Glow in the Dark Baby

My little M&M has been under the bili lights for 2 days and counting.
When I first found out she'd have to be there 24/7 it nearly broke my heart.
I literally sobbed as I strapped her into the little blue cocoon.
I can take her out to nurse and change her diapers, but that's it.
Even then she has a portable bili light strapped to her tiny chest.
The whole thing is so pitiful.
It's like she's being quarantined from our family.
We just got her and now we can't even hold her.


Logically, my brain knows it's good for her and will only benefit her in the long run.
But try telling that to my heart, whose wanted nothing more than to snuggle that sweet thing for 8 1/2 very long months.
Putting your baby on some alien experiment looking tray instead of rocking and cuddling and cooing at her goes against every fiber of motherhood.
It's like trying to tell the sun to stop shining or stopping the Spring from springing.

We are trying to be positive though.
We have thought of a few funny names for our little science experiment.
Smurfette
Lily Bili
Glow Worm
Radio active Baby
Glow in the dark Baby
Baby from the Blue Lagoon
She's our own Little Blue M&M
(I think the blue ones might be my new favorite color)
We are counting the hours until we can turn the lights off and get on with the serious business of hugging and kissing that tiny face.
For now, I take my time nursing and burping her and cherish the smell of her tiny head.
I lie right next to her in my bed and stare into her eyes when she's awake.
We have really good talks.
I have explained to her why she's there, I don't think she quite gets it though.
I listen to her tiny squeaks and hiccups and remember what it felt like when she had those in my belly every single night.
I marvel at the miracle she is and dream of our future together.

Welcome Littlest Weaver

Little Miss Mae (Little M&M) joined our family Friday March 18, 2011 at 10:44pm.
It's amazing how we went from the above photo to the lower photo in just a few hours.

Little M&M weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and was 19 1/4 inches long.
She was born at home, in our bedroom. What an incredible experience, I would not have had it any other way.

I will not post all the details of the birth tonight, but wanted to post some pictures for those of you who have been asking ever so nicely.

You're welcome!

We are all so thrilled she is here. What a sweet addition to our family.

Doodle is beyond thrilled to have a sister. She is convinced this little girl is all hers.
She even wrote me a letter the following day. Here's what it said:
Dear Mom,
I love you so so so much.
I am so glad we got a girl.
You're the best mom ever.
Love, Doodle

If you ask me, I think I've got two of the sweetest girls ever!

My Sanity...Hanging by a Thread

The count down is officially on.
I am officially 3 weeks away from my official due date.
That means I have an official reason to be grumpy, right?
Well, even if my reason is not official, I am.
Grumpy that is.
Maybe grumpy is not the right word.
More like irritable.
More like, "Don't look at me or I might snap your head off!"
I am trying really hard to stay calm and carry on, but it's getting increasingly difficult.
Especially at church or anywhere else in public.
People see me coming and their faces change.
I watch their eyes widen as they follow my belly.
When they do make contact all they can think to say is, "When are you due?" or
"Look how big you're getting, you must be due any day!"
It takes all my will power to not scream at the nice old ladies, "NEVER! This baby is NEVER coming out, EVER! I'm doomed to stay like this for what seems like FOREVER!"
or
"I have been telling you for the past 5 months the same exact date, it realy has not changed. And besides, I never deliver before my dute date so it just might really be 5 WEEKS instead of 3."
or
"I have no idea when this baby is coming out of me, I wish it were up to me and I could give you a real answer."
or
"STOP STARING AT ME!"
I think I was asked when this baby is coming no less that 30 times this weekend.
Maybe I should start wearing a sign that says my due date and post it to my belly so people don't have to ask.
You know, like the little count down thingy I have on my blog.
Genius! I could make a million dollars with this idea.
Some sort of digital pregnancy count down thingy so people can stop torturing us pregnant ladies.
And it can scroll through other important messages like:
"I know I look like a swollen blob, but that does not give you an excuse to look at me!"

I am very aware that I sound like a 3 year old, thank you very much!
I guess the Sunbeams I teach are rubbing off on me.
OK, I may be exaggerating a little.
But I do hate this part because it is like people must constantly remind me that I still have 3-5 more weeks (let's be realistic) of bladder squishing, crazy dreams at night, bloatedness.
All the while I can feel this little one all wriggly and I know there's a beautiful baby in there and all I'm dying to do is hold it and kiss it and nurse it.
It's just so close, yet so far.
I really hope my sanity can hold out for another few weeks.
I may just decide to not leave the house again until the blessed day.
Heaven knows I have enough nesting to do to keep me good and busy until then!

Up

Ever since I met Mr Bird he has had one dream that has never faltered.
He has wanted to be a train engineer.
The man loves everything and anything to do with trains.
We attend the annual reenactment of the driving of the golden spike every May 10th.
We pack up all the kids, enough food for the day and blankets and drive an hour to get to the absolute middle of nowhere to witness this celebration.
We visit our local train museum on historic 25th Street in downtown Ogden (with and without the children) at least once a year.
We attend the local train convention where collectors from all over the country convene at above mentioned 25th Street museum.
They set up the most elaborate model train sets you could ever imagine.
Every size, shape and color.
Every year Mr Bird drools over their master pieces.
In fact, when I first met Mr Bird, he had a model train set in his bedroom that went along the top perimeter of his bedroom.
I still remember his excitement to show me his train running along the tracks.
I still remember his disappointment when he took it all down so we could move into our very first house together.
Well, guess what Mr Bird?
I may have found something cooler for you than being a train engineer.
How about a world-class balloon pilot!
Check this out!

"March 5 at dawn, National Geographic Channel and a team of scientists, engineers, and two world-class balloon pilots successfully launched a 16' X 16' house 18' tall with 300 8' colored weather balloons from a private airfield east of Los Angeles."

What do you think?
I smell a new hobby for my lover!
Click here for more amazing photos of this Disney Pixar inspired project!

The Circle K

"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K..."
(name that movie)
Or should I say, strange things are afoot the the Weavers!
Let me give you a little background.
Baby Cakes (whose not a baby anymore) is always telling Mr Bird and I (and anyone who will sit still and listen) all about his "friends".
I assumed they are imaginary since he has yet to have a play day at a friends house without mom.
He's always saying things like, "I do math at my friend's house." or "My friend let me play with his motorcycle when I was at their house."
When we ask him about said friends he tell us they live in his secret lab, and apparently there are millions of them and they come in all kinds of colors.
It's a well known fact that his "secret lab" is a space under the bushes in the side of our yard that the kids hide out in during the nicer days when the sun is shining.
A while ago he started saying things like, "One of my friends died tomorrow."
(tomorrow is the word he uses for any reference to time, weather it be yesterday or next week or last year.)
Then he started telling me that the ghosties let him play with them and that the ghosties were his friends.
I know, weird right?
So what do you think, little kid with a great imagination or do I need to be worried?
Well, I have not been too worried, until this morning.
We were starting our morning devotional to get our school day going when all of a sudden there was a noise upstairs in the bathroom that's getting a face lift.
I looked around the room to see who had snuck out and was upstairs.
All of my children were looking at me with wide eyes.
I listened more closely.
It was music.
Mr Bird and I had done some work on the bathroom last night and had left a radio plugged in.
Spontaneously, it turned on and was playing Cold Play for our listening pleasure.
I sat there in stunned silence for a few moment, trying to rationalize what had just happened.
No logical explanation came to mind.
Then I thought of Baby's ghosties.
Could it be?
Then get this!
Just as I started typing this very post my Internet browser turned off.
No warning, nothing, just poof!
All that was in front of my face was my cow screen saver.
Luckily, Blogger had saved my draft (most of it) and I was able to click on Firefox again and continue my post.
If the radio were not enough, the Internet has me really freaked out.
So help a girl out, what explanations could there be for these erratic occurrences?
My imagination?
Baby's ghostie friends?
Want to know something else weird?
I just noticed this week that the convenience store near our home is a Circle K.
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do!
(Twilight Zone theme music playing in my head)