A.B. Kagledom

Dear Adlai,

Little man full of might - today you are FOUR!

Adlai at the park

This past year was full of so many great moments. You made lots of friends, you traveled to interesting places, and you did more on your own than ever before. You've accomplished so much. Here is some of that year in review...

Celebrating Simon's first day of second grade

You started swimming lessons immediately after turning three and, over the year, slowly overcame your fears of floating alone on a flotation ring and jumping into the water. You now insist that you can swim but we insist that we hold on - just in case. You learned how to ride a bike with training wheels. You know a lot of your letters and can even write a few of them like A, X, O, E and T. You can count to twenty, hop on one foot, and you say that you can read ALL BY YOURSELF (but you still prefer being read to). The only time you really relax is when someone starts to read a book. Reading transforms you. You become silent and attentive. You'll even sit for a full meal if someone reads and, if I threaten not to read the next page, you'll take a bite.

In Hawaii

Adlai "Glamping"at Coastanoa

On the train at Lemos Farm, Half Moon Bay

Coming in from the rain

We've also learned a lot this year. We know what frustrates you: imperfection in anything, not being able to read or write or draw like an adult, and not being in complete control of your surroundings. You know what frustrates us: calling us names, doing the absolute opposite of what we ask just to see what will happen, or being mean to your friends and family. We're trying to help you learn your way out of this - one tantrum at a time.

Adlai's Jack-O-Lantern

Adlai and Simon and the 2011 Valentine Cookie

Eating popcorn at the car wash

You're still an interesting eater. You love savory foods like Korean BBQ and miso soup, egg whites, and fish and leek dumplings. You like pasta with kale, caesar salad, sea weed, berries, and carrots. But if you are served something you don't want, which pretty much means anything on a children's menu or a lot of the things Simon likes, you'll just skip eating altogether and stay hungry. Hunger leads to cranky and NO ONE wants you to be cranky. You, my dear, have a bad temper and we've spent a lot of this year trying to work around anything that will make you angry without sacrificing our sanity or Simon's life experiences.

Making lunch on the Feefadders' deck

Tea time at Lisa's Tea Treasures

Slushies at Target

You still love playing with, reading about, or watching trains and train tracks and "ding dings" (railroad crossing signals). You've moved from wooden trains to plastic snap together tracks to Lego trains, but when you get bored of one type, you'll easily move back to another. What you REALLY want is official metal Lionel tracks and trains, and you insist that you're ready. "I won't break them!" you shout right before you run off to find a heavy and breakable object and fling it across the room.

Train show in Los Altos

On the Nut Tree train

On the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad

I kept all of the clothes Simon wore, but it turns out that hand-me-downs are useless. While Simon wanted to blend in to his surroundings, you want to stand out. You love brightly colored pants and shirts with trains and fun holiday underwear and socks. Sometimes you look at me, roll your eyes, groan and storm away because I've brought you the "wrong clothes." I care about fashion but you have rules about dressing and accessorizing that I don't fully comprehend. Maybe, one day, we'll browse fashion magazines together and then go shopping.

Adlai finally finds a hat that he will wear

Tidepooling at Moss Beach

You moved to the three to four-year-old room at preschool in the Fall, and according to your teachers, you are a social butterfly. You have complex relationships with your many little friends: you get into arguments, you make up, you even have the beginnings of a crush on a girl named "Jazzie." You do your best to be the ringleader; sometimes that goes well, sometimes it doesn't.

Plotting world domination

Party in the backyard with friends

Fancy cabin living in Coastanoa

You love humor. The funniest joke is always any object placed before the words "ON YOUR HEAD!" You love to listen to Junie B. Jones stories in the car to the point that you won't let anyone listen to anything else. Junie B. is about your age and usually means well but often finds herself in some humorous type of trouble. A silly troublemaker with the middle initial of "B"; that hits close to home.

Decorating for Halloween

"What color is my tongue?"

Hard at work in preschool

You've been on a number of trips this year: to Seattle in winter, Cape Cod in summer, and Hawaii in the fall. You're a good traveler these days, you love planes and busses and boats, but sometimes find yourself homesick and missing our very set routine. We went camping for Simon's birthday and you fell madly in love with everything about that adventure - including stories of the mice that ran around in the night while you slept. We went "glamping" (glamorous camping) in the fall which was also nice but not as fun as living in dirt for a night.

Mini-golf in Cape Cod

Sledding near Seattle

Wet in Hawaii

Camping in Big Basin

One of the more surprising events of the past year is your warm relationship with our cats. I always imagined Simon would chase them down and smother them with affection but, it turns out, that role has fallen to you. And smother them you do - literally - and, for reasons I don't understand, they can't get enough. Your favorite cat is Lily. Hana tried to sleep on your bed the other night and you woke up screaming "THERE IS A CAT!!!!!!" but if she had been Lily, you'd have no problem sharing your space.

Giving "love" to Hanalei

Exploring in Big Basin with Simon

Adlai won the cake walk at Simon's school

You are very shy around strangers and slow to warm up in new situations. You were scared and cried at Jazzie's gymnastics party a couple of weeks back but, 20 minutes later, you couldn't get enough of the complex gymnastic routines and decided you wanted to have the same party and take classes. It is strange how you have such trouble telling a stranger your name or saying "Hello." However, if you see someone doing something that you don't like you have no trouble marching up and telling them that they are bad or mean or WRONG. Indignation makes you brave. You'll make a great leader some day.

At the park

At the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum

In Hawaii

You fluctuate between being Mama's boy and Daddy's boy. It really depends on who snuggled up to you in the middle of the night when you were scared or who read the last book or managed to brush your teeth without tears. You haven't been a great sleeper this past year. You would much prefer someone be by your side at night. We tried giving that role to Simon, but he wasn't interested after finding out that you snore. You love and admire your brother more than any other person. I'm happy to report that you've finally figured out that hitting him, yelling at him, and taking his favorite toys does not make Simon want to play with you. This is a HUGE step and one which has led to hours of happy play over the last couple of months. Daddy and I spent an entire Saturday indoors recently because you two were playing so well and we didn't want to interrupt.

Frozen yogurt with Daddy

In Hawaii

Bike riding

Decorating eggs

Usually we're pretty active. You love to go places - especially if you are alone with one of your parents. I'm pretty sure we've been to visit every train (miniature to full size) in a 100 mile radius of our home as well as in Seattle and Hawaii. You have a freakishly good memory and can point out details of each of these trips with a "Remember when...." You also are very fond of libraries and museums. You love learning and are fascinated by science - particularly human biology. You want to know how everything in your body is connected and how it works. You made daddy show you pictures of teeth with cavities before you agreed to start using toothpaste on a regular basis. Daddy also explained how the sun will one day explode and you are thrilled by that idea. When I was showing you how there were only a few more weeks in the calendar you cheerfully pointed out that "there is this week and next week, and then the sun will explode and we will all die!"

We hope being clairvoyant isn't one of your talents.

Playing in Coastanoa

In Downtown Mountain View

You are a frustratingly stubborn, silly, smart, perfectionist, adorable and full of zest, and exhausting in your non-conformity. I am proud of you.

At the park

I love you and I wish you a very happy birthday.

Love,

Mama (Daddy, and Simon too!)

More?
Adlai turns three
Adlai turns two
Adlai turns one
Adlai is born

Even more?
Simon turns seven
Simon turns six
Simon turns five
Simon turns four
Simon turns three
Simon turns two
Simon turns one
Simon is born

Posted by kagledom at 12:01 AM | Permalink

Dear Little Adlai,

Finally! Today you are three.

I'm sure you are wondering, is three old enough to rule the world? Or maybe that is four and three is when you are just in control of your family and a small country somewhere. We really need to find you that country. I'm hoping it is an island nation inhabited by people who have developed a keen sense of humor. They are going to need it.

Adlai, you are incredible and adorable and, well, let's just say… passionate. Little has changed about your personality this year. You are (not) large and definitely (not) in charge and, if we just would give in to your every desire, everything would be fine. OH MY GOODNESS, WHY WON'T WE GIVE IN?! It must be terribly frustrating.

I'm certain this bullish personality of yours is going to benefit you someday. At least no one is going to push you around. You started preschool in August three mornings a week and you are delighted to be old enough to be in school. Daddy took you there on the first day fully expecting to hang out for a while but you wouldn't have any of it. Daddy figured this out and said "OK, I'm going to leave now" and you said "OK, I'm going to stay." Your teachers describe you as silly and sweet and playful and kind. They tell me you play well with others and rarely get into trouble. They did, however mention that you can be incredibly stubborn. You are so nice to people outside your immediate family: you share, you give in, you eat what is in front of you without complaint, you even nap!

We've had kind of a rough time this year figuring out how to prevent the tears, anger, and frustration you are experiencing. For a long time, I brought home candy from work. For a while this prevented you from bursting into tears at the sight of me, shouting at me, and running from the room to slam the nearest door. Lately I've been attempting to spend fifteen or twenty minutes giving you individual attention as soon as I arrive. That sets you off on a good path - at least until dinner when the meal is, inevitably, placed in the incorrect location on the incorrect plate over the incorrect place mat sitting next to the incorrect cup, utensils, and beverage, all next to the incorrect sibling. There has been a lot of food squishing this year and I can't think of a single meal that ended with the utensils, napkins, and place mats all still on the table.

We brought home two cats in June. What is worse than food squishing or high pitched screaming or even drawing on floors and walls, is that you immediately started taking your frustrations out on them. On the positive side, they are getting exercise! When ever you enter a room, they head for the nearest crawl space. Simon somehow managed to completely overlook your hitting, biting, pinching, and yelling until just a couple of months ago when he had finally had enough. I think it was having you yell "Stupid!" or "I hate you!" or "Go away, Sie-min!" (while in his room) that finally did the trick. I wish he had never taught you those words. Daddy is thankful that we don't curse. You love and admire your brother so very much. You always want to know where he is and what he is doing and if you can do it too? I'm looking forward to being able to reason with you enough that you stop shooting yourself in the foot.

Contrary to what this sounds like, you are not in a perpetually bad mood. You can be so incredibly fun to be with - especially when you are alone with one of the three of us. You love to talk, you are curious, and you have great explanations. You use big words and complex sentences and hearing them come out of your tiny little mouth is overwhelmingly adorable which often leads me to lean in for a... "NO KISSING, MOMMY!" You love long baths and swings and moving trains around train tracks - around and around and around again. You never grow tired of trains but your true love is railroad crossing signals. You also love lighthouses and bell buoys, but they are harder to find. You love music (except when you "Hate music!") and pretend play and crafts. I'm positive that we have enough of your preschool art to paper an entire room and the year isn't even half over yet. You often ask for us to have a "dance party!" You run around in circles and jump and ask to be picked up so that we can swing you until you are dizzy.

You like to make silly faces and use words like "stinky!" and "fart!" and "poo poo!" Even when we get you up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and you are half asleep, you still have the presence of mind and comic timing to blame passing gas on who ever is around. You love to help. You expect nothing less than to be a full participant in the preparation and dolling out of meals. You prefer to carry things three times your weight and size, especially liquids and objects that are breakable, and insist that you can do it "All by myself!" A few times this year we went to theme parks and you were absolutely thrilled to be able to go on a rides all by yourself. You went around and around and around for as many times as the attendants would allow. You enjoy reading and movie nights with friends and big kid Legos. You talk about friends you've made at school. "Logan" is currently your best little buddy. We're going to meet Logan at your birthday party! I'm excited to watch you play with the first friend you have made entirely on your own.

You've had a fairly busy travel year. You've been to Houston, Southern California, Hawaii, New York, and Cape Cod. You were mostly good - easily entertained with train stickers, cartoons, snacks, and numerous binkies. It was only when you grew over-tired that you started your high pitched screams and threw binkies at fellow passengers.

I took a Friday off in July just after you turned two-and-a-half and, over the long weekend, we potty trained you to the point that we haven't used a single diaper or pull-up since. I was amazed at how quickly you understood what I was asking you to do. I was amazed that you did it. Since we successfully potty trained, we figured the next step was the big-boy-bed which we bought you in September. You were thrilled to have the new bed in your room! One of these days, we are going to figure out how to make you sleep in it. We really miss being able to put you to bed and expect that you won't wake up until morning. In November, over the Thanksgiving holiday, we planned to wean you from the binkies. You may love binkies even more than trains but when I started to cut the tips off of the binkies in preparation for their departure, you jumped the gun and decided that broken binkies were totally yucky. We took you to the Build-a-Bear workshop and you chose a "bear" to build, chose a binky to put inside, and we gave the rest of the binkies to the cashier as payment (along with a credit card). Now the stuffed animal reminds you of what you don't have and that makes you angry.

Last weekend we went out to breakfast at Starbucks, just the two of us, and you went off by yourself to find a table while I ordered. When you couldn't find one available, you waited patiently until a family left and then we sat together so politely, sipping our drinks, dabbing our mouths with our napkins. You had a tantrum when I tried to hand you your scone. It wasn't good anymore because I had attempted to assist you in getting it off of the high counter. I threatened to take you home for acting up and, finally, you relented. That is until you saw that the barrista had written your name on your cup of warm milk. "NO DRAWING ON MY CUP!" you yelled and then you took off toward the barrista and told her "NO DRAWING ON CUPS!" before bouncing back to your seat with a big smile, so proud of yourself for telling an adult how things should be.

That is so you: my Jekyll and Hyde, outspoken and shy, sweet and salty, little big boy. I love you.

Happy Birthday, Adlai!

Love,

Mama, (Daddy, Simon, Lily, and Hana too)

More?
Adlai turns two
Adlai turns one
Adlai is born

Even more?
Simon turns six
Simon turns five
Simon turns four
Simon turns three
Simon turns two
Simon turns one
Simon is born

Posted by kagledom at 12:00 AM | Permalink

After many technical difficulties including one new lap top, a new power cord for an old lap top, two or three conversion programs, and a movie half finished when it was accidentally deleted, we have finally overcome all obsticles to bring you this (drum roll please)...

Adlai's first year music video!

Posted by kagledom at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sorry for the holiday delay. We've been a bit busy around these parts. I could write a novel with all the details but, seriously, you don't want to read that. Here is a summary:

Christmas
- Grammy took the train here and then drove with Simon, Adlai and I to Sacramento on Christmas Eve
- Simon had the time of his life. He kept Grammy up until 11 pm!
- Adlai was not pleased to be away from home and away from Daddy so was super cranky until we got back in the car with Grammy to return home on Christmas afternoon
- Both boys passed out on the way home marking the first time (?) both boys have napped at the same time

Hanukkah
- Both boys enjoyed spending the first night and the last night of Hanukkah with the Feefadders
- Adlai loves candlelight
- Simon lit the candles on his own for the first time

Sickness
- Matthew came down with a cold on Christmas and was out of it until Sunday
- Adlai came down with a fever on Sunday which lasted until Tuesday morning
- Sick and angry at me for taking him away from Daddy, Adlai wanted nothing to do with me for the entire week
- Adlai came down with a full body rash on Wednesday so we took him to the doctor
- Adlai had a case of Roseola and just started to cheer up and look normal this afternoon

New Years
- Matthew's brother's family came into town so all eight Kagle men/boys were together for the first time
- Adlai the introvert has been a bit overwhelmed by all the people and activity but spent some time hugging Andrew (age 3) this afternoon
- Neither boy stayed up to ring in the new year (neither did we)

Cheer
- Simon recorded this video for Calvin after Calvin recorded an adorable Hanukkah video for him:

Weaning
- Adlai and I are down to one nursing a day and that will most likely end soon since he doesn't appear all that interested.

Posted by kagledom at 04:55 PM | Permalink

Dear Adlai,

A year ago today you came into the world, on time and without much fuss. You were beautiful and healthy and I knew, at that moment, that our family was complete. There are those who are reading this while shaking their heads. Yes, we said Simon was going to be an only child and, at the time we meant it but, with you in my arms and Simon and Daddy looking on adoringly the feeling was different. A moment of perfection. A perfect family. My perfect family.

We moved to Chicago under the false impression that we could afford more space, better schools, and that I might have the opportunity to stay home with you and Simon while Daddy worked. But once in Chicago it was clear that, although housing was less expensive, the cost of pretty much everything else made up for it. Daddy’s school didn't need him full time, we all missed having friends and family, and, of course, the nine-month–long winter was a problem. Everything started to seem twice as difficult as before. I didn’t want to have a baby and be stuck inside for months at a time.

We moved back. And then, of course, we had to wait a little longer because it's not really okay to start a "new job" pregnant. We planned for you to be a Winter baby and, as if it were as easy as wishing it to be true, there you were. It was Easter morning. I woke up at 4 am excited to be feeling a bit queasy. A few minutes later, a pregnancy test confirmed my suspicions. Daddy and I snuggled back to sleep with the knowledge that we were about to be a family of four. We told Simon right away - he wasn't going to be interested enough to spill the beans. (His interest grew in proportion to my size.) We had reservations for a nice Japanese restaurant that evening. Daddy called to ask them to substitute any raw fish. You were just an itty bitty thing and we didn't want you to get sick. They congratulated us. It was thrilling to let complete strangers in on our big secret.

I was five weeks pregnant when we finally signed the papers on the place we would call home. We had your room painted yellow but, after a while - when you became more "real", Daddy repainted the room with two colors and a star boarder to make it more fun.

And that about brings us to your birth. You were born just after 7 pm on a Tuesday (I have all my babies on Tuesdays) a bit smaller than expected weighing in at just over eight pounds. Yes, that is a good sized baby but, you must understand, we expected you to be enormous. I was enormous. And therein lies the story that a few nurses out there will be telling for many years to come. You were pushing your way out (without my help) when you broke my second bag of water. As the nurse leaned in, out the water flew like a scene from the exorcist, four feet across the room, very narrowly missing her face. If I hadn’t been in so much pain I would have been laughing along with them. (I think they held back the laughter until after you were born.) Once the bag broke the nurse asked me to attempt a push. I attempted. She yelled "DOCTOR!!!!!!" A few minutes later, there you were.

Daddy called our families. I text messaged our friends. Grandmother and Grandfather came back with Simon so he could meet you. He held you and hugged you and we told him your name and he was very pleased.

You and I spent the night together in my hospital room but you didn’t sleep much. Once we got you home however, it was a rare occasion to see you awake. We had a new baby. I was home. Daddy was home. Simon was home on a two-week holiday break from school. But it was like nothing had changed. So, for the first two months, we went about our normal routine of running errands and entertaining Simon and you just came along for the ride.

My maternity leave lasted for four months. It was so nice to have that time with you. By the time I went back to work we had a routine down and I left you in the very capable hands of your Dad and assistant caregiver, Simon. Still, it was hard to leave you every morning. Daddy cushioned the blow by bringing you to me at lunch a couple of times a week.

You've been an unexpectedly wonderful addition to our family. You are gentle and sweet and shy and silly. When alone with family you chat up a storm, smile, make silly faces at yourself in the mirror, and play copy cat games with gestures and sounds. While in the presence of "others", you're much more subdued. Some might even mistake your personality as serious. But there are exceptions. Some young women in the Bay Area have been party to your flirtatious side. You know, the one you practice by leaning forward into your car mirror and giving it a big smile along with a exaggeratedly long and breathy "Hiiiiiiiii..." We find these antics amusing but Simon thinks your exaggerated motions and words are hysterical. The two of you have spent many a car ride trying to one-up each other in silliness. Simon usually wins leaving you in deep unstoppable and uncontrollable belly laughs.

You started walking a few weeks ago but, since then, you haven't shown much interest. You're very cautious and it has become clear that you don't want to use walking as your primary mode of mobility until you've perfected every element of the process. You squat and stand and squat and stand and turn and then take a shaky step before deciding that crawling is safer. When there is music, you dance on your knees, scooting across the room like a little Russian folk star. You sing, play the kazoo, and strum the guitar. One favorite activity is pointing to a family member and, once someone else's finger and yours connect, we all say "Beep!" You are an expert at giving tight hugs and love to flip through board books on your own and have them read to you. The other night you crawled over to one of your favorite books, turned the page to the brown bear and sang "Bown beh!" You love being in water and, when at the pool, kick and splash for the entire half hour. And, of course, you and Simon love to bathe together - your primary goal being to flood the bathroom with all that splashing and hugging and sliding around.

You entertain yourself zooming cars and trucks and investigating how toys work for long periods of time however, participating in whatever Simon is doing is usually your immediate goal. You eat what he eats, you play with what he plays with, you crawl after him when he leaves the room and you close the doors behind you where ever you end up. Luckily, Simon thinks you are the best gift ever and, in a way you are. All Simon has ever wanted is for someone to play with him every minute of the day and you are happy to give him the attention and adoration he craves.

You aren't a great sleeper but I forgive you because you *want* to go to sleep and you try. One of us will put you down in the crib and you almost always roll on to your stomach and stick your bum high into the air or, on wacky days, you roll on to your stomach and flatten yourself out completely giving the artificial impression that you are a cartoon character recently hit by a steam roller. We started you on pacifiers around four weeks old and, most unfortunately, you have become obsessed. You still wake up one, two, or three times a night crying because you've lost a pacifier. We try to keep them away from you during the day but you will try to secure one at any cost. Rummaging through the drawer where we keep the kid cups, and plates, and bottles, and pacifiers is one of your very favorite things to do. You spread dishes, pots, and pans evenly throughout the house. We spend a lot of time running the dishwasher.

You're a good eater of solids but are quick to tell us about your distaste for food without much flavor. Our gourmet in training, you like your steak expensive and your asparagus baked in herbs and olive oil. Milk is alright but you rarely want more than four ounces at a time. You gave up "baby food" a couple of months after it was introduced even though you still only have two teeth.

You have one friend, two days younger, who you see on a regular basis. You and Ben don't really "play" yet but you tackle him from time to time with aggressive hugs. I can't wait to see you and the gregarious Ben start to play over this next year.

Adlai, at twelve months old, your very favorite thing to say is "Ank you." You're thanking us. And I wonder how many times you have heard us thank you. Not enough. Never enough. It isn't possible to thank you enough for being in our lives and making us complete.

We love you Adlai B.

Happy first birthday!

Love,

Mama, Daddy, and Simon

Posted by kagledom at 08:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Today Matthew is another year older. Over the past few weeks, I've managed to convince him that he's getting some lame gifts and that I just can't get it together enough to plan much (maybe we'll have a cake?). Alas, this morning he is going to find out that we'll be on a plane this afternoon headed for Phoenix, Arizona for a well planned family vacation. The Feefadders are even joining in which means FREE BABYSITTING! I hope I'll be able to post while away (after all, Adlai is about to turn five months old) but, if not, imagine that we're in the pool stuffing ourselves silly with southwestern cuisine and can't be bothered.

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Love,

Hava

P.S. I wouldn't have bought you a Jesus clock even if you begged me. And the new shorts? Those were so I could pack without you noticing...

Posted by kagledom at 07:36 AM | Permalink

So we were at the pool a couple of weeks back, when a woman sitting next to Matthew asked if that was our son. His response was something like, "Yes. That boy, the one enthusiastically splashing his teacher, is my child." The woman chuckled a little and there was the usual question about his age and then shock that he was so tall. And we agreed that, yes, he is very tall for his age - he always has been. There was a little more chit chat about Simon and Adlai and then we sat there, watching Simon enjoy his time in the pool. When class was over he skipped over and she asked, "Is he always this happy?" We assured her that he is indeed a happy kid except for when he isn't. It was then that she handed us her card and asked if we had some time to run over to the nearby park for a bit.

It turns out that she works for a casting agency in San Francisco and thought Simon would be perfect for an upcoming roll in a movie based on a famous series of children's books (we are not allowed to say which). Simon in the movies? Um... we were pretty sure that would never happen but, whattheheck, we let her play with him for a bit at the park (to "get a feeling" for his personality) and take a few photos. It went by really quickly and we didn't hear anything after that so we just let it go. Until yesterday.

We got a call early in the morning asking if we would mind bringing Simon in to a studio in Palo Alto at noon. After a hair cut and an early lunch, we took Simon to meet with the production staff. Simon played ball with one guy before showing off his amazing skills (like screaming and laughing and running and chasing). Although there is still a contract to sign, it looks like Simon got the part. They are currently in the casting phase so he won't start "working" until mid-May but, for the next month, they want to see him three times a week in San Francisco to get him comfortable with the cameras and trainers. That means the boys will all be spending a lot of time in the car for the foreseeable future but how couldn't we say "yes!"

Updates will occur as soon as we have any more information. Who would have thought we'd have a child in the movies? Not us.

Posted by kagledom at 07:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Adlai Bernard Kagle was born on Tuesday, December 18th, one day after his official due date and the same day as his original due date. I had a check up that morning in which there was no indication he was about to make his appearance but I really felt he was coming. After the appointment, we stopped off at a Starbucks for my pre-labor maple oat scone. This tradition started with Simon's labor because I swear there is enough fat and sugar in the things to last anyone at least 24 hours.

Just before 1pm, I had my first contraction. It was just like the Braxton-Hicks contractions I'd been feeling for weeks. Just before 2 pm, I had my first painful contraction but, at that time, the contractions were still twelve to fourteen minutes apart and not all of them were painful. Just before 3pm, we called Grandparents Kagle and asked them to start driving toward us. I also silently dropped out of the call I was on for work and sent email explaining that I was in labor and would be taking the rest of the day off. At 3:20 we needed to get in the car to pick up Simon from school. I was afraid to be alone at home so we traveled together. At the time we got into the car my contractions were about 6 to 8 minutes apart.

In the five or six minutes it took to get to Simon's school I was in enough pain and had contractions so close together that we decided to alert the labor department via cell phone that we were on our way. I stayed in the car while Matthew ran in to get Simon. When Simon was strapped in to his car seat we explained what was happening and he said "HIGH FIVE!" Around fifteen minutes later we reached the hospital and I was in so much pain and the contractions were so close together that I couldn't walk on my own. An attendant (who didn't know where Labor and Delivery was) pushed me in the wheelchair while Simon gleefully held my hand and we made it up to labor and delivery around 4 pm.

Unfortunately, as with my first experience, there was no room available in the labor ward. I stood at the desk having contraction after contraction, sweating and wondering: if I just lay down on the floor, would anyone care? Around that time, Grandparents Kagle arrived and we kissed Simon goodbye. Matthew went off to demand a room and they immediately found something. A few minutes later a nurse arrived to set up all the monitors. I lay on my left side unable to move or talk during the contractions. A doctor came to check if I should be admitted and found that I was 5 cm dilated and completely effaced. I was admitted around 5 pm and moved to a birthing room.

All I wanted was for the pain to lessen so they quickly set up a saline drip and added in a drug to help me relax in the thirty seconds or so in between contractions. It was close to 6:30 pm when the epidural was administered and it barely had any effect. Around 6:40 Matthew, expecting hours to go, went to the cafeteria to get some food before it closed. My water broke while he was away. At 6:55 they asked me to roll over on my back to check for progress. I rolled over and the nurse checked and a second bag of water, below the head exploded and a fountain of water gushed four feet across the room. (The nurses will never forget me.) Once the second bag was broken, the nurse asked me to do a "practice push." Someone yelled for a doctor. Adlai was born at 7:03 PM after only a few pushes.

He was really blue which gave him a one minute APGAR of 8 and a five minute APGAR of 9. Apparently he had some fluid left in his lungs because the labor was so fast. He weighed 8 pounds, 1.6 ounces and was 20 inches long.

We called Grandparents Kagle and Simon really wanted to see us so they all stopped by a short time later. Simon was thrilled to finally meet his brother, Matthew was shocked that it was over in only a few hours, and I was elated that the excruciating pain was over! We spent the required 24 hours in the hospital before we checked out to spend time as a family.

Hooray.

Posted by kagledom at 08:57 PM | Permalink