By Popular Demand

I am posting just pictures of our new little guy without my usual colorful commentary. But, believe me, this new life of mine is very colorful so I'll have plenty to share. I just have to find the energy first.

I am a mother of three...

but for the past 13 days I have had the luxury of being alone with our newest and youngest. (We had Alex and Claire shipped off for "summer camp" with the grandparents in good ol' Arizona. And although having to endure the desert heat for 13 days sounds like torture for me, they were both thrilled to go and they have had a fabulous time. Thanks again, Marmie & Bapa and Papa & Nana!!) But tonight they come home and the peace and tranquility that Baby Bradley and I have enjoyed is about to come to an end. Now real life as a mother of three is about to begin. But I am well rested (thanks to a daily regimen of 2 naps), I am recovered (I have kicked the Percocet habit I was about to form), and Bradley and I have figured out each others' rhythms. His: eat, poop, sleep, poop, cry, poop. And mine: feed him, pump, change him, pump, stuff some peanut M&Ms in my mouth, pump, and repeat. It's a nice system we have going and things will definitely be rearranged when the 2 older siblings return.

Thanks again, Marmie, for taking 2 kids, 2 carseats, and too much responsibility on a 2 hour airplane trip. It was the most daring of tasks for even the most seasoned of mothers. You win the award!!

Happy Birth Day!

I had remembered the afflictions that accompany childbirth. I anticipated the pain and the agony, my uncontrollable shaking on the operating table, the vomiting, the tenderness of my incision and the inability to laugh, cough, or sit up without the ache in my abdomen. I was ready for the challenges that a newborn brings -- the tears and the screams, the sleepless nights, and the knowledge that I know nothing. But I wasn't ready for the joys. In all my preparations for this birth day I had somehow forgotten the gladness that comes with the griefs. Hearing my little boy's cry for the first time that brought tears to my own eyes, the sweet, sweet face that seemed to automatically accept and trust me so willingly, the smell of his skin that smells oh so baby-ish even before his first bath or his first douse of baby lotion. I have experienced a gamut of emotions in these last 3 days. But the most prevalent of which is pure joy and gratitude for the new little angel that has come to our family. Welcome to the world, Baby Boy!

Bradley Charles Wiltbank

June 10, 2009

8:10 am

7 lbs 13 oz

19.69 inches

Nesting is for the Birds

16 days and counting until our new little guy joins our family. The fact that 2 people in our ward and another kindergarten mom all due after me have already given birth to their babies have left me feeling quite over-ripe. But even though I am no longer sleeping and I can hardly walk across our bite-sized apartment without getting winded, there is something to say about how much easier a baby is to take care of inside one's body than outside of it. But the crib is up, the bedding is on, the onsies have been washed, and the necessities have been supplied. All we need is Baby Buster to complete the picture. And although all appears to be ready it was not an easy task to get to this point. I am not a nester, never have been. I have heard the folklore of the rush of energy that comes to expectant mothers that drives them to heights of organization and craftiness, but in my experience it is just folklore. And if I had not had my early signs of labor there is no way my hormones would have kicked in on their own to create what is now in the baby's room. It was sheer panic that a new human being belonging to me will need a place to set up camp that allowed me to get as far as I have in my preparations. And although I might think we are fully prepared, I know there will be those late a night runs to Target and Walgreen's that will supply the rest of what I have forgotten. What!?! no rubbing alcohol for the obligatory umbilical cord wipe down? Run to Walgreen's. What?!? the blow up baby bathtub I purchased is pink? Exchange it at Target. What?!? no chocolate to get me through the late nights and the endless days? Run to Costco for a vat of peanut M&M's. Now we're talking.

And I know you've all been dying to see just how big I got with this here pregnancy:

Oh, wait a second -- that's not me. It's just how I feel these days. But in all fairness to this beautiful manatee, I feel more like a beached whale.

There I am at 36 weeks. Don't let the cheesy perma-grin fool you.... my feet ache, my knees creak when I walk, I have sciatica, my diaphragm is so scrunched up I can't get a lung-ful of air, I have long since abandoned my wedding ring due to swollen knuckles, the acid reflux is nauseating, these are the only pants that I can fit into, and if you make me laugh or cough or sneeze I'll have to change into my red snowflake pajamas -- isn't pregnancy beautiful?

And for all those natural birdies out there who build and primp their nests with or without a helpful dose of hormones, just picture how much more difficult it is for those of us beached whales who struggle through all the blubber to even get to the tree. We do what we can.

A Whole Lot of Nothing Going On

I put myself on self-inflicted bed rest today which was only made possible by a very good neighbor and friend who endured the company of my very demanding 3 year old. But it is now 9:30 at night and I am finally getting a burst of energy. Maybe not a burst, more like a drizzle. So, I thought I would make use of it and write. Cory has long gone to bed after hours of studying today and with 6 1/2 hours worth of finals to take tomorrow. Which is why I put myself on bed rest -- I cannot have this baby during finals week! It would be a little ahead of schedule but quite possible. We had a little preterm labor scare last week, on the night of our 9th anniversary to be exact. We spent it in the labor and delivery department where I was given a shot to stop some mild contractions that were coming 4 minutes apart. (It was actually quite a lovely night --the kids were being taken care of and we even stopped and got McFlurries on the way home. I consider that an official date.) So when I awoke this morning feeling nauseous and more uncomfortable than usual I didn't want to take any chances. Feet up, lie on left side, don't let the kids' constant fighting get my blood pressure up, hydrate, get my insurance mix-up settled so I can have this child without him having to become an indentured servant to the state, read a book, stop watching "A Baby Story" on TLC because that is starting to freak me out, accept help from neighbor instead of sentencing Claire to a day-long sitting in front of the TV, mediate a raucous game of "5 Little Monkeys" from the couch when Alex gets home from school, and pray Cory gets home before bedtime. That is all I accomplished today. Not bad. But the drizzle of energy has dwindled. It's time for some more bed rest -- hopefully accompanied by at least 7 hours of sleep this time.

Ode to April

Boy, it's been a LONG time since I posted on this blog of mine and yes, I blame it entirely on this pregnancy. As my cousin so lovingly implied there is nothing enticing about dragging my "kankles" and my sciatica-ridden buttocks to sit at the hard, hard computer chair to make an inventory of my pathetic life. But, I can't let this favorite month of mine go by without at least one entry. So, I have hijacked Cory's laptop (an idea that never occurred to me until now) and am sitting on my soft, very worn-in couch with my feet propped up and the Thursday night NBC primetime lineup going on in the background. Seriously, now that I have come up with this new writing scenario you can expect many more posts from this very expectant, but at least comfortable for now, mom.


April has always been my favorite month. Just the word sounds like spring and flowers and exciting things coming around the corner. I always deemed it a privilege to be born in the month of April and secretly felt sorry for those who had the unfortunate circumstance of being born in the less exciting months of say, June or August. But this has been the craziest April we have had since say I was taking finals and planning a wedding 9 years ago, so in order to play catch-up I will utilize the bullet method and summarize what we have been up to:

• My two kids and I traipsed over to Oakdale, CA for a reunion with my roomie, a place to hang while watching conference, for fabulous food cooked by chef Carolyn, and a little birthday celebration.
• I have reached the ripe old age of 32 celebrated by a pedicure, a rootbeer freeze from A&W, and driving 2 hours to come home to Cory, a babysitter, and a hunt for decent Mexican food.
• After a day of recuperation from the Oakdale trip, the 3 of us got back into the car for a gruesome 8 hour trip to San Diego for Alex's Spring Break.
• Met up with my parents (Marmie & Bapa) and two of our favorite cousins (Adam & Tyler) for a great reunion with Shamu at SeaWorld. Boy, have we missed that place.
• While I was away, 3 fabulous friends made our third bedroom/office into an actual baby's room -- something I could never do on my own. What a treat!
• Cory and I went to see "Wicked" in San Francisco. A third time for me and a first for Cory. Well worth the trip into the city, the frigid walk to the theater, being hustled by homeless people at the Carl's Junior we were forced to eat at in lieu of a romantic dinner, and the life-time servitude we owe to our friends who watched our kids for 6 hours so we could go.
• Alex mastered the two-wheeler with limited help from us, proving that, as always, Alex will master all milestones in his own way and when he darn well wants to.
• I have well passed the recommended 25-30 pound weight gain with 6 weeks to go
• I have endured many well-intentioned comments like: "you look like you're ready to pop!" and "Are you sure the due date is right?"
• We have added and subsequently deleted the names Elliot, Garrison and Ash to our baby name list. We are in a real stupor about this one.
• I have succumbed to every annoying pregnancy ailment and discomfort that keeps me up all night and keeps me down all day. This is the first time I have actually wanted a baby to come out before its time.

Well, that's April in a nutshell! Wish me luck as we embark into May -- the last full month before life changes forever.

Wiltbanks Gone Wild

This week has been UC Berkeley's Spring Break!! So while many of Cory's classmates are partying it up in exotic locations and some are even touring Europe, we are still here -- trapped with a child in kindergarten whose Spring Break doesn't come for another 2 weeks and trapped without a trust fund or lottery winnings to really party. But we did allow Alex to play hookie for one day and we did our version of "Wiltbanks Gone Wild." We went into the city of San Fran determined to make the best of the awesome locale we are in right now. So, this was one day of no holds barred, no expense spared, utter economic abandonment. For our current no income status, we might have gone a tad bit overboard. Here's the breakdown:

San Francisco Spending:

BART Tickets -- $21

Trolley Tickets -- $33 (we were going to this adventure the right way -- cable cars were a must. Too bad I didn't realize how uncomfortable a mode of transportation a cable car is. They are crowded and hard to balance on -- especially for one whose abdominal muscles are severely compromised. Thank goodness many people gave up their seat for the pregnant lady.)

ATM fee $2 -- we have GOT to remember that no one accepts anything other than cash in the city

Map of the city and the public transportation that gets you through it -- $3

Italian Lunch for 4 in Little Italy -- $42 (but can you really put a price on having your children discover a love for calamari?)

One Cannoli for dessert -- $4.75 (Cory insisted on this purchase but was nice enough to give us all a tiny bite)

2 Ghirardelli Chocolate Fudge Sundaes -- $17 (this was actually my only reason for wanting to go into the city so we couldn't pass on this. An exorbitant amount to pay for ice cream, but I'd do it again.)

One emergency purchase at Victoria's Secret -- $45 (my old bra actually broke -- this was a must!)

Dinner at a 50's Diner -- $32 (Dad's choice of Tai food was vetoed this time, one exotic meal a day should be enough)

I don't want to even add it up. I think it's enough for our whole family to have gone to Disneyland for the day instead of just across the bay. But we did do some things that were free:

The Trolley Car Museum was free.
Rolling up the kids pants and letting them play on the beach, pretending pirates were coming after them was free.
And the sitting on the sidewalk like vagrants, waiting for the over-crowded trolley to have mercy on us and pick us up was free.

And the kids having a public meltdown on the steps that acted as an ampitheater? Well, that's just priceless.