December 16, 2009 - Serena

Leo Sturm Von Ruden was born December 11, 2009 at 3:14pm weighing 7 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 20 inches. He was slightly lighter and longer than Odessa. Leo came on his due date in memorable fashion.

I started having strong contractions just before 8am. They progessed during the day and became quite frequent by mid-morning, depending on my activity level. If standing or walking in the house, I was getting strong, painful contractions about every 3 minutes. When I sat or laid down, they slowed to every 5-6 minutes. We notified our friend Hillary that we would likely need her to come over to watch Odessa later today as we thought we'd be going to the hospital. Neither Scott nor I were anxious to get to the hospital too quickly and wanted to progress through much of the 1st stage of labor at home. I tried to rest in between contractions, even lying down with Odessa to read her some stories, although Pinocchio became fragmented with breaks occurring every 6 minutes as I contracted. I sat on a borrowed birthing ball and Scott talked me through some relaxation exercises we had practiced as I encountered each contraction. Even Odessa got into things by coming up to me during contractions and softly whispering, "relax, Mama" while gently rubbing my arm. She gave me hugs in between.

By around 1pm, Hillary arrived and we left for the hospital. We planned to stop and get some food on the way, as we knew once I was admitted I'd be unable to eat or drink anything more than clear liquids. We ate in the parking lot of Culver's while I contracted rhythmically and loudly every 4 minutes. Upon arriving at the hospital, I had a large contraction in getting out of the car, and then proceeded to have at least 10 more on the walk to the Birthing Unit, every 60-90 seconds, and refusing Scott's repeated offer of a wheelchair. We arrived at the Birthing Unit around 2:20pm and were escorted back into the OB Triage room by 2:25pm.

My contractions were intense and frequent and after the nurse attached me to the monitor, she left to find the family practice resident. The resident arrived close to 2:50 and found me to be fully dilated. The nurse confirmed that the only thing holding Leo in was my unbroken bag of water. They wheeled my gurney into the birthing room right around 3:00pm, where upon my water immeadiately broke and I started pushing. Leo was born just a few minutes later, which was quite a difference from the almost 4 hours I spent in pushing with Odessa.

After recovering and bonding in the birthing room with our new son, we called Hillary to bring Odessa to the hospital and notified friends and family members that Leo had made his arrival. When Odessa arrived, she was a little nervous and tentative at first, but quickly warmed up and climbed into bed with Leo and me. His temperature was a little low and I was doing skin-to-skin contact to warm him up before his first bath. Odessa carefully took his hat off and commented on his ears and fuzzy little head. She gave him kisses and hugs.

My parents arrived around 8:30pm. My dad had to wear a mask as he had recently come down with a cold. Odessa was a bit distressed by this and kept telling him to take it off. Leo was sleepy and very mellow. My parents left with Odessa and were able to spend part of the next day with her. Scott's parents arrived the next morning and spent the rest of the day and following night with Odessa. I am glad she was able to get this special time with both sets of grandparents while Scott and I bonded with Leo and tried to figure out how to take care of an infant again.

We discharged home the next afternoon, preferring to only spend one sleepless night in the uncomfortable hospital bed and pull-out sofa. Since coming home, we have been adjusting to Leo. We think he looks a lot like Odessa did as a baby. His favorite activities include sleeping, eating, and crying about wanting to eat. However, with regards to sleeping, he prefers daytime hours over sleeping much during the night. He cries during diaper changes, but does not seem to get distressed by having wet or messy diapers.

Odessa dotes on her baby brother, often coming over to give him kisses and hugs spontaneously. I have been spending much of my days sitting on the couch, nursing and holding a sleeping baby Leo. He likes to eat slowly and frequently, and often wakes up the minute I set him down.

We are tired, sore, exhausted, overwhelmed, and ecstatic with our new son and family of four.

Here are some pictures.

December 1, 2009 - Scott

Over Thanksgiving, my mom gave me a gingerbread house kit in order to help Odessa decorate her own gingerbread house.

Me: Ready to make your gingerbread house?
Odessa: Yes! Daddy, whatchoo having?
Me: What do you mean?
Odessa: Whatchoo having for LUNCH?
Me: I'm not eating lunch right now. Why? What are you having?
Odessa: I'm having a gingerbread house! You are being silly.
Me: Oh. No, the gingerbread house isn't for eating. It's for decorating. Ok?
Odessa: Okay. And I will need a fork, and a vitamin, and some milk, and a plate!
Me: No... it's not for eating. You put these candy decorations on it.
Odessa: Mmmm, I like to lick it, Daddy!
Me: Well your gingerbread house is coming along nicely. You've done a really good job.
Odessa: Thank you! I am all done now.
Me: Okay, let's go get you washed up. When Mommy comes home, you can tell her that you made a gingerbread house today.
Odessa: And?
Me: Then you can show it to her.
Odessa: And?
Me: She will say, "Good job, Odessa! That looks so pretty!"
Odessa: And then she will say, "Let's eat the shinsher-bwead howse!"

October 31, 2009 - Scott

We took Odessa out trick or treating for her first time on Saturday. When a few weeks ago we asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween, she said, "A robot!" We were looking into that, but as far as robot costumes go there seemed to be quite a disparity between peaceable and bellicose varieties, heavily in favor of the less friendly types. And since I wasn't really ready for her to be a laser sword-wielding, titanium-clad contraption known only for the generous portions of death it bestowed most unhappily to the unwary townsfolk who happend to cross its path... yeah, because I wasn't ready for that just yet, I decided to ask her again what she wanted to be for Halloween.

This time she said she wanted to be a fire fighter. This didn't last very long, however, and it soon became clear that she wanted to be a robot fire fighter. All of this was starting to get out of hand for me. But thankfully, she again soon changed her mind and wanted to just be a fire fighter. That was something we could handle. Plus, making sure she looked cute and sweet was paramount because I wanted a lot of candy.

So we went out trick or treating. Odessa was quite hesitant of this at the onset. At the first house, she pushed the doorbell three times before we could stop her, but when it came time to saying "Trick or treat!" she clamped up and didn't say anything. After a while she acclimated to the routine and things went a bit smoother.

We were in a very hilly area, and Serena, who is twelve months pregnant, understandably grew a bit fatigued. Thusly, she stopped walking up to the doors, most of which were uphill and had stairs, and remained on the sidewalk while Odessa and I bagged the goods. I made the unfortunate observation to Serena that I had heard once that cows don't like to go up hills. She punched me for that one, and I had to spend the next few minutes telling her that I thought she was beautiful. Which I do: I think she's especially cute when she's pregnant. She is enormous, though. Let's be honest.

The other consequence of Serena remaining at the sidewalk was that Odessa wanted to show her every single piece of candy she acquired. "LOOK MOMMY I GOT THIS!" She refered to everything as "THIS!" It got to the point where she wouldn't let people put candy in her bucket, prefering to be handed the candy so that she could show it off easier. If someone managed to get it in the bucket, we underwent a lengthy process wherein she had to extricate the new piece for the ritual of presentation.

After we finished a house she would always announce, verbatim, that we needed to "Go to another house with a door and a light on." Every single time. If the walk between houses was a fair distance, we might be instructed on this five or six times.

Out of everything though, I think she most enjoyed helping to close doors. After the candy had been delivered safely to palm or bucket, she would reach out her arm and desperately try to grab onto the door to shut it. If it was a door that opened inward, she would attempt to invade the premises in order to accomplish this goal. If her efforts proved successful, a triumphant "I HELPED!" was exclaimed for the whole county to hear.

She had a good time, but she ended up getting pretty tired out. When she asked for a shoulder ride, we knew she was spent. I put the aspiring fire chief on my shoulders and we walked to the car; her thoughts most likely on all the fun she had while acquiring candy, my thoughts on all the fun I'd have eating it.

Before we went out, we took a few pictures of her. You can see them here.

October 27, 2009 - Scott

Last week, on the 19th, was Odessa's third birthday. It was about the most exciting thing in the world for her, and she had been talking about it for weeks. Here are some pictures.

October 5, 2009 - Scott

What it's like to stay at home with Odessa?
Morning:
Her: Daddy, Brewers win last night?
Me: Yes.
Her: Prince Fielder get a hit?
Me: I don't know.
Her: Ryan Braun get a hit?
Me: Probably.
Her: Ken Macha get a hit?
Me: He hit for the cycle.
Her: Ken Macha has stinky, stinky toots!


Afternoon:
We are preparing to cook dinner. She is holding a set of four measuring spoons. She picks one up and gets excited.
Her: This spoon is Mama!
Me: Okay.
She goes for the next spoon.
Her: This spoon is Daddy!
Me: Oh yeah, it is.
She goes for the third spoon. I feel like I know where this is going.
Her: This spoon is Odessa!
Me: That's right!
Now that I understand the game, I point to the last spoon of the set and, thinking that she'll answer something about her coming baby brother I ask... Me: Who is this last spoon?
Her: This spoon is Odessa with pants on!


Evening:
Her: Daddy, what day is it?
Me: Friday.
Her: Mail come Fridays?
Me: Yes.
Her: Tomorrow is Monday. Then it will be Friday!
Me: No, tomorrow is Saturday. Today is Friday.
Her: Oh! Mail come Saturday?
Me: Yes.
Her: Daddy my skin is warm.
Me: Oh, that's nice.
Her: I burped!!

September 15, 2009 - Scott

Serena is now back in school for her third year in the pharmacy program. She's also hugely pregnant. Did you know that?

Odessa now likes to ask "What is that?" and "What are you doing?" constantly.

"Daddy, whatchoo doing?"
"Putting in my contacts."
"Oh! I watch."
...
"Daddy, what's that?"
"It's a contact."
"Oh! I want constocks."
"Say 'contact.'"
"Constocks."
...
"Daddy, what's that?"
"It's still my contact lens. I'm having trouble with this one."
"Daddy, are you mad?"
"No, I'm not mad."
"Daddy, are you sad?"
"No, I'm not sad."
"Daddy, let's be buddies."
"Yes, we're buddies."
"Daddy like constocks."
"Yes."
"Daddy love constocks."
"Um, ok."
"Daddy... whatchoo doing?"
"I'm putting in my contacts."

Here are a few pictures from the summer.

July 23, 2009 - Scott

Serena had an ultrasound today. We learned that the baby appears to be in good health and developing normally. And it seems as though, come December, we will have a new baby boy.

As before, we're happy to announce the sex of the child but we plan on keeping our name, and the entire naming process, private. We understand that some people get annoyed by that, but, well, sucks to be you. This is the way we like to do it. Anyway, we're very excited and grateful that everything seems to be progressing well. And Serena has been feeling better also, which is great.

Here you can see a couple scanned images of the ultrasound prints.

July 17, 2009 - Serena

We just got back from a trip to Colorado with my family. For several months preceding the trip, Odessa's favorite phrase to say was, "See Emily Colorado!" She was so excited to spend time with Aunt Emily. In Colorado we stayed at a cabin belonging to my parents' friends, Beth and Pat. It was near the town of Idaho Springs, up in the mountains, off of a little "goat path" of a road, as my dad called it. Odessa enjoyed meeting Beth and Pat and especially their dog, Meeker. She talked about Meeker almost all week. Dad took us sailing on Lake Dillon and we had lots of fun "washing the windows" when the wind would blow us and tilt the boat far to one side. Either that or leaning over the edge of the boat to try and touch the water were Odessa's favorite parts of sailing.

We spent some time exploring the smaller towns around Idaho Springs like Nederland. We took three trips to Nederland throughout the week to explore the little shops and eat a delicious Nepalese/Indian buffet. One day, Scott and I ventured out on our own to drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. It was amazing to be able to drive among the mountains and see elk at the side of the road. That evening we went to a Rockies vs. Braves game at Coors Field. The game was delayed by lightning and we left early to make the drive back to the cabin.

On my parents' last day, we met my Aunt Jackie and Uncle Tom in Boulder for a meal and to experience the Pearl Street Mall. Odessa really became friendly with Uncle Tom and refused to walk with anyone else.

After Mom and Dad flew back to Minnesota, Emily was able to spend a couple days with us before leaving herself. We drove back to Rocky Mountain National Park to drive the steep, gravel, one-way Fall River Road. Scott enjoyed being able to hop out the the car to take photographs of the amazing landscape. Emily and I enjoyed seeing the sights from the inside of the car while rocking out to the '90s music channel on the radio.

We took Emily to the airport a day and a half later and were sad to see her have to leave. Odessa reminded us throughout the next two days that "Aunt Emily go home airplane to Oregon." Our next day was spent exploring some of the area southwest of Denver and Idaho Springs. We drove Cottonwood Pass and tried to look for some ghost towns.

We ate some delicious food including mountain pizza at Beau Jo's , a birthday celebration meal for Emily at Peck House, and a nice meal at the Boulder Cafe with Tom and Jackie.

Our flight back to Madison was delayed by approximately 90 minutes and resulted in us landing in Chicago at midnight. Odessa was a very good girl on the airplane, making friends as always, and slept the whole way home.

Here is a gallery Scott put together of the pictures he and I took during the trip.