More pics

For now, we haven't made the time to "free" our pictures from the the camera. In the meantime, here are some pics from the hospital...


http://www.our365.com/webnursery/webnursery/Baby/BabyPageDirect.aspx?CID=0017983064

Pre-party

I guess you could call it a pre-party.

No one was sure when they booked their flight if they were coming to meet Beckett, be here while he was born, or help me pass the time waiting for his arrival. Turned out, it was a little of all three. Sammi got here Friday night, Casey got here Saturday, and Donna got here Monday. Joel was definitely outnumbered, for now, and I was very thankful for 3 "low maintenance" ladies since we only have one bathroom.

Every evening, I had the same old contractions. Anywhere from 15 to 8 minutes apart, but they never turned into anything, other than sending me downstairs for another trip to the restroom in the middle of the night.

Monday, I wanted to take everyone to Forest Park because Casey and Sam hadn't seen much in St. Louis yet, and I thought a long walk might get things going. But the car wouldn't start, so we ended up at Dobbs, where I told them I was due the next day and having contractions so if they could PLEASE finish my car today it would be a huge help. Then we walked to a park in our neighborhood. Casey fixed us a delicious dinner that night.

The park or the dinner did the trick, because by 4:00 am Tuesday morning, my contractions were 6 minutes apart and getting stronger. Which leads us to the next part of the story....

...and then there were four.

Dylan Beckett Lindsey is here!!!!!

More details to come, but here are the basics.

Beckett was born on Wednesday, November 21st at 1:31 p.m. He weighed in at 8 lbs 7 oz. ( a peanut compared to his big brother) and 21 inches long.

We're all healthy, happy to be home, and feeling great.

Logically Speaking

Eli has been hilarious lately. He's testing out new words and phrases, and finding some that he especially likes. Favorites are, "right now," "because," "um," "and so then."

A few examples...

"I'm holding the granola bar...because I'm eating it right now." (Last night, while walking around at the park.)

"I'm sorry, we can't go to the zoo right now, because it's raining outside." (The other day, while looking out the window. A few weeks before, we had to skip a trip to the zoo due to the rain.)

Today at breakfast, I turned on the kitchen light. Eli said a minute or so later, "Turn the light off." Joel asked, "Why do you want the light off?" He replied, "Because it's on."

"The hippos are crying, because they can't see an excavator." (This afternoon, while we read Hippos Go Berzerk before his nap. The excavator knowledge is complements of the road construction on Hwy 40.)

Oh Dear...

Friday night, Eli went to play at the Longs' house while Joel and I went to dinner with some friends.

Looks like Eli had some fun.

It started off tame.




But then someone decided to liven' things up a bit.

Yep, this is blackmail material.

Under Nine

Lately, when offered sweets, instead of "no, thank you," I have been known to pat my belly and say "under nine."

I haven't turned them all down, and Halloween certainly didn't help matters. But, overall, I've been much more careful than I was while pregnant with Eli to avoid sugar and sweets. So far, I've gained 18 lbs this pregnancy. Even so, they estimated that Beckett was already 7 lbs and 4 oz at my 36 week ultrasound.

Eli was 9 lbs and 12 oz. Yikes! Adorable and sweet, but big.

I really want to do a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section), so I am hoping to "keep" Beckett under 9 lbs. Not that I am incredibly excited about delivering an 8 lb. 12 oz. baby either, but that at least sounds doable.

So, if I turn down that cupcake that you offer me, don't think it's because of some super will-power. I just want to be able to hold BOTH our boys on my lap soon after Beckett arrives, not have to recover from surgery.

Save me some ice cream, because after Beckett is on the outside, I have some cravings to indulge!

"Bobcats go in circles"

I don't think it's possible to forget this stage of Eli's life. But just in case...

Eli is OBSESSED with Bobcats!!!

Common phrases you might hear from him.

"Bobcats dig in the dirt."

"Bobcats go in circles!" (He likes to use this sentence as a greeting, in place of the more common "hi."He got it because of the videos he watches on YouTube with Joel where the Bobcats do go in circles.)

"Bobcat music." (Courtesy of background music on the YouTube video.)

"I'm crazy about Bobcats."

"The Bobcat is working now."

"The Bobcat is resting now."

" They might be in the garage right now." (He loves adding "right now" on the end of his sentences these days.

"I'm looking for Bobcats right now," or "Look for Bobcats." (He says this every time we get in the car."

"Keep looking. I don't see one right now." (While we drive, if we haven't seen one."

"Eli, look at that Bobcat!!!!" (When he spots one, which is more frequent than you our I would ever imagine.

"There's the con-suc-sions worker on the Bobcat."

"I ride on the Bobcat."

Yes, I actually pray for Bobcats. At naps or bedtime, he will often request that we pray for them. Or, when we're driving, sometimes I ask God to let us cross paths or point us in the right direction.

Just one example of the things that surprise you about parenting.

The Countdown...

I'm trying to ignore the fact that it's been months since I wrote anything here. It certainly isn't because life has been boring. There are so many wonderful and hard things I'd like to remember, and it gets more overwhelming each day to think about capturing it here. It's the same old issue. I stink at summarizing ANYTHING.

This entry is me trying to overcome the tendency to scrap the whole thing if I can't do it the way I originally intended.

And here's where we're at now.

Ready. 10 days until our due date. Yes, I can think of the a million things I would love to do before our new little boy gets here, but really, we are ready. It feels great, especially when it comes to our house being so much more put together then when Eli was born. It feels like a home. No drywall dust. Closets with clothes hanging in them. Walls. Paint. Pictures on the wall. And it's amazing how much Joel and I have gotten done in the past three weeks. Lots of things that aren't directly related to the baby, like cleaning out the basement, but are motivated by the awareness that life as we know it will change completely. I'm very aware that my "spare" time is about to disappear.

I think, I hope, I'm doing a little of my typical "worst case scenario" planning here. I am planning on being overwhelmed, tired, stuck in the house alot, lonely, challenged by the new level of discipline having two kids will require, concerned over how Eli will handle the transition and less attention, aware that number two may not be the easy baby that Eli was, etc. But I'm also aware that I will have the opportunity to find moments to savor, and that there will be a sweetness in it all.

Our family is growing...and so is our joy.