The First Week

Well, it's Thursday, which means our little Ivy Soleil is a week old.

First impressions? This transition from two to three isn't as abrupt a collision as we expected. I think that's the case for two reasons. First, London and Liberty are pretty much a package deal. They do everything together, which makes keeping them happy and entertained easier than you'd think. Second, Ivy is small, quiet and immobile. I have a feeling the day she starts crawling is the day the impact will start to be felt.

Or maybe not! We're just thankful that we all are, for the most part, pretty relaxed and proceeding with a sense of normalcy. It isn't hunker-down time, and the past week certainly has shown that!

On Friday, Savannah's birthday, we left the hospital and went across the street for Savannah's birthday lunch of fondue and schnitzel at Gustav's. We then went home to our kids, who were happy to see us (all three of us). It was a great, first night.

On Saturday, we just lounged around the house, a day that ended with a fun trip to Fred Meyer to buy the kids miniature versions of the Pillow Pets they already have. They are big fans.

On Sunday, we had lunch at Grandma Nomi's house, and introduced Ivy to Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Hurt.

When we were released from the hospital, Ivy was classified as having upper-moderate jaundice, and the doctor told me to have her come in for a new PKU test (heel stick) at the Sunnyside lab on Sunday. But then, in our release papers, it said to bring her in Saturday (we were released Friday). Because Savannah's milk came in so soon and Ivy was eating/pooping/peeing so well, we decided to wait until our prescheduled Monday momma/baby checkup.

Of course, everything was awesome. Ivy weighed in at just 2.5 ounces below her birth weight. (This is just four days after she was born; babies are supposed to get back to birth weight by 2 WEEKS!) Her jaundice level was low enough that doctors said the bilirubin was no longer a potential problem. She's been a phenomenal baby at every stage! After the appointment, we all went to the East Portland Community Center for open playtime, which was awesome! Lots of cars, balls and a trampoline!

On Tuesday, Savannah led (that's right -- LED!) her MOPS group at East Hill. I and the kids hopped on the MAX for a fun (and at times, scary) train ride to the Washington Park Zoo, where Savannah and Ivy later joined us. On a day that was predicted to be rainy and cold, we enjoyed a nearly abandoned park. And it's not like we were alone at a rainy zoo -- the weather was dry, and the sun even came out! It was a great day, but people certainly questioned our sanity, having Savannah so active so soon after giving birth.

Wednesday wasn't much different. Savannah and Ivy attended the Damascus Christian MOMS Group there while I took the Ls to open play time at the Sandy Community Center. They had fun with the cars, slides and other toys, and when I wasn't playing with them or hovering over them, I was awkwardly soaking in the weirdness of being the only dad there. After nap time, the day ended with a trip to Wal-Mart to get some much-needed groceries and our NEWEST child -- a brand-new Canon Digital Rebel camera! Look for some amazing pictures soon!

Sleep hasn't been great, but not because of our youngest -- it's because of our OLDEST! London has been night waking one to two times a night, bursting into our room at all hours of the night. That's been difficult, because the process to calm him down and put him back to bed is an involved one each time. Twice this week I've fallen asleep in his bed while trying to lull him back to sleep. Not quite sure what to do about all that.

In summary, it's like Ivy has always been a part of our family. She just fits right in. She is tremendously curious, the coziest cuddler and full of love. You can just tell. I've read about how dads -- not just moms -- have oxytocin release when they cuddle with baby. Man, that oxytocin is some GOOD stuff! It's addictive! I joke with Savannah that Ivy is my little drug.

Great visitors today

Today was a great day of visitors, rest and bonding. Ivy has slept a lot today, still tuckered out by her 12:24 a.m. entrance.

We had some great visitors today. Grandpa "Hey" Steve was the first to stop by -- for the second baby in a row -- this morning, followed by Grandma Nomi (my mom). Next came our family friends Mary Kay and Jeramie Larson, and then Pastor Arlin Hill from East Hill, who came to visit and pray for Ivy and us. Then my best friend Jeff Schroeder, his very pregnant wife Amber, and his mom, Jackie. Then the Hathcock Five was joined by the Dunn Five, as Savannah's brother, sister and parents came, bringing London and Liberty to meet their new little sister for the first time.

Thanks to everyone who came out today, for everyone who sent their well wishes on Facebook, by phone and by text, and for everyone else who has been praying for us! It's been a great day! We just need Ivy to wake up a little bit more so she can eat and then pee!

Here's our first family photo:

The Ivy Birth Story

What's great about this is that there's not really MUCH story to this, unlike Liberty's crazy labor. It's an answer to prayer that the Lord would take care of this, our last delivery, by allowing things to go smoothly.

It was pretty much textbook, fueled by the iron will and tremendous spirit of my bride. Savannah, you're amazing!

OK, the story:

I got home from work, as usual, at 7 p.m. Wednesday night. Savannah had planned to leave as soon as I got home to pick up groceries to make some meals for postpartum life. Dinner was sort of loosey-goosey, as we didn't have many groceries, so I quickly made myself a grilled cheese sandwich.

Savannah wasn't leaving for the store. "Why aren't you leaving?" I asked. "I don't know... I feel sort of different."

Then Savannah revealed that she had to pee a lot, and then after she'd go, she'd feel wet. Long story short, we determined that she was leaking amniotic fluid -- that her bag of waters had ruptured. We called the labor and delivery folks at the hospital, and they told us to come in.

Sheila and Anna, Savannah's mom and sister, had just left the house before I got home from work to help Savannah. So when we made "the call" to have them come back to watch London and Liberty, we were so relieved that they hadn't made it home to Vancouver yet; they actually only made it as far as Gresham.

It was hard to leave once Sheila and Anna got to our house. London and Liberty didn't want us to leave, and London in particular got very clingy. It was tough to see him so emotional. It was especially hard on Savannah, which showed the differences between men and women during times like these. I was sympathetic to London, but all-business: we had to get out of there.

Savannah had a few contractions on the way to Kaiser Sunnyside Hospital, but was still all smiles and very much "with it." After filling out a ton of paperwork (which we thought we already had "pre-registered"), we were shown our room at about 9 p.m.

The doctor couldn't immediately identify that Savannah was leaking amniotic fluid, but the monitors were clearly showing signs that labor had begun. After a second test of the fluid, they determined the bag of waters had ruptured (turns out she was leaking from the TOP of the bag of waters), and Sav finally was admitted to the hospital. We were assigned a really bubbly, cheerful, Christ-following nurse -- just the kind that puts Savannah at ease. (PTL!)

Labor was fairly uneventful and calm for the first two hours, with contractions starting and stopping at various times. It wasn't until just before 11 p.m. that the magnitude of the foreshocks started to pick up.

I hunted down a birthing ball and Savannah moved from the hospital bed to that, which was much more comfortable to her. From then on, though, labor really sped up. The contractions were hard, long and close together. At about midnight she started acting as if pushing was coming, although neither of us had any idea how far along she was in the process. (The doctors didn't check her dilation because they had checked her amniotic fluid instead, and they said that they wanted to avoid checking multiple times due to the risk of contamination.)

I called the doctor and the nurse at this point because I had a feeling we were close. They quickly saw that Savannah was at 9cm and that labor was coming to a climax. She had to get back on the bed, which was excruciating for her, and soldiered through crazy contractions -- with no pain meds, mind you -- for the next 20 minutes or so. Finally, she began to push.

Ivy Soleil Hathcock was born at 12:24 a.m. on Thursday, March 3 -- the day before Savannah's birthday -- weighing in at 7 lbs., 2.5 ounces (our smallest baby) and stretching to 20.5 inches (longer than London, shorter than Liberty). Ivy's heart rate was stable and fairly chill the entire labor, and she came out sporting a fashionable boa -- her umbilical cord, draped around her body in a stylish criss-cross pattern.

I can't say enough about my wife. Three pregnancies -- no medication. No complications. No problems. She breathed through the pain and kept her eyes on the prize. I not only would have asked for an epidural, I would have asked to be put under. She was smiling through much of her labor, and was smiling soon after Ivy's arrival. She's a real testament to the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, and my hero. What a great mommy.

Our prayer going into this was for wisdom and discernment for us and the medical staff, a safe delivery, and for the entire process to be a worship experience. We are grateful for the uneventfulness of the process that led to such a beautiful, magnanimous conclusion.

Ivy is very alert, with inquisitive eyes. The consensus is that she has Mom's nose, Mom's monkey toes and Mom's "boo-boo" sad lower lip. She does have my dark hair -- possibly the most hair out of all three kids at birth. Her little cry is pretty musical. Her skin color was given all 9s by the staff, and breathing and temperature seem good. Savannah's in great shape, too!

We are truly blessed!

Go Time!

It's 11 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, and we're at Kaiser Sunnyside. Savannah is in early labor, but the contractions are picking up. Her water broke earlier today, but it was enough of a trickle that she wasn't sure what was going on until I got home from work. She's doing really well, and I'm so proud of her. Chances are, we're going to see little Ivy Soleil on Thursday, March 3!

Prayer Bear

Ivy's still where she's been the past 10 months. Enough about that. Here's the scene from bedtime tonight:

London: "Dad, I want a story."

Dad: "London, no story tonight. We just watched all those [YouTube] videos."

London: "Noooooooo! I--want--a--story!!!"

Dad: "No, story, buddy. But we will pray."

London: "I don't want to pray!"

Dad: "Oh? Why not?"

London: "Because I don't like to pray!"

Dad: "Why don't you like to pray?"

London: "Because... um... um... because... I don't like it."

Dad: "What if I never talked to you? Wouldn't you be sad?"
London: "Yeah..."

Dad: "That's how God feels when we don't talk to Him!"

London: "Oh."

Dad: "So let's pray. You can say whatever you want to say to Him."

London: "Jesus, I don't like to pray. My dad says to pray, and stuff. But I just don't want to pray all by myself. And that's the way it's gonna be."

Kid cracks me up. I love the honesty. I told him that talking to God -- about anything -- is better than not talking to Him at all. After that, we did a repeat-after-me prayer, in which he participated beautifully.

Ice, Ice ... Baby?

Well, here we are, in the final hours of February 2011, and our little Ivy still isn't here. For the first time, we're sailing in the uncharted waters of post-term pregnancy. Today, Monday, Feb. 28, is two days past Ivy's due date, and still no imminent signs.

Not that it's a bad thing. This week has had its share of weather scares. Earlier in the week, the news channels got all abuzz about the coming SNOWPOCALYPSE, calling for massive snowfall in the Portland area, which means mega-massive snowfall up here at the 1,000-foot level. We indeed got snow -- and were praying that Ivy wouldn't come, and she didn't. But the snow wasn't THAT bad, anyway.

Over the last week, I've tried ALL the "home remedies" to induce labor, the most popular being the consumption of spicy foods. In the last week I've taken Savannah to Five Guys Burgers & Fries three times, each netting her a large portion of Cajun-style spicy fries. No go.

Despite being worried about the weather earlier in the week (I was out Wednesday and half of Thursday), the biggest worries should have come today, as we got about a foot of snow out of nowhere. (Where were the Snowpocalypse Doomsday Prognosticators THEN?) It was weird, though. I had that peace that surpasses all understanding sweep over me, and I knew that Ivy wouldn't show up during this most inauspicious of times. (That said, I did go to Howcast and get a crash course in baby delivery were the need to arise, because we weren't going ANYWHERE.)

That peace really allowed me to enjoy the day. It started off with me and London getting doughnuts at Joe's, as I noticed the heavy rains turned into snain (snow-rain mix), and then into full-on snow. We played and played upstairs with the Little People farm toys, and then had a leisurely lunch while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. During the kids' nap, Savannah rested while I sat in my recliner working for NewReleaseTuesday.com and watching the flakes come down. After nap, I took London and Liberty outside to play in the snow. We built a snowman, threw snowballs and trudged down the street to the park to swing and slide in the snow.

The snow event came as our groceries essentially ran out. Fortunately, the snow had turned into a citywide slurpee by the time 7 p.m. rolled around, so I was able to slide my way around Sandy to pick up a snow day pizza for dinner. It was overall a good day, because I was able to enjoy it with full assurance that everything was going to be OK.

What happens next? We don't know! We're still trying to come to terms with the fact that we're having a March baby! Any guesses when Ivy will make her grand appearance? Will she come of her own accord, or will we eventually have to evict her?

DEFCON 2

A baby update... we are at DEFCON 2.

According to Wikipedia, that means a "further increase in force readiness, but less than maximum readiness." DEFCON 1, of course means it's go time.

At her appointment today, Savannah learned she is 80 percent effaced and 2CM dilated. It's no longer a matter of days; it's a matter of hours. Let's see if Dad is right with his prediction that Ivy would be born on Friday, March 18.

I wonder if we'll make it to the baby shower! (We hope so; Grandma Nomi has put a LOT of work into it!)

And... we're back

So, it's been a good... uh... year since we last updated the Hathcock Family blog. Needless to say, life with two TODDLERS leaves little time for updating the blog. They like to push all the buttons on the keyboard, or they ask to watch "Dora" or "Diego" or "Dinosaur Train" or just "a moooovieee."

The reason we're getting back into the swing of things with the blog is that we're going to be adding our third (and final) addition to the family, Ms. Ivy Soleil Hathcock, any day now. I was just reading about the awesome story that surrounded Liberty's birth just two years ago. (I saw "awesome" not because it was all good -- it wasn't -- but because it truly is a memorable one.)

Over the past few weeks, all our energy has gone towards getting ready for Ivy, and for getting over illnesses. Poor Liberty, in the mix of it all, didn't have a birthday party (yet?) and had a fairly subdued birthday -- although I don't know if you'd call Chuck E. Cheese and a fondue dinner "subdued" for a two-year-old.

We had our first false alarm tonight, Feb. 16, as Savannah began to feel some strong contractions and her body cleaned itself out. We've all put in our bets as to when Ivy will come on the scene. Savannah thinks it will be Monday, Feb. 21 -- President's Day -- and I've predicted it will be tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 18. The funny thing about that is that Savannah's baby shower is scheduled for this Saturday, the 19th. We'll see what happens!

This is where we'll post everything once stuff starts happening (and even if it doesn't)!

Here's our tree!

Thought we'd show you our beautiful Christmas tree! In our new house we have 10 foot ceilings, so we were able to get a really tall one! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Shortcut to the Tummy

Had to share this great story from dinner tonight...

I (Marcus) was trying to get London to eat tonight, and he was munching on everything except for the main course, which was a baked chicken leg. I thought it would be helpful to tell him why we eat.

I said:
"So, London, when we eat, the food goes in our mouth, down our throat and into our tummy. And when it gets to our tummy, it makes us strong -- gives us muscles!"

London, as he normally does after long statements from Dad, said, "Wow!" Then he started eating his chicken.

Later on, during dinner, London started shoving balls of rice under his shirt, saying, "It go in my tummy! Muscles!" Kid was looking for a shortcut to eating. Thought if he could just get the food directly to the tummy it would accomplish its task better. We were rolling in laughter.

BONUS STORY:
Lately Savannah's found these Advent season Bible readings, and we've read a few verses and lit a candle before bedtime. Tonight we were in the middle of reading the bible verse from the computer when London blurts out, "VeggieTales! I want silly cup!"

It was then we realized that on BibleGateway.com there was a sidebar ad for VeggieTales, and that London was totally concentrating on that, and a Silly Song with Larry he's watched a few times called "Sippy Cup."

Christmas is here!?

Wow, we can hardly believe another Christmas fast approaches. It's been a while since we've been on here, but as we've learned, there's really not a lot of time for writing blogs when you're chasing two little ones around!

Quick recap. Liberty is talking, saying "dada", "mama", "more" and "baby." She's also crawling! London says all sorts of words now, and is quite an athlete, singer, theologian and comedian. We had Aunt Stephanie out here the week before Thanksgiving, which was a nice treat. She just ate up little Liberty!

We had fun this past weekend going out to Albers Tree Farm just north of Sandy, as we do every year, to cut down the perfect tree. It's funny; the first time we went out there it was just Sav and I. The second time, same thing. The third time, we had a newborn baby boy. The fourth time, we had a pregnant mama and a 14-month-old. Now, it's all four of us!

We were excited that because of our new house and its 10-foot ceilings we were able to get an awesome, tall tree. Pictures of that are coming soon, but enjoy this family pic of us as we descended the hill into the tree area at Albers Farm.

Merry Christmas to all!

Teenage moment

I checked in on London in his room this afternoon, convinced that he probably would be awake after a long nap.

When I walked into his room -- quietly, I might add -- he turned over and opened his eyes at me.

I said, "Hi London!". He quickly grimaced and said, "No!"

I said, "Are you ready to get up?"
"No!"
"Do you want Mama?"
"NO!"
"Want to watch a movie?"
"NO!!!!"

After a pause...
"Do you just want to sleep?"

He then buried his head in his blanket and said, "Sleep!"

My little teenager.

Happy Anniversary Marcus ~ Sept 13, 2003

Marcus,

I stand before you today, honored and excited to become your wife. From the first day I laid eyes on your, you shined. God has allowed me to become your friend, for this I am truly indebted.

You have brought me closer to our heavenly Father, strengthened my faith in what He sees in me and have instilled a pattern of putting God first that both you and I will pass onto our children.

When I look at you, Marcus, I see all the beauty God sees! Your mind is a fountain of knowledge, wise and discerning; your eyes are compassionate and warm; your lips speak words of love and devotion to me; your hands hold mine and when I am falling behind your feet lead up back on the Lord’s path.

God’s love and grace has me here today so that I may promise to live with you and love you forever, to be a source of joy to your life; to laugh with but never at you, to share and delight in your joy and to share your struggles during the down times, and to be a person you can always depend on.

I will pray for you, with you and initiate times of prayer. I promise to thank you for who you are as well as what you do, and I will venture into your life to see it through your eyes, to hear it through your ears, and to touch it through your fingertips.

Marcus, thank you for loving me the way you do with God’s love. I am so proud to be a confidant, your crutch, your comedian, your best friend but more importantly, your wife.

I love you!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Liberty 7 months Today!

Our little girl is closer to one year today. Liberty is 7 months and growing cuter by the day if that is possible! She is trying to sit up by herself, still working on her first tooth, and tries to roll and arm crawl. Mama is going to have two babies to run after soon. We are enjoying every minute with this precious gift from God.

Halfy birthday, Liberty!

Can you believe it -- Liberty is SIX MONTHS OLD today!

In some ways, it feels like she still just got here. In other ways, it feels like she's always been here. Regardless, she's such a precious part of our lives: so calm, cheerful, sensitive and delicate. She fully embraces the Haven part of her name, bringing peace to everyone she meets.

To celebrate her "halfy birthday," please enjoy this video of Liberty trying her first bites of solid food!

One of my favorite shticks with London: Where are you going, London? "The store." What are you going to get there? "Cookies!"

Our son is crawling on the ground at Lowe's, growling like the little animal we know he is! ;-)

Our holy ritual of getting the "make"

London and I (Marcus) do love our special time of getting the mail. We get it pretty much every day. That used to be a chore -- something we could easily forget -- but with our special time, it's definitely a highlight of both of our days.

It started out with my carrying infant London to the mailbox when he was a wee, immobile lad, out of convenience. Then, when he got a little older, I let him hold the keys. Then, older still, he started walking and was able to stick our key in other people's boxes.

These days, our ritual goes as follows:
- "London, do you want to get the mail?"
- "Make!" (he calls it "make" for some reason... thinking he may combine "mail" with "key")
- He motions to the door. "Keys?"
- I grab the keys, then grab the boy. We walk along the parking lot as he points out cars.
- We approach a sign that says "NO Skateboarding, Bike Riding, etc." He has learned to point to it and say, "NO!!!!" Already reading, eh?
- We get closer to the mailbox and he says, "Hi, Make!"
- I grab the keys and he watches as I get our actual mail.
- Then I set him down and he attempts to open everyone else's boxes.
- When a car goes by, he'll point at it and say "CAR!" or "UH-COCK" (his word for "TRUCK") and as it passes he says, "BYE-BYEEE!"
- He basically does the same thing for any bicyclists or passersby. It's interesting to see who responds to him and who pretends not to notice. If they pretend not to notice, I either say, "They can't hear you," while in earshot, or just address them and say, "Hey, he's saying hi to you!"
- Nowadays I entertain London by jumping off the retaining wall onto the sidewalk nearby. He counts before I jump: "TWO... TWO... TWO!"
- Eventually he gets bored and we go back to the apartment.

This is a constantly evolving thing, and it's really one of the more special times of my day :-)

London just saw an old guy who was portly and had white hair and a beard and started shouting,"Ho Ho Ho!" We died laughing.