And we're back!

Wow! Apparently the birthday month really took it out of me, huh?
Well, in reality, we've had a most exhausting year, with sickness and over-workedness leaving no room for much else but simple maintenance.
But I'm back. We're started the new school year- this is week three already, and it's going great. Avery's so independent and interested, Miles is excited to have his own school time each day devoted just to him. Ansel is, well, Ansel, and pretty much happy for any scraps of attention a third kid can get.
Ah....

Reasons to Homeschool: Harried to Happy

Morning could be hectic and harried for us- if we had to get everyone washed, dressed, fed, bundled up, out of the house and to school, daycare, work on time. They could be, but they're not, because we don't HAVE to be anywhere but right where we are.
This morning, when I felt obliged to give the baby an impromptu bath to wash the fistfuls of crusting-in mush and browning banana smoosh out of his hair, and the three year old decided to strip naked in the hall and take a running dive into the tub (no one in my house can stand missing out on a bath) I felt just a little put out. This wasn't on the schedule for the morning. But they're so cute, you know, so sweet. How can you stay grumpy with two little ones in the tub? All those bubbles and splashes, soapy clean smells and giggles. When the nine year old decided to join in the fun it just felt perfectly, well... perfect. Two little ones in the tub, warm and shiny, a big one perched in the corner, serenading (guitar practice without threats or shouting, check!) them with his entire play list while they danced and laughed, well, I was just glad to be home, free to enjoy such a lovely unscheduled and unplanned moment.
How many of those moments would be missed if we were caught rushing off to our important days elsewhere? How sad would it be if a baby's 6-grain hairdo were enough to start everyone's day off wrong (too rushed, late for school, late for work)? Those moments, simple and unstaged, are the ones that fill our family memory-bank, easy and quick to pull out on rainy days and hold on to during troublesome times. And so grateful are we, to be present here, filling our bank with memories we share, gathering moments of grace together.

Sneak Peek

Yep. Ansel is going to be a gnome for Halloween. Ridiculous! You just have to wait for the rest of the pictures, though- and not just because I'm madly working at them while trying to pack for an out of state birthday party quick trip and clean the house for out trick-or-treating party scheduled to commence right bout the time we get home....
And it's been raining and the drier is still broken, and we haven't carved our pumpkins yet....
But, oh! my house is full of cute little gnomes, so I'm as happy as can be!

Here's Lookin' At You Baby

8 Months, 4 days! How did it happen so fast? But there he is- crawling and reaching, sticking every little thing in his mouth, reaching tiny fingers in places I never even think of, let alone clean. He loves his brothers, laughs and shakes and squeals when he sees them, works hard to be where they are, to eat what they eat, to be a part of the action. He seems in such a hurry to be big like them. Silly Ansel- don't you know Mama LIKES having a baby in the house?

My Summer Boys

You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you how many hours we spend "driving" old tractors and trucks and forklifts and excavators. With permission, of course. For some reason that eludes me, this is an endlessly fascinating activity. Well, it's free, and plentiful, around here, what with all the farms and such.

Avery doing the concrete work for his play structure, at the beginning of the summer.

Amazing how gorgeous babies are, huh? It's a good talent, they have!

Miles, in a petulant pose. Or maybe it's more like a Save the Children pose or something.

Miles loves holding his baby. He is torn, always going back and forth between wanting to be a big boy like Avery and a baby like Ansel. It's a hard decision- Avery gets to use electric tools, and ride his bike in the street alone, Ansel gets to nurse and be held whenever he wants.

Miles at the Sprinkler Park- a favorite place this summer.

Baby cuteness!

A pretty typical sort of pose lately- Avery playing it cool, Miles hamming it up, front and center.

More ham!

Miles found a tree he could climb on by himself. A great day!

Next summer he'll be running around, following his brothers, getting into trouble. This summer he's still mine, and he still stays pretty much where I put him. And he's still entertained by looking up and talking to the leaves and clouds and breeze.

Beaver masks. They wear them all the time. Thank you Artsvan!

Miles at swimming lessons.

Avery's play structure, almost, almost, this close to done! Good work, eh?

Fever

It is hot outside, still. 106 today, maybe? That was the forecast.
But all thoughts of the miserable out-of-doors are gone by the wayside, pushed out by this burning hot little one in my arms, whose own temperature is competing with the sun's work out there. He is so miserable he only wants to be held, and so hot his little curled up body leaves a heat imprint even when he's not in my arms. My chest and neck and cheek and arms feel sunburned, even though we've not been outside today.
Sometimes he tries to smile, at his silly brothers, maybe, but the weak little wobbly smile dissolves in moans. Is there anything in the entire world more heartbreaking than a baby moaning?
Well, we're home, staying away from the picnics and swimming party of our weekend plans. It is so hot out there I would be glad to stay home, in the air conditioned, drawn shade cool of my house. I would be glad, if only it weren't so hot, here in my arms.

Snow Cones!

We capped off a great weekend in Seattle with a visit to Greenlake, a good hour at the playground and snow cones- the boys' first!

Ansel did not get one, however he is very interested in food, and watches with eagle eyes whenever there is eating or drinking happening. Snow cones involve both!

Our Weekend, A-L (no, not Z- it wasn't THAT busy!)

We took a little trip over the mountains to Seattle. I guess its been raining over there quite a bit- everywhere we went people kept asking if we were enjoying the sunshine. That's just not a question people ask each other over here. It would be like asking random strangers if they were enjoying being alive or breathing air. Because the air is nearly always sunny here. And enjoyable.

In fact one of my favorite things about going to the west side of the state is the greater chance that my kids will get to actually use their raincoats and rain boots. Well, they do use their rain gear- rubber boots are awesome for little boys (no straps, no laces!), and Avery wears his raincoat as a costume for his Evil Scientist persona. But, you know, they've actually had rain gear that has NEVER been used to keep water off of their bodies.

But no, it didn't rain.
They didn't wear their rain gear.

Here's what did happen, though:

A) I thought of an awesome photo project- pictures of people driving or riding in cars! Except I'm not sure how you'd do it. Pictures I take from cars always look like they were taken from behind a pane of smeary moving glass. But maybe, if I put the thought out there, maybe somebody else will do this project, and I will buy the book and be really happy.

B) We rediscovered why Newman's Own Ginger O's are the perfect road trip cookie. I can't explain it, they just are. Try it for your self sometime.

C) We went straight to our favorite U-Pick strawberry field:Dues Berry Farm north of Everett. They were flooded this winter and thought they'd lost all the berries, but to their surprise strawberries are there. The great thing is, they don't use pesticides or anything, and the strawberries were only $1 a pound. The bummer is, they weren't expecting berries, so they didn't weed or anything, and we picked pretty hard among thistles and something else, something allergy-inducing to get 18 pounds of tiny berries, which just isn't that much. And really expensive when you take into consideration the $35 in gas to get there.... Anyway, we still love the farm, and next year is their 100th year! so we're happy about that. And the strawberries are awesomely delicious. Even if I was sneezing so much the rest of the evening that I got a nosebleed, which hasn't happened in forever.

D) We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant, which we'd vowed never to do over there, given how many delicious, authentic Mexican restaurants there are here, and how few delicious restaurants of any other kind there are here. Except Rusillos, and a few others... not that we eat out very often anyway. Three kids, no money... easier, cheaper, and usually more delicious to stay home. But this restaurant, El Rey, in Lake Stevens is very yummy and authentic.

E) Rented Bolt on DVD. Because even though my parents finally have digital cable, there's still nothing on. Bolt was cute. A little scary, but cute. About an hour too long for Miles, though.

F) Ansel rolled over. Again, and again and again. And started scooting forward. Directly to the edge of wherever he was (bed, lounge pad, other bed, rug). No, baby, no! Don't grow so fast!

G) I thought of another book to write. I'll call it Neglectful Parent, Happy Child.* Don't you just want to buy it already? (I have a theory about self-help books- I think sometimes people are just looking for the easy way out, they're hoping to spend $20 to have an "expert" tell them that what they're doing is fine, or that doing nothing but watching TV and being self-absorbed is great. And, you know, I could cash in on some of that crazy, lazy stuff.)
No, really, I had the idea for this book because of the raspberries- I didn't even cut out the old canes last fall, and this year there are SO MANY raspberries they're coming out our ears. I dashed out to pick a bowl full before we left for Seattle, and an hour later everyone else came out, and we ALL picked for another half an hour. At least. And Avery is happy to do grown up things by himself- make lunch, mow the lawn, start a load of laundry, fix the doorknob, Miles happily plays with his little cars or tree house toys for hours, without me, and makes up little songs to sing, and Ansel finally rolled over all by himself when I was not even in the room. You see? A little neglect is, apparently, good for children. And raspberries. Believe me, I'm an expert. * I guess there are some people who already live this, without my telling them how. Can you imagine? Parenting without an expert opinion like mine?! Well, they call it raising Free Range Kids, and their trust in their own children and the universe at large is lovely. Not so much where I can let myself go, at least not all the way, but nice. Trusting. And at least it adds some perspective to the decisions we make all the time as parents: when can my child go to the public restroom by himself, walk to a friend's house, go to the library alone? Check it out. Tell me what you think. Where do you draw those lines, and when do you redraw them?

H) We went on another letterboxing adventure, in these cool old woods, and spent quite a bit of time tromping around, finding the THREE! stamps that made a picture. It was fun. Muddy and woodsy and all things good. Except for the nettles. And something scared or hurt the baby, who screamed and screamed and screamed and cried and cried and cried. He who NEVER does that, hardly ever really fusses about anything. Poor little one. He seems fine now, though, so hopefully nothing permanent!

I) More berry picking, at Biringer Farms this time. 54 pounds total. They were having a little strawberry festival. The boys played with Grandma while we picked. Played, watched a church group puppet show and ate pulled pork sandwiches and somehow got orange and strawberry soda-colored mustaches. I don't know how....

J) REI. One of our favorite stores. Avery is in awe of the climbing mountain they have, and is already begging to go back so he can climb. Instead the boys got new Keens (on sale! these ones, matching! the last pairs in their sizes!!), checked out all of the tents, over and over again, tried all the water filters, tried out their new shoes (and their old ones, too, just to see) on the hiking boot test-trail thingy in the middle of the shoe department. And we got a new buckle for the baby back-pack. Which Ansel will be able to go in pretty soon, I guess. Weird, him getting so big and growing up so much. I'm starting to feel nostalgic for his baby days, and he's still only 4 months old. What does that mean?

K) Home. The boys all slept over the mountains and across the desert. They woke up as we were pulling into town. Hours after we'd PLANNED to be home. Granola and strawberries for supper, at 9 o'clock.

L) And I should be thinking other less productive thoughts, but I can't wait for May to come around again (May seems to be my fertile month, as evidenced by the boys all being born within a two week span in late winter....)

How To:: Remove Gum From Hair

When your 3 year old drops his gum on the baby's head and tries to pick it but somehow smashes it in a little more, then tries to rub it off... what do you do?
In all of the years I've been a parent I've only once had to deal with this- and I just chopped a little bit of hair off- the boy had just given himself a lovely little haircut so I figured another chunk missing wouldn't really be noticeable. But the baby?! He hardly has any hair as it is! I wouldn't be able to cut it if I wanted to, it's so short. After a few moments of panic, a few attempts to tease it off his head, a few exasperated sighs and one under the breath "Oh, Miles, what next?"I found the solution.
Oil, it turns out, is the key.
I poured a little bit of the Weleda Calendula Baby Oil that I love so much on his head, let it sit a few seconds, then gently brushed the gum out with an old toothbrush. Good as new.
I think any oil would work- olive oil, canola, the usual kitchen staples. But almond oil with calendula and chamomile makes removing gum from your baby's head seem luxurious, almost spa-like. Guaranteed.

edited to say: And the next day, when you put the baby back down in the exact same bouncy chair without remembering it's still got gum all over it, and then later you pick up the baby and he smells curiously minty and his poor head is curiously gum-covered once again, know that a washcloth with a little oil poured on it, and rubbed gently over the baby's head will remove the gum with far less mess than pouring oil on his head and using a toothbrush. Really. But please, just clean the chair, right? We don't want to this every day, do we?

Brothers

Just a little boy-cuteness, in case that's what you needed right this minute.

Ansel

Can you stand it?! Ansel is super smiley- especially when his brothers are around. Avery took this beaut!

And this one, too. Look at those cheeks! He's such a chunk. He's growing up to quickly- I want to savor every moment, but it's slipping away. This age is fun, interactive and adorable, we're all enjoying it immensely, but that tender curled up newborn period is firmly over, and so fast! We have now a serious, studious little boy, much like Avery was a baby. Amazing how strong their personalities are even from the beginning!

Brothers

There are, in the midst of a busy day of chores and school and playing, running and shouting and digging and being "The Loudest Boy of the World, the Viken-Biker" a moment or two when Miles is still and calm and unbelievably tender and sweet. Here is one, captured. Proof.

And just a little picture of Ansel- he's getting so big so fast I can barely stand it!

Pruning

Here are the children before the big Spring Pruning of 2009. Adorable, I'm sure you'll agree, if rather shaggy and wintry. This was right before Easter, and it was still wintry here. I had an image of all my boys lined up in chairs on the deck, getting sheared one by one. I suddenly just had to have clippers of my own. Here we Go!
Here's Avery pruned and jumping into yard work. As long as it involves an element of danger, machinery, and is normally a grown-up job, he's on it. Anyway he looks a lot older to me, without hair.

And my Miles, who looked so pretty with his blondey wispy shaggy hair, now looks the way he acts- 120% BOY! I am overwhelmed with the desire to dress him up in cowboy outfits and give him a hobby horse and little toy pistols. I won't, but I look at him, and, well, it's what I see.

No, we didn't shear the baby! This is just a gratuitous baby shot. Gotta slip them in when I can!

And yes, we did do actual pruning of the yard this weekend, too. And weeding. The whole household is feeling springy. I might even take the pinecones and garlands down from the mantle. Maybe. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.

Here He Is!

Ansel Quinn Case

February 10, 2009 12:51 am

7 pounds 19 1/2 inches

Asleep after the exhausting journey!

Brother Miles, delighted with his new baby brother.

Tired, happy Mama, littlest "Lower Case".

Avery, tired himself, getting a good look at his brand new brother.

The Birth Story

I went in at 2 pm on the 9th to be induced. I was already at 3 cm and 80% effaced and had a bulging bag of waters. For two weeks, with prodromal labor that left me exhausted, on edge, so READY for the labor to just really BEGIN. Right at the end I was spilling protein and my blood pressure was climbing. Finally we decided it was just time for the baby to be born.

When I first got to the hospital there was a brand new nurse who tried for a long time to find the baby's heartbeat, but she couldn't, couldn't, couldn't. Finally she left and I burst into tears and her supervisor came in and showed her how she'd put the gel on the wrong side of the monitor and quickly found the heartbeat and so then of course I was crying with relief and the poor nurse was trying not to cry too. Not the greatest start.

Then the resident came in to introduce himself and started explaining about all the things they can do to speed labors along, after I'd just explained that I go really fast at the end, and wanted to try to slow things down this time. There were some English language difficulties as well as hyper-excitably on his part. When I restated my concern about wanting to keep the labor from progressing too quickly he said "Oh, oh! Slow down is no problem. I just say "Slow Down" It is good." Ummm... yeah. Okay.

As it turned out, my OB, Anita Showalter, couldn't get in to break my bag of waters until 8:45 pm. Once she broke the water things happened pretty fast. I walked off and on for an hour and a half, stopping occasionally to get monitored. Pretty quickly I couldn't walk or talk through the contractions, and within the first hour they'd gone from every 3-4 minutes to every 1-2 minutes. I asked to go to the jacuzzi tub, and by the time the nurse checked with the doctor, checked the tub, started filling the tub, monitored the baby, and checked me it was two hours since the water breaking. I was still 3 cm. And devastated, though I shouldn't have been. I haven't had a labor yet that hasn't stayed at 3 cm for a long time. I made it to the tub room, passing my OB in the hall, in fact leaning on her during a contraction. I saw the resident and burst into tears. "I don't want him there!"

The tub felt really good but the baby flipped from left side to right (and face down to face up it turned out) immediately. My back and bottom felt kind of numb and weird. My nurse came in after 15 minutes to check heartbeat and had to search around a little for it. Contractions were coming quick and with more than one peak. As soon as she left I felt like I should get checked, and another nurse came, apologetically saying that I was just 4-5 centimeters but 100% effaced. She was shocked that I said "OK, It's time to get out."

My nurse came and rushed me in the wheelchair back to my room, passing my doctor on the way, who said she'd be right down. By the time I got into the bed my doctor was there, said to the nurse she'd be surprised if I wasn't at 7 cm, and she asked if the contractions were hurting in my back. They were, since the tub. She checked me and I was 7cm! She had me go on hands and knees, sort of leaning against the back of the bed, and the contractions then were really really hard. I was throwing up again, and they were having three or four peaks, and barely a breath in between. But I could feel the baby turn, and move down finally and get into place. My Mom and DH kept helping me breathe through them, and reminding me when I felt like I couldn't do it that this was transition, the worst of it.

Then suddenly I felt pressure, but for the first time it wasn't just that feeling a split second before uncontrollably pushing a baby into the world without anyone being prepared. This time I felt like it was time to push, but also incredibly calm and quiet and just still. The doctor and nurses got the bed covered and got gloves on and everything ready. I pushed four or five times, instead of once, and it was hard- I've never had to think about pushing before, and this time I did. My doctor held a warm washcloth to my perineum, which felt really good, and I pushed when I felt like it.

Ansel was born at 12:51 am, and started crying right away, then stopped the second she put him up on my belly. He was born pink and and plump and healthy and after that first burst of crying has been very quiet and calm.

An amazing thing about the labor, I think, is that Dr. Showalter sat in the corner of the room during that last hour, just sipping her tea and knitting, ready if she was needed, a couple of times suggesting something, but just staying out of the way, not trying to rush or direct or take control. She was way more attentive and intuitive and calming than either the previous OB birth or the midwife attended birth. It really was perfect.

Avery got to stay up and stay at the hospital to witness the arrival of his newest brother. Though at times he was worried, and somehow unprepared for all of the throwing up I did, Betsy did a great job of making sure he was doing okay, and not getting too scared. He is proud that he was there, and is completely in love with this little pink bundle of baby boy now in our house. Miles is very gentle and loving of the baby, too. He tries to share his toys and loves to have a moment to hold the baby "My By Self".

Aaron is teasing me about already planning the next baby, and about how I just really can't complain if my hardest pushing stage ever was 10 or 15 minutes. But back labor sucks, even if it was only an hour of it. And pushing is hard, though rewarding work. I'm so grateful I got a chance to experience that, instead of it being such a panic-frantic thing. And I am just incredibly thankful for this amazing doctor, the really wonderful pregnancy she enabled me to have, despite being high risk, and the great labor and birth of my third son. And I can't wait to do it again. Or at least, I can't, right now, imagine never doing it again.