Yes Sir, that's my baby...

 No Sir, I don't mean maybe

Yes Sir, that's my baby now

Sorry for the long wait, faithful followers, but it's been kind of crazy around here (as expected ;).  Oak Gideon joined our family Tuesday morning (June 7th) and life hasn't been the same since.  The three older kids just adore him and want to hold him all the time.  He's a sweet little guy, although definitely on the spitty and gassy side...which is all too much like his older brother was for my tastes.  That's ok, though, he's adorable and we all fell in love with him the moment he came into this world.  He has just a bit of blond hair on top and a little bit of light brown hair old-man style on the sides and back.  His eyes are blue, as expected (both Spence and I have blue eyes, as do the other kids) and we'll see what shade they settle into.  Oak has a bit of a stork bite on the tip of his nose and one on his forehead, back of his head, and nape of his neck.  Let's just say he's well-loved by the stork.  Luckily none of them are too too prominent.  As for eating, he has a bit of a rough time latching on for nursing, but once he's on he's on for good and is a champion nurser from that point forward.

Oak's name comes from my maiden name, Holyoak.   So, his name is to honor my family heritage, along with my own father, who instilled in me a need to live up to the honor of my name.  Also, we just love the imagery of a strong and indomitable oak tree as Oak's namesake.  I can tell he has a mighty oak spirit in his little acorn body.

ps-for all you veteran moms and other interested readers out there, all the gory birth details are in the post following this one.

pps-sorry for the lack of daddy-son pictures.  I realized when looking over pictures for this post that Spence has usually been behind the camera not in front of it.

Now...onto the orgy of baby pictures...

 

 Fresh baked and out of the oven

 

A very tired, but happy, mommy and baby

Checkin' out the competition

 

 Georgie and Oak

You couldn't find a prouder older brother if you tried.  Ezra tells me all the time how he's trying to be a good example for Oak to teach him the right.

Baby-obsessed Scarlett thinks it's the best thing ever to finally have one of her very own.

MiMi (my mom) came up from Oklahoma at the drop of a hat.  Thank heavens.  I think it's helped the older kids have a much easier transition to have her around.

Oak in his home-coming outfit.  Ezra picked it out with Mimi the day before.  He knew he had to have it when he saw the sharks, his latest obsession.

 Ahhh...sweet...

 ...but give it some time and Scarlett's true feelings will come to light.

I couldn't resist a picture of that little wrinkly forehead.  Don't you just love them!

 Taken just mere minutes ago, this is the most accurate and up-to-date picture so far.  Isn't he adorable?

Well, there you have it, folks.  If you aren't beating your head on a desk already from the mere length of this post, feel free to carry on with the birth story below.

The rest of the story.

This is for all y'all out there that like to have all the gory labor details...

First off, long before labor started, I was walking around at 3 1/2cm dilated, so it's like I was a ticking time bomb.  After some on-again, off-again false labor on Monday (the 6th), I woke up in the wee hours (about 3:00-ish) of Tuesday morning (the 7th) with contractions.  They were definitely painful, but still manageable.

Spencer woke up soon after to head to his last day of his paper route and I had him set me up with a clock for contraction timing before he left.  I was a little less then enthusiastic with being left alone, but I knew things would probably take a while and he'd be back in time to take me to the hospital.  Lucky for me, however, there was some confusion at the paper place and they ended up not needing him after all, so he came home and ended up only being gone for about a half an hour after all (thank heavens for that!).

So, for the next few hours, I just labored, timed, and attempted to rest and relax when possible.  By the time 6:00am rolled around, I knew there was no way that things would putter out (remember the previous false labor?).  It was about this time that (dun, dun, dun [cue scary music]) the nausea and throwing up started.  Yes, (non-medicated) contracting while vomiting really is as horrible as it sounds.  I was already exhausted, sore, and dealing with intense contractions, so throwing sickness into the mix just about undid me.  Let's just say it was miserable and leave it at that.

Anyway, I called my mom at about 6:30am telling her she should head up to Kansas City (from Oklahoma) as soon as possible since we were down to about 6-minute contractions at that point in time.  7:00am brought a call to the babysitter (thank you, thank you, thank you, Jennae!) who got to the house at about 7:30 and we headed to the hospital.

Don't I look just miserable?

When they checked me at around 8:00am after arriving at the hospital, I was dilated to about 6cm.  They also gave me some zofran to help with the nausea then too.  I'll be honest, I was pretty disappointed I was only at a 6.  After nearly 5 hours of intense labor (with loads and loads of serious contractions in the days preceding) and having experienced checking into the hospital at 10cm when in labor with Scarlett, I was definitely hoping to be a little farther along.  Not to mention with the vomiting and everything, I was wearing down quicker then anticipated.  With going natural with Scarlett, I loved how in-control I felt the entire time.  Contractions sucked but I handled them.  With Oak...let's just say there was an edge of desperation during labor that wasn't there with Scarlett's.

At about 9:00am, the zofran kicked in and the throwing up abated, although I was still nauseous.  It wasn't long after that that I noticed I was beginning to feel kind of pushy.  At first I dismissed it since I had been checked at 6cm so recently, but it wasn't long before I insisted a nurse come check things out.  Sure enough, I had dilated to 10cm in an hour.  Things progressed pretty quickly after that with my midwife hurrying over from her office (it's connected to the hospital) and the nurses getting the baby supplies in the room.  Once I got the green light to push, it was all over in a flash.  I gave a push and a half during a single contraction and we had a baby at 9:26am with nary a tear or skid mark in sight.  Oak came out all squirmy and alert with apgar scores of 9 and 9.  Overall, it was a very intense, but short-lived and successful natural labor.  Pushing was not my fave (it never is) but who can complain about a push and a half?  Most importantly, Oak Gideon entered the world as a healthy heaven-sent little boy and we're so blessed because of it.

And that, my friends, is the rest of the story.

Introducing...

Oak Gideon Lifferth

June 7, 2011

9:26am

6lbs 14oz

18 inches

Welcome to the world, Little Man.

Woolly Mammoth, anyone?

I've decided that my lack of leg hair growth while pregnant is Mother Nature's way of saying,

"It's ok not to shave when you can't even bend over enough to see your legs."

To my Georgia, on her 4th Birthday

Oh my dear, my Georgie-Girl, you have no idea how much I love you.  You add your own unique sparkle to our family, with your curly hair, bright blue eyes, and endless giggles (and whines).  I can't imagine us without you.  You have a larger-then-life personality and bring so much to our family.  You are a bewitching little imp of a girl, all highs and lows, flares and simmers.  People are simply captivated by you and have been since you were just an itty bitty thing.  They're drawn to you, never knowing whether their hand will be bitten or kissed.  Remember never to take advantage of them, Georgia.  Give them a reason to love you.  You are fiercely loyal and endlessly loving to your friends and family.  While you might give the cold shoulder to strangers, you give so much love with endless kisses and cuddles to those you love.  Auntie Stephie, who is possibly your favorite person e.v.e.r. (shhh! don't tell MiMi ;) can attest to that!  Having a brother 19 months older then you and a sister 17 months younger has some advantages, and one of those is your incredible closeness to them.  They are your best friends and I hope that never changes.

You are so much fun, Little Miss.  You love all things pink and sparkly (of course) but most things rough-and-tumble too.  You have zero issue with playing in the mud in your high heels and tiara.  I love that about you.  You were born to break stereotypes (just like the one that girls are easier to potty-train then boys.  You blew that one out of the water :P).  You've finally started getting into pretending you're a mommy and playing house.  I think it's something that being around Scarlett has taught you since it comes so naturally to her.  I love to see the two of you being Mommies together.  Georgia, you ADORE dancing and singing and would do it all day, everyday if you could.  You're even constantly trying to dance in the aisle during the hymns at church. You love to sing along to Lover, Lover by Jerrod Niemann, Lesley Gore's Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows, Party In The USA by Miley Cyrus (you call it the Butterfly Song), Justin Bieber's Baby (I swear I had nothing to do with it.  You starting liking that one all on your own), Simon and Garfunkel's Cecilia, and Golden by Mika.  You are very into princesses (what little girl isn't, really?), with your current fave being The Little Mermaid.  I hope you'll never grow out of the knowledge that you are truly a heavenly princess, a daughter of the celestial king.

Out of all of my children, you, Georgia, my Georgia, are the most like me.  You talk like me, fight like me, and think like me (note the talking one is in expression only, since your natural smoker's voice is all your own ;).  If it was possible for a mama to have a not-so-little piece of herself walking around in the big ol' world all on her own, you would be it, Georgia Me.  I worry about the day you realize our similarities and start rebelling against them, as daughters are prone to do.  As much as the thought breaks my heart, you wouldn't be you if you didn't have that mile-wide defiant streak and struck out on your own in the world.  Remember, my Georgia, being stubborn and defiant is a good thing, if you are stubborn and defiant for the right things.  It's what Grandad always told me and I'm telling you.

We love you, Georgie Porgie, Puddin' and Pie!  The mere thought of you makes me smile.  You add sparkle wherever you go and we're so darn happy you're in our family!  Happy Birthday, Birthday Girl!

Here's to you, Darlin'...

The Gambler

I have gobs and gobs of catching up to do, both in posting and reading all y'all's posts.  Sorry for the hiatus, but an unexpected funeral (I guess they all are, aren't they?) in Southern Idaho followed by moving into our brand new (to us...it's actually 45 years old) house does that to a nine month pregnant girl, doesn't it?  In the meantime, however, here's some random thoughts to keep you company.

So, I was driving home from errands today and The Gambler by Kenny Rogers came on the radio (first off, how random is that?  You just don't hear old country songs like that anymore).  Immediately, I thought of my dad.  Throughout my childhood, and even now, my dad will repeat The Gambler's lyrics like a poem just for the heck of it.  It's funny...one wouldn't think that children would be enamored with lyrics about a hard-living, smoking, whiskey-drinking old gambler, but we always were.  Today, when the song came on, I told Ezra (one of my dad's particularly faithful followers) about how Grandad loves this song and watched him as he tried to follow the grown-up lyrics with his little boy look of deep concentration.  There was something very Full Circle about it, if you know what I mean.  I love the little moments like that one...the moments where you realize that being a parent is teaching your child to love something you love, something that someone you love loves too.  Cliche as it may sound, it just makes everything so worth it.

When the Cat's Away the Mice Play

Sorry for the extraordinarily long delay in blog posts, but to say I've been busy this month is practically the understatement of the year.  I figured I best do a post now while I have half a minute, or else the opportunity would be missed altogether for another couple of weeks as I'm heading out to Idaho for my much-missed Grandmother's funeral on Tuesday.  As soon as I get home (literally, that same day), we'll begin the much-anticipated move over to The Big House.  Goodness, I don't remember a 3rd trimester being this busy since...well...Scarlett's.

Before I begin my usual uber-post, however, I'd like to show y'all a little ditty I found early this morning on one of my favorite blogs, Cardigan Empire (thanks Heather!).  Enjoy!


Girls With Glasses from Brooke White on Vimeo.

And now back to our regularly scheduled blog post...

A bit ago (the entire last month is a blurry haze, so excuse my lack of date details), I had the super-fun chance to head up to my sister, Stephanie's house in the greater Chicago area for something of a Girls Weekend (my very first ever non-kid trip since Ezra was a mere babe).  My other sister, Liberty, was there for it (although she, lucky girl, got to stay for a full 11 days!), along with my mom and (briefly) her two twin sisters.  I don't have any photographic proof, however, since I left my camera with Spencer and the kids, although if one of said lovely ladies wants to send me some of theirs, I wouldn't complain any *hint, hint, wink, wink*.  So...off to Northwestern Indiana I went while Spence watched the miniature mob and played housewife.  The entire trip was a frenzy of laughter, shopping ($7 embellished tees at Banana Republic!), fattening foods, and two separate trips to a small local candy factory to re-stock up on sugar.  Thank heavens for sisters.

While I was off gallivanting with the girls, Spencer, luckily, lived up to his reputation as uber-dad (I left the camera with him for a reason ;).  Here's a few of the things they got up to sans-mommy:

(note: I can't be held accountable for any outfits and/or hairstyles applied to my offspring during my absence (especially the fact that Georgia is wearing the exact. same. dress. in every picture...no joke).  In fact, I'm not sure it's such a great thing to have photgraphic proof of unapproved outfits out there on the vast World Wide Web, but c'est la vie.)

Science City at Union Station

Fireman Scarlett

Ezra with his long-lost twin brother

I'm not sure why Spence took these next pictures, but he had fifty bazillion of them, so I'm assuming it must've been for a valid reason.  I suspect it was to show off Union Station's cool ceiling.

The water table was a big hit with all three 


The Crown Center

Everybody with me now...
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me

Root Beer Floats

 Apparently, even Daddy isn't immune to the occasional
Mischief-Making...

(What does it say about the mischief-maker in question when he basically signs his name to his work?)

Camping at Clinton Lake

My fashion statement of a daughter

(in case you're curious, she finishes off the ensemble with jeans, striped socks, and sandals)

Talkin' to Mom.  How sweet is that?

(I love how Ezra is still attempting to match, even when I'm not around to help.  That's my boy :)

  

Breakfast of champions

(for the record, they basically rejected the eggs soon after this picture was taken.  shocker, I know)

I was going to post Easter pictures too, but I'm, frankly, exhausted and I don't even want to think about what I have to do to get ready to leave for Idaho on Tuesday morning.  Not to mention this post has turned ginormous on me.  That's what happens, though, when you have an uber-husband like I do.

I love you, Honey.  Thanks for being such an amazing father to my children...even if you do let Georgia wear the same dress three days out of five.  The mere fact you attempted to do the girls' hair everyday more then makes up for it.  love you.