Holiday Haps

Tyler and Kathryn got married. It was a great day. It would have been even better if we didn't have sick kids. Sick kids + wedding, luncheon, and reception= chaos and exhaustion; nonetheless, we are so happy to have her as part of the fam.


This cute little guy and his mom spent some time in the hospital thanks to RSV. Just about all of us are dealing with some sort of illness, but the baby got the worst of it. It is heartbreaking to watch your little baby suffer.


We had our traditional paella dinner (my brother had to cook it in the garage because it is free-zing in WA...and check out my sister-in-law three weeks after giving birth, why can't I look that great?). The Foxes came over to help us eat it and it was great catching up with them.

Happy 2008!

Chubby Cheeks

Ian weighs 12 pounds. He put on 5 pounds in five weeks and there is no sign that he is going to slow down anytime soon. He is proficient in cooing and I can't get enough. If only he could sleep through the night. We are having a great time at Grandma's house, despite some nasty colds and freezing cold weather. Brrr.

Santa Drama

We just got back from our church Christmas breakfast. Max ate lots of bacon because he was allergic to everything else. The Scoville boys both got their picture taken with Santa. One was a happy baby, one was a cry baby.

Max has had so much blood work done lately, so many shots, and other medical procedures that he is scared of EVERYONE. Even Santa. He is 18 months old and is finally suffering from separation anxiety.

Coping...

Motherhood is amazing. It intensifies so many emotions (fear, happiness, exhaustion, exhilaration...) and, for me, puts so many things into perspective. I've learned to let go. To surrender when situations are out of my control. To accept and love my children no matter what they do.


After Ian was born, he decided not to eat. I spent 48 straight hours trying to get him to nurse (Max never had any problems in this department). Finally, after logging several hours with a lactation consultant, he latched on and started eating. A few seconds later the toilet in my room came to life and started spewing like a fire hose. Within minutes the whole wing of the hospital was flooding and I was ordered to evacuate. I informed the staff that I finally got my baby to eat, and that I wasn't going to move so much as an inch until he was finished. I would rather wade through raw sewage than risk breaking his latch. Before long they unplugged my bed and started pushing me (half-dressed and still nursing) through the sewage to sanitary safety. I was so happy Ian was finally eating that nothing else mattered. Not even raw sewage. Perspective.


Max has had many close calls. After surviving a nasty fall and a four inch skull fracture, I was so happy to have him around that I never once minded waking up at night to feed him. After this horrible day, every tantrum-filled day feels like a happy holiday.

Luckily for me, I've had a taste of how bad it can be. That's why it's no big deal that Max commits the following offenses on a daily basis:

-opens the dishwasher and throws breakables onto the floor, shattering them
-takes all of the clothes out of all of our dressers and makes strategic piles
-climbs onto the couch and tries to jump off the back
-undecorates the lower half of the Christmas tree
-undoes the child locks on kitchen drawers and distributes measuring cups, dish towels, etc. around the house
-takes all of the diapers out of the baskets in the change table and throws them around the house
-takes all the books out of our bookcase
-opens the pantry and dumps the contents of the cereal boxes onto the floor

Perspective is a good thing.

3 weeks

Ian has survived the first 3 weeks, despite Max's attempts to take him out of the picture. He has not only survived, but thrived. This baby has gained over 3 pounds in the past three weeks. I have been in mourning as I pack away the newborn clothes and diapers and pull the 3-6 month clothes out of storage...

Feeling outnumbered

Here is a shot of the Scoville boys. A mighty handsome bunch. We'll have to get J-P some Christmas PJ's.


Grandma leaves tomorrow. I think Max will have a hard time...he has grown quite attached. He definitely prefers his spry, doting grandma over his tired, sore mama.

Day Twelve

The baby is growing so fast. Too fast. I wish I could skim down my milk...I'm not prepared for another super-sized baby. He is pretty darn cute, but I'm biased of course. We had a lovely Thanksgiving, thanks to my mom. She even made the stuffing with homemade, gluten-free cornbread and rice bread so Max could eat it too. I can't believe Christmas is around the corner. There is no time to lose the baby weight in time for Christmas card pictures. Oh well.

Check out our latest pics on flickr

Day Six

Ian is great baby. He loves to eat, snuggle, and sleep. He rarely cries. Max is having a blast playing outside with Grandma. We are so lucky she is here.


Mom has been trying to recuperate from going three full days and nights without sleep and having unexpected surgery. Dad is busy changing diapers, entertaining Max, and helping out.

Ian has been very patient with Max's hugs, kisses, and love pats (see above picture). Hopefully he survives.

New Addition

Ian William Scoville

...arrived at 5:40 a.m. on Monday. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 21 inches long. J-P took this picture seconds after he was born. The induction went well (the gel immediately brought on strong contractions), and the birth went better than last time. The doctor did some reconstructive surgery afterward to repair the damage from delivery number one.

Ian and I had a rough couple of days (no eating or sleeping), but we are finally home and things are going great now. He is a sweet baby and has been patient with his affectionate older brother. We are so excited to have him here. I'll try to post more pictures as soon as I catch up on sleep. In the meantime check out flickr.

Busy Waiting...

While I have been anxiously awaiting a call from the hospital (induction), Max has been very busy keeping me on my feet. Gravity is definitely on my side here. I have been chasing him around the house as he tears apart all of the cleaning and organizing I've been doing. He has packed and unpacked my hospital bag several times, each time adding random treasures that he finds around the house.

When he's done tearing apart the house, we move to the backyard so he can continue his destruction. Today he ate an unusually large amount of mud. I still can't figure out why he likes it and goes back for more. I suppose I need to learn to contain my reaction.


I don't normally let him get this out of hand, but he had to endure another fasting blood test this morning so I let him go crazy when we got home to compensate for the trauma. Max + no breakfast = lots of tears. Poor kid. We also had to collect a urine sample- not easy to do when your child is not potty trained. Hopefully we will have some answers about his thyroid trouble soon.

week 40

Still no baby. I am "ripe", have had my membranes stripped, and even tried taking evening primrose oil for the first time. Nothing works. My body likes being pregnant so much it wants to stay that way forever. Oh well, J-P and Max are both sick so it's probably not the best time to go into labor. Hopefully it won't be too much longer, I think this baby gained 5 pounds this week from a Halloween candy overdose.


Max is so intrigued by my massive belly. He is slightly confused, however, and thinks everyone has a "baby" in their tummy. When we ask him where the baby is he points to his own tummy, J-P's tummy, a stranger's tummy...whoever is closest. Aside from being sick, he has been running around the house, singing, climbing, making messes, and playing 'peek a boo' with anything he can find.

Variations on a theme

...So our desktop computer contracted a deadly virus and, well, died. Since J-P has been working around the clock on grad school applications (on the lap-top), I have had minimal access to the internet. No fun for me. He finished and submitted the last one today, so I stole his computer and locked myself in the office to do some much needed blogging and on-line shopping. Oh how a stay-at-home mom needs her connection to the outside world.


Lately, I have been preoccupied with food. One day I will make a batch of pumpkin cookies, and then eat the whole batch. In one day. No joke. The next day I feel fat and guilty and cook up a storm of vegetables. After a couple days of eating vegetables, I crave sweets and make cookies again. After I've polished off a dozen or so, I ask J-P to hide them from me. A few hours later I am ready for another cookie and I throw a royal pregnant tantrum when J-P won't tell me where he hid them. After a series of threats he gives in and let's me have at least one more. The next day I feel guilty and run to the store to buy vegetables. On my vegetable days, I have been making soup. It's an easy way to eat a lot of vegetables at once, and there is something about eating soup in the fall that makes me happy. Even if it is 90 degrees outside. I have been making a lot of different versions of butternut squash soup. Some are good, some are gross...hopefully I'll perfect my recipe soon. My last attempt was a curried butternut squash soup with sauteed mushrooms, kale, and onions. I had to exercise a lot of self-control not to eat all of the curried mushrooms while the squash was roasting. Next time around I'll dump in a handful of cayenne to see if I can kick-start labor.


In other Chez Scoville news, we had a fun Halloween chatting with friends and neighbors on our bishop's driveway. In AZ a lot of people have homemade chili potluck parties on their driveway because the weather is so nice. Everyone brings their candy and passes it out from their camping chair. Much more fun than answering the door every three minutes. I didn't dress up, but fooled a few people. My favorite comment of the night: "Oh, are you supposed to be a pregnant lady or something?" Runner up comment: "Is that a costume? (as they pointed to my belly)" I chose to be practical instead of creative this year, so Max got to wear Halloween pajamas.

Let me out!

Boys are a different species. I know this because I grew up with two brothers. Being the only girl in my family was essential training for my current position: mom to Max. Max is all boy. He prefers to be outdoors at all times, thus enabling him to eat dirt, weeds, rocks, and ruin all of his clothes and shoes with mud. His self-appointed full time job is to rearrange all of the natural elements in our backyard. He takes special care to remove all the dirt from our plant pots and to strategically throw rocks into the pool and onto the lawn so his dad can run them over with the lawnmower. He is quite skilled at this task. When it is time to come inside I strip him down at the door and carry him (kicking and screaming in protest) straight to the tub. He loathes being indoors. He hangs on the door handle, cries, and begs to be released into the wild whenever we are inside. Unfortunately for Max, my medical compression pantyhose and I don't last too long in the 85-90 degree weather. Unfortunately for me, Max has no patience for nylon/pregnancy induced heat stroke. Let's just say we have some long days.


In other family news, my brother Tyler got engaged last night to his girlfriend Kathryn. Congratulations to both of you! I am very excited to have equal numbers of boys and girls in our family, as I have been outnumbered for quite a while.

New Pool Fence and Sand Box

The weather is cooler and the pool fence is in place. Max can finally play outside! This warranted the purchase of his first outdoor toy-- a sand box. We picked it up yesterday and he has been enthralled with it. Totally absorbed in the mystery of sand. I tried to get a good shot of him playing but I could not get him to look at the camera. I was putting on a one-man circus complete with song, dance, clapping, snapping, and a jiggling over-sized belly. He didn't look up once. I guess I can't compete with sand. Here is a shot of our pool fence...it turned out better than I expected it to.


You can check out more pictures on flickr by clicking on the box to the right...

Nocuous Nylons

I am vehemently opposed to wearing nylons. I don't like them. They are synthetic, itchy, scratchy, uncomfortable, and, in my opinion, only appropriate for women over 50. I don't own a pair. Well, I didn't own a pair...until today. I can explain.

With the arrival of pregnancy number two came the unwelcome arrival of my first varicose vein. That's right, just one. A small one, at that. Nonetheless, being the paranoid pregnant person that I am, I decided to point it out to my OB at my last appointment. He immediately grabbed his pad and wrote me a prescription for medical grade compression pantyhose. A prescription for pantyhose? While I agree that pantyhose should not be available for purchase by the general public, was a prescription really necessary?

Me: "Um, do I really have to wear them?"
Doc: "Yes, you don't want it to get worse."

I went to fill my prescription (not covered by insurance, by-the-way) and the total came to $115 for one pair. Yikes. Luckily they didn't have my size. I came home and found the same thing on-line for $25. I am wearing them right now. The package should have come with a warning label of the possible side effects. The wearing of this product may cause bothersome sensations such as creepy crawly, itchy scratchy, heebie jeebies, and general anxiety and paranoia. Avoid wearing this product in houses with an internal temperature of 80 degrees or more to prevent heat stroke, hysteria, and excessive perspiration. Wearing these things for the next six weeks will be sheer torture. After the baby comes, I will consider donating them to the federal government to be used in the coerced interrogation of convicted terrorists. In the meantime, I'll be waiting to exhale.

The count down

My growing belly has Max obsessed with stomachs. He is always pulling up
everyone's shirt (including mine), pointing to their belly and asking "what's that?"

Seven weeks to go and so much to do! There is not enough time in the day. Right now I'm in the middle of refinishing the cabinets, painting the kitchen, reupholstering a chair, shopping for baby necessities, and revamping my family's nutritional intake (macrobiotic). Things are coming along very slowly because I spend most of my day entertaining Max. He insists that all my attention be focused on him at all times...or else. His world will be turned upside down when this baby comes. Hopefully we'll all survive. We got the results from his blood test. He does not have Celiac disease (phew), but has very low thyroid function so we are taking him to an endocrinologist. More bloods tests are in order, can't wait for that.

J-P finally took the GMAT and did well considering it has been 10 years since his last formal education. We are trying to decide if it is worth it to uproot our family and move somewhere crazy to go to school, or if it would be more practical to stay here and do the part-time program at ASU. I'm not sure I'm willing to trade my pool and over sized front-loading washer and dryer for apartment living. In the meantime we are working on applications just in case. Who knows if we will get in anywhere.

Blood Test

We took Max to get a blood test yesterday. No fun! J-P and a nurse held Max down while another nurse rubber banded his arm to try and find a vein. Nothing showed up so she dug around with a needle for a couple minutes while he screamed and I watched in helpless horror. After a couple minutes of digging and no blood, she gave up and pulled the needle out. Another nurse gave it a try and struck blood after another minute of digging. Turns out Max HATES to get his blood taken. All it took was a hug from his mom and a couple of gluten-free, dye-free fruit snacks and he was back on his feet. The "I had a blood test sticker" he is wearing in this picture was icing on the cake. What is it about kids and stickers?

Hallelujah

Here is Max's report card from our pediatrician appointment this morning. He has gained almost 3 pounds and grown almost 2 inches in the last month! This thing is going straight up on the fridge. He is finally back up to what he weighed when he was 9 months old. It's funny how your life changes after having a baby. I used to find joy in dark chocolate, a good book, a trip to the beach, and having tea at a fancy hotel. Now nothing makes me happier than having a healthy child.

Stroller Savvy

We finally sold J-P's electric guitar (for full asking price!). This allowed me the freedom to buy this fab stroller without the normal guilt or stomach ache that, for me, always accompany a major purchase. Plus, I got a steal of a deal on ebay. I've been researching double strollers for months, and the Phil and Ted's E3 sport is where it's at. This stroller has magic powers. It is very important that I have a good stroller because Max's favorite thing to do is go on a walk. In fact, "walk" was one of his first words. He doesn't appreciate my lectures on heat stroke and the dangers of going for walks in 110 degree weather.

Aside from walks, I have been cooking non-stop. Every time Max is hungry, I have to make him something from scratch. Literally. There is not a packaged, processed food (not even a cracker!) on the market that I can give him. It's so exhausting. On top, I have to cook a separate meal for J-P and me. Sometimes I cook up to three meals a night if Max doesn't like the first one I give him. Tomorrow is his 15 month check-up. I'm afraid to say that after all this hard work, I'll feel very discouraged if he hasn't grown or gained. Fingers are crossed.

Time flies

I can't believe it's September. There is so much I need (want) to get done before the baby comes, and there is not much time left. Blogging has taken a backseat as so many other things (like keeping Max alive) have become huge priorities. It is, however, high time for an update on the haps at chez scoville. The good news: Max has gained almost three pounds since we put him on a gluten-free, allergy-free diet. Today we were driving and he was giggling, playing with the new fat rolls on his legs, and saying "what's that?" It has been such a relief to have him gaining instead of losing.
Max has been gaining some major skill in the communication and comprehension department. According to the books, his skills are on par for his age, but I still feel like he is majorly gifted. He loves his routine. He is very good about reminding me when it is time for his walk, his lunch, his nap, and his bath. He is so curious. He constantly points to things and asks "what's that?" over, and over, and over. He is very coordinated (which he definitely didn't get from his parents) and can dribble a soccer ball around the house like a pro.

I have been nesting. Not the cleaning and organizing variety...the home decor variety. Part of me realizes that after the baby comes I won't be leaving the house much, and I will have a much more positive mental state if I like the way it looks. We have been slowly selling our old stuff and buying new stuff as our budget allows. I bought a used chair and ottoman and special ordered some fabric to reupholster it. I'm sure I'm in way over my head, I'll let you know how it goes. We are also getting rid of J-P's bachelor big-screen and replacing it with a smaller, less intrusive looking t.v. With the help of my design friend Sarah, I finally made a decision on a t.v. stand. Hopefully it looks ok.

Max and I have been getting out of the house as much as possible so J-P can work and study for the GMAT without distraction. I love going places because of all of the looks I get from the general public. So entertaining. Some people are even brave enough to comment. Here is a sampling from our morning at the market--

Stranger: Oh my gosh, when are you due?
Me: Oh, not until the middle of November...
Stranger: Really? You look like you are going to pop any second.

Stranger: Um, how old is he?
Me: Fourteen months.
Stranger: And when are you due?
Me: In November.
Stranger: Wow, that's close together.

I think it scares people that Max looks like a 12 month old and I look like I am 10 months pregnant. I love to watch people's reactions. Anyway, things are good around here. Time is flying.

Three years already!

Marriage is great. I highly recommend it. My main goal in finding a husband was to find someone smarter than me. Not hard to do, as I have limited cerebral capacity. Convincing a smart person to marry me was the hard part. Luckily it worked out in my favor. My favorite thing about J-P is that he is a walking dictionary. Rarely is there a word that he doesn't know the meaning to or doesn't know how to spell. This invigorates me. I love to throw out random words to test him.

Anyway, happy anniversary J-P. Sorry we have to spend it apart... I'll be eating chocolate cream pie and thinking of you.

Down by the Bay

It rained last night. All night long. There were also massive amounts of thunder and lightening. Thanks to a booming bolt that hit our house last year, I now get anxiety when the electrical charges start flying through the air. I used to love it. You know it is close when the flash of light and jolt of noise are simultaneous. There's no counting to see how far away it is.


Whenever it rains in Phoenix it floods. I used to walk to parks in our neighborhood when we first moved here and laugh at the signs that said "no walking or swimming in standing water." "What water?", I thought as I drudged back home through the 110 degree weather with 0% humidity. I took some pictures of the flooded park at the end of our street on my walk with Max this morning. It was a nice, cool, 80 degrees at 6:30 a.m.

Desicions

Week one of dealing with Max's allergies is officially over. It's been a long one. Reading labels has never been so exhausting. After rejecting just about everything I made, Max survived the week on rice pasta with tomato sauce, fried potatoes, and rice bread with sunflower butter. I have been learning how to cook with unconventional things like xanthum gum and garbanzo flour. This is all so time consuming and my house is a mess. My only wish is that I lived closer to Whole Foods. Although their products aren't cheap (like they say Whole foods=Whole paycheck), so it is probably a good thing.

I have been distracting myself from the allergy woes by surfing craigslist for cool chairs with lots of potential that I can get reupholstered in the fabric of my choice. I found a great chair and ottoman yesterday and went to pick out some fabric to transform them. I checked out several fabrics but I can't decide! Which one do you like?

The results are in...

After our second visit to the allergist and a skin prick test (Max didn't even blink), it was determined that Max is allergic to: wheat, eggs, peanuts, walnuts, and dairy. The only thing on the test that he wasn't allergic to was soy. I could write a whole blog about why soy products scare me (I'll take corn over soy any day), so naturally I was discouraged by the results. The doctor said there is a chance the test could yield a false positive, and scratched his head about what I should do.

Doc: I hate to tell you to avoid these foods...especially if he isn't gaining weight.
Me: Huh? But isn't he allergic to them?
Doc: Yes, but...hmm...if you only see a reaction with milk...
Me: So, just avoid dairy?
Doc: Yes, and probably peanuts. Too bad, such a great source of protein. And probably eggs.
Me: So wheat is ok?
Doc: Well, uh, let's try avoiding wheat too...just in case. Then come back in a couple of months and we'll see how he's doing.

I still feel like I'm in the dark and haven't gotten any definitive answers. Max is an extremely picky eater, a would be fruitarian, and it was a huge challenge to get him to eat before the diagnosis. I've placed a request and am patiently waiting for several allergy books and cookbooks to be transferred to my local library. I'm trying to look for information online but am running into a lot of dead ends. If anyone has any advice, experience, or recipes send them my way!

Paper Problems

We are still in the process of moving furniture back, hence the hutch on hotpads... Max has been using it to store the "treasures" he finds around the house.

Max is obsessed with paper. He has probably eaten a whole forest in the past week, and might be responsible for an increase in global warming. He eats mail, magazines, newspaper, boxes, board books, and paper towels. I'm just hoping that paper has some magic nutrient that will help him grow. Yesterday (in lieu of food) he decided to eat some aveeno lotion. I thought it was funny until I read the fine print--"if swallowed contact poison control immediately." I panicked. Poison control was quite friendly as they informed us that it was no big deal. He might throw up, that's all. That's all? What's the point of the message to call poison control...to give me a heart attack?

I have been getting major cabin fever since Max has been banished to the house for bad behavior in stores. We both get tired of being cooped up (it's too hot to go outside and Max doesn't like the pool). He starts whining and hanging on my legs (see above photo). Yes, that's my big belly. I still have 3 months to go. Yikes!

Roommates Reunite

When I was in Washington in July I was able to get together with all of my roommates from my sophomore year at BYU. It was the first time we had all been together in years. I stole this photo off of my friend Ashley's blog. For some reason we can't get the pictures from our new camera to load onto our computer. Kind of puts a halt to my blogging efforts. So frustrating! Ashley and her husband live in Beijing. You can check out her blog at:

http://www.thesuitelifeofdanandash.blogspot.com/

Good News

I went in for a follow-up ultrasound today to assess the placenta situation, and my placenta previa is gone. Phew! What a relief. We got some more cute shots of sir-moves-a-lot, and they even broke out the 3-D wand and gave us another video. The baby did not like all of the prodding and kicked up a storm in protest. The technician kept saying, "wow, I felt that one...and that one..."

Other good news at chez scoville...

-We are finally home! It has been a crazy summer of vacations, family reunions, weddings, and more. Max slept the whole way home from CA last night, a true miracle.

-J-P has finally finished listening to Harry Potter on his iPOD and now I have my husband back.

-It's monsoon season in AZ, which means much cooler temps.

-Costco is selling nitrate-free hot dogs. Another miracle. I have been looking everywhere for them.

Oh, and I was tagged by Alicia...the drill is to use one word for each category.

Yourself: resourceful
Your partner: hot
Your hair: uncooperative
Your mother: congenial
Your father: gardener
Your favorite item: camera
Your dream last night: illegal
Your favorite drink: blood orange soda from TJ's (i had to cheat for this one)
Dream home: chateau
The room you are in: niche
Your fear: sharks
Where you want to be in 10 years: healthy
Who you hung out with last night: crickets
You're not: apathetic
One of your wish list items: this
The last thing you did: breathed
Your favorite weather: sunny
Your favorite book: Les Miserables
Last thing you ate: grapes
Your life: bliss
What are you thinking about right now: Max
Your car: outback
What is on your t.v: Foxnews
When is the last time you laughed: dinner

If you read this list and have the urge to create your own, consider yourself tagged!

Wood in Kitchen

The tile in the kitchen is gone. I'm still not convinced that wood is the best material for a kitchen floor (especially with a messy cook like me), but the house seems much larger with one continuous style of flooring. It was a nice surprise to come home to, and feels very organic underfoot. I hate walking on synthetic materials. Our next project is to sand and paint the cabinets.

Anyway, yesterday I went to Cost Plus World Market (couldn't they think of a shorter name?) to look for a flat weave jute rug to put under the table. I decided to bring Max. He has been walking for about a month now, and I figured that if he got tired of the stroller he could hold my hand and walk. My plan failed. He lasted about two minutes in the stroller so I got him out and said "hold mommy's hand." He yanked his hand free and started laughing and running away from me. I chased him down, grabbed his hand and said "Max, stay with mommy." He clamped down on my hand with all eight teeth until I screamed and let go. He took off running through the store, knocking over as many things as he could along the way. I couldn't keep up because my belly and I couldn't fit through the tight spaces he fit through. When he got to the toy section he grabbed a stuffed monkey, bent over forward and started sprinting like he was heading to the end zone for a touchdown. After I caught up and siezed his loot, he started throwing a mad tantrum. His ammunition included: kicking, hitting, screaming, back arching, and hair pulling. After a long embarrasing struggle and some significant hair loss, I finally got him strapped into the stroller and booked it for the car. I couldn't believe my sweet little boy was capable of being so naughty. If he keeps this up Santa will not be bringing him anything for Christmas!

Lavender Festival

When I was a little girl I wanted to move to England and have a lavender farm. That dream never came to fruition, but yesterday I visited a beautiful lavender farm in Sequim, WA with my mom and grandma. It was gorgeous and smelled just as good as it looked. We had lavender lemonade and lavender lemon sorbet. I'm regretting not trying the lavender white chocolate ice cream, but there was no room in this stomach that is constantly being smashed and kicked by Max's soon to be little brother. He is a mover! Check out more pics here.