The Snyman Blog - Archived

The Force is with Me!

hannah — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:21:34 +0000

Zak wanted to hold Josiah, so we went to the couch and cleared his books and toys (without prompting), sat down, and held out his arms. I sat Josiah in his lap and Zak gently wrapped his arms around him and cuddled him. "Oh Zak, you're holding Josiah so nicely- you're being such a good big brother!" I praised.

Zak, always happy to agree with statements about his greatness, nodded and said, "I'm a good big brother. I'm a good boy!"

I asked Zak if Josiah was good too, and Zak said, "Ja, Josiah a good baby." Then he went on to add, "Daddy is a good man. Mommy is a good..." He paused like he was looking for a word. I was expecting to hear "Mommy", "lady", "girl", or maybe "woman", but instead, he finished his thought, "...jedi."

"Mommy's a good jedi?" I asked.

"Ja, Mommy's a good jedi!" he exclaimed.

Just to make sure he wasn't going to change his mind, I reiterated, "So Josiah's a good baby, you're a good boy, Daddy's a good man, and I'm a good jedi?"

"Ja!" Zak agreed enthusiastically.

So there you have it folks, this mommy is a jedi. (A good one I might add!) The Force is with me! (Now if ony my mind control would work on Zak.)

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Zak Zingers

hannah — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 15:55:26 +0000

Zak's had too many awesome quotes today not to save them for posterity. So without further ado, I give you Zak:

First the ones I already shared on facebook, just to keep them handy:

Me: Zak, can you help me pick up your toys? We're having someone over for lunch and we want it to be clean.

Zak: Ok, but no singing!

This tells me two things. 1. I sing when I clean, which I kind of already knew (having been raised by a mom who always cleaned with music on), but I didn't realise how often I must do it. and 2. Zak is NOT my biggest fan. Little stinker :-P

~~~~~

As mommies are wont to do, I occasionally refer to Zak's toes as "piggies" ("this little pig went to the market..." etc).

A couple minutes ago Zak fell down outside and whined a little then came in to tell me about it. "I hurt my hands and my pig," he whined pitifully.

I thought he said "big", so I asked him, "You hurt your big toe?"

"Ja, I hurt my big pig!" moaned Zak.

Too cute!

Now for some post-lunch quotes:

Zak was riding his bike in the back yard when he came up the the glass door and informed us that he saw a kookaburra in the tree. Raoul and I just nodded and smiled, obviously knowing that he's not seeing a kookaburra since they only live (natively) in Australia.

Zak, deciding we're not taking this seriously enough, came inside, fake crying, saying. "I saw a kookaburra in the tree!"

I asked him why he was crying about it, and he just repeated that he saw a kookaburra in the tree, so I tried a different tack and asked, "Was the kookaburra scary?"

Zak looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Kookaburra's not scary! Kookaburra likes Zak!"

Then I asked him again, "Then why were you crying?"

"Because I'm happy!" Zak exclaimed.

Right! Of course! Happy fake tears, why didn't I think of that?

~~~~~

Zak sat down on the couch with me and started looking through one of his animal books with me. It's one that just has lots of pictures with the names of the animals underneath. It's a nice one because it has some of the less common animals as well.

So as we looked through the book, I asked Zak questions about the different animals, like what noise they made, what colour they are, where they live, and that sort of thing. On the page featuring arctic animals, I pointed at the walrus and asked Zak what it was. Zak's response? "Where's my bucket?!" Yeah, his daddy likes to keep him keep him up to date with the internet memes (see http://www.walrusbucketsaga.com).

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"It's on my list!"

hannah — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:17:04 +0000

Background: Zak, being the observant boy that he is, has noticed me making our grocery list every week, and associates the phrase, "What do you/we need?" (and just the word, "need") with making a list. Sometimes he'll roleplay with me that he's going to the shops and asks me what I need while pretending to make a list.

Zak is sick again with another miserable cold. He's sneezing puddles and his nose is raw after just one day, poor guy. Before Josiah was born, when Zak was sick, often the only way he would accept anything to eat or drink was to breastfeed. He had pretty much self-weaned by the time Josiah arrived, and when I let him try to breastfeed after Joisiah came, he couldn't remember how to latch. From that time on if he asks to nurse I've just reminded him that he's a big boy and the mama milks (his word for breasts) no longer work for him anymore. This afternoon he was absolutely miserable with being sick, and we had the following conversation:

Zak: "Zak needs a big mama milk!"

Me: "The mama milk doesn't work for you anymore, Zak. It only works for Josiah." (as I'm nursing Josiah)

Zak. "Have a big mama milk later?"

Me: "Zak, you're a big boy now- big boys don't need mama milk."

Zak:" I AM needs mama milk! It's on my list!"

It's on his LIST! How could I say no to that? It was just too cute and he was feeling so miserable that I decided to let him try. I couldn't put Josiah down at the time, so tandem nursing it was! To my surprise, after a minute he did manage to latch correctly and settled in for a nice feed and "cuggle" (his word for cuddle/snuggle). As an even bigger surprise, after about 10 minutes, BOTH boys were asleep on my lap! (They stayed that way for about 20 minutes, until Josiah woke up and I got Zak to sleep on the couch instead.)

One of the sweetest, most adorable, heart-melting moments ever? Definitely! Did I love it? Of course! Did I enjoy it? Actually, I can't say that I did. It was overwhelming and I felt rather "touched-out", to be honest. I felt awesome that I could give BOTH my boys the most healthy, amazing, comforting substance on earth right when they both needed it, but I've got to say, I don't think I could handle tandem nursing full time. I'm glad Zak is pretty much done. (But if it's on his list again tomorrow, I won't say no! It's one of the best ways to help him get better.)

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A Surprise Visit

raoul — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:22:47 +0000

This afternoon I got home to find a Hadeda Ibis in our back yard. Some friends came round to clean up the garden yesterday, and the birds seem to love the shorter grass.

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A good big brother

hannah — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:46:04 +0000

Zak absolutely loves Josiah, and takes his role as big brother very seriously. A few days ago as I was getting ready in the morning, Josiah started crying. I spoke soothingly and hurried to finish my toiletries and getting dressed, but Zak quickly took over for me on comforting Josiah. Zak gently put his hand on Josiah's head and said "It's ok, Josiah, it's ok Josiah, it's ok..." (repeat 15+ times). After a minute, Josiah stopped crying and just looked at Zak. Zak then looked at me, raised both arms in the air and said, "I did it, Mommy, I did it!!"

This afternoon Josiah was fussing a bit in the cot as I got Zak's lunch ready, so I started talking to him from the kitchen, but like before, Zak soon took over for me, and this time he even used my terms of endearment with Josiah! "It's ok Josiah, it's ok sweet boy. It's alright little boy..." Awwwww......

Zak also kindly informs me of what may be bothering Josiah if he gets fussy: "Fink 'e needs a new nappy- he's got a poopy bum!" or, "Josiah doesn't wike the cold!" or, "I fink he wans'ta eat mama milk." (He's often correct in these observations too!)

Zak is also already sure that Josiah will always be on his side of any argument. For example, he may ask me for something (cookies, another movie, etc), and if I say no, Zak will tell me, "Josiah wants _____!" if I persist in saying no, he'll say, "Josiah says YES!" Good try, Zak, but that's not going to work!

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New Commenting System!

raoul — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:32:51 +0000

I've just installed and set up a new commenting system on our blog. We're now using a commenting system called "Disqus" (pronounced "discuss"), which enables visitors to log in using Facebook, Twitter or Google, rather than having to actually register on the site.

Happy commenting!

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The Birth of Josiah (In Full and Unabridged)

hannah — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:18:32 +0000

I tried to write Josiah's birth story last week, but lost it after getting nearly to the end (because I accidentally closed the web page when I switched to another tab). So here's my second attempt (now being written safely in a text editor on the computer and NOT on the Internet!).

As many of you may remember, I really wanted a natural birth with Zak. I was working with midwives and planning a homebirth when we found out at the end of the pregnancy that he was breech. We tried many methods to try to turn him, but nothing worked, and I had a scheduled c-section (only scheduled a week ahead of time, but still, scheduled). I never went into labour.

This time around, I wanted to try for a natural birth again, and so again I worked with a midwife during the pregnancy so that I would have the best chance possible of having a vaginal delivery. I knew it would have to be a hospital birth this time since it would be a VBAC (so my dream birth of a home water birth wasn't going to happen), but I still definitely wanted to have a natural delivery if possible, mainly for the shorter recovery time. Still, I prayed from the very beginning of this pregnancy that if for whatever reason a natural birth wouldn't work out (uterine rupture, or the baby going into distress, or anything), that we would be given a sign ahead of time so I could have a c-section without putting myself and the baby through any possible danger in labour. Well, God answered my prayer by this baby being breech, just like their big brother was (in other words, a vaginal delivery wasn't going to happen, so we knew to schedule a c-section, just like I asked). At least this time around we knew much earlier on and I had more time to get used to the idea of having another c-section. We scheduled a c-section for the 27th of July, when I would be just over 38 weeks pregnant. Another July birthday! Both Raoul and Zak (and many other members of my family) have July birthdays, and the c-section was scheduled for 2 days before Zak's 3rd birthday, which meant I would still be in hospital. Somehow though, from about halfway through my pregnancy, I had a feeling baby would be coming early...

Raoul's birthday is the 20th of July. Raoul wasn't feeling very well and thought he was catching the cold that Zak had the last week or so, but decided he was well enough to go out to eat for his birthday dinner. We went out to eat at Manuka with our wonderful friend, Irene, and had a great time. Unfortunately, Raoul was feeling worse that night and he hardly slept. In fact he was up working on his computer from about 4-6 am.

He was only just beginning to get a bit of sleep when I woke up to my water breaking at about 7:30. I woke him up by saying the classic line, "Honey, I think my water just broke." I quickly rolled out of bed and waddled for the bathroom as I told him, "My water DEFINITELY just broke." (We're talking a flood, not a trickle.) Raoul says his first thought was, "Does it have to happen NOW, I'm just getting to sleep!", but he didn't say it out loud, and thanks to a bit of adrenaline, he was wide awake and taking charge in no time. Thankfully although we weren't really prepared for the eventuality of me going into labour before my scheduled c-section, both of us kept our heads on straight and didn't panic about anything. Raoul called the maternity ward and let them know. They told us to come in (of course), and called the doctor for us. Then Raoul called the neighbours (who are also friends from church), and asked them if we could drop Zak off with them. Naturally they said yes (they had already volunteered to watch him when the time came anyway), so Raoul got Zak up and dressed and took him over. During all of this. I was just trying to get the flow of waters under control enough to clean up and get ready (not easy when there's no hot water). Finally I managed to get dressed, and Raoul grabbed the baby bag (which was thankfully completely packed already thanks to my hunch that the baby might come early), the camera, and my bag (which was only mostly packed, so we had to grab a few things and ended up forgetting my toiletries). With necessities in hand, we headed for the hospital.

On the way to the hospital, I started having a couple contractions. We got to the hospital at about 8:30, and as we walked in our doctor was walking towards us from another direction. He stopped and asked, "So it's really today, hey?" Yep. After confirming with me that I was sure my water broke ("Yes, I'm SURE it broke."), he said that we would be meeting our baby in the next few hours, and that we could head straight up to the maternity ward to get me settled (and that Raoul could come back and do the paperwork later). We went up to maternity and introduced ourselves. The nurse asked if I wanted to stay in a general ward (4 beds) or a private room. Since we didn't want to pay extra for the private room, we opted for the general ward. It turned out that baby decided to come at a good time though, because both general wards were being deep cleaned at the time and were unavailable, so I was able to get a private room for no extra charge! Whoo hoo! After being escorted to my room, I changed into the hospital gown and got hooked up to a machine that monitored my contractions and baby's heartbeat. After that it we just had to wait for the anaesthetist to arrive, and it would be baby time!

The anaesthetist showed up at about 10:45, and it was time for Raoul to get scrubbed up and for us to go to the operating theatre. As the nurses, paediatrician, anaesthetist, and assisting doctor scurried about getting things ready in the theatre, several of them asked us what the gender of the baby was, to which we answered, "it's a surprise!" Everyone began sharing their guesses according to their different philosophies about boy vs. girl pregnancies and delivery. The assisting doctor said that it tends to be boys who come at unexpected times, but since it was still quite a convenient time, it could be a girl. After hearing that Zak thought it was a girl, she decided it must definitely be a girl because siblings were almost always right at guessing the baby's gender. The paediatrician on the other hand asked us if it was harder to decide on a boy name or a girl name. We said the boy name was harder, and he said "Ah, well then it's definitely a boy!" As for me, I was pretty convinced it was a girl. The pregnancy was MUCH different (and much less pleasant) than my pregnancy with Zak- I had different symptoms than I did with him, I was carrying differently, Zak thought it was a girl, and I had a feeling he was right. Raoul insisted that Snymans only have boys (but admitted that he continued to say that mostly just to get a rise out of me because I'd like to have a girl someday too). While people were chatting about the baby'd gender, the anaesthetist placed the drip and the spinal block (and did an excellent job I might add) and I got settled on the operating table. Time to get baby out of there- let the slicing and dicing begin!

When the doctor opened me up, after a couple minutes he asked me if I had many problems with infection after my c-section with Zak. I was a bit surprised because I didn't have any infection at all, and told him so. The doctor said I had so many adhesions it looked like someone had poured in a bottle of super glue. They really had to work to get down to my uterus so it took a bit longer than it normally does. Finally it was time for the big moment- getting baby out and finding out if this little person was a boy or a girl. The paediatrician was watching the operation and asked if he could announce the gender. I gave him the go-ahead and...."It's a boy!" (Wait a second...boy? Yep. BOY!) They held him up for us to see, then quickly whisked him over to the incubator to do his APGAR observations, weight, and length. He was 3.31 kg's (7 lbs 4 oz), and 50 cm long (19.7 in). His APGAR scores were 9 and 9.

While he was busy checking our boy, the paediatrician asked what his name would be. I hesitated a moment and looked at Raoul. We had three boy's names on our list, and my favourite was definitely Josiah, however, I knew Raoul wasn't as sure about it as I was. When we named Zak, it was a similar situation. We had three names on the list and Raoul LOVED the name Zachary. It wasn't my favourite on the list, but I did like it fine (hence why it was on the list in the first place), so since Raoul felt so strongly about it, I agreed. With this one, Raoul agreed to give me final naming rights because he got his way with Zak's name. Still, I didn't want to use something that Raoul didn't like. Anyway, so I looked over at Raoul, without saying anything, to check that he was still ok with me using my favourite name. I got the nod, and I announced, "His name is Josiah!" (And then I quickly checked with Raoul again to make sure he didn't look more like a "Marcus" or "Dominic", since I'd only had a short glimpse of Josiah at that point. Raoul said no, that Josiah suited him just fine.)

It only took a moment, and then I was holding Josiah for the first time. I've loved the name Josiah since I was 14 or 15 years old, and now I was holding my second son, my own little Josiah! During my pregnancy, I was afraid that if the baby turned out to be a boy that I might be disappointed, at least a little bit. It turns out I needn't have worried. I wasn't disappointed, and actually, I wasn't even as surprised as I thought I would be if it turned out to be a boy. Nope. I just held my son, and I loved him. Of course, I knew I would love my baby no matter what, but I didn't want there to be any disappointment at all, even just for a moment. Thankfully God knows much better than I do, and there wasn't any. God knows who each member of my family should be, and Josiah is right where he belongs. God blessed us with a second son, and I'm so thankful- how could I be disappointed with such an awesome gift?!

Unlike my c-section with Zak, when Raoul and the baby had to leave me to go to the nursery while I was getting stitched up, this time Raoul and Josiah got to stay with me the whole time. I handed Josiah back to Raoul while I was getting stitched up (because holding a baby while flat on your back isn't very comfortable), but as soon as they were finished and I was taken to recovery, I got to sit up more. The nurse unwrapped Josiah from the towels he'd been bundled in, and helped me get him settled against my chest, skin to skin (which is something I was never allowed to do with Zak in the hospital). I was even able to start breastfeeding while we were in the recovery room. It was an absolutely wonderful experience!

So there you have it, the birth of Josiah! Oh, and by the way, for those of you wondering about the name, Josiah (depending on where you look) can mean the Lord supports, and/or the Lord saves, and/or the Lord heals (and variations of those)- all wonderful meanings that are important to us. We really pay close attention to the meanings of names when we pick names, which is one of the things that distinguished the name Josiah from the other names on our list. Now we have Zachary (Jehovah remembers), and Josiah (the Lord supports, saves, and heals). Praise God!

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Daddy's Little Metal-Head

raoul — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 13:46:25 +0000

As we've previously noted, Zak enjoys listening to music as much as I do. Almost every time we get in the car I turn the music on, and with this Zak expects to hear music.

The other day he and I went shopping, and as I pulled off Zak said to me, "Music please Daddy!"

So I obliged and pulled out the radio face. As I plugged it in, I asked Zak, "What do you want to listen to?"

"Lifewar!"

That's my little metal-head.

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Imaginative Eating

hannah — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 16:53:38 +0000

Today Raoul made an extremely delicious cottage/shepherds pie (mmmmm, nothing better in winter!). Zak's not always a very good eater and lately it's been frustrating because he takes soooooooooo long to finish his food (even food that he likes perfectly well). Well, Zak seems to be a big fan of cottage pie because he ate it well at both lunch and supper. Tonight at supper, he scooped up a huge spoonful proclaiming, "BIG dinosaur bite!" (Anything particularly large or impressive is "dinosaur".) He then proceeded thusly: "Wooo Woooo ch-ka ch-ka ch-ka wooo woooo! In the tunnel!" And carefully manuevered his whole "big dinosaur bite" into his mouth.

We don't have to make eating exciting for him- he does it all on his own!

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Anatomy Lessons from a Toddler

raoul — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 22:18:08 +0000

Zak, like any other toddler, is learning anatomy as he grows up. We have many notable moments of hilarity when Zak announces certain anatomical and medical "facts" to us.

When Zak was sick a little while back, Hannah taught him about how the "white blood cells fight yucky germs" and so he often announces that to anyone who will hear him, including little old ladies in the grocery store.

The one day, Zak proudly announced to me, when I was kissing him goodnight in his bed, that "white blood cells fight yucky germs in the nipples!"

Another notable announcement happened this evening. While Hannah was changing him into his pyjamas, Zak ran out his room and into my study, naked as the day, and proudly announced to me, "Zak has a wee-wee, and legs, and nipples!" and then ran back to mom.

Such is life with a toddler... extremely frustrating at times, and downright fall-off-your-chair-laughing hilarious at other times.

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