Christmas Interview with Asher and Jackson

A friend of mine, Becca Blomker, inspired me to do an interview with my kids. Here is her blog post with her sons Micah and Josiah. So here goes, what my kids really know about Christmas.

What is your name and how old are you?

Asher: Asher, 5

Jackson: I dunno, two.

Why do we celebrate Christmas?

Asher: Because it's Jesus' birthday

Jackson: Jesus

Who were Jesus' parents?

Asher: Mary and Joseph

Jackson: Mommy, (Who was his daddy?) Mommy

What town was Jesus born in?

Asher: Bethlehem

Jackson: I dunno (Guess.) Guess.

Why were Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem?

Asher: Cause they had to have a baby

Jackson: Somebody hittin' dem, like knight

Where was Jesus born in Bethlehem, and what did it look and smell like?

Asher: In a stable, it looked like a house, it had a pointy roof. Hay and cow poop, sheep poop, donkey poop. Did you write poop? (Much laughter)

Jackson: in Jesus. (What did it smell like?) Fower. (What did it look like?) Fower. (flower)

Who was in the stable when Jesus was born?

Asher: Donkey, Joshua, three kings, Joseph, Mary, two other people

Jackson: Jesus, Dod (God)

What did the angels say to the shepherds?

Asher: There is a baby who is getting ready to be born, follow the star, His name is Jesus

Jackson: GI Joooooeeeeee

Who came to visit Jesus a little while after he was born?

Asher: God and poopy (raucous laughter)

Jackson: GI Joooooeeeee

What fun things does your family do before Christmas (during the weeks leading up to Christmas)?

Asher: Decorate...I don't know anything else. Oh, and bake cookies, make gingerbread houses, kill a deer for our family, kill a cow, kill a bull, kill a lamb...could Joshua really talk?

Jackson: Make dookies, make dingerbead house.

What do you do on Christmas Eve?

Asher: Open presents, get presents out of your stocking, eat cake, bake cookies, Christmas is special cereal day!

Jackson: Make dookies.

What do you do on Christmas day?

Asher: I just told you that. (No, you told me Christmas Eve). Oh, well all the stuff I already said. Open presents.

Jackson: Make make pops. (cake pops)

What are your favorite Christmas songs? Can you sing them?

Asher: Mr. Grinch, Jingle bell song, the bell song, tootie booty (maniacal laughter)

Jackson: Coobie, doobie, doo, Mithey Mouse, no, I dan't sing. Coobie, doobie, doo, where are you, got some work to do noooowwww....

Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad morning

This morning was honestly the most chaotic, disorganized situation I have experienced in a long time. After deciding to go to the museum and not following through two times this week, I decided today was the day. We got up, I got everyone dressed and out the door by ten o'clock. Unfortunately, though I was dressed, I didn't have time to brush my hair after I showered so I'm finger brushing it in the car. This is when I discovered no ponytail holder, great, so tangled and everyone would know just how much. I also didn't have a chance to eat breakfast, so I grabbed a box of reduced fat Cheezits and coffee as I head out the door.

We had to make one stop before the museum and at that point, I realize Asher has no shoes on. We were downtown so I decide to go to Pollywogs and buy him a pair of shoes. We dash in, Jax screaming in his seat, and head toward the shoe section. Asher spots the toys and off he goes. I'm screaming at him to please come and get his foot measured because it's already 10:30 and we have to leave the museum by 12:30 to be home for naps. The poor girl finally convinces him to get his foot on the measurer (real word?), and tells me that he is a 7 or 8. Wait, how can he be both? Don't care, grab a pair of size 8 shoes and ask if there are are socks that I can use to try them on. They only carry girls socks and they are $5 a pair. I am not spending $5 on a pair of socks that he will never wear again so I decide he can just sweat in the new shoes.

So off we go, Asher still shoeless and Jax screaming. At this point I realize that we took the stroller out of the car last weekend and never put it back in. Yea. I ask Asher if he really wants to go or if he wants to go home and play in his new sandbox. Of course he wants to go, why would he want to do what I want to do? We get to the museum and I tell Asher that we are not putting the shoes on until we are inside because I don't want the bottoms scuffed if they don't fit properly. He is wandering around the car with no shoes while I'm adjust the screaming Jax in the Mei Tai.

Into the museum we go and into the theater to put on the new shoes. I ask Asher if they hurt at all and he tells me "just a little bit" and tries to run off. No, for $40 they better feel fantastic so I take the shoes off. I realize that Jackson is simply not going to stop screaming until he is fed so I give Asher three choices of places we can go. Of course he chooses the Market which was not on the list, and I have to chase the shoeless wonder down to get him to the fire truck. After his feeding and diaper change, Jax is still screaming so at this point I decide to call it a day. Asher has a break down because we have only been there 30 minutes so everyone is staring at me and my two crying children (one without shoes) as we leave the museum.

Jackson right after birth

Twinkle, Twinkle

Asher singing "Twinkle,Twinkle". He often plays his guitar (that plays All Star by Smash Mouth) and sings this over the actual song. I will try to get a clip of that tomorrow. Notice how he pauses when he says, "Face a diamond in the sky." He know that isn't the right word, but he can never remember what the right word is.

Jackson's arrival

After being in early labor all day on Thursday, I had my membranes stripped at my midwife appt. My contractions got closer and more consistent so we headed to the hospital at 11:00 pm. By the time I was checked at 12:00 am, I was measuring almost 6 cm. My contractions were not all that horrible, so I was surprised that I had progressed that far. By the time I got to my room and my midwife arrived, about 1:15, I had progressed to 8 cm and she broke my water. Even in transition, my contractions were not that bad, intense but not unbearable.

At 2:45 I was ready to push, at this point I started experiencing the worst pain of my of life, no exaggeration. After pushing for about 30 minutes we realized why. He came out with his hand in his mouth! So not only did I have to accomodate his 14 inch head, I had to fit his fist as well. He was born at 3:27 am, perfectly healthy and really alert. This is where things started to go downhill.

Up to this point, I had had a fairly easy experience. When she tried to deliver the placenta, it was stuck. Now this should have been the easiest part. She worked for another 30 minutes trying to get it out, but it wouldn't budge. So in comes the ob on call to try to remove it. No luck. At this point I am told that I'm going to have to go into surgery to remove it. Great, so I made it through the delivery of the baby unmedicated, but I have to be put under general anesthesia to deliver the placenta. As she's handing me the consent forms to sign, she tells me that she will try to remove it but if it won't come out, she'll have to perform a hysterectomy, so no more children.

How do you take that news? Well, thank you doctor, I understand the risks and have decided to leave the placenta in? At this point I was losing enough blood that I didn't have an option so to surgery we go. Thankfully, the D & C worked and I didn't have to lose my uterus at age 32. We are so grateful that the Lord brought everyone through safely.

Tonight: Full moon, Tomorrow: Membrane stripping, part II

The title says it all. Supposedly, there is an increase in births at the full moon. So far today, or any other day since Saturday, I haven't had the first contraction. Maybe I will wake up in the middle of the night in full-blown labor. If the moon doesn't do it for me, my midwife is going to strip my membranes again tomorrow. Painful, yes, more painful than being pregnant for another week, absolutely not. I hope I go in tomorrow and she says in surprise, "I can't believe it, you're dilated to six!"

40 weeks and counting

Well, today is my due date, August 2, 2009. I'm not having any contractions so I'm not too optimistic about going into labor today. In fact, I'm not too optimistic about going into labor at all. I'm beginning to wonder if something is wrong with me and if I will actually be pregnant forever. Though realistically this is not an option, it certainly feels that way. My biggest fear is the size of this child. I had my last ultrasound at 28 weeks and he was measuring about a week and half ahead. Because my fundal height has been small (32 cm at 37 weeks, for example), they haven't done any more ultrasounds to determine size.

This brings me to my dilemma, Asher weighed 9 pounds at 39 weeks when he was born. My fundal height was also behind with him, though not quite as much as this one. I'm sort of afraid of letting Jackson get too big and then having a c-section. Given the choice between an induction and c-section, I'll take the induction every time. I guess we'll just wait and see because I won't get an u/s until he's 41 weeks.

Asher's questions

Asher askes the funniest things at the funniest times. He keeps me laughing, even when he's driving me crazy. Last night I went to check on him before going to bed. He sat up and asked if he could come and sleep in my bed. Because I know we won't be able to do it much longer, I let him come in there.

He was pretty sleepy, just lying there still, every once and a while touching my face or arm. All of the sudden he asked me, "Is baby Jackson still in your tummy?", to which I replied, "yes." Then he said, "Did you not walk him out of you?" I had told him earlier that the reason we were at the mall was to walk Jackson out of there. He's so precious!

Bedtime at our house...always an adventure

Every night it's something, some reason he can't just get in his bed and go to sleep like a normal person.

39 weeks

At this point in my last pregnancy, Asher had been served his eviction notice and was on his way out. At the beginning of this pregnancy, I questioned why I had been so quick to induce, especially since my conditions were so unfavorable. Now that I'm at this point again, I totally remember why! Because I had such a horrible epidural experience last time, I am trying to go naturally, no meds, so I am avoiding a pitocin induction.

This would all be well and good if I had ANY indication that my body was getting ready to go into labor. I have had maybe 2 or 3 contrations, not at the same time, mind you, and no Braxton-Hicks. My cervix is on 20% effaced. I thought the second time around would be soon than the first but I guess not. Please pray that I will continue to hold on and that Jax remains healthy in there, no matter how long he decides to stay :)

Too neurotic for Playmobil

When Asher turned two, we decided we were going to pick a "theme" toy set and add to it at occasions where gifts are given. The theme we chose, after much deliberaion, was Plan City by Plan Toys. This was a wise choice as he loves the city and will play with it for long time all by himself and for hours if one of us is willing to sit in the floor with him. As far as toys go in general, I'm a bit OCD. We have rubbermaid containers for each toy "set" so that it stays together and no pieces get lost. I have been known to go as far as to write on top of the box what the box should contain in Sharpie and will not stop looking until every piece is accounted for. This is not too difficult because I only allow 2 boxes out at a time. This may sound crazy, but we have lost very few toys in Asher's two and a half years.

Anyway, back to Playmobil. Logan decided to go renegade on me this week and bought some Playmobil stuff while he and Asher were at Toys and Co. We had discussed this already and agreed to not start with Playmobil until he was four. They Playmobil sets come with about 20-30 pieces each and are VERY TINY. I can't keep it under control! We are constantly losing a tiny trowel or hat or saw. They are also grey/light brown so the are not easily seen on our carpet. So it takes FOREVER to round up all the little pieces when he plays with it. I do not need this insanity at 9 months pregnant!

I'm afraid I can't eat perch, Mommy.

When discussing what we were having for lunch (meaning dinner) this afternoon, I told Asher that we were eating perch. He, of course, wanted to know what perch was, and I reluctantly told him that it was a kind of fish. Asher has recently connected that the fish we see in the water are in fact the same fish that we eat for dinner. For a two year old, this is inconceivable, why would we eat the poor fish? So the child that has eaten fish his entire life has suddenly gone on a fish strike. Which would be fine if he would consistently eat chicken or beef, but he won't.

So he replies to me, "I'm afraid I can't eat perch, Mommy.", and I just left it there. We usually eat at 6:00 but tonight I stretched it to 7:00 so that everyone was ravenous. Guess who ate three pieces of fish? When you're hungry enough, your convictions go right out the window. He did try to get some reassurance from me, "I love fish, just not fish that swim in the water. Did this fish not swim in the water?" I just very quickly changed the subject.

Just waiting

Wow, my blogging has gotten really slack. We are in the final days of this pregnancy and I'm really feeling it...with every part of my body. I've developed carpal tunnel syndrome this time around, and it makes it difficult to do, well, everything. I have trouble typing, knitting, cleaning, opening sippy cups, etc. My midwife assures me it will go away within a few weeks of giving birth, and I honestly can't wait to be "fully functioning" again.

We have had a very uneventful summer. We go to the pool almost every day so Asher has become quite a little fish. So much so that I am having frequent nightmares about him drowning. He can swim under the water, sort of, so that gives him a false sense of confidence. This confidence makes him do stupid things like jump off into the deep end with no one there to catch him each and every time we go to the pool. Let me tell you, we keep the lifeguards hopping. Today one of them asked me if I knew what I was having and when I said another boy, she actually said, "oh, no!". Not sure how to take that...

In case you're wondering where I am...

it's purgatory, otherwise known as album design.  It's not quite hell, but it's pretty darn close.  It requires me to spend each evening from 8-11 designing the layouts for all the wedding albums from last season so Logan can get caught up.  I am up to the first week in July, so that leaves me about 19 more to do.  So I should get some free time in about November.  

Had my ultrasound today...

and it's a boy!  Everything looked perfectly healthy, including the nuchal fold, which always freaks me out.  Even though I am still not really showing (just getting fatter), he is measuring a week ahead, just like Asher.  So I'm probably going to have another 9-10 pounder.  We are so thankful and excited that everything is progressing so well, and just praise God for this miracle!

Snow day

Okay, so I didn't take or edit these, as you can probably tell, but that is one of the beautiful things about marriage, what's mine is his and what's his is mine.

Asher's thoughts on the new baby

This was a conversation we had in the car yesterday:

Me:  Do you want a baby Jackson or a baby Piper?

A:  We don't need two, we just need one.

Me:  I know, so which do you want, the baby Jackson or the baby Piper?

A:  We don't need two, we just need one.

Me:  Okay, so do you want a baby brother or a baby sister?

A:  Mommy, we just need one.

Me:  So which one do we need?

A:  Asher!

He knew exactly what he wanted to whole time, I was the dense one who couldn't get it.

Confessions of shopping with a two-year-old

Confession #1:  I let him play in the play area at Once Upon a Child unsupervised.  I made sure the lady behind the counter knew who he belonged to, then I went to the clothing section where I could only *sort of* see him.  

Confession #2:  I led said two-year-old to believe we were going shopping for a new 'tato head.  I looked for the potato head for a total of three seconds before giving up.  We need a new 'tato head like we need a hole in the head.

Confession #3:  We were out of clean underwear so I made him wear a diaper.  It was bulky cloth so I made him try on the clothes sans undergarments of any sort.  

Confession #4:  When I took the diaper off, his face went blank and he said "I need to pee".  I quickly peeked out the door of the dressing room to see if I could find a potty, no luck.  So I picked up the diaper and made him pee onto it.  He was not impressed.  "It will be dinky (stinky)", he said.

Confession #5:  I picked out a shirt that looked like the neck was pretty small (remember the two-year-old has a head circumference in the 100th percentile) and though it took 30 seconds, I forced it over his big head.  He cried!  I felt so horrible that I almost cried.  All for a shirt that didn't even fit.

The funniest thing about the whole shopping experience was the conversation that proceeded the trying on. 

Me:  We need to buy some clothes for you.

Asher:  I don't need any cose; I alweady have all my cose.

Me:  You don't have any summer clothes, that's what we're looking for.

Asher:  I have a hat, a bucket hat.  And lots of warm hats.

Me:  Well, yes, that's true.

In his mind, the bucket hat we bought for summer was his summer wardrobe, along with his winter hats, of course.  Actually, as much as this child likes to be naked, that is probably truer than I'd like to believe.

Okay, here it is

As many have you have noticed (and mentioned), I have become quite the blog slacker.  You might count back to the origin of the slacking and notice that it coincides almost to the day to the start of this pregnancy.  All-day-long nausea hit hard and fast at 5 weeks, 3 days this time.  I seriously spent most of the first trimester on the sofa, trying not to die.  Though I am still sick from 3:00 pm on, it is getting better day by day.  So maybe the blog posts will pick back up.

I plan to start posting pictures from Asher's birthday (Nov 14th) this week and will work my way up to the present.  He's changed so much in three short months!  We find out the sex of this baby on next Monday, so pray that everything is going well developmentally.  

Hirsh's need your prayers

There is a family that I know that is in desperate need of prayers for their little boy, Cayden.  He was born early and is having some pretty serious difficulties.  Please click here for more information and lift this family up to the Lord.