Caroline Comes Home, Settles Into Our Circus

It's as if Caroline has experienced our three ring circus before. This has to be why she is so calm amid the bedlam that regularly erupts within the walls of our home. Here are some hospital pics and her 1st time in a carseat.

Chaos. You see, our theory is that from inside the womb she could hear the chaos sooooooo loud and clear that this is why she was a week late and had to be induced.

Liza was the same. Wouldn't you be? I mean, Nate & John are entertaining and all, but entering their savage, dog eat dog, barbarian world after being in a warm, relatively quite place must be...well, shocking.

In N Out. Nevertheless, we took a few pics before she left the hospital and Caroline came home on July 22...roughly 24 hours after being born. Amazing. Now Liza will have some help in taming the savages.

Triumphal Entry. Let's just say Caroline's homecoming was more like a triumphal entry. The kids made her a sign, we had pink balloons hanging from the trees out front, there were decorations all over the house, flowers, and well wishers far and near. To no surprise, John wore his shirt backwards and inside out.

Textbook Plus Plus. John & Ann came to see her, as did a gazillion neighbors and Church friends. Nary could there be a more textbook example of people serving us and going above and beyond. Seriously humbling.

Our immediate neighbors are sooooo good to us--bringing meals, gifts, stopping by, offering to take the kids...even the walking groups that I pass (and chit chat with) on my morning runs are talking about it. It sort of feels like it's a big deal to have a baby born in the neighborhood.

Like Flubber. Of course, we were totally excited to have her home, but the kids were bouncing off the walls (like usual) but with Caroline here, they were like kids dipped in Flubber and dropped into a raquetball court.

Theme Song. We downloaded a boatload of Caroline songs from iTunes and made her a theme song CD. We play it rather loudly and the kids dance like crazy. They all agree that Elvis Presley's Sweet Caroline (that was a link, click on it) is the best rendition. They nearly have the lyrics memorized. We have a copy of the CD in both cars and listen to it at home too. The rest of the kids wonder why they don't have a whole CD of theme songs. They'll get over it.



New Toy. They LOVE holding her. They are fascinated with this new toy that eats, sleeps, burbs, grunts, poops, can get hurt, sleeps, etc.
Liza is teaching her the finer art of being a girly girl in a sea of testosterone.

Pump It Up. If I could have sold tickets to the featurette that starred Nate, John and Liza in an absolute trance as their mother whipped out the breast pump and started pumping...I would be a millionaire. JAWS. ON. THE. FLOOR.

Turfin' It. I must tell you about our incredible BMX excursion. In Pleasanton they have a BMX park that is the biggest and most well apportioned thing imaginable. I'm not talking about the work of a bunch of DOOBIE SMOKIN' REEFERs with shovels and great ideas...this thing was DESIGNED and is MAINTAINED!

The clay like track is regularly sprayed down, and it attracts some seriously good BMX dudes. Think X-Games types. Table tops, flips, 360s ... all commonplace. Enter the Doxey boys with their new BMX bikes. Oh, and their wannabe 36 year old dad who drives a dusty family minivan--who thinks he's still "got it" and brought his bike.

After standing there sporting a look of wisdom, deftly admiring Nate & John's new found joy, I thought I'd "show them some stuff." Keep in mind, that this is how I shattered my kneecap back in '86 in the dirt hills--I was showing off. I didn't even make around the track ONCE.

I went off a jump, and only then (in the air) realized I used to do this weighing a buck twenty five...and that ain't the case now. Faceplant. Shin into headset, full speed. Rolling down tiny little jump. Shin smarts.

Undaunted, (with Nate & John looking on), I jump and say "That was AWESOME!!" I limped back to the van and pretended Liza wanted to ride my bike. So I limped around giving Liza a ride. I was done for the day. The hematoma that developed cast a freakin' shadow, right below my knee. This was two weeks ago and I'm still on the mend.

I have to chalk it up to being a very tough, expert level track. Even Nate and John would go over a whoopty doo (you'll see that they were the kind that swallow you), and I would then see a mushroom cloud of dust, and no Nate or John emerge.

But alas, back to Caroline. Do you realize there's a portent of femininity developing in the greater family? Liza Doxey, Leah Doxey, Paige Doxey, Caroline Doxey, Rich & Heidi's new one, Julia's brother Dave's Mariah...sounds like many a girls' nights out at future family reunions. Party.

For the latest pics of Caroline, you have to go to www.carolinedoxey.blogspot.com. Don't miss it! Gotta Run. Caroline's diaper just fell off, along with her umbilical cord scab.