Category: Family (Page 15 of 24)

How Newborns Are Like Hobbits

July 15, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

Having spent a good part of the last month with my newborn son (and several years ago, lots of time with my first son when he was a newborn) and given my good working knowledge of characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien, I’ve come to realize that newborns are a lot like Hobbits.

Let’s start with the obvious physical similarities. Not only are newborns and Hobbits smaller than human adults (The Lord of the Rings prologue puts Hobbits at between two and four feet), but they both tend to be chubbier. Also they have different proportions than human adults. Though not necessarily mentioned in the books, in the movies, the Hobbits’ feet appears to be large for their sizes. And we all know newborns have proportionally large heads compared to their bodies.

And then there’s the hair. Hobbits have hair in weird places, namely their feet. If you’ve never had a baby, you might not realize it, but newborns often have hair in unexpected places. Many are born with fine hairs (called lanugo) on their bodies, commonly found on the back, shoulders, ears, and forehead. My own baby has adorable little hairs on the helix of his ears. Yet neither Hobbits nor babies tend to have facial hair.

Of course, there’s also the matter of food. Hobbits and newborns eat frequently. One of my favorite quotes from the LOTR movies is when Pippin asks Aragorn about “second breakfast” and Merry say, “I don’t think he knows about second breakfast.” Pippin replies, “What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper?” Going back to the LOTR prologue, we learn that Hobbits will eat six times a day when they can. My own newborn is on the twelve nursings a day meal plan. He has all the meals mentioned by Pippin, plus brunch, dunch (dinner-lunch), midnight snack…

I think the most interesting similarity is in their general philosophies in life. Granted no one can really know what a newborn’s philosophy in life is, but based on observation, I think it’s safe to say that a newborn is happiest when life is simple. Keep newborns fed, make sure they get their rest, and provide a fairly tranquil environment and they’re happy as pig in…well, newborns do quite a lot of that too (but we’re not here to compare newborns to pigs). Hobbits, too, prefer a simple, quiet life. In fact, Bilbo Baggins is considered highly unusual and outlandish for his adventurous ways.

That’s not to say there aren’t differences. Hobbits are fond of smoking tobacco in pipes, and with the exception of those very disturbing images of that smoking baby in Indonesia several years back, babies aren’t known for smoking. Going back to the LOTR prologue, Tolkien notes that Hobbits have keen eyesight, not so much for newborns. Tolkien also mentions that Hobbits are swift and silent, while even the quietest of newborns are full of cries, squeaks, snorts, farts, and any number of other strange noises.

Overall, though, I’d have to say that Hobbits and newborns are more alike than dissimilar, and they are both pretty darn adorable!

The Precipitous Birth of Baby Boy #2

June 24, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

Seems my boys always arrive with excitement. My first son (a.k.a The Boy, who will be three at the end of August) arrived 17 days early in the middle of Hurricane Irene (you can read his birth story here). Baby Boy #2 (which admittedly is not a great nickname…any suggestions on what his Internet name should be?) arrived during storm free weather, but with haste.

The word used by the nurses and doctors was “precipitous” and I was warned that if I should have any more children, everyone should know my last labor was fast. My water broke while we were getting The Boy ready for bed, and since my water had broken (which supposedly only happens to about 15 percent of women before labor starts…but I’m skeptical on this number b/c of my two labor experiences) with the first baby, I actually knew it was my water breaking this time (last time I was kind of hoping it was a bladder control issue!).

So we settled The Boy into bed and called the on-call doctor. Based my my history, which was a 12-hour labor with induction the first time around, she said it was up to me whether or not to labor at home or to come right to the hospital. We had to wait for my mother-in-law to come and to finish up packing the essentials in our bags, so we said we’d head to the hospital soon.

My contractions were steady at about 7 minutes and not too bad. Fast forward an hour or so and they were closer to 4 minutes apart and we were ready to go. Fast forward another few minutes while we were on the way to the hospital and they were coming hard and only 2 minutes apart. Yikes! The hubby picked up the pace and we made it to the hospital (which is several towns away) in 12 minutes, despite getting stuck behind some slooooow construction vehicles.

I had a contraction in the valet parking area and three more on the short trip up to the triage area where they check to see how far along you are. The pain was intense and there was some kind of emergency so the staff was scarce. I could barely stand and couldn’t get on the table, and the hubby was frantically trying to get someone to check me out.

It was a long few minutes until someone came in and when she checked me she was like, “The head is right there.” Then yet another contraction hit and with a panicked face, she was like, “Please, don’t push.” And I was like, “I’m trying not to push.” But this baby was coming!

Then things started happening really fast. My doctor hadn’t arrived at the hospital yet, so a bunch of nurses, a resident, a midwife, and the NICU doctor all squeezed into the tiny triage room with me, my husband, and all our bags. A handful of pushes later and an 8 lb 2 oz, 20.5 inches long baby boy was born, healthy and happy.

My two older sisters were supposed to be there for the birth. One made it in the middle and wasn’t allowed in (and couldn’t fit in the tiny room anyway) and the other arrived shortly after the birth. Needless to say, no one expected our little bundle of joy to arrive so fast. All the staff in the triage agreed it was a very exciting birth and that we certainly spiced up the night for them.

We’re home now and getting used to our new, bigger family. The Boy is such a sweet big brother, and the baby has been great so far too! Loving my time with the family, even with the expected sleep deprivation.

How Does a Mother’s Love Grow?

February 12, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

A few months ago, my toddler (affectionately known on the Internet as The Boy) woke up from an unusually short nap. He was sitting in his crib kind of wobbling back and forth, like he wasn’t really awake, and sobbing. He had pooped (this is not TMI b/c when you’re a mom to babies or toddlers, poop is a way of life), which was probably the reason why he had awoken so suddenly.

I changed him and sat down in the glider for a few minutes of quiet time, guessing he wasn’t going to go back down. And then he fell asleep right against my chest, something he hadn’t done in probably over a year. It was wonderful to feel his little chest rising up and down on me and to hear his steady breathing. To sit quietly with my always on the move toddler was a treat I hadn’t had much of lately.

Since then, this type of thing has been happening more and more, and though I still love snuggle time with him, it’s not quite as charming as it was that first time because he seems to have regressed on the whole sleeping in his own bed thing. Having sleep problems suddenly at 2-1/2 when he previously has always been a very good sleeper has been difficult to deal with (to say the least).

We’ve had to change over from the crib to the toddler bed because he kept trying to climb out and right now, either Mommy or Daddy has to be in the room in order for him to stay in bed and fall asleep. Not an awesome situation, but it’s the lesser of all the evils we’ve attempted so far. At least this way, there’s generally no crying (for all parties involved) and he settles down pretty quickly. I’ve also been getting a lot of quiet time to read and reflect on my own stories, but still this has been a stressful time for the whole family.

The hardest thing is I know why he has the need for extra comfort and there’s not much I can do to take away his sleep and separation anxiety. A few days before our first nap time in the glider, The Boy had gotten some news: He was going to be a big brother! Though I’m guessing he doesn’t know how this will change his life, I am sure he understands his life is going to change, as will the family dynamic.

He’s a sensitive, intuitive kid. Something I love about him, but it can make big changes like this especially hard on him and on me and his father. So while I was thrilled to learn I was pregnant, I was also anxious on how it was going to impact The Boy. Big changes take time for him to process.

I guess it was naive of me to think the second pregnancy would come with fewer worries. But it’s not a matter or more or fewer, it’s just different worries. I’m more comfortable with my changing body this time around and less anxious about the delivery and how to take care of a newborn.

Instead I worry about how I’ll manage to take care of a toddler and a newborn. I worry about losing all the special time I now have with The Boy, and how the new baby will never have me like The Boy did. Sure, I can spend time individually with each of them, but it won’t ever be the same again. I worry about having to put even more responsibilities on my husband when he already does so much.

And then there are the selfish worries. I already give so much of myself to The Boy, I wonder with another one if I’ll be giving too much of myself away. At what point do I go from being a well-rounded, dynamic person to just a mother? What kind of mother can I be if I’m not in a good, healthy frame of mind? Then there’s the worry about having even less husband/wife time. And the worry that I’m ruining The Boy for life because I’m staying in his room while he falls asleep (at least I don’t have to sit on the floor and hold his hand anymore!). And how am I gonna deal with a second child when right now I’m not even feeling like I’m dealing with having one? Whew!

I’m getting all angsty just writing about this. That’s not to say I’m not very excited about having another child. I grew up in a big family and always knew I wanted more than one child. I think The Boy is going to be a thoughtful big brother, and I’m so excited he’ll have a sibling. I treasure my own sibling relationships and wouldn’t want my children to grow up their own. A big family can mean compromise and fighting and noise, but it can be full of love and fun and adventure.

And, well, it wasn’t my intention to announce my pregnancy on the blog with so much negativity in the post, but I’ve been trying to be more real and honest in my writing, and it seems to be spilling over here as well. As a family, we really are very excited about expanding our ranks. I love being a mom. It’s the best job I’ve ever had.

I know, too, that one day The Boy won’t need his mommy so much and will probably even not want to be around me at all. So beneath the frustration of having to be around him so much, I’ve been trying to appreciate being around him so much.

I’m excited, too, about bringing another human into the world and getting to know him (oh right, I haven’t told you yet…it’s a boy!). I’m excited about seeing what kind of men my two boys will turn out to be. I know they will fight, but I hope they are friends like my siblings and I are friends. I hope they find a passion for a career like I have found in writing and are able to pursue it. I love how The Boy already likes to give his little brother kisses (on my belly) and we talk about how he’s going to teach the baby sign language and “help” change the baby’s diapers.

There’s so much to look forward to. No matter how scary change can be (which for me seems to be harder to deal with as I get older), it’s wonderful and life affirming. And, well, we’re having a baby! So let’s put the worries aside and celebrate!

Happy New Year!

December 26, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and spreading the love. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year, from my family to yours!

Looking ahead to 2014, I’ve got a wrap-up of 2013 coming your way, more for the Females in YA series, several guest posts already lined up, and probably more cuteness from The Boy. I’ll be back blogging on January 6th. Hope you too see all then!

Early Autumn 2013 in Pictures

October 23, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Autumn is probably the best season weather wise in New England. Mild days and cool, crisp nights. And there’s no shortage of fall-like activities to keep the whole family busy. What’s your favorite thing to do this time of year?