Baby

Well the twins are almost five months. Evan and Fiona are starting to reveal their personality differences. Evan laughs at EVERYTHING. He is very ticklish and Chester lovingly refers to him as a “goober”. Fiona smiles at us often but is much harder to make laugh. She steals things from Evan because she is so fantastic at grabbing. Here are some photos of the twins. It is very difficult to get photos of the two of them together but I keep trying.

Enjoy!

Corin has a train track and cars that he got for Christmas. He doesn’t know yet how to play with them himself he is always bringing us the track pieces and saying “fix it!”

I talked to my sister about my neglected blog at Christmas. She made a good point…”just put up pictures since your blog is called snapshots of your life.” So in the times when I don’t have the time to write I will share photos. We definitely have enough of them. I love this photo of Corin and his grandfather (Tim McLaughlin). It is just…special.

In Japanese one meaning for the word zakka (according to my close friend wikipedia) is translated as “the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane” it is also reffers to ” everything and anything that improves your home, life and outlook.” I stumbled across this word while searching for Japanese craft books.  Here is an example of one of the books I would love to purchase someday if I can find a cost effective way of shipping it from Japan to the US.

I found this post on a new blog I discovered chubbyhobby

I so want the books she has, especially the one about sewing.

I have many projects I would like to start but haven’t started yet…don’t know why I don’t have time. I figure I  will combine my art in with my posts about being a mom of three amazing children. On that note we tried to feed the twins today, it was a total failure but highly entertaining. They made hideous faces and spit everything out of their mouths. I was hoping to get some relief from breastfeeding two but looks like I will have to wait on that. Here are some images of the things I have been putting around my house. I don’t think they are officially zakka yet but they improve my home so maybe they qualify.

I found glass apple juice bottles from Martinelli’s and made them in to vases.

I knit this hat for Corin I had great aspirations for his Halloween costume but being as the twins had a doctor’s appointment the same day I didn’t get everything accomplished. I love the hat though.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here is the Christmas card that I am trying to get out. I will be better next year I promise.

So yesterday we took some 9 month photos of Corin and 12 month photos of his friend Hudson Geer. It was quite an adventure trying to get the two babies to smile. So with me, Amy (Hudson’s Mom) and Hudson’s Grandma making cooing noises, jumping up and down, and throwing our hands out and around, we were a sight to be seen. I will post some more pictures of both the boys a little later but here are some photos of Corin…enjoy.

I have started posting photos to elisajoy.com/photos you can see more pictures of Corin on his tummy and you can see pictures of our trip to San Diego. Here is the link for the San Diego pictures.

elisajoy.com/photos/SD-5-08

I also put together a short film for your enjoyment. Well perhaps film is to suave a name for what I created. It is titled Lord of the Dance…er copyright infringement…Corin: Lord of the Dance…yes much better. I hope you enjoy it. Please note this movie was recorded by my laptop, thus the poor quality. Chester and I promise a sequel using better equipment and more camera angles.

Corin: Lord of the Dance

It has been a while since I have posted and Corin is growing quickly. Yesterday he rolled from his tummy to his back and he did it several more times today. He is a very happy baby out kitchen is filled with happy squawks and squeaks every morning. After watching Corin’s friend Jaron do so well at tummy time I was inspired to give Corin more time on his stomach. Here are some fun pictures of his tummy time.

Corin also has several friends who he has “played” (layed next to) with recently. Peter, Hudson, and Jaron all who live in our neighborhood. Hudson Geer came over the other day, him and Corin just looked at eachother. It was cute.

Peter Carey is another friend of Corin’s who has come over several times. He is almost twelve months old and is crawling around.

I will soon have pictures of Corin and Jaron to post.

I gave Corin a bath the other day, not in the bath like we normally do but in the kitchen sink. He looked like an old man in a sauna or hot tub…I think this was the first time he stayed still for longer than a minute.

Here are some more fun photos from the last month. Corin will be four months next Thursday on the 22nd. We will have his four month apointment and then Corin and I will fly to San Diego.

Hanging out with Dad and watching Baby Einsteins with Mom…

Corin is ready to join a Hume Boy Band…

WOW! I am so glad that I did not have twins. I am exhausted with just one. All of you mothers out there who did double duty I commend you! Corin is great, he laughed for the first time a few days ago and has not done it since. He was looking out the back window of our truck at the sun and laughed a “real” laugh…or as I like to call it a belly laugh. It was kind of like he chuckled, anyway he did it four or five times. Since then he has not laughed again I think he forgot how. I am anticipating him learning the skill once more so I can see many more baby laughs! 

 Chester is at an IT convention. While he has been gone it has been oh so exciting. Corin saved up all his BMs for the day after Chester left. He decided to make it easy on me and get it all over at once. One hundred baby wipes later, I was hoping that I would never have to change a poopy diaper again. They say it only gets worse!

 Mumblings, and grumbling aside I am so happy to be a mom and I am enjoying Corin and his sweet spirit immensely. I love watching him discover the world, both the good and the bad. More soon…

We are wrapping up a week of vacationing. However, as is usually the case with vacations I feel more exhausted physically though mentally I feel rested. Corin has been fighting a cold since Tuesday. It really got bad over the last few nights as we stayed with Chester’s Grandma in Palm Desert. We spent the first part of our week in San Luis Obispo where we spent lots of money on delicious seafood and drank coffee. Every night there Chester and I would say how we were going to go to bed early and then we would stay up late watching TV in bed (something we don’t do at home) and chatting.

Chester and I enjoyed sushi with our friends Tori and Nathanael who just moved up to Hume. It is kind of sureal to have two of our closest friends within walking distance of our house. I can’t wait to get home to enjoy their company!

Now it is Easter, and I am thinking of what this day means. I was not able to go to a service because Corin is SO sick and I am also full of sniffles and coughs. I find it humorous that on the day that most of the country chooses to go to Church I am stuck at home. I am treasuring the time to reflect and be with my baby. I am so thankful for what this day means for my life…in this world and beyond.

I am deeply moved by the blessing that I received two months ago. Last night Corin coughed and threw up, and had a very hard time breathing. He could have reacted like the toddler screaming in the parking lot right now (screaming I can hear four flights up). I wouldn’t have blamed him for wailing and crying. Instead he whimpers and then looks at me with his big blue eyes and smiles coyly (if you don’t believe me look at the pictures). He has been fighting the urge to cry and has instead been giving me many smiles. I know this may not last forever but while it is here I am enjoying it immensely. Happy Easter. I am thankful for my salvation, my husband, and my darling little boy.

Here are some pictures of our Staff Retreat…

Here is an HD version of Corin playing. I got video of his arms and legs moving for Meesha. Enjoy!

Playing

laughing baby

Here is a movie of Corin laughing. Sorry for the poor quality but I have not captured a good laugh with the HD camera yet. Well Corin is one months old a few days ago and it has been loads of fun (and hard work). He started laughing last Wednesday, and since he has been perfecting what we like to call his monkey laugh. When he really gets going it is hystarical! Corin is still fighting a cold and we may have to put him on something for it.

Last week we had an exciting adventure…it all started with Chester finding a monster under the bed. As you probably can tell from the photo we found some very vicious mold on the wall that our bed is against. It totally grossed us out and we asked about cleaning it up. The maintenance crew told us what to do for it and we planned on waiting until our friends Laurel and Noah left to get rid of it. The next day I was grabbing a sweater from my closet and there was mold all over the arm of it. The corner of my closet was full of MORE MOLD and my clothes were also lucky enough to be infested the fuzzy goodness.

While Laurel and Noah Schumacher were visiting, Chester, Corin and I moved into a lodge room for a few days until we could destroy all of the mold and get our bedroom back in order. It didn’t take long to get rid of the mold. Chester and Noah had everything moved and the mold off the walls in a few hours. We then began the arduous task of moving everything back into our room.Things are not quite back in order because we found out we are moving to a bigger place (hoorah!) and we haven’t been motivated to get everything put away because in a week or two we will be moving it all again.Corin is loosing his hair. The front half of his head is bald and the rest has all of his baby hair. I am hoping he looses the rest because he looks kind of silly right now. Anyway he is a month old and a true joy to be around. If only I could get work done around the house…he is so distracting!

Today is the three week anniversary of Corin’s birth. It has been a long and fruitful three weeks. Corin has experienced many firsts and become quite adept and certain repeat activities (crying and pooping). We are working on him becoming just as talented at falling asleep, but alas he has had a cold which has muddled everything up. The bellybutton made it’s first appearance at the beginning of this week and, yes, it is very cute!

Corin has been working on his multi-tasking skills this week. He can now eat and poop at the same time, sleep and poop, and eat and sleep at the same time. Oh yes and he can cry and eat, sleep, or poop as well. What talent! Corin has also learned how to throw gang signs (thank goodness we live in the mountains!).

It is amazing to me how much gilt is piled on by the parenting books I have been reading. Everything you do from the moment your child is born effects them long term. If you use a pacifier to help them sleep you will be using a pacifier until they are eighteen. The problem for Corin is, his hands are hyperactive and he has no control over them. He unfortunately is unable to get them to stay still long enough to suck on them and fall asleep. We have decided that the pacifier, or silencer, as Chester and I have named it, is not of the devil and is therefore safe to use in the first few months of Corin’s life. Another guilt trip is the idea that you should allow your baby to “cry it out” what they fail to mention in the books is the newborn’s amazing ability to cry and cry and cry. The books also fail to mention that by three weeks your baby starts to cry baby tears! Now I am feeling guilt from both sides!

Aside from all that Corin is doing great. Other than his cold that makes him extra fussy, he is a very sweet baby. I did not bring up the discussion about parenting to leave us looking like the parents that run in every time the child cries, or to leave us looking like the parents that have no hearts. I am simply acknowledging the difficulty of being a parent to a newborn. But what a blessing it is as well. Happy three weeks Corin!

Well Corin is two weeks old today! We went to the pediatrician yesterday and she said he is perfect, I of course already knew that but it was nice to have it confirmed by a professional. Corin has gained a pound in ten days, quite impressive when you figure that is a seventh of his body mass. To equal him I would have to gain twenty – five pounds in ten days…ha! He is getting longer as well and he is looking less bow-legged.

The first two weeks of Corin’s life were very exciting. We spent the first week and Erin and Nate Sees house. Not only was Erin my doula ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doula ) but they allowed us to crash at their house after leaving the hospital. It was wonderful being cooked for and having someone who knew babies to take Corin for a hour here or there. Chester and I were both exhausted from the birth and the hospital stay. While we were at the Sees home we gave Corin his first bath, took him to his first pedatric apt and changed his diaper for the first fifty times. Friday the 25th Corin met his Grandma Emmons for the first time and she came home with us on Saturday.

Week two was spent with Grandma at home here at Hume Lake. It snowed six to eight inches and then when the weekend arrived and the rest of my family (Grandpa Emmons, Auntie Nat, and Uncle Rus) arrived it snowed almost two feet on Saturday and Sunday (February 1st and 2nd). My family had some trouble getting out on Sunday they planned to leave by noon but there were many buses full of high-schoolers trying to get out as well. The snow was falling steadily and on the way out of the valley seven buses got stuck along with many cars and vans. A total of three hundred campers were sent back to camp and my family was sent back as well. They sat around our home for another few hours and at 11:00pm the road was deemed “clear” by the highway patrol and they were free to leave. We ended the second week of Corin’s life by taking to the pediatric apt that was previously mentioned. It has been a wild ride! Can’t wait for more.

My mom has been out since last Friday and has been amazing. I am sitting at the computer checking e-mails and she is holding her grandson. Chester and I have enjoyed many delicious meals and I have enjoyed several delicious naps thanks to her. Corin is getting comfortable with Grandma today his diaper leaked on her and he urped all over her shirt. That of course is a privilege that few have enjoyed yet. Corin is a week old today and cute as can be. His eye focus is improving daily and he is becoming very coordinated with his hands (let the thumb-sucking begin). Mom and I are enjoying being inside, we fear to go far from the house because of the two and a half feet of snow on the ground and ice on the road. Corin is a week old today. Here is a picture of him with his Grandma.

Corin Timothy McLaughlin was born on January 22, 2008 at 3:33am. He weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces and was 19 inches and a quarter long. My labor began on the 21st in the morning and became “uncomfortable” at 11:00am. We arrived at the hospital at 3:30pm and the nurse broke my water checking my progression. I was 3 cm dilated and 70 percent effaced. At around 6:00pm I felt the urge to push and had shown all emotional signs of being in transition (fear, nervousness, self-doubt). The nurse checked me and I was only dilated to 4 cm and was still 70 percent effaced. I labored (very painfully) for another three hours and was checked again only to be disapointed by no progress. At 9:30pm I was put on an iv in the hopes that I could relax enough to progress. After another hour (10:30pm) I was shaking uncontrollably and Erin, my labor coach, suggested the epidural. She later informed me that she was afraid I would have a seizure. After the epidural Chester and Erin slept for a few hours and I was able to relax enough to rest and pray (I did not want a C-section). At 1:00am I was dilated to 9 cm and was 100 percent effaced. At 2:45 the doctor gave me the OK to push, and because my body was doing pushing already for me it was only two pushes before Corin’s head was showing. After 45 minutes of pushing Corin was born at 3:33am and wow, was I ever ready to relax!Corin is now 6 days old and I am so in love with him. It is amazing how there is place in your heart you never knew was there that is reserved for your children. Chester and I sit up at night and laugh at his burps, yawns, cries, and bewildered looks. You can see pictures of Corin in Chester’s Gallery. http://chestermclaughlin.com/gallery/v/family/corin/ Now I am adjusting to breast feeding and waking up in the night for more then the three minute bathroom run. To give Corin credit last night he didn’t even cry. I woke up to sucking sounds to find him frantically sucking on his hands. He ate at 3:30 am and then again at 7:30 am. Both times he didn’t cry just was obviously hungry. Needless to say getting six hours of sleep last night was WONDERFUL! I have included a few photos of Corin for those of you who can’t wait to click on the link to Chester’s gallery. Enjoy!

This Christmas, we didn’t trudge out into the wilderness to find our own special Christmas tree, though there were trees a plenty. My whole immediate family (Mike, Leslie, Natalie and Russell) came up to spend this Christmas at Hume Lake. We did trudge out into the wilderness, with Chester leading the way and my siblings and I taking up the rear. After a two and half mile hike we came home to spaghetti and garlic bread (a family favorite). It was so refreshing to have my family up, and such a relief to not travel (being eight months pregnant!). There were a few tight moments with six people navigating around our 399 sq foot trailer, but it wasn’t really that bad. We opened presents, updated blogs (thank you Chester!), played Christmas carols, watched movies, and relaxed. Now that the family has left Chester and I are packing bags for the hospital (just in case) and making sure we know how to install the infant carrier into the car. It puts things in a new perspective as we ready ourselves, as best we can, for the new addition to our family. Meanwhile, Corin is dealing with the tight quarters by moving and stretching even more. I am sure I will be wishing for him to be back in my belly when all this energy is expressed by wide eyes and crying at two in the morning. Merry Christmas everyone!

I had my shower in San Diego at the end of November. It was so amazing! There were 35 people or so who came and blessed Chester, Corin, and I with their hopes, wishes, and generous gifts. We shared childhood stories, played pictionary, and other shower games. It was a blessing to see so many familiar faces and old friends. One of the most wonderful things about the shower was the food! Several women (Mom, Grandma, Natalie, and the Rasche women) had slaved away in the kitchen to create the most amazing breakfast spread. There were pastries, scones, keishes, and breakfast casseroles. Also for beverages there were an assortment of teas and my dad was the barista for the shower. Russell and Tyler were serving and taking orders. It was a wonderful time. Thank you to all who worked and participated!

On November 17th 2007, I had my first baby shower. Yes, once again I had to be the center of attention (this time around I shared the attention with my belly, I mean baby). It was very enjoyable. Christina and Meesha did an excellent job with the food and games. I was surprised and blessed by all the gifts Chester and I received. We are on our way to having an overwhelming collection of baby garb, gear, and gizmos. So with ten weeks and two showers to go Chester and I are preparing for the whirlwind of birthing and babying. We can’t wait to see what little Corin Timothy (for the granddad) McLaughlin will look, sound and smell (eep!) like. For now we are enjoying his flips, kicks, hiccups, and tap-dancing. Will post again soon thanks for reading!