naomi, 8 years old:

It seems like yesterday our baby girl came into the world.  And just like that, she is now eight!  I feel like I just don't have enough time with her, especially lately.  In as many years, she'll be able to drive!  She's grown up so much.  Sometimes we butt heads, but mostly we love to talk and cuddle.  She's been such a huge help with the baby, and of her own volition.  The words, "Let me throw that [diaper] away for you" is music to my ears.  Getting used to two little brothers isn't the easiest thing, but it's a good experience for her.

She still likes Hello Kitty and Disney Fairies (and not Disney princesses!), but she is maturing in her interests and creativity.  She definitely has a "tween" air about her, from her interests to the way she talks and carries herself.  She's still perceptive, observant, and self-aware.  There are also times when she says something, and I really wonder how she knew it.  The day before her birthday, she randomly said that a lot of people seem to die around her birthday.  She only knows of her great-grandmother, but when pressed for examples, she really didn't have any.  She knew a little about the bombings that Monday (and said, "Maybe it was their time to go"), but it did get me thinking about Waco and OK City.  It was a good opportunity to talk about life and our mortality.  It was heartbreaking to see that the boy who died was only eight.  Each day with our children is so precious; make every day count.

She likes girly things like flowers, pink, jewelry, glittery shoes, even perfume, but we're still working on getting her to be more lady-like.  She's daddy's girl, too, and he has no shortage of schoolyard jokes.  We're now outnumbered by the boys as well.  :)

She also still enjoys reading, writing, and art.  Her favorite activity is playing with her friends, especially hanging out in each others' rooms.  At this age, there's a clear separation of genders at her school and in the neighborhood.  I tended to befriend boys more easily, but they were nicer to me in school as well.  She and one of the neighborhood girls both watch Disney sitcoms and enjoy pretend play (and I do discuss them with her, as I'm aware they often make parents look inane or detached).  They play together on the weekends or during school breaks.  It's good that she'll have that childhood memory.

Naomi is a very giving girl, often giving her money or her things to others, either friends or those in need.  I did that as a kid, often to try to buy friendship, but she just does it because she enjoys it.  She's picked up on assessing the value of a purchase before making it, and is fine when she can't have something.

Her favorite color changes often.  At last check it was blue-violet.  She also gravitates toward anything hot pink (ETA:  She just confirmed it's hot pink, like neon hot pink).  I think she just loves everything to be colorful.  It suits her personality, that's for sure!  So much personality for having such dull parents.  Haha.

I still don't have a picture, but Manny took the training wheels off Naomi's bike.  She picked it up right away and loves the new freedom.  A neighbor had Manny take them off her son's, too.  :)  I forgot to give our friend's Naomi's booster seat, but she just turned eight so no longer has to be in one.  They grow so fast!

Some presents from us and the grandparents.  We also got children's museum tickets from friends!

Naomi sharing her new game with her little brother.  He's not so sure about it.

Manny took her out for a birthday pie and returned with two!

Present from Aunt Dolly...purple roller skates!  She loves them!  She opened them after Awana (friends took her).  It was Hawaiian night, and she shared her leis with friends so they could get treats.  

learning isaac:

All children are unique, but it's amazing how different they are even as infants.  Both our kids loved their baths from the start, but Isaac not so much.  He fusses a lot, about two hours straight each evening (but it's usually three hours straight for colic, so not quite there and nowhere close to Naomi's marathon screaming).  He's also wide awake for two hours in the middle of the night, and I haven't been able to switch him yet (but he also does this during the day).  Isaac seems pretty mad sometimes, especially when he turns completely red when crying.  Naomi didn't calm down in the swing, Lucas liked to sleep in the swing, and Isaac also doesn't like it.  Neither of the other two liked to be rocked, but Isaac seems to be breaking that mold as well.  Naomi could get lulled to sleep in the car, Lucas screamed the most during car rides, and Isaac seems to calm a little but not for long.  The way they like to nurse is all different.  Naomi didn't thrive well and was down to 0th percentile in weight but average height.  Lucas grew well his first few months, then dropped considerably at 10-11 months and has remained on the small side.  Isaac is growing well so far, even being 82nd percentile height and 55th percentile weight at 2 weeks (I've never seen numbers that high with our kids).  We'll see how that changes over time.  They do look alike, especially Isaac and Naomi as a baby, and Isaac is pretty awake and makes constant eye contact like Naomi did.  Lucas was a pretty easy baby by comparison, but I'd rather have the fussy baby/toddler that ends up easier, like Naomi, than the easy baby that ends up being a real handful, like Lucas.  Or maybe with Isaac, I'll have it challenging in both phases.  I hope not!

Even the pregnancies were all different.  With Naomi, I vomited all nine months, craved sweets (which I never liked before), and she kicked me around the clock like she never slept.  With Lucas, I stopped vomiting after the first trimester, I had no real cravings, and he kicked me like clockwork at 1-2 a.m. every single day.  With Isaac, I didn't stop vomiting till after the second trimester, craved spicy foods (again, which I never liked before), and he hardly ever kicked at all.  It's like a cartoon--I craved spicy foods and now I have a baby that turns beet red and cries rather angrily.  Naomi cried all the time, but it was a pain cry.

It will be interesting seeing how different Isaac turns out than the others.  I do feel like Lucas is getting lost in the shuffle, though I didn't think he'd have middle child syndrome due to the age difference.  I'm doing what I can to show him I love him the same, and he's no longer having his lengthy meltdowns of the past weeks, but he makes it hard for me when he bothers the baby so much and sometimes even tries to hurt him.  

I don't favor any child over another.  I thought I might because one of my friends said if you don't favor one, you're lying or lying to yourself, but I honestly don't.  Maybe it's because they are so different from each other, or maybe it's because they're all the same--they're our beautiful little gifts, all wrapped in different packages.

First bath at home, at about a week old:

Get me out of here!

Whew, glad that's over with.  Do I look pretty?

family easter / birthday:

Manny took Naomi and Lucas to his aunt's house for a birthday and egg hunt party.  The kids were pretty excited about it.  Lucas said, "Mommy, I'm going to look everywhere!"  The baby and I stayed behind, and Manny's parents had already gone home.  I really have to thank Manny for driving the kids to so many places and playing with them outside to give them some normalcy during this adjustment period.

Naomi did her own hair.  She liked the pretty basket for the photo, but she took a much larger basket with her for all the eggs/loot.

The hosts.  They baked a delicious ham ('Lost' reference).

The kids love their play structure.

The hunt is on!

Kids opening their eggs.  Lucas felt like he didn't have a lot of eggs compared to Naomi, but she gave him a lot of her candy anyway.

Climbing up the pile of gravel.  Lucas wouldn't come down, so Uncle Gerard had to go up there and get him.

Isaac in his little Easter bunny outfit from Ana, complete with bunny booties.  He outgrew his size newborn outfits in a week.  

sibling love:

The kids adore their little brother.  :)

first visitors / adjustment:

The day after Isaac came home, Chris and O came to visit.  They brought an edible fruit bouquet in a pink watering can, two things Naomi's been wanting, unbeknownst to them.  Grandpa made tacos for all of us from scratch.  Manny's parents are so gifted in the area of hospitality!  Later in the week, Manny's aunt and uncle stopped by and they went out for lunch while Isaac and I stayed home.  I haven't gone out, except just briefly in front of our home or to the doctor's appointments.  The pollen is really bad in our area, and it still hurts for me to move around a lot.  Manny has been driving the kids to all their classes, and has been working his tail off being Mr. Mom.  He said it was hard work, but fulfilling, and has a whole new appreciation for me.  I appreciate all he's doing this time around--it has helped my recovery tremendously.  We will miss him so much when he returns to work on Monday!

Manny's parents went home last weekend.  They worked so hard and I wish I could have made their stay more comfortable.  I hope they are getting some rest now.  Lucas in particular was a real handful with frequent meltdowns and defiance.  He has such a hard time handling change, both major and minor (minor to us; to him it's all major).  He seems a little better now that our routine is starting to look familiar again, especially when I can carve out some time for him, although time is hard to come by.  I was gone for four nights at the hospital, and he said to me today that he looked everywhere in the house for me but couldn't find me when I was gone.  I get really mad at him sometimes when he's out of control, but I do tell and show him I love him every chance I get.  We all have adjusting and growing to do, but we'll get there.

This week, friends from church began bringing us meals to help us out.  I love this ministry.  We enjoy all the variety of food.  Only one of them was able to meet Isaac, but we'll introduce him to everyone soon enough.  I am paranoid of germs right now.  The doctor had to tell me--even a minor cold can kill a newborn.  Breastfeeding at least gives him some antibodies.  It's best for him, even if it's not my favorite pastime.

Our neighbors have also seen the baby.  Spring break is this week.  Our water heater malfunctioned, so one neighbor was chatting with us about it while I was carrying Isaac.  He said he knew the baby would add even more stress to my plate.  I know he's heard me yell at the kids before, which I feel terrible about.  He also has noticed I'm the only parent out there watching my kids.  I know I need to learn to be on top of my kids while not stressing out when they do something wrong or out of character.  

Lucas makes that face on purpose, and then gives me a huge smile afterward as a joke.

Got him this time!

Pork loin ribs, cooked to perfection.

A delicious dinner, one of many, courtesy of Manny's parents.

coming home, thankful for help:

We were discharged from the hospital at 11 a.m. on Easter Sunday.  We had to miss church, but we heard  there were eight spontaneous baptisms during the two services!  Going home from the hospital is bittersweet.   You're glad to be home, but you know it's the beginning of round-the-clock care for the newborn, lack of sleep, and safety and health concerns you haven't had to deal with before or in a long time.  At the hospital, they could take the baby to the nursery for a few hours at night or help bring the baby to me to feed (except in the case of Naomi, whose screaming was so bad, they asked us to take her out of the nursery).  And of course, I didn't have two other kids vying for my attention and jumping on my recently-operated midsection.  Ouch!  Still, I was glad to be home and to introduce Isaac to his siblings and grandparents.  And glad we were done with all the poking and prodding.

When we came through the door, Lucas started jumping up and down and clapping.  He'd waited a long time for that moment.  Then he said he was going to teach the baby to walk.  Once he realized Isaac wasn't going to be an instant playmate, he started acting up again.  He'd run away from the grandparents three times while they were here, and he had a meltdown pretty much every day.  Some days were better when I spent  some time with him, but he's often had a hard time dealing with change, and this is a huge change.  Naomi was fine, being helpful and curious.  I am so thankful my in-laws were here to help us with the kids and the cooking and cleaning.  Grandpa actually rented a Rug Doctor and cleaned our carpet!  They worked very hard, loving us unconditionally for two weeks.  And Manny...wow, he is doing so much.  He has changed more diapers in one week than he did with the other two combined (meaning he never really changed diapers).  He's giving the kids baths, putting them to bed, preparing meals, things I'd only dreamed he would do before.  The one thing that was always hard was the loneliness and exhaustion after having the babies, and having to do so much by myself and get so little rest while my body wasn't yet recovered.  This time around, he has really stepped up to help.  My recovery is going a little better I think as a result.

He has to return to work next week, so I know it'll become more stressful for me, but I'll be more ready for it with the rest he's allowed me to have.  Also, many in our church (plus one friend from our previous church) have signed up to provide meals to us every other day for the next month.  What a blessing to us, definitely needed and welcome.

Isaac is so far a somewhat fussy baby, probably somewhere between Naomi and Lucas in temperament (and actually in appearance as well).  He turns beet red from head to toe when upset, and is lighter in skin color than the other two.  He's usually just fussy from hunger or getting his diaper changed, so he's ultimately consolable.  Both Manny and I see more of a resemblance to Naomi in the way he looks and his mannerisms (parents can tell even after only a week), at least what she was like when she wasn't screaming at the top of her lungs as a baby.  We'll see how that manifests itself as he matures.

Waiting to go home from the hospital.  He rarely takes a pacifier, but he took this one briefly before spitting it out and crying through the halls.

The kids waiting at the door for their little bro.

Naomi drew/wrote a welcome home message on the board.  Sweet as always!

Grandma does the first feeding at home, as she did with the other two.  I've decided to breastfeed after all and supplement as necessary.

Wonder what he's thinking about (probably his next meal).

isaac's birth story:

So we had a baby, his name is Isaac Manuel Zhi-Heng (智恆) Hernandez, and here's the story:

On Wednesday morning at 1 a.m., I was hit with a new level of painful contractions, irregular like the ones from the weekend, but not going away.  I was in denial, and was hoping I'd be able to hold out till the next morning to be sure I had my same obgyn doing the surgery.  Manny told me to go on bedrest and call if they got closer.  At about 1 p.m., I noticed they were getting closer, but I still didn't call.  Thankfully, my in-laws were here and watched the kids while I continued tracking.  Finally, at about 3:30 p.m., the contractions became unbearable and I called the doctor.  The staff told me I should have called at the first onset of labor (because I have to do c-sections) and needed to go in right away.  So Manny came home, but he did manage to have dinner and chat, and then we were on our way.

We got to Labor & Delivery and saw the Patient Registration desk closed.  A worker said we needed to go to the main hospital.  I was confused.  Then somewhere in there I think I told her I was actually in labor.  She asked if I was pre-admitted, and I was, so off we went.  Then we had to stop the elevator to go up.  When I apologized, the man inside said, "That's okay.  I can always wait for someone who's pregnant.  When are you due?"  I said, "Um, right now?"  He said, "Yeah, you can't wait."  Then he realized I was serious.  "Really?  You look like you're only about five months pregnant."  Yes, I get that a lot.  :)  Up to L&D and we were stopped by Security.  "Do you have visitors' passes?"  I said, "Um, I'm in labor.  I need to go in."  He looked surprised, and we finally made our way in.  I had also expected a tiny baby, but we got a 7 1/2 pounder!  Not huge, but almost a pound heavier than our previous two.  He was 19 1/2 inches long, born March 27, 2013 at 6:49 p.m.

I remembered everything but my camera!  Thankfully, Manny had his phone, so here are a couple of photos from the hospital.  Also, a professional came and took photos of us in the hospital, and we brought the blanket Aunt Quinka made for the background.  Here's the slideshow.

The newest member of our family.

Aw, look at those cheeks.  

 Naomi's delivery was really, really hard.  Lucas's birth was actually a fairly easy one, except it was still major surgery.  This one I would say was somewhere in between.  Everything hurt and felt worse than last time.  I am allergic to Vicodin and get sick from Tylenol, so the nurses and pharmacists worked hard to find me something more than ibuprofen.  I kept saying I was okay, but they knew I wasn't--my recovery seemed to be falling behind expectation.  They came across oxycodone without acetaminophen, and it worked.  Unfortunately, it made me too drowsy, and when I went to sleep, I had all these weird images in my mind.  So I only took it twice for the day of the worst pain, and just bore with it for the rest.  Either way, my doctor said it is a rare medicine that I probably will not find stocked in most pharmacies.

So Isaac's first order of business when he was born--he peed on the nurse as she was cleaning him up.  Then while I was getting stitched up, he cried inconsolably for an hour and a half.  Then they brought me out, and he latched on to me like a pro.  Hungry, angry baby, they said.  Through the course of our hospital stay, no less than three nurses and a doctor called him angry.  He turns a bright beet red from head to toe when he's upset, which is often.  We'd never seen that before.  Maybe all the spicy food cravings meant something.

At night, I would send him to the nursery for 4-5 hours so I could sleep.  He, like Lucas before him, went through way more formula than many other infants there.  But I wasn't concerned he wasn't stimulating my milk supply.  One nurse said I must have the record for nursing--1.5 hours straight.  Our kids don't give up.  I'm thinking that I will only nurse for a few months if this keeps up.  

Despite the fatigue and pain, I was continuously thankful.  I got through my third module of Compelled training (highly recommend), read a little of a book a friend gave us at the shower, and spent some time helping a friend in need.  It was a good reminder that we still have work to do for God, whatever is going on in life.  It's much bigger than our own to-do lists.

Two nurses on separate shifts said I was the calmest mom, and that they wished all their patients could be like me.  It's all glory to God, but I was also stuck on thinking how it wasn't really true, at least not at home, and I want that to change.  The way I was at the hospital is how I wish I always was despite circumstances.  I got the sense that the staff worked so hard for me to get that medicine because I was pleasant and friendly to them.  At home, on the other hand, for a moment I think anger is the way to get the kids to listen, because it seems to work, and it's simply not true.  Instant gratification gives you instant results, but not true change or success.  Manny reminds me I can't reach our children's hearts this way and can actually drive them away, even if they behave on the outside.  Manny and I don't dwell on compliments and pat ourselves on the back, but we take them as a reminder of how we can do better.  

My favorite part of the hospital stay was the time I had with Manny (huge thank you to Manny's parents for watching the kids, especially with Lucas acting up).  After three kids and the tolls it's taken, this family still starts with our marriage.  We watched a couple NCAA games together, but we were more just enjoying our time together.  This was the closest we've ever had to a vacation together since Naomi was born, even though it was just me in a hospital bed and him sitting in the chair next to me, with some nice people offering us warm chocolate chip cookies from a cart.  :)

"Isaac" was in our short list of names since before Naomi was born.  Plus we liked the meaning of laughter, of finding out we had a surprise baby in our (relatively) old age, just as Abraham and Sarah did.  His name remained unchanged, he didn't leave his land, and he lived the longest.  So there's an idea of longevity there.  "Isaac" also has five letters like our other two.  We still weren't completely sure about it, but Naomi really liked it, just as she had liked Lucas's name.  She is, however, far less impressed by the repeat middle name.  I was, too, but I couldn't come up with something better.  I worked on the Chinese name with my mom, but ended up just picking it myself.  "Zhi" means wisdom and "Heng" means permanence or constancy.  I had the meaning before I had the name.  For Naomi and Lucas, their Chinese names were easy to pronounce (Shi-An and Yi-Jian), but I wanted to go with something different this time.  Zhi-Heng is pronounced differently than it's spelled (closer to zh hung).  Naomi's name would more commonly be spelled Xi-An, but that's a province, so I changed it.  Otherwise, we have an X, Y, and a Z, after Manny and I initially agreed:  no X, Y, or Z Chinese names.  :)