Elliot - 1 month old on Middle Bass

Elliot was one month old this past Saturday - July 26th. We were on Middle Bass Island with Jeremy's family. We relaxed a bit and the kids played in the water. Here are some pics from the fun weekend away...

Carter down the slide
Carter and Leah diving in together.

Daddy and Leah

Leah loving the water

Giggles with Pop-pop

Elliot swinging with GmaI promise he was barely in the sun!

Hayden borrowing Gma's hat

3 Weeks with Three

Elliot is now 3 weeks old. I must say it's very busy and much more difficult with three. I think the transition has been harder than 1 to 2 in some ways and easier in others. The sleep deprivation seems to be getting worse. There's absolutely no time for naps, as Carter rarely sleeps anymore. When I had Leah, Carter was still taking 2 naps each day since he was only 18 months old. Now Leah only takes one and they are very busy the rest of the day. However, Carter and Leah have been playing really well together so it gives me time to sit and hold Elliot. Since I'm very sleep deprived at the moment (Elliot was up from 4-6am this morning - Jeremy and I took turns holding him) I'm going to keep this post to a minimum. Just wanted to put up some new pics and let everyone know I'm surviving!! We even ventured to the pool today and I took all 3 to the grocery by myself last week. Today, everything went great until we left. Carter melted down about not getting to go in the big pool and I used a different bag and didn't have money for popsicles on the way out, something we usually do. Lesson learned, cut these outings a bit shorter until I start having more energy. I think I pushed my luck a bit. In regards to the grocery trip, some may think what's the big deal? Well for anyone that's had three toddlers, it was scary stuff. I got into the parking space and had to convince myself to get out of the car. I almost went home, but decided to give it a shot, acknowledging that we may not make it further than the produce section. Two moms stopped and told me way to go, both mothers of three. Another mom I saw that I knew wanted to stop and chat. I wrapped it up quick, explaining I'm on a mission. She understood. We made it through, spending much more money than normal - no time for price comparisons. Carter and Leah were awesome. They must have sensed Mommy's anxiety. I feel much more confident about the next time. I think I just needed to figure out that I can make it out of the house with three kids even though I only have two hands. Each day gets better and my mood has significantly improved after getting through that first week. I keep reminding myself how truly blessed we are to have these crazy munchkins. They're the best gifts in life and while I will spend the next 20 years exhausted, it's worth every minute.

We're moving

There's lots to do in the next few weeks. Jeremy and I sold our house in Chagrin and we're moving to South Russell where we'll have a little more space to spread out. Indy will be happier with the bigger yard and it's in a subdivision where the kids will be safer and have more room to play. We were on a pretty busy street before. I'll miss the house since it's where we spent our first 5 1/2 years of marriage and had our first two kids. On to new beginnings.... The title should transfer to the new owners today and then we close on our new place next Thursday. We'll be tearing out old carpet and putting hardwood in the master bedroom before moving in.

In the meantime, we've been living with my parents since Memorial Day, which has been great! They have an apartment above their garage so we have our own space part of the time. We hang out in the backyard quite a bit as well. Carter has now been digging up their yard! It's nice to have time at home with my mom during the day and the kids love being with Grandma and Grandpa. They're a bit spoiled here, so we'll have to detox them from all the treats and popsicles they've enjoyed during our stay. I'll post some pics of the new place soon .

We left some artifacts that we found in the wall at the East Cottage Street house and I wrote the new owners a little welcome letter. Things found in the wall included a 100 dollar check from 1907, some very old medicine bottles, a change purse, a small newspaper article and some other trinkets. The house was built in 1881 and we cut part of the stairwell wall out in order to get some larger furniture up the stairs. Anyhow, I hope the new owners love the house as much as we have. We found out from the realtors that they are moving from Chicago, as the wife is from Chagrin and they were married a few years ago. We also found out through some friends that the wife's parents live on our new street...small world! It's in a great location for a young couple, restaurants and wine bar close by as well as the park and village. As for us, I'm ready for something much quieter! Wow, I feel old writing that. But, it's the truth, especially after being back at my parents' place in Newbury where I grew up. A little more land and space will be great!

Announcing the birth of Elliot Michael

Elliot arrived on June 26th at 12:19pm, his Daddy's birthday. The birth story went like this...I went into labor at 3am and arrived at the hospital around 4:30 with contractions about 8 mins apart. Since I was almost 3cm in the office the day before, Dr. Galun didn't want me to wait too long to come in because he thought things could move rather quickly. However, just the opposite happened. As soon as I hit the bed, my contractions spread to 10 mins apart and everything slowed down. Bummer! Jeremy looked at me with a face of "this better not be a false alarm". We made two extra trips to the hospital with Leah, so we're veterans when it comes to false alarms. :-)

When they checked me, I was only 4 cm dilated. I asked the nurses if I could walk the halls for a while since this really helped me when delivering Leah (I just did it at home that time). They checked with my Dr. and around Jeremy and I went for two hours. The contractions immediately narrowed to 4 mins when I got up to walk and remained that way until 8:30 when they checked me again. I was 6cm at that time and desparately ready for the epidural. As soon as they numbed me up, things went to two mins apart. Dr. Galun broke my water around 11:30 and Elliot arrived at 12:19, weighing in at 6 lbs, 12 oz and measuring 19 3/4 inches. There was meconium in my water so we had to have the neonatologist and extra nurses in the delivery room (Dr. Galun calls this the meconium party - Carter also hosted the event). I asked my mom to stay and watch the delivery as well. She has five kids of her own and has never seen another birth. It was really nice having her there, especially seeing how excited she was to be part of everything. I think it meant a lot to her. When Elliotwas born, they immediately suctioned his airways to decrease risk of infection and checked him over thoroughly.

He is perfect, a sweet baby boy. I could just sit and hold him all day long. Now that I have more than one, I realize how much I took for granted when I just had Carter. There's no downtime, as the others require so much attention. Leah and Carter do play well together which helps. It's just busier than ever and I'm trying to cherish the moments I can snuggle with Elliot. Carter and Leah love to hold him and talk to him. They always want to know where he is and ask the funniest questions about him. One of the first things Carter asked was "When will he dig in the dirt?" and "When can he start walking?". Leah has started saying his name and calls him a sweetheart. At two, I think she's handling the transition well which is such a blessing. That was one of my biggest concerns and Dr. Hertz has said to me with #2 and #3 that the biggest risk to the baby are the older siblings. I just have to keep an eye on them all the time.

Here are some shots from the labor and Elliot's first day.....

We were walking out the door, headed to the hospital....one last belly shot.

Jeremy waiting patiently just before we walked the halls..

Looking good in the fancy hospital gown. I think I speak for every patient when I say they need to invest in more fashionable attire.

Just after the epidural. Notice the smile!!

Jeremy cutting the cord. A big birthday present for Dad. He had guessed we were having a boy and was excited to announce his name was Elliot.

Elliot all wrapped up....

Jeremy making the hand-off. This was the first time I held him.

Proud Grandma Williams and last minute labor coach.

Dr. Galun, my OB. He always does such a great job!! He delivered Carter and Leah too. I was so glad he could make it to Elliot's delivery. He's a wonderful doctor.

G-ma Kler holding Elliot for the first time, her 7th grandchild. She got there just a few minutes after the delivery, straight from the Middle Bass Ferry.

Aunt Anna meeting Baby Elliot

Aunt Kelly with Elliot

Gloria, the best nurse ever! She helped a ton with the delivery, cheering me on as I made my laps through the hall. She was really good to Jeremy and I, making the experience as fun and comfortable as possible. Gloria's been at Hillcrest about 30 years. If I have another baby at Hillcrest, I'm going to ask for her!

Carter and Leah meeting their little brother for the first time. We told them it was a boy and Carter just smiled ear to ear.

"We want to see his feet"

First family photo with Elliot

Elliot with Uncle Matt. Uncle David and Uncle Matt watched the kids all day while we were at the hospital. A huge thanks to them!

Uncle David was home all week and got to meet Elliot on his birthday. This was the first one of our kids David had been in town to meet on the day of their delivery.

Grandpa Williams with Elliot, his 14th grandchild and fourth grandson born in four months.

Sleepy boy! A busy first day.

Jeremy holding Elliot. I love this picture!

Pop-pop Kler meeting Elliot. He looks so little being held in his big hands.

Jeremy holding Elliot just before he went home for the night.

Welcome to the world Elliot. We're so blessed to have you!!!!

Book Club

I've decided to start posting monthly about book club. There are about five of us that get together each month and discuss a book. Whoever hosts chooses the book for that month. We usually eat yummy food (if the host is feeling ambitious, she tries to pull a food theme from the book), drink some wine and spend time talking about the book. It's always hard to stay on topic and somehow we eventually talk about our kids.

June was "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. I had gotten the idea from my mother in law's book club list. She's part of a different group and they select a book each month from a specific list. Anyhow, the book was excellent and I would recommend to all if you're looking for a good, quick summer read by the pool. I loved many of the characters and the way the story unfolded.

A short synopsis.... The story is about Lily's life in the south during the 60's. Her mother tragically dies when she's little and she eventually escapes her abusive father and heads to Tiburon, SC with her nanny Rosaleen. Lily chooses Tiburon because she finds a photograph left by her mother picturing a Black Madonna. The location was written on the back.
Her journey leads her to a honey house where she and Rosaleen live with three black sisters. Here, she learns about herself and her mother's past.

Visit to the Farm

Our friends, Amy and Jeff have a farm out in PA, a little over an hour from us. Tuesday, Anna and I piled all five kids into my van and went out for a visit. We told them we were going to a farm and when we arrived Carter asked, "Where are the farmers?". I pointed to my friend Amy, definitely not what he envisioned....she wasn't wearing overalls or driving a tractor! Nonetheless, they do own a tractor and have two horses with lots of land.

Amy had invited us out because she knows how much the kids love dirt. They are having a garage built and happen to have a huge pile of dirt in their driveway. The kids played in the dirt and ran through the field. We checked out the horses, but the only willing riders were Anna and Trenton. The other kids were a bit scared and would only feed them carrots.

Baby Paul Joseph Arrives

My brother, Joe and his wife, Barbara welcomed the arrival of their son last week. His older sisters are thrilled and want to hold him all the time!! Leah wasn't feeling well throughout the week so Jeremy and I weren't able to meet him until Friday after they got home from the hospital. Paul has blond hair and is super cute, weighing in at almost 9 lbs. The kids and I went shopping for clothes, as this is their first boy and Carter insisted that we get him something with trucks and camo. I think he's pretty happy that he has a new boy cousin! Congratulations Joe and Barb.