The Truth About Boys


My boys eat fish sticks or chicken nuggets at least four nights a week. They pick their noses and were born with the innate sense that farts are hilarious. The house is always cluttered, there are always crumbs in the seats of the car and sticky fingerprints on the windows. Sometimes they like to read books; most of the time books make good frisbees or weapons. Every toy in the house is missing at least one peice, making your brother cry is good entertainment and timeout is usually worth whatever you did to get there. Welcome to the Chretien house. Mothers have this constant voice in their head telling them that they could do better, their house could be cleaner, their waist smaller, and their kids more polite. I fall into this trap almost daily, and I am slowly learning that my success not measured by these standards. I may not be the perfect mom, but I know that my boys are happy. They know that they are loved, and they love each other. All day long they will fight over the same toy, the same book, the same spot on the couch. But, when evening comes, and they have sleepy eyes, jammied feet, and sweet smelling hair damp from bathtime, I know that we must be doing something right. This blog is dedicated to two sweet boys learning, playing, growing, and finding their place in the world, and to their mommy learning how to guide them.



Friday, June 19, 2009

We are officially a family of four!

Cole Charles Chretien was born at exactly 10:00 am on Tuesday April 21, 2009. He weighed 8 lbs, and was 20 inches long. I was 5 days overdue, so I had been scheduled for an induction that morning. It was kind of nice knowing when it was going to happen. That way, I could be fully prepared, packed, makeup on and hair done, and not rushing out at 2:00 a.m.! It was also reassuring to know exactly where Aiden would be. We got up at 5:00 a.m. in order to be at the hospital at 6:00. Charlie and Joanne came over to watch Aiden so we wouldn't have to wake him up. But, he knew something was going on, and woke up when we did. I got a little choked up saying goodbye to him before we left. My baby was about to be a big brother!
We got to the hospital and got checked in and settled. Around 8:00 a.m., Dr. Mosher came in and broke my water and then started a light pitocin drip. The nurses were taking bets as to when I would deliver, and most guessed around 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. For the first half hour or so, I didn't feel a thing. I didn't have any contractions, and Jonny and I were just laughing and talking. All of a sudden, shortly after 8:30, I had my first contraction, and it was intense! I had maybe two more, when I told the student nurse (yes, they left me alone with a student nurse!), that I had a feeling it was going to be fast, and I wanted an epidural. They had just checked me, and I was at 3 cm, so she said she was going to wait twenty mins or so, and then send the doctor in to check me again. Well, less than ten minutes later, I was holding onto the bedrail for dear life, screaming, "He is coming NOW!!!". Even through the closed door, the nurses outside heard me and came running. There must have been at least 7-8 people in the room within a few seconds. They threw the bed back and the doctor came and checked me, I was at a 10! I went from 3 cm to 10 in about 15 mins! They wanted me to get ready to push when I, admittedly, freaked out. I was in so much pain, and freaked by how fast it was, so I insisted on some drugs! The anesthesiologist was able to rush in and give me a quick spinal injection. It was HEAVEN! It slowed everything down a bit, but it was worth it. I pushed for just under an hour, and at 10:00 a.m, Cole was born. Just one hour and 39 minutes after my first contraction! The only thing I kept thinking was, "what if I had been at home when my water broke? I would have had this kid in a car!!"

Here are some pictures of Cole with his first visitors.
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