You know you're not getting enough sleep when...

I awoke around 3 a.m. because my cute little baby was crying. I went to her pack-n-play and picked her up. Carried her to bed with me to feed her because, my friends, there is no way I'm sitting up to breastfeed at that hour. I snuggled up next to her and she started feeding. I woke up again--she was still crying. D said, "Do you want me to go get her?" I thought, "What's he talking about? She's right here..." Then I realized that I had only dreamed about bringing her to bed. And such a vivid dream, too!

More of Squirt

We love that she sucks her thumb!
Thanks so much for the lovely photos, Ann!!

Spirited!

So far it's three for three. Can't say I mind, I mean, I feel like I've been really blessed to have three spirited babies. What would I do with a child who just sat there doing nothing? How would I know if my baby was happy, sad, hungry, satisfied, excited, tired...? Anyone who has a spirited child can attest that they're pretty fun--extremely happy, loud, excited, busy, and just into everything (figuratively and literally). Also very expressive with their emotions (whether deliriously happy or so very sad)--there is no mystery about how they're feeling. You just don't get that dead-pan look from a spirited child.

My fabulous firstborn came and I discovered that she was spirited... She was such a happy little thing, especially when she was with her favorite person. Then my wonderful number two came, and I worried that he would fade into the background because his sister's personality was so flamboyant. No need to worry; he keeps right up with her. But I really worried about number three, with two older, passionate siblings--would she survive? But my fears are allayed. She is as spirited as the others. She is the happiest baby in the world when she's with her favorite person (which is most of the time, thank goodness!), but if something upsets her, watch out! There's no better word to describe her cry than LOUD.

So a girl came over the other day with a baby--same age as mine. I got all in her face (the baby's face) and started talking, trying to make her laugh... NO REACTION! I couldn't believe it--this never happens to me with my kids! I thought maybe it was me--since I'm not the mom, she didn't want to smile at me. Then the other mom said, "Yeah, I try talking to her and getting her to smile, but mostly she just looks at me." WOW, am I grateful for spirited babies!!!

I'm also grateful for talented friends... like my dear friend who did a photo shoot of our littlest munchkin. I'll post more photos later (it's hard work trying to keep up with these three!!!)

Happy Birth Day, Squirt! It's a....

GIRL!

This time, for once, I did have mother's intuition. It helped that Squeak clued me in about this one awhile ago. I know that everyone really just wants to see a photo, so I'll try not to be too wordy in this post, but if it weren't for the sleep deprivation that accompanies having a newborn, I'd have a baby every nine (OK, maybe ten) months for the thrill and exhilaration of natural birth. Labor and birth were AWESOME! D was a fabulous birth companion--the best doula I could ever have!

Proud sister and brother

We're still deciding about a name (and hoping it doesn't take two weeks like last time!!), but one of our favorite options is Botum, which is Cambodium for princess.




Lots of exciting things to say about the birth, but for now I'll just mention one. Squirt was born with the amniotic sac intact, or en caul. This is something I had heard about as a childbirth educator, but it's very rare, and I've never known anyone whose baby emerged with the sac intact--and now it happened to us! Pretty cool!

Here's some info I found on the internet:

Dwight Cruikshank MD, states that being born with or in a caul is rare, probably occurring in fewer than 1 in 1000 births, and that he has seen fewer than 10 babies with a caul throughout his career.

In medieval times the appearance of a caul on a newborn baby was seen as a sign of good luck. It was considered an omen that the child was destined for greatness. Birth "En Caul" is generally considered to be a very auspicious beginning for a child.

Many are great natural healers, which trait may be manifested by the laying on of their hands, or remotely from a distance. Many are considered to have great ability in matters of judgment and ruling nations and often possess insights which are difficult to appreciate by other people.

In many cultures the Caulbearers were considered to be “Kings by right,” due to the predictive nature of their births and their leadership abilities. This is one of the reasons why certain Buddhist groups, to this very day seek out Caulbearers to be brought up to become Dalai Lamas.

More info found here

Stats:
Birth Day: September 26, 2009
Time: 3:41 a.m.
Weight: 7 lb. 12 oz.
Length: 19.5 inches
Head circumfrence: 13.5 inches (smallest one yet)
Labor time: 18.5 hours

We are so thrilled about our baby girl!