Rusted Sun

super mom skill #1

2012-01-15T21:45:00.002-06:00

I have honed a lot of skills as a parent. One skill which can sometimes come as a mixed blessing is the ability to smell and recognize a poopy bottom. Yes, ability to recognize a stinky nappy is one of my super-mom skills.
When, the twins, Max and Maya were young I could walk into the room and know immediately which one was stinky. Don't ask me how I would know, it was just a super-mom skill. I also make milk. I have several super powers.

Having Trent has further refined this skill. The other day I was driving to the beach with a car full of kids when all of the sudden I knew that Trent had filled his shorts. I pulled over the car to give him a change. Not even the teenager sitting right next to him had any idea.

Trent has recently started eating solids (a post for another day) which has turned his not-so-smelly-almost- sweet-smelling breastmilk nappies into stink bombs.

Unfortunately all my abilities to recognize a stinky nappy does not exempt me from having to also change and dispose of those monstrosities. But, a short while ago I volunteered to review the Munchkin Nappy Disposal System. I figured with a baby in nappies full time and two three year olds who still wear nappies at night time we will be disposing of a lot of nappies in the coming months.

We keep the nappy bin in the laundry room, because that is where it fits best and I honestly can't smell stinky nappies when I enter the room, which is amazing.

Another beniefit to the nappy disposal system is that Max and Maya think it is cool to help throw away nappies. I don't even have to ask twice (which is doesn't happen often with 3 year olds) and they are happy put them in to the cool nappy bin that makes nappies disappear.

The nappy bin doesn't go through bags as often as I thought it might. I was a bit worried that I would quickly have to buy new refills. It is easy to remove and replace the bag. I also love that the full bag clips shut further containing the smell even when it is out of the bin.

Now if they could just figure out a way to keep me from having to smell the nappy while changing it. :)

muriwai

2012-01-06T18:48:00.002-06:00

I am WAY behind on blogging all the adventures we have had the last few weeks. Having Lonnie home for two weeks means more adventures, less house cleaning and much less me time. I don't mind at all. So I will just jump ahead to today and catch up next week.

One of the biggest benefits of living in New Zealand is that Lonnie is given 4 weeks of vacation rather than the 2 weeks he had when we lived in the States. Lonnie's office has been closed since December 23rd and opens again on January 9th. I have had two whole weeks of 24 hour help at home. We didn't plan any trips over the holidays. We just stayed home but we live in New Zealand so even staying home is amazing....we explored local parks, went the beach, climbed a volcano, worked on getting Trent to sleep longer at night, etc.

While we didn't finish half the things I had on my honey do list. Still, I have decided that I really, really, really love having two parents at home all the time. If by some strange chance we are ever independently wealthy I've decided we maintain a modest lifestyle and have two full time parents. I don't need or want a huge beautiful home, clothes and cars. But I would love to have Lonnie home with us all day. I can dream right?

Unfortunately today is Saturday, and after tomorrow we return to our normal life. But yesterday was Friday and after nap time we decided to go for a 45 min drive out to Muriwai. We had planned to go for a hike but after realized we had chosen the long, steep, mosquito-ridden path we changed our minds and went to the beach.

Muriwai is a black sand beach with sand dunes (or sand dudes as our kids like to call them), beautiful picnic and campgrounds and a playground. Also just a short walk up the hill is an amazing gannet colony.

I am quite proud this chubby baby. I love his snap-on wrists.

Max can never get just a little bit wet, he always ends up soaking. He should just live in his swimming togs.

The view from above the beach.

This view really don't do the nesting grounds justice. It felt like we were taking a peek into National Geographic.

Max and Maya, filthy from rolling around in the black sand, stopped on the trail to the gannet colony to look for animal tracks.

pakiri

2011-12-28T21:24:00.001-06:00

We took a camping trip with our friends Jordan and Andy. We didn't take many photos, but thankfully Andy and Jordan did. Along with being great photographers, Jordan and Andy are adventurers. They kayak, sail, rock climb....you name it they have probably done it.

Max and Maya were thrilled to go camping. Their most recent obsession is Go Diego Go!. They spend hours going on adventures in our garden and exploring at Playcentre. We also recently read a book about a zebra that goes to camp, which prompted the kids to constantly ask when they were going to camp.

We stayed at a holiday park which made the camping trip much easier than I thought it might have been. Instead of camping on the dirt we camped on grass so we didn't even get very dirty. We were within walking distance of the beach. There was also great playground for the kids, which they loved. Even though there were very few people staying at the camp ground we happened to be at the same place as some good friends of ours from church (New Zealand really is a small world).

My one photo for the blog....Andy, Maya and Max blowing up the kayak.

Some of Jordan and Andy's amazing photos....

Trent takes his kayaking very seriously.

The water in the river leading out to the ocean was pretty shallow. So Jordan and I walked while Max and Maya paddled.

Other than sleeping (or not sleeping) in a tent the thing Max and Maya liked best was climbing up the sand dunes.

I love this photo of Max. He looks so happy and full of joy, ready to explore the world.

We even managed to get a family photo. Most of us are in our swimming clothes (togs). Lonnie has a stain on his shirt. The boys aren't looking at the camera, but we look pretty happy which is pretty impressive given that Andy said that getting photos of our kids was harder than photographing a wombat.

hi, i'm trent tane

2011-12-22T19:49:00.001-06:00

I'm still behind on our blogging, but I wanted to share these photos I took of Trent the other day...

Trent is such a happy, wiggly and chubby baby. He is so strong that he almost jumps out of my arms in an effort to be involved anything that his brother and sister are doing. He has gotten very good at sitting up which thankfully slowed his desire to crawl, but he still managed to get half way across the family room this morning.

He still isn't sleeping through the night consistently which is hard on me (and in turn on Lonnie and the kids too). Thankfully I do manage to get all three kids down for a nap at the same time most days, which helps me get through the day. When I am overwhelmed and tired all I really need to do to get by is pick up this beautiful boy, let him grab my face and cover me with his slobbery kisses, and remember that the time will pass much too quickly.

motat tram

2011-12-19T20:29:00.003-06:00

Still two weeks behind on my blogging....

We had some extra time while running an errand in the city the other day so we stopped by the Museum of Transportation and Technology and took a quick ride on the tram. We didn't have time to go into the museum but the kids had fun riding on the tram. It was free for under 5, as are most activities in New Zealand, and we take full advantage of this having three kids under 5 years old. So for $2 all four of us were able to ride the tram.

That morning I decided to cut Max's hair. It was getting long and starting to fall into his face. He was having a hard time sitting still so I decided to buzz it with the clippers. I didn't think it would make that big of a difference, but to be honest I was a little heart broken with the result. He lost his little boy hair and now looks like a big boy. Thankfully he doesn't seem to mind at all and it should grow out in a couple months.

btw...Trent was with us too, in the front carrier, as always.

getting ready for a kiwi christmas

2011-12-16T21:38:00.001-06:00

This is our second Christmas in New Zealand. In January we will have been here for two years. While Christmas still brings quite a bit of nostalgia this I am also feeling the love of being a Kiwi...so here are a couple of the joys of being in New Zealand this Christmas...

This is a weta. They are very big insects that can be found here in New Zealand. This one Max picked up our garden (yard) and almost brought into the house. Being a good Kiwi child Max was excited to find this huge bug rather than being scared.

We moved into our current home last February so we missed the pretty red flowers on our feijoa tree, which will produce delicious fruit in a couple of months. These trees are related to pohutukawa trees, which are in glorious bloom all over New Zealand.

Other than the last week of rain we have enjoyed some very nice, mild weather. Our landlord recently fenced our entire yard meaning that Max and Maya have created their own outdoor world, with a rain forest, jungle, mountain. In preparation for a camping trip they made beds and stayed outside reading for hours.

We've set up our Christmas tree again this year. It gets re-decorated every couple of days by the kids which is something I remember doing when I was little.

We were hoping to put together a Christmas card this year....I love getting Christmas cards, but I don't think I have ever managed to actually send one out. Of all years, living in New Zealand with a new baby I thought this should be the year that it finally happens. Have you ever tried to take family photos with a 3 year old? Imagine having two of those wiggly 3 year olds, then add a baby (and a sleepless night), top it off with a freak wind storm at the beach. Needless to say the photo shot ended with four out of the five of us crying. I'll let you guess who non-crier was. I'm still hoping to send out a Christmas card (or at least email out a newsletter), but it is very unlikely to happen before Christmas, so if I don't get to it please know that I wish you all a very happy Christmas.

auckland botanical gardens

2011-12-13T21:33:00.001-06:00

We had a free Saturday a couple weeks ago and decided to head down to the Auckland Botanical Gardens as we had never been there. We were also lucky enough to go during a sculpture exhibit that made it even more interesting.

Max and Maya feeding the duck in the giant pod.

All of the grounds were beautiful but the most memorable were the Children's Gardens. They had trails and tunnels for the kids to crawl through, a wobbly bridge, giant dinosaur eggs and animal scultputres. We even saw a (real) beautiful kereru.

We finally were able to get some photos of Trent awake while on one of our adventures.

Isn't he sweet? He really is a happy, smilely baby....even if he doesn't like to sit still or sleep in his bed.

Max and Maya enjoyed pretending like they were returning to the womb. :)

We have realized lately how much they really do like each other. When one of them are hungry they don't say-"I'm hungry", they say- "Max and Maya are hungry or Max and Maya want a treat". We are more likely to hear "Max and Maya want to go out to play" that we are to hear about anything singular that one of them wants. While there is noting easy about having two three year olds and a five month old baby, I do love how much Max and Maya play together. The get very involved in their imaginary play, exploring the back yard and pretending to be animal rescuers for hours. I'm glad they have each other.

wynyard quarter

2011-12-08T02:43:00.000-06:00

We picked up Lonnie at work a couple weeks ago and decided to stop off at Wynyard Quarter again. Max and Maya decided to take a dip in the fountain while Lonnie went to get fish and chips from the Fish Market.

They weren't fully nude, Maya had a hat on.

Afterwards we took a quick tour of The Fish Market.

rugby world cup

2011-12-05T23:55:00.003-06:00

On the day before the end of the Rugby World Cup we decided to brave the crowds and head down town. We even convinced Emma to come along with us, which was especially nice because we did a lot of walking and more importantly because we really enjoy her company. We took the bus from Takapuna, which might have been the highlight of the trip for the kids.

Standing outside "The Cloud"

There was an exhibition of kiwi ingenuity which included a display by Phil and Ted's. We put Trent in the newest stroller so I could take a photo to show Ann. Unfortunately neither I nor Emma could figure out how to unclip him. Thankfully he was small enough to still slip out.

I think this may be our first family photo of 5....although you can't really see Trent, at least you can see his hat.

After we left The Cloud we walked along the Viaduct over to Wynyard Quarter and stopped along the way to explore.

The new park at Wynard Quarter is pretty awesome. We all had a fun time playing even though I was worried we might lose Max and Maya in all the madness.

Nothing hotter than a baby carrying a baby. :)

tairua

2011-12-05T20:58:00.003-06:00

At the beginning of October we took a quick overnight trip to Tairua and stayed here The Gatehouse. There are so many nice guest houses to stay in here in New Zealand. Which makes travel a lot easier than staying in a hotel. We went for just one night, and Trent had a hard time sleeping so we left earlier the next day than we had expected, but the drive was beautiful and it was still nice to get away for a night.

We had a nice hike up to the top of Paku Mountain. Max and Maya have become good little hikers and Trent was happy to sleep in his Ergo pouch (have mentioned how much I LOVE this carrier? We would be lost without it.)

The camera battery died right after we took this photo of the kids with silly faces, at least it shows the great view.

more lately.....

2011-12-04T21:01:00.002-06:00

Spending time at the library with Emma (more about her later) and running into our friends Helen and Ella, who was born about a month before Trent.

Max and Maya love to read books, which makes me really happy. Max is especially interested in atlases these days.

We also took an impromptu trip to the Auckland Museum one morning when I needed to go into the city to pick something up. Trent was quite interested in the glass floor aquarium.

We have spent several afternoons at the park.

And, of course, stopped at the beach on the way home for a quick dip.

lately

2011-12-04T02:27:00.000-06:00

I finally admit my failure to blog due to lack of photos and Lonnie found a way to download pictures off our new camera. Thank you Lonnie! the new camera isn't as fancy as the one recently damaged by bubbles, but at least we are still documenting our lives, which will shortly be posted, because if it isn't blogged it didn't happen. Not downloading photos for over a month and then looking back has made me realize that we have been quite busy, even with a small baby. We go on a lot of adventures. I'm not sure how much of it Max and Maya will remember when they are older, but at least we will have the documentation to prove it.

Even when we are taking it easy we still spend three days a week at Playcentre. This photo is just a glimpse of the facilities.

And this is the view from our Playcentre....pretty freaking amazing.

trent-5 months

2011-12-03T19:25:00.000-06:00

The day Trent turned 5 months old he pulled his knees under and started to crawl. He still isn't very fast (thankfully) and sometimes moved backwards when he wants to go forwards but he is crawling. Max and Maya didn't start crawling until they were 10 months old. This little man has places to go and is never content unless he is discovering something new.

bayswater marina

2011-12-03T19:21:00.000-06:00

We took these photos about a month ago. We went on an evening picnic to Bayswater Marina. The sun was shinning and it was a perfect evening to get outside and enjoy the beautiful place we live. Max and Maya brought their bikes and rode up and down along the water after dinner. We even brought bubbles...which ended up spilling on the camera, causing it to break....meaning we haven't taken photos with it since.....so sad.

Thankfully my mom gave us her camera that she left here on her trip. So we do have photos of our rapidly growing baby boy, I just can't figure out how to download them yet. :)

where are your people?

2011-11-16T00:48:00.004-06:00

This afternoon as Max and Maya were getting out of the car Maya asked "Mom, where do the Max people come from".

I had to stop and think about what she was saying. Maya got her name from the Mayan people in Guatemala. She takes a lot of pride in knowing that about herself and if she hears anyone talking about Guatemala she will say"That is where the Maya people are from" or "That is where my people live".

It was actually a pretty good question. The Maya people are from Guatemala so where are the Max people from. I told her I just didn't know, then Max spoke up and said "The Maya people are from Guatemala, the Max people are from Texas".

Pretty clever kids.

milk

2011-10-29T01:17:00.000-06:00

Our sweet baby turned 4 months old this week. He is a great eater. Where Max and Maya would take 30-45 minutes to bottle feed expressed milk that took 30 minutes to pump (until they learned to breast feed at 3-4 months old), Trent drinks straight from the source and is done in 15 minutes or less. Even though Trent is fast, I spend a good portion of my time feeding him. Max and Maya have a lot of questions about breast feeding, and it ends up being a frequent topic of conversation and also pretend play.

Often at nap time, they will both find a doll or stuffed animal to nurse to sleep. A couple of weeks ago in church, Max was trying to breastfeed Maya's doll and loudly said, "Mom! I can't find my boobie!".

Since Trent was born, I have (almost) given up dairy. It seems to upset his stomach and gives him nasty diaper rash. When I feel like the desire to eat ice cream, I think of his poor red bottom and I usually am able to control myself.* So I drink boxed soy milk. Lonnie drinks whole milk, and Max and Maya drink powdered milk (just in an effort to save money). So everyone in our house has their own kind of milk: Lonnie - "blue" milk, Alisa - "box" milk, Max and Maya - "jug" milk, and Trent - breast milk.

Last week, we were checking out at the grocery store. Max and Maya were in the cart with Trent in the front carrier, when Max said rather loudly, "Mom, is that breast milk?".
To which I replied, "No, it is soy milk."
Getting louder, "But Mom, don't you drink breast milk?"
"No sweetie, I drink soy milk because regular milk upsets Trent's tummy."
Maya now even louder, "No Mom! You only drink breast milk because Trent only drinks breast milk!"
Me trying to quiet them both down, "Yes, this is special milk for mommy that won't upset Trent's tummy".

*Thankfully they don't sell Blue Bell Ice Cream in New Zealand. I practically lived off of it while I was nursing Max and Maya as I was convinced it converted directly to breast milk.

go the all blacks!

2011-10-16T02:20:00.000-06:00

Go The All Blacks!!!!

Did I mention that our Kiwi born, future rugby player is rolling over (both ways), holding his head up in a push up and trying to pull his legs under in a crawl.....at less than 4 months old!!! I am worried he will be crawling within the next two months. We need to start baby proofing. Slow down Little Man!

tane mahuta

2011-09-13T20:51:00.000-06:00

On our way back from Bay of Islands we drove along the Kauri coast. We wanted to drive through natives forests and especially wanted to see the giant kauri trees. We went on a couple of little hikes.

This tree bellow is called Tane Mahuta. It is the largest known living kauri tree. It is estimated to be between 1200-2500 years old.

Tane is the Maori god of the forest. According to Maori mythology Tane is the son of Ranginui, the sky father and Papatuanku, the earth mother. Tane was the child that tore apart his parent's embrace and then clothed his father with stars and his mother with the forest and birds. All living creatures are regarded as Tane's children. Tane is also Trent's middle name so we offered him up to the tree with whom he shares a name sake Lion King style.

kiwi culture

2011-09-10T04:24:00.000-06:00

New Zealand native pukekos make you think that Dr Seuss must have come here for inspiration. They have large orange beaks, blue and black feather and very large feet.

Max likes to chase them. This one would even chase him back once he out ran Max.

The kids had fun exploring a full scale Maori village, while Lonnie hung out in the car with sleeping Trent.

The Waitangi Treaty Grounds were beautiful. The cultural presentation was impressive and the kids were excited to see the Waka. Which was about when their patience ended. They could have done without the tour.

Cute Nana and Papa at Haruru Falls.

meat

2011-09-08T20:10:00.000-06:00

Max: "Mom, what is meat made out of?"
Mom: "Well, Max.....meat is made out of animals."
Max:"No! Meat is made out of popsicles!"

A couple hours later.....

Mom: "Max, what is meat made out of?"
Max"Meat is made out of chocolate."

A couple hours later....

Max:"Mom, we don't eat animals."
Mom:"Do we eat chickens?"
Max: "Yes, but they aren't animals. We eat dinner chickens and not animal chickens!"

parks

2011-09-07T14:50:00.000-06:00

The people with the loudest votes in our family are Max and Maya, and they love going to parks. The love even more going to parks with their Nana and Papa....

Mt. Victorica (Takarunga) and North Head......

sitting on mushrooms, exploring old barracks and caves, watching the sun set and enjoying the view.

Onepoto Domain, Northcote....
riding bikes, watching model sail boats, chasing pukekos, playing pirates.

Northboro Park, Belmont....

playing in the sand box, riding on the flying fox, going down the slide, riding bikes.

beaches

2011-09-05T20:39:00.000-06:00

We couldn't have my parents come all the way to New Zealand and not spend time at the beach

Pahia, Auckland......

Russell, Bay of Islands....
Yes, it was still much too cold for swimming but that didn't stop Max and Maya.

Tapeka Point, Bay of Islands.....
This lovely spot was just at the end of the road from where we stayed for five days in the Bay of Islands.

auckland whale cruise

2011-09-05T02:15:00.001-06:00

We just finished a two week visit from my parents. We went on lots of adventures and took a lot of photos. I will try and post them in the next couple of days.

The day after John and Cookie arrived we went on a Whale and Dolphin Cruise in the Auckland Harbour*. After a very cold week, we were nervous about the weather, but the sun came out, the skies were clear, and it was a glorious day. We couldn't have asked for a better introduction to New Zealand for John and Cookie. We saw lots of dolphins, and we were even lucky enough to see several whales. Max and Maya were great on the boat, except for the one time Max slipped past all of us and out onto the side of the boat just as it lurched almost sending him overboard. Trent slept happily in his baby carrier, played in his pram, and was passed around between the four adults.

*We even found half price tickets on GrabOne.

father's day interviews

2011-09-04T00:56:00.001-06:00

Today is Father's Day in New Zealand.

What is your name?: Max Mercer Elliott

What is your favorite color?: Blue, green, yellow and orange...those colors.

What is your favorite animal?: giraffes, lions, turtle, horseys.....and also I love trucks.

What do you like to do with your daddy?: Wrestle with him, play with him, play with his toys and his game.

What does your daddy look like?: Very big, tall, he does everything.......just that stuff.

What does daddy do at work?: He goes on boats.

How do you know that your dad loves you?: I like to laugh at him. We like to snuggle together.

What is your name?: Maya Catarina Mercer

How old are you?: Three years old.

What do you like to do?: I like to play at Playcentre with my friends: Isla, Austin, Carl and you too Mommy.

What is your favorite color?: Pink and red.

What is your favorite animal?: Zebras and no more.

What do you like to do with your daddy?: Play with him....play his game, go to the doctors, go to church. Sometimes I get really mad but I don't get mad at daddy.

What does your daddy look like?: Big...like this size (puts up hands). He has legs and a tummy and a head, a forehead and eyes.

How do you know your daddy loves you?: Because he does....cause he does. He gives bigs hugs. I can talk to him.

What does your daddy do for work?: He stays there. He eats his lunch. When he is done he comes down the stairs onto the path and he walks home. We don't even have to pick him up.

beautiful sleeping baby

2011-09-02T18:36:00.000-06:00

helicopter

2011-09-02T18:11:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, on a very cold day, the New Zealand Air Force landed a helicopter in a field and invited the locals to come and take a look. Max and Maya were thrilled. Trent slept through the whole thing.

family

2011-08-15T21:47:00.001-06:00

white

2011-08-15T21:42:00.000-06:00

baby burrito

2011-08-15T21:37:00.001-06:00

These two might be my favorite photos....but it is hard to chose.

newborn photos

2011-08-15T21:27:00.004-06:00

My wonderful photographer friend Zoe Sasulu, who also did my maternity photos, came over when Trent was about 10 days old to take newborn photos.

I'm already amazed at how much he has changed since she took these photos. He no longer has the peeling skin from being born 10 days over due. He also no longer has the white spots covering his nose that caused Maya to comment "He has a silly nose" when she first saw him. While he still has chubby cheeks some of the swelling from the birth has gone down. He has also gained more than 2lbs since we took the photos, which is quite a lot for a little guy. Trent seems to be growing up faster than Max and Maya ever did. Maybe it is because he started out much bigger and "older" than they did, or maybe it is because life is so busy that time passes more quickly, but I am glad that that these moments have been recored.

If you are looking for a newborn photographer in Auckland I highly recommend Zoe. She was patient and flexible with Trent's schedule. As a mother she also understood Trent's and my needs, taking breaks for nappy changes, breast feeding, and cuddles. You can find her website here: http://www.zoesasulu.com/

*Zoe had the photos ready a little while ago but I wasn't able to upload them to my blog because Max had put a coin into the disk drive of our computer. Like I said, life is busy these days.

sharing

2011-08-12T17:09:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure how I feel about this....

Get out of my space!!!!

Ok....you can stay.

half life....

2011-08-07T16:01:00.003-06:00

Trent today you are six weeks old,
Which is halfway to three months old, when you will not longer be considered a new born,
Which is halfway to six months old, when you will start eating solids,
Which is halfway to one year old, when you will probably be walking,
Which is halfway to two years old, when you will really start talking and conversing,
Which is halfway to 4 years old, when you will start learning to read and write,
Which is halfway to 8 years old, when you will be baptized,
Which is halfway to 16, when you will learn to drive and start to date,
Which is halfway to 32, the age I became a mother,
Which is halfway to 64, the age of your grandfather,
Which is halfway to dead.
Stop growing so fast.

birth story

2011-08-07T03:03:00.016-06:00

We want to record and share Trent's birth story, and Alisa and I discussed that it would probably be best for me to write it because most of the birth experience was a timeless blur for Alisa. She'll add some of her thoughts and feelings about the experience, but I'll lay out the chronology and progression. Of course, I am not giving a quick and clean version here (for better or worse), so be prepared to endure if you decide to read it.

Because Alisa and I have only experienced this twice, it's really easy to compare and contrast with the Maya/Max birth. The two experiences seem to only have one similarity...water breaking to really kick things off. With Maya and Max, it happened while Alisa was at a friend's baby shower, which I'm sure left a great memory for a bunch of baby-excited women. This time, the water release wasn't quite so dramatic, happening in the middle of the night at our home.

Early Sunday morning on 26th of June, Alisa woke up at about 1 AM. As she fell back asleep, she said she tried to visualize going into labor. She next woke after 3 AM to a warm gush, which she immediately recognized as water breaking (unlike last time when she thought she had peed her pants). She woke me right away, and we turned on the light to look at the water, which had a green tint and kept coming. With the evidence of meconium in the water, we texted our midwife, Sharon, who decided to come over for a check of the baby's heart rate.

By the time Sharon arrived around 3:45 AM, Alisa had begun to feel consistent contractions (maybe 2 every 10-15 minutes) but was not in "established labor". We discussed staying at our house for Alisa to labor at home until labor was established, but with 10 days past due date, meconium in the water, and the VBAC, we decided to prepare to head to the hospital. What was reassuring was that Sharon just discussed everything with us and was calm about the situation (she didn't even express much concern about the meconium). At that point, we called a friend (Christina) to come over and stay at the house while Maya and Max slept. Christina arrived very quickly, and we were off to the hospital, where Sharon had gone ahead to get things prepared for us.

We arrived at North Shore Hospital (10-15 minute drive from our house) sometime between 4:30 and 5 AM and were checked right into a labor and delivery room, which had a nice little view of Lake Pupuke and Rangitoto Island (not that Alisa spent much time looking out the window, but I appreciated it). At this point, contractions were more consistent and stronger, and Alisa was starting to feel bothered by the effects.

Before we get further into the story, I want to explain a bit about the hospital staff and procedures. Sharon was in the room with us through the entire labor. Of course, she would step out to get supplies, equipment, or assistance from others from time to time, but she was basically in the room a huge majority of the time. While Sharon was our midwife and who we discussed and developed the birth plan (which was only verbal this time, whereas with Maya and Max it was a detailed written plan), the hospital had a "midwife-in-charge". I don't know exactly the organizational structure, but it seemed like Sharon mostly received support and advice from the midwife-in-charge, who came into the room maybe once every 1-2 hours and then during key phases. Beyond the midwife-in-charge, any significant concerns would be raised to an obstetrician, who we only saw once early in the labor and once after it was all over.

Due to the VBAC, a few procedures were implemented that Alisa would have preferred to avoid. The first was that they set up an IV port on her hand in case it was needed at some point during labor. This was a pretty minor inconvenience and actually proved useful later, but it's important to note that we have been told it's not standard procedure to do this in NZ where it is standard at many hospitals in the US. The other procedure was that they required continuous fetal heart monitoring, which again is not required for a normal vaginal delivery in NZ but was required for Alisa due to the VBAC. The trouble with the fetal heart monitoring was that Alisa wanted to move around the room, especially during the first few hours. At first, she was connected to wired monitoring equipment, but then Sharon was able to sort out wireless equipment so Alisa could move around. Even with the wireless equipment, we had some difficulty keeping the monitors in place. When Alisa would have a contraction come on, the monitors would sometimes get moved around to where they weren't picking up signals. I wasn't really concerned about it because baby's heart rate never seemed to get off. Sometime within the first couple of hours at the hospital, an OB came into the room to check on the progress of labor and expressed concern that the monitoring signals were dropping out during the contractions. So Sharon gave me instructions to help keep the monitors in place during the contractions. Sharon explained that we needed the monitoring data to have proof that baby was fine so that the midwife-in-charge and/or OB wouldn't suggest interventions that we hoped to avoid. Eventually, the external fetal heart monitor just wasn't working well enough, and Sharon (I think at the prodding of the midwife-in-charge) decided to put an internal fetal heart monitor, which was an electrode stuck to baby's head.

Now back to Alisa and baby...between 5 and 7 AM, contractions continued to get stronger and closer. Alisa was still coping fine but also was wondering if she was ready. At some point, she had the feeling of needing to escape, and she whispered to me a few times that she "had to get out". By 7 AM, Sharon did the first check for cervical dilation, and Alisa was at a 4-5, which is only marginally more dilated than she had been a few days earlier. To some extent, Alisa may have been hoping to be further dilated at that point, considering the intensity of the contractions, but she didn't waiver from the plan. Sharon was happy with the progression of labor and said that she would plan another exam at 10 AM.

Over the next couple hours, Alisa got into a good zone. In preparation for the births of Maya and Max, she had read about hypnobirthing and practiced various relaxation techniques. With this pregnancy, she again practiced the meditation and relaxation methods, and it was during this part of labor that it paid off. Alisa made some movements around the room, but for a long period, she just sat with eyes closed in a "lazy boy" chair and focused through the contractions. We used one of her Mayan textiles from Guatemala to wrap around her lower back which I held onto creating counter-pressure for the contractions.

Photo of Trent wrapped in the Mayan fabric we used for counter-pressure during labor

During this time, Alisa decided to use nitrous oxide (laughing gas), which is used fairly often in NZ. Sharon coached Alisa on how to use the gas by breathing it in from when a contraction first started to when it ended. Alisa had to get used to breathing the gas (and at times she would forget to breath when the contractions peaked), but it seemed to be a useful way to "dizzy" her mind away from the pain.

By 9 AM, the contractions were getting very intense, and Sharon decided to do another exam at 9:30 AM. Sharon indicated that Alisa was nearly fully dilated but had a lip on one portion of the cervix. Sharon also said that Alisa was now going to want to push but that she needed to wait until the lip was gone. For the next 45-60 minutes, Alisa endured through intense contractions and tried to stave off any pushing, which she really wanted to do. I know hypnobirthing philosophy says that contractions are "surges" and labor pain is "discomfort", but this stage of labor was brutal. Toward the end, Alisa was intensely feeling the pain, and Sharon then gave her a hit of pethidine through the IV that had been set up. The pethidine seemed to calm Alisa down enough that she made it through the last bit, and by 10:30 AM, she was fully dilated and ready to push baby out.

At this point, I kind of felt like everything was going just right (of course, I wasn't doing any of the serious work), even after the intense period of the transition phase. When she first started pushing, I think Alisa was still recovering mentally/emotionally from the extreme pain of the previous hour and was showing some fear of pushing. Initially, Sharon and the midwife-in-charge were on each side of Alisa with Alisa's feet positioned on their hips, and they were both coaching her on how to push. Eventually, the midwife-in-charge dropped out (which actually helped because she was kind of high stress anyway and that wasn't helping), and I got closer to the action by taking Alisa's leg. This was Alisa's first time pushing, so Sharon did a great job of getting Alisa's focus back by coaching her through the pushing. Bit by bit, Alisa got more effective in her efforts, and baby's head came closer and closer with each contraction. Alisa was wondering if she was making any progress, but I could see it happening and was able to reassure her that she was working well. From my perspective, it was amazing and awesome to watch, especially in contrast to the surgery of the C-section on the last go.

Alisa had been pushing for over an hour when Sharon and the midwife-in-charge decided that Alisa needed an episiotomy to help get the big boy out. The episiotomy wasn't in the plan, but Sharon asked or suggested to Alisa that they do it. I was surprised when Alisa said yes so quickly, but of course she had been going through hell anyway so she would agree to anything. Sharon left the room to get supplies and the midwife-in-charge to assist, and I sat there debating how much resistance I should give. Alisa agreed to it, but to me it seemed unnecessary at that point. When the midwifes came into the room, I asked a question or two about why they were doing it, but I didn't push back too much. In retrospect, I wish I would have asked them to delay a bit. A couple weeks after the delivery, we talked with Sharon, who said that she wanted to wait a bit longer to calm Alisa down and explain how it was going to happen but that the midwife-in-charge was pushing for the episiotomy. Sharon still felt the episiotomy was needed, but she felt that she could have better prepared Alisa for it if the midwife-in-charge was more patient.

Back to the story, they prepared to administer local anesthesia to the perineum prior to doing the episiotomy, and I was surprised that they went to give the shot during a contraction. Initially, Sharon had the needle in her hand, but she hesitated for a moment and the midwife-in-charge took the needle and gave the shot. Alisa wasn't really ready for it, and it threw her for a loop. By the next contraction, they were ready to do the episiotomy. When the contraction hit, Sharon took the scissors and did the deed. This was an intense episode, as Alisa was really worked up. While I was generally feeling positive and calm throughout the labor, this was the point that I just couldn't watch. I saw the first bit and then turned away because I felt guilty that I hadn't suggested avoidance of the episiotomy because I felt terribly, horribly bad for Alisa. Fortunately, the intensity of the moment passed, and Alisa was relatively calm pretty quickly.

When the pushing started again, the moment soon came that I think is what I will remember most from the experience...baby's head coming out!! I can't really describe the feelings of seeing baby's chubby cheeks, closed eyes, and head that had gone through the twisty canal of wonder sitting almost peacefully on Alisa. He was on his way out, and the way he was coming out seemed so incredibly amazing and beautiful, even though parts of the process were extremely intense. To contrast with Maya and Max, my first thought in seeing them was how skinny and alien they looked, and with Trent, it was definitely how chubby his cheeks were.

It seemed like a long time that his head was out but the rest of his body were still inside, but I think it was only in between contractions that he sat there. On the contraction, Alisa gave a good push, and Sharon seemed to wrestle baby out. I was kind of amazed at how much force Sharon tugged on the little guy (later she said that she was worried about his big shoulders getting through). As baby floated out, I was taken by the emotion of it (which surprised me a bit), and I stepped away from the bed (from just prior to the transition phase through the rest of the birth, Alisa was on the bed, where she felt most comfortable). Honestly, the part after the birth is a bit of a blur to me because I was so joyful and amazed by the birth. Sharon and the midwife-in-charge put baby onto Alisa pretty quickly, and I cut the cord, which I was never really keen to do but I wasn't going to say "no" after having watched what Alisa did. Alisa was able to begin breastfeeding right away. Trent was born just after 12 PM.

After the birth, everything was pretty calm. Baby was good, and the midwifes were not at all concerned about him. Sharon went about checking on Alisa and saw that, besides the episiotomy, Alisa tore in another spot. Sharon realised that she needed an OB to come have a look at the tear, which ended up needing some extra care. Somewhere between 1:30 and 2:00 PM, they came to take Alisa off to theatre (which is what they call the operating room) to get stitched up. The irony of the episiotomy and tearing is that Alisa ended up getting an epidural to get stitched, while she went through the entire labor without it.

While I would have much preferred that Alisa not needed the follow up visit to theatre, I took advantage of the bonding time with Trent. I think Alisa was gone for almost 2 hours, and I was able to hold a peaceful little guy for most of that time. It was a major contrast to Maya and Max because they were whisked away from the operating room straight to the NICU. In fact, I probably held Trent for more time in his first 3 hours of life than I was able to hold Maya and Max for the first 3-4 days of their lives. I also was left alone for most of that time, with Sharon occasionally checking in. It was a sweet time for me, although I was concerned for Alisa and I was relieved when she made it out of theatre fine.

Looking back, the labor and birth experience quickly became uplifting and unifying for Alisa and me. I was very excited about the entire process (other than the episiotomy). I was thrilled that Alisa got to experience something that she so much desired and that she persevered through the intensity of it all. It pushed her beyond where she thought she could go, and she came out of it. I received a greater appreciation for Alisa's strength and sacrifice by witnessing and experiencing the labor process and progression.

family snuggle time

2011-07-26T23:02:00.000-06:00

first conversation of the morning..

2011-07-26T22:49:00.001-06:00

Max: "Mom, we can't find the pink bowls!"
Maya: "They are in America."
Max: "There ARE cats in America."

bucket bath

2011-07-26T22:40:00.001-06:00

Why yes, that is a smile on my face. :) I love my bucket bath.

new zealand maternity care

2011-07-22T14:49:00.001-06:00

Sharon undressing Trent for a weight check at our home.

I have been very impressed with maternity care in New Zealand.

All midwifery care is provided free of charge (as long as you qualify for government health services, which we do with 2 1/2 year work visas). There are charges if you decide to deliver with an obstetrician, unless you are referred by your midwife for a high risk pregnancy. Standard midwifery care includes pre-natal visits, home, hospital or birth centre delivery, and six weeks of post-natal visits. After six weeks, the mother and baby are transferred to a community health nurse who also does home visits to discuss any concerns about development, including checking weight and height. She may also recommend other community based resources.

We were able to choose our midwife, and we chose a wonderful woman named Sharon Down. I had gotten to know Sharon in our ward (church congregation). The first time I met Sharon, she was teaching a lesson in Relief Society. I learned she was a midwife, and I introduced myself after the lesson. I mentioned to her that I hoped we would have another baby sometime soon. When she told me to go home and seduce my husband, I knew I wanted her to be my friend. She was almost as thrilled as we were when I told her I was pregnant. Because she lives just around the corner from us, Sharon was kind enough to do all of our visits at my home. I never have to wrestle my kids in a waiting room or schedule a babysitter. Max and Maya loved being part of the pre-natal visits. While Sharon would examine my baby bump, the kids would sit close by and "help". During the delivery, Sharon was just what I needed. She was with me the whole time. She let me set the mood, stepped aside when I needed quiet, and took charge when I needed direction. It has also been wonderful to have her visits after we came home from the hospital.

Another of the benefits of having a baby in New Zealand is that I felt no pressure to have another c-section, which was the delivery method with Max and Maya. In fact, I was encouraged to have a VBAC. I wasn't considered weird and alternative for wanting a natural delivery. Also, although I was 10 days past my due date, I was not pushed to artificially induce my labor.

We are so glad to have a New Zealand made baby.

snow ball

2011-07-21T16:43:00.002-06:00

It has been cold an wet lately, cold and wet. Last Tuesday the sun came out and we decided to take a walk over to the local park. I was worried that Trent might get too cold so I put him in this snuggly suit before putting him in the buggy. We all thought he looked so cute, Maya wanted a photo with him.

Our sweet Trent is growing well. He is now 4.75 kg (10.5 lbs), most of that weight is in his yummy cheeks. :)

We had a long stressful week #3 (also Lonnie's first week back at work). While Trent was eating very well, every time I put him down after feeding he would scream and cry....fall asleep for 10min and then wake up crying again. He was spiting up a lot which would then cause his nose to get plugged up, making it hard for him to eat. I was worried that having one fussy baby would be just as hard as having two premie twins* (at least they would sleep because they were always so tired).

I gave up dairy (very difficult for this ice cream, milk and cheese loving girl), took Trent to see a cranial osteopath (on the recommendation of our midwife and several friends). I also tried giving him gripe water and Rhuger....nothing seemed to work. Trent and I were both worn out and tired....and we cried a lot.

Thankfully our wonderful midwife, Sharon, finally figured out that he might be suffering from a fast let down and oversupply. She told me to feed him on just one side rather than both. It worked. Our sweet and happy little baby was back. Of corse he still has his fussy times, especially in the evenings, but he is now also able to enjoy time talking to his brother and sister, sitting in his swing, laying on the floor stretching his legs and strengthening his already amazingly strong neck (which he has been able to hold up on his own since birth).

It is funny to me that something so simple would cause so much grief. You would think that I would have know to only feed him on one side, but having twins taught me to try and get your baby to eat as much as possible at every feeding. I also only had one side available for each baby each time.

Maya is a very proud big sister.

*There is actually nothing harder than premature twins, who take three months to learn how to breastfeed.

name

2011-07-06T02:39:00.004-06:00

We have finally chosen a name. Trent Tāne Mercer.

Trent is Lonnie's middle name....or at least it was until we got married. When we were married, I wanted Lonnie and I to have the same surname, but I also had a hard time losing my maiden name, so I kept it, replacing my middle name. In a show of solidarity and understanding (or coercion, depending upon your point of view), Lonnie also changed his middle name to my maiden name. Trent has found a home again with our wee little man. Additionally, the name Trent refers to the River Trent in England. One branch of my family on my father's side are from this area.

Tāne (pronounced Taah-nay) is a Māori name. Having been born in New Zealand, we wanted part of his name to connect here. Tāne is the Maori god of the forest (and when you see New Zealand, you understand how amazing the forests are). He was part of the Maori creation myth pushing apart his parents, Mother Earth and Father Sky.

As we considered various names, Lonnie and I joked that we were floating name ideas around like we were considering a run for political office. We threw around various names throughout the pregnancy, discussed them with a lot of people, and even had a couple polls on this blog. It's an interesting process to go about naming a child...obviously a name becomes a huge part of identity. We definitely appreciated hearing everyone's thoughts, opinions, and votes on the blog polls, and in some way all of it helped us. In the end, we tested the name out for a couple of days before making a definite decision. It seems to fit him well.

video from the hospital

2011-07-05T17:46:00.007-06:00

Lonnie took this video the day our little guy was born.

I think I sound pretty worn out, but it had been a very long day. :)

Click on the Youtube link to show in larger format.

Photos of boy

2011-06-26T21:59:00.000-06:00

"Mr Chub" has arrived

2011-06-26T04:47:00.004-06:00

Our yet-to-be-named newborn boy has arrived, and both he and Alisa are well. He was born at just after 12:00 PM (Auckland time) on June 26. He is showing every bit of spending 9 days beyond his due date by weighing in at 9 lb 6 oz. His birth weight is 1 lb more than the combined birth weights of Maya and Max. With his chub, I think he truly deserves a name like Tyrone, but I'm still fighting an uphill battle on that one.

We'll share more details later, but I thought I'd include a few things about the birth story. It started with Alisa's water breaking at 3:30 AM and continued with labor steadily progressing until late morning. With the support of a wonderful midwife, Alisa stuck with her birth plan (e.g., minimal interventions, vaginal birth, baby placed to breastfeed straight away after birth). I'm still struggling to find the words to describe the feelings, thoughts, and emotions that I had during the birth...but encouraged, concerned, hopeful, apprehensive, shaken, amazed, and overjoyed are some of them.

I left the camera with photos at the hospital with Alisa and baby, but I'll post some photos tomorrow.

-Lonnie

water

2011-06-25T10:34:00.000-06:00

It is pouring rain outside and my waters just broke. Off to the hospital :)

scan

2011-06-22T23:20:00.000-06:00

I had another ultrasounds scan today. Baby is doing well. Lots of movement. Plenty of amniotic fluid. Looks like he is going to be a big one. The sonographer estimated he would weigh 10 lbs +/- 24 oz. That is quite a range, but still means he is going to be a nice chubby baby. :)

still no baby..

2011-06-22T13:55:00.002-06:00

But waiting patiently.

i love my house, i love my nest, in all the world my nest is best....

2011-06-22T00:28:00.002-06:00

...just ask the little guy in my nest. He isn't interested in coming out.

Yesterday, in New Zealand, it was my birthday. If the little guy had been born on June21st, in New Zealand, he would have been born on Winter Solstics. I was born on June 21st in New York, I was born on Summer Solstice. While the novelty of sharing a birthday would probably wear off, it would have been pretty cool to have been born on the same day on opposite sides of the world. We didn't plan anything for my birthday because we thought we would be at home gazing lovingly at our new little boy. But some kind friends stopped by for visits, which made the day special.

Even with exact same estimated due date it looks like Max and Maya and our Lil' Slugger (with the way he likes to punch me in the gut I think this might end up being his actual name) will be born at least a month and a half apart. Amazing. When I was pregnant with the twins I was diagnosed with cervical incompetence and was given a cervical cerclage. It seems pretty funny now that I am "over due". Who is incompetent now, huh?

I finally had some extended nesting instincts kick in yesterday (not that I haven't made previous attempts, that have promptly been un-nested by a loving brother and sister who also wanted to help). I packed my hospital bag. With the help of a friend I finally installed the infant car seat. Then I cleaned out the closet in the baby's room...which hadn't been organized since we moved in and I tore the ligaments in my ankle.

***************************************************************************

Update:

I meet with my midwife, Sharon, this morning and she said that I am dilated to 4cm. Great news given that I haven't really felt much pain. I went with the kids to Playcentre today, helped out some but not a lot. It was nice to keep occupied and not have to entertain the kids. Hoping for a peaceful delivery.

belly painting

2011-06-19T21:38:00.001-06:00

On my EDD at Playcentre I decided to celebrate being full-term by letting the kids paint my belly. I had seen some pretty interesting photos of pregnancy belly paint. This painting turned out a big different, combining the artistic talents of ten kids, who especially liked to stick their little paint brushes into my belly button. The painting started out with just Max and Maya but soon involved almost all of the kids at Playcentre that day.

I was enjoying the belly painting more that it looks on my face in this photo. :)

EDD

2011-06-16T14:37:00.001-06:00

If you look at the ticker on the right hand side of this blog you will notice that as of today I am 40 weeks pregnant. Today is June 17th my Estimated Due Date (EDD). As a matter of fact all three of my children were given the Estimated Due Date (EDD) of June 17th.

Had they gone full term, Max and Maya would have been born on June 17th. But three years and five weeks ago Max and Maya were born five weeks early on May 14th. This is what they looked like five weeks after they were born.

Today is our newest little baby's EDD and I am wondering if he will decide to come today. I have already been pregnant with him 35 days longer than I was with Max and Maya.

Not that I am complaining. While I am heavy, large and awkward, I'm very glad this baby is full term. It was hard having 4 lbs new born babies. I am hoping that this one is a bit easier because not only will I have only one baby, but he will come out strong and chubby.

Lonnie says that the baby is waiting for me to agree to name him Tyrone. If that is the case you can expect me to still be pregnant next year at this time.

what's in a name?

2011-06-09T14:43:00.001-06:00

39 weeks....wow! I still can't believe that this new baby's birth is going to happen soon.

We still haven't settled on a name, although Max and Maya have. Max wants to name the baby Giraffe and Maya wants the baby to be named Rex. While we are more likely to go with Maya than Max on this issue, we still aren't convinced. Lonnie is still sticking with Tyrone, but I'm just not feeling it.

We had though we could wait until after the baby was born, take our time, maybe even a week or so, until I called immigration to find out what we needed to do to get the baby health benefits. I was told that technically the baby wouldn't be legal here in New Zealand until he has a visa....which he can't have until he has a passport, which we can't get until we have a photo and a name. The immigration officer I talked with on the phone kindly said "But its not like we will deport him or anything". Yeah, thanks.

So Lonnie has posted another poll. This time there are names that we both like....but we won't tell you which ones. But we are interested in your opinion. So vote in the poll and leave us a comment....maybe even other options, just let us know what you think.

blame it on the nudists

2011-06-05T16:20:00.004-06:00

When Lonnie and I were engaged, we bought our first house, which is on Hyland Lake Drive in Murray, Utah. It was a lovely old four bedroom house. It was a great place for us to start our marriage and our family.

The house had some strange quirks, including a serious infestation of box elder bugs, a yard that needed serious work (which we never really addressed), and a shallow well (which entertained Lonnie but we didn't ever use). But the most obvious quirk in the house were the floor-to-ceiling mirrors in the front room and in the kitchen (unfortunately, we don't have any of our own photos of the house to show here because we lost them after moving to Houston. I found the photo above on the internet). The mirrors provided endless entertainment for our nieces and nephews, who loved to look at themselves while eating at the kitchen table and performing in the front room.

Shortly after moving into the house and meeting the neighbors, we started hearing bits and pieces about the people that had lived there before us. According to the neighbors, the prior owners were nudists. We had this confirmed when we found out that they had sold the house and moved to a nudist colony. They must have been high self-esteem nudists with all the full-length mirrors in the house.

Max and Maya never lived in this house. We moved to Texas before they were born and since then we have moved to Auckland and lived in two different homes. But our house on Hyland Lake Drive was where our family began, and it will always have a special place in my heart as our first home. It wasn't until the last couple of weeks that the residual effects of our family living in a nudist home started to show. No, don't worry, Lonnie and I aren't going to run off to a nudist colony. Maya loves to wear clothes, but Max loves to be naked. Once he is naked, getting him dressed is a huge struggle. He runs away, hides, and does anything he can to stay naked. He walks around the house naked. He runs outside naked. He even climbs trees naked. After we put him to bed, we will go down to check on the kids only to find Max completely naked asleep in his bed.

I can't imagine this has anything whatsoever to do with my parenting or anything to do with the therapy-inducing stress of potty-training....so I'm just going to blame it on the nudists.

the vic

2011-05-31T03:07:00.002-06:00

The kids and I went on another fun Playcentre trip today. We toured The Victoria Picture Palace and Theater. The Vic was built in 1912 and is the earliest purpose built cinema still in existence in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also located just a block from our Playcentre. When we first moved to the Devonport area the theater hadn't been in use for quite some time, but it was recently reopened and is becoming a vibrant part of the community. One of our Playcentre moms works at the theater and arranged for us to tour the theater, use the stage and then watch previews for some up coming kids movies.

Maya was pretty excited about being on stage in a yellow princess dress. She twirled and sang and didn't take the dress off until it was time to go.

Max was more interested in playing music. He loves strumming on the ukulele while tapping his foot.

I kind of love Max's shy face in this photo.

Marisa, sitting next to Max, is due two weeks after me.

After exploring the theater and putting on a show we had morning tea (which doesn't actually involve tea but is nevertheless always called morning tea) at the cafe. Max liked watching all the cars drive by the window.

We left The Vic so they could have a few minutes to prepare for the morning show and headed down to the library.

Max and Maya talk a lot about how things are going to be when "my baby" arrives. Usually the discussions start with...."When your baby pops out....". Max says that he wants his brother to sleep in his bed. Maya wants to help feed him. Maya has also been a little more emotional than normal. Yesterday she cried for quite some time when I wouldn't "carry her like a baby".

On Friday I will be 38 weeks pregnant, three weeks longer than I was pregnant with Max and Maya. For the most part I am feeling alright, but I am tired, emotional and physically awkward (maybe I have always been this way). On my last two ultrasound scans the technician told me that I was measuring in the 90th percentile. Considering that Max and Maya didn't even make the charts until they were about 9 months old, I'm happy to have a big healthy baby. I'm glad that this little guy is staying put in the oven until he is fully cooked. I told myself that I would never complain about being pregnant to long. It is nice to get the the stage where I don't have to think about making sure I don't go into labor and only thinking about when it will come. I'm looking forward to the experience.

maternity photos

2011-05-29T16:36:00.001-06:00

My friend Zoe is a wonderful photographer and kindly asked me if I would like to take some maternity photos. When I was pregnant with the twins we did a pretty good job of keeping up the photo documentation. This time around it has been a lot harder to due to the fact that I am chasing around two crazy kids all day long and by the time Lonnie gets home from work I am in no state to be photographed.

We took these photos on Max and Maya's birthday. I am exactly as pregnant as I was the day they were born. I was very impressed that Zoe was able to get so many great shots as Max and Maya had a busy morning and nap times were disturbed by partying and eating cake for lunch. If only we had been able to convince Lonnie, who isn't a fan of getting his photo taken, to be part of the photos. He has agreed to hire Zoe to take our family photo after the baby is born.

If anyone is looking for a photographer in New Zealand I would highly recommend Zoe, she was able to catch some great moments, even with the chaos of the day....http://www.zoesasulu.com/

Thank you Zoe!

love/hate relationship

2011-05-24T20:25:00.001-06:00

Max and Maya were climbing in our backyard tree. Max got frustrated and bit Maya. After Max had a short time-out, I told them they needed a quiet activity and we decided to watch a movie. Maya was still a little upset and said "I need someone to snuggle with me.....Max will you snuggle with me?".

marae visit

2011-05-19T21:12:00.005-06:00

Our Playcentre group was able to visit the marae on the navy base here in Devonport (link). We have seen the outside of many beautiful maraes here in New Zealand, but we had never gone inside one, except one at the Auckland Museum, until today. Before entering, we waited outside the entry of the grounds and were introduced. We were then called in with a lovely song. All of the introduction and welcoming were given in Maori. I think I understood about 15 words of the entire 15 mins, but I am pretty sure I wasn't the only one who was just listening to the cadence of the voices. Most Kiwis I know here in New Zealand don't speak a lot of Maori, but thankfully the language is making a resurgence. Teaching young children about Maori culture and language is a large part of the movement.

After we were welcomed, we all sang a Maori song in response.


Pakipaki, pakipaki, tamariki ma(x2) Kanikani, kanikani, tamariki ma (2) Rere, rere, rere, rere, tamariki ma(x2) Peke, peke, peke, peke, tamariki ma (x2) Hurihuri, hurihuri, tamariki ma (x2) Hikoi, hikoi, hikoi, hikoi, tamariki ma(x2) Oma, oma, oma, oma, tamariki ma (x2) Titiro, titiro, tamariki ma (x2) E moe, e moe, tamariki ma (x2 ) Pakipaki, pakipaki, tamariki ma (x2)	Clap, clap children. Dance Fly Jump Turn March Run Look Sleep Clap

Max and Maya didn't know all the words, but they know a lot of them and they like to sing this song at home. They are both learning a little bit of Maori from Playcentre and watching New Zealand made kids shows. The other day, Maya used the Maori word for hands (ringaringa) without prompting. They also know several other words too. Max's favorite books right now is "The Waka" and he will often repeat the phrase Haere mai ki te waka (Come on to the waka) while talking about several animals that are endemic to New Zealand.

The marae that we visited is located next to the Navy practice fields, which are adjacent to a beautiful estuary. Max was a little disappointed that he wasn't able to see a waka there as he assumed that this was what the New Zealand Navy would use.

We were told stories about the people depicted in statues around the marae.

The kids tried to act out some of the stories that were being told.

This photo makes it looks like Max stood quietly listening to the stories. In truth, while the stories interested him for a little while, he was also much more interested in running around (as were a lot of the kids). I ended up spending a lot of the time trying keep my kids quiet and then trying not to lose them.

More about visiting a marae: http://ethniccommunities.wainet.org/nz_maori_4.htm

3rd birthday

2011-05-19T20:40:00.002-06:00

Max and Maya celebrated their third birthday last week. On Friday, we brought ice cream cone cupcakes to Playcentre to share with their friends. I brought along the camera to take photos of the event but forgot to check if the sim card was in place (it wasn't). So you will just have to trust me that they shared cupcakes with 15 of their friends.

Friday night, the kids helped me make pizza dough.

Then Saturday morning, the festivities continued. We invited some friends over for pizza, cake and ice cream. We decided against a big party with lots of 3 year olds. I didn't think I would have had the energy to pull it off, and we knew Max and Maya would be just as thrilled with grown-ups and older kids giving them lots of attention. The benefit for Lonnie and I is that we got to talk with friends without having to watch the kids closely.

We sang Happy Birthday to both the kids individually, so they each got their special moment. They shared a cake with their favorite animal on each side, a zebra for Maya and a giraffe for Max.

They both were able to blow out three candles on their side of the cake.

I am loving being the mom of 3 year olds. Max and Maya love to play together. Their imagination keeps them running around and entertained, pretending to be dogs, ponies, Care Bears or members of their own little family. They also love to dance and sing and will often ask for an audience to come and enjoy the show. They watch out for each other and I find them hugging or wrestling, or a combination of the both, often. They love to talk and if given the opportunity will stay up for hours in their room at night talking to each other....I can't imagine what they have to say after spending all their time together throughout the day.

the new place

2011-05-04T15:04:00.002-06:00

While we miss our old neighborhood and Lonnie misses riding the ferry to work in the morning (he now takes the bus), we are loving the extra space in our new home. Not only did we gain an extra bedroom (which will be used by the new baby) but we also gained a front room/dinning room and a small play room outside of Max and Maya's room. I love that when I put the kids to bed there aren't any toys in their room for them to play with (except for the ones that the kids have secretly stashed under their beds).

belly shot

2011-04-26T01:43:00.002-06:00

I realized a couple days ago that I didn't have any official belly shots of this pregnancy. When Lonnie came home from work I asked him to take a photo. He asked if I wanted to get a little bit more glossed up. While a little bit of make-up and running a brush through my hair might have made for a prettier picture these photos are closer to real life. They were taken at the end of a long day of playing with two energetic, creative, emotional and wonderful kids. I should remember to take some photos on Sunday, the only day of the week that I usually manage to get at least a little glossed up (put on mascara and brush my hair). :)

By the way...we still haven't settled on a name for our new little guy and we are taking suggestions.

humidity is good for my curls

2011-04-25T23:43:00.001-06:00

30 weeks

2011-04-13T16:51:00.002-06:00

I am 30 weeks pregnant this week. Three years ago at the exact same time, on the other side of the hemisphere I was also 30 weeks pregnant. Our newest little one is due on exactly the same day that Max and Maya were due. Of course, Max and Maya came five weeks early. We are hoping to avoid that this time around. You won't hear me complaining about being overdue (at least I hope not). I want a fully cooked baby this time. I want one that comes out and starts breastfeeding from the start (5 hours a day of pumping for four months was not easy) and comes straight home skipping any NICU time. I am also hoping that baby#3 will weigh almost as much as Max and Maya combined 8 lbs 6 oz.

It is hard to believe that I am already in my third trimester, let alone 10 short weeks from having a new baby. Despite chasing around and potty training two toddlers who can out run me due to my wobbly ankle this pregnancy has been so much easier than my first. I still have a weak stomach and will occasionally lose my lunch, but it is nothing compared to my twin pregnancy. I don't have gestational diabetes this time and I feel better in general.

Aside from my health my feelings are quite different also. With my first pregnancy I was excited to become a mother. I'm not sure exactly what I expected motherhood to be but I wanted to dress the kids in cute clothes, change diapers, breastfeed, baby wear (didn't quite happen with twins and and exhausted mother). I wanted to go to play groups and participate in mommy-conversations.

This time around I'm more interested in finding out about this little guy's personality. What will he add to our family? How will he chance the balance that we have created? More than thinking about a new baby I am looking forward to meeting this new person who will be part of our family. I also hope that I will be better equipped to deal with the long weeks (I'm hoping not months) of sleep deprivation, knowing this time around that it will come to an end eventually. I have some fear that I will feel that desperation again this time around but I hopeful that I will be able to better cope with new motherhood better this second time around.

Motherhood didn't start out quite the way I imagined. Max and Maya were born via c-section at 35 weeks. They were only about 4lbs each. It took months of determination and stubbornness before they would learn to breastfeed and I could leave the house for more than a 10 walk around the neighborhood. I was exhausted and felt desperation sinking in until finally I was able to regularly get good night's sleep, almost eight months after they were born. But eventually I found joy in being a mother and I feel like that increases the more I get to know my kids.

Max and Maya are excited about having a new brother. They like to talk to my belly. They ask a lot of questions about when the baby will come out, what he will eat and where he will sleep. They are also both spending a lot of time these pretending to be parents to their dolls and toys.

I think we are all excited to have another member of our family.

feijoas

2011-04-11T22:28:00.000-06:00

I've been a blogging slacker lately. Please forgive the silence. We are doing well and hanging on to warm days of Fall while our friends in the north are hoping for Spring to start the defrost.

We are settled into our new house. I keep meaning to take photos but I can't seem to keep the house clean long enough for blog photos.

One thing the kids and I are really enjoying about our new house is a large feijoa tree that is bearing a lot of fruit. I'd never heard of feijoas before moving to New Zealand. The fruit is related to the guava and tastes like a mixture of guava and pineapple. We have enjoyed eating them and sharing them with friends and neighbors.

Max and Maya sitting on the back deck with the Feijoa tree in the background on the left.

Please excuse the partial nudity. We are still working toilet training and spending time in the nude seems to help. :)

visitors and torn ligaments

2011-03-24T02:53:00.001-06:00

Alisa mentioned in a recent post that we just had family visitors. This was actually our second visit from family members since we moved to New Zealand. The first visit was a quick overnight stay by my aunt and uncle, Vicki and Jerry, who had planned a trip to Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand even before we had moved here. So our visit from Vicki and Jerry was sweet but short as they had accommodation planned in places other than Auckland.

Last month's visit was from Lucky, one of my brothers, who had been planning for some time to come visit us and see New Zealand. At the last minute, he was joined by Tiffany (one of my many cousins), who is a flight attendant and flew here stand by.

When Lucky made his plans to come, we planned a trip to see some sights around the North Island. We went to the Coromandel Peninsula, which is a beautiful coastal area about 2-3 hours from Auckland. The Coromandel has beautiful beaches and a forested coastal mountain range. We enjoyed a couple nights in Whitianga, where we went to Hot Water Beach, which has a hot spring that flows out of the beach right in the surf. We also did a glass bottom boat tour, which took us to Cathedral Cove (filming location in one of the Chronicles of Narnia movies). We also got in a quick snorkel and looked at the marine life through the bottom of the boat.

After the Coromandel, we moved on for a night near Rotorua. In Rotorua, we enjoyed doing "The Luge", which involves taking a gondola ride up a mountain and carting down a concrete track. We enjoyed some hot mineral pools, and we also kayaked on Lake Tarawera.

The next destination was Lake Taupo. We had just arrived at our holiday home (bach) when trouble happened. We had been working on potty training for a few weeks before the trip, and the kids had actually been doing very well on the trip. But we arrived at this house, and Alisa went to find Max, who was on a spiral staircase and had peed his pants. Alisa can't remember exactly how it occurred, but she picked up Max and slipped in his pee, which was trailing down the stairs. Fortunately, she did not land on her stomach, and baby Tyrone (at least that's what I call him, for now) was just fine. But her ankle and shin got worked over. Just to add insult to injury, Max and Maya both pooped their pants within a half hour of Alisa injuring her ankle. It was a crazy hour. Alisa spent that evening on a bed and couldn't put any weight on her foot without unbearable pain.

The next morning, we ended our trip (just one day early) and headed back to Auckland. A trip to the doctor with accompanying x-ray revealed she hadn't broken anything, and later a physical therapist indicated she had a partial ligament tear. After a few days of resting the ankle, Alisa was able to get around on crutches. Our ward and friends really took care of us while Alisa recovered, and she gradually got more mobile over the next week. We were actually fortunate to have some other visitors (Devin and Ivan; Alisa got to know Devin while at BYU). Devin and Ivan were on a long trip through NZ and stayed two nights with us. While I was at work during the day and out of town for work one night, they provided great help to Alisa during the first few days after her ankle injury. A month later, the ankle is still weak, but she's getting around okay.

So it was a wild end to the trip, but we enjoyed a great week with Lucky and Tiffany. On our return to Auckland, Tiffany flew back to the US. Lucky went on a quick trip to Queenstown by himself and had a great time touring Milford Sound and doing a few of the extreme adventures available in Queenstown. We loved having our visitors and enjoyed a great trip with Lucky and Tiffany, even if it ended with some craziness. At least, we can promise some great memories for visitors that make the long trek to see us in NZ.

Walking along Piha Beach

Cooks Beach (near Whitianga)

Alisa loves to get ice cream for the kids so she can help them finish it (not that the kids don't enjoy it too)

View from the highway between Coromandel Town and Whitianga

Max and watermelon

Glass bottom boat tour in Whitianga

Maya with Tiffany

We got in a quick swim while on the boat tour

Skyline Gondola at Rotorua

"The Luge"- Alisa had to skip the luge but Max and Maya really enjoyed it.

Taking the lift back up for another luge run

Lucky with Maya on the lift

Blakc swan on Lake Tarawera (near Rotorua)

Huka Falls, near Lake Taupo

The infamous staircase where Alisa slipped from about half way down the metal stairs.

We had a rest stop at the Hamilton Temple on the way back to Auckland

names

2011-03-13T20:00:00.000-06:00

So, I have yet to find a name that I really like. Unfortunately Lonnie has found several names that he likes. So he has posted a poll over on the right hand side of this page. In the meantime....we are open for suggestions. :)

been busy

2011-03-05T18:15:00.000-06:00

I have been absent from the blogging world for a while....why? Well, several big things have been taking up my time lately....

1. Moving. We recently moved to a new house. (Photos to come soon) We are no longer in our 2 bedroom unit. We now live in a proper house with three bedrooms and two family living areas. Moving from a furnished unit to an unfurnished home also meant that we spent about a week without a single chair in the house, which seriously cut down on my computer times. We did finally purchased and collect all the needed home furnishings and for the first time in a year I can put nails in the walls and decorate to my heart's content....to bad we don't have much in the way of decor. :)

2. Potty training. I have been talking about potty-training Max and Maya for months. My friend Kate convinced me that the chaos of the move was a good idea. New house = new rules....we all use the toilet. Toilet training twins is not for the faint hearted and I am certainly glad that we are doing it before the new baby arrives. This may require a post all to itself.

3. Pregnancy. I feel so much better during this pregnancy than I did with the twins. My vomiting has slowed to about once every two weeks, rather than two of three times a day with my first pregnancy. Unfortunately similarly to my first pregnancy I seem to be prone to chest infections. I have gone through two bouts of bronchitis and I now have yet another head cold. But, this time I haven't been sent into the hospital to stop preterm labor brought on by coughing.

4. Visitors. We have had our first family visitor! Hooray for Lucky (Lonnie's brother) for coming to visit. We had hoped that photos of beautiful landscapes and red-headed children would have brought us family visitors sooner, but New Zealand really is quite far away for most of you. Lonnie took last week off work (in NZ he automatically receives 4 weeks vacations vs. 2 weeks in the US) and we took Lucky on some travels around the North Island (photos to come). Lonnie's cousin, Tiffany, who is a flight attendant, flew down on stand-by and also joined us for a few days. We will also shortly be picking up an old BYU friend who is here with us for two days.

5. Accident. Combine #2, #3 and #4....Last Thursday ten mins after arriving at the holiday home we were renting near Lake Taupo I found Max on the steep spiral staircase trying to outrun his trail of pee. I picked him up to carry him outside, not thinking about how pee, steep wooden stairs, flip-flops (jandles) and my awkward pregnant body would add up to disaster. I slid down the stairs holding onto Max and seriously twisting my ankle and bruising my legs. Thankfully Max and my pregnant belly were saved from any harm. I immediately yelled for Lonnie as I felt the pain in my leg. I was put into bed and we abruptly ended our vacation the next morning when we realized I wouldn't be walking anytime soon. The dr confirmed that I didn't break a bone but didn't have much more advice other than to take pain meds (whatever I can take while pregnant) and stay off my foot and keep it elevated. Anytime I put any pressure on my foot I feel serious pain. At least now I have crutches so that I can get to the bathroom without having to crawl.

courthouse on blyth

2011-02-01T23:40:00.000-06:00

One last post about our trip down south....
This is the place we stayed in Central Otago. We stayed in Clyde for almost a week. Clyde is an old gold mining town and it had lots of old historic buildings. The house where we stayed was the former the courthouse.

The building was beautiful and had lots of character.

The kids loved playing in the large fenced in area and quickly discovered ripe white nectarines growing on the vines.

The building has been beautifully restored. The kitchen counter is right where the old judge's table sat.

The old jail cel has been turned into the bathroom, you can see it in the far corner.

cromwell and lake dunsten

2011-02-01T21:16:00.000-06:00

This is just a small sampling of the amazing wildflowers we saw all over Central Otago.

The water was pretty cold but Max and Maya insisted on stripping down and getting in the water like the big kids.

After testing out the water the kids returned to the playground before we could catch them and put clothes on them.

Old Cromwell was relocated to accommodate the Lake Dunsten Reservoir. The result is a cute old town area that the kids loved exploring.

bendigo ghost town

2011-02-01T21:06:00.000-06:00

On one of the rainy days when we didn't want to wander too far from our temporary home we explored Bendigo Ghost town and ate a picnic in an old abandoned house. (More info)

road to haast

2011-02-01T20:59:00.001-06:00

The road to Haast had hundreds of waterfalls. I've never seen more waterfalls in my life. Every time I looked into a little crevice there was another waterfall. Max and Maya learned to find them by listening for the running water. The road passed over the narrow passage between Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea and also had a view of Mt Aspiring (another great name).

Go here for a link to short walks along the road. http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/otago/wanaka-makarora/haast-pass-short-walks/

This photo also shows my growing baby belly.

One of our only family photos from the trip.

Stopping for a little picnic with an amazing view.

Maya wanted to wear earrings made from cherries.

Max was a great hiker. He ran on most of the hikes. When I would slow down he would say "Bound with me, bound with me!"....quoting his all time favorite movie Milo and Otis (Click here and go to 5:40)

wanaka

2011-01-23T20:24:00.000-06:00

Can you handle a few more posts about beautiful lakes?

Maya decided that she preferred being carried to walking I can't say I blame her.

mavora lakes

2011-01-21T19:04:00.000-06:00

While in Mossburn, we took an afternoon to follow an unpaved road to the Mavora Lakes, which are separated from Lake Te Anau by a mountain range. As with all our travels on the South Island, it was a beautiful drive mixed with sheep farms, rugged mountains, and beautiful lakes.

travel and friends

2011-01-20T20:25:00.008-06:00

Cecliy, Jordan and Pam New Years morning in Mossburn

Cecily, with her boyfriend Max on the boat on Milford Sound

Some of the best memories of our South Island trip were experiences with friends who happened to be traveling in the same areas and at the same time as us. As mentioned in the Milford Sound post, we met up with Cecily (Alisa's friend of many years), Jordan (Cecily's sister who now lives in Auckland), and Pam (Jordan and Cecily's mom). Cecily and Pam had come to visit Jordan and travel around New Zealand. They planned to visit Milford Sound while we were down there, so we were able to meet up for the cruise. They also joined us in Mossburn on New Year's Eve and spent a night with us at "the house on the farm". Maya and Max really enjoyed being with them, and Max very quickly attached himself to Cecily. Even weeks later, Max asks about when we are going on a boat with Cecily.

Our other encounter with friends on the South Island was more of a reunion. In December as we were preparing for Christmas and our trip, Alisa got an email from a mission companion (Kelly), who had just booked tickets for a trip to New Zealand. After some correspondence, we learned that we would be in the South Island at the same time. So we arranged to meet up with Kelly and her husband (Yves) in Mossburn. Kelly and Yves are from Tahiti and traveled through New Zealand with some of their family. They ended up spending a couple nights with us in Mossburn where Alisa and Kelly talked about their time together in the Dominican Republic. We also quickly learned that Yves is a really good cook, and Maya especially took a liking to his cooking, which made Yves proud of the good eater that Maya is.

Max wanted a picture with "just the boys"

Maya quickly warmed up to Yves

Somehow the world of Alisa works this way....go on a mission to the Dominican Republic...have a wonderful companion who is from Tahiti (a world away from the DR)...over 10 years pass...move with your young family to New Zealand...go on a trip to the South Island...meet up with your Tahitian friend in Mossburn (of all places).

We also were fortunate to have Kelly and Yves spend a few days with us in Auckland at the end of their trip. They've convinced us that we need to come to Tahiti to visit them...not that we need much convincing for that trip.

Kelly and Yves with the kids in Devonprot

-Lonnie

milford sound

2011-01-17T04:09:00.001-06:00

As mentioned in the last post, one of the highlights of Fiordland National Park is Milford Sound, which is actually a fjord (a drowned glacial valley). To access Milford Sound, you get to drive a beautiful highway that weaves its way through the mountains. Just when you think the highway is going to end at the foot of towering cliffs, you pass through the Homer Tunnel, and then the highway descends into Milford. If you enjoy beautiful drives (and we do), the drive into Milford Sound is worth the trip on its own. But this road also rewards you with the stunning views of Milford Sound.

Highway between Te Anau and Milford

West side of Homer Tunnel, which is center left in the photo

Once in Milford, there is a nice ferry terminal where several tour operators run cruises through the fjord. We were very fortunate to meet up with friends for the tour. It made the 2 hour ferry ride more enjoyable to have some friends to enjoy it with. Plus, our friends were extremely helpful with Maya and Max, who wanted to explore the ferry boat more than they wanted to experience the beauty of Milford Sound. Thanks Jordan, Cecily, and Pam for the great time together!

Although we had overcast weather at Milford Sound (which is not uncommon considering rainfall is upwards of 7 metres a year, or over 20 feet), the cruise did not disappoint. Rather than try to describe how stunning it was, I'll just go with the photos.

The nose of the cruise boat went right up under this waterfall

New Zealand fur seals lounging on a rock

Many photos were taken on this trip

lakes, mountains, and the house of the farm

2011-01-15T20:44:00.002-06:00

One benefit to living in the Southern Hemisphere is the holiday season occurs in the middle of summer. So we took advantage of the holidays and went on a family vacation to the South Island. Since we moved to New Zealand, we had been looking forward to this trip because New Zealand's South Island is known for spectacular scenery in the Southern Alps, a mountain range that runs along the western side of the South Island.

We started the trip on December 27 and flew from Auckland to Queenstown, which is a beautiful resort town situated on a large lake (Lake Wakatipu) nestled at the foot of craggy mountains (one set of mountain peaks next to Queenstown are named the Remarkables, which we thought is a pretty awesome name for a mountain range). From Queenstown, we picked up a rental car and drove 1.5 hours south.

Lake Wakatipu from highway south of Queenstown

Our destination for the first portion of our trip was Fiordland National Park, which is located in the southwestern portion of the South Island and consists of high mountains, beautiful lakes, temperate rain forests, and fiords (glacially carved valleys that have been inundated with the sea since the glaciers retreated). Fiordland National Park includes Milford Sound, which is the most visited tourist destination in New Zealand. We visited Milford Sound, but we'll dedicate a later post to that excursion because it deserves its own.

Te Anau is a small resort town that functions as the gateway to Fiordland National Park. Holiday season accommodation in Te Anau was difficult to find, so we set up base at a bach in Mossburn, which is a very small town located 40 minutes from Te Anau. The owners of the bach have a farm and offered to put a few farm animals in the yard by the bach for the kids to enjoy. So when we were leaving on the trip, we told Maya and Max that we were going to stay in "the house on the farm", which made them excited to see the "sheepies and cows".

"the house on the farm", Mossburn

Maya and Max peeking out the window at the sheep in the yard

A big storm hit the region during our first day and night, so we enjoyed some much needed relaxation for the first day and a half. When the rain cleared, we went into Te Anau and took in the sights. Like Queenstown, Te Anau is in a stunning location on a large alpine lake (Lake Te Anau) with towering mountains surrounding the lake. On our second full day, we went on a tour to the Te Anau glowworm caves. The tour includes a 45 minute ferry ride across Lake Te Anau and then a tour of the caves. The cave system had a small river running through it, and we really enjoyed the 20 minute tour through the caves and view of the glowworms.

Lake Manapouri, which is just south of Lake Te Anau

Lake Te Anau when the rain began to stop

Shores of Lake Te Anau

We caught a big one!

Actually two big ones!

On the ferry to the glowworm caves

Lake Te Anau

We love that there are great parks for kids wherever you go in New Zealand.

all grown-up

2011-01-06T17:42:00.000-06:00

Mom: "Maya, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Maya: "I want to be a doctor."

Mom: "Max, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Max: "I want to be a cow."

I hate to put limitations on my kids....but Max, I think you might have a tough time with that one.

2 + 1 = 3

2010-12-25T15:48:00.000-06:00

We are expecting kid #3!!! Alisa is at 15 weeks right now with the baby due in mid June. In an odd twist of fate, the baby is due on the exact same day that Maya and Max were due (the twins were born 5 weeks early so we are hoping this baby is born much closer to due date). Apparently, we only know how to make babies on one day of the year.

We were pretty surprised to find out about the pregnancy because we didn't go through any infertility treatments (like we had to do the first time). After seeing many negative pregnancy tests during our marriage, it was a little surreal to see a positive one. (In fact, we didn't even see a positive home pregnancy test when we found out about the twins because Alisa did a pregnancy test at the fertility doctor's office.) Alisa has had an ultrasound that confirmed we are having just one baby, which admittedly we were relieved to know.

The first trimester was a little rough on Alisa (nausea, tiredness, etc.), but it's also been much better than the last pregnancy. At this point, she is starting to feel better, and she is hoping to have a more "normal" pregnancy than the last one.

Alisa is thrilled about the opportunity to deliver a baby in New Zealand. First of all, New Zealand health care system allows you to choose between a midwife, general practitioner doctor, or obstetrician for maternity care (about 80% choose a midwife and midwifery care is fully funded by the government health care system). Alisa has selected a midwife that she really likes and who also happens to be in our ward. Alisa and her midwife think that they had a feeling they were meant to go through something special together when they first met, which sounds a little too Saturday's Warrior for me. In any case, her midwife is great and provides excellent support, and Alisa is likely to have a much better chance at a VBAC than she would have had in the U.S.

-Lonnie

our new zealand christmas

2010-12-25T13:42:00.001-06:00

On Christmas eve our friends the Dimayas came over for lunch and festivities. Calla and Bryn had made sugar cookies that the kids loved decorating and delivering to neighbors.

We then acted out the nativity. Max originally wanted to be baby Jesus but then decided on being an angel with Maya after he saw her wings.

Christmas morning the kids woke up to find their gifts from Santa. They were thrilled with their train and doll house.

The gifts continued.....

Later in the morning we drove out to Piha beach for a BBQ with friends. I was lucky enough to have my friend Cecily in town visiting her sister. It was a great Christmas treat.

The weather was a little overcast with a breeze. We gathered against the cliffs and ate sausage, shrimp, potato salad and fresh summer fruit. Max and Maya (especially Max) also consumed quite a bit of sand.

After they moved on from playing dinosaurs Max and Maya decided to embrace the fine sticky black sand...rolling around and getting it all over their bodies...

In the end Max won the covered-in-sand competition. I didn't get a photo but his entire face was black, but at that point we decided it was time to try and shower off and head back home.

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!

We are grateful for this time of year to help us remember and recognize our blessings. We are thankful for the love we feel as a family, the support we receive from those close by and far away. We are especially grateful for the sacrifice of our Savior and the comfort and joy that the gift of his life and atonement bring to our family.

Much love,

The Mercer

daddy time

2010-12-25T01:00:00.001-06:00

Lonnie was quite busy with work while we were in Napier but thankfully we were still able to spend some quality time with him too.

And proof I was there too.....

shopping

2010-12-23T03:25:00.000-06:00

Saturday morning while Lonnie was working the kids and I went to the local farmer's market and bough fresh blueberry ice cream, yum.

Max and Maya were trilled with the art-deco tribute sculpture....or maybe it was just the dog.

Window shopping....

Their first photo with Santa...in the Kiwi tradition, barefoot.

tom parker fountain

2010-12-23T03:17:00.001-06:00

Max really wanted to go swimming in the fountain. I let him put his feet in, then I took off his shorts...he started working on his top. Lately he really likes being naked. The day before we left Napier we walked by the fountain and saw several other kids swimming so I grabbed the kids suits and they jumped in too.

napier part one

2010-12-23T03:04:00.001-06:00

Lonnie had to go out of town again this week and instead of sitting at home and complaining about it we decided to go along with him. We stayed in a great rental property with a beautiful view of the ocean. The weather was wet and rainy they first couple of days and then turned amazingly beautiful and perfect. We enjoyed meals on the deck and slept with the windows open so we could feel the breeze and hear the ocean.

The only slightly tricky part about the place where we were staying was that it was located fifty steps up from the street. The kids and I were on foot while Lonnie worked long hours so that meant that I had to carry the stroller up all the stairs and convince the kids to follow me. Thankfully, at least most of the time, they were able to make it.

The house also didn't have a phone or internet (I haven't had a cell phone since we arrived here )which in someways was very relaxing. I took a couple quick trips to an internet cafe but also spent a lot of time reading and enjoying the quite.

kiwi christmas preparations

2010-12-15T01:41:00.004-06:00

There are lots of great things about Christmas in New Zealand. The weather is warm, Lonnie gets two weeks of mandated vacation, school is out for the summer, and flowers are in bloom. New Zealand basically shuts down for Christmas, New Years, and even into mid-January. Everyone goes on vacation and enjoys the school holiday and the warm weather. We have some fun adventures planned for our Christmas break, and I am especially looking forward to having Lonnie with us all day long for a couple of weeks.

Max and Maya are getting excited about Christmas for the first time...last year they were a little too young and Lonnie and I were a little too preoccupied with moving. This year they are excited to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. They have loved opening the doors to their baby Jesus advent calender that Nana sent from London until Max decided to tear off all the doors. A couple of weeks ago I talked with the kids about Santa Claus and they, of course, love the idea. Every time they see Santa decorations, they squeal. I asked Maya if she wanted a doll house and Max if he wanted a train (which is what I had already decided I was going to get for them) from Santa, to which they both replied an emphatic "YES!". They haven't forgotten. Whenever anyone asks them what they want for Christmas Maya replies with a firm "doll house!" and Max says "a train".

I really wanted to decorate for Christmas, in part to help me from feeling homesick. I found a cheap artificial tree, and we made Christmas ornaments out of shells we have collected for the past year. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Growing up in Southern California prepared me for Christmas without snow, but being in the Southern Hemisphere has its Christmas challenges. I've decided that the strangest thing about Christmas in New Zealand is that it doesn't get dark until almost 9pm. Less darkness means less Christmas lights. Caroling in the daylight seems a little strange to me.

Because it doesn't get dark until late, people don't put up a lot of Christmas lights, which is one of my favorite things about Christmas. Last night, I was coming home from a late Playcentre meeting. No one on our street of about 12 houses had lights up. I probably passed only half a dozen houses with lights on the 5 min drive home. Even those that do make the effort seemed to put up a lighted sign or a single strand of lights....there were certainly no Griswolds in our neighborhood. Even if people did put up a lot of lights, I probably won't see them as I don't get out often after 9pm anyways. We usually don't even turn on our Christmas tree lights until after the kids are in bed.

For those of you who have made it to this point in the post here are some photos of our sleeping angels.

Yes, those are Max's bite marks on Maya's shoulder....they aren't always angels. She is also sleeping on the floor.

Max fell down and cut his head at church a week ago last Sunday. Thankfully, one of my friends had medical tape, which kept Max from needing stitches.

There is almost nothing I enjoy more than watching my kids sleep. They look so peaceful that I almost, for a moment, forget the chaos of when they are awake.

summer fun

2010-12-07T21:04:00.001-06:00

Is there anything cuter than naked kids? It really is summer here in New Zealand. I wasn't planning on having the kids get wet. It was almost dinner time, but before I knew it they were naked and wet.

we haven't forgotten about Max...

2010-11-28T22:23:00.001-06:00

...we just have a harder time photographing him.

cheeky monkey

2010-11-28T02:47:00.000-06:00

Max isn't quite as interested in being photographed as Maya is these days. Yesterday she was outside with our neighbors and was quite entertained with herself while being photographed. Thanks for the cute photos Paul.

flying fox

2010-11-17T21:57:00.000-06:00

Maya is a big fan of the flying fox at one of our local parks. A flying fox is like a zip line for kids. They have them at parks all over New Zealand. I don't remember ever seeing anything like this in the states..at least not at a kid's park. Here is our brave little Maya.

This photo gives you a better idea of the length of the zip line. You can almost see the harbour bridge in the distance.

two friends

2010-11-12T21:55:00.005-06:00

We finally installed a temporary fence to keep the kids in the back yard. I'm not sure why we didn't do it months ago. I love telling the kids to go play outside with out having to worry about them running around the house, down the drive way and out onto the street. They love being able to ride their bikes all the time and I think they really like being able spend time alone without me in the room.

Being a mother of twins can be hard at times (motherhood, any way you do it is hard work). While it is so much easier now than it was having two premature infants not sleeping through the night....now I am constantly worried about one of the kids letting go of my hand in a parking lot and running out in front of a car. There are times that they keep each other awake at nap time or wake each other up too early. The biting seems to have stopped only to be followed up by occasional hair pulling. I can't even explain potty-training twins. There are hours of chain screaming/crying....when one stops the other starts.

Then there are moments like this......

I looked out the window yesterday afternoon and saw Max and Maya snuggled up next to each other happily eating apples. A few minuets earlier Maya had come into the house and taken the apple I was eating. I started another and within seconds she had taken that one too, so she could give it to her brother. They then climbed on top of their play kitchen and perched themselves on the window sill together.

I am very lucky to be able to spend most of my time with these two beautiful children.

orcas

2010-11-04T02:21:00.001-06:00

Since moving to Auckland, we've heard stories from various people about seeing orcas in the Auckland Harbour. Well, today was our lucky day to get our own sighting. On the ferry ride home from work, Lonnie saw a pod of orcas from within a few hundred feet of the boat. When he arrived home and told me, we threw the kids in the car and drove in the direction of where the orcas were heading.

Sure enough, the orcas stayed fairly close to the shoreline, and we were able to spot them first from the road along Torpedo Bay in Devonport. We then drove up North Head to get a view as they swam out toward Rangitoto, a small volcano in the bay.

This was the main pod, but there was at least one other whale following the group from behind.

There were at least two calves in the pod.

As you can see in this photo, Auckland Harbour is narrow between the city and Devonport (where we live). According to the New Zealand Herald, the orcas were spotted at various points through the harbour this afternoon.

hooray for visitors!

2010-10-24T13:58:00.001-06:00

I'm late in posting.....I've been sick with bronchitis, yuck...but finally I seem to be improving now that the kids are stating to get sicker.

We were thrilled to finally receive our first family visitors (although we have to admit that they planned the trip before we were even planning on moving here). Lonnie's Aunt Vicki and Uncle Jerry came and spent a night and morning with us before heading off to more New Zealand adventures. Maya was immediately drawn to Jerry because he is a man and he read her a book. She pretty much wouldn't leave him alone the entire time they were with us. I loved talking with Vicki about her work as a postpartum nurse. I also especially loved how much Vicki's tone of voice reminded me of Lonnie's dad Lynne.

chocolate ice cream

2010-10-20T00:54:00.000-06:00

the trip finally comes to an end.

2010-09-30T18:51:00.000-06:00

One last post and then we will stop taunting you with photos from our trip.
We drove up and around the eastern most part of New Zealand. There is a light house there that we had planned to climb up to, but the day was so windy we were afraid that we might lose on of our kids (or our minds trying to get them to cooperate). So instead we settled for a picnic lunch inside the car, trying to avoid the wind.

This is where we stayed on our last night. The view was amazing.

Lastly we need to show appreciation for our two little terrific travelers. Maya and Max were great on the trip. Even with over 18 hours of driving we only pulled out the DVD player once.

And Max and Maya would like to thank all of the animals along the way who helped kept them entertained, especially this heard of cattle that surrounded our car.

proud maya

2010-09-30T01:56:00.000-06:00

I took these photos this morning after Maya slept in her big bed all night long. (I don't feel like talking about how nap time has gone the last few days).
We have had the beds for a while, but most nights the kids chose to sleep in their sleep in their travel cots (pack n' plays). Maya was quite proud of herself when she woke up in the morning.

thank you abby and calla!

2010-09-30T01:55:00.000-06:00

I learned a long time ago to never refuse help from young girls who dote on Max and Maya.

At the end of Sunday meeting I know I can always find my little ones happily entertained by their doting group of girlfriends. Max and Maya look for them as soon as we arrive at church on Sunday and would love to spend the entire day with them.

The schools are on holidays for the next two weeks and we were luck enough to have two of Max and Maya's favorite friends, Abby and Calla, come over and spend the day with us. M & M were thrilled with the attention and I was thrilled to have some time to get things done around the house.

friends at the park

2010-09-30T01:53:00.001-06:00

Deb and Mel were some of the first women I meet when we moved to Devonport. Deb (Ethan's nanny) was quick to involve us in all sorts of weekly activities. It has been fun to watch these kids get bigger over the past months. We have lived here for more than 9 months. I can't believe that much time has passed.

Max, Ethan, Nakita and Maya

hand foot and mouth

2010-09-30T01:53:00.000-06:00

Maya had been grumpy for a few days and then not sleeping very well at night, making me grumpy too. I was starting to worry that she was getting sick, again. Then last Monday I noticed red bumps all over her hands, mouth, feet and legs. I called our doctor and the nurse said she probably had Hand Foot and Mouth, a mild virus that often gets passed around pre-schools. I started to envision spending at least 2 weeks avoiding social interactions. Thankfully the very next day the spots were almost gone. We are all grateful for the blessing.

st mary's church, tikitiki

2010-09-30T01:22:00.000-06:00

One of the places we stopped during our drive along the East Cape was St. Mary's Church in Tikitiki. The church is set on a hill and looks like a plain small church building from the outside. We had read in our trusty Lonely Planet guide that the inside was stunning, so we stopped in for a look. It was really beautiful with Maori wood carvings, paintings, and flax weavings. There was a memorial plaque to men from the area that died as soldiers in World War I, and the stained glass window at the front depicted Christ on the cross with soldiers kneeling toward Him at each side. It was inspiring to ponder the sacrifices of those who worked to build the structure as well as those who served in New Zealand's armed forces.

tokomaru bay

2010-09-28T01:24:00.001-06:00

After leaving Lake Waikaremoana, we drove east through Gisborne and then north along the coast to Tokomaru Bay where we stayed for two days, celebrating our five year wedding anniversary. We rented a beautiful three bedroom vacation home right across the street from the beach. Almost every room of the house had great views of the ocean and mountains. The yard had a huge fenced grass area where the kids loved to play. We enjoyed sitting on the porch looking out to the ocean while the kids ran around the yard.

This is the beach that was right outside our door. We spent a morning collecting shells and building sand castles. We even saw the nest of what I think was a sand piper.

We enjoyed the beautiful sunrises. Tokomaru Bay is in the East Cape of New Zealand, which is the easternmost part of the country. In a sense (due to New Zealand's location near the international date line), East Cape is where the sun rises first in the world.

We also enjoyed quiet time reading the huge stack of Dr Suess books at the house.

The house even had a jungle gym. It was a bit big for our little ones, but it still helped to keep them entertained.

The kids enjoying cookies and milk after nap time.

We spent a morning at the beach collecting seashells and building sand castles.

lake waikaremoana

2010-09-24T21:05:00.005-06:00

We left Rotorua and went up into the Te Urewera mountains to Lake Waikaremoana. Google maps had the drive estimated at about 2 1/2 hours, but they had obviously not driven the road because it took closer to 4 hours. A good portion of the road was not paved, but the dirt sections were graded and in pretty good condition. We knew in advance that the road had unsealed sections, but the drive was well worth the extra drive time because the road took us into a secluded and relatively untouched area within Te Urewera National Park. The landscapes and native forests were extraordinary.

As we got closer to the lake, we drove along a gentle river that gained force and grew into a torrent. Then we saw an amazing waterfall...followed by several more.

We spent the night at a motor camp on Lake Waikaremoana. The camp had simple cabins for accommodation, and we stayed in one with a bedroom on the main level as well as a small loft. The kids were thrilled to sleep up in the loft, and we explained that they were sleeping in the "barn" loft of a because they are pretty fascinated with farms these days. (We immobilized them with straight jackets and had them sleeping in their cots/pack n' plays so they couldn't fall out of the loft in the night.)

After a good night's rest, we went on a very short walk to Papakorito Falls and then a longer hike through the forest. We really enjoyed the forest walk because the trees were amazing. One tree was a highlight by itself with a 13-foot diameter trunk. We found it especially interesting to see the native trees and plants because they're different from those back in North America.

If you look closely in the photo, you can see wild horses down by the water.

Click here for a list of easy hikes from the Lake Waikaremoana motor camp.

waimangu volcanic valley

2010-09-23T14:38:00.002-06:00

Rotorua is known for volcanoes and geothermal activity with a number of different geothermal areas to visit in the vicinity. Having a geologist in the family, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to enjoy the scenery. Following the recommendation of another geologist we met in the public park, we decided to take a trip out to Waimangu Volcanic Valley, which is a geothermal area that formed as a result of the eruption of the Tarawera volcano in 1886. The Waimangu geothermal area includes a series of geysers, hot springs, and lakes located in craters that formed during and following the 1886 eruption.

The kids spent most of the time in the backpacks pointing and telling their slaves where to go, but they also did a bit of walking on their own.

Lonnie and the kids surrounded by mist from Frying Pan Lake.

hot pots

2010-09-22T03:12:00.003-06:00

While in Rotorua, we went to the Waikite Valley Thermal Pools, which are fed by a boiling hot spring (the water comes out of the ground at 98 C). The hot spring water is then cooled through a pond/plumbing system and fed into pools of varying temperatures. So you can choose a pool with temperature of your liking. With a constant supply of boiling spring water, they drain the pools each day and refill, so the spring water is fresh.

With the hot spring water plumbed to pools and tubs, it wasn't quite the adventure of hiking to Diamond Fork hot springs or spontaneous midnight trips to Meadow, but it was definitely more accessible with our kids. And the spring water was absolutely delightful. The kids couldn't get enough of it. I was a little worried that the kids would get bored with sitting around in the hot springs, but they loved it and didn't want to leave when it was time to go.