Arlo at 1 month

The first month has flown by with the hustle & bustle of caring for our little bunch! Arlo has been showered with much affection both wanted & unwanted though as far as we can tell, he is loving life. It is not hard to gather that those who reside at the Nest are enjoying our newest addition. 

1 Month Stats

9 pounds 9 ounces

21 1/2 inches long

What a joy this little guy is with his tongue constantly poking out of his mouth, the beginnings of sweet little baby sounds when we talk to him & the loving toleration of all the attention from four older siblings. He makes us laugh when someone zooms in much closer to his face than the person who was previously there. His eyes are huge & locked in place like he is thinking "where did you come from & please don't approach me that quickly again!" He is mostly content which is a wonderful way of life for a 5th child. We have caught a few smiles when we are talking to him or tickling his double chin....can't wait to start seeing those all the time!

He like his sister Eloise has a high palette which made for a fairly painful first two weeks of nursing. Thankfully the pain has resided & he has become an efficient little eater. He is nursing about every 3 hours but has surprised us with a 4-5 hour stretch overnight a handful of times. Such hope! I had the pleasure of spending a few hours alone one afternoon & he was happy as he could be sucking down a bottle with a few ounces of milk. Woohoo! I have been lazy on stocking up any sort of milk supply in the freezer since I am not going back to work this time around....like there is probably 6 ounces in there : )  I need to get on the ball though so we can be free for a date night, a moment of freedom or extra long nap here & there.

Like eating, Arlo has fallen into a good routine of sleeping as well. He wakes up, eats, lasts about 30 minutes past eating then gets fussy till swaddled again.  He is happiest being held to fall asleep & often passes out unnoticed in the crook of my arm while I am chasing the twins around the house. The swing runs a close second to being held & being laid in his cradle to fall asleep is the worst thing he has experienced thus far in life.  He has proven he is capable of screaming himself to sleep on two occasions.....like the time I was panicked & on the phone with Poison Control when Owen was found taking a swig out of a bottle of Ibuprofen. Thankfully he was fine & although I felt bad for my sweet little newborn, it was a good test ; ) Once he is asleep he makes it till around the 2.5 - 3 hour mark from his last feeding. We borrowed a Rock n' Play from a friend & he is a pretty good fan of being snuggled in there....who wouldn't be? My goal this week is to work on getting him to sleep on a flat surface again. Overnight for the most part he falls back asleep easily & on his own after nursing but probably two nights a week he & I are awake with cat naps between the hours of 2-7am. Those are painful but I just write it off as increasing his meal order for the next night. We have never had a baby during chilly weather (that is only getting chillier) & it is sooooo hard to get out from under all the cozy covers! I'm tired but I love snuggling him at night without beating everyone else back with a stick ; ) He is a big fan of being strapped on me & we do that often as well. We just keep reminding ourselves that eventually they sleep all night.....eventually ; )

Pure sweetness....

Highlights of life with the Fab Five via Instagram

Just to name a few...

• meeting Great Grandma Virginia & Uncle Kyle
• first bath following his umbilical stump falling off & being eaten by Bella
• tummy time with entertainment
• magic zebra on the head
• first trip to Target
• LOTS of attention!

 

 

So far, so good! I think we'll keep him ; )

Halloween Mash-up

I'm pretty sure I set the bar high for myself last year with the Cast of Peter Pan costumes although I really didn't care about measuring up. I do love making costumes but this was definitely not the year for that task. We opted to tell the girls to check out their dress up bin & pick something, dressed the buckaroos as buckaroos & little man in a festive pair of jammies. "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy" as the girls say. 

It was definitely a mash up & the combination was fabulous because it was next to nothing financially, no extra work minus 5 minutes on an Indian headband & cute as can be. 

Here is the Fab Five...

We swore we would stop calling Owen "Cowboy Small" but could not resist for obvious reasons. He does resemble Big Tex a bit with the hand raised. Anson, oh Anson. I tried to take away the blankie but Robby & Uncle Kyle said to let him hold it.....you might think it was sewn to his hand. He would have made the perfect Linus ; )

My parents were in Nashville in early September & called to see who had cowboy boots that fit. I looked at the sizes of the girls old boots & found that Anson could wear Eloise's old ones leaving the other three bootless.  They did some shopping & stopped through Dallas on their way home. I told my mom to not worry about getting a new pair for Anson & that he wouldn't even remember that his "new pair" were in fact an old pair. Boy was I wrong! It was hilarious when each of the kids were ooing & ahhing over their new boots poor Anson had a frown on his face while saying "Nooooo (with his adorable inflection) these aren't new boots! I want those boots!" He was of course pointing at Owee's awesome pair. I can't say his attitude has improved much since he pouts nearly every time the boots come out & he watches Owen get his on. Anyway, someday he can have a new pair!

The girls went in vintage costumes thanks to two lovely seamstresses.  Eloise wore a costume my mom made for Uncle Scott when he was about four. I added a stretchy baby headband with a few feathers hot glued to it. I also braided her hair which is SO unlike me. For some reason I missed the boat on fixing girls hair & braiding is a skill I lack. When I sat down to fix her hair I said, "Mommy is going to try to braid it but it might not work & you have to be okay with that." Robby laughed & said "oh boy, I wish Aunt Jenny or Gaga were here" since they are braiding masters. I was shocked when it worked & then even more shocked that it stayed in place till bedtime!

Charlotte wore a twirling costume my Grandmother made for my mom in the 60's. I do believe she wore it in a talent show at her elementary school. The best part was that she went to Casa View Elementary so there was a "CV" on the front for none other than Charlotte Valentine! Charlotte is becoming much more interested in girly things such as hair bows, headbands and.....cheerleaders. Actually she could have cared less about cheerleaders until we saw a group of girls no older than 11 practicing near our house. They were adorable, quite uncoordinated & having a blast practicing jumps. Charlotte stopped in the middle of the street & stared until we convinced her to continue our walk. She talked the rest of the way home about cheerleaders & how she would like to be one but she couldn't because she didn't have blonde hair.  Her daddy told her that I used to be a cheerleader & she was so excited. I didn't go into how awful I was....proof in a video of a Kingwood Middle School volleyball game but did remind her that my hair is not blonde & I still got to be a cheerleader.

She said she needed some pom poms so I ordered these. She couldn't hide her disappointment when she opened the box & sweetly said "This is not what I was expecting. I thought they would be pom poms that look like a puffy ball." I hated that for her but she told me she liked them anyway & she could still be a cheerleader. Such a sweet girl. We were cracking up because the second she had all the pieces to her costume she put them on & ran around the house yelling "Go racers! Go racers!" but we never figured out who the "racers" are. She also did a few cheerleading jumps that looked similar to mine in the aforementioned video. Last bit about her...she actually asked me to put her hair in a ponytail & clip on a sparkly bow. I willingly did this all the while thinking "who is this child?" The rest of the night she asked us constantly "is my bow cricket?" Too cute to remind her that the word is actually "crooked."

All Eloise cared about was getting a picture of her holding Arlo. We couldn't deny her & she did a great job! I can't blame her...I wanted a turn too! The girls & I made a quick trip to Old Navy that morning & came across only one Halloween related baby outfit & what do you know, it was a newborn size! It was also $3. So I think in total we spent about $20 to outfit five kids. That will be a hard to beat in future years.

Here's precious Arlo as "baby batman"...

It was so fun to have Kyle in town with us. An extra set of hand for an adventure such as trick or treating is so helpful. Around 4 we headed over to Lisa & Euan's house for a little pre- trick or treat party. It was a two fold celebration coupled with Euan's birthday.  They did a fabulous job preparing all the delicious food & making it extremely kid friendly. We loved catching up with Lisa's parents & Euan's mom who was in town plus a couple other friends. The kids played inside & out, chased around a soccer ball with Euan who was dressed as a chef. His little Liam was dressed as a lobster or "lompster or monster" as the boys say. They were quite the pair & won the award for most creative costume at his work party that week. Anyway, the kids were all sugared up from the cupcakes & candy at the house before we even left to trick or treat. It was after six & close to sunset when we finished up at the bash so we decided to hit up the houses on their street. Best idea we'd had all day! Lisa's mom Nancy offered to snuggle Arlo after I filled up his tank. He was pretty content & she had him snoozing free of charge when we returned.

Euan had the kids do a few dry runs of ringing the doorbell & saying trick or treat at their front door before he & Rob walked them next door to try it for real. When they passed the test we were photo ready & off to collect some treats! I could not stop laughing when I saw this picture. Eloise looks like she is throwing up in her bucket! If we would have let the kids eat as much candy as they desired they would have all looked like that ; ) We probably would have too.

Our trip up & down the street in bullet points:

• Charlotte & Eloise were capable of running ten times faster than their bubbies who looked a little like Woody from Toy Story with knees that could buckle (and did) at any second. The boys kept yelling "Wait for me! I'm comin'!" The girls were so sweet to wait & even lift the boys up to ring the doorbell. 
• As far as ringing the doorbell goes, we would tell the kiddos to ring it one time only. They took that to mean one time each. 
• The buckaroos buckled at the knees every other house spilling a bucket of candy. Anson even rolled down a few steps but both were so concerned about their candy they spent all their time panicking about that & never acted hurt.  Maybe we should carry those around the house all the time!.
• Once it was really dark we saw a kids bike that was hooked to another kids bike side by side, There was a ninja dad on one keeping the wheels rollin' very slow making it seem like there was a ghost on the other. It was pretty creepy but not as creepy as the next house. It was one of those houses where they leave a bowl out front & remind you that you are on video surveillance. The entire house was dark minus a room upstairs with pink lights & a large cat sitting on the window sill staring straight at us.
• At one house the man who answered passed out a bit to each kid then looked at Owen & said "You look a little small, here's some more candy." Ha!
• Charlotte was super pumped the whole time until we turned around to head back toward our car. She looked at me & said "This is the worst Halloween ever, I'm not having any fun!" then we stopped at three more houses & she said it was the best Halloween ever. Six year olds can be so fickle. 
• The kids figured out they could ask for a second round of treats & people would't say no. When given the option to grab, the boys went for it, Elo was close behind & Charlotte was polite. This definitely showed in the amount of candy in each bucket.
• Anson kept telling us "I go up & jingle bell (rings the doorbell) & say special treat!" He almost had it down!

In closing, it was a really fun evening with friends & our little family. It was even more fun since Uncle Kyle joined us for the weekend. He came up from Houston to meet his newest nephew & he brought me 2 half gallons of Dutch Chocolate Blue Bell. What a treat just a few days before it was back on the shelves in Dallas. Here he is with the little babe he walked to sleep more than a few times. 

the Fab Four meet their +1

It was delightful to welcome little Arlo as a mama & daddy but even more delightful to introduce the Fab Four to their plus 1. It was a sweet moment. Here's the whole crew...

Since we were settled into our "home away from home" around dinner time following Arlo's arrival, my Dad brought Charlotte up all by herself to meet him. For weeks she had been telling us that once he was born she did not want to see him via FaceTime...even his little baby feet. She wanted it to be a surprise & boy did she have quite the grin when the time came to lay eyes on her newest baby brother! I'm pretty sure she slept with a huge smile on her face. Char is an expert baby holder having gained most of her experience at age 3 when her twin baby brothers were born. She scooped him right up & started talking to him....absolutely precious. She would have spent the night with us had we invited her. 

Mid morning the following day they all arrived to to meet the little guy & the excitement was impossible to contain. They quickly flocked to the guy with the baby. SO cute. 

Owen & Anson were thrilled to see the DART rail outside our window so they were occupied no matter which direction they were facing. I do love this picture of all my Valentine boys.....

Then came time for holding...Anson on left & Owen on right. I even had to do a double take to verify identity ; ) 

What a silly & happy bunch! Some of mine & Rob's favorite things about the following picture: Owee's token grin with squinty eyes, Anson & his cheese ball smile, Charlotte (looking extremely old) & her confidence, the way Lolo is snuggled on Char's shoulder & Arlo with his hand over his mouth thinking "What is happening? My life seemed so calm five minutes ago!"

He handled all the "nuggles" well before we said goodbye to the bubbies & sissies. He spent lots of time looking around & at us...the calmest of the crew.

Eloise was right. Baby feet are the best!

Our time in the hospital went really well. We weren't super excited about the food after our stays at Winnie Palmer Hospital so we had fun ordering out lunch/dinner or picking up a Starbucks vanilla latte & delicious breakfast sandwich from downstairs. We kept joking saying we were on vacation. When my childhood friend Lisa & her mom stopped by they surprised us with a box of a dozen Snicker-doodles from Tiff's Treats. They are the best cookies I have ever had. We rationed them & did not share with anyone ; ) I put a wink face but really, it was serious business to guard them.

Our room was strangely quiet even with the cry of a newborn.  I was a bit anxious to get back to the Nest but we decided to stay overnight the second night. I actually rested really well (when I was asleep) & was up bright & early, showered, dressed & ready to get home to the rest of our brood. We loved our time with our newest addition knowing that once we arrived home he would have to be shared.

Over all it was a completely different experience this time around following Owen & Ansons' birth. They went straight to the NICU where they stayed for nearly a month. Having a healthy baby boy in our arms was such a joy & we spent plenty of time just marveling over his sweetness. It is always incredible to think about the intricate fashioning of a baby in the womb that grows from something smaller than the human eye can see to a newborn that one minute is on the inside & the next minute in your arms. I love watching their little wiggles & laughing about seeing certain movements I felt while they were in the womb. I'm not sure I ever get tired of staring at one of my babies although as they get older, I like to stare when they are asleep.  That might sound creepy but it's not, I am their mother ; )

Here we are the final morning with the little guy ready to head home.

We loaded him up in the big red truck we bought just months after we married. Arlo's sisters & brothers all came home in it too. The girls were playing outside when we arrived & could not hide their excitement! I love how Elo is holding Arlo's foot : ) We had a few minutes with just them before Owen & Anson arrived with Grammy, Papa & Gigi. All the "big kids" & "four legged kids" were well cared for while we were in the hospital. My parents with the girls & the Valentines with the boys. Our house was spic & span thanks to my mama. Bob picked up some lunch for us that I scarfed down....I've been so hungry lately feeding another baby! 

And just like that, we became The Valentine Seven. Back at the Nest it has been wonderful to be together. Hectic & loud at many times but looking around at the faces of five little ones makes us smile. We are so very thankful for our newest bundle and are all transitioning well into a slightly different pace. A different pace that offers plenty of time for snuggles with Arlo.

Arlo's Birth Story

Nearly two weeks have passed since we welcomed sweet Arlo into our arms on October 13th. It was a joyous day & could not have gone more smoothly. Here is the play by play...

I had an appointment on Monday the 12th & was already having contractions. They had been doing their job well to move things along so we opted to come in the next morning & have my water broken. It was SO fun to tell the rest at the Nest that their newest baby brother would be here the next day. The boys responded with "No, it not October! He come in October!" with scowls on their faces. I reminded them that it was October & then they smiled & said "I hold him?" When I said yes they joined in the happiness. The girls were squealing & as usual Charlotte was saying "Are you serious? Are you kidding me? I am so excited!" That combination always makes me laugh. Eloise was just as excited & talking about seeing his baby feet. We did tell them that it might not happen until night time.....little did we know we would be having a baby in time for lunch.

I had contractions all night long & at one point thought I would be waking everyone to load up & head south to the hospital. Polish doula Jenny messaged back & forth with me through the night since it was daytime there. She encouraged me to rest if I could so I tried to fall back asleep. I think over all I ended up with around 4-5 hours of sleep broken into 40 minute segments & the contractions slowed down. I felt tired but when the alarm went off at 6 we jumped out of the bed ready to start the day! Everybody woke up early & were excited as we waited for Bob & Jeannine to arrive & take over responsibilities around here.  We were out the door & at the hospital before we knew it! Here is one last picture of me & baby #5 on the inside. I love how hospital gowns make pregnant women look like they are carrying multiples. 

My mom joined us which was so wonderful. She & Jeannine were both in the room when Charlotte was born. Jenny made it for Eloise's delivery & it was just us for the boys. My mom was thrilled when we invited her to be there & came into town well before my due date to make sure she didn't miss any of the action. We chose a doctor that I worked with last year at Texas Health Dallas & absolutely loved her. She was extremely supportive of my goal to VBAC which was a major priority when finding a physician for my prenatal care. The choice of physician meant that I would deliver in the Labor & Delivery where I worked when we first moved back, woohoo!

Although every patient is treated with the utmost importance, I felt extra special having known many of the staff in my short time as an RN there. I was able to pick my nurse, something I have done with every baby....one of the many perks ; ) Her name was Lauren & I was so thankful for her! She & her husband have known one of my cousins for years through a youth ministry & last year Stan & Lauren planted a church in a suburb of Dallas.  My cousins Kelly & Jon along with (another) Lauren who is married to Jon are extremely involved with this newly established church that the Lord is quickly building person by person. She had a nursing student with her that did a fabulous job as she practiced keeping monitors in place along with other things. I always loved having students with me & I think Lauren did too. 

Back to how this baby came into the world. Dr. Light arrived promptly at 8:30 to break my water. I was about 3cm & almost completely effaced. One highly recommended part of my care was to have an epidural catheter placed right away so in the event of an emergency (ie a ruptured uterus, a very small risk) I could avoid being placed under general anesthesia. I had it placed, tested & left alone with no medication. Within about 30 minutes of my water breaking I was feeling uncomfortable but was still able to smile with this guy that I have been married to for 11 years come December, my favorite person to spend time with & one who makes me laugh harder than I thought possible. Plus, he is extremely calm....that's important in a labor room ; ) 

I have basically become a pillow snob & take my Tempurpedic pillow anywhere I might be sleeping. I grabbed a pillowcase to throw on it. This shirt was bought at a place called Value Village in Houston that we all became obsessed with shopping at for "cool" vintage clothes in the late 90's. This shirt says "Angels" on the front is my second favorite to a green drilling company shirt from Victoria, Texas. When I flipped it over we noticed there was a "7" on the back which must have represented The Valentine Seven that we were about to become....why else would that seven have been there?

My Dad decided early that morning that he would jump in the car & make the trip to Dallas. It was a surprise to me when my mom mentioned it just a couple hours before his arrival. I was partially surprised but thinking back, he came into Orlando for each baby or babies....he just can't stand to miss it & I can't stand to not have him there so it worked well for the both of us. He caught me just in time for a smile. I'm thinking he arrived just an hour before Arlo was born. 

Jenny & I had been messaging back & forth since we got to hospital & at one point Karis (age 5) told me to "have a good time." She is the cutest little thing. Karis & Isaac wanted proof that I was there so Uncle Rob recorded a video to send to Poland. In closing I told Karis that I was was having a great time because it is really special for mommies to have their babies.  Karis replied via her mommy that it wasn't really fun for her mommy remembering the pain faced pictures of when Isaac was born. I laughed out loud & wrote back that the image of Jenny's pain stricken face is forever stuck in Charlotte's mind too. 

Smiles & videos quickly turned to an extremely serious face.... at least every third minute. My mom & Rob were amazing keeping me calm, reminding me to relax as much as could through contractions & providing encouragement. It felt awful to be in bed so I was walking around or sitting on a ball. Even in the pain it felt so peaceful in the room. I was so aware of the Lord's presence in helping me enjoy the experience of birthing another baby.  As I have said many times before, 7 years ago I would have laughed if someone had told me that we would have five babies in six years. What a gift it was to be carrying another baby boy in the womb & know we would be meeting him very soon. 

Around 12:10, Lauren checked me again & I was 6 cm dilated. I figured that giving anesthesia a call to get some medication flowing through that empty epidural catheter would be a fabulous idea. 

I was having a hard time keeping my chin from quivering & thought with each passing contraction that surely I would not survive one more....but I did. When it hit I was very appreciative! That probably happened around 12:30. 

I was feeling increasing pressure & Arlo's heartbeat dropped a little bit. My blood pressure was fine so when it dropped again Lauren checked me. At 12:40 I was 10 cm & ready to get that boy out! She made the necessary phone calls while in the meantime, Arlo was playing the "how low can you go" game which often happens when the baby descends rapidly. It actually wasn't that low but after 9+ years in labor & delivery my eyes can be closed while listening to the monitor & know exactly what the strip is going to look like. From what I was hearing, I started feeling a bit nervous & a few extra people arrived to our room. My doctor was scrubbed into a surgery across the street so long story short, one of her partners ended up scrubbing out of a surgery in labor & delivery to come check on us. There was no time to waste. I started pushing at 12:50 & he was born 5 minutes later!

I am a labor nurse & still had to be told to open my eyes! Glad I did because that precious little face (like four others) made my heart skip a beat, my eyes fill with tears & changed the course of life here at the Nest forever. 

 

Arlo Benton Valentine

October 13, 2015 at 12:55 pm

7 pounds 7 ounces & 20 1/2 inches long

I kept him skin to skin for quite some time while we all got a good look at him. There is something about a new baby that makes the world feel as though it is at a standstill...

Rob got his hands on Arlo as soon as I finished nursing & was beaming ear to ear.

Grandparents got in their snuggles which I'm sure were not long enough....we've got to keep them coming back for more ; ) 

Then I stole him back for another long look.......

There he was, touching my fingertip, looking at me & melting my heart more each second. We were laughing about how the amount of hair on his head equals more than the other four combined. We looked at his darling face & decided his features resembled Eloise more than the rest of the bunch. We talked to him & told him how much his big sisters & big brothers already loved him. We thanked God for the provision of another to be added to our family & relished in first hours of Arlo's life outside the womb.