"Whatever works!"

     Round two is already a bit different than the whole first experience with parenting.  I find myself doing many things I swore I'd never do with Lily.  The first being "baby wearing"or what I like to call "The Crack Sack!"  I refer to this amazing apparatice by this name because within thirty seconds or so of putting Z in it he is nodding off into a blissful altered state of consciousness, hence the name "The Crack Sack!"  This is great for him and even better for me the "multitasking mama" that I am.  As you can see in the photo below, (taken by Lily) having two free hands makes the simplest to most complex tasks a total breeze!  On days when I am sure I am not going to leave the house with my "barn painted,"(make up on) as my mom calls it, I just plop him in the "crack sack" and we are in business.  As you can see even the loud blow dryer doesn't even phase him.

     The "Crack Sack"  is also known as the "Geriatric magnet!"  There is not a Grandma in Walmart that doesn't stop me to take a peek.  Even when I try and hide him they just can't seem to help themselves. It's actually quite sweet and I never mind taking a little extra time to share my "little nugget of love,"(one of my goofy little "pet names":))

     Speaking of "pet names" allow me to introduce you to "Our Little Chimichanga!" .....

I love me some "Swaddle blanket!!!!" (AKA Zi's "snuggie") This little cozy gift from God has turned Z's exasperating, five minute power naps into anywhere from one to three hour "Beauty rests!"  And this is no "old school" receiving blanket swaddle....this is high tech, complete with velcro.   I joked with Jeremy that he needed to go back to "Swaddle 101" when I found Z "free" in the middle of the night after daddy had done the last "wrapping!"

     Anyhow, as the title of this blog states.."Whatever works" has become my new motto.  If I get some sleep out of it, a meal with my family, some errands laundry and housework done I am ALL FOR IT!!!

Everyone needs a place they can breathe...


Our Place is Bodega Bay...


When life in Suburbia begins to weigh on the Nellist family  we head directly for  our sleepy little fishing town on the Northern California Coast.  Jeremy, being raised in Sonoma County had always considered the North Coast one of his favorite places.  On our first date Jeremy introduced me to this amazing place and it quickly became one of mine as well.  I was raised in Southern California and have always loved the So. Cal beaches.  I will have to say the Nor Cal Coast has won my heart.  The rugged coast line, massive waves, smell of sea air and eucalyptus, the sound of the fog horn and the virtually deserted beaches are fuel for a weary soul.  In 2000 Jeremy and I were engaged and married on School House Beach in Bodega Bay.  The love affair continues and I believe has more than likely become part of the makeup in our children's DNA.  

School House Beach (AKA "Our Beach")

                                           

Sunset on "our beach", a nightly tradition

Lily at the Tides visiting her friends

Zi in the "Crack Sack"

Lily's Pelican buddies

The Sea Lion Lily swears came just to see her.

Lily having patio time at the hotel

Rockin out!

Ahhh bedtime after a long day of ocean therapy...

Coffee with a view.. our morning ritual

Breakfast at the Tides.  Lily loves to watch for "her friends"

Lily bird watching on the patio

Our afternoon swim.  Lily is quite a fish.

Daddy watching Zi so we can have some "girl time!"

The beautiful pasture next to our room

"Delicious"

Zi and I went to my Dr.'s appointment today...

My OB said he was "Delicious."

I will say...

I completely agree

"Lily's Life!"

 

We wanted to create a part of the blog just to update you on what is going on in the life of Lily. Lily is very excited to introduce her very own "Lily's Life" section.....


Although Lily is absolutely loving being a big sister it has not come without moments of feeling "dethroned." After all, she has been "the Queen of the Castle" for the last five and a half years. 

Last week in fact we, Lily and I, had a very heart wrenching conversation about how she has been feeling since the birth of her brother. Lily has always been able to articulate her feelings well and this conversation was no exception. Let's just say I left the conversation with an overwhelming feeling of "mother's guilt".  Although I have been very intentional about spending time with Lily daily, it usually involves doing something with her while I was nursing such as playing a game, coloring or reading to her.  Lily was very quick to point out, "mom, but  he is always there. I had to give it to her...she had a point.
     In an effort to give Lily a little more "one on one" mommy time, Jeremy and Zi had some "man time" and Lily and I spent a few hours together last Sunday afternoon.  As we walked and I held her hand I got this overwhelming feeling that this time was just as much for me as it was for Lily.  I had really missed my Lily girl.
 Our afternoon was spent going to The Fountains together window shopping and getting frozen yogurt and then we went to Barnes and Noble and picked out a new book for our nightly reading time.  We got a book recommended by a friend, "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo. We are really enjoying it. Lily loves being read to and has began reading and attempting to read anything and everything she sees.  It is so cool to see how all of the sudden this whole new world of words has opened up to her.  It is also the end of Jeremy and I trying to attempt to spell anything in her presence...such a bummer. 
     Another way we decided to help Lily transition is to get her more involved in Zi's care.  She is really enjoying feeding him his bottle and does very well with it.  She loves helping with his bath and picking out his "outfit for the day."  All these things seem to really help her feel important. 

Lily has always had a love for creating and has been surprising us with her artistic side from the time she put a pen to paper.  In an effort to foster and encourage this we signed her up for her first art class.  She is absolutely loving it and is impressing us with the art she brings home weekly.
     Lily is also doing an amazing job with her drum lessons.  Her instructor Kevin in just incredible with her and she loves going every week. She is well on her way towards accomplishing her aspirations of one day becoming a "Rock Star!" 
     Lily continues to be obsessed with anything "Star Wars."  She hangs mostly with boys at school and is usually playing "Star Wars or Clone Wars" at recess.  
     She is an incredible student and has surpassed all her Kidergarten bench marks thus far.  Homework time is however not the most pleasant time at our house as Lily, like any 5 1/2 year old could find 1000 other things to be doing with her time.


     So that's a little update on the "life O' Lily!"  She is growing so fast and changing at an alarming rate.  She brings such joy to our lives and we are so proud of our "Lily Girl"

"Ha Ha Ha PUSH!!!!"

     We were scheduled for induction December 29th. due to some health issues I had during pregnancy.  Both my OB and I thought I would have gone into labor earlier but Zion once again proved he was calling the shots.  Taking the spontaneity out of going into labor was quite a different experience.  I thought being the type "A", gotta have a plan type of person I am, that knowing when would take a level of stress out of it.  However, I found it quite the opposite.  Needless to say the whole sleep thing the night before didn't happen and it definitely didn't help knowing we had to arrive to the hospital at 5:15 am.

 

     The admitting nurse has a cruel game she plays with patients and tries to guess the weight of their baby.  After she did some "hocus pocus" and placed her hands on my belly she sauntered over to the white board and wrote the number 10 lbs 10 oz.  What the???  How the??? Well as if I wasn't anxious enough, you can imagine.  Then the kind Dr. came in and told us that this was not going to be a quick process and to realistically count on the process taking at least 24 hours.  Oh and by the way I think your nurse is totally off your baby will be at least 9 lbs.  What a relief, only NINE POUNDS now!
     Induction began around 10am and we didn't actually meet our man until 4:28 am the following morning.  You do the math... The Dr. was very right almost 24 hours from the time we arrived!  
     On a more positive note I had amazing nursing care and lots of support from my team.  Especially Jeremy who lulled us all to sleep with his very loud rhythmic breathing AKA "snoring." And of course I am being sarcastic.  The only one snoring was Jeremy.  However, I made sure to wake "Sleeping Beauty" when I found out I was dilated to 8!   I had an Epidural that worked brilliantly for the most part allowing me to feel the contractions but just took the edge off.
     When I finally got to 10 cm the lovely Dr. wanted to hold off pushing until I "felt the urge!"  About a half hour later we were all having a conversation with the nurse about those women on TV who come in not knowing they are even pregnant or those that don't even have to push and the baby pops out.  Meanwhile during this conversation I was thinking to myself "is this  "the urge" I am feeling?  So I told the nurse I felt "a little funky."  She responded with a chipper.."Let's check you."  Her next response, not so chipper..."CLOSE YOUR LEGS!"  Apparently, Zion was already crowning. Like the women on television I was virtually unaware, thanks the the beauty of modern medicine.  I was so unaware in fact we were all laughing about the irony of the moment in relation to our previous conversation. The Dr. came in immediately and assumed her position and said "STOP LAUGHING!"  Then she said "STOP PUSHING!", to which I responded "I'm not!"  My body had apparently taken over and was doing the pushing for me. Very quickly the Dr. was ready and jokingly said..."OK YOU CAN LAUGH NOW!" to which I found quite funny and began to laugh.  With a laugh and slight push... OUT HE POPPED!  Zion was literally laughed into this world!  What an entrance!  So although it was a long and tiring experience it ended quite perfectly.  My Dr. said she had never had to tell a woman in labor to "stop laughing."

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. 

       Then it was said among the nations, 

       "The LORD has done great things for them."

 Psalm 126:2

    

 Meeting our son for the first time face to face was truly magical.  Zion our little warrior was finally here!  

          

 

Happy 1 month Birthday son!

     It's so hard to believe Zion is one month old today.  Time has so flown by.  Lily is currently planning a "Celebration" for tonight, complete with a cake from her Easy Bake Oven.  She has embraced sisterhood with gusto.  She loves to hold him and has made up several songs about him. She told me last week that she "can't get enough of him!"  I would have to agree with her. It is so beautiful to see them together.  Zi calms at the sound of her voice and just loves to stare at her.

We have had some adjustment "issues" as Lily is no longer "The Queen of the Castle." All in all she has welcomed "The New King" with open arms.  She is quite a helper except when it comes to changing diapers in which she informs us "I don't do dirty diapers!"

     We are finding what works one day and then finding something that works even better the next day.  But we seem to be finding a rhythm.  Zion is a bit more "high maintenance" than Lily was.  He tends to require more holding and absolutely loathes his car seat.  The minute you sit him in it the screaming begins and continues generally until you reach your desired destination and free him.  We are learning to cope by cranking the Taylor Swift and singing to the top of our lungs.

  One of Zi's favorite places to be is in a nice warm bath.  Lily loves to help and it has been a great bargaining tool to get her to do her homework.



     He is also quite content laying on Jeremy's chest during their nightly "man time" which gives me an opportunity to catch some much needed ZZZ's of my own.
     Overall, despite the sleep depravation life couldn't be sweeter.  One of my favorite moments reflecting back on this last month was all four of us cuddled in bed for our weekly "movie night." It was such a simple moment yet the contentment I felt was amazing.  One month down and many more to share.  I look forward to keeping you posted on our future adventures.

"What's up with the name?"

  
 Hey this is Zion, AKA; "Baby Z", just plain "Z", "Zi", or "Zi Zi" as my sister calls me.  I've even been known to be called "miracle man", "warrior" and "survivor!"  I will answer to just about any of them.  If I turn towards your voice at this point just expect only limited eye contact cuz I'm still trying to figure that one out.
     Anyhow, if you hadn't noticed my name is a bit on the unusual side of things.  Not your everyday Joe kinda name.  But, there's a reason for this and I'd like to explain if you would be so kind....
     You see just as my first few days of life "on the outside" started a little rocky.  My first few days "on the inside" were even a little rougher.
     I need to warn you, this is where the story gets a little sad and you may want to grab a kleenex.  I can assure you however, there is a happy ending!  Just keep reading!  Anyhow, on May 21st 2009 Mommy found out she was pregnant.  Unfortunately, just hours later she miscarried and ended up in the Emergency Room.  One sad part was that Daddy had to find out she was pregnant and having a miscarriage all at the same time. This is not the kind of phone call you want to receive in the middle of the day at work.  The weekend was really hard and Mommy spent a lot of time crying.
     Here's where the plot thickens....  Mommy went to her follow up appointment a few days later and the Dr. did a routine ultrasound to see if everything was as it should be.   Well, my mommy just about fainted when she heard the Dr. say..."I don't mean to send you on a roller coaster ride but you still have a baby with a heartbeat in there!!!"  Well as you can imagine my mommy was trippin, to say the least!  I'm sure out of pure shock the only words she could come up with were..." I drank a half a bottle of wine this weekend!"  The Dr. just laughed and reassured mommy it wouldn't give me a third eye or something and it quickly brought mommy back to reality.  The Dr. went on to explain that the baby that was lost was my twin.  Yep, I had a twin!!!  It's called "Vanishing Twin Syndrome" and is actually pretty common.  Look it up on the internet it's really interesting. Well as you can imagine the next phone call to Daddy started out with "Are you sitting down?"

"For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling."

  Psalm 132:13

      Unfortunately, the Dr. warned Mommy and Daddy that the reality of me hanging around too was kinda slim.  For pretty much the next 8 to 10 weeks the Dr's. warned Mommy and Daddy that I may not make it.  A week after finding out about me my Mommy ended up in the ER again with very similar symptoms when they lost my twin.  Mommy just knew she was loosing me too!  But there I was with the strongest little ticker they ever saw!!  Obviously I proved all those Dr's. wrong too, cuz I hung on for dear life and at 39 weeks they finally had to make me come out!

"For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, 

and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.  

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." 

 2 Kings 19:31

     Do I know why my twin had to loose their life and I got to keep mine?  I do not.  I do know from what my Mommy had researched that if one twin is not as healthy as the other it could jeopardize the life and health of the other twin.  My Mommy and Daddy choose to believe that my twin had to give up their life so that I could live.  A nobel purpose indeed, if only for a brief eight weeks of life.  I look forward to the day when I will see my twin again in Heaven.  But until that time I thank God for allowing me the chance to live.

"Sing praises to the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done."  

Psalm 9:11

    Ok, ok, you are probably wondering where the name thing comes in.  So Mommy and Daddy decided since I had proven to have such a strong will to live it would only be fitting to choose a strong name for me.  The name Zion was one they instantly agreed on and it carries with it strong images such as "Mount  Zion" the Jewish "Promise Land" in the Bible.  For Rastafarians it means utopia or heaven on earth.

"Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever."  Psalm 125

     As you noticed there are several verses displayed throughout my story. We all learned a lot throughout this last season.  Mommy and Daddy learned to surrender and have faith and trust that God loves us all so much and wanted to reveal Himself and His love through my life.  I will end now with one of my Mommy's very favorite.

"From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth."  Psalm 50:2