Movie of William and Grandma Molly

Pictures

We have had such a nice Christmas visit with Molly and Michael. Here are some pictures. They took some movies too but I am currently having trouble uploading them.

December in Bethel

I know this blog has been mostly a family photo album lately but I figured I should mention how things are in Alaska lately. We have gotten a lot of snow and it is cold and dark. I think the whole town gets a bit of Seasonal Affective Disorder this time of year. Collective grumbling and loss of productivity can be felt everywhere in town. December is always the worst, after the solstice you are at least heading the right direction. Right now though it is a little rough and the forecast does not look good. The next week they are predicting it is going to be between -10 and a few degrees above zero. That doesn't include the wind chill factor which today is hovering at -28. Terrence is in felony trial, Jamie is growing weary of indoor recess and even the baby's schedule is messed up. He is waking up every hour wanting to play (instead of just nursing and going back to sleep). Luckily, we all have Christmas to look forward to.

Adorable

William loves his mouth and anything he can put in it. He and I had a wonderful weekend. He is so sociable now. He cannot wait to see his Grandma and Grandpa Haas- less than two weeks now!

Thanksgiving

It is always hard to be away from family for the holidays but even so we had a good time. Terrence and I cooked or first turkey and it came out pretty well. It actually cooked faster than it was supposed to. We had several friends over from work and James and William had fun. Doesn't William look adorable in his outfit that was made by Aunt Jane? Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Pictures!

No pictures despite best intentions

We both came to work today (with William) and I was planning on updating the blog guilt free because today is actually a holiday but I grabbed the wrong cord and I cannot upload any pictures. So, here's an update but without pictures. We are all doing well. William and I are getting over a cold. He basically had the sniffles for a few days. We have been so lucky with his health but I know he will eventually catch something. I thought for sure the first month of daycare would result in him getting sick but so far so good. James is doing well. He had a couple of friends come over "impromptu" last night. We often have kids knocking on our door wanting to grab a snack and play some Wii. It is nice for James since winter is officially here and he cannot play outside as much. Our temperatures have been in the teens and the air has dried out.

Work has been keeping us both very busy. It is sort of like a marathon around here. There is an endless amount of work to be done at our office. Trying to work with the available social services around here can be very frustrating. The few services we do have often do not function well. It can take days to get a copy of an assessment (actually I think I have been waiting over a week) or to get the right two people to talk to each other. This is especially frustrating when a delay in service keeps parents away from their kids or someone in jail.

At home William is keeping us busy. He is a lot of fun and so sociable. We are enjoying the big smiles and laughing. He is doing a little better about sleeping at night. He wakes up in the night with big smiles and wants to play but generally settles back down once he realizes it is night. Next time I promise I will post double the amount of pictures.

Old Picture- but still cute

I actually stole this off of another mom's blog (her child us the cute little boy on the far right). This is from the play James was in last year.

It is now cold and snowy. Even with daylight savings it is still dark when we drop James off at school in the morning. Baby and I are fighting some kind of cold. He is just as mad as hell when he wakes up and is congested but then he can't help himself and he is laughing and smiling in about ten minutes. He actually laughs now. I will try and get some video of it on our little camera. We have been waiting a month and a half now for our internet to be hooked up. The cable company has been making upgrades so they could not add any new customers. Hopefully we will be able to upload video and skype. Until then I can't really upload much. We are super busy but doing well.

Getting bigger

William is such a good baby. He is laughing now and finds his big brother especially entertaining. Two weeks ago he weighed 11 pounds and 3 ounces. His pediatrician said he looks great. We went to James' parent teacher conference last week. He has a very nice teacher and is doing well. He is advanced in all subjects and as always his behavior chart reflects no demerits. We are a very busy household lately. I am really liking my new job and Terrence has won two trials in the last few weeks. We both are finding our work very rewarding. We have purchased our plan tickets for our trip to the midwest next summer. We will by flying into Chicago on June 25th and leaving July 10th. We will spend the first week in Indianapolis and the second week in Howell. We can't wait to see everyone and show off our baby.

Pictures!

Crazy week, Terrence won a felony trial and I was working on a project. Wiliam went to daycare and is doing very well. He likes his new Bumpo seat, thanks so much. So here are a bunch of pictures of the baby.

Trip to Anchorage

I apologize for no pictures. We had to bring so much stuff to Anchorage for our work conference that we decided not to bring the camera. Which is unfortunate because William is adorable this week. He loves to travel. The first night he kept waking up, looking around and then would smile and coo. Since then he has continued to do really well, soaking up the attention from people, enjoying the bright lights and noise. He reminds me of what James was like when he was a baby, really sociable and happy.

James is also having a good time. On Wednesday he went to a hockey game and last night he saw an IMAX movie. We also took a drive on Thursday and saw a brown bear and people surfing the bore tide in the inlet. Today he and Terrence are going to an indoor water park, another movie, and then Chuck e Cheese. Poor Terrence, he will be exhausted. Then it is home tomorrow.

7 Weeks-oops!

I missed week six. I am going to try very hard to post every week. It helps with my guilt about keeping this beautiful baby so far from his family. William is doing great. He seems happier and much more interested in things going on around him. Eyes are still blue, but kind of dark so they may change still. At times he resembles different family members to me. A few weeks ago he reminded me of my brother George, and last week I swear I saw my father staring back at me. This week he looks like his Grandpa Michael's baby picture to me, see picture above.

I started work. William came with me for my first day and will stay with me for a little while. I am now working at the Public Defender's Agency as a social worker. My former colleagues tell me I have gone over to the dark side, but I was really already there. It is an amazing oppurtunity to practice social work out here in the Delta and I feel really fortunate to have this chance. It is also going to be a lot of work. New baby, new job, wish me luck.

And it already snowed. We got about three inches last Wednesday. I must admit I wasn't thrilled to see the white stuff, but Jamie was.

5-Weeks

William and Terrence- 4 weeks

Things are going well. William is sleeping well at night. He seems to be settling into his house. I don't think he appreciated the change from his abode in New Hampshire. He definitely did not approve the reduction of his staff. He enjoyed the constant stream of relative's arms to hold him. He is a good natured baby, but he does have fits of grumpiness. I think he has some stomach discomfort. Hopefully that will work itself out in a few weeks.

We are also adjusting to life back at home. Terrence has been catching up at work. I have been enjoying being at home with William. However, we do wish the sun would shine. It has been raining and cloudy ever since we got home. That is pretty typical for Bethel at this time of year. I will try to post new pictures of William every week.

Welcome Home Bethel Style

We are back in Bethel. When one of the flight attendants checked our tickets and saw our final destination she said, “Do you live there? You must. No other reason to go there.” It wasn’t the most welcoming homecoming. It got me thinking about how according to a lot of people we probably live in one of the most undesirable places in the country. In many ways I can understand where they are coming from. I see the same rundown houses and the dust blown potholed streets. I cringed when the flight attendant called out, “Last call for Bethel”, on the plane because two passengers are on the verge of being passed out and have not stirred from their seats despite the fact that everyone else has exited the plane.

When we came here with Jamie it was with a sense of adventure. The first few days we hiked all around town and marveled at the uniqueness of this place. Jamie was as excited as we were walking on the river bank or gawking at the price of chips in the grocery store. Bringing William here has felt very different. He is tiny and helpless. He doesn’t appreciate that this place is like living in a different country, he doesn’t know what it is like to live anywhere. We have kind of hunkered down in our apartment. We are tired and cautious, trying to figure out life with two children, one a newborn in this town out on the tundra.

That being said, all has not been dreary. We got to ride home from the airport in the party limo, which Jamie has always wanted to do. You can rent the limo for an hour for something like a hundred dollars, but when they are busy it will also do regular pick ups. Since we had so much luggage they sent it to pick us up. The cab driver was optimistic and cheerful, and assured us that our nine totes could fit inside, which they did. Then as we pulled away from the airport he turned on the music and the strobe lights. Red and green designs danced around the interior of the limousine Jamie’s jet lagged face smiled goofily into the colored lights. It was a welcome home William party.

Three Weeks Old

Here are some pictures of William at three weeks old.

More pictures

William Paul

Wiliam Paul is here and he is wonderful. He is cuddly and he smiles all the time. His older brother is delighted with him and has not shown any signs of jealousy. He has dark hair that might turn out to be curly. He weighed 7 ibs 1 oz and looks a lot like Jamie.

I am enjoying him immensely despite the physical recovery. We are all still trying to process the circumstances of his delivery, and all I can say is we feel extremely lucky but that doesn't begin to capture the feelings of gratitude and thankfulness and relief.

Baby update (no baby yet)

No baby, yet. I have another appointment on Wednesday. As long as everything looks good the Dr. will not induce labor until two weeks after my due date, which is the 18th. As hard as it is to wait, this seems to be the best choice. The practice we are at is at the hospital and they seem really good, so we feel very comfortable following their advice. On the other hand, it is really hard to wait. The baby will be closely monitored until then to make sure everything is going well. Below is a link to an article that made me feel a lot better about waiting.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2007754,00.html#ixzz0vSZikCgr

Baby Update- Due Date

I think there is almost a 100% chance that the baby will not be born today. Very few babies are born on their due date, only 30% come before their due date. Which doesn't mean that I wasn't hoping, but oh well. The baby still seems to be moving around a lot and changing positions. Hopefully, he will settle down and get in the right position and get the show on the road. Until then we wait.

Lemonade Stand

James and his cousin Michael had a lemonade stand a few weeks back. James has wanted to do something like this for years, so it was great that he was able to do it.

Baby Update 39 Weeks and Three Days

Is that specific enough? As you can tell, I am getting anxious for this baby to be born. It would be nice for him to be born so that family can spend time with him and we can recuperate and prepare for the flight home. However, we have been having a good time without him. We took James to the Monadnock Speedway for stock car races, we went bowling (twice), three trips to the dentist (so far), ate gelatto, attended swimming lessons (James), went Kayaking (Terrence and James), attended a concert on the green here in Fitzwilliam and had a wonderful dinner at the Inn next door. It is very nice to have Terrence here, and while I am huge and starting to get uncomfortable, no impending signs of baby. The Dr.'s continue to report that everything looks great, baby is now in a good position. So we wait.

Baby Update

Well the update is there really is no update. Everything looks fine, but no signs that labor is going to start any time soon. Measurements are good, heart rate is good, but he is not engaged and is turned into a somewhat posterior position (faceup). I am supposed to work on changing that. James was a posterior baby which can mean a long painful labor (which he was). They recommended swimming to turn the baby, so off James and I go to join a pool tomorrow.

I am not sure what we will do if this baby ends up going far beyond his due date. The practice I am at will consider an induction about a week and a half after due date. That could have us taking a very young newborn across on a very long trip. The airlines will allow us to fly after a week, but I would much rather take an older baby on that trip. However, there is nothing we can do about it.

James and I have been enjoying the amenities of city life. We have done some shopping, eaten out and seen a couple of movies. In all honesty, I am kind of tired of these sorts of activities. I find the traffic and all the people a little tiring. Which is humorous, considering I am in New Hampshire, not exactly the big city. Perhaps I am adjusted too well to life in the bush.

Terrence will be here on Sunday. That will be great. Michael has been cooking fabulous food and he and Molly have been taking great care of us. James is really enjoying this time with his Grandparents

James and the Haas Family

Here are some pictures of James with all of his Haas cousins and his Grandma Molly and Grandpa Michael.

James at Sea World with Uncle Roy and Timothy

James was able to take an unexpected trip to Sea World with his Uncle Roy and cousin Timothy. He had a great time. He was able to feed dolphins and touch a dolphin and a sting ray. He was impressed with the Shamu shows. He really enjoyed his first trip to Florida.

Birthday Fun

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Updates

The previous post was pictures of our new apartment. We really like it there. Our friends threw us a baby shower last weekend. We had a good time and got some baby loot. One more month of work and Jamie and I leave for New Hampshire. I am really looking forward to resting and relaxing once we get there. It is has been so hard to focus at work because I have not been able to sleep very well. I am up most of the night. Now we are close enough to the Solstice that it never gets dark. I never had this kind of pregnancy insomnia with Jamie, and I don't know how people function with it. I know it is not unusual though, and just part of it all.

I have been reading a lot. Strangely enough, I don't want to watch t.v. or movies, but I have an insatiable appetite to read anything printed. Anyone read any good books lately?

New Apartment

21 degrees and snowing

Enough already. We woke up to a snow covered ground this morning, which is a sight no one wants to see on April 23rd. At least it helps cover up the mud. Bethel is more attractive with the snow, it covers up a lot of dirt and junk. Hard to believe this is our second spring here. We should be in our new apartment by the end of the month, which will be nice. It has large windows and is by the park. Address and phone will be the same.

It's starting to feel real

And I suppose it should, since I am six months along. I am getting excited, but also overwhelmed. We have decided to deliver in New Hampshire. It was a tough choice because it would be nice to just be at home and avoid the complications of a transcontinental trip when I am huge/ with a newborn. However, my safety needs won out and I feel much better knowing that if we need obstetrical care it will be available. It will be great to be surrounded by family, it will have been almost two years! James is ecstatic that he will get to have a real summer vacation with his extended family. James and I will be in Fitzwilliam from July 2nd until August 27th, Terrence will be there from July 25 until August 27th, and it would be great to see everyone.

Everything is a little bit different...

The reality of having a baby while living in Bethel is starting to settle in. Like most things, having a baby in Bethel is different than having a baby most places. I have been trying to put together this particular puzzle, if anyone reading this knows more about having a baby here please feel free to fill in the blanks. The first thing is that we are extremely lucky to have double insurance. Finally, we did something smart financially and bought up the max insurance on both of our policies. This would be smart anywhere, but especially here, where health care costs are even higher. I have heard several horror stories about medical costs here, and while they may not all be 100% true, it is true that medical costs in the bush are higher.

There is a hospital in Bethel, and you can deliver your baby there. Lots of people do deliver there, but only if they are low risk and delivering naturally and they don't want an epidural. Hard to believe, but no elective epidurals in Bethel. They do have an anesthesiologist (not sure if it is a Dr. or nurse) but they are only available for emergencies. Now I had James without pain relief, but then again I was young and what is the the other word I am looking for-foolish?- naive? or maybe optimistic. Since I have had done it I know natural childbirth is not only possible, but sometimes preferable. However, not having an epidural available within 500 miles is a little scary.

A lot of women from Bethel choose to deliver in Anchorage. Anchorage is the big city and has two very nice hospitals with all modern amenities including epidurals and NICUs. For us it would mean a two week hotel stay before the birth during the height of tourist season, most likely an induced birth, and being separated from eachother. Anyone else want to agree with me that this doesn't sound like much fun? However, it may be reality, is reality for a lot of people out here, and if anything bumps me out of low risk it will be the only choice. I have heard that Providence Hospital has a campground attached to it, and that it may be possible to rent a R.V. and then we could stay there until I had to deliver. It would be cheaper than a hotel and just bizarre enough to be fun.

Anyway, I get to meet another one of the Dr.'s for my prenatal care next week, they have a women's clinic at the hospital (no private practices). I will write about the experience of seeing a Dr. in Bethel, which if you hadn't guessed by now, is a little bit different than seeing a Dr. other places.