The Reality of Two...It's not double the work!

No, someone once told me that when you add a second to the brood, you don't double your work, you triple it! I say hogwash! It's not even close. WAY more! And while I don't presume to understand the amount of work to come in raising two boys as the lone female among the bunch, I do know and understand how very little "me" time there is these days. I am so thankful that I was able to come to grips with the reality of a mother early on. I realized very quickly how meaningless it is to quibble over the fact that you probably won't shower with any given regularity, or at least when you want to, how you will treasure the rarity of a visit to the bathroom by yourself and will sit there extra long just to see how long it can last, how quality time with your husband may consist of a quick hello, an even quicker kiss goodnight, and maybe a "how's it going" passing each other in the hallway, and how a clean shirt without food, boogers, spit up or some form of dirt is basically unheard of and ceases to bother you more than a passing glance.

And I have to shake my head and smile at it all. We still pass each other in the hall and give a kiss goodnight, but more often than not it's to change places with one of the kids that is not sleeping through the night, or to figure out who's going to sleep in the bed, the mattress on the floor or in the crack of the boat bed. The other night we started out with Cooper in the hallway and us in our bed. Middle of the night Thomas comes in and boots me out of bed, just in time to hussle Cooper out to the couch to eat. I thought better of disturbing the snoring Whipples in the big bed, so Coop and I headed to Tommy's room where he slept in the toddler bed and I tried to sleep on the boat bed. Musical beds! At least I didn't end up on the mattress on the floor. There is so much sand in that bed from the kids jumping that it's hard to sleep unless curled up tightly on the blanket that also doubles as "the tent".

Cooper has a great case baby acne right now, is still sleeping a great majority of his life, and in the last week has put together 5 to 7 hours of sleep a few nights. That, combined with John taking some midnight-1 am feedings, and I feel like I can manage pretty well throughout the days. I'm getting used to running in and out of the house to watch both boys at once, and have figured out how to hustle Cooper from floor, to bouncy seat, to swing and back, all the while keeping Thomas happy while swimming and playing at the beach. It just takes constant motion on my part, and I feel like I'm figuring it out, one day at a time. It helps that on days when I start to hyperventilate, Lil and Bruce come to my rescue, taking Tommy upstairs, outside and out on little trips, freeing me to just focus on Cooper. I don't know if they realize what a life save that is, but it is truly what is keeping us afloat during this crazy time. It also helps that Thomas seems to be adjusting to his changing life. When it's time to come in to feed Coop, he's pretty good about coming in with me and waiting it out, providing he can be entertained with a show and a snack. I'm very grateful that he's quick to distract and slow to get frustrated. All in all, 5 weeks have flown by and I think we're all very eager to enjoy a beautiful summer together.

The Week of the Baby Whisperer

This week we went and picked up mom in North Bend to have around this first week that John goes back to work. I just couldn't imagine what it would be like if I had to be home alone so soon, so mom eagerly took on the challenge of helping out. Thankfully, she is a jewel with babies, and the week was entirely enjoyable being able to share time together, hang out and catch up, figure The Coop out (or try to that is!) and keep things a bit more sane on my part. We were able to trade nap times, share time outside with Thomas, I was able to take Thomas to preschool and spend time with him there, as well as enjoy some grocery shopping without both boys. Bruce and Lil take Thomas upstairs and outside when I needed to feed Cooper (Thomas is still trying to figure out why mom spends 45 minutes at a time feeding Cooper on the couch instead of playing with him) and that helped out a bunch. I don't want to lean on them too much, but it is such a relief and a blessing that Thomas can call up "hello?" and can be distracted and loved on when I'm fussing over Coop. I really don't know what I'd do without all the support we've had. I'm scared to think of what will happen when I'm actually alone.

Week 3 Wrap-Up

This week we determined that unlike Thomas and his 4 1/2 month addiction to the swaddle, Cooper does not enjoy being wrapped up like a burrito.

Cooper does not appear to enjoy the dubbie (pacifier). He'll take it about 10% of the time. Most of the time it just makes him gag.

This week we kicked Cooper out of our room and into the hallway. He does WAY too much snorting, grunting and groaning to remain by the bed. Between John snoring, Thomas coming into our room halfway through the night and what sounds like the Seahawks whole defensive line grunting before the next play, I was getting even less sleep than the norm for a newborn sleep schedule.

Junior Parade

For the last two years, we've attended the Ski to Sea Junior Parade as spectators, enjoying the sights and sounds with Thomas. Both years it's rained, but not enough to keep us from attending. This year, with Thomas' Catch The Son Preschool a part of the action, we decided it would be fun to try "being" in the parade instead of watching. After a mad dash to the starting line, and leaving Cooper at home with mom, it was time to enjoy a different view. Thomas had a blast riding his bike along the parade route, zooming way ahead and weaving in and out of the parade crowd. John and I had fun listening to the near continuous comments from people along the parade route about the little boy riding that cool bike. It was almost embarrassing the amount of attention he received. Good thing he didn't realize what a hit it was. He already enjoys the attention he gets way too much.

Mother's Day 2007

My third Mother's Day celebration! And what a beautiful Mother's Day it is! I have two beautiful, healthy sons, a wonderful husband, a family that is full of love and support, and a home that is filled with laughter, joy and love. I could want for nothing more on this special day.
Barb and Stephen came up with their family to celebrate, but I took a long nap this afternoon and missed out on most of the cooking and hanging out. I was thankful that they were able to hang out, enjoy time together and celebrate the double birthdays of Stephen and John.

John's 38th Birthday!

Today we got an early start out to go pick up mom from North Bend. Unlike last year when I surprised John with dinner with friends at Big Fat Fish Company, this year we had no plans other than just to spend time together as a family. John even ordered his own gift online, which almost guarantees that he won't send or take it back, unlike 99% of the gifts I try to get him. It didn't seem very fitting for a birthday celebration, but with a three week old in the house, I think neigher one of us is much up for a big party or night out on the town. We'll save that for when we're getting a bit more sleep at night.

Circumcision Slumber Party- Put on a pound since birth!

Today was the big day for Cooper...the day we see how well he's growing and to get his little "snip-snip". I wanted to run him far, far away and keep him from this trauma, but it will only be some surgery he'll have to get later in life when he'll hate it even more, so I pulled myself together, loaded him up with Tylenol and hit the road. Thankfully, Lil watched Thomas, so we didn't have to worry about him as well. That was a blessing for the morning.

8 pounds, 3 ounces-up from his 7 pounds, 3 ounces he was when we left the hospital. 20 and a quarter inches

However much Mommy Guilt I feel about it, Cooper has put on a pound instead of losing weight since joining this world, and I believe it has to do with the extra food I give him when he's unsatisfied with my milk. It makes it much more bearable for me to give in and supplement, knowing that he's growing and not having any of the weight loss and jaundice that Thomas faced his first few weeks. Although you'd think he's already grown by his latest measurement, in fact they are much more accurate with his length measurement, and they have him at 20 and a quarter instead of the 19.5 that he was at the hospital.

Today was rough for Cooper, and although his first two weeks have been relatively quiet, calm and sleepy, the snip-snip today brought him to life with gusto. Tonight John and I took the night in shifts, as I knew that I needed some sleep or I would fall apart. Thankfully I got about 4 hours of solid sleep and took over my shift at 2 am. At 2:30 am, holding Cooper on the couch in a sleep-deprived haze, I heard the telltale sounds of a rousing Thomas coming from his room. Sure enough, much to my horror, out comes a tousled hair, blinking TT, dragging his pillow and dubbies in tow. I put a crying Cooper down on the floor, and quickly ushered Thomas into bed with John, hoping to keep him somewhat asleep, knowing John had just gone to bed himself. An hour later, after climbing over John, playing with his face, and generally doing his best to wake John up, Thomas gave up and shuffled out at 3:30 am. I wanted to cry, as Cooper was just trying to settle down and I had a fantasy of catching a nap on the couch. Not to be. I tried to coax Thomas back to bed, but soon realized it wasn't to be. How could he go to sleep when Mommy and Cooper were partying it up on the couch without him. I tried to shut my eyes while Tommy watched El Dorado at 4:30 am, but that was not to be, either, as Tommy kept up a steady drumming with his feet on his crib slats for the entire movie. At 5:30 I agreed he could come out of his room and join us anyway, as I'd given up on getting any rest with a crying Cooper and energetic Thomas. It was just easier to admit defeat, cuddle with the boys on the couch, try to comfort Cooper and console myself with the hope that tomorrow night I can find some sleep.

Opening day of boating season.

This was one of those times when I had to put on a brave face and "just do it". After a lot of thought and debate on the outing, I finally decided to give it a shot, even though I was really conflicted on it. It would be so much easier to just sit back at home, sit on the couch, feed Cooper his meals and wait for the crew to come home from opening day of boating season. I wouldn't have to get the baby ready for an outing I had no idea about, nor would I have to worry about the wind, the waves, nausea, cold, what to do if Cooper doesn't like all of the above and starts to cry...things like that. Basically, I could sit back and just do "safe". After all, after a week, I've got it all figured out, right? Then again, do I like "chicken"? No! And I refuse to be one of those moms who continually plays it safe just for convenience. There may be times when it won't work, but if I'm just acting out of the fear of the unknonw, then I'll never take Cooper out. So, I sucked it up, packed up a bag and we headed out.

Turns out it all went great, better than I expected actually. Nothing happened, nobody went overboard. Cooper didn't throw a fuss, Thomas didn't throw a fuss. The waves were calm and I didn't get sick. (I promised myself I won't ever be nauseated again after 38 weeks straight of it with Cooper!) Lil packed a fabulous picnic lunch for us to munch on while we both motored and sailed, which was a big treat for us all to enjoy and the weather held up nicely with no rain. I was very thankful that I decided to go, however nervous I was about the whole deal. I would have missed out on the enjoyment of seeing Thomas light up seeing the SpongeBob-decorated boat, the SpiderMan on another boat, helping Grandpa steer the boat, and cuddling with him on the bed in back. I would have missed out on taking Cooper for his first sail at 8 days and hanging out together as a family. Memories that I wouldn't have back on the couch at home!

Tip Toe (or trudge) through the Tulips.

Last night John was up with Thomas until after 1 am, and I wasn't so sure Thomas would be up for preschool this morning. It took some coaxing on my part, but we managed to get out of the house with enough time to face the first day of neighborhood rush hour traffic and a donut break before heading into preschool. Forced with knowing I had to get home to get ready for our outing down to the tulips, I promised Thomas I'd pick him up like all the other moms, and left the building with tears in my eyes. This wasn't the first time I've left him, as I've ran out to get gas and a donut for him, but it was the first time I intended to be gone for the duration. I wiped the tears away, raced home, got ready and raced back, thankful the traffic didn't hold me up too much. I have no idea how I will manage to get stuff done with both boys and John at work, but I'm in denial about that and want to just face each day as it comes...when that time comes.

We met up with The Lawrences and Jodi and Lauren down at Krispy Creme. Both boys were sleeping, so we led the way out to Roozegaard Gardens to see if there were any tulips still up and out. Turns out the kids had more fun running around the gardens than actually caring that the tulips were pretty much out of business for the year. It was nice to catch up with Jodi and talk about the pregnancy and my delivery of Cooper. The kids get along so well, and it was very cute to see Madeline holding Tommy's hand as they made their way to the gardens. It will be such a sweet blessing to see these kids grow up together. I am so thankful for such wonderful friends to share in outings like these.

Twins (3 yrs. removed)

Saturday-Cooper is 2 days old Hovander Park

After holing up with baby Thomas for what seemed liked months, we've decided this time around to get out as quickly as possible and return to life as normally as we can with a newborn. Thomas wanted to head out to Hovander Park to play on the tractors and climb up the observation tower, so we took off to enjoy the sun and take advantage of the great weather. Having just come home yesterday, I was more than content to hang out with a sleeping Cooper and let them wander off, but it was nice to be brave and get out and about.

The Whipple Boys!

More pictures...

Baby Cooper!

Cooper Gordon Whipple joined the family April 26th @ 5:30pm. Baby and Mom are doing great, and Thomas is handling it fairly well. Cooper is 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 19.5" tall. More pics to come later.

The Baby Story-Day 1

This morning I was all set to get my epidural, having been told during the night that I'd reached the magic number 3 and could get it before starting the pitocin. Dr. Cook was even in the hospital, having been called in for an emergency c-section. Unfortunately, my best case was not to be, as "they" decided that I should probably get to a 3+ or 4 before getting it. Come on?!! What is a plus? So, we geared up to try to get the show on the road and get to that magic number......4!

My Goals for this Birth

I went into this with only a couple expectations or goals. My nurse told me that some women come in with 5 page birth plans all drawn up, so I didn't feel too bad about my goals.

1. No crying. I was determined that because I was going to get my epidural in time, that this time I would not cry, I would tough it out and not cry at all. Another problem I had with Thomas was that during my hard labor and wait for the epidural doc to show up, I ruined my contacts and had to use my glasses. I hate my glasses and don't see as well with them. This time around I took a spare pair of contacts just in case, but again, my goal was to keep from crying and messing with my contacts.

2. Get my epidural in time to avoid crying. Again, this involves my contacts as well as the thought that I'd already experienced the unbelievable and unimaginable pain of hard labor, so there was no need to go through this again. Been there, done that.

By the time my nurse upped my pitocin to level 3, I was in "the zone". My nurse tried to keep me occupied with chatter, distraction and options of walking around my room or rocking in the chair, but I found myself thinking of Julia in her delivery of Sam. She was totally focused. No sound, no lights, nothing but intense concentration. Noise bothered me. The lights bothered me. The way the tv was positioned bothered me. John walking across the room almost sent me over the edge. Luckily, he quickly sat down next to me, assumed the position and didn't move again. I may just have opened my mouth at that moment, and I don't know if the words out of my mouth would have been kind or even rational. Unlike the labor of Thomas, I found myself holding it together with a huge amount of help by John, who calmly recognized my need for his support and held my hand as we watched the minute hand through each contraction. All I could do was stare at the clock and watch the hand as it made its way around towards relief from the pain. John says it was an hour. I say it was two. By the end, I did not meet Goal Number 1. I was in tears and could not imagine going through it for any additional length of time. Thankfully, by that time, I'd reached the magic number 4 and we waited for the epidural doc to make his appearance. Dr. Newell is the son of Dr. Newell who worked with Bruce in the early days here in Bellingham. All I know is that he was an angel and should make quadruple whatever they're paying him these days.
Things went very quickly once I had the pain meds. Unfortunately, and I didn't tell them "this" part, the stomach flu that Thomas and John both endured during the week began to make its appearance with me as well. All morning my nausea had been increasing, but shortly before beginning to push, as Cooper was ready to go, my stomach decided it had first priority and John went running for the bucket. The nurses rushed in, only to again find me in tears, crying, "How am I supposed to push when I'm throwing up?" all blubbery and distraught. I'm sure it was quite the sight, and I am thankful that John and I have been together this long or he'd probably run for the hills. It's one thing to watch your wife give birth OR throw up. It's quite another to watch your wife vomiting AND birthing at the same time! They gave me a quick break and then hurried things up to get pushing. Two pushes into it and I had to stop-to throw up! Ahhhhhh! It was awful! Just awful. They shut things down again and went out for a quick conference with Dr. Cook. In the brief lull in throwing up, Dr. Cook quickly breaks things down and says to me, "Let's get into launch position." I believe he even said at one point something about throwing up might speed the baby down and out! Okay, no time for jokes here, folks! Cooper was out with a few pushes, thankfully (he was just "hangin out" while I puked my guts out), and that was that for the drama! Dr. Cook told me that I was probably sick from a big drop in my blood pressure and stuff like that, but I don't know. John was sick on Sunday, Thomas was sick on Tuesday. I figure it only made sense that Thursday would be my day, and oh how I prayed that Cooper would somehow be spared.
Cooper came out so beautiful! With Thomas they took him away and cleaned him up before letting me at him, but this time they pulled Cooper out and pushed him directly into my arms. I think I was still a bit shocky at this point, and I remember feeling that I didn't know what to do with him. He was so tiny, so wet, so perfect and beautiful, but I wanted them to remind me what to do with him. By the time the parents came in, I think I had it together enough. Thomas came in with Bruce, but he wasn't too thrilled with all the activity, the machines, the strangeness of it all, and all too soon he needed to leave. I felt bad that they had to go so soon, when I know they probably wanted to stay and hang out a bit. I can't tell them all enough how grateful I am that I didn't have to worry one bit about Thomas while we were busy at the hospital. I knew he was happy and content with them. Physically I came through it pretty well, although I had the shakes so bad for a long time that I thought I'd shake right off the bed. Mountains of blankets did the trick eventually, and I felt more like myself. Again, it may have been an issue with the blood pressure, as I heard the nurses remark off to the side that they had to watch "it", whatever it was. They never addressed it directly to me, so "it" must have resolved itself with time. Unfortunately, due to over crowding, I had to leave the big birthing suite for a room upstairs a few short hours after giving birth. I still couldn't move my lower body, though, and while John was away tucking Thomas into bed for the night, I had to try to urinate for the nurses, pack up my bags and shower all with no feeling in my lower body. It was a nightmare process I hope to never repeat. You aren't left with any dignity after a hospital stay like this. John came back just as it was time to move, and we trekked upstairs to "the closet" or a tiny room that looked like a room from a bad horror movie with a mental hospital featured. I looked around and told John that we would not be staying more than the one night, even if it went against doctor's recommendations.
Cooper had a great night despite several times when he vomited. It broke my heart to see it, but the nurses assured me it was common for newborns to urp up all the fluids, etc. I just prayed the flu didn't hit him too hard, and by morning it had passed. I think we slept a bit here and there, but during the dark of night I prayed for strength for the coming day, knowing that all too soon I would go home with not only Thomas to take care of, but this precious baby boy that we'd fallen in love with months earlier. You think you love...until you see them face to face. And then it's like there was never a time when you didn't love them. God truly gives you that extra storage of love that you don't think you're capable of.

The Baby Story-Day 0

Last night I slept from 3:30 until the phone rang at 6:44, shocking me awake and out of an unsettled sleep. I hadn't really expected to get the hospital call this morning, although I still was showering and getting ready at 2:30 am, figuring if I couldn't sleep I might as well get myself ready to go just in case. The hospital did have room to get my induction going, so I left John and Thomas home to sleep and headed off. I was even early enough to watch the hospital helicopter come in for a landing and off load a patient, one of our favorite events on our twice weekly trips to the birth center for non-stress tests. Dr. Cook had warned me that today would be pretty non productive, and John could take his time coming in, but I secretly hoped that somehow my body would be ready, surprise us all and get going with having this baby. All morning long, Kristen, one of my many great nurses, assured me that although I was doing all I could, nothing much was happening, so I should just keep pacing the room and watching the clock. Because I was hooked up to monitors, I couldn't sneak down to the lounge to get a snack, I had to drink a lot but had to call the nurse to unhook my wires to use the bathroom, couldn't walk the halls with the other laboring moms, and couldn't eat anything but liquids from the hospital. I did manage to sneak two half sandwiches (my intake for the entire day) from the snack lounge with the approving smile of my nurse, who was taking pity on me, and I watched three hours of the Food Network Channel, but time was moving slowly with moderate pain from the meds and nothing to amuse me but the steady heartbeat of Baby Whipple and the slow increase of contraction lines on my monitor. By late afternoon Mom and Dad rolled into town to take over with Thomas and John joined in on the fun. I was thankful for his company and steady presence, pleased to be able to laugh and tease as the hours rolled on. Late that night, despite making steady and increasingly painful progress towards the magic number 3, we all decided I was too tired to continue into the night, and they knocked me out with a morphine shot-or so they intended. Of course, it only knocked me out until a little after midnight, which amounted to about an hour of sleep. John came back to the hospital after midnight and by two my two night nurses had assured me that by morning I'd be able to get my epidural. I was able to sleep sporadically throughout the remaining few hours, thanks to the morphine fog I drifted in and out of. By 6 am, we were all waiting to get the pitocin drip started.

Learning to Ride his Bike-3 years old

Thanks to Scott Culberson, John took a chance with this type of bike, hoping to help Thomas learn to balance and figure out how to ride. Although Thomas didn't initially think much of it, because it tipped over on him, John took him out to Zuanich Park to ride around on the paths, and again today we took him to Bloedel Donovan Park and he picked it up pretty quickly. He started out wobbly, as you can see on the video, but seemed to figure it out with a few crashes here and there. The challenge will be to keep him safe without hovering, as he's quite the daredevil. I could see today that we can't get away without a helmet anymore.

Daddy's Daredevil.

10 Days and Counting!

I am finally down to days, thanks to Dr. Cook's plan for a April 25th induction. More than likely we will start slowly (come on now!) and make the big push on the 26th, but there is always hope that I will either start early on my own or it will progress quickly on that first day. What a journey this has been, and so many different emotions involved throughout. I can honestly say this has been the hardest and most trying time in my life, and has brought out so many different thoughts, feelings, and experiences that we have all gone through together. I have been at most sickest, my most desperate, my happiest (with Thomas and all his joy and love) and hopefully, looking back, my strongest (in order to get through it with my sanity). My blood pressure is rising, which is why I'm having to do twice weekly non stress tests at the hospital and why we're probably going to induce in the 38th week. Cook doubled my blood pressure med, which has helped to this point, and the pressure hose that Kim recommended have helped with the leg and feet swelling. I now rotate between three shirts and three pairs of pants, and I'm refusing to buy anyting else unless it's an extremely cute summer outfit once I drop these pounds off and I don't have a human being stretching and pushing his way around my internal organs. It's amazing that we're this close, and scary too, as we still don't honestly have a named picked out for him. We're pushing it, that's for sure!

Breaking away...