Back to Baby Bliss

Well, as things turned out, Christmas was a little extra 'Merry' this year. As most of you have already read, we had our beautiful little girl, Madeline America Olmstead, on December 13th at 8:10pm and we were home together soon after. She is adorable, eats well, sleeps well, cries well, all the things babies do best! Right? Well, not so fast Olmsteads... don't get too comfortable just yet. As it turned out there was a bit of a curve ball coming our direction.

About six days after Madeline's birth I came down with some new symptoms. I began having very severe abdominal pains that didn't go away and then the fever began. By the time I arrived at St. Mary's A & E (Accident and Emergency for you Americans) I was quite sick. Sadly I couldn't take Madeline with me to the hospital because there were so many cases of swine flu around so she had to stay home with my father and Chris and the kids, and my Mom went to the hospital with me. It was a VERY long first night, but eventually I was admitted and began what turned out to be a much longer stay than I initially anticipated.

After 48 hours of multiple IV antibiotics I was still spiking fevers of over 102 and beginning to become more and more worried. This is when the blood tests finally revealed that I had a somewhat rare but VERY serious bacterial infection caused by Group A Strep. Once they narrowed the cause of the infection and added penicillin to my drug 'cocktail' things began to improve much faster. After five nights in the hospital I was finally allowed to come home on December 24th.

And so here I am again, back to baby bliss. Although I am still on IV antibiotics, with a nurse visting me each day, there is no more pumping and sending milk home, and no more worrying about the chaos and mayhem running amuck at my house. Now I'm right back in the center of it where I belong. I will say that at the beginning of my illness I was feeling really down and sorry for myself. Very sad about begin separated from the kids, especially the baby during such special early bonding time. But after the head of Labor and Delivery came to see me and explained how serious the infection was I started to think... hmmm, maybe I should stop feeling sorry for myself and start being thankful that I'm alive and relatively well. And that is where I still am. Thankful and alive and well! :)

And it might sound rather cliche, particularly coming from me, but I really think this experience has taught me something more valuable than I could have ever imagined. I have never felt so lucky and blessed to have all that I do... my wonderful family and parents who loved me enough to help take care of all the kids while I was away. A husband who is simply super dad in every way, in-laws who bought last minute tickets to come stay so that I could have a bit more time to recover. Friends here who helped with play dates for Josephine. And best of all, I was able to come home on Christmas Eve and spend the holiday with the kids. Back to baby bliss, and let's face it, toddler hell! But in all honesty, there is truly no other place in the world I would rather be, and this experience is helping me see that much more clearly.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year XOXO,

Mere

OK, Here's the Scoop!

December 13th, 2010

What a first day! Just when I thought she was going to make us wait past her due date of December 16th, little Madeline America Olmstead made quite a speedy appearance. Here's the story...

Monday evening some contractions began around 5:30pm. I had been having similar contractions for weeks so I didn't really think much of these. But by the time Chris got home from work at 6:15 I had a feeling we might be in business. We left the kids with my mom, who thankfully had arrived the day before, and headed to St. Mary's Hospital. Our taxi picked us up at the flat at 7pm exactly.

From there we had a 10-12 minute drive to the hospital. Once we arrived they got us into a room rather quickly and things just kept moving along. Of course there were two important priorities for ME, the epidural, which I was convinced I couldn't live without, and getting prophylactic antibiotics to treat a positive Strep B test. As the nurse and midwife worked on both of these my water broke. When I arrived I was checked around 7:30 and was 3-4 centimeters dilated. After my water broke they hung the antibiotic and checked me again and at 8pm I was 10 centimeters!! Unbelievable!

The midwife looked at me and said "we're not going to have time for the epidural." I was so scared. Having had it with Josephine and Chris I really wasn't sure I could do it! Then she got this really calming way about her and said "Meredith, this baby is going to be out in less than 2 minutes." And I said "ok." And she was right, Madeline America Olmstead was born at 8:10pm on December 13th 2010. She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz, and we haven't gotten her length measured just yet.

The entire delivery was by far one of the most amazing experiences of my life. To think that I walked into the hospital and less than an hour later was holding my new little girl in my arms was mind-blowing. I was so happy and I still haven't stopped smiling. (Well, maybe not so smiley as I spent my first sleepless night at home.) The other fun tidbit to mention, we left the house at 7pm on Monday and we were home with Maddie by noon on Tuesday, the very next day! We were out of the house for about 15 hours! SO funny! The NHS doesn't mess around with long hospital stays. I guess with it being our 3rd baby they figured we were better off at home. Obviously they've never met Chris Jr. who has been pawing at his new little sister since we walked in the door! lol

And here is Josephine, who is just the most loving and adorable big sister. She came to see me in the hospital and wasn't allowed on the ward due to her recent case of Chicken Pox. But she insisted on coming anyway and got all dressed up to meet her new sister. She was only able to look at her through the glass doorway and the expression on her face the first time she saw Madeline will be with me forever. It was a five-year-old look of total unconditional love and amazement. Truly, these are the moments that make my life worth living. To see my oldest daughter meet her little sister with so much compassion and joy... it was incredible.

That said, we are now officially out numbered! God, please help us! :)

MORE PICS:

Super Heros, Dragons, and Me...

Yes, people, it's Halloween at the Olmstead's. And for those of you who know us best, it won't come as a surprise that each member of our family excels at Halloween for different reasons. I am partial not to dressing up, but rather to scaring small children, as was the tradition for many years with my family in Atlanta. This year didn't offer such an opportunity, but fear not, I scare my own children daily, so all is not lost!

My Husband on the other hand seems to excel at costumes of all sorts, but particularly in the home constructed variety and in great ideas for all costumes purchased. Case and point... this year's Halloween here in London. For the last three weeks Chris and Josephine have worked every weekend to complete one of the most beautiful homemade dragon costumes I've ever seen. Really it was a full family project consisting of card board and paper mache and lots of paint. Josephine wore the complete outfit twice, once at school for a huge Halloween parade the Lower School has every year. It was by far the best homemade costume there!

Then came Halloween night here in St. John's Wood. I have to say, the expats and Brits around here don't disappoint. Though Halloween isn't huge in the UK you wouldn't have known it walking around the neighborhood. There were hundreds of kids and families in every direction! Houses were all running out of candy, and people were dying for Chris and Chris Jr.'s matching Captain America costumes. We were stopped no less than five times for them to pose for pictures with complete strangers. Not sure what would possess someone to want a picture of my husband in tight blue spandex, but hey, more power to them!

All and all, the fall has been truly spectacular. Between the weather, which has been beautiful, and all the fun London sites we've been enjoying we couldn't have asked for more. Friends, please stay in touch and come visit soon. Baby is just around the corner! Six weeks and counting! Thank GOD! :)

Living Vicariously Through Their Hair...

Well, the last week has been a whirlwind! We've survived our first overseas visitor, and I had SUCH a great time taking Chris' father Ron around town. Saturday evening we explored St. John's Wood. Sunday we split up for a bit and he made his first of three visits to the British Museum with Chris and Chris Jr. while Josephine and I went to soccer. Then in the afternoon it was back to the Science Museum for some rocket ships and space paraphernalia.

Monday Ron and I visited the British Library, which was probably one of the best museum experiences I've had in YEARS! I mean the highlights of their collection on display include the original Beowolf, the original Alice and Wonderland manuscript, a Mozart score, the Magna Carta... it doesn't get much better! They also had an amazing stamp collection including one of the famous upside down airplane stamps and stamps from the American Colonies during the Stamp Act. The former History teacher in me was going nuts!

Tuesday Chris and Josephine took the day off from work and school and we were off for a morning of London's greatest sites. We started at Parliament and Big Ben, went on to the London Eye and then finished our adventure at the Tower of London. All and all it was a great day. My favorite was the London Eye, which was slightly unnerving at first, but the views were unbeatable! Here are some of the best pictures:

By Wednesday we were all so tired that I took the day off and Ron continued on his U.K. adventure, spending the entire day out and about on his own in the city. He had a wonderful time going back to some of his favorites, including the British Museum and the Library and visiting Westminster Abbey. Overall it was a wonderful visit, and we hope he will come back soon (dragging others with him)!

On a Hair Note... Chris Sr. has really taken the living vicariously through the kids to a new level. Two weeks ago he dyed Josephine's hair pink. This week he decided to curl her hair one night with her American Girl rollers while it was wet and let her sleep on it. She looked pretty funny for school the next day. In addition to Josephine's hair adventures, he has also taken our little boy for a haircut that resembles something you would receive when joining the Marine Corps! The photos are pretty funny... enjoy!

So, Am I lonely yet??

Well, we're into week four of our overseas adventure and so far so good. We've settled in at the 'flat' and the only thing left is hanging some pictures, which I can't seem to motivate my husband to do. Josephine begins drama and computer class in the ASL after school program next week and she's also really loving the soccer (football) program in Primrose Hill on the weekends. Chris Jr. is also doing well. We've found a new part time babysitter who is also Chinese and she comes at the beginning of each week. She's going to take him to a fun creative play class at Ready, Steady, Go, a little preschool/mommy and me program across the park. Then at the end of the week he and I go to the gym together and on Fridays he has a music class at Gymboree.

So, we're all settled, right? Right... Well, maybe not all settled. I'm still trying to find a place for myself here. I'm trying to volunteer at Josephine's school and meet new moms through the St. John's Wood Women's Club. But as those of you closest to me know, I don't really make friends easily. Sometimes it seems like moms are supposed to automatically be friends when they have children of the same age, and that just doesn't always work for me. I guess I need more of a connection with people before I really feel comfortable. What I'm really saying is that making friends is hard, and though I'm not a shy person by any means, I'm always surprised at how long it takes for me to build a connection with new people when we move to new places. In Darien it was probably a year or more before I felt like I had some friends there. I hope it doesn't take me as long to meet people here, that might make for a long, lonely year! :)

That said, we are really loving London. Last weekend we explored the National Science Museum in Kensington and I have never seen Chris Jr. so excited! He was running all over the place yelling about the rocket ships, moons and stars in the exhibit about space. It was adorable! Then we returned to St. John's Wood and had a great dinner with the kids, the highlight of which was sharing the most delicious strawberry milkshake I think I've ever had. I think they made it with gelato... it was DELICIOUS!

The kids have also finally discovered

the train set that we got from their cousins about two years ago. Chris Jr. actually went into Josephine's room one morning and built a track by himself, though it wasn't completely connected, and they are both enjoying making complicated tracks with their Daddy after work.

There are also some weird UK habits that I am struggling with:

- All the smoking! I am truly surprised that the entire country isn't dying of lung cancer!

- Not getting up for an obviously pregnant woman on public transportation. Even Chris has remarked on this one. I have YET to have someone get up and offer me their seat on any of the crowded buses we have ridden on. It's just strange, in the U.S. people would jump up and offer me their seat, maybe it's a talking to strangers thing, but I just can't figure it out.

- I also cannot figure out which side of the street/hall/stairs/sidewalk to walk on. This is particularly challenging when pushing a stroller, one-handed, in the rain, while carrying an umbrella, all the while people walking towards me seem to walk wherever they feel like and rarely move to the side to let me pass easily. I'm not going to lie, it can get a little frustrating.

- Tea... ok, so for some reason I have started drinking tea in the afternoons. Which is totally strange to me because I'm usually all alone in my house doing this... maybe it's the weather or maybe I'm just subconsciously getting into the UK spirit of things. Who knows, but it is yummy.

Ok People, I'm Slacking Again... Ready, Set, Relocate!

What can I say? My dedication to blogging is officially waning. But here I am in London with few friends, lots of newness in my life, and not a lot of people to talk to. So maybe this move will be just the motivation I need to reconnect with my computer techie side. We'll see...

The last month and a half has been an adventure to say the least. We closed on our wonderful little house in Connecticut at the beginning of August, and it is ours no more. :( Kind of sad to shut that chapter of our lives. Then we were off for a whirl wind tour of extended 'familydom.' We had a great week in Atlanta visiting friends and going to the mountains with my parents. Their home in Clarksville is very relaxing and the kids just LOVED the pool. Chris Jr. discovered his inner fish and by the end of the visit Josephine was swimming under water.

Then it was off for our final two weeks in the U.S. in central New York. All I can say is that my in-laws deserve some kind of award for putting up with me for so long. I mean, as most of you already know, I am an official pain in the ass, and after three weeks of living out of a suitcase it really showed. We did have a great time at the lake, and I got some good skiing pics of the cousins and Chris.

We finally headed back to CT for one last doctor's visit to check on the baby and then our one-way flight to London at the end of August. The flight and the week to follow were quite a challenge for the entire family. The kids were good on the plane, apart from Chris Jr. spilling my cup of coffee on a lovely older gentleman before the plane even took off. Needless to say, they moved him to First Class within minutes, and we had an extra seat all to ourselves.

The jet lag was a challenge for us all. Josephine and Chris seemed to adjust the fastest, while Chris Jr. and I languished around for days getting up late and not sleeping at night when we were supposed to. Oh well, we've all settled into regular sleep now. Our furniture arrived at almost the same time we did, which made the three weeks of homelessness seem almost worth it! Particularly since I have heard some not so lucky stories from other expats here about waiting weeks and weeks for their shipments to arrive.

Here are some BEFORE pics:

Here we are partially AFTER (we've yet to hang up pics, but that's coming this weekend):

Generally things are going well. As of today we have our bank account sorted out, FINALLY. And all the utilities are on. I think Josephine is enjoying school, and Chris and I are going to her class back to school night this evening, so I may have more details to report after talking with her teachers. I will say that she seems to be adjusting well, and only mentions missing CT occasionally. She spent an hour and 45 minutes at her first UK 'football' practice on Sunday, and she did surprisingly well, considering that many of the other kids have been playing since they were 3 years old!

Chris Jr. is also doing well. The real test will be when Shaobai leaves this weekend. She came with us and has been here every step of the way helping with the move. I have been so lucky and blessed to have her here. Running all these errands without having to drag the kids has been a tremendous help. We will all miss her so much, but she promises to call and maybe even come back for a visit with her husband next year.

As for my husband, he is doing well and continues to run the 5+ miles to work each morning. His suits seem to be holding up well in this crazy Australian commuter backpack garment bag that he bought and wears when he runs, and he's not as sore this week as last week. Personally, I think he's nuts, but he's made a pledge to not ride the tube to work, regardless of weather or exhaustion. At this rate, he'll be back in Death Race shape in no time!! :)

Sending you all lots of love! Keep in touch!

DEATH RACE 2010

Matching Shirts: "Nice Ax... Want to See My Posthole Digger?"

Required/Optional Gear

$50 in Pennies (approx. 30 lbs)

Posthole Digger

Ax

3 inch Knife

10 lbs of Onions

Large Greek Translation Textbook

Registration

Timeline of Race Events...

Friday, June 25th

6pm - Race Registration

8pm - Shuttle Van to top of Tweed River Mountain, leave useful gear on top of the mountain

8pm-4am - Aimlessly hiking up and down the Mountain grooming trails and moving bridges from place to place (Approx. 10-15 miles??)

Heading BACK up the Mountain

Saturday, June 26th

4am - The "Official" Start of the race

Task One - go back up the mountain again to retrieve your gear (Round Trip Approx. 10 miles)

7am - They reach the top, after about 700 feet under barbed wire, to find that they have to go back down again to retrieve 'paperwork' to get their gear, barbed wire included

9am - Reach the bottom of the mountain again, NOT the high point of the race so far

11am - Back up top they are allowed to retrieve their gear and head back to Amee Farm for task Two

1pm - Finally the hiking is over, or at least we THINK it's over.

After all the hiking

Task Two - Wood Chop or Farm work, because they both had axes they are given the task of quartering 25 logs of their choice, it's a slower process than last year, but much easier than the farm work option, which involved loading and moving 15 wheel barrows of manure across a large field

Choosing Their Logs

3pm - Wood Chop is complete

Task Three - Pennies in the Pond, involved counting out hundreds of pennies and bagging them up in zip locks in multiples of $5. At this point Chris decided to donate all but the required $5 of his pennies. He didn't want to count them and he'd had enough of carrying the extra 30 lbs. It proved to be a good move for him. John donated about $20 worth of pennies and kept the rest.

4:30 - After diving to the bottom of the pond to retrieve their pennies we were off to the next task.

Task Four - Up ANOTHER Mountain!?!? - Team Chris/John split up here, with Chris and Meredith heading up the hill to the 'Onion Store.' John and Colin soon followed and caught up to us about half way to the Cottage. By this time Chris was REALLY struggling with his hip. When he walked it looked as though his right leg was about 2 inches shorter than his left one. NOT a pretty sight! :) John looked great, he looked like he had it in him to go all the way.

Before his last push up the Mountain

At the cottage John bought some Chinese herbs before he and Colin made the final push bush-whacking up to the 'Onion Store'

6:30pm - We all reach the cottage, half way to the top of the Second Mountain

Task Four/Five - About 200 yards from the Onion Store Chris ran out of gas. His official Quit time was 7:54pm. John made it all the way to the Onion Store. There he followed a number of orders from the 'king.' His tasks included moving chopped wood from one location to another, cutting up his onions and buying his way out of eating a pound of his onions. He completed his tasks at about 9:30pm, and at this point he elected to stop racing rather than hike back down the unmarked mountain in the dark.

So officially neither John or Chris completed the race, but they had a great time and both are planning to return for more punishment next year!

Unofficial Racing Times:

Chris - 8pm-7:54pm - 23+ hours

John - 8pm-9:30pm - 25+ hours

Official Racing Times:

Chris - 4am-7:54pm - 15+ hours

John - 4am-9:30pm - 17+ hours

Ok Life, Here We Come!

Well, it's official... we're moving to London and having another baby! Yes, you heard me right. We figured we might as well get two HUGE life changing experiences out of the way simultaneously. Well, not exactly, I mean, I'm not planning to actually give birth on the plane or anything, but close enough. The move is at the end of August, the baby is due in December. Have I completely lost my freaking mind?? I mean having a third child is pretty nuts all on its own. On Monday, as my Mom and I watched Josephine and Chris circling our living room in crazy hysterics, I remarked... "you know the only other thing we need right now? Another child!" What a laugh! Ha! It's going to be total and complete chaos. Anarchy. The shit will hit the fan over and over and over again, and I'll just be running around trying to wipe and mop it up! WOW! I don't need luck, I need prayers! And lots of them! :)

But on a lighter note, the beginning of our summer has brought a lot of fun family times. First, Josephine graduated from preschool. And let me tell you she was absolutely adorable. She was so proud of herself; she likes to mention to complete strangers, "I just graduated from preschool!" Very cute.

Chris Jr. has had no such similar life accomplishments of late. Well unless you count the lotion incident from my last entry, but that's a stretch. Although he did have a wonderful time tubing with Daddy at the lake over Memorial Day. He was bobbing up and down, nothing but smiles, yelling "faster, faster" and "bounce, bounce." Notice the new shorter hair cut in these pictures. The only real solution to the tub of Aquafor in his hair was to cut it all off! :)

One small Chris Jr. accomplishment... we've started some really basic potty training, which consists of him running around naked from the waist down peeing on command as often as possible on as many flat surfaces as he can find! Each time he does it he smiles and laughs as if he is so proud of himself! Now we just need him to aim into a container of some sort, preferably a potty. Should be a fun and wet summer! :)

Fun UK Tidbit:

Yesterday Josephine's dentist told us that over the years he's had many families move to and return from the UK and they have all shared the same experience. When US families take their young children to the dentist in the UK the doctors laugh at them. They say "these are baby teeth! why would we clean them?" It's accepted practice in the UK that children are not seen by a dentist until they are at least 16 years old! YUCK!!! I guess this explains a lot about the state of oral hygiene in England! He recommended that we make pediatric dental appointments when we come home for visits/holidays. So we have that to look forward to, which is nice. :)