Tales of Me and the Husband

taking stock / 06

Making: Thank you cards.  Does that count?
Drinking: red wine at night!  After 9 months without, it’s nice to have a little glass in the evenings.
Reading: nothing besides children’s books and a few blogs.  A book?  Not at the moment.  

Wanting: to feel really, really content with the idea that my family is complete.  I think I’m the type of person who will forever crave pregnancy, birth, and the newborn phase, so I’d like to be in a place where I am okay knowing Anders is my last.
Watching: The Killing.  I had what maaaay have been a brief bout of mastitis last week (or a little bug?  Not sure.) and I watched the whole first season in one day.  Thank goodness for Steve being on break so I could just stay in bed with Anders and have him take care of things downstairs.
Listening: Roo Panes lately.  Really good.
Eating: anything I can get my hands on.  Eggs almost every morning, almond cake, burgers, apples.  Last week at like 10 pm I was so hungry I almost cried.  Steve brought me a McD’s burger and I ate it like it was manna from heaven.  Nursing hunger is unlike any hunger for me.
Smelling: newborn heads, necks, breath.  Repeat.
Wishing: My house would vacuum itself.
Enjoying: Watching Parker be so gentle and kind with Anders.  Not that I didn’t think he was capable of it, but it surprises me nevertheless.  Lindsey’s helpfulness.  She’s been such a nice helper since Anders was born.
Loving: the above picture.  Matching my boys?!  Oh man.  Will I be one of those Moms?  Maybe.  I’m not denying that it’s possible.
Hoping: the weather warms up a bit and I can get outside of the house with these boys.  It’s -4 this morning, people.
Needing: this sweater for Anders.  It is so cute.
Feeling: emotional, happy, sad, content, so grateful… the first few weeks after baby are such a wonderfully teary time for me.  I keep whispering in Anders’ ear that I wanted him so badly and that I’m so glad he’s here.  And then my eyes fill with tears.
Wearing: a soft white robe that’s perfect for holding a baby all day.
Bookmarking: this pot.  I’ve heard some good reviews.  Anyone have one?

it’s winter and the forecast looks bleak so please help us!

 


pretty pathetic post title, huh?  but look!  i’ll give you a recommendation too.  maybe even more than one.  we need to help each other, people!  it takes a village!
basically, winter is here and the weather is bleak… like, highs in the 20s coming up (that puts lows in the teens or even… single digits!!!).  add a baby to the mix and we’ll find ourselves housebound a lot in the coming weeks.  i’m grateful for any activity i can find for parker that isn’t putting him in front of the tv which, admittedly, i do sometimes but basically am never ever happy about.
we found this coloring book recently (pictured above) and went through it together in two days (not because it took that long, but because we took a break).  it was really fun.  you fill in ‘holes’ on one page, flip the page, and it becomes something different.  a tree into a circus tent, making polka dots on one page which becomes a decorated dress on the next.  parker was always really excited to flip to the next page to find out what our filled in holes were creating.  it required a little bit of my assistance–to read and to help create additional pictures on each page (like a bow on the girl, or flags on the tent) but for a slightly older child it could be a solo activity.  i wish it had been a bit longer as we could’ve done it in about one sitting (maybe 45 minutes?) but it was fun nevertheless.
what else?  i’ve been asking around about legitimately good apps on the iPad that don’t make you feel like a total loser parent letting your kids play and so far (based on today only!), we are enjoying leo’s pad and monkey preschool lunch box.  we already think highly of the endless apps — abc, numbers, reader.  any other recommendations here???  tried and true?
and finally, other indoor activities in general that you’ve found to be real winners.  word of mouth is golden–i’d rather hear it from you than by doing some random search on pinterest.  that’s a rabbit hole i’m just not up for!  

01/52.


anders, age 4 weeks: caught him smiling at his brother parker the policeman

parker, age 3 years and 5 months: old and takes catching bad guys seriously.  it takes a police hat, walkie talkie, and hand cuffs to get the job done
i’ve always loved the weekly series of kid photos that some bloggers have done, but have never jumped on board myself.  committing to things is not my strong suit.  undoubtedly i’ll miss a week or ten but it’ll help me sleep at night knowing i’m documenting them at least most of the time since they’re so rapidly changing.  i’ll attempt to get william and lindsey in this as much as i can too, as long as they let me anyway.  they were at school when i got these so i’ll try to get them at week 2 unless they think it’s totally stupid.  
happy monday, friends!
p.s. lend me a hand over here suggesting your favorite apps for kids (if you have any, that is!).

christmas 2014.

this christmas is a bit of a blur.  we did just celebrate last week, right?  i had been prepping for it for weeks, trying to have everything purchased and wrapped before anders’ arrival.  i almost succeeded.  close enough, anyway.  a few days before christmas steve and i celebrated our 8th anniversary.  we basically forgot about it entirely (and would have definitely forgotten about it totally the year before if it hadn’t been for a ‘happy anniversary’ text from my friend ahnika) until i suggested we go out to lunch and then it sort of came to mind, “it can be for our anniversary tomorrow!” and he was like, “wait!  that’s today!” and i was like, “nope.  tomorrow.”  back and forth we went until we settled on the 22nd.   (he was right.)  it’s really a romantic story, isn’t it?
our anniversary is indeed the 22nd of december and it was our eighth and we did go to lunch with two small children so romance is totally our thing.  swooooon!  (i hate that word.)
happy anniversary steve!
(we’re going to celebrate our half-anniversary next year.  december 22nd shouldn’t be anyone’s anniversary.)
romance or no romance, our marriage is a good one and i love that man with all of me.  i think we get better at it every year.  don’t you think so, steve?  and i’ve always said whether or not he was my husband, i’d absolutely want him in my life in some capacity.  so i think that means something.  or it should, anyway.  he’s one of my favorite people in the entire world.  you hear that, steve?  so go clean the kitchen now, or something.
christmas!  this christmas my best gift hands-down was mr. anders emmett hunt under the tree.  that squishy baby is so darn scrumptious to me right now and i can barely take my hands off him.  thank you santa!  a distant second would probably be a beautiful all-clad tea kettle.  hot tea and out of a shiny new tea kettle?!  thank you again, santa!  parker’s favorite present was probably his caterpillar bulldozer, lindsey’s was probably her fake leather jacket (she looks pretty cool in it, i will admit), william’s was maybe his yogibo, and i cannot presume to know what nathaniel and jordan’s was… new jeans?  a hoodie?  
parker was so content to go through the opening of presents soooo slowly.  he’d have been happy letting the process drag on for four hours.  open a present?  now let’s play with that present for the next half hour.  it was really quite sweet.  three year olds are about the most excited and innocent little beings on christmas morning.  
we relaxed the whole day and then went for a 2 mile walk around town because it was like 50 degrees!  here’s proof.  we actually roped every hunt progeny into coming along so photographic evidence was necessary.  and that’s my shadow over there (wearing anders; we really were all present!)
back home we went for more food, more lounging, more food, more lounging, and more playing with our new toys.  it wasn’t a white christmas but it was a good one, and i hope yours were wonderful too.  
and now… happy new year!

Three weeks.




Oblivion by Indians on Grooveshark 

So, we’re three weeks in.  What is there to say?  Anders is a sweet, beautiful baby and as I look at pictures of him a mere three weeks ago (which feels oddly like forever ago and also yesterday), I see his look has changed entirely which, being the feeler I am (sometimes I wish I weren’t), makes me a little anxious.  Such cheeks!  And overnight it seems!  I’m all the more aware how quickly it goes and with that comes the pressure to soak it up, every last drop.  Especially because I’m pretty sure this newborn will be my last newborn.  In fact, yesterday I came across some of my ultrasound pictures of Anders in my nightstand and like a reel running through my head I thought of all the times I was lying on the OB chair and hearing his heartbeat inside me, I thought of my achy body, heavy with him, I thought of running my hand across my belly, and the ultrasounds where I saw his little hands, his head.  I started crying, tears running down my cheeks and all (could hormones have helped?  Oh yes, yes they could have.).  I am so glad he’s here, but I somehow miss him too.  Isn’t that strange?  I will forever cherish being pregnant, having my body be used for such a purpose, and this absolutely astounding miracle that comes at the end.  I will forever love the newborn stage.  I was born to be a mother of newborns.  Their total helplessness, their squeaks, the way they smell, the weight of their little bodies on your chest, the way their little legs are so flexible mimicking the way they were folded up inside you, the way they need you desperately, the way they seem to settle when they hear the voice of their Mom and sense her nearness.  It’s all so precious to me.  I only wish I could make the hands of the clock move a bit slower.  And so here’s a few pictures to capture this precious time I so love.  I’m so glad I have them.

Lately.

Let’s see, let’s see.  It shouldn’t be too hard to give you an update.  Nursing, sleeping, diapers, nursing, sleeping, diapers.  I made it out of the house yesterday morning for breakfast at a real restaurant with a real wait staff who came and filled my coffee cup two times, I declined the third.  Do you know how nice that was?  Really nice.  I came down with makeup on and my hair done early that morning and declared to Steve, “I am a woman!”  You know, as opposed to simply a milk-producing mobile machine that catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and is a bit frightened at the reflection.  I had to get out.  I mumbled something about my circadian rhythm and need to breathe fresh air and out we went.  It’s no small feat though, getting small children out the door.  How do you mothers of many small children do it?  I’d be housebound with any more, I’m afraid.
Anders remains the chillest baby ever.  As soon as I type this, it’ll stop, so I won’t even type it but it has something to do with him being a good sleeper too but since I didn’t type it there’s no jinx-danger here.  He eats like every meal is his last, practically snorting with glee as he nears my chest and I find it completely hilarious and adorable.  Oh and he smiles!  
We have all the kids home for Christmas and aside from the the amount of food that’s consumed (grocery store runs every other day are pretty much standard though Steve’s taken that job on entirely, thank you sweet man!), it’s going well.  I made a big chili yesterday.  Something like five chicken breasts, four cans of pinto beans, onions, three boxes of chicken broth, and four big red peppers and there are still no leftovers.  Mothers of boys, can I get a hear hear?
Parker has been doing really well.  I think he’s feeling the transition a bit (oh there have been meltdowns!), but thus far isn’t actually directing any frustration at the baby in the form of pegging a Duplos at him or requesting that he be put back in my belly.  So, we’re celebrating?  One step at a time.  Kind souls have brought dinners, cookies, gifts, one walking through the door with a chicken pot pie fresh out of the oven at exactly 5:30 pm.  All of these things are easing us into our new normal.  We love you, people!
I’m basically done Christmas shopping?  I think?  I have a long list of thank you notes to write, one more quick reassessment of what I’ve bought and for who, a few teacher Christmas gifts to buy, a few more gifts to wrap, and then I do believe I am done.  Steve’s grading papers, William and Lindsey are finishing up their last days of school, Nathaniel and Jordan are getting a few work hours in during their break, Parker is strapping on a backpack and pretending he’s going to school, and I’m cuddling with the tiniest person in the house and kissing his lips every chance I get.
One day at a time is the theme these days, and really it should be for all the days.  Hope you’re well wherever you are!

white plum giveaway!


cozy sweater anyone?!?  white plum is back giving away a $50 credit to their store and with it you should get this (the one above) or this.  they do have other things, but their sweaters are speaking to me these days.  whether it’s their ability to so effortlessly cover up a let down leak or to mask the strange post baby belly, i basically throw this one on all the time.  thank you white plum!

this giveaway is open through the 24th.  also, use TALESHOLIDAY25 for 25% off until december 24th.  fyi: they’re also offering free standard shipping on ALL orders until new year’s eve.  

this post is sponsored by white plum.

Bridget’s Baby Favorites.

first and foremost, thank you so much for all the love you’ve given my family over the past week.  it’s been a really sweet time here and things are going so well.  we had our first true solo day today and it went great.  we didn’t venture too far (you know, that postpartum bleeding that tells you to slow down and take it easy even though you’re feeling really good!) but did get outside and put our faces to the sun.  anders has a reputation that he continues to maintain as quietest and sleepiest hunt and i’m crossing my fingers that he’s not going to simply wake up one day and be like, “psyche!  i hate sleep!”  parker and i did some puzzles together, i watched barbara walter’s fascinating people special, and i even did a little bit of laundry and vacuuming (don’t tell my mom.  she’s pretty strict on the, “take it easy” rule.).  anyway, while we’re on the baby subject, i’ve had emails and/or comments before asking if i could do a “registry” post.  i never really have, aside from some favorite things posts here and there because i guess everyone is so different?  what’s a necessity for one is entirely overlooked for another.  i don’t really think babies require that much.  onesies and burp cloths and some blankets and diapers, but a lot of the other bells and whistles are not so much necessities as they are wants.  this list is a little bit of both.  my favorite necessities (a baby carrier!!!), and a few wants (a beautiful baby blanket, when really anything will do, beautiful or not!).  let me know if you have anything terribly important to add to the list!  this one certainly is not exhaustive…
thanks again everyone.  the hunts love you back!
// this brand is my favorite thing to dress babies in.  parker and anders both came home from the hospital in different pieces by them.  they fit tiny babies so nicely, everything is soooo soft, and their solid colors are awesome.  
// a really great baby blanket that you end up using nearly every day (so long as it’s not in the wash). 
// swaddle blankets.  these by aden and anais have been so useful to me and the ones i have from when parker was a baby look good as new.  they’ve caught many a let down, spit up, shielded sun from a baby’s face, been tucked in the carrier with them, so on and so forth.  can’t recommend them enough.
// a great carrier.  i used to work at a high end baby and maternity store and between this brand and the ergo, they flew off the shelves.  waist/hip support is a must for your back (which bjorn doesn’t have).  there are definitely more brands that fit the bill besides beco and ergo now, but the beco quickly became a staple for me and it was never far when parker was a baby.  when my mom left last week, i had a momentary, “what do i do!” with anders in my arms all the time and then i got out my beco and… new lease on life!  plus, babies love it too.  win win.
// freshly picked moccasins.  are they as good as everyone claims them to be?  yes, they really are.  they’re adorable, and they stay on a kid’s feet.  having a winter baby, even the tiny trumpettes are barely staying on.  crib moccasins to the rescue!  (i’m so glad she came out with the “crib moccasin” for the real wee ones!)
// this humidifier.  having a baby in the dry winter, i’m feeling like the humidifier that i rarely used with parker is more of a necessity this time around.  i’ve had it going a lot, and i’m pretty sure the mornings it’s on, my nose feels way less dry and yuck when i awake.  to clean it i’ve been running it outside with a generous splash of white vinegar and water until it’s empty.

Anders’ birth story.

Here I sit typing out another birth story and feeling really, really blessed.  I have another sweet baby boy that I absolutely adore and who has quickly become an incredibly loved and cherished part of our family (and yes, even by his next older brother, Parker!).  Number six Hunt child, number eight Hunt, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.  I think he’s the last piece to our somewhat large puzzle and I can’t imagine my life without him now.  We’re totally smitten with our Anders.
My due date was December 6th.  My Mom and Dad had come early, while Steve was in California, as a just-in-case.  Luckily there was no need, but they planned to stay on through Thanksgiving and the baby’s arrival.  It was so nice having them.  They gave us such a precious gift–their time, and so much of it.  My Mom and I nested together while my Dad worked alongside William and Steve doing his own tinkering in the garage and a few odd jobs for us.  We celebrated Thanksgiving with a delicious meal, and continued getting things done, as we eagerly awaited a baby. 
Parker came two days early, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one.  My due date was nearing and I decided to do a few things to encourage labor.  Some dance parties (we had one a few days before I was due that lasted at least an hour in the living room to this playlist), some bouncing on one of those big exercise balls, drinking red raspberry leaf tea, a brisk walk.  To say I was feeling conflicted about this birth would be an understatement.  Even as I did these things to encourage labor, the moment I’d have an intense Braxton Hicks contraction, my thoughts would go, “Yes!  Maybe it’s time!  But no!  Wait!  Not yet!”  I couldn’t entirely get my mind and heart on board for what I knew my body was inevitably going to do. 
It was strange and different from the thoughts I had anticipating my labor with Parker.  I know why, but it was foreign to me just the same.  So here we were, December 6th.  My Mom made a chicken caesar salad and during dinner I had some Braxton Hicks that were a little more distracting than the ones I’d been having for weeks.  We finished dinner and I started to get Parker ready for bed.  Brushed his teeth, got in bed with him.  We read a story together and I had another while in his bed.  We finished the story and I cuddled with him until he fell asleep.  It was probably 7:00.  
I went up and told my Mom that it might be happening tonight.  I made sure I had everything I needed in my hospital bag, told Steve to get anything he’d want ready.  We put It’s a Wonderful Life on and everyone but me sat to watch it.  I paced around the house as things became more regular.  I peeked in on Parker, kissed his hands, imagined him as a big brother which both made me ecstatic and a little bit heartbroken.  Him no longer my baby?  How could this be?  Around 8 or 8:30 we started timing my contractions (this app that I downloaded once they started–better late than never??–came in very handy!).  I was bouncing on the exercise ball through many of them, but as they got more intense I went into the kitchen and would lean on the kitchen counter and breathe through each one.  No water had broken, no mucous plug had been lost, but I was still sure that this was happening.  
They were coming every three to four minutes and lasting roughly a minute and a half for awhile.  We live close to the hospital, and I didn’t want to get there too early, so we remained at the house till I had one that I moaned through (you know that labor moaning that sounds almost like an animal??  That’s the one!).  That was about 11 pm.  My Mom has been with her daughters for many of our births and that was a signal to her that we should go.  I was more than happy to be on the way too.  I had one more as we entered the hospital (arriving at the doors that were locked for the evening!  Luckily someone was able to let us in.) and one more as I checked in.  It was about 11:20pm.  
Once in the room they asked me a few of the necessary questions, and had me on a monitor for twenty minutes so they could see how the baby was doing through them.  My midwife came in and checked me and I was 6 cm.  I remember being disappointed, hoping I was 8 or more!  I told her that I’d like to try the tub for some of the labor and they began to fill it up while I was on the monitor.  The contractions were really intense, I remember being relieved when each one would end and being entirely in the zone when I was in the midst of one.  I had my playlist going, having told Steve during a break from one to plug it in.  Most of the contractions I took while standing up and rocking with my head down breathing deeply.  After twenty minutes, they said the tub was ready and I could get off the monitor.  I went next door to the room with the tub and got in.  The warm water felt so nice on my body, almost like it was taking some of the contraction from my belly and back, and I was really happy to be in there. 
I was reminded by the midwife that I couldn’t give birth in the tub which I knew.  (Massachusetts passed a law–I believe–that at a hospital you cannot have a water birth but you can labor in water.)  By about 12:10 am I was in the tub and had one contraction there that was quickly followed by another with a serious need to push. The midwife and nurse had left the room, thinking I’d be in the tub for awhile and it was just Steve, my Mom, and I.  I couldn’t believe I already felt myself bearing down and it made me panic a little bit.  I was 6 cm 40 minutes ago!  I signaled as best I could for my Mom to get the midwife and when that contraction slowed I told her I felt myself bearing down.  She asked if I wanted to get out of the tub but thinking it was a fluke, and that I couldn’t possibly be pushing yet (with Parker I arrived at 5 cm and was at the hospital for five hours before I had him, and that was after pushing for almost an hour.), I decided to stay for another contraction (the water was so nice!).  I was gripping the sides of the tub when another came and again the absolute need to push.  I flipped over into a sitting position as I pushed out his head, pointed down to signal to them, and then the midwife said, “Stop breathing, just push!”  And then I pushed out the rest of him.  Between her and I, we brought him to my chest where he immediately began to cry.  
I was in disbelief.  How did I get to this point so soon??  I had no pain upon pushing him out (a far cry from the experience I had when Parker crowned which was a second-degree tear.  This time?  None!).  I was thrilled to be done, shocked to be done.  We all were, from the midwife to the nurse to my Mom and Steve (to the other nurses I vaguely recall gathering outside the room asking, “She already had the baby?”).  They helped me out of the bed where I remained until the placenta came out and the cord stopped pulsing.  The midwife asked, “Do you want to cut it?!”  I did.  He immediately began nursing and didn’t stop for a good 45 minutes.  It’s hard to capture what I was feeling.  Such surprise at having already given birth, such immediate love for this little boy, such wonder that he was perfect.  Steve and my Mom and I just kept making eye contact and laughing.  I recall Steve saying, “Gosh, I feel like we dodged a bullet.”  (Because a long labor is so intense for him, you know.)  Anders was here!  He missed his due date by a mere 20 minutes.
The next day, William and Lindsey came to meet him, as well as my sister and brother in law.  My Mom came back to visit with my Dad (Anders and my Dad share the middle name, Emmett!).  That night Steve came and watched the game in our room until late, and then I sent him home for some good sleep.  I pushed to be discharged early, and this incredibly kind nurse did her absolute best to have all of his testing done (hearing, bilirubin, etc.) so that I could leave first chance I got.  By Monday morning at around 9 am, we were on our way home.  That’s when Parker got to meet him and… guys!  I am so happy to announce that it went well and has been going well ever since.  No doubt we have trying times still to come, but I’m already so pleasantly surprised at the sweet tenderness Parker shows Anders.  That night Jordan came home for dinner and to meet the baby (Nathaniel hasn’t had a chance to yet!).  
We’re exactly one week in right now and it’s going so well.  He’s a dreamy little thing.  He sleeps and nurses and as of Thursday was already back to birth weight.  He’ll be packing on the pounds in no time.  I want every moment to go slow and steady.  I smell him a lot, I look at his little fingers and toes and I kiss his lips.  I watch his spastic little movements and swaddle him so he feels safe and whisper in his ear, “I’m here!  It’s Mama!” as we sit down to nurse.  I am completely in love with him, just as I knew I would be but couldn’t believe I would be.  He’s perfect and he’s ours and there are times when I literally cannot believe how blessed I am.  It all just feels so miraculous.  Forgive me.  Between the hormones and the baby bliss, I’m a big pile of mush over here.
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