Welcome Baby Elijah!

You know the old saying of “If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all?”  Well that’s why my blog has really been sparse.   I was having a hard time there towards the end of the pregnancy.

I’m happy to announce that little Elijah Jeffrey Davis, also known as Eli, has finally arrived!  He was a healthy 10 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 1/2 in. long.

He was born Thursday, September 22nd.  I went in at 9:00 am to be induced (he was already 2 days late) and he was born at 7:30 pm.

Before:

After: (We were both pretty happy he was out of there!)

It took several hours of Pitocen to get my labor going, but once the Dr broke my water, things really took off.  He came in to check me about an hour and a half later, and it was already time to push.  About 3 minutes later we had a baby!

Grandma and Grandpa Alston had taken the kids out to Organ Stop Pizza for dinner, and came by the hospital on the way home.  They were just in time to meet Eli when he was nice and alert.  We had our first family prayer together, and everyone got to hold him.

I sure love my sweet family.

Mystery talking

This morning on the way to school, Jonah (a first grader) said “I really don’t like all that mystery talking in the morning.”

Having no idea what he was talking about, I asked “What is mystery talking?”

“You know, the one that always ends with ‘Have a great day!”

Caleb caught on a little faster than I did.  He asked “Jonah, does this mystery talking come from a little box up high on the wall in your classroom?”

“Yes.”

“Does everyone in your class think it’s a mystery?”

“Yes.”

“That box is called a speaker, and the mystery talking is called the morning announcements.”

Random goings-on

To be totally honest, this has not been the most joyful summer of my life.  I’m hugely pregnant, hot, and extremely irritable.  Just ask my kids.  Nevertheless, I feel the need to document a few summer happenings.

Caleb and Josh have spent HOURS making things out of duck tape.  That was not a typo, by the way. Duck tape is the much more interesting cousin of duct tape.  It comes in lots of colors and patterns, and can be used to make everything from wallets to roses to bookbags.  It has been a double dream come true for me.  It has kept the boys entertained quietly indoors, which is not at all easy to do, and it has kept them asking for more chores all summer.  “Please, Mom?  Can I have another job to do for another roll of duck tape?”

Jonah has lost his first tooth, and already has two more wiggly ones.

(I plan on adding a few pictures later, but for now I just better get this posted!)

We’ve had lots of mama hens sitting on their eggs with some success.  We’ve had a total of 6 baby chicks.  Two of them have died, but four of them are still following their mama all around the yard, while she teaches them important things, like how to scratch in the dirt.  So cute!

 

Jeff has been working like a madman on our back yard.  He has pulled up lots of unwanted trees and bushes, pulled down what was left of the old shed, hauled something like 16 loads to the dump, and re-arranged tons (literally) of dirt.

When it was all ready, we flooded the dirt lot and let the kids all invite friends for a “mud bowl” party.  I think it was a success.

Simon has discovered a love of puzzles. He wants to do them over and over again, which works pretty well for me. It’s something we can do together that allows me to sit on the couch.

Speaking of couches, we got a big, new sectional for the family room. It was really long past time to replace the old ones. I also re-finished the kitchen island, re-painted the coffee table, and re-did the kids computer area. We also got a cabinet to contain the kids’ toys. I was trying to squeeze in as many projects as I could (a kind of “nesting”?) before I got too big to function.

That time has arrived, by the way. I spend most of my days sitting on the couch whining that my back hurts, which it really, really does. The other day I asked one of the kids to get something for Simon so I wouldn’t have to get up. The response I got was “Boy… I can’t wait until you’re not pregnant anymore, so you can actually do some things around here!” All I can say to that is… me too, guys. Me too.

The Conspiracy

I’m pretty sure I know what my kids talk about, late at night, when they are supposed to be sleeping.  I suspect they lie there and talk about how they can create the maximum amount of work for me, while maintaining a facade of innocence.

I can hear it now:

“When mom asks me to do something, I’m gonna pretend to be agreeable, and then when she turns her back, I’ll ‘forget’ to do it.  That way she’ll have to ask me several times, and follow me around to make sure it gets done.”

“Oh yeah?  Well my plan is to sneak all the clean laundry back into the dirty baskets so she’ll have to wash things over and over again.”

“I’ve been leaving wet towels on the carpet in the corners of my room.  By the time she thinks to look for them there, they’ll smell so bad she’ll have to wash them with bleach!”

“Well when I clear my dishes, I leave big chunks of food in them.  By the time mom figures it out, stuff is always crusted on there, and she has to scrub them double the amount of time.”

“One of the easiest ways to drive her crazy is to put things away in the wrong place.  She’ll spend forever looking for things!”

“Yeah!  That’s a good one!  She may catch on to some of our tricks, but by the time she has to ask each person to find out who made which mess, it probably won’t be worth it.  It’ll just be easier to clean it up herself!

Even Simon has joined in on the fun.  His secret weapon is to suck on the top of the salt shaker, so that every time I want to use it, I have to clean it out to unclog it.

Jeff tries to assure me that it isn’t conscious sabotage, but I’m not so sure.  Maybe tonight I’ll listen outside their bedroom doors…

Alston Family Reunion 2011

Here are a few pictures from the recent Alston reunion in Payson.  I don’t really have anything eloquent to say about it, but only because my brain is barely functional these days.

Simon slept in the bathtub of our hotel room.  We’ve got to make good use of the space, you know!

Swimming with cousins in the hotel pool.

We spent one afternoon at the Verde River, where I remember playing as a kid.  The next generation jumped off the rocks, swung from the rope, and hunted for crawdads.  Of course my dad was the first one all the way in the water.  And fully clothed!

One of the highlights for me was sitting and listening to Uncle RT and Aunt Frankye, two of the “origional” siblings, sit and tell stories from their childhood.   They talked about working long, hard days in the fields, and only getting to keep $.25 of their earnings each week.  The rest went toward supporting the family!  It made realize, again, that I really don’t require too much of my kids. 

Oh What Do You Do In the Summertime?

We’re finding all sorts of creative ways to stay entertained!

Fwee dollars

Simon asks me every day: “Da baby come out your tummy today?”  And every day I have to answer “Not today, buddy.”  It’s going to be a long 3 months of waiting!

Yesterday he was on my bed rubbing my tummy and talking about all the things he will do to help when the baby comes out.  He will hold it, and hug it, and bring mommy diapers.  Those ideas all came from my coaching.

He came up with one idea all on his own.  “When da baby comes out,” he said with an air of importance, “I give it fwee dollars.” (Translation $3.)  I asked, “You think the baby will need three dollars, huh?”  He answered confidently, “Ya. And diapers, and binkies, and blankies.”

Sounds like Simon knows just what his little brother will need.   I’m glad he’s planning ahead!