Celebrate

These two weeks mid summer are a crazy haze of celebrating:  Juniper one week then Wylie the next, Mimi's birthday two days later, followed by our anniversary.  This year Juniper's celebration was a sweet, quiet Saturday event with sugar cereal for breakfast--a special treat, a trip to city park pool (her choice), and a small gathering of friends and cousins.  Wylie's bash will be just that--a crowd of all the friends he's known since birth, and their parents and siblings (most of whom are Juni's best friends so she gets a double party).  Its really just a handful of families, but all those people add up fast.  Followed by a sleepover with just the oldest boys and hours of borrowed Wii and movies.  


I am not a person that gets bent out of shape about parties.  Nor do I over plan, with matching napkins, favors, party games etc.   I like to keep things simple.  The kids write an invitation, we plan a small party favor, make a cake, or root beer floats (Juni's favorite) and call it good.  Its typically a potluck affair with some grilling.  This year I got fancy and poked some straws through the lids of Ball Jars and attached each child's name with a rubber band (no pictures but you get the idea).  They looked very sweet all lined up together, and saved on dishes without the need for wasteful juice boxes.


However, even with very little prep and planning it is easy to get caught up in the festivities and overlook the real reason for celebration.  My sweet girl is 7 now.  She is nearly as tall and as heavy as her brother.  She is all muscle and grins.  She is all heart and sass.  She is a climber, a hanger, a leader, a nurturer, and my most reliable helper.  Next week Wylie will be 9.  I call him "knees" these days.  The roundest part of his body are his eyeballs.  He is wiry and wily--aptly named.  He is learning the art of appropriate sarcasm and can sometimes be quite witty.  He is proud of his reading and is learning to swim. He has become a good pal to Kale.  So many new things from last summer.  


All that sugar (root beer floats, lime aid, fruit salad, and lollipops--geesh), children racing and chasing, balloon bopping, shrieking, and movie watching is a fun aside. But in the calm after the storm its nice to sit and enjoy what the day really means.  My children are growing into themselves.

When they were toddlers their birthdays felt, selfishly like my days.  A day when I really reflected on each of their births, told them their birth story and celebrated their joining our family.  Now that they are older we still do that, but it feels somehow different.  The momentous event of birth itself is so much about the mother.  But, no matter how long the labor, birth is a very brief event in a child's life and from then on they become who they will, who they are.  I feel grateful to be able to celebrate with my children on a day is fully theirs, to appreciate who they are and who they are quickly becoming.  Happy Birthdays kiddos.  

Eight!

My boy is Eight today.  He is truly no longer a little boy.  

Since the morning he was born,  8 years ago today, Wylie has never been anyone but himself:  

Extremely focused, determined, persistent, and serious about his work, with a playful, wiley side as well. 

When we first lifted him from the water of the birthing tub he stared quietly into Rob's eyes.  In the pictures from that morning we can see he has the same deep furrowed brow and scowl he so often wears today. 

My labor with Wylie was text book.  All the early labor signs were present, contractions progressed "normally", and the pain though completely in my back, was manageable.  I was fortunate to have been present at the peaceful home births of my two nephews, and so had some idea of what to expect from labor.  Also fortunate for me (though not her) my sister labors for much longer than I do, so I had prepared myself for days of labor and was pleasantly surprised by 12 hrs. start to finish.  The morning of his birth I called my sister to say, "I think we're having a baby today".  She came right up to our house with a bouquet of wildflowers to offer support and say, "I'm pretty sure it won't be today".  

Two hours later she was doing back compression for me as I labored on hands and knees in the birthing tub. After 30 minutes of pushing Wylie was born to his chest, and then,  proceeded to open his eyes and look around under water, at which point our midwives became a little surprised and encouraged me to quickly push some more.  Rob and our midwife caught him and lifted him out of the water. Wylie squinted in the pale light, and intently focused on Rob's face.  He didn't cry at all.
  

I still remember the feeling of not believing this baby was actually mine.  

And in the same breath feeling as though I knew him completely.  

  

Happy Birthday sweet boy. 

For My Girl On Her Birthday

Six years ago today it was hot.  I was hugely pregnant, and felt even bigger than I looked.  

I was halfway through my 37th week, but knew this second baby of mine wouldn't hold out until 40 weeks.

The baby had been breech until a week before, and I'd been doing all kinds of head standing, downward dog, cat and cow, and accupressure in order to encourage turning.  It finally worked, and I remember the moment my midwife palpated my belly and agreed yes, this baby is finally head down.  "Good Girl", I instinctively thought to myself.  It was in that moment I knew that baby was a she.  

I realized during breakfast on July 28th that the Braxton Hicks contractions I'd been having every evening had already begun-- maybe this would be the day.  Wylie (a week away from his 2nd birthday) and I met some friends and cousins at a playground in town and played for the morning.  My contractions became stronger and more frequent throughout our time there--to the point that I was feeling distracted and they required some focus.  Around 12:30 I took Wylie home for lunch and a nap.  When I lay down beside him the contractions, instead of settling out, became stronger and more frequent.  I decided to get up and call our midwives.

"Tell Rob to come home and fill the tub".  I loved that response.  Rob came home right away (fortunately he only works 10 min. away).  We also called my sister, Heide who had agreed to be with Wylie and present during the birth.  We called my mother (who lives 3 hours away)  who was also planning to be at the birth.    Heide arrived before the midwives and we all agreed it would be best if she could take him out for a while.  They headed to the grocery store for some lemon Popsicles for labor snacks.

The midwives arrived soon after, and I was able to get into the tub.  My contractions were still strong and close together.  During this time period we were living in our cabin, a 12x20ft. one room w/loft, while our larger house was being built out back.  Rob, took one of our midwives out for a tour of the new house.  While they were outside by labor quickly picked up and I suddenly found myself in transition.  I was in a very different head space than my first labor and I found that true to the many birthing books I'd read, transition this time around felt like a complete loss of control.

Rob and our second midwife came back inside and were surprised to hear how close the baby was.  After a few minutes of rest I remember saying, "I know its too soon, but I feel like I need to push".  Our midwife replied, "I don't think its too soon".  I really loved that response.

On the first push I felt the water sack burst, and with a second strong contraction the baby was born.  She was tiny, and absolutely covered in sticky white vernix.  She screamed for what felt like 10 minutes and pinked right up.  I couldn't believe she was there.

While we were still in the tub Heide came home with Wylie, and our labor snacks!  She had missed the whole thing.  My mother also missed the birth, by hours, as did my younger sister.  Wylie was so little, and suddenly seemed so big.  He called Juniper "Noisy" for the next two days.

Juniper Karen, six years ago today you burst into this world, bright and noisy, 

and you haven't changed much!  I hope it stays that way.  

Happy Birthday Junebug!