On Cuteness and Babies and Survival

Ethan Samuel ready and in "uniform"

Stuart has long said that God blessed babies with cuteness for survival.

I mean, one look at their round, cherubic faces and tiny toes and fingers, and there's no way you can possibly get frustrated with their screaming for two hours straight at 2 a.m., right? In fact, you'll think nothing of gazing lovingly into their angry, reddened faces and murmuring sweet nothings for two more hours to get them to settle, right?

Hmm... Don't be fooled.

Survival or not, their cuteness is a ploy...a form of trickery meant to wrap us around their tiny pinkie fingers. They know that no human adult can resist their teeny-tiny diapers...their sweet fleecy PJs...their fluffy booties.

It's all part of their "basic training" before they arrive at our houses...to worm their way into our hearts with their smiles and coos and giggles.

But, beware, or they'll "terrorize" you at 1 a.m. with their intense gaze of love and sweet baby burps, followed by...

What was it that that movie said?

Just don't feed them...after...midnight...Zzzzzzz...

*wink*

Sleepy Monday Musings

Well, it's finally happened. I'm tired... bushed... sapped... spent... tuckered out. Having a little eating machine/alarm clock who likes to wake up at 4 a.m. and stay awake until well after 5 a.m. has finally taken its toll. *smile* But it goes with having a new family member under the age of 1 month, I guess.

Happy Monday to you -- the final Monday in September!

Wednesday starts Emily's and my favorite-most month: October! In a few weeks, she and I will celebrate our birthdays, and my little girl -- my firstborn, my "mini-me" -- will be a palindrome. I can hardly believe that I have a nearly-11-year-old. Sigh. Time goes so fast. So I know it won't be "forevuh" that our newest baby-commander-in-chief wants to be fed and held and cuddled at 2 in the morning.

Speaking of our little General, Ethan turned 2 weeks old yesterday, and he's already changing so much. His little crooked, scrawny birdlegs are beginning to stretch and fill out and his face has gotten rounder. He's really coming into himself. He's even trying to smile and coo already. He's destined to be a talker -- it's in the genes -- and if his siblings have their way, he'll be reciting the Preamble and reading the Complete Works of Shakespeare before his second birthday.

Edward had his second soccer game of the season, and sadly they lost 1-5. Still, the kids had a good time and the rain held off until just after we got home, so the mission was accomplished as per usual. He's really "going for it" this season. He seems to have more confidence in his abilities, though he still gets a bit confused on the field and needs to be reminded to look for the ball.

Emily has an infected cyst on her side that needed attention. At her medical appointment tonight, our doctor was excellent about it and explained everything he needed to do. He took a culture from it to make sure we figure out what kind of antibiotic to use. (The irony of the whole thing was that I'd just read an article about "super bugs" (antibiotic-resistant bacteria) on Saturday...and then Emily came up to me and showed me the huge boil-like pimple on her side. Ugh. That's when I wished I'd not just read that article...about a boy with an infected pimple who contracted MRSA and needed to be hospitalized. Hmm...) As the doctor explained how the lab would grow the bacteria and check it against several different kinds of antibiotics, Emily proclaimed that he isn't really a doctor but a scientist. He agreed wholeheartedly. Half-hour of Life Science accomplished -- check.

Well, before I drift off at my keyboard and end up with QWERTY on my forehead, I'll bid you goodnight!

Sweet Sunday

TWO WEEKS TODAY!

A children's classic and so sweetly done. Enjoy and have a wonderfully sweet Sunday!

Friday Funnies

Today's "funnies" are just the intros to two British kid's shows. But they are quite humorous in content.

Enjoy, and have a funny day!

What's in a Name

Juliet: "What's in a name?
That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Naming a baby can be fun but hard work...especially if you have a last name like ours.

I am very proud to be a Foote, but the lastname has brought great amusement when we were thinking of names for our firstborn, and especially when I was still working for the newspaper.

Names like Webster -- shortened to Web -- sprang forth from coworker's lips, followed by much merriment. Or the inevitable Left and Right...and, of course, Big. We chuckled and came up with our own list of more serious choices.

But even some of our own choices needed to be eliminated.

For instance, I loved the name Ella...but put it together with Foote, and hmm... And Stuart was quite keen on Harrison, but both his mother and I talked that one down. Besides Harrison Foote sounding similar to an actor we know and love...can anyone say Harry Foote?? The kid would have disowned us.

We chose Emily for our firstborn, naming her for my beloved paternal grandmother. Her name means "industrious"...or "busy one." Very fitting, given our daughter's personality and struggles to stay focused. Her middle name is my firstname, Susanne, which means "lily."

Along came our second baby, a little boy. We chose Edward...just because we liked that it was an old-fashioned and strong name. His name means "guardian of prosperity," which is funny since he's always winning board games, earning him the nickname "Mr. Moneybags." We gave him Stuart's name as his middle name, which means "steward."

So when it came to naming a third baby, we were in a quandary of our own doing. Both of our children had "E" firstnames...and both had "S" names for middle names. We had to come up with another "E. S." name or risk making this child feel like the oddball.

If we had another girl, I had long wanted to use the name Esther, the name of our adopted grandmother who passed away shortly after Emily was born. Finding an "S" name to go with it proved very challenging, and we gave up and chose "Elisabeth" instead.

But even more challenging was finding another boy's name that began with "E" that we liked and went with the other two kids' names. In the end, we agreed on Ethan which means "strong, firm," and Samuel which means "asked of God." Voila! Another "E. S." name.

And on September 14, 2008, that "strong" (lunged) little boy, who was definitely "asked for from God," arrived at our house.

Perfect!

The funniest bit is that the kids have temporarily nicknamed him "Eethie" which, of course, is close to "Leechie." *wink*

Wordless Wednesday

Pease Porridge Baby

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot, NINE days old;
Some like it hot, some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot, NINE days old.

Musings on Babies, Kids, and Mondays

Happy Monday to you on this the Autumnal Equinox! (Apparently, Autumn arrives at 11:44 a.m. Emily wondered how they know the exact time, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the sun or something scientific.)

I'm on my own today...with three kids... [Insert scary music and screams.] Stuart had to go back to work today. He enjoyed some bonding time with all of us last week and was a great help to me!! And although we miss him already, we know we'll do just fine. I still have two wonderful helpers with me. (See photo above.)

Our little Ethan turned a week old yesterday and celebrated the occasion by getting a bellybutton. (It made me think about the future a bit and hope that he doesn't celebrate any other special milestones with a bellybutton ring.) Hard to believe, huh? We're still settling in with him, but he's been a good baby so far, very bright-eyed and expressive. It's makes us excited to see him in a few months.

Edward had his first soccer game of the season yesterday. His team is called the "Orange Crush" in honor of their bright orange jerseys. It's a great name, I think. They won 4-0. I felt bad for the other team, especially when I overheard one of the players say to his parents afterwards, "We lost...again." And as is typical in watching games of this age group, you had two blobs of color all going for the ball. At one point Stuart and I wondered if we were watching a rugby match instead.

In other news...

Phew! Is there really time for other news yet? *wink-grin*

More soon!

Another SWEET Sunday

This time last week we were just welcoming our little Ethan Samuel. We praise God for this new addition to our family. As our dear friend, Sue, said, he is the "fifth toe" that makes our "Foote" complete. *grin* I love that!

One of my very favorite songs -- sung as a lullabye by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli -- is "The Prayer."

Enjoy the words and video below:



I pray You’ll be our eyes,
And watch us where we go,
And help us to be wise in times when we don’t know.
Let this be our prayer when we lose our way:
Lead us to a place,
Guide us with Your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe.

La luce che Tu dai (The light that You give us)
I pray we’ll find Your light
Nel cuore resterà (will stay in our hearts)
And hold it in our hearts
A ricordarci che (reminding us that…)
When stars go out each night
L’eterna stella sei (You are the everlasting star).

Nella mia preghiera (In my prayer).
Let this be our prayer
Quanta fede c’è (there’s so much faith)
When shadows fill our day:
Lead us to a place,
Guide us with Your grace,
Give us faith so we’ll be safe.

Sognamo un mondo senza più violenza (We dream [ of ] a world without more violence)
Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza (A world of justice and of hope).
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino (Everyone give your hand to your neighbor),
Simbolo di pace e di fraternità (Symbol of peace and brotherhood)
La forza che ci dai (The strength You give us)
We ask that life be kind È il desiderio che (is the wish that)
And watch us from above.
Ognuno trovi amore (everyone may find love)
We hope each soul will find
Intorno e dentro a sè (around and within himself)
Another soul to love.

Let this be our prayer (Let this be our prayer)
Just like every child (Just like every child)
Needs to find a place:
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe.
E la fede che (And the faith that)
Hai acceso in noi (You have lit inside us)
Sento che ci salverà (I believe will save us).

On Love, Appreciation, and...Adjustments

Well, it's almost been a week since our newest family member joined us. And, as we knew ahead of time, it has been a week of adjustments...easy and hard.

There is nothing quite so precious as a baby. The kids are "in love" with Ethan...though not so much with his crying at times. *grin* (Can't say that Stuart and I are fans either.) But as we keep reminding them, this time will pass very quickly, and it's his only way to communicate with us at the moment.

I wanted to use this post to say a HUGE thank you to all those who have commented and/or passed on their congratulations to us. I feel awful not commenting personally to each and everyone of you. But I wanted to be sure you knew that your thoughts, prayers, and love are so very much appreciated by us.

It's an emotional roller coaster to incorporate a new baby into a family. The amount of love and euphoria you feel in the beginning starts to wane a bit in proportion to the lack of sleep and amount of change felt by everyone. It's an exciting, but exhausting, time.

But it's also a fleeting time. When we realized that Ethan is nearly a week old..well, that just amazed us. All those months, weeks, days, and then hours of waiting for him... Kind of makes your head swim, doesn't it? And this is only the beginning.

Thanks for joining us on this journey. Thanks for loving him with us. Thanks for being our friends!

The joy has just begun!!

Thoughtful Thursday

A true Foote *wink*

It's interesting the number of things you relearn after you have a baby...especially when it has been seven-and-a-half years. It's almost like starting over again.

I've learned:

...that labor pains never really disappear from your memory...no matter how long ago you experienced them.

...that the word "PUSH!" sounds more like a curse word when you're ordered to do so in the throes of labor.

...that newborn babies come out very wrinkled and very dry...and sometimes VERY loud.

...that no matter how big your other kids are, you suddenly view them as even more precious than before.

...that dogs who have never been around new babies can be very protective -- and impatient -- when the baby cries.

...that 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. look very different during pregnancy versus after giving birth, especially when combined with a screaming baby.

...that newborn diapers are so tiny...as are newborn "hineys."

...that baby feet are some of the cutest things in the entire world.

...that sometimes you have to make choices that are different than your plans based on personality and/or necessity...and that it's okay.

...that a few days after giving birth, your body can feel very empty.

...that there's nothing more precious than holding a newborn on your chest...or watching your husband or children do the same.

...that no matter how much "mommy love" you're already doling out, you always more in your heart to give.

Wordless Wednesday

A Bit of a Whirlwind

The day of Ethan's birth became a bit of a whirlwind when a few hours after he was born, we realized that I was turning white. Something to do with blood loss and dehydration, I think.

I've been very blessed in life. I've never actually had to be admitted to the hospital for anything. No broken bones (apart from a few teeth), no emergency surgeries, no serious illnesses, all three births at home even. Clear and simple. Blessed.

So when the nurse told me she was taking me to the hospital (which is 5 minutes from our house...another blessing) I didn't really have time to process it all. Still, I'd just given birth and didn't want any complications to keep me from "mommying" my family. I was game for whatever they needed to do.

The hospital was very quiet when we got there. Very quiet. The fact that I had a staff of six nurses and two residents waiting on me proved that everyone was very bored.

Before I could finish spelling my name, they had me hooked up to two IV lines and in a bed, two bracelets on my wrist and a gown on my already weary body.

The doctor wanted to do a D and C which required anesthetic and an O.R.

Again, I was spinning trying to process it all.

But off I went on an adventure through the hospital.

I was hooked up to some more machines and "tied down" before the surgery and the next thing I remembered was...Zzzzzz...

...waking up in recovery. (The rest is a complete blank.)

Let me tell you...it was the most peaceful sleep I'd had since before I was pregnant. I didn't want it to end. I had been so tired from being awake all night. I wanted to ask what they used and if it was possible to get a small sample to take home with me. *wink*

Of course I knew I couldn't.

And when Stuart came to get me just before noon, I was more than ready to get back to my lovies. Nevermind the good sleep. Mommying comes first.

I am so blessed.

*grin*

Monumental Monday Musings

Ethan's first bath at 1 hour old
Well, Leechie finally made HIS debut...as you read in my last post. Ethan Samuel joined his big sister Emily Susanne and big brother Edward Stuart (see a pattern here?) to make our family complete. (Whew! And it's a good thing God takes away our memory of labor, huh, ladies?)

Happy Monday to you! Greetings to you on the "Ides of September." Is it really the middle of the month already??

We had a fairly busy weekend...as you might imagine.

A bit of the story...

What started on Friday as some crampiness ended up turning into very irregular labor pains on Saturday around 6 a.m. I kept thinking I must be in labor, but "real" labor only happens at night, right? *wink*

But the pains stopped mid-morning, and only happened again every so often until later in the night...when they were coming somewhat more regularly...but still in no real pattern. (I guess I wanted an exact pattern. You know every 5 minutes, lasting for 65 seconds each...like you read about in the books.) Somehow that changed everytime I stood up. So that by the time we called our midwife at midnight they were coming pretty much every 5 minutes. I guess that saying about labor is true. *grin*

Our poor midwife was 40 minutes away delivering her second baby for the night (she had two more babies to deliver after ours) and said she would get to us as quickly as she could. Once she did get to us, everything seemed have stalled again...until I stood up.

So walking around for about an hour (cursing breathing through each pain) got stuff going. I had a shot of a painkiller called Stadol an hour before pushing, and it really helped me keep going -- as did swearing praying through each pain!! Stuart said at one point I was even snoring between contractions. *giggle*

After three (maybe more?) giant pushes, Ethan Samuel made his debut and was flopped up on my chest. The first thing I noticed was his wide-opened screaming mouth and then his big hands. He was amazing!

Everything about having a baby is surreal. You go through 9 months of having a little person growing inside of you and then 5+ hours of labor (sorry, Mom and Shelly, who suffered much, much longer than that!) to bring that little being into the world.

And life changes forever.

Surreal and wonderful...

SWEET Sunday

I'm sorry to drop off the blog radar for a day or so...but we had a VERY busy Saturday into Sunday. Leechie finally arrived.

Presenting...

Ethan Samuel Foote

All 9 lbs. 7 oz., 22 inches of him. To say we're all in love wouldn't even begin to describe our feelings at the moment. He's already adored by all who have met him.

The Eye of the Storm

Still awaiting Leechie's arrival...things seemingly began last night and more in earnest this morning with some labor pains...but now everything seems to have stalled...reminding me to wait patiently. Not a forte of mine. *wink-grin*

God's timing is perfect.

Friday Funnies

Continuing a series from "Simon's Cat" for my Friday Funnies. You have to love the way this guy has captured a cat's personality.

Enjoy and have a very fun AND funny Friday!!

Remembering...

We remember...7 years ago today...

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time, some 38 years ago today, a "little" baby boy entered the world in an ambulance in the car park at St. Margaret's Hospital in Swindon, England.

Would he have imagined that 38 years later he'd be awaiting the birth of his 3rd child with his wife of 12 years in America?

Amazing, how God moves our paths in life, huh?

Awesome is what I call it!

Happiest Birthday, my sweet hubby!
I so love the honor of being your wife and the mother of your children.

Wordless Wednesday

20,000 Tuesday

Today, I saw that I just topped 20,000 visitors! Yippeeeeeeee!

My thanks to everyone for making that number possible!

Musing Along Some More on a Monday

The soon-to-be "birthday boy." I loved his expression here...
Happy Monday -- already -- to you! Can it really be Monday again?

We begin our third week of school today, and so far the kids seem to be enjoying themselves...as much as kids ever enjoy school. *wink*

We are in the final week of awaiting "Leechie," though that means nothing in the world of delivering babies. It seems to me that I was once reminded of the fact that babies choose their own day to make their big debut. I am due on Friday -- a mere 5 days away, counting today -- but that doesn't mean I'll give birth on that day. The whole thing is amazing to think about really...or maybe the word is "surreal?" As I was explaining to someone, once I finished the baby's room and had everything washed and ready, I entered the "school/activity zone" with the older two kids...and that's where I've remained. So the idea of giving birth to a baby and having a newborn in the house again seems very, very foreign to me. Good thing God equipped us with mommy instincts, right? *grin*

Stuart finished the last-but-one of the "house/codes" projects this weekend by installing an extension to our back downspout. Hopefully, we won't get any more citations? We're still not sure why we were cited in the first place, given the fact that none of the violations had anything to do with safety. Oh, well. At least we got the house looking a bit nicer. Now to finish some more inside.

The kids wanted to go to Motherhood Maternity for one last "hurrah," as we called it. They've been so cute during my pregnancy, asking to go there to pick out different maternity outfits for me to try on...even Edward enjoys it.

Emily's goal -- from the start of my pregnancy -- has been to get me into styles much different from my usual, in her eyes, "conservative" ones. (She's our little fashion diva-designer.) She had me in hugely flared maternity jeans and some kind of flashy shirt at one point...and another time she got me into some camo maternity capris and a black tank top. Happily, I can say that neither outfit made it home and into my actual wardrobe. But trying on unusual stuff is part of the fun.

Funny enough, Edward enjoys picking out outfits for me, too. But last Thursday, on our last visit to the store, he began to cry as we entered. The sales associate and I asked him what was wrong, and he explained that he was going to miss coming to the store and picking out stuff for me to try on. The sales lady told him there were other clothing stores for Mommy where he could do the same thing. He shook his head sadly and said, "But she won't be pregnant any more. She's so cute when she's pregnant." I'm still smiling from that little exchange. Out of the mouths of babes, right?

Speaking of Edward, his Autumn soccer season begins tomorrow evening. He was reluctant to sign up again last, and we basically arm-twisted him into it. But when he saw it on his schedule this morning he got really excited. Yippee!!

Emily has her first Monday dance class tonight. She started last week with only a Wednesday class, so this will be the first week she has both classes -- for a total of 3 1/2 hours of ballet a week. Hopefully, she'll continue to enjoy it. She had a "drama queen" rolling on the floor, moaning about sore toes, during the pointe portion of her class last week. I'm amazed this girl wasn't too embarrassed to act like this, but as I pointed out to Emily who was annoyed by it, her ballet room is a room full of emerging hormones...go easy on the other girls. *wink*

Our homeschool learning group starts on Wednesday. I'm hoping "Leechie" stays put at least through that day since I'd like to meet my new journalism class...of three. *grin* It should be interesting, to say the least. None of the three guys in this class has ever taken it before -- I had one repeat last year which helped immensely -- but hopefully they'll be enthusiastic enough about the subject matter that it will be a fun year for us. Either way, we have two newspapers to produce.... Yikes.

Stuart has his 38th birthday on Thursday, and secretly we're both hoping for a "newborn" birthday gift for him. Hmm....time to break out all the old wives' tricks? I think it might thunderstorm before then... *wink*

Time will tell, I guess...

Until then, enjoy your Monday!

Big Baby Bump

ONE WEEK TODAY!!!!

Friday Funnies

Kid-isms

Overheard today:

Emily had a science assignment today to design an organism, and Edward, overhearing her, asked if he could do the assignment, too.

I said of course he could.

Emily talked about designing a "pygmy whale," and, liking her idea, Edward chirped that he would like to design a Moby Dick.

"You can't design Moby Dick, Edward. He's already been designed," Emily told him matter-of-factly.

"Then I'll design a Moby Ed," he countered with a grin.

Points to Ponder

I got to thinking during a trip to the store the other day:

Why...

...is it that drivers always look the other way first when waiting to turn in front of you?

...is it that the tinkling sound of an ice cream truck's song can make me want to stop and buy something, even though I could buy a whole box of treats for the same cost as one?

...do I always want to buy back-to-school supplies each Autumn even though I still have 16 boxes of crayons and 30 new glue sticks?

...do kids always hear you whisper "cookie" or something they shouldn't hear, but they can't seem to remember you saying anything about not dancing inside the house?

...do I always cry at the same sad stories, songs, movies, ads, even though I've read/heard/seen them a gadzillion times?

...do pets always begin shedding just before you have someone over who is deathly allergic to them?

Wordless (mostly) Wednesday

9 days to go...

What I Want (Apparently)...

I've been "tagged" by Elizabeth over at Who Died and Made You Queen? to play a little game.

Here are the rules: Go to the search engine of your choice and type in "[your first name] wants" and post the first ten results below. Hers made her (and me) giggle. Mine...well, you be the judge. *wink*

1. Susie wants an S&M Barbie!
2. Susie wants to buy a new car.
3. Susie wants new clothes.
4. Susie wants to go home.
5. Susie wants to play with Maja in the snow.
6. Susie wants to cook.
7. Susie wants him with her because he's such a strong competitor.
8. Susie wants to play.
9. Susie wants to learn something new.
10. Susie wants a fun bassist.

Since this could have changed the "ratings" of my blog *wink* (I'm amazed by the desires of ladies with my name), I decided to go past a few of the "top 10" to some more "family-friendly" ones.

I won't "tag" anyone formally. But have a go at this. It's funny! And it does make you laugh!

*grin*

Labor of Love Monday Musings

Happy Labor Day to you! And, no, I'm not in labor...yet. (Just under two weeks to go though. The curiosity is driving us all crazy!)

Happy September to you! The first of the month and the first Monday of the month, too. Time's a-whizzing by!

We officially start school tomorrow, meaning that now we need to keep track of our attendance, and the summer vacation is really and truly officially over. *sigh*

Speaking of school, we had an awesome first "unofficial" week of school, and the kids seemed to enjoy their new lessons quite a lot, finishing most days just after lunch. Not a bad start for us.

The house is nearly completely finished on the outside...paint-wise. Stuart finished painting the little side "shed" thing we have off our back porch and bought some stuff to fix the downspout. He also removed the shed's window to repair/repaint it. All in all, it looks really nice.

The college painters were interesting. We're not likely to recommend them to anyone...or use them again. They left quite a mess in their wake -- paint chips and drips all over the yard, sidewalks, and porch and mashed plants in our flowerbeds. Oh, well. They were worth trying, and they got the work done...in about a week (not the two days the manager originally thought it would take).

My parents headed down to Nags Head, N.C., for their usual week at the beach. We were sad that we couldn't join them this year, but it's definitely too close to the "Leechie duedate" to risk it. Plus, too much starts this week. (Emily and I have a focus group to attend tomorrow -- for which we earn a cool $100. And she begins dance class on Wednesday. It's hard to imagine this is her 9th year of dancing. Plus, we have conference calls with both our teachers on Thursday. Phew.)

Once again, as my parents embarked on their beach week, two hurricanes revved up in the Atlantic. It's an annual occurrence. Sadly, one of them -- Gustav -- looks likely to hit New Orleans again which won't affect N.C. but is sad for the people of that region. The other, Hanna, may have calmed a bit. (I'm not even sure if she made it to hurricane status.) So, as per usual, my parents will have to have the TV tuned to the Weather Channel for most of their vacation.

I'm getting more and more excited for the 24-Exile movie. It makes the wait for the new season in January seem not quite as long...though the movie is still a couple of months away, too. I went with my dear friend, Angel, to see Mirrors again...and thought I was pretty dumb afterwards. (I stress that she's a dear friend since she went with me to see it, even though she hates horror movies and watched most of the movie through her fingers.)

I kept thinking it wouldn't be as bad the second time since I'd already watched it and the "suspense" would be lessened by that fact, right? Right?? I think I jumped higher and more often this time. In fact, there were several times when I thought I would have given birth for sure if the whole birthing process weren't controlled by hormones. It will definitely be easier to watch on DVD. I can fast-forward through all the scary bits, which, as Stuart pointed out, will leave about 10 minutes of movie. *wink*

On that note, Happy Monday to you!