Thanks to everyone for all the kind words and congratulations yesterday, not just here, but also through texts, phone calls, emails, Facebook and my online mommy forums. Johnny and I truly appreciate all the comments, and we feel so loved. I know you all understand that this is one of those rare times when I can't answer everyone right away, but I am reading every word of every comment and email, and I promise I will reply eventually! (Those of you who were around for Jack's birth can vouch for this. :))

Well, as promised, I'm here to share Derek's birth story, some pictures and updates on both kids. Many of you have read about the story and seen the pics in other places already, so feel free to skip! Besides filling in the people who primarily keep up with my through my blog, I'm also just recording this for my own pleasure for the future.

Labor/Birth Experience

On Friday, July 3, I had my first real contractions. Sure enough, just like last time, the telltale sign was that they began in my lower back and radiated all through my entire abdomen, not just random spots like with Braxton-Hicks. The first contractions were around 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. They were about 10 minutes apart, though not always, and lasting only 30 to 45 seconds long. At this point, they were very mild. Johnny, my mom and I were all very excited, and Johnny and I checked through our hospital bag one more time to make sure we had everything we needed. I couldn't really sleep because every 10 to 15 minutes, a contraction would hit, and while it wasn't painful, it was uncomfortable. Plus, I was excited! So, I passed the time by posting on my mommy forums, reading blogs and watching TV. Finally I was able to lay down and catch a bit of rest in between the contractions.

The midwives and the labor & delivery unit at the hospital had instructed me to come in when my contractions were intense (as in, I couldn't talk through them) and spaced consistently between three to five minutes apart. On Friday night, I naively expected that Johnny and I would be heading to the hospital sometime Saturday morning. Well, Saturday morning comes and goes, and not only have the contractions not increased in frequency or intensity, but they space out even more! I was discouraged. No Fourth of July baby, it looked like. My mom, Jack, Johnny and I all headed to the mall. I wanted to walk around somewhere besides the house. While at the mall, I began getting very intense contractions that made my face turn red. I couldn't talk through them. When we got home, those contractions began hitting consistently, every 10 minutes. A couple of hours later, around 6 p.m., they were coming every seven minutes. I got into the shower, rechecked my hospital bag, and told Johnny to get a little rest. By 10 p.m., they were coming every five or six minutes. Sometimes they would go back to seven minutes, but always very intense pain and for at least a minute each. I didn't want to go in too early, but at the same time, I was cognizant of the fact that as a VBAC candidate, I shouldn't labor too long at home because the hospital would need to monitor me for a uterine rupture. Finally, at 11:30 p.m., I told Johnny we should go. The contractions were every four to five minutes at that point.

Since it was so late on a holiday, we figured traffic wouldn't be too bad. There is a major hospital (actually, two of them) in Torrance, where we live, but since I was delivering at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center (which is equipped to do VBACs), we had farther to drive. Well, who knows what was going on, but the freeway was packed at 11:30 p.m., and what was supposed to be a half-hour trip took one whole hour, during which my contractions were three minutes apart. Yikes! When we finally got up to L&D, they examined me and told me I was already five centimeters dilated, 80% effaced and that Derek was at -2 station. We were elated! We had come in at a perfect time, they said, and they predicted the rest of the labor would go well. Johnny and I settled into the huge labor and delivery room shortly after 12:30 a.m., and I anticipated continuing on my medication-free labor. I did meet with the anesthesiologist, per hospital protocol, and I made it clear that I didn't want an epidural.

At 4 a.m., the doctor who works with the midwife came in and checked me again. She determined that I was now 7 cm centimeters dilated, 90% effaced, and Derek was still at -2 station (+2 station is push-ready). She said I was doing well, but that things would go faster (and Derek would descend more easily) if she broke my "huge, bulging" bag of waters. I told her I was cool with that if the midwife thought it was a good idea. The doctor consulted the midwife, who agreed that the bag should be broken, so we went ahead and did that (it was such a weird feeling, that warm water rushing down my legs!). The doctor warned me that things would get very intense from here on out and asked if I wanted that epidural. Cheerfully, I said no. She said she would be back at 6 a.m. to check on me. I figured, I've completed the active phase of labor all on my own ... surely I can make it in the final three centimeters of the transition stage au naturale, too! I braced for intense contractions, and sure enough, they came. I didn't time them because they were so painful when they did come, and seemed to come one on top of the other. Thank goodness Johnny was there -- he helped me get into different positions, reminded me to breathe deeply and refrained from corny jokes. ;) He also applied counterpressure to my back when I needed it. I was so tired at this point (having not slept since Friday night) that sometimes I fell asleep between contractions. Believe me, it is unpleasant to be woken up by a "Ooooh, I'm going to die!" sort of pain. But, I was really proud of myself for getting through the contractions when they happened. I took my midwife's advice and stood up or got on all fours for many of the contractions, which made them more intense but would supposedly also increase their power to dilate me and get Derek into prime birthing position.

So, at 6:30 a.m., after two and a half hours of intense contractions, I thought for sure the doctor would tell me I was dilated to at least 9 centimeters. Well, she sticks what seems to be her entire right arm up there, and then pronounces that I have not changed at all since 4 a.m. No more dilation, after all that pain. I nearly died. I was almost at the end of my rope at that point, and I needed to hear that I had made progress. She explained that Derek was posterior, meaning that while he's head-down, he's facing out toward my belly, instead of facing toward my back (the ideal position for babies to be born is head-down, facing the mom's back -- in other words, when they come out, the back of their head is up toward the ceiling. It allows them to pass through the birth canal better). With posterior babies, the labor is very painful, because there's a lot of back pain (those of you who have been through this with posterior babies know that "a lot" of back pain is an understatement!), and apparently the contractions can be spaced farther apart, but come in twos when they do come. So while it feels really painful, they're not all that effective. That's what happened in this case -- once I hit 7 centimeters, the back labor contractions came only every five minutes, but two at a time, as opposed to one at a time but more frequently before 7 centimeters. The doctor and midwife consulted and recommended putting me on an extremely light dose of Pitocin, which brings on contractions. (It's usually not recommended for VBACs because of the increased risk of rupture, but apparently it's OK in very light doses.) The doctor then told me that the Pitocin would result in contractions even more painful than those I'd experienced already, and more frequently, and asked if I wanted the epidural. The midwife told me it was up to me (in other words, not to feel forced into a decision).

I thought about it, and I said yes. Johnny asked if I was sure, because he didn't want me to regret anything afterward. All I had done throughout this pregnancy was talk about natural childbirth. But, I had made up my mind. If I hadn't gone through 35 or so hours of labor already, and if I wasn't sleep-deprived, I probably could have dealt with the extra-strong contractions that Pitocin would bring. However, I was tired from the previous 35 hours, and I knew I didn't have the strength to deal with the final 3 centimeters and then the pushing all by myself. I had a feeling that I needed to rest a bit. Once I consented to the epidural, the anesthesiologist was in the room almost immediately. Unfortunately, while he was setting up, my contractions (even before the Pitocin) began coming fast -- one every two minutes, and hard. At the same time, I had to curl up my back so the epidural catheter could be placed, and a nurse was trying to place external baby monitors on my belly (to listen to Derek's heart rate). There was a lot going on, not to mention the horrible pain. That was my lowest point in the labor. I was squeezing Johnny's hand and just whimpering. No tears were coming out; I didn't even have the energy to cry for real. I just whimpered, "Oh my God, stop touching me!" (By the way, some people asked if I screamed during labor, and the answer is, no, I didn't. Screaming takes a surprising amount of energy. Most of the time I just whispered, or just breathed. I did squeeze my eyes shut a lot, but had no extra reserves for screaming!) I was rather incoherent when people asked me questions at that point.

Finally, the epidural catheter was placed, but it was another hour before I felt relief, because for whatever reason, my feet went numb, but my belly retained all feeling! I told the nurse, "Listen, I'm not having the baby in my feet! Fix it!" At last, they got the dosage correct, and when the relief hit, it was wonderful. Even though the contractions were frequent (especially once the Pitocin drip began), I only felt pressure alerting me to the fact that contractions were occurring, but no pain associated with them. I was able to fall asleep. As great as that felt, I was convinced that with all the interventions going on -- the Pitocin, the epidural and the fact that I was bed-bound -- I was probably headed for a repeat c-section, since these interventions were all known to cause labor to stall, and make it harder for a baby (especially a posterior baby) to descend. But, my midwife and Johnny were wonderfully optimistic, and my midwife said, "Well, Derek would not be the first posterior baby to be born to a mom who was bed-bound from an epidural, so don't give up hope."

After only 1.5 hours (at 10 a.m.), when my midwife came in to check on me, I told her I felt like I really needed to poop. She got really excited and checked me for progress. She'd thought it was too early to check, but lo and behold, I was already fully dilated to 10 centimeters, and Derek's head was at +2 station: In other words, time to push! That was why I felt like I needed to go #2. The epidural apparently relaxed me enough to cause all that to happen. Derek was no longer fully posterior -- he had rotated some as he descended. The midwife asked if I would be willing to wait one hour to push, though, so that I could "labor down" -- that is, let the contractions do some more work to get Derek as low as possible. In that hour, she would also have me repeatedly flip from my right side to my left side, and back again, so that he could maybe become fully anterior. I said yes, but by the time that hour was up, boy, I was ready to push. I swear I thought I was going to poop out a baby. Ha. My midwife said it was time and that Derek had indeed become anterior! She went and gathered a doctor and a nurse, and the delivery implements. Then she came back and gave me a lesson on pushing.

We began pushing shortly after 11 a.m. I was really excited, and had some strength from resting. I could not believe that I would get to have my VBAC after all. That got me through the next 2.5 hours of pushing. Toward the end, it became really painful -- they're not kidding when they say that the baby crowning feels like a "ring of fire." Plus, my arms, legs and abs became really sore from the effort. Anyway, the midwife and nurse said I was an excellent pusher, but that since it was essentially my first birth (since I never pushed with Jack), it would take a bit longer. It really was fine until the crowning happened, and then it was the worst stinging sensation I've ever felt. The midwife used a lot of massage oil to help prevent tearing, but she also had to stick her hand up in there to help guide Derek out. OUCH!

At one point, right before Derek was born, the midwife stopped what she was doing and said, "Get the chief resident. There's more blood than usual." I could tell by her face that she was nervous, and that made me nervous. To my face, she said everything was fine, and was very calm. Johnny could also see what was going on, since he had been supporting one of my legs as I pushed. He turned a bit pale but also reassured me. I was thinking maybe my uterus had ruptured and I would need to get an emergency c-section. The resident came over in about 0.1 second -- lightning fast -- and thankfully declared it must just be an internal tear of some sort. Turns out, Derek had his hand up by his chin, and on his way down, he had scratched a second-degree tear along the inside of my vagina, which resulted in all the blood. I asked Johnny later, "How much blood?" and he said, "Well, let's say that it was probably a whole baby's worth of blood." He said he thought I might die, and that's why they'd all turned so pale. I'm so glad I couldn't see what was going on down there! Everyone kept their cool, though, and after the chief resident came, the delivery kept going as though nothing had gone on. (By the way, I kept expecting Dr. Bailey to walk in when they said "chief resident." Yes, I'm a dork even while losing tons of blood, apparently.)

A few minutes after that blip on the radar, Derek's head had popped through, and the midwife tugged the rest of him free. It was an amazing feeling to feel him coming out, and to see him being born. I felt so powerful and so ... complete as they immediately put him on my chest while they clamped the cord. Johnny got to cut the cord, and we were able to hold him right away. They cleaned him up a bit on my belly (his first action was to poop tarry meconium all over me ... thanks, Derek!), then took him to another area right there in the room to clean him up some more. He cried almost right away, and both Johnny and I were near tears with joy. He looked exactly like newborn Jack!

I just could not believe I'd had my VBAC, and I kept thanking the midwife and the staff. I really believe that at any number of points, they could have said, "OK, into the OR we go," but instead they really tried everything to make it happen. I told them it was a dream come true for me, and I meant it. Finally, I had the experience I'd always pictured. I was also proud of myself for not being stubborn and recognizing that my body needed help by accepting the epidural. As you all know, I had wanted to do it all natural, but I think in this case, the epidural was really what enabled me to have the VBAC in the end, by relaxing me and enabling me to regather some strength.

The other wonderful thing was that I could sit up right away! But, the not wonderful thing was spending the next hour with my legs in stirrups while they fixed up the tear Derek had left. Ouch! It was a small price to pay, though. I do have to reiterate again that both a c-section and a vaginal birth are huge battles for a mom to fight, so no matter which way a birth goes, a mom deserves lots of credit for going through the experience.

Pictures

OK, what you've all been waiting for!

The first picture we have of the three of us, shortly after Derek was born

Derek looked like a clone of his brother

Tired but happy!

We do have a picture almost exactly like this of Jack

And this was me immediately after pushing. WHEW! A total of 42.5 hours ... I won't let Derek forget that ("clean your room! I was in labor with you for almost 43 hours!" Just kidding)

Jack meets Derek for the first time!

Post-Birth Updates

So I'm doing fine. Very tired, still, and sore down below, but walking around and recuperating well. Jack met Derek yesterday afternoon and was delighted by him. He kept saying "Dee-dee," which is the Chinese word for "little brother." Apparently, when he woke up this morning, he asked my mom for "Mama, Baba, Dee-Dee," and when he saw Johnny this afternoon (Johnny stopped at home to get some things), he wanted Johnny to read him the "Your New Baby" picture book we got him, and also asked for his brother (and for me ... aww!).

Derek is doing well also, although he had to go to the NICU. At some point shortly after birth, Derek breathed some fluid into his lungs -- we suspect it was excess fluid that wasn't suctioned out of his mouth, although no one really knows about these things. It's fairly common, but newborns can't cough out liquid as quickly as we adults can. It's only a small amount, and it will evaporate or be resorbed by his body on its own, but the hospital likes to be extra certain that there's no infection, because sometimes liquid in the lungs can lead to an infection. So, they took him to the NICU and started him on antibiotics, just in case. His stats look great -- he's 100% saturated with oxygen on his own, he's eating well, he's perfectly round and pink, so that's awesome. The NICU doctors agree that he's healthy, but once they've started antibiotics, they need to finish the round of treatment, so right now they're saying they'd like to keep Derek for the whole seven-day course. That would mean I would go home without him. :( It's very sad, but I'm mostly annoyed that I have to be separated from him rather than worried that something's really wrong. Please keep your fingers crosssed that they change their minds about the seven-day stay!

The NICU nurses have been calling me every time Derek is awake, so I nurse him every chance I get. He's been doing great with that, and my milk should come in tomorrow. I've also been pumping during the two hours of the day that the NICU is closed to parents (otherwise we can go in anytime we want), and we've both been holding Derek and spending time with him every chance we get. It's sad to go into the NICU, though, and see the sick babies. It makes us really thankful to have Derek, and we hope he doesn't have to stay the whole week. If he does, though, I'll come see him every day, nurse him and drop off pumped milk. The lactation consultant came to see us today and said that Derek's latch was perfect, so she doesn't foresee any problems with a separation like this. Let's hope she's right!

OK, this is ultra-long. I'll end this now and go to bed ... it's taken hours to write, between pumping and nursing Derek and getting my vitals checked. Thanks for reading!

Xangaland, I am so proud to introducing the newest member of our family, formerly known as Baby Surprise:

Derek Bennett O'Neal, born at 1:38 p.m. Pacific Time on July 5, 2009, at 39 weeks and 1 day, after 40 hours of labor and 2.5 hours of pushing. He weighed in at 7 lb 10 oz (two ounces smaller than Jack), and measured in at 21.5 inches (two inches longer than Jack).

As for the name, Derek doesn't have any particular significance -- we just both liked the name. Bennett is in honor Johnny's maternal grandpa, Gerard Bennett.

Derek and I are both doing well, and Johnny was an amazing labor coach. I am extremely tired, so I'll save the birth story for some other time (soon, maybe tomorrow), and also post some pictures. Just wanted to keep you updated!

But alas, Baby Surprise's birthday was not among those we celebrated this weekend.  He's still in my belly, waiting for his eviction notice, I guess! Although I'm getting pretty big and uncomfortable, we had a great weekend celebrating Jack's second birthday (a bit early, since he'll probably have a very new little brother on his actual birthday, July 12) and his friend Kai's birthday.

Saturday was Jack's party, held in our backyard. We planned a very small gathering with family and my friends Milena and Tomomi, moms of Marcus and Kai, who were also born in July 2007. All week, I had been a little apprehensive about having a party when I felt so tired, and frankly was dragging my feet a bit on the preparation, but I am really glad we had it. I had a lot of fun, and Jack had an absolute blast. It was also fun to see everyone in our yard. Anyway, I think Jack sensed something was up Saturday morning, since we were all busy prepping for the party in the afternoon.

Are you all scurrying around for me?

Since the party was from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., we just set out some snacky foods. Johnny found a nice shady spot in the yard for the food table. We had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme (Jack loves Mickey), and while I didn't go all out on the decorations, we did have the Mickey napkins, and a birthday banner, plus each kid (Jack, Kai, Marcus and our niece Maddy) got a MMCH character-themed straw sippy cup. I figure that when Jack gets older, I'll have to get more into the themes, anyway, so I'm taking the lazy (and economical) way out while I can!

Jack and Johnny with the spread

Jack and Marcus, looking so cute as they sit at the picnic table together

Marcus enjoyed Jack's slide

Milena, me and Tomomi

I met Milena and Tomomi at the park in our old neighborhood, and besides meeting at the playground, we also used to do weekly playdates, rotating the hosting responsibility each week. Our boys had fun playing together, but the playdates were as much opportunities for us moms to unwind with each other as anything else. Occasionally we also did moms' nights out. There's not much I miss about our old place, but the frequency with which I saw my mommy friends is definitely one of them!

After we hung out for a bit, we opened Jack's wonderful presents. He got a lot of great stuff, including a bubble mower and wading pool from Chris and Victoria; a water table from Milena and Tomomi; practically a whole new wardrobe from my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bill; a push car from my mom; and a tricycle from June and Charles.

Please, can we inflate the wading pool?

Jack went insane over the car from my mom! He's long coveted one of these. You can't believe how complicated this is to put together, by the way. Not that I did any of the work, but the instructions had 30 steps, all poorly illustrated with little text. Johnny put this together Friday night. I don't know how he did it, but once again I am awed by my husband's handy skills.

My own car! Finally!

Here's a nice scene of the yard as we assembled the awesome water table. Although the yard does have treacherous steps, the split level was nice in that the upper level (which had more shade) could be for food and hanging out, and the bottom level was for the kids to play.

It's just a table filled with water, but for some reason, toddlers love it. Jack could (and did) play with it for hours!

Maddy joins in on the fun

The wading pool was also a hit! Here, Kai has already figured out how to pull the drain plug. He's so smart!

After presents, we did the cake. I ordered an Oreo Cookie blizzard cake from Dairy Queen, with the MMCH characters emblazoned on top. It was breezy, though, so we had a hard time keeping the candles lit. This year, Jack tried to blow them out. It was cute to watch him try. As he blew, Johnny and I made sure they went out.

 

Yay, cake!

He's trying to blow out the candles

Happy second birthday!

Milena, Jack and Johnny enjoy some cake

Jack enjoyed being sung to. At bedtime, he requested that we sing Happy Birthday. So silly. I really can't believe he's almost two. Seems like just yesterday, he was a tiny swaddled bundle in my arms. I'll save the reminiscing for his actual birthday. For now, he's still my little baby!

Today, as I mentioned, we attended Kai's Elmo-themed birthday party. I stupidly forgot my camera, but it was a great time. Jack enjoyed the delicious snacks, I munched on (vegetarian) sushi and guzzled the sparkling cider, and Johnny and I were both able to socialize while Jack amused himself with the tons of toys in the yard. We also have Marcus' birthday party next Sunday to attend, but just in case, I gave Milena Marcus' birthday present yesterday. Wishful thinking? Seriously, that would only be six days before my due date ... I'm really hoping to go this week! Last night I was having contractions every 10 minutes, but although they lasted a minute, they weren't too painful, and they disappeared when I went to sleep. I think I probably overexerted myself yesterday, and that's what brought on the contractions. So, it's back to waiting. Johnny and I have been walking a lot each evening. We'll see what happens.

All right, so I have a funny video to share with you guys. Lately, it seemed like Jack has been saying the F-word a bunch, and we could not figure out why. We kept telling him to stop, but he would just say it at what seemed like random times. Finally, Johnny figured out what he really means when he says "f***." If you watch this video, you'll find out toward the end. (By the way, I should mention that when Jack says that a dog says "wong wong," that's because that's the Mandarin dog-barking noise.  He also knows woof woof.)

Ah, very amusing, but you bet we'll be working on the pronunciation for that one. Tonight, when Johnny put him to bed, Jack requested, "More f***?" and it was all Johnny could do not to laugh.

On that note, I'm off to veg in front of the TV. Send me labor vibes, everyone!

Yesterday, after several months of neglect, Moose (an adorable blue stuffed moose from Shelly) was rediscovered by Jack. Johnny and I had moved Moose into the crib, hoping that Baby Surprise might adopt him (and because Moose really matched the blue in our new crib bedding ). Of course, Jack is fascinated by anything his little brother will be using, so he went into the den yesterday and demanded to hold Moose. He then showered Moose with love by brushing Moose's teeth, hugging Moose tight, and, in the ultimate show of affection, pretended to be pregnant with Moose.

Who do you think will give birth first?

OK, to be fair, Johnny was the one who stuffed Moose up Jack's shirt for fun. But, Jack loved it, and the moment he was "pregnant," he ran around, sticking out his belly, patting it and saying, "Mommy! Mommy!" It was a pretty close impression, except I don't go around saying "Mommy." But to Jack, it must look like I'm just waddling around from room to room all the time. The cutest thing was that Jack then ran to the fireplace, stood on top of the granite and turned to his side to take his belly pic, just like me. I guess he really does pay attention when we do things! After a few moments of being pregnant, Jack would pull Moose out of his shirt (head first, of course!), say, "MOOSE!", hug him and then throw him on the ground. Hmm. Then he would want to repeat this about 10 times. There were a few occasions when Jack threw Moose into the Pack N Play after Moose was born, but mostly he decided the best way to treat a newborn was to grab it by the legs and whip it around while laughing maniacally. We will not be entrusting his little brother to him.

Here's a video of Jack's pregnancy, labor and delivery:

If only we could all have such quick gestations and birth experiences!

In addition to witnessing the birth of our first grandchild, Johnny and I had a busy weekend. My mom's now all moved in! We spent Saturday afternoon getting various things settled around the house, and yesterday Johnny did some manly chores around the house after sleeping in (since he came in from Zach's bachelor party at 3:30 a.m. and also because it was Father's Day). We also took Jack to the park in our new double jogging stroller. In honor of Father's Day, I took some pictures of Johnny and Jack.

Jack's pointing to a kite

I accidentally cut Johnny out of the shot (sorry, sweetie!), but Jack's face is too cute for me not to share this one!

Happy belated Father's Day to all the dads out there. I'm lucky to have a great father and father-in-law. And, of course it goes without saying, but Johnny is an amazing dad. I always knew he would be, but from day one, he has been there more than 100% for Jack (and me), and I know he'll do the same for Baby Surprise. He won't have as much time as he did when he was in business school for the first year of Jack's life, but I know the amount of attention he'll pay to our second son won't be any less. It's really heart-warming to see how much Jack looks up to Johnny. I can't wait to see Johnny with two adoring fans running after him!

Jack's been thoroughly enjoying the extra space we have (compared to the apartment), and of course the yard. Check out these cute pictures we took yesterday!

The first thing Jack does when he wakes up in the morning, after calling for me, is to look for Atari. Yesterday Jack found Atari curled up on the play mat in the nursing/feeding corner of the den, behind the glider, and promptly went for his daily canine cuddle.

Atari looks a bit skeptical


Atari gives Jack kisses


I'll have to take a video of the adorable sound effect Jack makes whenever Atari licks him


Snuggle time is over: What kind of mischief can I make now? (Meanwhile, Atari's yawn is just about the most hilarious/frightening thing I've seen!)


Since I'm trying not to overexert myself before Sunday (when my mom is all settled with us), lest I go into labor early, Jack and I have been sticking more around the house. Yesterday we spent two hours in the yard. Jack wanted me to fill up a bucket with water, and soon he lost his shirt due to excessive splashing.

Who needs a pool?


Please don't worry; he was very closely supervised, and there was about a quarter inch of water in the bucket


"Mo wah?"


Jack experiments with filling a little turtle car up with water


The climber/slide we bought for Jack was the perfect spot to dry off.

Feeling so accomplished


Whee!


Ahh, those pictures were very idyllic. To present a more accurate picture of our day, I really should also have taken pictures of what will go down in history as the "6 p.m. Meltdown." See, just as I got an urgent work-related call, Jack decided that the only thing he wanted was for me to hold him up by his two hands, and for him to bounce up and down while standing on my lap. Otherwise, he wanted to scream and cry. If I weren't on the phone for work, I would have just put him in the "bad corner" or ignored the meltdown. But, somehow I don't think a client would react too warmly to the dulcet sounds of toddler screaming. So, I clenched the phone between my ear and shoulder, while bouncing Jack on my (increasingly small) lap and holding him by his hands. After I got off the phone, of course I had to send about four emails right away. Once I set Jack down on the floor, he proceeded to kick, thrash and cry. I pretended that I had earplugs in and ignored the crying (after telling him that I knew he was upset, but that Mommy had to be busy for the next few minutes and can't keep bouncing him all the time). A few minutes later, I was done, but Jack was not. As I got up to go to the kitchen to make dinner, Jack insisted on "bao bao," but was not satisfied with a mere hug. No, he wanted to be held and carried. I can't really do that very much anymore, so I hugged him, gave him a kiss and got up to keep walking. Well, Jack then pulled my skirt down. I had to half drag him to the kitchen/living room area, where he finished his meltdown in the "bad corner." Afterward, Jack came up to me and said, "Sah" (which is "sorry,"), and we cuddled on the couch together for a while. I got up to make dinner, and Jack played quietly on the couch until it was served (Johnny had to work late yesterday). Luckily, dinner, bath and bedtime went well. I'll tell you, never was a child deposited so quickly in bed as Jack was last night!

Poor kid, though -- he must sense that something is up, because lately he's been uncharacteristically clingy! Perhaps he senses that someone else is about to usurp his throne?