Archer is 7 months!

Archer at Montpelier (home of James Madison), Sept. 2011

 Archer turned 7 months old on November 12 and hit a couple of milestones this week.  His first tooth broke through.  To my surprise, it was on the top of his mouth instead of the bottom!  I had been checking his bottom gums daily because his cries sounded like teething cries but I didn't think to check the top.  His other top tooth broke through a couple of days later.  Archer also started the army crawl this week.  He saw something he wanted across the room and to my surprise, started dragging his little body towards it.  It was so cute!  I'll add some video later.

Archer at Cox Farm, October 2011

For the record, we adore this darling boy!  Not a day goes by that I don't think about how wonderful babies are.  Yes, they are demanding, and when they are going through a fussy bout it does not feel wonderful, but when they smile, laugh, play, get excited, and do new things, it is so irresistable!  It's interesting how much of a magnet little babies are too.  I tried to shop at Walmart last weekend and had such a hard time getting any shopping done because so many people stopped to talk and play with Archer.  It was cute. 

Archer at Cox Farm, October 2011

More about Archer....

Archer is a very happy, content baby.  We went through some fussy spells early in his life but those days are gone.  (Well, they do return a bit when he is teething or sick.)  I keep marvelling at how fast babyhood goes by.  In the beginning, the days and sleepless nights feel so long but before you know it, they are past.  Before you know it, your baby can be happy without being held all of the time.  Before you know it, you can get things done again.  Not as much as you used to, but you can do some things!  Archer likes to play on the floor with toys, he especially likes to dump out his brother's bin of hotwheel cars.  He likes to hang out in his little play gym.  He loves cheerios and cereal puffs (they help extend the time he will stay in the play gym).  He loves all food now.  I didn't start feeding him solids until 6 months but he has taken to it with a vengeance!   He especially likes to gnaw on a tough crust of bread.  He loves to watch his brothers and sisters play, they keep him entertained.  Hunter likes to chant this little song over and over "Doo doo baby, doo doo baby.." getting progressively louder and louder each time he says it.  It drives me crazy but the baby loves it, so I tolerate it.  The baby is very fascinated with Hunter overall.  If I'm feeding Archer or changing his diaper and Hunter walks in the room, the baby will twist and turn so he can see him.  It really helps me to have the big kids around.  Archer still goes in his baby swing once in awhile but not to lay back and fall asleep. He is wide awake and trying with all of his might to grab the legs of the swing.  He doesn't want to be abandoned in the room but will be happy in the swing for awhile if he has people to watch.  Archer takes good naps in his crib when we are home but my days of staying home and keeping my babies on a perfect schedule are gone.  We are often away from the home for classes and field trips but he does pretty well.  All in all, I couldn't be more delighted with this little guy.  I love you Archie boo!

Archer with Daddy at Skyline Caverns, September 2011

Life after Baby

Wow!  I knew things would be different after the baby came along but I REALLY underestimated how time-consuming a new baby would be.  Now that I'm not pregnant, I actually have energy to tackle a bunch of projects that have been neglected but I absolutely CANNOT get to them.  I can barely keep my head above water taking care of laundry, dinner, and attending to all my children.  I wake up every morning feeling cheerful and thinking that surely today I will be able to accomplish something--maybe I'll be able to write thank you cards, or balance my checkbook, or plant my bushes (that are dying because they have sat in the store containers too long), or update my blog, or clean-out my craft room, laundry room, office, etc.......I have a huge list.  By dinner time, I'm starting to get discouraged and that is when things really start to go downhill.  Archer tends to be his unhappiest when I'm trying to get dinner ready.  It doesn't matter if I've just fed him, he is still fussy.  This can last for an hour or five.  I still imagine that I'll attack some of those projects after we get all the kids in bed but by that time, I'm tuckered out and usually, I'm sitting around nursing....AGAIN. 

So, that is the hard facts of life with a new baby.  However, HE IS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!  I'm SO glad he is here.  I wouldn't give him up for all the time and accomplished projects in the world.  I just love and adore him.  He is starting to chunk up and I can't squeeze or kiss him enough.  My older children are a HUGE help to me.  They often take turns holding him when he is fussy and Jason is just magical at getting Archer to sleep...when he is home (basketball nights and late work nights are extra difficult now).  Thankfully, my kids had finished most of their classes (that we do outside of the home) around the time he was born so we don't have those assignments to do.  They are old enough to keep up on math and a few other basics without a lot of help from me and we definitely have time to read together while I nurse the hours away.  Life does go on and the baby is a wonderful blessing, even if he does change things.

Also on the bright side, I've been able to read and read and read.  It's the one thing I can do while I nurse and the Kindle makes it so easy.  (I'll have to give my review of the Kindle at another time).  I've discovered a new author that I absolutely love--Gene Stratton-Porter.  She wrote in the late 1800's, early 1900's.  I was able to get her books downloaded for free.  I've read seven of her books so far, my favorite is "Laddie."  I definitely recommend it if you like old-fashioned, classic-type books.  I love to read and now I have an excuse to do it quite often.

Well, I have a bunch of things I'd like to write about but it's after midnight so I'll just add a few pictures and get to bed.  I couldn't sleep so I thought I better steal away to the computer while I had the chance.  Most of these pictures are when Archer was a few weeks old.  We've had some camera problems lately so I'll have to add more recent pictures later.

Archer LOVES the bath! 

With Mommy

 With Tanner

Sleeping with Hunter

With Kayla

With Oma

With Grandpa

The two pictures with grandparents are only a week old so that is how Archer is looking now.  I'll try to get more pictures soon.

The next few pictures were taken right before Kayla and Hunter went to their performance of "Beauty is the Beast."  They've been going to a homeschooling acting class the last few months and just finished with a performance last week.  Kayla played "Beauty" who was a beautiful yet horrible princess.  By the end of the play, she learns that inner-beauty is more important than outer-beauty and she changes her unkind ways.  Hunter played a blind prince who married Beauty's sister.  I was planning to take more pictures but my scatter-brained head got the time of the play wrong so Jason didn't make it with the camera until it was nearly over.  (Sigh).

 Prince Acrime

 Princess Beauty

A few photos

I've been wanting to post photos of Archer but other things keep coming up.  We have lots of photos on different cameras and I'm waiting for Jason to put them all in one file for me so I can add them to the blog.  For now, I'll post a few pictures my friend took for me and I'll try to add my own later.  Thank you, Liza, for these pictures!

So grateful, so happy.

Archer Jason LaFroth was born on Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at 1:48 p.m.--almost 3 weeks early! He was 7 pounds, 9 ounces and 20 inches long. I am so full of thankfulness and happiness that he is here safe and sound. I forget how precious and miraculous these little newborns are. I don't think of myself as a "baby-person" but when it comes to my own little babies, I guess I am. I can't stop gushing and wondering over him and his tiny toes, ears, eyes, hands, everything. I can't believe he was inside me and now he is here, it's so wonderful and amazing!

 Archer looks at Daddy for the first time.

The kids come to visit!

Kayla holds Archer

(as best as she can with her fractured arm)

Cousin Sloan with Archer

Grandpa with Archer

Oma and Archer

Tanner and Archer

 

For those of you who are interested in "all the details," read on.  I'll try not to give too much information! :) 

As many of you know, I've been hoping Archer would come early.  I've been feeling pretty miserable in my pregnancy lately.  When I repeatedly expressed this wish to Jason last Friday, he said, "He can't come until after the basketball game on Saturday.  It's our season finale and we are undefeated.  Do you think I could still play if you go into labor in the morning?  I should be able to get back in time."  Ummmm...nice.  Now you know how much Jason loves to play basketball.  I was able to accommodate him and NOT go into labor on Saturday and his team did win their final game.  Phew!  On Sunday he told me he had a lot of work to do on Monday so it would be great if I could wait until after Monday (as if I really had a choice in these things).  I assumed I still had weeks to wait but I told him I would try. :)  I did end up going to the hospital on Monday but not because I was in labor.  Kayla crashed on her motor scooter and we went to the hospital for x-rays on her arm.  It was fractured but we couldn't do anything about it until Tuesday.

Around 3:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, my water broke.  This has happened with two of my kids but it was unmistakable with them.  It was a flood that couldn't be missed.  This time, it was more of a trickle and I wasn't sure.  I called the doctor and she said to go to the hospital and have it checked.  I went by myself because I didn't want to get Jason and the kids up in the middle of the night if it turned out to be nothing (this was my 5th visit to the hospital in a week).  Well, it turned out to be something after all.  My water really had broken and it was time to have a baby.

Once the contractions started, I knew I had to decide whether to have an epidural or not.  I'm rather scared of the epidural and that is why I had my first two children natural.  However, Hunter was posterior (face-up) and the labor was very long (18 hours) and the delivery was brutally painful.  I didn't want to go through that again so I decided to overcome my fear of that epidural and try it out with Tanner (my 4-year-old).  It was fabulous!  After Tanner was born I thought, "I don't feel like I've been run over by a freight train, how nice!"  In spite of that, I felt scared to have an epidural again.  Once the contractions got painful enough, I decided to go for it.  I wish I could say it was a fabulous choice again but no.  Something went wrong this time and though my legs were sleepy and a little numb, nothing else was.  They kept trying to fix it but it just wouldn't work right.  I suspected this baby was going to be posterior again because of the horrible pressure in my back and it turned out he was.  I won't describe how awful the pushing was but I made it through (barely) and he is here!  At some point, I did want to tell the doctor and nurses to knock me out and grab that baby themselves but I didn't think they would accommodate me.

So, now he is here and I'm happy and thankful and happy and thankful.  Did I say happy and thankful yet? :)  I just keep thinking what a miracle the whole thing is.  I'm grateful for all of my children and I'm especially thankful that the other kids are big enough to really help me.  They are taking turns holding him right now so I can write.  My mom always comes out to be with me when I have a baby but she won't be here for a couple of weeks because we didn't expect him so early.  I know I'll be okay because my kids will help me.  My in-laws and other friends have also been a huge help to me already and I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude for everyone who has reached out to us---THANK YOU!  Thank you for the food, the babysitting, the shopping and the many well-wishes and other offers of help.  I have felt so much love from so many people and I just wish I could express my thanks enough.

By the way, Kayla did get her arm casted in the midst of all this.  While I was recovering in one section of the hospital, Jason took Kayla to another section of the same hospital to get her arm casted.  The boys watched T.V. in the room with me and my mother-in-law went hunting for a nursing bra for me since I couldn't find one anywhere in my house!  On that note, you would think nursing would come easy since this is my 4th child but I think it is hard every time.  I always feel tempted to abandon it and bottle-feed but I'm trying to hang in there.  It hasn't been too bad (nothing like my first one) but it isn't pain free and I'm told it's supposed to be when you do it right.  I'm sure it will get easier and I'm also sure I'll slip a few bottles in there when I need a break; I always do.

This has turned into quite the long post so I'll end now.  I'm ready to rest anyway.  I forgot to mention how fabulous Jason has been.  I just assume it's a given to everyone who knows him.  One of the great things about Jason and new babies is that he's always willing to hold them when they are fussy.  He'll soothe a fussy baby for hours and never say, "I give up."  I can't say the same for myself so I feel super lucky to be married to such a patient man.  I will miss him when he goes back to work next week!

Goodnight. 

Panic Passed

I had a hard morning. I woke up feeling worried because I hadn’t noticed the baby moving all night. Of course, I had been sleeping off and on so I figured I just hadn’t noticed it but I wanted to make sure. I decided to count kicks. 15 minutes went by…nothing. I got up and ate something sweet and tried again. Another 15 minutes…nothing. I started to panic a little but tried to keep it under control. I took a bath…nothing. After a full hour had gone by, I was sure it was all over. The rest of the family was still sleeping so I called the doctor and he told me to go to the hospital. Jason woke up when he heard me crying. His mom met us at the hospital to take the kids and we went in. I can’t describe all the things that went through my mind on the way there. I know God doesn’t give us more than we can handle but I was wondering HOW I was going to handle this. I was sure the worst had happened. I tried to think about the 3 beautiful children I already have, but I was a basket-case regardless.

I got in and they hooked me up to the monitors. EVERYTHING WAS FINE. The baby’s heart was beating strong and he was moving around. I felt such relief, such gratitude. I also felt silly for being so worried but I didn’t know how else to feel. I constantly feel this baby move around so it really scared me when I couldn’t feel anything. Maybe I was just too scared to feel it; I don’t know. The nurses were very understanding and they told me it was right to come in. I’m just not sure what I’ll do if this happens again. I would really like to have the baby sooner rather than later so I can stop worrying but I still have 3 weeks to go. I hope I can make it without too many more panic attacks.