Carson's First Week Home

After a long stay at the hospital, we were finally released on Friday night. The comforts of home were calling. I was done being poked and prodded, and Derek's neck was evidence that a hospital guest recliner is no good place for a new Daddy to sleep. Ella was thrilled to bring "her new baby" into the house and start filling his tiny ears with motherly advice.



We are blessed to have such a great little guy...he rarely cries and loves a good snuggle. His only offense so far involves hitting each of us with impressive streams of pee during those 3am diaper changes.



Weeks ago, we noticed a mother wren dive-bombing us as we walked into the house. Turns out she had built a nest in the middle of the fern on our front porch. Day by day, she filled the nest with tiny eggs. We checked it frequently, wondering if her babies would be born by the time ours was. We got home from the hospital and Derek yelled the good news from our porch; she did it.The eggs hatched while we were gone.


I went out today to take this shot and saw their tiny open mouths, waiting for something from mama. I know the feeling well these days (and nights.) I looked up toward the trees—where I'm sure she was anxiously perched—and smiled.

Well done, my fellow mama. Well done.

Carson Ellis Sands

Born 7:27 am on June 23, 2009
7lbs, 15.3 oz
21 inches long





Look how tiny he is compared to his Grandpa's hand!

And baby makes four :)

Thanks to everyone for all your love and support.
Everyone is happy, healthy and doing blissfully well!

The Waiting...

It's a waiting game now...Derek is cleaning and clearing, and Ella is soaking up the time with me as I am forced to spend more time resting. I am too uncomfortable now to be very mobile, so lots of coloring and some new Polly Pockets (thanks, Hillarie!) are blended with the occasional Braxton-Hicks contraction and some work on my laptop. Will I make it to Tuesday's C-section and submit to the hospital surgical schedule, or will Cupid make his own decision? I suppose the next few days will tell.

Mimi took us for pedicures and a lovely lunch at Meadowlark. Everyone knows I keep my camera handy at all times, so I got a shot of Mom handing Ella a penny for the fountain. I gasped as Mom bent down and became an angel bathed in light. I knew exactly what Ella's wish was.

Prego's last stand

Today is Sunday, June 14th and I can officially say that I am ready to have this baby. The last three months have brought us through a lot of activity and change; a layoff, a transition (for Derek) into becoming a full time college student again, an overhaul of our finances, preparing and holding a garage sale, the death of Derek's grandfather, the resurrection of all our baby gear, a bout with tonsilitis and the stomach flu, and finally, the birthday of our sweet girl.

Today is the day that all of it has passed; the nursery is ready. Ella's room is complete. We had a great party so Ella was not "shorted" by the impending arrival of her brother. We were treated to a very generous baby shower at Mead. And Derek finished his first quarter of Medical Math, Chemistry and Psychology with a B+/A- average. And lastly, I am carrying a very large karate master that reminds me of his healthy, beautiful presence quite regularly. I have gone through 23 sessions of physical therapy and a few crying jags, but otherwise, we have survived it all and are a little stronger for having been through it.

So the mantra now?
Let's do this!!!
...stay tuned. :)

Sweet summer treats

Steve and Chris have an amazing organic garden on their land. They called to let us know that the strawberries were in. Ella and Derek headed out there to pick, and came home with 2 quarts of deliciousness. They were so tiny and sweet! Ella and I started the vanilla pudding right away for delicious strawberry shortcake.

Ella's 4th birthday

Every princess has a dream. For Ella this year, it did not involve a prince or a carriage, but rather the opportunity to be serenaded by her classmates. Evidently that's how they roll in the Montessori program these days, and whoever is the birthday boy/girl gets to break all the rules and stay perched atop that little table, being sung to by a bunch of enthusiastic preschoolers who are bursting with excitement over the forthcoming cupcakes. So we dressed her up in full Cinderella gear and we both dropped her off that morning, with balloons and sugar bombs in hand. The look on her face was priceless.



...and then a cookout at our house for family! She was so excited to have Amblen, Zoe, and Kyra there. Zoe and Luna took the prize for the best pinata swats.





I think Amblen had moved on to bigger and better things by the time I shot this - but he was there and had a blast. I will have to get Ben's set of more comprehensive pics!



The next day the Isenhours joined us at Zoe's 6th birthday party, down in West Chester. (btw: When did Ella start looking like she's 12?)

This year we asked our family to forgo the usual gifts and consider the idea of an outing this summer, which would give Ella an escape from babyville, and give us a break. She has an incredible summer planned with trips to the Zoo, to see Dora Live, to Kings Island, Old River, and more. Pam made her this incredible outfit that she did not remove for the rest of the weekend!

Preparing for Baby Sands

Poor Ella. She has spent so much time waiting for me lately that she's resorted to some pretty creative endeavors. She turned a trip to Babies R Us into a hair salon as we debated how many carseat bases we actually have. Last week at home, while waiting for me to stop rearranging the baby's diapers and wipes, she used a few cotton balls and some scotch tape to turn us both into kitty cats. Gotta love a kid who can add patience to creativity and find fun anywhere.



We took Ella to a sibling class at Kettering Hospital, where she learned how to hold, feed, and swaddle the baby. All the kids sat on the floor while the teacher went through a variety of scenarios. Ella was silent for most of them, just learning and taking it all in. However, there was one that caught her interest. The conversation went like this:

Teacher: ok kids, who can tell me what you would do if mommy and daddy were asleep in their beds, and you were asleep in yours, but the baby was crying in this crib?

Ella: (hand shoots up) OH!! OH!!

Teacher: yes, Ella?

Ella: Well...I know that if I stack both my stepstools, I can get up high enough to climb into that crib. So I would do that, and get in there to grab my brother, then hold him tight and jump out. Then I'd take him to mommy and she would say, "Oh Ella! What a good helper!"

Oy.

Ella's first fish!

We celebrated Parker & Amblen's birthdays at the Rod & Reel Club in Centerville. Ella spent the afternoon on the lake with her Papa, Peyton, and Derek. She caught two fish!


And one of the sweetest treats? Time with our new nephew, Leif. I didn't get a photo of the birthday boys, but a good time was had by all. Happy 5th birthday, Amblen!!