Five Revealed

Scott documents the big day. What will it be? Oh, what will it be.

Drumroll please

My brother called last night to complain that my last post was 'depressing.' Speaking on behalf of second children everywhere, he said that I should never let the baby read it. Funny, when I wrote the post I thought it was honest and witty, ending on a hopeful note. Oh well. I am, in fact, very happy that the fifth member of the Pierce Posse is on its way. At the same time it feels like our little family is floating down a river; the current is slowly start to pick up and far off in the distance I can hear the unmistakable roar of a waterfall. But, I have no idea what will happen when we hit that crest. And, that's the truth of it brother. If having your first baby is thrilling and a little scary, having another so soon is nothing short of petrifying.

As to whether "Five" will ever read any of these posts remains to be seen. Perhaps the Internet will be obsolete by then, and we will all wish we had backed up our blog entries. I, for one, have not printed or framed a single photo of Sawyer and don't even have a scrapbook waiting in the wings to be worked on.

So we leave in a few hours for our ultrasound in Richmond. While Scott is convinced its a girl, and my dad refuses to say because he was so wrong last time (but he will swear he knew it when I get home), I am not going to venture a guess. All I can say is that this baby is far more mellow than the last.

When I was 21 weeks along with Sawyer, I wrote: "My baby update this week noted that I may soon feel like my baby is practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. I actually got my first hint that I was having a boy when he started moving at 17 weeks-- the movements never felt so much like a butterfly as a bat trapped in a box. Now the jabs can be felt through my clothing and Scott got his first good kick last night - at long last, enough of the 'I think I felt something's.'"

Now, 21 weeks along with Five, I haven't even attempted to get Scott to feel because the movements are far more subtle, though constant. There's no martial arts or limbs poking through clothing. I just get the feeling that the baby enjoys floating around in there - sorta like a surfer catching waves.

I remember wondering if Sawyer's personality in the womb would be anything like his personality later on. Well, I can report that he has been on the go ever since. I kinda hope - for our sanity - that Five's mellowness translates as well.

STAY TUNED!!

Denial (and I don't mean a river in Egypt)

19.5 weeks, originally uploaded by Reid Pierce.

About 15 weeks ago I was standing over the kitchen sink for the fifth morning in a row gagging as I washed out Sawyer's sippy cup. I hadn't gotten much sleep that previous night because I'd been up four or five times, running to the bathroom to pee. Denial is a powerful force.

It was several more days before I found myself counting weeks backwards to my last visit from Aunt Flo. Dear old faithful had returned for the first time in 18 months during my vacation to California at the end of March. Several weeks later we celebrated my 33rd birthday and all Scott gave me was a homemade birthday card ("Happy Birthday" jotted down on graph paper with a ball point pen). Our celebration later that evening was just as much of an afterthought.

So there I was, at the beginning of May, calendar in hand and a churning feeling in the pit of my stomach sharing with Scott my most recent calculations. "You don't know how to count," he said. "You don't pay attention to dates." Yes, denial is a powerful force.

I drove 45 minutes to the nearest Wal-Mart to avoid running into anyone I know and bought the test. I figured I'd wait a few more days to actually take it. Scott - the nonbeliever - couldn't even let me finish my lunch. I didn't look at it. I handed it to him. Sure enough, the plus sign was glowing like neon in Vegas.

Denial is one thing, acceptance is another. While we've always said we wanted children close together, this was a bit sooner than we had in mind. Amnesia hadn't set in yet. I could vividly recall those last, uncomfortable months of pregnancy, the details of labor and the days that followed, those first sleepless weeks and months with a newborn. And, dammit, I had just started drinking wine again!

I faked our first ultrasound, (to steal a line from Sex and the City). I plastered on a Cheshire cat smile as Dr. Stout pointed out the baby's head, slug shaped body and heartbeat. The same strained smile got me through the first round of 'congratulations' from friends and coworkers four weeks later.

Now, almost 20 weeks into the pregnancy, I can feel the familiar flutter of the baby stirring inside. I've finally regained my energy, and I've stopped gagging over the sink every morning. I've begun to embrace the benefits of having our children this close together, and I'm even looking forward to our next ultrasound and finding out the sex.

There's no denying that the next two years are going to be a doozy. And I'm in no rush for January 8. I just want to enjoy a few more relatively peaceful months of doting on Sawyer's every little accomplishment. (see Baby Einstein).

Baby Einstein

cups, originally uploaded by Reid Pierce.

So, yes, you have all heard by now that Baby Einstein videos actually make kids dumb. Personally, I couldn't have survived the first six months of motherhood without 'Baby Bach.' 'Baby Mozart' got me through countless showers, packing up the house and moving, and I credit 'Baby's First Moves' for teaching Sawyer to clap, dance and touch his nose. I only regret that it wasn't my idea - let's play with a bunch of baby toys, put it to music and make a video! These people had clearly been to their fair share of Phish shows, if you know what I mean. And now they're millionaires. But, you've really got to hand it to the brilliant woman who came up with the study. You mean, sitting my son in front of a Baby Einstein video all day isn't actually going to make him MORE intelligent?

So speaking of brilliant, yesterday I had one of those 'my son's a genius' moments that only a mother can have. Sawyer was playing with his stacking cups, carrying them all over the house (basically his favorite pastime - how many toys can I carry at one time). I decided to make the game more constructive. "Sawyer, why don't you put the cups into your car and push them around." (His ride-on car has a flip up seat). I wasn't sure whether Sawyer understood the words 'car' or 'cup,' or the concept of putting one object into another, for that matter, but (as I continued to lay on the couch) he walked across the room, lifted the car's seat, and methodically began carrying the stacking cups across the room one by one and putting them in the car. When he was done, he pushed the car around for a while then, when he reached some invisible destination, he stopped and unloaded the cups one by one onto a blanket where, I assume, they were going to sleep. I was just getting ready to pick up the phone to call my mom and tell her what a genius her grandson is when Sawyer picked up the blanket, scattering the cups everywhere, put it over his head and began walking around the room crashing into things he couldn't see.

I put the phone back down. Maybe I should rethink those videos after all.

Brothers

Brothers, originally uploaded by Reid Pierce.

This photo here may say it all. Justin leaves tomorrow after what felt like a VERY fast summer to get ready for school, which begins August 27. In the meantime, he will be making a quick trip to Wisconsin to visit his maternal grandfather and he will be celebrating his 10th birthday at a Padres game with his friends.

We celebrated his last week with our annual trip to the beach. At his request, we went to a "new" beach this year, leaving behind our beloved Outer Banks. We accepted the invitation of a couple we met on our honeymoon in Costa Rica, of all places, to stay with them at their house in Margate, NJ, a mere four blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. And while we have only seen the Tovskys once since our post-nuptial galavanting, we have been in constant touch through email. They, fortuitously, have twin boys who were born only two weeks before Sawyer. Seeing them was like seeing old friends from high school - as if a day hadn't passed. The boys had a blast playing together and Sawyer turned out to be a real beach bum (maybe that has something to do with the fact that the last time we took him to the beach he was two weeks old).

And in case you were wondering what, exactly, is required to sustain three babies, plus one in utero, four adults, and one eager 9-year-old boy on the beach each day, I'll tell you: One double jogging stroller, one umbrella stroller, two beach umbrellas and screw-in stands, one small plastic swimming pool, five folding chairs, two large beach mats, eight towels, seven plastic buckets, twelve plastic shovels and rakes, seventeen miscellaneous plastic beach toys, two boogie boards, one surfboard, two beach bags stuffed with sunscreen and diapers, one cooler full of food and sippy cups for the babies, one cooler full of beer and soda for the adults, and one cell phone to call for delivery sub sandwiches - yes, they bring them to the beach.

And in case you were wondering how long it takes to pack up said gear and people when an unexpected lightening storm blows through the answer is: about 10 minutes.

Two beach tips for parents: baby powder takes off the sand and, unless you own a Bugaboo, PULL THE STROLLER BACKWARDS on two wheels.

On our way to NJ we stopped in Rehoboth, DE and visited an actual high school friend, Sean, and his wife, Melanie, who live in Puerto Rico but are visiting family up here for a month. We were treated to one of the best crab feasts I have ever been to and my only regret is not taking a picture of these crabs, which were as big as my forearm. Hard as we tried, we couldn't finish off the last half bushel.

And now, for the sad part. I can't say how much we will miss Justin. Especially his little brother who won't understand where his new best friend has gone. Mealtime won't be the same without Justin's funny faces making Sawyer laugh out loud. Justin can always be relied upon to watch Sawyer when I need to get something done, to play with him and entertain him, and to teach him new tricks - like how to blow spit bubbles - in the back of the car. I never realized how having Sawyer would make having Justin gone so much harder.

saw and ma, originally uploaded by Reid Pierce.

Surfs Up, originally uploaded by Reid Pierce.