games in Bowling Green as a kid to watch the Hilltoppers is to this day a great memory so I was very happy to see Big Red make a surprising run to the Sweet 16. Another team closer to us in the Tar Heel state, Davidson, also advanced to the tournament's second weekend by knocking off Gonzaga and Georgetown in front of a partisan UNC crowd in Raleigh. Having surprise teams advance in the NCAA tournament reinforces why the NCAA and the Final Four are the greatest event in sports. I love it.

Tess is getting better as time progresses. She still has some congestion and coughing, but she is much, much better than two weeks ago. She has started smiling which generates a whole host of goofy, funny enticements from Mom and Dad who are doing anything and everything to coax a gummy grin from our little girl. We'll try to get some pictures or video up soon.

Amy goes back to work part-time today. We have learned over the past couple of weeks since GJ left that we are very likely going to need some part-time help in the mornings so Amy can get some work done. We have reached out to a few people and have had some conversations with candidates. Ultimately we want someone to come to the house as we're just not ready to drop off a six-week old with someone else right now. Plus, having someone come to our house calms a parent's fears of horrible nanny stories that surface from time to time. But we are hopeful that the routine will get worked out soon, and we will find the right person.

Finally, the boys don't know the excitement that is about to be coming their way. Amy & I have met with a local guy that builds playsets that fit your yard & landscaping. When we took up the project in the backyard last fall, the hope was to create a space for the boys so we could expand our living space outward, which is really just a nice way of saying we wanted to be able to kick the boys outside when they are making us parents pull our hair out. Either way, if all goes well we should have a playset up by the end of the week.

Chocolate, candy eggs, swings & slides -- wouldn't it be great to be a kid again?

Cheers!

Politico Tuesday

Barack Obama delivered a speech this morning in response to comments made by his pastor in Chicago that were offensive and misguided. The speech presented Obama with an opportunity to address the comments and the controversy head on. But it also allowed Obama to present his opinion on race relations in our country and his vision for how the problems with race have to be addressed collectively in order to be resolved.

Pundits started dissecting this speech the minute it was over. Paid political consultants from the left and right tried to put their spin on the speech. I think it is best digested simply by listening to what he had to say.

This video is why I believe in this man.

Text:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGBbrc

Video:

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances – for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives – by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.

Ironically, this quintessentially American – and yes, conservative – notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright’s sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.

The profound mistake of Reverend Wright’s sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It’s that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country – a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old -- is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know -- what we have seen – is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope – the audacity to hope – for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds – by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

Friday

Tess has turned it around a bit over the past day. She is still congested and has thrown up a few times due to the coughing fits. But yesterday her appetite caught up with her as she ate nearly every hour. In a related story Amy has been very busy trying to keep up with a hungry baby.

On the toddler front Gus has started voicing his frustrations with us the past couple of days instead of acting out with his renowned tantrums.

"I am very, very, very, very frustrated at you, Dad!" has been more commonplace around our house.

Sometimes "Dad" is substituted with "Mom." Nevertheless his more rational approach to dealing with his frustrations is a welcome change as we can try to talk to him about his actions rather than trying to talk him off the ledge of frustration. Of course he still has his moments, but there are signs of progress.

On the "humorous arguments when you're a dead-tired parent of young children" front, Amy & I had a few gems this week over who was more tired. In other words, about absolutely nothing. When you're whipped from the day and folding laundry at midnight some tiny molehills just seem like enormous mountains. Some advice for future dads out there that may read this blog: Don't ever try to make the argument to your wife that even though you are the one that wakes up to corral boys to get them dressed, eat their breakfast, stop hitting each other, brush their teeth and go to school that your job is somehow more difficult than your wife's, who is getting up at 4:00am to nurse an infant. Just don't do it. It's a loser argument. Trust me.

This weekend promises to be a basketball weekend as the SEC and ACC tournaments are in full swing. Selection Sunday is a couple of days away where my beloved Cats find out their fate. I am hopeful that their strong finish in the SEC has earned them a bid. That San Diego loss doesn't look as bad now that the Torreros won their league tournament over Gonzaga the other night.

Finally, we have really noticed as little Tess develops that she resembles Owen when he was a baby. Her features -- especially those intense, glaring eyes and her mouth -- are so similar that we are taken aback sometimes. Check this one out.


Have a great weekend everybody. Cheers!

Random Notes

Wednesday tidbits....

• Tess has regressed as she has not been able to keep any milk down all day. As soon as she finishes nursing she begins coughing and spits it all back up. The doctor told Amy to keep a watchful eye on her for the rest of the day and to follow up with them tomorrow. Amy & I thought she was getting better as she ate really well yesterday without incidents. We are going to crank up the trusty vaporizer to try to loosen any congestion that is in her chest. It is awful having a sick infant. As many hurdles as we had to overcome with the boys being premature, I don't recall a time this early when they were sick. We trudge onward...



• Barack Obama won Wyoming over the weekend, Mississippi yesterday, and when all the caucus delegates were finally counted, Texas back on March 4. Obama won't win Pennsylvania at the end of April, but I don't think it will matter as his delegate lead is insurmountable with the remaining contests. Hillary Clinton will claim that she should be the nominee because she can win the big states like California, New York, Ohio, Tex.... er, Florida (as long as no one campaigns there), and Michigan (as long as no one else is on the ballot). As for having the audacity to suggest that Obama should be her vice president, the Illinois senator put Hillary in her place this week with this speech.



• March Madness is nearly here as conference tournaments are going on this week. My tradition of taking vacation days to watch the games won't happen this year. Young children have a way of prioritizing themselves higher on the list. But that's ok. I am just thrilled that my Cats should get an NCAA tournament bid with their turnaround season, despite losing their best player in freshman phenom Patrick Patterson.



• Looks like that $4,300 investment for a roll in the hay with a high-priced call girl will get you more than you bargained for. For starters, a disgraced resignation and the obligatory presser photo with the disgraced wife in stand-by-your-man mode. My first thought wasn't, "Oh, just another politician caught with his pants down." It was, "$4,300 for a call girl???"
  



• My cousin Brooke has started a great blog detailing the lives of the Barretts (husband Geoff and daughter Gabi). Great to have Celebrate Everyday added to the blogroll.



• Finally, this is perhaps the oddest story I've read in a long, long time. (Hat tip to my buddy Scott for finding this oddity)

"Woman sits on boyfriend's toilet for 2 years" http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23595533/

Finding the Groove

Life was busy before Tess. But it is safe to say that life is extraordinarily busy with an infant in addition to twin 2-year olds. Not that I'm complaining -- ok, maybe I'm whining a little bit -- but it is a reality that we have been coming face to face with these past few weeks.

Luckily Amy & I were fortunate to be able to wade into this life change slowly as we had grandmothers come to town to offer their helping hands. But inevitably you come to the point where the diving board is calling, which is what happened this afternoon as GJ returned home to Kentucky. So off the diving board we go as we are on our own with Owen, Gus & Tess. I am certain there will be days where we fall on our faces and struggle with the energy needed to raise little ones. But over the long run, we'll find that pattern -- that routine that we all get into that works for us.

One thing that always makes things more difficult is sickness. This winter the cold/flu season has just been brutal. The sickness bug prevented a much-anticipated visit this past weekend from Aunt Mel, Uncle Dude and Corinne as a menacing fever and strep throat have invaded the Crumpton household. In our house the lingering cold/congestion/cough bug that has plagued us for five weeks has spread to Tess. She has the chest congestion which leads to coughing fits which leads to her spitting up after eating. The low point was Sunday, when she got sick after nearly every feeding and became really lethargic, sleeping all day long. We got concerned enough to call the doctor's office, who recommended we take her to the emergency room for fluids.

So Amy & I trekked up to Wake Med in Raleigh on Sunday night where the doctors contemplated a battery of tests on little Tess, including a spinal tap (!) to test for meningitis. After thinking it over and consulting a pediatrician in the hospital we pushed back on the ER doctors -- we saw 4 different doctors in our six hour stint -- who eventually acquiesced and ordered a more moderate approach of blood & urine tests and IV fluids. Tess perked up and eventually nursed a couple of times. After six long hours, an exhausted set of parents brought her home around 3am.

Tess is doing better the past couple of days. Until she can completely rid herself of the chest congestion she will continue to cough and spit up. But Amy is feeding her in smaller bursts to keep her hydrated and lessen the impact when she does lose her lunch, so to speak.

The boys are adjusting to their roles as big brothers. Some days are frankly better than others. Both Owen and Gus are fine to Tess personally. It is the lack of attention they receive individually that is the issue. Gus has shown that he is going to get his attention -- positively or negatively. The question is what he has to do to receive the attention. On his good days, Gus is the life of our house -- energetically bouncing from room to room with a song or something amusing to say ("GJ, do you have a penis?") On the bad days Gus can launch into a frustrated fit that completely fills the house with negative energy. So we try to manage that the extrovert as best can. On the other hand our introverted Owen can entertain himself a little easier than his brother. So a View Master, a Diego episode, or a can of Play-Doh goes a lot longer than with Gus. That said, Owen can certainly have his moments as well when the attention in the house isn't directed where he wants it so he acts out in defiance. Such is life with developing little boys.

I think it is safe to say that Amy & I are enduring right now, trying to find our way and our new routine for how we raise three under three on a daily basis. We will find that path -- it just may take us a few iterations before we blaze it out.

Cheers!

Owen & Gus enjoyed having GJ at the house, engaging her in Play-Doh, stories, walks, and instructions on how to turn Diego on the big TV.



Play-Doh is a mainstay in our house, where making alligators, ice cubes, and forks out of clay can fill a little boys face with big smiles.



Thank heavens Baby T is truly is an easy baby so far. She is happiest on a shoulder or a chest, much more so than in a swing or bassinet....


...unless she is hungry or doesn't like our color choice for her outfit.

Patterson

Looks like my March just freed up. What a downer for this kid, Kentucky fans, and the slim chance the Cats had of making the NCAA tournament.

http://www.kentucky.com/276/story/333161.html

An X-ray of Patterson’s sore left ankle earlier Friday revealed a stress fracture of the medial malleolus bone. UK’s star freshman will not play again this season.

Paternity Leave

The past week and a half I have been fortunate enough to have time off from work for paternity leave. (My hat is off to IBM for that great benefit extended to dads.) Being home with the boys, baby & Amy has given me a lot of quality family time and an appreciation for all the domestic things that go on behind the scenes to make house and family operate. At times the commotion and chores are an alarming harbinger of the days to come as Amy & I come to terms with our future with three kids under the age of three. But fortunately we have had a lot of help from family, friends and neighbors who offer help, meals, and an ear for listening. We will get into a routine sooner or later and adjust to this big (and awesome) life change.

Grandparents are always a welcome sight at the Rutledge household. Nana was here for a couple of weeks after Tess was born, and her help was much appreciated. GJ arrived this week to get some grandmother time with Gus, Owen and Tess which is fulfilling for her and a helpful reprieve for us.

Amy is hanging in there trying to catch as much sleep as she can between Tess's feedings. Tess gave us a break last night by going five hours between feedings. (I should say she gave Amy a break as Amy obviously bears the brunt of the sleepless nights.) We try to wake her up & feed her during the day to get that little belly full in hopes of stretching out those post-midnight feedings as long as possible. We just have to tough it out until she sleeps through the night.

Outside our four walls, our attention has turned to the political primaries. I cannot remember a more interesting, gripping political race in my lifetime than the Obama/Clinton race for the Democratic nomination. After 20 debates and several primaries and caucuses, "Crucial Tuesday" as it's being billed could decide the race if Obama can pull out wins in Texas and Ohio next week. And the excitement is not just limited to the Democrats. Personally I think the Republicans have nominated -- or at least are about to nominate -- a quality person with integrity in John McCain. The general election promises to engage tens of thousands of new people to the political process and should be engaging to watch play out. Now if I can just contain my overzealousness for Obama to get my wife to jump back off the Clinton wagon....

Don't look now. But if Kentucky can somehow upset mighty Tennessee on Sunday, they have the inside track on the SEC regular season championship. (BTW, I did a double take writing that sentence during basketball season instead of football season.) Who would have thought this would even be within reach after Gardener-Webb?

Here are some Paternity Week scenes from our household. Happy Leap Day -- cheers!

There's nothing like snuggling up next to Mom for a warm winter's nap.



GJ's shoulder proves not to be half bad either.



"I'm milking them folks. These people don't stand a chance against me."



Bat the eyes. Dad jumps. Got it.

Daddy's Girl

Guess who dressed Baby T today?

Cheers!

Caretakers

The big brothers are adjusting to life with their baby sister. Gus is very much the protective, caring big brother. He fetches diapers and blankets for Tess and kisses her on the cheek. When she cries he covers his ears with concern and finds Amy and me to tell us that Tess needs something. It's pretty sweet.

Owen shows his affection for Tess in a different way. Much like his personality of the introverted observer, Owen generally doesn't show as much outward affection for Tess. Instead he proudly shows off the pictures of him with Tess to his teachers at preschool. Both boys have their moments where they want individual attention and act out. But that is to be expected. Tonight the boys showed a really cool moment of looking out for their little sister.

Cheers!

Honeymoon

I remember one of the first nights after we brought the boys home from the hospital. Amy & I were so relieved to have them out of the NICU and have them in our house. The boys were sleeping in their pack-n-play with their bellies full. Amy & I relaxed by cooking a nice dinner & pouring a glass of wine to toast our new family. Naively, I commented that if this was what having kids was going to be like that we could do this without too much turmoil.

Then of course babies stop sleeping in between feedings. They learn to walk, talk, push -- both each other and their parents' patience -- and on and on. I know now that that those first several days were a honeymoon period that don't last forever.

Amy & I are in the honeymoon phase right now with Tess. She only cries when she is hungry, and as soon as she eats she goes right back to sleep. Add to that the fact that we have been fortunate enough to have Amy's mom here since Tess was born. So while Amy is pretty fatigued as she bears the brunt of the late night and early morning feeding schedule, we still have it relatively easy at this stage.

The honeymoon stage will be over at some point. But we'll adapt as parents do. For now we're eating it up.

Cheers!

Tess looks a bit like Rocky Balboa with her right eye swollen shut & weeping. At first we thought it was pink eye. But now we are hoping it was just aggravated from her flailing arms scratching it. Here she is with her first bath.


The calm before the storm. Tess was not a fan of being unswaddled & bathed. She defintely prefers to be wrapped up in one of the blankets friends and family have made for her.


So far Tess isn't much of a grinner -- except with the occasional gas. But we managed to catch a grin here -- definitely my favorite picture of her so far.


The boys are quite the helpers with their baby sister. Owen & Gus deposited Sally car and Lightning McQueen in her car seat in case Tess woke up to play cars with them. And a toilet brush in case she...um....well, they gave her a toilet brush. How sweet.

Homecoming

Amy & I brought Tess home from the hospital this past weekend to two anxious boys and four proud grandparents. The boys were waiting at the top of the street for us wearing their "I'm the Big Brother" shirts, courtesy of Amy's friend Julie. The boys have had a mixed reaction to Tess so far. At first they were very excited to see her and their parents, as they crouched down in the driveway to inspect the new arrival. As the weekend wore on (and their cough/congestion bug lingered) their patience withered for this little pink invader. By Sunday morning, Owen's comment was "Dad, I want to hit Tess. I want to hurt her." So we have some building to do with the boys -- their little worlds have been turned upside down with the events of the past several days.

Amy & I try to make sure Owen & Gus get some 1-on-1 time each day so they don't feel (too) left out. Gus really showed his tender heart this morning by bringing a balloon downstairs for Tess and clipping it on to her blanket. Then he proceeded to kiss his sister before his hacking and coughing forced his exit from the room. So there are signs of progress....

Tess got a great report from her first visit to the pediatrician yesterday. She is already back up to her birth weight, indicating how well she has taken to eating. She is nursing about every 2-3 hours which keeps Amy busy and fatigued. But overall Amy has recovered well from the delivery. She is obviously tired as she tries to sleep when she can. But we are trying to get her to take advantage of the help around the house while she can. I will say that we have walked Tucker around the block together the past two nights which is the first time that has happened in ages.

Three of the grandparents have left the scene as GJ and Pappy ventured down to see their granddaughter Corinne in Charleston and Billy returned to his FEMA job in Oklahoma. Nana will be staying with us for a while to lend a willing helping hand.

Cheers!


Proud Dad & Mom leave the hospital with Baby Tess.


The Big Brothers survey the new crying bundle of pink.

The boys were intrigued by their little sister. It will take some time for them to completely warm up to her, but we're on our way.

Tess, Day Two

Tess's birth and first two days have been such a different experience for Amy and me than what we had with Owen & Gus. With the boys being premature the doctors and nurses swept them away in an incubator the second they were born. For the first two weeks of their lives Amy & I came to the hospital every day to visit the boys in the NICU. We scrubbed our hands clean, put on hospital gowns, sorted through the maze of wires that were attached to their bodies, and negotiated the beeping monitors in order to bond with Owen and Gus. So while we certainly formed a bond with the boys, it was much more of a process to endure than this time around. From the moment Tess was born and cleared for landing, the nurse handed her back to us and said, "Here's your daughter, congratulations."

The past two days for us have been wonderful because everything has stopped. Nana, Granddaddy, GJ and Pappy are all here to help take care of the boys -- and my how Amy & I are grateful to have the grandparents taking care of under-the-weather boys. Dealing with work and the sea of unread emails is a distant worry far out of our minds. The singular focus of the past two days has been parent and child. What a fantastic way to spend the day.


Amy B cradles her bundle.

Tess and Dad share a nap.

Nana and Granddaddy get a glimpse of their new granddaughter.

Tess is no match for GJ's shoulder...

...nor Pappy's.

Amy & I so wanted the boys to bond with their new sister that we braved their cruddy coughs for five minutes so they could meet Tess at the hospital. We were very glad we did as the boys gushed over her. Owen presented his baby jaguar -- as permanent a fixture to Owen as the blanket is to Linus -- to Tess to kiss her foot. And sweet little Gus -- who lately has turned into his Mom's little boy -- wanted nothing more than to hold his baby sister.

Ah, the times to come. Cheers!

Tess Awaketh

Amy has already bemoaned that her status as "#1 girl in our house" has been relinquished. I told her that at least she's #2 instead of #3, which mine has been for the past three years!

Forgive a new Dad for gushing over his baby girl -- this is new territory. Here Baby T awakes, and then lets Dad know that he doesn't have the food she's looking for.

Cheers!

Tessa Lane

Every family has its own birth story etched in memory as every child's birth is unique from another. Like all parents Amy & I will always remember the circumstances surrounding the birth of our children. With the boys, Amy began having pre-term contractions and was on bed rest for months. When we went to the hospital at 33 weeks the doctors were trying to hold off labor for as long as possible. After 30 long hours the boys were born early but healthy.

With Amy's second pregnancy the pre-term contractions once again emerged very early. So all along we prepared ourselves for another early birth. Week after week passed though, and today marked the 39 week mark -- quite a feat for Amy B or as I like to call her, my miracle woman.

So when Amy woke me up at 4am this morning to tell me that she thought it was time, our own unique journey began. We gathered our things and left the house around 5am as our wonderful neighbor Mary came over to stay with the boys when they eventually woke up. When we arrived at the hospital, the nurses checked Amy and were not convinced that she was truly going into labor yet. So they told Amy to wait out the contractions either in the jacuzzi tub or by walking the halls. We tried both, but neither helped the pains that were really coming on.

After an hour of contracting and a shift change at the nurse's station, Amy was requesting pain medication as she was ready for her epidural. (By the way, "requesting" is Amy's word -- my words would be "unequivocally demanding.")

As the new nurse checked on Amy's progress, she spoke bluntly, "I'm going to be completely up front with you. I'm going to try to give you everything you want, but you are 7-8 cm's right now."

No more than 15-20 minutes later and still not officially admitted into the hospital Amy delivered a healthy baby girl, all natural with no pain medication whatsoever. Tessa Lane Rutledge was 6 lbs. 9 oz., 19.5 inches long and born at 7:46a.m.

My miracle woman delivered a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, great-granddaugher and cousin as well as another unique birth story of our own.

Cheers!


Baby Tess, eyes wide open

Baby Tess, un-burritoed and unhappy about it.

Amy B. with her Baby T.


Proud Mama....

....beaming Proud Papa.

Nesting

These past few days have been filled with "prepare the nest" activities. Our weekend was a complete domestic one as we finished up the nursery by hanging the last couple of pictures, rearranged car seats and video screens in the van, and cleaned up the house in anticipation of a new arrival. Amy & I were on the same wavelength as we both realized the inordinate amount of time that we are about to be spending in our house with little ones. The only thing that is really left to do is to formally pack a bag for the hospital. But aside from the actual change of clothes to go into the bag even that is done for the most part.

So we began the week feeling totally prepared for anything to hit us.....and then Monday intervened. Yesterday was just a series of Murphy's Law episodes one after another. Gus was sent home from preschool with pink eye. Potty training accidents followed. I came home from work to try to rescue Amy so she could take some work calls. Gus had a bout of projectile vomiting at dinner. Tucker got into the act by eating deer poop in the backyard and then throwing it back up in the dining room. Then we were up most of the night with both boys as they took turns getting sick because of a stomach bug. When it rains, it pours.

But Tuesday is a new day. Today is Super Tuesday with a ton of delegates up for the taking so the Obama/Clinton showdown will be in full effect, including under our own roof. We are looking forward to watching the process unfold.....and to a vomit-free day today in the nest.

Cheers!

Four-Letter Word Friday

Today is a definite T.G.I.F. day after a long week. It is a relief that the weekend is about here. And although outwardly I may complain that the sunny 60-degree weather we're about to get here over the next few days is unwanted because I want winter weather, in reality I'll be a happy camper to get outside this weekend and enjoy the sunshine.

On the Amy front, her doctor appointment this week went very well. For the last few visits she has been in and out like a trip to a fast-food restaurant.

"Baby still in there?" Check.
"Not currently in labor?" Check.
"See you next week. Do you want fries?"

Amy actually took exception to my comment in an earlier post that she is at the "incredibly uncomfortable" stage of pregnancy. On the contrary, she says, she is not uncomfortable. She just gets tired easily. I stand corrected. Maybe I just look at that huge protruding belly and think, "Wow, that must really be uncomfortable trying to stay upright" and transfer my impression to her.

One thing for sure is that Amy is a very light sleeper at this stage. Maybe it's the mother's body gearing up for the light sleeping that inevitably accompanies a new baby. Amy lets me know on occasional nights that I am snoring and thus keeping her awake. I blame it on Tucker and then fall back asleep. One night this week she even tried to make conversation in the middle of the night when I got up.

"Oh, you're up too? I've been up since 2:00a.m. What do you want to talk about?"

I could only utter a sympathetic grunt as I walked into the wall on the way to the bathroom. Overall though Amy is doing really, really well at this stage and is playing the waiting game like a pro.

Then there are the boys. Next week Owen & Gus start attending preschool five days a week from the three-day schedule they have been on since August. This will undoubtedly be a change for them. But we feel that it will be a positive thing for them to get the increased learning experience and for us to have a little more time to devote to the coming life change.

Lately the boys have picked up an undesirable piece of speech. Apparently we parents -- more likely yours truly -- have not been as careful around them with the vocabulary as we should have been. The boys have taken note. Playing at their train table recently, one of the trains fell off the track crashing into the floor and made a mess.

"Oh dammit!" barked Owen.
Gus immediately followed suit, "Dammit!"

The boys then tried to outdo each other, repeating their new word over and over again as loud as they could. Amy looked at each other with wide eyes in shock. Then immediately we turned away from them and tried with all our might to contain our laughter. Laughing is of course the worst thing we could do. If the boys saw us laughing we would be guaranteed that their new word would be in constant repetition and they would keep it up until they got that positive reaction.

Another time this week Amy was cleaning Gus up after he had an accident in his pants. Owen walked in to the bathroom and surveyed the scene.

"What happened Mom?"
"Gus pooped in his pants, Owen."
"Ahhhhh, dammit Gus!"

I suppose we just have to cross our fingers that the newfound joy the boys get in repeating curse words is short-lived and hope that it happens at home instead of at school or church. And we have to keep the kids away from me while I'm watching the UK games on television.

I do have to hand it to them though for using the word in the right context.

Finally, a big congratulatory cheers goes out to our friends Dave O and Julie who are expecting baby #1 in June. It will be the first girl to be born into an Orthober family full of sons and grandsons. And good luck to Dave in persuading a reluctant Julie to name their daughter Wesley Woodyard Orthober in honor of the Kentucky football player. This UK fan is pulling for you.

Have a great weekend -- cheers!