"Half-Pint of Cider, All Drunk Up"

The Harvest Party, attended by our small group from church, was a big hit with the whole family this year. It was Esther's first small group event, and she slept through the majority of it- a sure sign that she LOVED the outing. For the older girls, it was nothing but an extension of their everyday pretend world. I introduce to you: the Ingalls Family (Charles, Caroline, Mary, and Laura). I suggest to you that if you care at all about fashion or at least attempting to flatter whatever shape God has blessed you with, prairie style finished with a small print pinafore is NOT the way to go. My three week postpartum shape was certainly hidden under all those layers, but most definitely not improved. Nope. Not at all.

But where did those fantastically modest frocks come from? Hope wore a dress and bonnet that was made for my sister in law when she was a child. She recently passed it on to Eva, and Eva might wear it out! Hope also sported a pinafore apron made by my grandmother for one of my young cousins and passed on to us. Her costume was completed by adorable little black pointy toe boots. Eva's and my dresses were sewn by a good friend of my family. She had four daughters, about my same age, and each summer we all attended "Old Time School" together, in a one-room school house, in our old time outfits. Our friend was gracious enough to unearth the dresses, shawls, boots, bonnets, and lunch pails that her girls had worn to school 20 years ago or more! Eric admittedly felt a little left out of the loop, as we threw his costume together (complete with nylon rope suspenders) the night of the party :(.

I don't know how Ma did it, wearing a bonnet and trying to keep track of her three little girls all the time! The radius of sight when that bonnet is snugly tied under your chin is really small! Right, Hope? Ahhh, now that's better!
And there's Half-Pint herself. Eva was in a make-believe paradise, in which all the adults called her Laura and she was allowed as many corn bread muffins as she could consume. To her, pioneer life is intoxicating, captivating, and all together perfect. I think it is the delightful combination of high adventure and simplicity intertwined with family life that make keep us coming back to those good 'ol days. To top it all off, we found out there were prizes to be won for the best costumes. A combination of pride and ecstasy slowly crept across Eva's face when they announced the winners for "best executed costume", the Ingalls Family!!! It took her half a second to realize that WE were the INGALLS family, but then she was all about the chocolates and coffee that we won! And here's Pa with his happy girls.
We weren't the only fun costumes at the party that night. Although I didn't get good pictures of everyone, there was also the Wetzel family, dressed as a small swarm of bees.And Becca L., came as an "extinct Northwest mechanic."
And Caleb and Kristie came as a cowboy and his princess. This picture was taken as Caleb tried his hardest to get Kristie to kiss him in front of other people. He succeeded! Jon H., voted least likely to ever dress up, surprised us all and came as an over-the-top tourist. He had it all: water sox, chapstik lanyard, foam visor, name tag, Hawaiian shirt, sunscreen nose, and last but not least FANNY PACK! Tonya complimented him in her turtle costume.
Joel and Erika were a pumpkin and it's guts. Mmmmm...Hope's buddy, Roman, was a cow.
And his mother was the most beautiful widow in mourning I've ever laid eyes on.
Did you want to see one last picture of little Hope in her prairie garb??? Me too!There she goes!

Happy Birthday, Dear Hope

As the title of this post suggests, I am finally responding to the many prompts, "Did I miss Hope's birthday post...?" No, you didn't miss anything! In the excitement of preparing for, welcoming, and adjusting to the new baby, I have overlooked a few things in bloggy-land. Rest assured, we did NOT overlook Hope's real life birthday though! That would be downright pitiful, and we aim to avoid such things. So, without further ado, let's indulge in some birthday remembering...

Dear Hope,

It may sound cliche, but I'll say it anyway. How is it even possible that you're already TWO years old?!? We cherish you and enjoy each day with you by our side. The many changes that have taken place since your last birthday astound me! There are some obvious ones- now days you talk, walk, run, sleep all night, play in your imagination, listen to endless repetitions of your favorite books, chew your veggies, and wear undies.

...We celebrated together at Grandpa and Grandma Spears' after you and Eva spent the weekend there. Eva helped Grandma make this chocolate cake for you...

Of course, the subtle changes delight us too. We've seen your personality emerge more this year, and frankly, you've won us over. You are eternally cheerful, easily excited about all activities, and laugh off any insult. You are very emotional, and seem to have pretty good "EQ", often showing sympathy, sharing some one's joy, or simply observing the slight changes in some one's mood. Disciplining you isn't fun of course, but we find it to be very effective because of your sensitive nature. We always feel loved when you're around because of your sweet smile and soft, gentle eyes. It seems like others feel the same way too. We've been told over and over how much fun you are and how people are drawn to you. What a joy! ...Before any of us started singing, you burst into joyful, LOUD song, singing yourself "Happy Birthday" and ending with lots of clapping and laughing. You were so cute and funny that you sent Eva into fits of giggles...

You and Eva have had an especially important year, I think. A year ago, you two didn't really play together at all. As the year progressed, you started to show interest in her and joining her play. This, of course, was the beginning of some hard times. There were days when you two fought with each other tooth and nail, figuratively speaking (well, almost... :). You may be sweet, soft, and fun-loving, but you still like a piece of the action sometimes! No doubt, keeping up with your competitive and fast-paced older sister has required you to develop some backbone! However, despite all the little quarrels, these days you and Eva are completely dependent on each other and adore being together. You laugh at each other's jokes (simple and ridiculous as they are), go on all sorts of imaginary adventures together, and lovingly talk each other into eating your less favorite foods at dinner.

...After we all finally sang and you blew out your two candles...

Many nights Mom and Dad have to be rather strict with you two at bedtime since you love to "sing each other to sleep." We listen to you sing the Gospel Song, Isty Bitsy Spider, Jesus Loves Me, Trust in the Lord, and Mary Had a Little Lamb to each other, quietly sometimes and sometimes at the top of your lungs! Although this is of no real significance, each night at bedtime, regardless of the temperature, you insist on being smothered with as many blankets as we'll give you. Usually, that is four. And you keep them on until you fall asleep, then I find you kick them off, seeking some relief from the heat!

...opening some gifts with Eva's help at Grandpa and Grandma Spears' ...

We've had some hard times this year too. You weren't the healthiest kid ever, and I (mom) had to fight my worries about you. There was the infamous egg allergy reaction, which resulted in anaphalactic shock and a trip to the ER. There were also three solid months, December-February, of sickness for you. You rotated through various strains of stomach viruses, colds, fevers, and unconfirmed hepatitis A with no respite. You wouldn't even recover from one ailment before you would just transition to a new one. You and I were both exhausted after months of little sleep, lots of holding, and altogether yuckiness. Thankfully, your little immune system capitalized on that down time to (hopefully) make some major strides towards strength. The rest of the year has been basically healthy for you. Praise God!...Standing around with your friends Malachi and Hazel at the park waiting to go home. We had a lovely outdoor "friends" party planned, but the weather ended up being unseasonably windy and cold so we retreated to our house...

The summer was good for you- you loved swimming and playing in water, drawing with (and eating) sidewalk chalk, running around outside, and taking l-o-n-g afternoon naps. Some of your other favorite activities around the time of your birthday are playing dress-up as Mary Ingalls or a princess, caring for your babies, driving the blue car outside, playing "peoples" (little people), and tickling and wrestling with Daddy or Eva. You will sit and look at picture books for 45 minutes by yourself, and who knows how long you would listen to us read to you! Truthfully, you like pretty much any activity, especially active ones.

...A sampling of the crowded, but WARM, living room...

Now the trivial little details: You wear size 6.5 shoes, size 24 month clothes, and size 5 diapers to bed at night. Your favorite foods are cheese, strawberries, peanut butter, bananas, plain yogurt, avocados, noodles, baked potatoes, brown rice, and oatmeal with coconut oil and honey. If allowed, you would gobble up "goldy-fish" all day and you have a real penchant for chocolate!Your best friend is Hazel and you two raise quite a ruckus in the church nursery together. You love to play, and play rough(!), at aether's houses too. You speak really well for your age, though you still have many grammar and pronunciation errors. Some of our favorites are "I am-are" (I am), "opi meal" (oatmeal), "Eba" (Eva), and "oar port" (airport). Your favorite books are "The Napping House" and "Beauty and the Beast", your favorite toy is your little orange care-bear, and your favorite blanket is the soft, yellow one from Great Aunt Jodi.

...blowing out the candles with help from Hazel and Eva at our "friends" party...

Well little one, there's much more to say than I could ever write in a letter. We are thankful for you, blessed by your smiley face, and eager to watch you grow. Sometimes I wish I could just bottle up your squishy body and innocent giggle and keep you small forever. But then I know we would miss out on all the wonderful things God has in store for you in the next year! Happy Birthday, Hope!

With love and prayers,

Mom and Dad

4 Weeks

Baby Esther is four weeks old today. We have been having so much fun snuggling, nursing, cuddling, changing diapers, and assisting gassy baby that I practically forgot about blogging. Just kidding... but add all the above to running to preschool, entertaining flocks of visitors, folding laundry, celebrating our Halloween costumes, attempting to get into profitable family routines, and more I just haven't had time for blogging! This post will be mostly pictures of Esther, but the other girls have had some memorable moments lately too, so hopefully it won't be too long before I blog again.

"Baby E" is generally very content and relaxed, no problems with car rides for this one... But after all, she is a baby and occasionally seizes the opportunity to behave as such!
As I mentioned, we've had a constant flow of visitors, some of whom I've already documented. It was a special treat, though, for my grandparents from Colorado to fly in this week. I guess they couldn't stay away after the baby boom in our family this fall! Here is Esther with her Great-Grandma Knudtsen.
And her Great-Grandpa Knudtsen. I'm pretty sure he was happy to give her right back this time!
Now this is more typical... just chillin' out on the couch and dozing off just about anywhere you put her down. We're not sure about her eye color yet. They're black-ish right now, but every once in awhile they hint at blue. That would be fun!
Starting to get tired (again). Some fun facts about Esther at 4 weeks old:

Weighed 10 pounds, 3 ounces a few days ago - Wearing size 1-2 diapers and 0-3 month clothes - We've gotten a handful of real smiles in the past few days. Yay! I've been waiting for this all month! - Nurses approximately every 2.5-3 hours during the day, and no longer has to be woken up for every feeding - Takes about 6 naps a day lasting about an hour - Loves to be held and stare at faces - Has a gassy gut EVERY night between 9 pm and midnight. Fortunately I'm learning that if I drink a cup of chamomile tea before nursing her at night, the problem is avoided! - Sleeps on her back - Typically sleeps about 6-7 hours at night before waking to eat -Prefers to be held facing out or in the "cradle" hold - Has a few hints of baby acne, and has been bathed a scant three times in her life - Enjoys riding in the Baby Bjorn - Still has LOTS of dark shiny hair with a hint of red in it - Is very patient and relaxed with her sisters who love to hold, cuddle, kiss, and hug her all day long.

Now, an interview with her oldest sister:

Mom: Tell me about Esther.

Eva: I love her (big, happy sigh). And I think that she's nice, too. And I love her this much (holding her arms waaayyy out).

Mom: What did you tell me about how she smells?

Eva: Her head smells like breast milk and her hands smell like cheese.

Mom: Huh.

Eva: And I love her very much!

This is the end of my story, so that's all about Esther at four weeks old. We're off to ready ourselves for a Harvest party tonight. Stay tuned for pics of this dressed up family soon! Any guesses at our costumes???

Station #6

This year we are doing a grand experiment in extracurricular activities. Since, in my opinion, home-life is the best curriculum for a young child, any activity outside the home counts as extracurricular. In the past we have done almost nothing aside from Sunday morning church activities, save a few swimming lessons, but this year we're doing swimming, hoping to start ballet after the holidays, and *gasp* preschool. And we added a newborn to the mix. I'll tell you when we start to feel over-scheduled, but for now it is all fun and games.

Preschool was a hard decision for us. We are still leaning towards homeschooling for kindergarten next year, so I questioned if going to preschool would set a bad precedent. Also, making preschool work is difficult when you are a one car and one income family. After much prayer and discussion, we decided that we would try to get Eva into a preschool. She wanted it sooooo bad... just to do anything "special" and outside the home. I compared the pros and cons of several options, but then a completely unique option came on the horizon. As it turns out, we have chosen to join a "preschool co-op." We meet two mornings a week, the fee was $10, and the moms take turns teaching. Two moms (with apparently lots of free time... ha ha) lead the charge and have taken the time to establish a very detailed and fun curriculum for the year so we always know what to teach and what our kids should be learning. The curriculum includes lots of typical preschool stuff: calendar, weather, play time, snack, reading, art, character traits, and more. So far, Eva is really enjoying the time, and I have had a lot of fun teaching as well!

Back to "Station #6".... today was our first preschool field trip, and we went to a fire station. I thought it was super cool and really enjoyed learning about a fire fighter's job, as well as seeing everything up close. Truthfully, Eva was disappointed because it wasn't like the Curious George book in which he visits a fire station (Naughty Curious George always has more fun as he wreaks havoc wherever he goes!), but I think she still learned a lot and had fun. So, Station #6 is the busiest station in Minneapolis, and the 15th busiest in the nation. There were six different crews on while we were there, and it was thrilling (and a little scary) to see the firefighters race to the trucks whenever a call came in. We got to see plenty of action! The firefighters who gave us our tour actually had to leave part-way through and passed us off to another crew to finish the tour. I'll mix a few fun facts about fire fighting in with the pictures: This dude is a firefighter in full uniform. He is wearing protective pants, coat, boots, gloves, mask, and helmet. He also sports an oxygen tank and axe. All of this weighs about 60 pounds! He looked a little scary to the little ones in his attire, and boy was he sweaty when he disrobed! The oxygen tank will last him 30 minutes, at best, so it is important to move quickly.
Hope is sitting in the driver's seat of a small firetruck. We looked at lots of different kinds of trucks, but our tour guide only let us get in "his" truck. This truck is primarily for medical emergencies. This crew (EMTs) respond to the most serious health related 911 calls. They have an impressive response time of about 3 minutes or less, compared to the ambulance which averages at least 7 minutes.
Here, Eva poses as a firefighter. Becoming a professional firefighter is a pretty big achievement. There is a training school to attend, testing that is extremely physically difficult, and then you basically have to win the lottery! For every open position in Minneapolis, there are 2,400 applicants. I have a friend from high school that works at Station #6, so apparently he was one of the lucky winners! The schedule seems pretty peachy, they work ten 24-hour shifts each month. They eat, sleep (in their own private bedroom), play, exercise, and work during a shift.Here are the girls sitting on the big front bumper of the truck. There is room for lots of people to climb on a firetruck, but when it's time for a call, the firefighters are all safely buckled in to regular seats in the cab. Were you wondering where the dalmation Fire Dog is in all these pictures? Station pets were outlawed about 20 years ago in order to allow for firefighters with pet allergies :(.Here are all the kids, along with two firefighters who very kindly showed us around, answered our questions, and instructed the little ones on fire safety. They even requested a special "test" alarm to be rung, welcoming us to the fire station. Not everyone was able to make it today, but (L-R) Eva, Hope, Nina, Elijah, Kara, Zoe, Madelyn, Katelyn, and Rina partook in the festivities. Way fun!

Lengthy Update :)

We're still alive here, really! I've wished to post pictures and a brief update many times, but seriously (!) life keeps on moving, and fast.

To answer the basic questions, we're all currently healthy, happy, and in a period of adjustment (which takes different forms for each of us).

Eric went back to work yesterday after his two week (paid... thank you corporate America!) paternity leave, and the girls and I had a peaceful day at home catching up on laundry and making sure everybody got naps. Today was busier- Eva had preschool and Hope and I took Esther to her weight check at the Dr.'s office. We also fit in a trip to the grocery store (first time with all three!), and of course took naps.

The Dr.'s appointment was awesome for two reasons. 1) Esther is doing well and, despite her lazy eating habits, has gained over a pound in less than two weeks. 2) I remembered all of my insignificant little questions, the Dr. was on time and EFFICIENT, and we didn't have to defend why we don't vaccinate our babies. Good day.

I have had a less-than-stellar recovery the last two weeks. I've alternated between feeling totally great and becoming a complete train wreck. I think I overdo it when I feel good, which has resulted in a case of mastitis, a trip to the ER for severe abdominal pain (I honestly expected them to do a hysterectomy on the spot, I was in so much pain!), and some "elimination issues." So, naps are in order for Mom for the next few weeks for sure. Thankfully, during Eric's paternity leave he was a champion servant! At every breakdown moment, he took over all of my responsibilities and more. There were many days when I did absolutely nothing besides rest and nurse Esther. A servant-hearted husband is a total blessing!

I am completely in love with little Esther. I've been told that each child grows up faster than the one before, and that you enjoy each one more and more. I think that must be true, as I can hardly believe she is already almost 3 weeks old. And I am definitely savoring these cuddly days with a sweet, sweet baby. I am a blessed mama, indeed.

The other girls have been adjusting quite well also. Eva is almost as in love with Esther as I am, giving her innumerable kisses and cuddles each day. She happily holds her and "shooshes" her when she fusses. She says over and over, "I love, love, LOVE her, mommy! She is sooooo sweet." Hope, on the other hand, spends very little time focused on Esther. She likes her and is kind and gentle, but doesn't seem to have the same infatuation that Eva posseses. Generally, Hope seems to be missing a few snuggles with mom, needing tons of sleep, and constantly asking to read books together. Thankfully, the potty training appears to be holding! All in all, the girls are good.

So, here are the pics:

I'm guessing Esther was about 4 days old in this picture... just chillin' with mom in bed.
I tried to get a good picture of Eva holding Esther, but every time the shutter opened, Eva immediately switched her smiley face to some ridiculous expression. She had perfect timing because I have a hilarious series of about 15 different silly faces, and Esther still sleeping!
Finally, a pretty good smile. And doesn't Eva look so OLD in this picture! I feel like she has turned into a big kid overnight!Esther gets lots, lots, lots of lovin'!
Grandma Patenaude came to visit when Esther was exactly one week old. Grandma P. is getting really, really good at holding babies (after four of her own and ten grandchildren!), and Esther didn't seem to mind at all :).That weekend marked the first real snow of the season, October 10th, so early. Again, I look at these girls and can't help but think they've grown up so much lately!Grandpa Patenaude came to visit the next weekend, when Esther was exactly 2 weeks old. He brought the girls a huge pumpkin and carved it with them on Saturday morning while Dad and Mom got to sleep in. That was wonderful...
The day after Grandpa Patenaude's visit, we were planning to go to an apple orchard and state park with some of our friends from college. I was bummed when I came down with mastitis since I figured there was no way I would be able to go. God answered many prayers though, and I recovered quickly and was able to enjoy a BEAUTIFUL fall day out with my family and friends. We went to Taylor's Falls, which is one of my favorite day trip destinations, and the girls really enjoyed climbing around on the rocks and sitting by the river.

I know I sound like a broken record, but doesn't Eva look older in this shot... and when did she learn that rock star-ish pose?!?It has been a dry year, meaning the leaves aren't really impressive this fall. However, near the river, the colors were stunning. So, that's all folks. Hopefully, I'll return to the bloggy-land soon. If not, you can assume I've been taken hostage by three little girls and a laundry pile :)

Our Other New Baby

Gestational period of approximately 7 weeks, and counting.

After years of dreaming, deliberating and debating the costs, Eric finally felt like it was time to take the plunge.

It was (is) a labor of love, including: 5 gallons of Round-Up, 300 feet of poly pipe, a countless number of couplers and joints, 30 feet of copper pipe, 15 sprinkler heads, 6 lbs of Bachmann's custom blended MN grass seed, three complete weekends and 15 evenings after work, some help from a couple of trusty friends, who knows how many shovelfuls of dirt and trips of the wheelbarrow, 2 hours of Becca's pregnancy spent digging trenches on her hands and knees, 35 trips to and from the Home Depot Rental Center (roller, tiller, etc.), a custom designed schematic from Toro, and one vacuum-pressure breaker (because Eric likes things to be up to code and pulls all his permits as he ought).

Add in the hours and hours Eva and Hope spent engrossed in tactile play in the world's largest sandbox, the vast army of worms rudely interrupted from their simple lives of tunnel digging, the innumerable loads of laundry set on "heavily soiled" and "second rinse" with a few scoops of Oxi-Clean for good measure, the muddy fingerprints and footprints found on all possible surfaces inside our home, and the weeks of surrendering to the disaster zone therefore deciding not to clean.
And let's not forget the 150 days (at LEAST) spent waiting for the city of Richfield to replace the old driveway apron with a cement curb. Perhaps there were 10+ calls of urgency to the city, which finally resulted in an entire baseball line-up worth of men and TWO cement trucks arriving to put in 15 feet of curb and work for approximately 20 minutes. Don't get me wrong... we love the efficiency of government, but really folks?!?And, I'm not sure from where abouts they rounded these fellas up... the cast of Survivor comes to mind...

Now, our new "baby" is thriving in damp fall conditions, growing up healthy and strong!
We now have a completely level, weed-free, underground sprinkler system engaged front yard. And though I am in disbelief, Eric says it was a simple project, really. By the spring, our newest human babe will be able to crawl around and enjoy the pleasure of a lush, green, soft and inviting lawn! Ahhh spring greenery.

Birth Story

The story of our third daughter's arrival begins a few days earlier than her actual entrance into the world. On Wednesday, I had a check up with my midwife. She checked my dilation and told me that I was at 3 cm (gaining just one cm from the last week), but the check really hurt which made me suspect something was transpiring. After that appointment I started having cramps, contractions, and bloody show for rest of the day. The following day was the same, but the contractions never got closer than 10 minutes apart, and though they hurt, they wouldn't hold me back from anything. I suggested to a few people that they pray for the baby to come, just because this vague sort-of labor thing was starting to wear my patience!

Thursday afternoon, with my house practically spotless after weeks of go-go-go, my friend Bethany and I sat down to "finally" have a little fun with this pregnancy. Our four daughters (combined, between the two of us) watched on with great intrigue as she transformed my prego belly into a "weaving from the 1960's" (Eric's words). I had zero contractions during the two hour ordeal, but the baby was kicking all over which added a little comedy to our routine!

Bethany, a former art teacher and painter, took to my stomach free hand with henna dye. Truthfully, we're always talking about ways to keep our lives out of the trenches of the mundane, and this seemed like a fun approach! These were the last pictures we took of me pregnant... wish we would've had the presence of mind to take one or two standing up and see just how far out baby girl was hangin'. I also didn't take any pictures of the finished product; all you can see here is the belly with the dye still on. It did turn out really cool though.Thursday night I had a few hard contractions, but nothing regular. I woke up in the morning suggesting to Eric that today would be a good day to have a baby, but I wasn't "feelin' it." I putzed around the house that day, doing some small tasks and blogging about our October money plan. When it came time to put phase one of the plan into action, the girls and I donned our rain coats to walk around the block to the gas station ATM. Wouldn't you know it, just as we were heading out the door, I thought I wet my pants (just a little). So, I changed my pants, put my jacket back on, and we made the short trek. As I stood in line to pay for the two doughnuts we had picked out (now, that's prenatal nutrition for ya!), I wet my pants again (just a little). We meandered back home, and I started to make lunch. When I sat down to eat, I knew this was for real. Though I had been suspecting a small leak after our walk, my water broke in earnest and I knew it was go-time!

I called Eric at work, telling him that my water had broken but I wasn't having contractions... just plan on coming home from work on time, OK? Then I started to call our battalion of childcare providers. The girls were supposed to be cared for at our house by Eric's sister-in-law and nieces, but it turned out that they had a really busy weekend at their house. We started making alternative plans. Since they would be coming a small distance to watch the girls, we thought we might need to drop them off at a friend's house to wait. I started calling all our pre-arranged options, but no one was picking up! Within a few minutes of my water breaking, contractions had started, so now I called Eric again to tell him that he better come straight home. He was home within a half hour, and by the time he got there I was having very frequent, very painful contractions. We still hadn't heard from any of our babysitters, so in desperation I called a neighbor who we barely know. She had been to our house a few times for play dates, but I still I would've called them acquaintances. In a conversation that lasted 15 seconds (no kidding, I checked my phone log), she agreed to watch the girls indefinitely and immediately.

Eric was gone for about 7 minutes dropping the girls off, in which time I threw some necessities into a suitcase and plopped down on the couch to wait. He came back, loaded me into the car, and we were off. We sat in traffic for a bit, but were to the hospital within 20 minutes. By the time we arrived, I knew that we didn't have a lot of time and I was thinking about the Group B Strep issue... wanting to have enough time to do a round of antibiotics.

We valet parked the van, "hopped" out, and started a 26.2 mile walk to the labor and delivery floor. Wouldn't you know, the hospital is under construction, and you literally follow a yellow line of masking tape through many, many miles of tunnels and "secret" corridors. Thankfully, we happened on a labor and delivery nurse along the way who served as our guide. I stopped with each contraction to hold onto the wall, cursing the ridiculous nature of this situation. I remember saying, "man, if a woman was about to have a baby this would be horrible" about 10 times during the journey. Upon arrival, a glassy eyed nurse gawked at me and repeated 15 questions that I had already answered until a very nice young nurse led me away while Eric fielded the questions.

The labor progressed like they did with the other girls, constant and steady. I was thrilled to see my favorite midwife - the midhusband - was on call, and he had the best possible nurse with him as well. We felt truly blessed to have such a relaxed, natural birth loving team. After a few minutes, the midwife checked me and said I was at 8 cm. I was already feeling some back labor (a sure sign of transition, for me), so I wasn't surprised at all when he told me it wouldn't be worth it to do the antibiotics. He had a short conversation with Eric explaining why I shouldn't have the IV (an incomplete round would do more harm than good), then he stepped out for a few minutes.

He told me later that he was at the other end of the hall when they told him to RUN because I was pushing! Literally, I think I had about 5 back labor contractions before I rolled over on my side, yelled, "I'm pushing this baby out NOW," and pushed. After the first push, I looked down and saw a little round head full of thick, black hair. Since our other girls were totally bald, it was so fun to see something different. It totally distracted from the pain, and after one or two more pushes, she was lying on my chest screaming.

Our friend Bethany, pictured above in the "tattoo parlor," had come to record the event for us. Amazingly, she was able to pack us a lunch, drop her daughters off, and be there for about half of the labor. She taped and snapped a lot of pictures, but I probably won't be putting any of them on this family friendly, public blog :). We had invited my mom to come as well, but sadly she didn't make it until a half hour after the baby was born. After it was all done, Eric was the timekeeper: I called him to come home from work around 1:30. We got to the hospital at 2:43. Baby girl came barrelling out at 3:34. This was one fast labor! We joyfully admired baby girl and celebrated a happy, quick arrival. The rest of the hospital stay was pleasant... the girls and Dana and Hannah came to visit shortly after dinner. My sister and Jon and Levi came around the same time. The next day we only had a couple of visitors, all in all it was a low key time. We spent much of it deliberating over the baby's name:After the bustle of comments about the Group B Strep issue, I'm sure some of you are curious how that turned out. I felt great peace about not doing the IV antibiotics, as if God has planned the timing of the labor to eliminate a few decisions for us. They did a slew of blood tests and extra vitals on the baby and have declared her "good" for now. She did struggle in the first few hours to keep her body temperature up, but that resolved naturally and wasn't a real sign of infection so soon after birth.

Eric and I marvelled over and over at how happy we were with the birth. Labor with Eva was chaotic for a variety of reasons, labor with Hope was very similar to this one only an hour or two longer. Somehow though, the tone and the pace of this labor felt so ideal. I was able to relax through most of the contractions (really... Eric spent most of his time in the delivery room on the phone or chatting with the midhusband), and the pushing actually felt like a relief- aside from the severe burning sensation :). We are thanking God for a simple, uncomplicated birth. And, I'm considering that my intense intake of raspberry leaf infusion really helped to have my uterus and mind nourished and ready to go. Even recovery has been easier than the other two (so far...) with little bleeding, less cramping, and a noticeable lack of lower region soreness. Thank God! Now don't get me wrong, I'm still tired and my body is certainly recovering from an intense workout... it's just that it could be way worse than it is.

Now we're home and after days of indecisiveness about a name, we've finally decided. Actually, I thought we had decided earlier in the day today, but Eric said he took one last vote at a men's meeting at church tonight. The vote was evenly split, and I'm sticking with our previous decision. We had a lot of names that we kind of liked, but nothing that really grabbed us, so it was hard to narrow the choices. Normally I am indecisive and Eric makes his mind up quickly, but this time even he couldn't decide. Our final two candidates were Metta Jane (Metta after Eric's great grandmother and Jane after my grandmother) and Esther Hansen (Hansen is Eric's middle name and his mom's maiden name). Now, after forcing you to read this super long post just to find out the name, I introduce to you:

Esther Hansen Patenaude

She's Here!!!

Most everyone knows by now, but

The newest sister HAS ARRIVED!!!

We are enamored with baby girl and quite pleased after our first full day home together. For those who keep track, the stats:

8 lbs, 8 oz.

22 inches

Born on October 2, 2009

3:34 pm

I'll post more details about the overwhelmingly fast labor and delivery tomorrow, as well as pictures, and - drum roll, please - the name (which we are finalizing tonight)!!!

(and for anyone following the polls, the arrival came exactly at 39 weeks.)

spend less challenge

We're doing it again this year! On Mary's inspiration, we'll be doing a low spending month in October. Last year we tried it, and I was so pleased to end the month knowing that I had spent less than $100 on everything! For us, October is the perfect time to do it too... coming off the summer when it feels like spending gets a little out of control, and right before the holidays when I know spending gets out of control. I have a mental image of autumn's falling leaves, like our falling expenses. Something like that, anyway.

This year it will be interesting to see how it works out since this is baby arrival month. We could incur some extra expenses with convenience foods, parking at the hospital, baby necessities, etc., but I think I've planned ahead through the summer so that this won't happen. Especially in the area of food, I don't foresee a lot of spending. We have our freezer stash, and the ladies from our church are planning to bring a few weeks of meals too. So, in theory, it shouldn't be too hard to spend little and save much.

The plan is simple: Today the girls and I walk down the block to the gas station, withdraw $140 from the ATM, and I put away the debit/credit cards. I keep $100 in my wallet, Eric gets $40. It can be spent on whatever we want, really there's no budget plan. The goal is just to not spend it all! A few areas fall outside of the cash jurisdiction: mortgage, utilities, fuel, and medical bills (which will be adding up soon!). Will any of you join us?!? At least follow along and tip me off to the sweet deals I'll be sniffing out at the grocery store!