Thomas the Tank Engine

If you haven't heard yet, Andrew is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. He wants to watch it all the time, knows all the words to the song at the end, remembers the engines faces after seeing them once (really, I am amazed he knows who everyone is!), and he is constantly referring to his path of walking as a track, and woo-woo!s all the time. Obsessed is an understatement!

The receptionists at my endocrinologist told me recently that Thomas the Tank Engine comes around once or twice a year, and you can take a ride on him. But they said it happens in the spring, bummer.

One morning, on PBS, I saw a commercial for it. I had seen commercials on the PBS out of Albany before, but could never figure out where the place was to go visit! This was much clearer :)

We looked at last Saturday, but the weather was going to be bad, so we got tickets for yesterday. I waited a little long, so was only able to get late afternoon tickets, but it was ok. We drove the two hours right at naptime, and limited the crank factor. Or so we hoped!

We didn't tell Andrew what we were doing, and as we were getting out of the car, Thomas drove his train right in front of the parking lot. Andrew was so excited! Then, we told him ooh boy we are going to ride on Thomas, how cool! He did not want to ride! He was adamant that he would not be riding Thomas. Well, that was money well spent!

We got our map and tickets, and walked around. There was a huge tent full of all sorts of Thomas themed things. And since we were at a transportation museum, all sorts of trains all over. He was able to get a Thomas tattoo, that I am not allowed to remove, color some Thomas pictures, see a table of electric trains, parked real trains (but those were too scary), and a slide and Thomas bounce-house that we steered clear of.

His favorite thing was the Lego Thomas. An entire Thomas built from Lego bricks! Next to it, there was a whole set-up of the Lego Duplo Thomas series. Which might be in Santa's thoughts this coming Christmas!



We got in line to ride Thomas and Andrew still did not want to go! He was grumpy until we started to move. The train went really slowly, and the trip lasted about 20 minutes. He was given a special certificate for riding and declared a Junior Engineer! They tried to give one to Elisabeth too, but I declined. Babygirl was sleeping the whole time!


so excited!



We kept asking Andrew if he wanted a picture with Thomas, since you had to get in line and wait forever. He said no, no, no. We went and checked out all of the activites, and by the end, he wanted that picture! We got to the line a few minutes before Thomas arrived back from a trip and were the seconds ones in line.



Then we headed to the gift shop. Andrew got a backpack, a placemat, a t-shirt, and a Numbers game! We wanted to get him the ride on electric Thomas, but the box wouldn't fit in the car. Also, it was really expensive :-p





Then entire album, including a video of Ellie giggling!

Back. again.

This time, I SWEAR I will keep up with this thing. I promise. Cause the whole reason I started it, to keep in touch with our far away family... well, now they really are far away!

So, since we left off in January:

We found out it's a girl!
We both turned 30.
We visited the Raleigh area.
Andrew got a stomach virus, which led to me obsessively examining his body. Which led to the discovery of One Big Ball.
Andrew was diagnosed with a hydrocele and hernia.
We got an offer on the house.
The contracts papers didn't get signed for practically forever, cause the buyer lives in Bermuda.
Andrew had surgery.
We packed and moved in with my parents on Wednesday, June 17.
Our daughter, Elisabeth Jane, was born Saturday, June 20, 12 days early. SURPRISE!
Our scheduled closing of June 22 was moved to June 24. Thank goodness.
Andy went to Cary, NC and found us a house to lease.
Elisabeth was baptised.
Andy moved the bulk of our stuff to NC.
We moved everything else and ourselves on Labor Day weekend!
My parents came to visit, and my mother instructed me where to hang stuff. I have not hung said stuff.
We have fallen back into our routine, love our area and new house (except for the bland walls), and are enjoying North Carolina.

More to come! I will add some back-dated entries about Andrew's surgery, and Ellie's birth!

new house!

We got a house! Andy signed the lease yesterday, for 18 months.


It's 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 1 car garage. It has a living room, dining room, EIKitchen, family room with wood-burning fireplace (s'mores!!), and a loft. There is a backyard, and it's tree lined, so private. I am so excited to finally move in! But I have to wait another 5 weeks. The lease starts on Aug 15, and Andy happens to be heading back for customer calls on the 16th, so he will be taking a truckload then. Then we will take a second truckload in September.

More pictures

Two week appt

Ellie had her 2 week appointment Thursday. Two days shy of 3 weeks old, but whatever stupid scheduling receptionist. My only concerns were her weight and her right eye. I am so distracted by Andrew, I can't sit around and stare at my baby this time, that I was afraid of missing her cues for the two week growth spurt. She weighs 10 pounds. I am no longer concerned, fatty mcfat baby. Her eye has been goopy, but matches the description of a clogged tear duct, and i do the massage the baby book said and squirt breastmilk in there, and it seems to keep it clear.

The dr still prescribed an eye ointment, just in case, even though he agreed it looked like a clogged tear duct. okaaaay.

Then he checks her over, and orders a bilirubin test. He wanted the results that night, so I had to go to the hospital lab. Which doesn't seem to exist anymore, and we were sent to the Peds ward there. I waited two hours. zzzzz. and then never got a call from the dr. or a return call when i called Friday afternoon. We were in again on Monday, for Andrew, and the NP told me Ellie is all good.

Then this dr checks out her butt, and i joke about how the poor thing has a hairy butt. He then proceeds to tell me about sometimes ordering ultrasounds of the lower back when babies are hairy. Its a lumbosacral ultrasound, to look for neural tube defects, like spina bifida. If there is a dimple in the lower back, and one of four criteria coupled with it, it could indicate a problem. One of the criteria is a tuft of hair growing out of the dimple. I guess ellie does sort of have a divot dimple in her buttcheeks, and there is hair there, but it looks more like she's hairy, not a tuft of hair. But of course, Dr. Alarmist ordered this ultrasound.

Monday, the NP looked again for me, and said she was 99.9% sure it was nothing, but since we had the appt to go. She also informed me that Dr. Alarmist is no longer with the practice. Sort of said in a tone that indicates he was fired. Nice. At least he did correctly diagnose Andrew's leaky ball situation.

the ultrasound was yesterday morning. I was at the the place for two hours, with an infant and a toddler. I hate doctors and hospitals I swear. A doctor had to perform the ultrasound, so I was able to get an immediate answer. "Well, she looks great. Everything is fine." "So, my daughter just has a hairy butt?" "chuckles, yep!" argh. waste of time and money.

Baby is currently 10 lbs, 22"

Andrew had his 30 month well-baby visit Monday. He weighed 29 lbs, and measured 36.75". For um, the 9th month in a row... I don't get that. He was declared in good health. And the NP agreed with me to hold off on potty training, and that Andy needs to not sleep in his bed. Maybe that is why I love her, she makes me feel good.

Elisabeth Jane

My son was born on an unusually warm 65* day in early January. my daughter was born on an usually cool 65* day in mid-June.

Elisabeth Jane made her way into the world in an incredible fashion Saturday, June 20th at 8:38 pm. She weighed in at 8 lbs 12.9 oz and 22.5." Taller than her brother and a whole pound heavier!

I woke up to brown spotting Saturday morning, and experienced some mild period like cramping throughout the morning. I decided maybe we'd have a baby int he next few days and it would behoove me to wash the carseat cover and cradle bedding. After I put Andrew down for his nap, I headed to the townhouse to help Andy do more packing. I was pretty sure I was having some contractions, but nothing worth timing, and all easy to talk and walk through. Really nothing worth thinking about. We ran out of boxes and I headed home a little after four, with plans to rest, in case things picked up during the night. best to be well-rested and all.

Around 5:00, the phone rang and I got up to get it, but instead, felt my pants fill with amniotic fluid. I went to the bathroom, legs squeezed together, and just sort of stood there. i was home alone with Andrew and my dad, my mom was at a party and Andy had driven a load of stuff to his parents. I ran upstairs wrapped in a towel and asked my dad to please get all the stuff in from the car my water had broken. Oh, the look on his face!

I went upstairs to put on clean pants and a pad, and answered a call from Andy. He freaked at the unexpected news and started to race home, My dad called my mom and I talked to her. I told her not to worry about hurrying home, my contractions were still pretty weak. I called the midwives at 5:40, and got called back at 6:00. I told her contractions were 4-6 min apart, very mild, in fact i was having one now! She told me to go eat something and see how I felt in 30 min. By 6:15, things started more feel more intense and i was thinking about leaving. We ended up leaving around 6:40. I spent the 45 minute ride in the pouring rain in the back seat of my FIL's FJ Cruiser mostly on my hands and knees. By the time we'd gotten a mile from the house, I was timing my contractions at 2 minutes apart.

We arrived at the birthing center and were in a room by 7:30. I was checked at 5 cm dilated. I had to stay on a fetal monitor and contraction monitor for 20 minutes which was pure hell. I sat on the birthing ball hunched over the edge of the bed. The fetal monitor was digging into my belly. I wanted up soo badly! After that was finished, I headed to the bathroom. the toilet had handles on the sides, so I labored squatting over the toilet holding those handles. I was so hot i ended up peeling off the robe, then my ring and watch, then my bra. I turned the shower on, to get in in between contractions, but everytime I went to move, another hit and I had to stay on that toilet!

The midwife had finally come in (she happened to be next door delivering my friend's son for the first while of my labor!) and told me to let her know when I felt pressure like I needed to poop. I said, oh, I have that now. She asked that I get in the bed for a check. I made it there and started to crawl on, and was on my hands and knees when another contraction hit. And there I stayed! She kept asking me to roll onto my side, so she could get a better view, but there was no way in hell I was moving! she eventually determined there was just a lip of cervix left, think about opening up, and the baby coming out.

Before I knew it, I was pushing. I felt like I wasn't making any progress, but then I felt the Ring of Fire of crowning! I never felt the contractions during this, just that I needed to push to get rid of that pain. I would take a breath and bear down as my own strength would allow. I don't know how many times I pushed, or for how long, but her head eventually came out.

Then all pain stopped. I swear there were no more contractions, but I still had to get her body out. I am pretty sure once Andrew's head was born, the rest of him just shot out with a wave of fluid, but this one, I still needed to work on. Since I didn't feel any contractions to push with, I was really concentrating on bearing down and pushing, it wasn't happening naturally and with the flow of my body! A few more pushes, some lovely squirts of fluid, and at 8:38 pm, less than 4 hours after my water broke, she was born! They kept telling me to talk to my baby, greet her, welcome her, but all I could do was breathe and relax now that it was over!

I lay down and she was placed on my chest and cleaned up a bit. She smelled like cookies or bread or some sort of baked good! I nursed her for the first time and she went to town! After some time, she was taken and measured, bathed, weighed, and dressed right in our room. The midwife repaired the small tear I'd gotten along my old episiotomy scar. Just 1 stitch. I was majorly sensitive down there and every anything moved, i got the shivers.After I was all cleaned and stitched up, I got the shakes so badly! It was weird.

We were left alone for a bit, calls were made, texts and twitters sent. My poor in-laws showed up around 10-10:30 when my mom left. Andy had called his mom when we left for the hospital. My FIL was up visiting his dad, about 3 hours away, and had just started to head for home. She chose to wait for him to get home before heading to Rhinebeck (about a 45 min drive for them). No one expected it to go so fast, so she ended up missing the whole thing! I felt bad for her, she was so thankful to have seen what she saw with Andrew, i wanted to be able to let her see a full birth this time!
I feel so very different this time... amazing, actually. Recovery has been so easy. My perineum isn't as sore, I assume cause its less stitches. I was able to get up and walk around so quickly, no passing out on the toilet, no dizziness like last time. I loved the birthing center. People weren't all up in my business, checking me and the baby over a million times a day, in and out all the time like at the hospital. the only time I was asked if I wanted drugs was after I said something whiny in labor! The OB who came to check my on sunday, and the midwife who checked me out monday merely spoke to me and asked how I felt, and that was it. Ellie was the only one to get examined. We were given a special meal Sunday night, options including steak and shrimp scampi. Served with champagne or wine! We had our fancy dinner as a family of four.

Andrew is doing amazingly. I will probably eat my words soon enough :) He's been very off-schedule as far as sleeping and routine for nearly a week, and his behavior has reflected that. Since she was born, and since I came home, he was acted in the overtired way. Yesterday was normal sleeping, so today he was much better behaved. He loves his baby sister, and wants to hold and hug and kiss her. When Andy is outside playing with him, he wants me and Baby to join. there doesn't seem to be jealousy at all. This may change when its just me at home with him!

Pictures from the early days

Andrew's surgery

Andrew had his surgery on Monday.

We had to be at the hospital at 9 am. mapquest said it is 55 miles away, 110 minutes. This hospital is 15 miles from NYC, so be somewhere close to the city at 9 am, rush hour traffic. We decided to leave at 7:15. We got there at 8:15. Whoops!
They admitted us to the hospital but we had to wait around until we were scheduled to be admitted to pre-op. over an hour, borrrring. Plus, Andy and I were both starving, but not allowed to eat and certainly wouldn't do so in front of Andrew.

While we were waiting, Andrew was reclining in my lap, and apparently peed a week's worth of pee. I think it went up to his butt cause he was laying back, and leaked right on out, through his pants onto my pants! Gross! I haven't had pee or poop on me in forever! And I wasn't planning to for another 6ish weeks! Rude, yanno?

We get taken back around 9:30, and he had his temp taken, blood pressure, all that boring stuff, and we were sent to the playroom until they were ready for us. I think it was 11:15 when Andrew was obviously starting to get bored with the few toys they had (I expected a lot more at a children's hospital), so I took him back to his bed and we pulled out a few of the 800 activities we'd brought.

A little after this, the nurse brought him his gown and sleepy medicine to make him mellow. And a spacesuit for Andy. After about 5-10 minutes, the anesthesiologist comes to talk to us, and Andrew is acting nuts and horrible. Like, his worst behavior ever times 20. Which is funny, because I take sleep meds, like tylenol PM and it makes me want to go running and very not tired. And I don't run, and I like to sleep! Then that Dr. left, and his assistant came back by to take Andrew away, and when she was verifying it was him and asking questions, Andrew goes totally drunk! Andy was sitting next to him, touching him, and he asks "Where Daddy go?" "where da chair go?" And other weird stuff. Then he could barely sit up. It was so funny. Much better than naughty.

At 11:50 they let Andy carry him back, and just wheeled his bed away. Andy said that they let him keep holding him while they covered his face with the mask. We had been warned that most kids start to go under and freak out and cry and scream. Andrew started giggling like a fool. Hehe. After he was out, Andy put him down and they kicked him out. We had been told it would be about 90 minutes from that point.

We went and grabbed lunch at the Au Bon Pain they have there, then Andy ran to the car and got the gift we'd gotten him and Andy's computer. We sat in the main lobby trying to connect to the internet, but you had to sign up for access to the network, then after they gave you a conf code, call the front desk to be granted the access. It was just a few too many steps for us to find it worthwhile :)

We went back to the surgery waiting room at 12:50. I pulled out my book, and I think read two paragraphs when I hear someone's cell phone buzzing. it was SO LOUD, and sounded like it was right behind me. I started to get annoyed and look around to see who the hell was ignoring their phone, but there wasn't even anyone sitting around me. Then a nurse sticks her head out the door and yells Hoyt? Up we pop, gather our things and head over. Nurse: Did we give you a buzzer [like the one you get at a restaurant]? Yes. Nurse: Is it going off? Oh, um, yeah, it is. Here in my pocket. Thankfully, all of these nurses were super nice, and I am obviously super pregnant, and they just laughed at me being an idiot! I swear I just wasn't ready for us to be called yet at all, not on my mind. I thought we had another half hour.

We were taken to a room by the dr. He repaired the right hydrocele and a hernia. He says he always had the hernia, but I swear he never said that when we met before! He had been complaining a lot when I had to wipe poop from his balls and penis lately, so maybe he wasn't being a brat and it did hurt. The left side was fine and closed up. No crazy playing until the post-op appt. No bike riding, playground, running like a wild man. Ha. haha. We can avoid the ride-on toys and playground, but no running? hell no! Also, no bath until Friday. And its gotten warm again, this could get nasty!

Anyway, after talking to the dr we were taken back to see him. He was just coming out of it, and flipping and flopping, freaking out. As soon as I touched him, he calmed down. I climbed in the bed, and held him for about 40 min while he slept. Then I had to move him, I was too uncomfortable, and he woke up for good. He was really whiny, but we asked if he wanted to watch Cars, and he was good after that :) He was still groggy, but he started to act alert and talk. We offered him crackers and apple juice and he devoured them.

We were discharged a bit before 3. We had to stop in the main lobby to look at the Dory fish for five minutes then were on our way. Andrew fell asleep about halfway home. We stopped to drop off his prescriptions and were home by 4. So. we waited 3 hours to be taken to surgery, and were home within 4 hours of that... Stupid wasted waiting.

Andrew woke up when we got home, and we let him watch Finding Nemo. After an hour or so, he decided it was time to get up and play on the floor with his new trucks. He ate a good supper, and went to bed just fine.

Yesterday, he was back to his old self. Running around the house, asking to ride his bike, being bratty, wanting peenka butter sandwiches, etc.

I am letting PBS stay on all morning, and being lazy myself, so he kind of hangs out with me. We'll play cars and trains, build, and just go for a walk to get mail. he totally wants to go play outside and ride his bike though! I think he is feeling fine. Every now and then he jumps to hard or stretches, and then barely winces and puts his hand to his incision, but otherwise is good.

Balls, balls, balls

When we were driving home from NC I noticed Andrew's scrotum was all squished, and I felt bad for his balls, all strapped in like that.
On Friday, his scrotum was waaaay bigger. I thought it was weird, considering they fall out your body when you are hot, like with fever, which was all gone. I spent Saturday poking, trying to figure out if his balls were really swollen or if I was freaking over nothing. When Andy got home Sunday night, I made him look, but he wasn't sure either. We decided to rethink in the am. Yesterday am, everything looked ok. In the afternoon, it was swollen again. I decided to call this morning.
I called, told the receptionist what was up. She put me on with a dr. Who acted like he was about to explode, come in ASAP. I get transferred back to make the app, again telling the issue. It was making me blush and giggle all this talk of balls!
Ok, called at 9:30, appt at 10:20. There was such a line it took 5 min to check in. I am not sure how long before we were taken back but a dr didn't come into the exam room until 12:10. An hour and fifty minutes after my scheduled appt!! Dr told Me changes in the testes is srs bsns, and he should've come in the first weirdness. He felt him up, mentioned hydrocele, and wrote a Rx for a scrotal ultrasound STAT!

Oh, CRAP

I left at 12:20, called Andy and ran thru the Wendy's drive-thru. We probably got to the hospital and were checking in at 12:45. Since it was lunch time and we didn't have an appt it might take a while. Now remember, we'd been out of the house for nearly 3 hours, and I'd expected it to be 1 hr, I'd only brought one diaper! As we were being led to the radiology waiting room Andrew starts saying poopoo poopoo. Argh. Sure enough we had a poopy and no diapers. Andy was still working on leaving work, no idea how long until he could rescue us. I ended up asking at the front desk for a diaper or time estimate. It was going to be long enough that I ran out to rite aid for a pack of sposies.
Andy showed up at 2:10 and we were seen at 2:30. I had now been at this for four hours!
Andrew had to lay on the table pantless and be still. Haha right? The tech was awesome and showed him the gel and wand, we said it was like mommy had done to see my neck and Baby Sister. He lay there and was an angel!

We were home a little after 3.

I called twice before the drs leave at 8:30 but the results weren't back yet.

The dr did just call me and was so much nicer than earlier! Oh, but not good news :(

Moderate right hydrocele. What that means is that when he developed, after his testicles dropped from his body into his scrotum, the hole didn't close and now fluid is slipping into his scrotum during the day and back into his abdomen as he sleeps.

We are being referred to a pediatric urologist, and see where we go from there.

So, 2009:
Kate: thyroid makes pregnancy high risk.
Andrew: leaky balls.
Andy: you better watch out!! (andy will develop kidney stones in June)