Ryder's 1st Swim

I took the kids to swim team practice today. You're going to want to ask me some questions about it...so let me help you.

Ask me why I had to quickly find someone with a swim diaper and borrow it?

Because Owen decided to plunge himself into the pool for a swim in all of his clothes. Then he proceeded to throw a screaming fit because he didn't care that he didn't have a swim diaper on. There was no time to get one out of the car...it was urgent I borrow one right away. There were enough people watching me wrestle my child as it was.

Luckily, Alexis' practice didn't start yet so she played with him on the steps (5 feet from where I was.) Then she took him to the kiddie pool (15 feet from where I was sitting.) I was watching him like a hawk...even though Alexis was next to him.

Now...ask me why my clothes are all wet?

That's because Alexis decided to swim under the 2 feet of water in the kiddie pool to the other side leaving Owen alone. She's under water so I can't scream for her to stop. Owen looses his footing and can't figure out how to stand up...so instinctively I sprint the 15 feet to save him. Only...I slip as I run through the kiddie pool. Picture the classic "slip on a banana" type of fall...only in a kiddie pool. Remember I was in a full out sprint. So I fall on my back in the pool...but gain my footing quickly and grab Owen! Who was perfectly fine because I rescued him right when I saw the problem. Forget not wanting all the attention on me!

Now...you might be wondering "that stories great and all but why did you title this post Ryder's 1st swim?"

I will gladly answer that! Here is where this story really gets interesting.

I was actually nursing Ryder when it all went down:

-Alexis swims to the other side of the kiddie pool
-Owen looses his footing standing in the middle of the kiddie pool
-I sprint from my chair...while still nursing Ryder under a white muslin blanket
-I slip and eat it straight on my back in the kiddie pool while nursing Ryder under a blanket
-Ryder is forced to un-latch by the fall
-Ryder starts screaming under the muslin blanket
-All while I grab Owen from the pool and drag my drenched body, Owen and an un-happy Ryder out from the middle of the kiddie pool.

Are you laughing yet? Don't you wish you could have seen it in person? I'll help you change your mind!

Now, I was wearing a very loose cotton skirt. So you know what happens when a loose cotton skirt with no drawstring gets wet and you don't have any free hands to hold it up because you are holding your almost drowning son in one hand and a nursing infant in the other! Luckily, my sister said my shirt only flipped up in the back about 10 inches and the skirt when down a bit...but not all the way. The 40 adults I don't know at swim team were standing behind me and got that view! I'm just glad I wear the underwear I do because if I wore thong underwear...I'm sure I would have heard loud gasping, hyperventilating or maybe even some people puking. Phew! At least I found something positive to say about this span of events that occurred in 10 minutes! And the front side...luckily I was facing towards all the people I know. They claimed I didn't flash them. Ryder and the blanket somehow stayed put in the "general area."

I'm still not sure whether I should laugh or be embarrassed. But I can't help but wonder if some mom's thought to themselves... "And that's why we don't have as many children as those Mormons!"

I did stay for the remainder of practice which was another hour long. I had to finish feeding Ryder, Alexis was just starting practice...and luckily my clothes weren't see through...as long as they didn't fall down! At least I had a good story to tell Chad when I got home.

Sassy and Sweet

Oh...how I love my girl! Yes, at times she can be quite a sassy little thing. But those times are managable because they come between the times where she is the sweetest most thoughtful daughter I could ever ask for!

Today, Chad had left to take Carter to his T-ball game. We were joining them when the game started. I asked Alexis to watch Owen downstairs while I fed Ryder upstairs.

She's quite the little mommy and LOVES holding her brothers. I was the same way when I was her age...I always wanted to hold babies and I hated that I didn't have a younger brother or sister.)

I heard a bunch of moving of chairs and such but I knew Owen was in good hands. Just as I was finishing up feeding Ryder I heard the vacuum turn on. I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear when I heard that sound. I went downstairs to find she had cleaned all the toys in the family room, straightened the couch pillows, cleared the dinner table, wiped it down, vacuumed and was putting all the chairs back.

You better believe she got the biggest hug and kiss after a sweet act like that. It made my day.

It's not him...it's me!

Sure, I can sew and craft. But, photography...not a chance.

Yesterday we tried another photo shoot. This is the best picture I got. Can you tell he was frustrated with me?

I even had him sleeping part of the time and still couldn't get a good picture. I don't have cute pictures of any of my kids as newborns. I get so jealous when people get to have the coolest pictures taken of their newborns. Either I need to win a giveaway on a blog for a photo shoot or I need to run into more money!

Introducing...

Ryder Edwin Pitt
4/8/11
12:55pm

Weighing in at...8lbs 13 oz! That's 2 lbs heavier than my other kids.

I'll save the birth story for another post. It's taken me longer than usual to get this up because I've been extremely tired. The Doctors were very concerned about my iron level and it's definitely had an effect on me. We are working on getting it back up. But we are all healthy and doing great. And just like the rest of my births...I loved it and wanted to do it again. The birth part...not the pregnancy.

Doesn't he have the best hair ever?

He wasn't up for this photo shoot before leaving the hospital! I'll try again soon since he changes so much every day. The biggest difference are his eyes. They were so swollen the first couple of days. I did get around to making this cute shirt for him Thursday afternoon before he was born. We love him so much.

I scared away the baby.

I had decided to work this week since I still hadn't had the baby. Tuesday night I was up all night with contractions. Strong ones. But they weren't very close together.

When I woke up Wednesday (my long work day) I felt a lot of pressure and called my sister to let her know I might be calling her to come into work for me if I went into labor at work.

After I called my sister, I told Alexis to get dressed for school so I wouldn't be late for work. I mentioned she had to wear shorts. She has a fetish with skirts and dresses and it drives me crazy because once she starts wearing them more than once a week to school...she refuses to wear anything else.

It's a constant battle.

So when she walked out of her room in a nice white skirt after I had told her to wear shorts I told he she better change into shorts FAST!

Next, she came out in a frilly puffy church dress. I almost lost it...but refrained and told her she had 2 minutes to get shorts and a shirt on or she would be in big trouble.

I went in her room after 2 minutes. She had pink, yellow and orange plaid shorts on. FINALLY. However, she did not have on a shirt.

That's when the complaining of..."that shirt itches me, that shirt is too hot, I don't like that shirt"...all began. I'll let you in on another small detail: We went through her shirts 2 weeks ago because I was so sick of having shirts in her drawer that she NEVER wears. She let me get rid of 2 shirts!

So you can imagine my frustration. I gave her a few options of shirts. She grabbed a completely different shirt...a purple heart shirt! Being the control freak I am I told her she could not wear it because it did NOT match. (AT ALL)

Then she said this in her whiniest voice, "Why does it have to match. You always make me match...match...match!"

AND...I lost it! I threw the shirts at her. Slammed her dresser drawer. Told her (ok, ok...screamed) I would no longer take her to school...and she could sit in her room all day! Then I might have slammed the door on my way out...just to prove a point, of course.

Chad met me at the stairs and asked what was going on and he went up to deal with Alexis. He told me just to go to work and he would get her to school. He ended up taking her to school late because she was a hysterical mess.

Meanwhile, I got in my car and went to work. And that's when I realized something.

I felt normal again. No pressure. No more contractions. I completely scared this baby and I pictured him either crawling back up into my ribs or spreading his arms and legs wide like a star fish...thinking, "There is no way I'm coming out to that lady today. She's crazy!"

And so...here I sit. Still pregnant. 7 days late.

Seriously?

No baby. I woke up this morning and this is what Carter looked like. I started laughing.

Alexis asked, "What happened to Carter's eye?"
Of course we have no clue.
Then she enthusiastically reminds Carter it's his birthday tomorrow.

He exclaims, "Yea...but I'll still have THIS EYE for my birthday!"

I told him we love him with THAT EYE too.
I don't know if it helped because then he asked if he could please stay in the car when we took Alexis to school.

Perspective & Change

Isn't it amazing how something can happen within a day and it changes your feelings about something in an instant. Well, that happened to me on Wednesday. I've been so ready to have this baby. For the first time, I never got that nesting phase for my last month of pregnancy. It was awful. Luckily, Chad has started nesting for us. If I listed all the things he's just done without me asking it might bore you...but it's a lot...and it's made me super happy because I've been really frustrated with how tired I am all the time.

Anyhow, I'm ready...but my house may not be. Sunday night, Owen had some goop in his eyes...so I immediately called my brother and made him prescribe me pink eye medication. It looked like he could possible be coming down with it and that is the last thing I need with a newborn. Monday morning Carter woke up with it too. By Tuesday, both their eyes where clear. The medicine worked fast and we continued to give it to them to make sure it was gone.

Wednesday, I went to work. When I picked up Owen from Chad's mom's house...he looked terrible. Probably, up there with the sickest I have ever seen one of my kids. His eyes were swollen...with nasty thick yellowish green goop in his eyes, he had a fever, was grumpy, wouldn't eat and looked down right awful. I immediately called to get him into a pediatrician that night. I had to drive over 30 minutes to get him in that night but I didn't care. It was torture. I was due in 2 days. I had worked 9 hours. And now all he wanted was for me to hold him while he cried. Not to mention his fever was making me so hot I wanted to pass out. Unfortunately, he had come down with a quick onset of Bronchiolitis. Every time he coughed more of that nasty goop would come out of his eyes. It was disgusting. He had to get a thick shot in his thigh because he had a bad ear infection too. That needle was so big. I felt bad for him...and that is coming from someone who gives people injections all the time. It looked way too big! He is on oral steroids, eye drops, breathing treatments and of coarse IB profin. Luckily, I was able to choose to have the shot so we didn't have to give him antibiotics every day. He's horrible with taking medication. Oh and...the Dr. warned us...he CAN NOT be around a newborn for 10 days.

So within hours of getting home from work...I went from wanting this baby to come out asap...to wanting him to stay in there for at least a week. It took every ounce of strength I had left in me that day to not start crying. Luckily, for me...the baby decided it's best to stay put...and the due date has passed and he's still not here. I never in a million years thought I'd be happy about that...but I really am.