Feeding a Baby

Reilly: Mom I know why your nibbles are fat.
Mom: Why?
Reilly: Because they have all the milk in them.
Mom: Ahhhh..... uh huh.

Welcome...

It must have been a result of my eviction, because our third child joined us less than 24 hours after the post. We have been blessed with another daughter, Shea, to our family. Oddly, labor began at 3:30am when I woke to a pain (contraction); my eyes popped open to find Kate standing inches from my face stroking my hair. I was confused and thought it was a dream - Kate rarely is up before the sun. I brought her back to bed and went back to sleep - curious if this was the onset of labor... finally. About 30 minutes later I woke again to a pain, I opened my eyes and as I stared at the door, Kate came walking in once again. She knew... she just knew...

We all hung around the house as my labor progressed and I passed time upstairs while Dad and the kids hung out downstairs. I cleaned more than I had in months... I think Shad was wishing I went into labor more often. Somewhere around 8am I told Shad to "GET the kids to school". I called my MD who told me to come into the office at 11. I found that to be odd as I had not done that in the past, but I agreed. 11am finally came around and we went to the md office. I found some pleasure telling the woman checking me in when she questioned my appt time that I was "in labor". Shad and I walked up the three flights of stairs to my OB's office and waited for her to be free. She checked me and sent me to the hospital - I was 5cm. It was 11:30 by the time we were in our room and I was sitting on a ball in a hospital gown. Over the next 4 1/2 hours Shad and I breathed together, I screamed, and Baby Shea arrived. (of course this is the abbreviated version, email me if you want the full version) Her arrival was different than the arrival of the other two. Not better or worse, but different.
She has a full head of dark hair, and weighed 7lbs 15ozs. Over a pound more than the last two.

Eviction Notice

What I once referred to as the "home stretch" apparently was not at all. I'm sitting here like a butterball turkey still waiting for #3 to make his/her grand entrance into the world. I can think of a number of reasons this child has not made it's way through the tunnel, but I'm sure aside from the fact, it's just not time, there isn't a good reason. My theories, however, still are worth considering:

1. Because of my lack of patience and tolerance the child on the inside hears a lot of whining and crying from the siblings on the outside and a lot of dog barking and whining.
2. Again, because of my lack of patience and tolerance the child hears much yelling on the outside and wonders why he/she would want to be there to hear it on the "other side" at least from where he/she is sitting, it's muffled - perhaps like when you go underwater in the bathtub and someone starts talking to you.
3. Oreos won't taste the same through breast milk.
4. It's been snowing and it's cold outside - it's warm on the inside.
5. Christmas is just around the corner, why not wait.
6. The other two kids got to make their mark in different ways on their way to the "outside" world, so this one figures that 10-12lbs would be a good way to make sure he/she is always remembered.

Oh, perhaps it's a little bit of all those things - then again it's likely none of them.