By Any Other Name

You may recall the nightmare that was naming our first kid.  We haven't forgotten, and unfortunately, naming a second proved to be equally as difficult.  We may have to stop at two kids simply because we could not name a third, but as with Frazier Norma Grace's name is not at all ordinary and not the least bit arbitrary.

You see, Josh and I each have a grandmother here on earth.

Jessie Mae and JoAnn.  

They have known and loved us for three decades and you couldn't ask for two better grandmothers.  As a matter of fact, I was under the impression no one else had grandmothers as good as mine until I met Josh's.  And then I stood corrected.  We're blessed beyond measure that Nama and Mae Mae are part of our lives.  It's been a privilege to share our lives and now our children with them.

But we also each have a grandmother in heaven.

Norma and Grace.  

My Nana never knew me as a grown up.   She never met Josh and she will never hold my children.  I have missed her now for longer than we had together.  Josh's Grandma Grace did get to meet me, though I wish we'd known each other better and I wish she could have met our kids.  But these women share more than the fact that we loved them and they are no longer with us.  They each had names we thought were beautiful, not necessarily inherently, but because of the women to whom they belonged.  

Dear Norma Grace,

   We chose your name because it meant something to us.  It meant honoring two ladies we were blessed to know and wish you'd been able to meet.  They made these names beautiful by the way that they lived.  And as you are the most beautiful little girl we've ever known, we're giving them to you. I think they'd be proud for you to have them.  Now go and make it your own.

Mom & Dad

Hello, Norma Grace

She was almost as early as her brother was late!  We were pretty surprised...I think we may still be in shock that she's already here!

Norma Grace was born September 11, 2012 at 1:30am.  She weighed 8lbs 2oz and was 19inches long.

My water broke at home around 11:20pm Monday night.  Since prep and planning is a hobby of mine the ship-out was very organized and we didn't forget anything.  We dropped Frazier off with a darling friend who was on-call for just such an occasion.  We also had a number of back-up friends on-call...we are blessed with such awesome friends.  I mean, we'd be blessed to have one friend willing to take our kid in the middle of the night at a moment's notice...but we had a whole slew of them!  We got to the hospital around midnight and within an hour and a half she was in my arms.  My doctor didn't even make it.  You will never hear me complain about this labor experience- two hours, no drugs, no epidural.  (Nevermind that the second half of it I thought I was going to die and at the end I begged for the pain control I'd so adamantly denied earlier...only to be told it was much too late.) Turned out I did live through it afterall.  And then we just sort of sat there stunned that it was over. Nursing has been great, recovery has been great.  I was up and around pretty quick, no prescription pain meds.  I think back on the last time we did this and it's a 180 degree different experience.  This is how it should be. :)

Now we have a daughter and Frazier has a sister.  He's been a super big brother, but I expected no less.  Now, a week before her due date and four days after her birth, I still can't believe she's really here.  But it's wonderful.  I spent weeks watching and feeling her move around inside wanting so badly to be able to hold her.  And now I can!  It may sound strange, but when first we met, before she smelled like baby shampoo and Pampers, I held her to my face and breathed her in and I said to Josh that she already smelled familiar.  She smelled to me like Frazier.  

Like someone that I love.

Welcome to this world, Norma Grace.   Come give it all that you've got.

In The Summertime

Recently, the summer heat finally broke like a fever that had lasted, oh, four and a half months.  And we could breathe again.  Compared to last summer, this one was mild...in that we actually had some precipitation and days here and  there that the temperature wasn't over 100.  Now that fall is beginning to seep in with cooler mornings and evenings and breezes throughout the day, summer is already beginning to seem like a string of distant memories.  The misery of the suffocating heat Texas summers bring is settling to the bottom of the memory jar while all the good stuff bubbles to the top so that even so soon removed from it, what we remember isn't the hot, just the happy.

My Big Fat Random Blogpost

*At the end of July we had Frazier's three year check up.  It was probably the least eventful check-up we've ever had.  Except that he flipped out about having to take off his shoes to be measured.  No shots this time.  To date, he's only ever been to the doctor for well check-ups.  The kid's never sick...knock on wood.  I doubt his doctor even really recognized us, but she's really wonderful so she didn't let on.  She seemed adequately impressed with how brilliant and coordinated he is. :) He was 3ft 1.25 in tall and weighed 35.6 lbs.  Despite his significant head start, he's been slowly averaging out height and weight-wise.

*At long last, Frazier is finally...drum roll please...POTTY TRAINED!  I wish I could say that our potty training experience was a brilliant display of impeccable parenting and a polished process altogether that was brief, painless and effective...but that would be a gross misrepresentation of the truth.  In fact, it was a long, agonizing process and it is only by some miracle we're through it.  I have zero advice for anyone else and I don't look forward to doing it again.  After a year of lackadaisical encouragement interspersed with a few short stretches of hard-core potty-training-bootcamp he just magically embraced the idea...wholeheartedly, in its entirety.  I really am proud of him and he's very proud of himself.  He goes all by himself right down to flushing and washing his hands and sleeps all night in underwear- no accidents in weeks.  Already all our previous potty-training woes seem so far away.  Thankyouverymuch.  

*Josh and I have birthdays on either side of our anniversary- his is 9 days before; mine is 4 days after.  The celebration of both this year was spectacular!  Happy Birthday to us!

*A couple of weeks ago, my cord blood collection kit arrived.  We donated Frazier's umbilical cord blood and plan to do the same this time.  However, there is now the option to donate via the Texas Cord Blood Bank as a non-fixed-site volunteer donor, meaning I don't have to deliver at a major hospital anymore.  They'll take donations from other sites, too.  I found out they were the closest this time through marrow.org.  It's free.  It's not that complicated, considering.  And it could save someone's life.  There are other options for donating using a national cord blood bank which is also free so even if there is no local bank to collect for you, you can still do as we did last time.  As a side note, this collection kit is significantly larger than the last one we had.  I mentioned this to my doctor who reminded me that "everything's bigger in Texas"! :)

*We challenged ourselves to choose a hymn and a scripture verse for each of our children.  With Frazier it was difficult because the possibilities were so vast.  With Lentil it was difficult because there was one less option of each...and they were pretty much our favorite.  Frazier's verse is Romans 15:13 "May...God fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may abound in hope" and his hymn is Be Thou My Vision.  Lentil's verse is from Proverbs 31:25 "She is clothed in strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." and her hymn is He Leadeth Me.

*This is me at 38 weeks.  Here's me at 38 weeks pregnant with Frazier.  At my last appointment I was at 4.5cm dilated and 70% effaced which is far ahead of where I was with Frazier at this point so hopefully we won't have long to wait!!

Loved You First

As I bide my time until I am a Mom divided, I regret two things: 1) that the time Frazier and I had just the two of us is drawing to a close and 2) that Lentil and I will never have that kind of time- 3 long years just the two of us.  Frazier will now have to share me, and Lentil will never have known any different.  It can't be helped and will be great in an entirely different way, I'm certain.  Nevertheless, it's been a splendid three years just us and before Frazier was the great big brother I know he'll be, he was the best little buddy a mom could ask for.  My constant companion, my dear little friend.  Ever my entertainer, always my muse.  The best part of my day is when he gets up...and then all of the time he's awake.


Fraz,
I can't wait to meet your sister...and for you to share her with us! It's hard to imagine having another little person we love and enjoy as much as you.  I suppose it will not be true to say ever that I love you more...but I will have always loved you longer.
As ever,
Mom