Hiatus No More!

My hiatus from blogging is done. The end of the pregnancy left me tired and cranky (aka bitchy) and with no desire for blogging. Then Luke arrived and he left no time for blogging. That whole adjusting to life with a new baby... Time has finally come for me to return to my blog. So much has happened since my last post. Aside from bringing another human into this world, Todd and I adopted another dog (as if we did not have enough on our plate!) Then again I have never been one to take small steps, rather big leaps. One of my favorite sayings: Go big or go home!

Let me rewind a bit. For those of you who have not heard the great Lucas-Arrival-Story. Heaven forbid I have a normal/non-dramatic delivery. We had a scheduled c-section on January 21st. Fifteen minutes from the time we were to arrive (and as we are exiting the freeway) I recieved a call from the hospital, "So sorry! We have no space for you, we will have to re-schedule!" Now I don't know about you, but when you have a date set and are mentally prepared to give birth on said date, having it come to a screeching halt kind of throws you for a loop. At that point all they had open was the 28th at 5:30pm (translation, I can't eat ALL day long and I am one day shy of 40 weeks pregnant.) UGH! This is torture! You mean to tell me I have to stay pregnant for seven more days?!?! WTF!!! Pregnancy meltdown is commencing! Trying to be ever-so-gracious I pulled it together and carried on. They had me by the you-know-whats, there was nothing I could do to. Now keep in mind I was having tremendous difficulty eating, sleeping, walking, breathing, and going two minutes without using the bathroom. Fast forward to the 26th: my body took matters into its own hands and I went into labor all on my own. Only, I had never gone into labor before(Maddie was induced, which led to an emergency c-section). I spent the day on the couch feeling as if I had the flu and cramps. Todd urged me to call the OB and tell her my symptoms. She instructed me to go to the hospital for a labor check. Crap, now we had to drive 680 North in rush hour traffic! Thank the good lord above for the carpool lane! After we arrived I was hooked up to monitors that measured every blip my body made. Sure enough, contractions eight minutes apart. Granted not heavy duty/active labor, but labor nonetheless. The nurse entered my room, "the doctor is on her way, the anesthesiologist will be in to talk to you shortly." Uh, what? Wait, we are supposed to have this baby on the 28th, not today, the 28th. I'm mentally prepared for the 28th! But Lucas arrived on the 26th, all NINE POUNDS of him. Yes, nine pounds. Now you know why I was too miserable to blog. And let me tell you, he felt that big when he was in my stomach. Those rock stars who carried twins, I salute you!

Luke has turned out to be a great sleeper and eater (one of the benefits of having a bigger baby). In the hospital he slept four hour stretches at night. Within two weeks it was six, occasionally eight hours. Now don't get me wrong, there have also been bumps in the road. Little Man has a temper and fights falling to sleep. When he misses a nap we all suffer the consequences. He will be fussy and cries/screams off and on all day. This becomes a challenge when you have a husband who works graveyards and you're trying to keep the house quiet and peaceful while he sleeps. There have been times when I have wondered, "What am I doing wrong?" But it is just an adjustment from what an easy baby Maddie was and also deciphering Luke's quirks. Finally after two months I am figuring out those quirks and learning it is OK for him to cry it out a little. Things are getting easier and we are beginning to get a routine together. I just tell myself: slowly but surely.From what we can tell he has Dad's eyes and mouth, and Mom's cheeks and chin. The nose has yet to be determined. And that hair, totally from me! Maddie had the same 'do. Luke also has a dimple in his right cheek. Not sure if that came from Todd or me as Maddie also has a dimple in her right cheek. At two months he is smiling and cooing a lot. He is a smitten kitten when you talk and interact with him. He is going to be one active boy though, don't know if I'm excited about that. In-utero he never stopped moving. I felt him move constantly from the time I was sixteen weeks pregnant. He is still this way. His legs never stop moving. From our first night in the hospital he demonstrated the strength of his neck by holding his head up. Now he rolls to his side in the carseat carrier when hanging out in it, scoots himself down in the swing, and lifts his head and shoulders forward off of the Boppy. I have the distinct feeling he will be mobile early and I will be screwed! I was so spoiled with the ease of raising Maddie, now Luke is my penance :)! After a lot of thought and deliberation Todd and I agreed it would be best if I stayed at home with the kids. This was for a variety of issues: the logistics of Maddie being in kindergarten and Luke not, childcare, finances, Luke's fussiness, and ultimately what is best for our kids and my sanity. Definitely weird not having or making my "own" money. That is the biggest adjustment for me. But the trade off is so worth it (most of the time!)

Since things were starting to smooth out and I was going to be home we talked about getting another dog someday. Todd had always wanted a German Shepherd. We thought maybe in a year after we returned from Hawaii and Luke was a little bigger. So I began the application process with German Shepherd Rescue Network (GSRNC.org) thinking, "when we find the right dog the application process will be complete and we won't have to jump through any hoops." Famous last words. I turned in the application and made a follow-up phone call. A rescue counselor contacted me and conducted an initial interview over the phone. After our conversation she felt we were potential candidates for adoption. Although we still needed to have home inspection completed, she thought they may have a dog that was a good match for our family. When I told Todd, he rolled his eyes at me (most likely thinking, "Here we go again!") Long story short: we did the home visit, their dog and our dog met, all was a success and now we have a new member of our family. We named him Roman after Sgt. Romans, one of the officers from Oakland Police Department who was murdered March 21st. Roman has been a great addition to our family. He is sweet, gets along great with Tilly, has done well with our kids, and is a very stable dog. The whole transition has been very smooth and GSRNC was great. A remarkably different experience from when we adopted Mischa. Literally night and day! And Todd's aprehension? Completely melted away within the first few hours of having Roman in our home. While Tilly has been a Mama's girl, Roman favored Todd from the get go. Despite their bond, he is love with all of us. But I am pleased as punch that Todd has found his own canine companion.So now here we are: two parents, two kids, and two dogs. Life is going to be a crazy adventure!

Every day I get my escape when I leave the house and take the dogs for a walk. They are my much-desired respite after a long day of caring for a house, husband, and children. Plus they are helping me burn off the weight! My one hour every day to myself. I loooooooove that hour!!!!!

Here are some additional photos of our Little Luke: