It's a Good Day

Rolling on Down South

 

Tomorrow I get to buy the plane ticket that will fly me and the littlest Hiscock down to New Mexico. I'm pretty sure that it's been over a year since I've gotten to visit my family at their place in the tarantula flatlands, but the time has finally rolled around again! It's going to be a pretty short visit, since I don't want Jared to shrivel up and disappear from lack of baby kisses and smiles. We're just going for a short fast here, not an all out starvation kick. My family is over the moon about the trip. They haven't seen Ryann in person since she was about 3 weeks old, so they're looking forward to playing with her.

Ryann's newest development is working on rolling over and stuffing everything in her mouth. She has actually rolled over twice, but both times were on a slight downhill, so we're not counting those as actual firsts. As for the stuffing of the mouth, she has progressed from simply stuffing her fist which is holding the item to actually being able to stuff the item in her mouth. Luckily she can't quite grab things yet, she still relies on us putting things into her little fist for her. The dustbunnies are safe for a bit longer.

This last week I've been OD-ing on lovely, beautiful 'nutrients' (that was to be said with a ridiculous rolling of the 'r', a la Nacho Libre) thanks to my new favorite, roasted beets, yams, and onions. Ah! The delectability! Ah! The scrumtiocity! Ah! It's grrrrrrrrrrrreat! And quite good for us too.

Time, or a Lack Thereof

Time is a valuable commodity in our little house these days. There's so much to squeeze into each day. While before we didn't have to choose between things we wanted to do, as long as we were okay with being busy because of it, we no longer have that luxury. There's simply too much to fit into the day. We still love to have friends over to eat and play games, and we still love to tool around downtown. Sleeping in is still a favorite past-time, and reading is a pleasure we still try to fulfill. However, with all of Jared's classes, my gym time, working at three separate jobs, and taking care of Ryann, we can longer just shove everything into the day. Something has to go. But somehow missing out on shopping now and then and watching fewer TV shows and baking not quite so often doesn't seem so bad when looking at this. After all, our time is just to precious to try to squeeze it all in.

Apologies and Giggles

Apologies to all for the lack of updates on here. I've been terribly remiss about posting. Partially because of my nifty new phone that lets me upload pictures straight onto Facebook. Oh, the wonder! However, that has definitely lessened the need to get on the computer and keep things up.

Ryann is growing like a weed and it's hard to imagine life before she arrived. Though she was born a petite little girl, she's now just below 11lbs! I suppose that's not actually that huge for an almost-three-month-old, but it seems huge to us. She's finally outgrowing her newborn clothes and fitting into the 0-3 month size. Yay for cute new clothes!

Though Ryann conquered the social smile, as opposed to the gassy smile, at about 3 weeks, we have recently been inundated with a mindboggling amount of giggles and grins. Ryann has always been a content baby, but she's now also incredibly jolly. Her newest development has been the hilarity of blowing raspberries.

Two Weeks into the Wide Blue Yonder

Introducing Ryann Serena Hiscock!

Brown Paper Packages Tied up with Packing Tape

Today is our 34 week checkup, though technically it's closer to 35 weeks. I ended up having to reschedule our appointment because when I originally scheduled it I completely spaced on a work meeting that was at that exact time. As a result, these next two appointments will be quite close together. The better to satisfy the Ryann craving! Always so much fun to hear her little heartbeat. Also nice to know that there's still something on earth that has a higher pulse than me. She outstrips my horrifying 95 by racing along at about 145. We had better have good models that can deal with a lot of milage, because they're getting a workout.

This week is an exciting mail week, as it brings not one, not two, but THREE deliveries. There's really nothing more fun than getting a package in the mail. The first one arrived yesterday and bore our long awaited diaper bag. Jared originally found it online a few months ago, but at the time it was an exorbitant amount and we just couldn't bring ourselves to actually fork over the cash. However, when returning to ogle again this past week, we saw that it was on sale. Not only on sale, on a $50 off sale! So, while it's still a bit pricey, we indulged and bought the bag. Noreen is now enjoying the packing box.

The second package should arrive today and will come filled with crib bedding. Sheets and a bumper and a crib skirt. And while we originally didn't plan on going all girly-girl on her, the crib will be flowing in pink. But it's a cute pink! Really! I swear! You'll just have to see.

The third package will be the salvation of my winter wardrobe. It will come bearing a full-length pair of pants (capris were never meant for winter), a skirt to be paired with my lovely boots and tights, and a gorgeous sweater dress that should cover Ryann quite comfortably. Also a new pair of comfy pants to live out my maternity leave in, as my current pair has now been cropped, is oddly stretched in the knees, and sports holes across my backside. They are way past due for a replacement.

In addition to the package excitement for the week, we have also been basking in birthday glory. Jared's birthday was just this past Friday while mine is this coming Sunday. Hip hip hooray! I dread the day I start dreading birthdays, they're so much fun! Let's hope Ryann waits an appropriate amount of time to celebrate hers. As long as she remembers she's supposed to be a NOVEMBER baby, then we'll be fine. And no Halloween birthdays. Creepy. Although that would make for some awesome birthday photo shoots in the future with Molly, the perfect Halloween cat. But I think I'll pass.

Family Passing Through

Last night my sister and brother-in-law were passing through town. Now, I'm pretty sure that everyone reading this blog knows me and Kristin, but just in case, let me explain this. We are twins. Separated by two years. But bound by strange mind vibes and many years of sharing close quarters. We are two Charles Wallaces, kything. And we have not seen eachother in over a year. However, David's brother is getting married this weekend (Congratulations!) and they stayed with us last night on their way up to Lethbridge. They ended up getting into town about 7 last night and we all went over to the Dettwiler's (cousins) for a huge haystack supper. After that we trekked back to the apartment and showed the Dettwilers our little nest and then holed up for an evening of talking and baby poking and some sleep.

Though Kristin and David are already gone, I feel better having had a bit of a sister fix and knowing that I get her for a whole month when Ryann gets here. Yay! And Mom too. So much family goodness. And then Dad and David to add to the pile for Thanksgiving. Can't wait.

Today it finally hit me that while I've been functioning under the time table of Ryann arriving in 8 more weeks, it may very well be sooner than that. Lately I've had a gut feeling that she's coming early, and since babies are considered full- term-ish from 37 weeks on, this means that she could be here in as little as 5 weeks. Crazy! However, as much as we can't wait to meet her, we are perfectly willing to wait for her to come fully baked. No raw babies here.

FuzziBunz

Jared and I have been going back and forth over whether to use disposable diapers or cotton. There's lots of talk on both sides on which is better for the environment and for Ryann's little bottom. We had finally settled on using disposables, but the unbleached, biodegradable kind. However, yesterday, while perusing one of my favorite blogs, www.pacingthepanicroom.blogspot.com, I found that they are hosting a FuzziBunz giveaway! So, if we happen to win the drawing, Hooray for Ryann's bum! And if not, on with our plan of friendly disposables. If you're curious as to what cotton diapers are like nowadays, go check them out at www.fuzzibunz.com. And cross your fingers.

Tardy Update

Why hello, all of you patient peoples. I have discovered that I am as faithful at writing a blog as I was at keeping a diary, back in the day. Sad for all of you, not a surprise for me. So, even though I have no pictures on hand to post, I thought that I could at least give you an update on how we're all doing. Let us commence.

I am now undeniably huge and pregnant. I find myself walking around sometimes and noticing that people are giving me cute little smiles and I start to wonder, 'What is up with them? Kinda creepy.' And then I remember that I'm pregnant. It's the pregnant cutesy smile. Very cute. When I remember what it is.

My Mom was just in town for about two weeks, which was really fun. Usually I only get to see Mom and Dad about once a year, but this year I get to see Mom three times! And Dad twice! Though the first time I saw Dad this year was only for a few hours. Lame. But much better than the average. While Mom was in town, she so kindly agreed to help Jared and me finish up painting our apartment. A project that we began a year ago and simply ran out of steam on. I'm afraid I was actually very little help on the actual painting, though I did get to several other odd jobs that had been waiting in the wings, much to the detriment of my baby bearing back. Mom was shocked and horrified by one of our kitchen corners, rightly so. You know when you see something every day, you don't really realize how bad it's getting? That was this corner. So, to all of you who have visited us and come over for meals and games, I apologize for that corner. If you can bear to come again, you will happily find that the apartment is now entirely bright and clean and cheery. No scary corners.

We're just about to begin the third trimester and I'm afraid that the fatigue is already setting in. This last week I seem to have been ridiculously tired and slow for no apparent reason, apart from this little stowaway, that is. It's hard to believe that in just a few months we'll actually have another little person in the apartment. Crazy. Two of our friends have just had babies within the last week or two and visiting them and holding the babies made the whole idea much more real. Also very exciting. I think it really kick-started Jared's impatience. Though we do want Ryann to stay in there until she's ready to come out, he can't wait until she is ready to come out and meet us. I think I'm going to have a hard time getting her out of his arms for a while.

Now, I will make no promises and vow no vows, but I will try to post some pictures soon. Really and truly.

The Big Reveal

Yesterday was the big mid-pregnancy ultrasound. It was really fun to lay there and watch the ultrasound tech find all the little parts of baby. Pointing out the kidneys and stomach. Watching the heart pump away. The baby measured right on track, 19 weeks and 6 days. We were kinda scared that they wouldn't be able to tell us if it's Ryann or Israel in there because they were squashed back into a corner upside down and facing backwards, not a very cooperative baby. However, right at the end the tech found a lucky angle. So we now know that we're carting around little Ryann Serena. I do have some more ultrasound pictures to put up, and promise to do that by the end of the week.

When the doctor was listening to the heartbeat it kept being interrupted by these big bangs. The doctor told us that was Ryann kicking. Oh boy. Right now I can't feel much of anything, but I have a feeling I'm going to be kicked to a pulp by this little one. Every time we've gone in to the doctor they laugh about how active she is. She never holds still for her measurements, just jumps and kicks and waves. I wonder if this is a sign of things to come.

This last weekend was Jared's sister's wedding. It was pretty fun to see her get married. She was a gorgeous bride and was very happy. They're now toasting themselves down in St. Lucia, lucky ducks.

On the way back we hit quite a bit of rain going over Snoqualmie pass. This wouldn't have been a problem, except for the fact that our windshield wipers are a bit gimpy. The right one is just fine, but the left one keeps working its way farther and farther to the edge of the car until it flies off the side and rests itself on the mirror. However, being the master jimmy rigger I am, we now have them ties together with a pair of iPod headphones that had already surrendered to the fuzz. So now our wipers work like a charm and our headphones weren't all a waste. Though we do get a lot of odd looks.

For all those followers out there...

this is for you. Not really a whole lot going on here on the baby front. He seems to be resting up from his big triple pow on Monday. It takes a lot of energy to flutter like that. We have our next appointment this coming Wednesday, so we should have a bunch of news and pictures from that, so don't change the channel.

So, I know that a lot of people like to keep the names a secret until the big reveal, but we're not very secretive people. Jared and I have settled on a boy's name and a girl's name, so we should be set either way. So, with the roll of the drum...

Israel Emil

or

Ryann Serena

And no, there really aren't any backgrounds on the names, except Serena. I'm named after my great-grandma, and her daughter is my grandma, Serena. So, there you go. The circle of life. On a side note - did you know that when I was a kid I always wanted to be named after someone? It seemed so cool. It didn't hit me until I was about 12 that I am named after someone. Wow. Blonde moment. Or childhood.

Our fridge died again. Luckily I think we were able to save most everything. However, today for lunch, Jared discovered that our jams were not very good anymore. We had four delicious jars of local jam; peach, raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry. But they smelled a bit like wine jelly. A bit too sharp for their own good. How very sad. Guess we'll have to toss those. I think Jared is in mourning. He is a jammy boy.

Last night we had a friend from Eugene, OR stay over. It was really great to see her, but I hope she was very asleep last night. First of all you must know that Jared and I let the cats out onto the roof most of the time. When it's nice out, which it was last night, we just leave the window open all night. In the middle of the night, I woke up to cats yowling outside our window, cat fight. I woke up and in my bleary state decided that one of our cats must have fallen off the roof and was now terrorizing the neighborhood. Actually, it's more likely that they would be the terrorizee than the terrorizer. So I jumped out of bed, smashed on my glasses and ran out into the living room. Our guest, meanwhile is sleeping in the middle of the living room on our little crib mattress. So I whisper/yell in her direction, 'I don't have any pants on!' and proceed in search of the cats. Molly jumps right in the window, but her tail is enormous, which only strengthens my fear that it was Noreen getting bullied outside. So I run and get a sweater, and yes, I put on pants, and run down the stairs to get Noreen. Outside, there is no sign of a cat, though there is an abundance of orange hair scattered around our steps. After I've been wandering around for a while calling Noreen and worrying the neighbors, I go back in to see if I missed him there. Of course, when I shake the food, he jumps in the window. I think the scaredy-cat hid under the eaves when the fight broke out and wouldn't budge except for food. I closed the window and went to bed. But the cats aren't used to Jared and I having our door pulled shut, and it apparently disturbed them greatly. I next awoke to desperate clawing at the door. I think Noreen wanted in, but then realized that our guest was right behind him. Instead of giving up on the door and finding sanctuary elsewhere, it simply instilled in him a sense of urgency and desperation that required me to once again leap out of bed and appease him. None of this did Jared hear. I hope the baby takes after his daddy.

General Back-Info on 'It's' Progress

Mom, that title was just for you. We actually rarely call him an 'it'. We usually call the baby 'him', so we're in for some weird changes if we find out it's a girl. Maybe we'll call him Heshe, in honor of old grumpy-pants.

Jared and I found out that we were going to add to our little family on March 7. And on March 8 I promptly crashed in bed with a wicked week-long fever. As a result, we waited for a while before telling anyone about the little hitchhiker, just to make sure he was still along for the ride. We have a total of four pee sticks and a very active ultrasound video to prove that he's not to be budged.

When we were ready to announce the news, we wanted to do it in a fun and, for some, confusing way. We found that women generally saw it coming, while men had to have women tell them what it meant. The announcement is below:

Those were a lot of fun to make and send out. We knew people would get a kick out of them. After that, it was pretty quiet for a while. People around campus were slowly finding out, which was fun. Recently, people around campus have been noticing, which is even more fun.

The latest greatest news on the baby front is that I felt the first little kicks yesterday. They felt like three little popcorns popping in my belly. And no, it was not gas.