Official Countdown to the Main Event

I feel that we have been a bit pre-occupied with Mae's First Birthday (or Mae in general) and I haven't given adequate billing to Julie's wedding. I just sat and thought about it REALLY and I can't believe that my baby sister is getting married! Here's to the official countdown of Beef and Jewels becoming husband and wife. Only 12 more days!

Nope, I won't forget

This morning I came downstairs and Pearson was feeding Mae breakfast. He had out two yogurt containers.

Pearson: This yogurt is bad. I think it is rancid. (refering to one of the yogurt containers)

Alison: Yeah, it was in a bag that sat out too long. It needs to be thrown away. (As I toss yogurt in the trash).

Mae: WWAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! WAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! (While throwing her head back and crying)

Pearson: We can never ever forget this moment.

Explanation: Our girl has become very fond of food recently and Mae thought we threw out the yogurt she was eating.

Note: Later in the day, I find the yogurt container upstairs in our room. It is empty at this time. Ditka went into the trash and dug out the nasty, old, smelly yogurt to eat.

Flashback Friday - Mae's Birth

Since we are in countdown mode (six more days) till Mae's First Birthday, I think it is about time that Flashback Friday talks about Mae's actual "birth" day.

Mae was born on September 2nd at 3:05 pm. That moment was probably the happiest of my life while also filled with a rush of relief that it was all over. I remember thinking that I totally underestimated how hard labor was going to be and that I was never EVER going to go through it again.

It all began at about 10:30 pm on Tuesday, September 1st. I started contractions or what I thought were contraction. You really don't know if IT is IT until it really happens. Pearson, the ever supportive husband, kept telling me not to get my hopes up and try to go to bed. I tried my best but the contractions were keeping me up and I knew that if I didn't get out of bed I would be keeping Pearson up. So I headed down to the couch to try to get more comfortable. For about three hours I had contractions coming about every 20 minutes or so (I think!). Then I started to feel sick like I might have the flu. I was starting to get worried because Pearson and I had gone to a new restaurant that night and I thought I might have food poisoning. Again, you don't know IT is IT till you are really in the midst of it.

I tried to hold off the vomiting but once I started I couldn't stop. I threw up for the next couple hours and decided to call the doctor to see what I should do. The doctor told me to try to tough it out at home and come in if I couldn't handle it any longer. That opened the door for me to get my bag and stand by the door. In the meantime, Pearson was up and said he needed to walk the dog, take out the trash, shower, and get his things. When he came back from taking Ditka around the block, I was standing by the door ready to go. We left (no shower for Pearson). It was about 5 am at this point.

We got to the hospital, me with a trash can in hand. I was admitted to triage where they checked me. I was only 1 centimeter dilated. I couldn't believe it. At this point my contractions were happening every three minutes. Reason being, I was so dehydrated. Dehydration causes contractions to happen quicker. They told me they were going to get me some medicine for the nausea and send me home. I stood a little shocked that I would have to go back home but was hopeful to feel well enough to go home for a little bit.

They said they needed to start an IV on me, which I said 'let's get this going.' Also not to be too graphic, I was in a tank top and nothing else. I was heaving and not to my knowledge my water was also breaking. So every time I threw up (by this time it was the color of orange juice and very painful), my embryonic fluid would come out. I was quite a sight. Back to the IV, the first nurse came in to get a line started. She failed three times trying to find a viable vein. The second nurse came in, she poked me a couple of times and also failed at finding a viable vein. After these unsuccessful attempts they decided to call in the IV specialist. She came in and also failed. Finally they decided to send in the anesthesiologist, she initially had success and left the room. Then I notice all this fluid pooling in my wrist, again another failure. She came back and finally had success. Although this might seem like it happened in a matter of minutes but this took over three hours. Those three hours felt like 30 minutes. Pearson was surprised I didn't yell at anyone during this period. Honestly, I was so sick and felt so crummy I didn't have any energy but to focus on getting through this experience.

After the successful attempt by the anesthesiologist, they decided to check me again. And I was only at 3 centimeters. I couldn't even believe it. However, at that point, they decided to admit me instead of sending me home. I got sent to a room and given my nurse. Swedish, where we delivered, is one nurse per one patient. The nursing staff is also on 12 hour shifts so that you can hopefully have the same nurse the whole time. The anesthesiologist was still with me and asked me what else I wanted in terms of drugs to take the sting away. At that point, I decided to get the epidural (a decision I regret now but nothing I can do now, to change it). After getting the epidural and/or laying down, Baby Cummings heart rate kept decreasing. This required a lot of nurses to come in to the room to flip me back and forth, me having oxygen, many visits by Dr. Block [my OB], and of course worry by both Pearson and I. Despite all this, I was happy to not be sick anymore. This went on for awhile (I lost track of time). Mae's heart rate would stabilize, then it would plummet. After the third incident of her heart rate plummeting, Dr. Block came in to discuss the potential of a C-Section. Also, my labor was stalled and I had only dilated to 5 centimeters. We discussed with Dr. Block the risks if we didn't go forward with surgery. I wanted to avoid a C-Section if possible, however, I was not willing to risk my or Mae's safety. Dr. Block, Pearson, and I made a deal. We would wait one hour and see where we were at. One hour later, she came in and there had been no incidence of heart rate dropping and I had progressed to 8 centimeters. I felt I was on my way.

Shortly thereafter (or what I thought), I was at 9 centimeters. A new nurse had come in to take over the duties of my other nurse who was having lunch. I believe her named was Megan and I couldn't have asked for a kinder woman. I also started to feel sick again and the epidural wore off. I pretty much started begging for more drugs. They helped me out with the sickness and gave me a little more drugs (though they didn't want to give me too much so that I could "feel" when I pushed). Yes, that is laughable now but at that point not so much. Then all of sudden folks were coming in and I was being moved to the OR. Doctor Block was there and Mae's heart rate had decreased again. Of course, I was freaked out because it was happening so fast and there wasn't much discussion. A whole team of people were in the OR (the NICU people were there since Mae had meconia), then all of sudden the room cleared. It was Dr. Block, my two nurses, and Pearson. Dr. Block decided that since our baby's heart rate stabilized, she was going to try to let me push for a little bit. I can not thank my doctor enough for being my advocate and being awesome during this whole experience. Not to go into too many details but I pushed for about 45 minutes and FINALLY, after 9 long months, at 3:05 pm, we found out we had a healthy, beautiful baby girl. She was (and is) perfect.

I know a lot of moms say giving birth was the best day of their lives and I am going to agree with them. I never knew that I was missing someone from my life until that moment.

Montana 2010

I didn't realize that the house we rented didn't have an internet connection and unlike living in the city we weren't able to "steal" any broadband from our neighbors.

The trip was truly spectacular. Glacier National Park and Montana was breathtakingly beautiful. The stunning vistas, the unspoiled wilderness, the clear water, the moments to pause, the fresh air, the smell of the land, and the time we were able to spend as a family, will be missed.

Day 2 - Montana: We Love You

The last time I wrote, I mentioned that Mae was sound asleep. Yeah, so that lasted for about two hours. At which time she woke up screaming. I couldn't let her cry it out in a hotel room since I didn't want to wake everyone on our hall so I brought her to bed. She wasn't tired because she had been in a car all day. After an hour or so of playing, she passed out. At which time, the fire alarm went off. Now, you would think that we would both sprint into high gear and rush our child out of the hotel. We didn't (yes, we are bad parents). We decided to have Pearson go check out what was going on, at which point, when the door shut Mae woke up. Just to let you know, there was no fire. Some drunken kids pulled the fire alarm as a joke. Needless to say, we didn't find it a laughing matter. We were a little groggy the next morning but set about exploring Missoula. Our hotel was right next to the Missoula Farmer's Market. As Pearson says, "My wife is attracted to Farmer's Markets like moths are to flames." It is true, there isn't a farmer's market that I wouldn't like to explore. We went through the stalls and enjoyed an extremely yummy breakfast - a waffle stuffed with organic eggs and bacon. After checking out a couple shops and driving through campus, we hit the road heading North. We spent the afternoon settling in to the house we rented in Lakeside (45 minutes south of Glacier), hanging out on Flathead Lake, and the local brewery.

We rounded the bend in the road and this was our view. We had to get Mae out of the car for a photo op.

Mae clearly not as thrilled as I (or maybe it is the popped collar).

A visit to Flat Head Lake. Of course, Pearson had to get in.

Mae excited about watching her Dad jump in the water.

The brewery that Pearson visited EVERY day. It is called Tamarak Brewery and was might tasty.

Day 3 - What Were We Thinking

After being in Montana for three days, we woke up ready to hit the park (aka our own Wally World). We had a great plan of hanging out at the house till Mae's morning nap at which time we would load her in the car to sleep. On our drive up to the park, the skies looked ominious and my Iphone was predicting rain but we were optimistic that whatever would happen we could all deal with it. What were we thinking?

We had a great strategy of getting to the park, unfortunately, I don't think we had a strategy of how to tackle the park. Glacier is large and there is quite a bit to see. Add that we have an 11 months year old who also her own idea of what is fun. Let's just say sitting in a car seat all day is not, especially when you can walk.

We crossed through the gate and stopped by the visitor center to get the lay of the land. After grabbing a map, we headed up to Logan Pass. There is a very easy 3 mile hike from the visitor's center at Logan Pass. It was getting rainy and was already cold. We bundled Mae in her jacket and hat and Pearson and I put on our rain gear. We started up the hike. It was pretty spectacular (despite the number of folks on it). We both exclaimed, "I feel that I am in another country. It is amazing." We passed some big horned sheep and continued our walk up the mountain, where it got progressively wetter and colder. Mae was still ok and she was dry. Then all of sudden the wind and rain picked up and Mae was no longer happy. We kept trying to shove the pacifier in her mouth thinking that would calm her down. Not so much. We, as first time parents and first time Glacier visitors, treked on with the hopes she would eventually stop crying. The crying picked up. We turned around. Of course, everyone was staring at us. One nice couple said, "don't worry we have been there," but everyone else looked at us like we were torturing our child. We took Mae out of the backpack and ended up carrying her the mile down the path. We got to the car and her hands were frozen. She continued to cry for the next 10 minutes in the car, while we blasted the heat. She finally calmed down. Pearson cursed Mother Nature for the next two hours that it was 45 degrees and raining in August.

This is when Mae was happy. Right when we put her in the backpack.

If you look closely you can see the big horned sheep.

On our way up, we are still smiling.

And the rain started.

Pearson a.k.a Clark. This is how he felt about the day. He was giving his finger to mother nature.

After the cold day on the mountain, Mae passed out.

Day 4 - Bearly Able to Walk but Chatting and Singing

After our first day at the park, we decided to stop in a local outdoor store to get some bear spray. Reason being when you enter the Park, you are handed a brochure with this scary looking grizzly bear on it. The flyer warns that grizzlies have hurt and killed people in the park. It also gives all these other tips including not turning a corner without making a lot of noise - you don't want to startle a bear. Along with buying some bear spray, which cost $50 and only lasts 7 seconds, Pearson asked the shop owner about some good hikes in the Southern area of the park. We decided to hit the South end to see what was going on in that area. He mentioned a hike that was in National Forest (a road divides Glacier from the National Forest) that was pretty mellow and goes to a lake. Pearson hearing Lake was in. Along with giving us the tip where to hike he also mentioned to Pearson, which Pearson relayed to me, that you should carrying bear spray with you at ALL times. You can't be too carefu and bears are everywhere. Of course, I started worrying more than when they gave me the brochure.

We finally arrived at the location of the hike and there was not a single car or living specimen around. I, of course, started worrying even more. I don't know, I figure that bears won't be around if there are other folks in the area. Total false sense of security. Anyway, we start out and I can barely put one foot in front of the other since I am so fraught we fear. Pearson, understandably, is now a little anxious as well since I have gotten him so spun up about it. We essentially talked and sang the whole way to the lake and back. We also moved at the pace of molasses but Mae didn't cry the entire time and could have cared less about bears. She was happy to be out and enjoying the nicer weather and honestly, that was all I could have hoped for.

Bear spray close by.

Family Self Potrait

Mae was tired from the hike to the lake that she fell asleep on the way back to the car.

We spent a lot of time in the car so we had to figure out how to entertain Mae.

Day 5 - Thanks to our guardian angels.

By Day 5, we had a clear idea of what we were going to do for the day. Clear was the word for the day. The water was clear, the sky was clear of any clouds, and we cleared the path before a tree almost killed us (more about our near death experience). On the fifth day we decided to explore the North part of the park near the town of Polebridge. To get there you had to drive on a dirt for about 30 miles. Mae was a road warrior and actually enjoyed the bumpy road. We got to our destination of Bowman Lake, where we decided to do a hike, more like a leisure walk, around the parameter of the Lake. We considered for a second attempting a hike that was six miles one way and gained 2,000 feet in elevation but again, I repeat we thought about that for a second. Pearson and I really wanted to do it but we knew we would be asking too much of Mae.

We set out on our "leisure walk" with our bear spray again. You can't be too careful. Everything was going great, Mae was in a fantastic mood. We got passed by a man with five horses, which Mae just loved and she took another little snooze on her dad's back. We turned around to head back to the car. We were about 15 minutes into are walk back when all of sudden something crashed 10 feet behind us. Pearson and I both jumped and looked (I was thinking bear). Pearson instantly said, "let's move." (You are not supposed to run with a bear). As I turned, I saw a tree crash into the trail. Yep, a tree crashed about 10 feet behind us. We both swear it would have killed us. We were both shaken and I think we both have yet to process it. After I told Heather she said, "you have a lot of guardian angels looking after you." And truthfully that is all I can think of that makes sense. So to Gary [Pearson's dad] and Ian [Pearson's brother] and all our grandparents, thank you!

Despite all the hiccups with this hike, it was truly, truly breathtakingly beautiful. We think that Glacier was a pretty special place for our family this year.

Family Shot: Bowman Lake

Family shot of hiking.

Day 3 of hiking and the hottest day, which required a hat.

Right after, the horses passed Mae. She was very excited to see them.

Mae and I enjoying the lake.

If there is a lake, Pearson will go in. Bowman Lake was no exception.

Day 6 - Can't wait to visit again.

It was time to say goodbye to Montana but not without a self timer family photo.

First Stop - 2010 Cummings Family Roadtrip

I didn't get a chance to write last night but this morning we set out on the 2010 Cummings Family American Roadtrip. This year's destination, Montana. (I say 2010 Roadtrip but who knows if we will actually keep with the tradition of hitting the road in the summer but I would like to think. I can't write too much this evening since we are in the Holiday Inn in Missoula, MT, meaning all of us (including Ditka) are here. Mae is (hopefully) asleep in her pac and play next to the bed but I don't want to look or type too loud or too long with the fear of waking her up. In summary though, we made it here in a little over 7 hours; Mae was a rockstar in the car; Pearson and I got only into a handful of arguments throughout the day about packing, getting here, etc...; we had dinner at a local watering hole, and walked around enjoying the lovely summer night while discussing what we thought this town was going to be like -- much different than what we both expected.

Something to note, this is Ditka's first night ever in a hotel room. She seems to be doing ok with it. A little on edge but that was to be expected. After tonight we are renting a house so it should be easier to report from the road.

Look forward to waking up in Montana.

Grandma Kogut in Seattle

I haven't had an opportunity to truly write till now and it has taken me forever to upload photos, however, my mom aka Grandma Kogut arrived in town on Friday. We have been trying to beat the heat (it has been in the mid-90s for the last couple of days) by hitting all the local watering holes, including: the Volunteer Park wading pool, Madison Park beach, the Coleman Pool, and our front yard. We love being able to have my mom aka Jammy Jan aka Grandma Kogut in town.

Grandma Sandwich

Mae reaching for the watering can. It looks like she is going to fall in but in fact she saved herself and didn't face plant into the water.

No Longer Cool

Guess what is no longer cool for Mae? Crawling. Yep, Mae has seemed to go from crawler to walker overnight. Like everything that Mae does, it is cute. I love watching her chubby little legs carry her around while her arms shake for balance. She has gone from being able to "successfully" walk 10 steps to being able to "take off" across a field without me.

And she is off...

Gaining some momentum.

Walking still has its challenges since there is further to fall.

But it is ok because Mae is still happy.

Summer Time

Since I haven't posted some photos of Mae in over a week, I thought I would give you some from last week when Mae and I hit the beach for some post dinner playtime. (Pearson was in NYC). I didn't expect Mae to hit the beach with as much gusto as she did. She wasn't even in her swim suit and I didn't even bring a towel. Regardless we both enjoyed the sand between our feet. One of us a little more than the other.