Day by day...

Whew, it has been a week since Colter was born.  (We decided to go with the spelling 'Colter' instead of 'Coulter'.)

Things are going well.  I think.

I have a bit of the baby blues this time around and the lack of sleep I am experiencing is not helping.

Anyway, we are all adjusting here.  This weekend Will took Adell, Clare and Wyatt out to Montana for Will's youngest sister's high school graduation.  Lorien was at Gold Camp and now is at a sleep over with some friends.

So I am all alone with my 5th child.  When will this ever happen again?  When does the 5th child ever get alone time with his/her Mother?  I am trying to love it but those little anxious feelings keep creeping up on me.

I decided I needed to get out of the house this morning and spend some time at one of my favorite places, Target.  It was nice to wander the isles while Colt slept in his car seat.  I bought a few necessary items and a few frivolous items.  They all made me feel better...is that sad?

I am working on a few posts about the kids reactions to knowing Colter is a boy and my labor story.  (Sneak peek: it was my best delivery--ever.)

For now, enjoy these totally adorable pictures of Colter.

We had a baby...

It's a...

BOY!

We are all over the moon happy.  The delivery went really well and he is perfect, perfect, perfect!

He was born early this morning (2:14 am) after 3 minutes of pushing.  He weighs 7 pounds 13 ounces. He is a champion nurser.  Clare decided his middle name would be William--after Daddy.  We just decided on his first name:  Colter.

What do you think?

Colter William Anderson--should we spell it "Coulter"?

So far he is a really great kid!

Better pictures and a better story to come.  Now, I must sleep.

40 weeks...

I made it.

9 full months of pregnancy.

40 weeks.

Can I go into labor now?

Bpthhhhhh...

Western day at the big kids school.

Did you think I would be the physical mother of five children by Mother's Day?

I sure did.

Ahh, sweet disappointment.

I remain the physical mother of a meager four children--and we all know having just four children is for quitters*.  I am ready to jump past "quitter" and get right into "crazy-freak-show".

*(I am kidding here.  Anyone who has any number of children is amazing and however many children you decide to have is great--no one is a quitter.)

My Mother's Day was wonderful.  I got a Mother's Day weekend actually.  Will stayed home from work on Friday, taking care of me and the kids for the weekend.  It was a treat.  The kids made me cards and gave me presents on Sunday.  We went to church.  I made exaggerated facial gestures and mimed strangling myself to all my friends during sacrament meeting when our eyes met and they mouthed the words "You're still pregnant!".  You know, classic Mother's Day activities.

I called my Mother and Will called his.  We sure are thankful for those two ladies.  I am thankful for my Mother, who taught me how to be resourceful and make do with what you've got.  I am thankful for her love.  Mostly, I am thankful for the smattering of "crazy lady" I got straight from her.  I am thankful for my Mother-in-law who taught and raised a superhero of a guy.  I am thankful for her love and support of our little family over the years.  I am one of those lucky gals who has a stellar Mother-in-law.  

I hope you had a nice Mother's Day yesterday and I hope you took some time to appreciate the Mothers in your life.

Now, some one tell me how to go into labor.  Right now!  (I will not drink caster oil, ever.)

My 198th Week of Pregnancy*

Will thinks I should try and make it to 200 weeks of pregnancy.

I think he ought to try one week of pregnancy (preferably in the first or third trimester).

I am 39 weeks pregnant today and I am not in labor.  I know it is better for the baby the longer they get to grow inside but my insides are sick of having a baby--inside.

Today I ran a bunch of errands--getting groceries and household goods in hopes of having the baby this weekend and not running out of the essentials (fruit snacks and toilet paper).

Every where I go I get asked two questions: "When are you due?" and "Is this your second?"  (If I don't have Adell or other children with me I get asked if this is my first.)  The answers: "In one week" and "No, this is my 5th." are rarely met with anything but jaw dropped silence.  I wish I had video recording eyeballs, I'd play you a tape of this mornings interactions--you'd get a few chuckles.

One guy at Costco did tell me I looked like I was about to have the baby any day now.  It made me very happy.  I feel like having a baby any day now and when people tell me I look like I could go for another month or two I want to cry (or scream).

Yes, I am ready for this baby to be born.  Do you think if I leave the house super messy I am more likely to go into labor?

*Lorien's pregnancy 41 weeks
Wyatt's pregnancy 37 and 1/2 weeks
Clare's pregnancy 40 and 1/2 weeks
Adell's pregnancy 39 and 1/2 weeks
Five's pregnancy 39 weeks--so far...

Getting out...

We tried to take a hike up in the Muir Woods yesterday.  We were unaware of how popular of an activity it was around these parts.  Cars were backed up for miles.  

We gave up on the Muir Woods and went to In and Out instead.  (The lines were only slightly shorter but at least we were rewarded with burgers and fries at the end of our wait.)

Then we tried to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge--something in all of our almost eight years of living in the area we have never done.  This also proved to be more people and cars than we could handle.  We only made it about a third of the way across the bridge before turning around.  

Mission accomplished?

Will was on Adell duty and about 100 yards into our adventure he said "Adell is small enough to fit through the bars of the bridge.  We have to get out of here."  He kept a death-claw grip on her (see photo above) and she kept trying to evade his attention like a fugitive from the law.

Changes...

Hey!  Still great with child over here.

Two nights ago I had a dream where the baby was born (another stunning baby girl we named "Megan" and called "Maggie" for short.) in the dream I managed to sleep through labor.  I woke with an adorable baby in my arms and asked Will: "Is this our baby?!? When was she born?!?"  He explained that she had just been born and my labor was so fast I slept through the whole thing.  "Did I have time to get an epidural?" was my next totally nonsensical question.  To which he responded: "Nope."

Pregnancy dreams are messed up.

Anyway, here are a couple of things that have been on my mind this week.  I know a lot is going to change when this baby is born.  I know a lot of those changes will be good and the rest will be...tolerable?  The first change I am worried about right now is Wyatt.  To say that he is my favorite son is an understatement.  He is my super-duper-favorite son.  He is also eight years old and I know some of my favorite things about him are going to change--baby or not.  Last Thursday I dropped him off at school to play flag foot ball.  As he sprinted off towards the field, I called out "I love you!".  He stopped dead in his run, turned right around, looked for my eyes and said "I love you too Mom!"  When he stopped I thought for sure he was going to say "Could you not say that out loud in front of people ever again?"  It made my heart soar that he wanted to return the love.

When I drop him off anywhere he checks over his shoulder to see if I am waving "I love you" in sign language and will wave it back until he is out of sight.

I know this is going to change.  He will get too cool for me, moreover; saying "I love you" with sign language or his voice will make him want to crawl under a pile of rocks.  He will want me to drop him off around the corner so his friends wont see me.  He will want a weird hair style...

The thought of all this changing for me and Wyatt makes me so sad!  Mostly because I am watching these changes happen in Lorien.  She is ten going on 17 and we already butt heads like she is 17.  Most of the things she does drive me up the wall and I think the feeling is mutual.  I love her and she loves me--we just cannot stand to be around each other.  We are two prickly pears in the same fruit bowl and neither one of us can get out of our own way.  We are all going to need some major therapy some day...soon.  Lord, please bless me to not traumatize this child anymore than necessary.  Amen.  

The next change I am actually really looking forward to--perhaps it will lead to more therapy?  Adell not being the baby any more.  She is such a baby!  Despite her protests about being "a big girl" she is a baby.  We all bend over backwards to give her whatever she wants.  I used to take kids shopping and when they would ask for something off the shelves I would firmly but cheerfully say "No, not today."  With Adell I just say "OK" and load it all into the cart.  In the check out line I hand the cashier about a dozen items and whisper "I don't actually want to buy any of these things.  Would you put them back for me?"  It has earned me a few dirty looks but I manage.

She is adorable and I have a terrible time saying "No" to her--ever.

You try saying "No" to a girl who says "Oh Momma, you look marvelous!" every time you manage to emerge from your bedroom fully clothed in something other than a bathrobe.  Or who says "This is the bestest pizza ever!" when you come home with Costco pizza instead of making a real dinner for the third night in a row.  (That is 'not making dinner' three nights in a row...not getting 'Costco pizza' three nights in a row...we aren't made of money!  We are made of credit cards, and Costco only accepts Debit cards...so...)

Anyway, Adell needs to be a big sister.  She is in for a rude awakening and I am in for a long summer of renegotiation.  Some how we will make this all work.

Change is good, right?