Six

At 11:58pm on the 22nd of May, 2009 Anna delivered an 8 lb 12 oz baby girl. As always, she did amazing. No hurling of profanities or objects. No ear splitting screams. Mother and baby are healthy and well. For two days this little thing was referred to by the nursing staff as 'Six' because we didn't have a name for her. Saturday morning at breakfast I asked the kids if they thought it was a boy or a girl. Before any real fights broke out I had Clara read my hospital bracelet.

She was the most excited for a baby sister.

The rest of the crew was pretty excited as well. Even William and James.





After careful deliberation, we decided that she looked like she could provide road side assistance or maybe generate energy for small electric devices, so we named her. . .

Audrey Anna Allen And we feel very blessed to have her be a part of our family. She has a welcome quiet and sweet disposition. Thank you all for being so interested.

Bike rides and baby names

While we were out doing yard work a few days ago little Megs thought it would be fun to take her brother for a ride. So she hooked up the bike trailer to ... herself, and dragged him around the block.She was a little worried that her "real" bike, the one with training wheels, would fall over with all that weight, so she opted for her old bike and belt loop, helmet and all, just in case.Wish I had a video to attach because it looked so odd and hilarious, with William in the back yelling, "Faster, faster!" and Clara's legs spinning in furious little circles.

Update: No baby. This little creature is apparently having too much fun in it's warm cuddly cocoon. Too bad the sentiment is not requited. But, since we have the time, Mikey and I have been talking about names. Does anybody out there have any good suggestions? Boy and girl? First and middle? You might just get a prize (like our unfailing gratitude) if you suggest the winning name!

Mascara

Overdue

"Hey, so I called at about 2 am and nobody answered, so I figured you were probably having the BABY."

"You look like you're going to pop." / "You don't look big enough to be 10 months pregnant, ha-ha!"

"Have you tried eating some really spicey Chinese food, then walking? Worked for my grandma."

"When are you going to have that BABY? Weren't you due, like, two hours ago?"

"So are you going to get that BABY induced, because you look really swollen and uncomfortable."

"Have you tried walking backwards? That worked for my great-aunt."

"Haven't you tried castor oil yet? I mean, it makes you feel like you want to die, but it's worth it if it gets the baby out..."

"You're not lifting that, are you? Didn't you know that if you lift anything it will wrap the umbilical cord around the baby's neck and strangle it? I mean, I'm just saying..."

"And you should probably get your membranes stripped, because you've got to get things all "cleaned out" up there. And I heard from a friend of a second cousin of a bat that her baby was overdue, and it came out with fangs. Like the "egg tooth" gone wild - so you probably want to get that out as soon as possible. Cuz I'm a 19-year old nincompoop, and I know everything about BABIES."

And my favorite was when a very old lady approached me in church and started giving advice on what sorts of foreplay induce labor. I acted like I didn't know what she was talking about just to force her to specify. She squirmed and I enjoyed it.

P. S. For all interested: I am now 1 week overdue, and I'm not in labor. And I lift things all the time.