Adeline (aka "Jada") is here

Adeline Jane Marx (or "Jada" if you are her big brother who refuses to call her by anything else) arrived at 6:59 AM on December 24, 2015, weighing 8 lb, 5 oz and measuring 19.5 inches long.

Surprise induction started on the 23rd after a low heart rate reading at her 40+ week nonstress test.  Despite the unexplained anomaly in the readings and further monitoring showing no issues, doctors advised the safest route was to birth baby sooner rather than later.

Although I have nothing good to say about the labor and delivery, I will say that the post-delivery was perfect.  She was crying, in great health, and took to nursing right away.  We got to hold her and daddy got to cut the chord.  She has been with me ever since.

Oliver and Joe hung out at the hospital for the afternoon.  Oliver loves his baby sister.  Though he refuses to call her Adeline.  When we told him her name is Adeline, he said: no it is not.  Her name is Jada because that is the name I chose, so that is what I am calling her.  He has not wavered.  

Adeline and I will miss out on Christmas morning with Joe and Oliver, but they are coming back to the hospital to open some gifts with us after seeing what Santa left under the tree.  We plan to bring Adeline home on the 26th.

Congratulations to Bonnie

While this post won't do justice to the shear dedication, hard work and long - hours, Oliver and I would like to congratulate Bonnie (Mom!) on making director (i.e., partner) at SKGF, a very well deserved honor !  Congratulations!  We love you!!!

Thankful

We were told that during circle time at school today the kids were asked to say what they are thankful for.  Oliver said two things....

(1)  Thankful that his Daddy was bringing Myrtle home from school today.*
(2)  Thankful for his Mommy carrying his baby sister in her uterus.

I am indeed carrying his baby sister as shown in these pictures from a couple weeks ago (34 weeks pregnant):

*Once Oliver discovered many months ago that there are two Myrtles (one at home and one that was left at school for nap time), he decided that the two Myrtles needed to be together on the weekends.  He looks forward to bringing Myrtle II home every weekend.

Oliver's Pit Crew

So much fun!  Oliver was a boy on a mission.  He had a great Halloween.  The only thing faster than him cruising down Rittenhouse St. on his scooter was his mouth.  He was explaining everyone's costumes and had lots to say about all the Halloween decorations.  It seems Rittehouse St. is "THE STREET" for Halloween.  It was like we were leaving a concert.   There were crowds of people all along the sidewalks, even lines as some of the houses.  One of the biggest hits: a house a block up that had a popcorn machine and was pouring shots of scotch for the parents. 

As a side note, you might notice "Jada" on our pit crew t-shirts.  Several months ago Oliver told us his baby sister's name is Jada.  He knows no one named Jada and we have no idea how he came up with the name.  He is sticking to it.  We told him it could be her nickname.  To which he responded, "No, Jada is her REAL name!"

As for the candy loot.  Oliver got quite a haul.  He never asked for one while we were out, and he got to pick one piece when we got home:  a sucker, his favorite.  He said he would like to have "one or maybe two pieces of candy a day for the rest of his life."

Happy Halloween.

Cool for school

Oliver's school does a little Halloween parade each year so the kids can wear their costumes to school in the morning.  Oliver insisted on being a race car driver again this year.  Despite my efforts to persuade him otherwise, I have to admit he does make a pretty cool race car driver.  Even giving a little wave to his adoring fans as his class walked out.  But, not so cool he couldn't come and give me a big hug and kiss before the kids went back inside.  💗💗

Cheeks

Due to my "advanced maternal age" we had a 32 week ultrasound today.  All is well.  She looks to be about 4 lbs., chubby cheeks, and pouty lips.  

My Grandpa

We spent the afternoon at the "Pumpkin Festival" at Butler's Orchard on Saturday.  Grandma was in town this week to help us out while Joe was away on a dive trip for work.  Oliver and Grandma had a great week together.  And we all had a really fun time at the Orchard.  Oliver enjoyed all the tractors, space to run (and fly his plane), kids park, kettle corn, and pumpkins. By the time we picked out his pumpkin he was pretty tuckered out so we skipped the hayride to the pumpkin patch and picked a pumpkin at the market.  He declared the first one his choice and declined to smile for any pics. 

That night, I was laying with Oliver as he was fell asleep and he said the following:

I think my Grandpa would really like Butler's Orchard.  I think he would like it so much he could drive his tractor there.  Then all the other guys would say, "Wow, he is a really good tractor driver."  Then every time I go to the Orchard, I could see my Grandpa.

It seems the only thing Oliver thought was missing from our fun day was: his Grandpa.

On the go

We visited the Renaissance Festival the weekend Aunt Sheila and Cousin Claire were in town.  The main reason for our visit was that Oliver is well-read on birds of prey.  And they had a demonstration with raptors, which he really wanted to see.  We walked the whole festival, he played the games, he shared a turkey drumstick and soft pretzel with Dad, and we all enjoyed seeing the hawks and falcons in action.

Oliver and Joe have been biking to school and back a couple times each week.  He loves being on his bike and is very committed to practicing enough to get up to a skill level where he can take off his training wheels.  I love how passionate he is about bike riding.  I hope it is a sign that he will identify things in his life that he enjoys and will be willing to work hard to improve at them.

 

One of his other current passions is fighter planes.  We have several books and he is becoming quite knowledgeable about the different kinds of fighter planes, WWI and WWII (at least who fought who and what kinds of planes were used in the different wars), the mechanics of flight and jet engines, and (with less enthusiasm from me) the types of missiles/bombs and tactics to avoid them.  The Udvar-Hazy flight museum is an extension of the air and space museum.  It is a big hanger out at Dulles airport full of fighter planes, a space shuttle, helicopters, and other fight stuff.  It is his favorite weekend excursion.

I love Oliver's passion and thirst for knowledge.  I am so happy to be a part of his world.

Sweater Weather

As I have proclaimed many times, I am a lover of Fall/Autumn.  While the perfect weather of the West Coast has its appeal, I don't know that I could ever give up this season for good.  After four years of conditioning, I think my son is a lover too.  Last week, we got our first glimpse at a couple cooler Fall mornings.  When we walked outside on our way to school, Oliver declared "it's a beautiful Fall day, I love all the colors of the leaves mommy!"  Clearly, taking a few lines from my book.

One of the many reasons to love Fall is sweater weather.  Oliver wore a light jacket couple times last week.  This morning, he picked out a t-shirt and khakis to wear to school, but when I went to grab his jacket, I realized it was at school.  I pulled his vest, a sweater from his closet that he had not worn yet, and a fleece.  I asked which he would like to wear instead.  He instantly declared, "that soft sweater!"  He put it on and was in love.  He said if felt warm and soft and he liked the pockets.  Like the rest of his essential preferred items (cap, sunglasses, and long pants), the sweater was a perfect fit for his style.  He left the house confident and reminding me of his love of Fall.  He declined to take it off when he got to school and walked into class with his hands tucked into his pockets and a smile on his face. 

I could not help myself and had to snap a couple pics of my adorable little man this morning.   

 

First Bike Ride to School

Back to School

During the summer, Oliver's preschool was open, but was in day-care style mode.  By the end of the summer you could tell that Oliver missed the more structured routine of school and he made several comments that he wanted to go back to the regular schedule.  After a two week summer break, Oliver started the new school year on Tuesday.  He is no longer one of the younger kids in the class and was very excited to take on his new role as experienced preschooler.

 He was enthusiastic about his first day back.  He fell right into the new routine like a pro.  There were a lot of new faces in his class.  But, as I was leaving him he walked up a rather bewildered looking new little girl (she looked barely 3) and he asked her if she would like him to give her a lesson.  She continued to wander in a daze, which left him unfazed.  He followed her for awhile telling her about all the work projects she might be interested in.  I was very proud of him for diving right in and trying to help out the new kids.

The only issue he resisted all morning was he did not want to get his picture taken on his first day back at school.  Despite several attempts, he would not stand for a snapshot.  This was the best Joe could get, when he tried the surprise "hey, Oliver give me a wave" as we were walking away. 

His teachers said he has been great and full of stories.  On the first day, he told them all about his baby sister, who is still a fetus, growing in his mommy's uterus.  He seems to be enjoying hanging with some of his old pals and making new friends.  I hope this is the beginning of a great school year.

I'm pretty sure.

Around 6:30 each morning, Oliver gets up and climbs into our bed to wake me up.  We usually chat, read books, play with cars or planes, and/or snuggle before starting our day.  This morning, we talked about tanks, war, diplomacy, daddy's snoring, and read Noah's Ark.

Then I asked Oliver a question, which started a conversation that went something like this:

Mommy: "Did you notice mommy's tummy has been growing?"
Oliver:  "Yes"

M:  "What do you think could be in there?"
O:  "A baby!"  (Big smile on his face)

M:  "You think it is a baby?"
O:  "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

M:  "If it is a baby, do you think it might be a brother or a sister?"
O:   (thoughtful pause)  "A sister."

I asked if he wanted to go with to our ultrasound appointment, and I explained how an ultrasound worked.  He said he did want to come.

I was really worried about telling him and how he would take it.  Much to my surprise, it seems he had already figured it all out on his own.

Oliver was amazing at the ultrasound.  He asked a lot of questions, and he was all smiles seeing the images and talking to the technician.  He rubbed my belly and was the sweetest little boy you can imagine.  When we left they gave us pictures and he took them and would not give them up.  He told strangers about the baby in his mommy's uterus while we waited for our car.  And continues to share the news with everyone he sees.  Oliver made sharing the news with him the most wonderful experience.

Here are a few photos from our 22 week + 3 day ultrasound.

4 Years Old!

Oliver turned 4 years old last weekend.  While birthday parties at gyms, jump houses and pools have been the norm for his friends, he told us he would rather have a party at home with his friend where it was not so loud.

On his birthday, we had a science themed party at Rittenhouse, complete with a visit from a "Mad Scientist" to show the kids a few age appropriate science "experiments".  The weather was perfect and it was a full house.  All the grandparents were here too.  He told me he enjoyed his party and liked celebrating at home with all his family and friends.

Since turning 4 he has proudly used his new title whenever possible, "look what only 4 year olds can do" or "it's ok to do this because I am 4 years old now."

I am so grateful to have a very happy, healthy, and proud 4 year old little boy!