MiniM.E., Proud Big Sister

Compared to MiniM.E., having Baby#2 was easy... Bob and my sister did a great job helping me through it though there are probably some residual bruised hands, and it was so nice to be in postpartum recovery with Baby#2 instead of in the ICU.  

so in love

Hi Daddy!

Hi Auntie Jen!

Almost as exciting as having a baby was getting to see MiniM.E. when she came to visit Tuesday.  It was the first time I'd been away from her overnight.  I guess she didn't suffer much since she slept through the whole thing and was so excited to meet her baby sister when she woke up in the morning.

Hi Mom, enough with the hugs- where's the baby?!

so proud to be a big sister

hi Gram!

hi Grumpy!

kisses

It was sad when MiniM.E. had to go home, and Bob left to be with her for the night.  It was a little lonely (though its hard to be lonely with all the nurses and doctors that have to check in on you and the baby every 5 minutes) but it was nice to spend some quality Mommy-Baby time.

So happy to be a family of four!

Welcome Baby#2!

Woke up Monday.  Felt fine.  Went shopping in Albany.  Hung around.  Waited… 

3:30: Started to feel some contractions.  Didn’t get too excited because it already happened a few times and always stopped.

4:30: Contractions feel more like I remember labor.  Called Bob.  Let him know this might be it and could he come home on time.

5:30: Decide this is probably it and I don’t want to eat dinner.  

6:30: We should probably go to the hospital.  Contractions are closer together.  But all the talk of what to do has MiniM.E. upset and she doesn’t want me to leave.

7:00: Call hospital.  They say I should probably come, but I decide to stay to put MiniM.E. to bed.  Fortunately she is exhausted and it doesn’t take long.

7:20: Leave for hospital.

7:30: Driving to hospital contractions are 3 minutes apart.  How did that happen?  Just a little worried things are progressing too quickly.  Hoping not to have the baby in the car.  Good news, this is definitely it!

8:15: Arrive at hospital.  Phew.  No baby in the car.  Very relieved.

8:22: Checked in.  Wheeled to delivery room.  Make sure epidural is on the way.  Told there are lots of things we have to do first.  Starting to decide this isn’t as fun anymore.

9:30: Finally, after being checked (6cm!) waiting, contractions getting much closer and much worse, hanging over the edge of the bed for what seemed like hours, and waiting for the medication to kick in, the epidural finally takes the edge off.

9:37: 3 contractions later, its time to push.  WHAT?  Epidural not really helping.  Fortunately, pushing does.

10:09: Less than 7 hours after going into labor, an hour and 47 minutes after arriving at the hospital, delivered a beautiful, healthy, baby- all 9 lbs!

While We Are Waiting

Waiting for a baby is exciting, but especially with a preschooler, probably the most stressful thing I’ve experienced.  When is it going to happen?  What will I do with MiniM.E.?  Will I have time to wait for my mom to come watch her, or will I have to fall back on friends to cover until she arrives?  How will the labor go- long, short, painful, less painful?  When will I leave for the hospital?  Will I have complications like last time?  How will MiniM.E. do while I’m gone?  How will she adjust when we come home?  How long will we have to stay at the hospital?

All the unknowns make me more than on edge so we’ve been trying to keep busy, but not too busy because carrying around a 40+ week baby is making me exhausted and uncomfortable.

We went to a going away brunch for our friends that are moving to California.  It was bittersweet- nice to see all our friends because we haven’t seen everyone together in a while, but sad that one was leaving.

We went to Sunnyside Gardens again.  I was hoping the bumpy train ride might induce labor, but no such luck.

Over the weekend my mom and sister visited since my sister had the week off from work, hoping I would have the baby and she could be here… again no such luck, but it was nice to have them.  Definitely peace of mind knowing my mom was here just in case and a good distraction from waiting on Baby#2.

We painted faces… 

went to Flavorfeast in Saratoga… 

on the trolley

and managed another trip to Ellms where again, I was hoping the walking would induce labor.  No such luck. (Maybe it was because I really wasn't feeling that well and I sat most of the time and let Daddy and Gram and Auntie Jen do all the work.  I didn't even take pictures...)

My sister had to drive back to NH for work Sunday night, but had an inkling that something would happen and didn’t want to miss it so once she got there she rearranged her work schedule and drove back here with my dad.  She has until Wednesday off so the pressure is on Baby#2- time to come out!

A School Update

So it's been a month since MiniM.E. started preschool.  I am so proud of her for how well she's adjusted to it while she's there, but the mornings before, the drive there and drop off are definitely emotionally taxing.

BUT, yesterday we had our very first NO CRYING day.  No crying all morning (a few "I don't want to go"s), no crying in the car (even though there was some fussing), and no crying at drop off!

I say HUGE progress!  (Just in time for the introduction of Baby#2... oh well...)

To celebrate, we went downtown for frozen yogurt (shhh, MiniM.E. was convinced it was soft ice cream) with sprinkles.

Hello October!

I think October is my favorite month.  It most definitely feels like fall, pumpkin flavored treats are everywhere, the leaves are changing, the weather is cooler, MiniM.E.'s birthday is coming up, Baby#2 is ready to come any day, and Halloween is just around the corner- which for me, marks the start of the holiday season, and I LOVE the holidays.

I can't believe it's already October-- the last few months have flown by!

Here's what we've been up to:

raking... not our yard, but we found leaves!

puddle jumping

riding her new scooter- thanks Auntie Jen!

Happy 3rd Birthday (Party) MiniM.E.!

I expect that MiniM.E.'s actual birthday on the 15th is going to be overshadowed by the introduction of Baby#2 to our family.  Actually, at this point, it better be, because I'm not sure I can handle being pregnant much longer than that.

Anticipating Baby#2's arrival and the excitement and probable chaos of having a new baby in the house, I planned for MiniM.E. to have a birthday party (what I hoped was) well in advance of the actual day Baby#2 arrived.  I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't make it, but Sunday came and went with no baby appearance and we threw MiniM.E. a small but formidable 3rd birthday party with some close family and friends.

I planned on going super low-key, seeing as how I am less than a week away from my due date, but I ended up going a bit overboard on the cake and decorations.  It wasn't even close to the Jungle Party that was her 1st birthday or the Owl 2nd birthday, but of the three parties, she is definitely at the age where she enjoyed her party most this year.

the cake

putting the candles on

so happy everyone's singing

Yay for presents!

Happy (Early) Birthday MiniM.E.!