What Came First?

Happy Halloween!

Time Flies

Time is flying by unbelievably fast as it always does this time of year. Where did the month of October go?? November starts next week and there are only 59 days until Christmas for which I have done NOTHING to prepare.

Speaking of time flying, look who is already a month old!

I had Grace's picture taken at one month old so to keep things on par, 

Charlotte had her picture taken as well. 

Hard to believe Grace was ever this small.

Thank God for pictures as my memory is already failing me. Imagine what it will be like 25 years from now.

Oh how I wish I had the power to stop time. 

(remember Evie Garland from the TV show Out of this World?)

(Your welcome for getting THAT song stuck in your head!)

Oh what I'd give to be able to slow it all down so I could remember the smell of her hair, the way she coos while she sleeps, how small her fingers are, the deep blue color of her eyes, to live in each moment, and not worry about the next one.

House is a wreck? Who cares! We are living in the moment!

Dinner not ready and it is 6:30? No worries! I am soaking up the softness of Charlotte's skin.

Hmmm...maybe that is what grandparentdom is for?!

Just (DON'T) Do it!

Pumpkin Patch #2

I was really hoping to get to a bunch of pumpkin patches this season but a cold that has circulated through our family (except for Charlotte - fingers crossed she doesn't get it!) has kept us at home - resting and recuperating. Just doing our part to keep YOU ALL happy and healthy! 

Anyway, now that we are starting to feel better, we hit a patch this morning with a new mom's group I think I might join. Yay! New friends!

It was a crisp and sunny fall morning.  This is my absolute favorite time of year. Not too hot, not too cold. Tons of holidays to prepare for. An 'action-packed' evening is making a fire and sitting by it while drinking cocoa...oh who am I kidding...a HUGE glass of red wine!!

Anyway, back to the pumpkin patch! We had soo much fun!

Where did my baby Grace go?! She is a legitimate BIG kid!

 She's so big!

This pumpkin patch also had an apple orchard. Luckily, Grace was awake this time to actually pick some apples this time. I think she was puzzled that there were apples both on the trees and the ground.

I was sure to get a picture of Charlotte this time. She slept most of the time in her sling. 

I felt like a pack horse. I had Charlotte in the sling and my purse and camera wrapped around me. Not to mention I hauled around apples and pumpkins that we picked - and a certain-almost-two-year old kept demanding "UUUPPPP!" Yes, I had my hands full but I wouldn't want it any other way! 

Sleep

She's definitely got my genes. 

She may not look like anyone from my side of the family (yet) BUT she sure sleeps like one!

Charlotte is an amazing baby. Calm and easy going. After just a few weeks of life, she's got her days and nights figured out. We are waking up only two times a night (usually) and we've already had a handful of nights where she wakes up only once! So I am feeling pretty good. Unfortunately, my face doesn't seem to be reflecting that feeling. Every person I run into tells me how tired I look. UGH. I guess you just can't win 'em all.

Happy Wife = Happy Life

Before Charlotte was born, I was REALLY worried on how logistically having two children would work. I know there are a lot of Super Moms out there who can - and do - do it all! 

I am not one of those moms.

Thank you Court for making our transition to two children an almost seamless transition. There is no way I could've done this without you.

From making dinner, to cleaning up the kitchen, to caring for Grace at all those times when I don't have enough hands - thank you. 

THANK YOU.

All your help does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. 

One of my favorite pictures. 

Court dressed Grace all by himself and then took her outside to play 

so I could feed Charlotte - for the umpteenth time of the day.

Grace and Charlotte - You are lucky little girls!

And me - I am a very happy wife!

Two Week Outing

Charlotte had her two week - TWO WEEKS ALREADY!!- well baby check today and Grace had an appointment to get her seasonal flu shot. 

In honor of our outing, I put the ladies in their first (hate to say it - but probably not their last) matching outfits! How can you have two daughters and NOT put them in matching outfits?! How I ask?

Adorable!

Grace's attempt at smiling on command.

As for Charlotte's two week stats, I am happy to report that all that around-the-clock-nursing has paid off...

She is now 9.4 lbs. (73%) (the size Grace was when she was born!! How crazy is that?!), 21 inches (70%) long with a head circumference of 36.7 cm (62%). She is doing great!

As for Grace's flu shot, they ran out RIGHT BEFORE WE GOT THERE! Now I have to haul both kids back to the doctor's office when they have more flu shots. UGH! Annoying!

Pumpkin Patch #1

If you recall, our pumpkin patch extravaganza of 2009 was a total bust. If you don't remember, you can refresh your memory by clicking here.

So this year, I'm determined to find the perfect patch.

Here is attempt number #1.

While they sold white pumpkins (hard to find!) and a large variety of those pumpkins you always see on Martha Steward but can never find, it was still not the perfect patch.

We are checking out patch #2 next week - if Charlotte sleeps and the weather holds out that is!

Grace - a little overwhelmed by the 'selection'. Charlotte joined us on this adventure. She was exactly one week old and slept peacefully in her sling. Me being the wonderful mother that I am, forgot to snap a picture of her at her first pumpkin patch. Bad mommy! BAD!!

Hmmmm....the perfect pumpkin?

There it is!

Yes, the perfect pumpkin is green and shaped like an apple. You can tell by her facial expression that she is THRILLED to have finally found it!

A kiss for the pumpkin! 

(Kiss = bumping her forehead against loved object!)

We'll see what happens next week!

Big Sister, Little Sister

These two are already inseparable...it hurts my heart (in a good way) watching them interact.

I think Grace is as concerned as I am regarding Charlotte's refusal of the binky.

Grace just doesn't understand how Charlotte doesn't have one in her mouth every second of the day. So much so that Grace is constantly trying to shove one in Charlotte's mouth. Looks like they both are going to be stubborn and strong willed. Grace won't quit shoving the binky in Charlotte's mouth and Charlotte won't quit spitting it out. 

Oh the teenage years are going to be interesting!

Apple Picking

Before my mom left town, we decided to go apple picking. What better way to load up on some fruit and get outdoors with the kids?

Our good intentions did not go far. Both girls fell asleep within minutes of getting into the car.

Hopefully, we'll have better luck - and better pictures - next year!

Great Grandma Meets Charlotte

Great Grandma W met Charlotte for the first time today! Unfortunately, Charlotte slept through the entire encounter. I don't think a family member (other than me or Court) has seen Charlotte's baby blues yet!

September 25, 2010

Never has a post been more overdue than this one...but I guess that might just be the theme of little Miss Charlotte's arrival into this world.

Charlotte was due on Tuesday, September 21. The day came and went. Because family was in town that would make heading to the hospital (and leaving Grace behind) that much easier, we decided to induce on Saturday, September 25.

The night before the inducement, Court, Grace, my mom and I decided to have one last hoorah and headed out to splurge on a wonderful dinner at our favorite spot in Yakima, Gasperetti's. And splurge we did!! We had their famous onion rings, salads, a yummy scallop with sweet potato puree that was divine, a splendid bottle of wine (of which I partook, of course!) and dessert! It was an amazing meal! Grace was an angel. I remember looking at her, photographing her with my mind because it was the last time it would be just the three of us. It was one of those meals you just never forget. 

Check-in at the hospital was the next morning at 6:15 am. Living an hour away that meant leaving the house at 5:15 am which meant waking up at 4:15 am to shower and get things in order before we found ourselves in the midst of a hurricane caused by the chaos of two children. 

It was bittersweet leaving the house. On one hand, we would be welcoming Charlotte into the world in a matter of hours. We were so excited to meet her, to have her be apart of our little family, to see what she looked like and even more excited to see who she would become. On the other hand, we were bringing our child into the world before she was ready. I kept hoping that my water would break on the way to the hospital so I would have a sure sign we were doing the right thing but no such luck.

We arrived at the hospital on time but I wasn't hooked up to the Pitocin or the monitors until about 8 am. At 8:30 am, my doctor broke the bag of waters. By noon, I was having hard contractions but only dilated to 2. I was frustrated at my progress, or lack there of. By 12:30 pm, I couldn't take it anymore and called for the epidural. At 1, I was feeling good...couldn't feel my legs but feeling good nonetheless. I rested and waited and after a few hours, I was still dilated to 2...maybe 3. Then, the epidural stopped working on the left side of my body. The contractions at this point were intense - coming in painful waves of three with a minute or two in between. I couldn't understand why I was feeling them only on the left side of my body. All I knew was that this had to stop! We called for the anesthesiologist who messed around with the epidural in my back - trying to get it to work - all while I was still feeling the contractions. His maneuvering didn't help. Finally, we decided to remove the epidural and re-administer it in a different location in my back. That did the trick! Finally, I was pain free...but not for long. 

No more than an hour later, I felt a lot of pressure and was having to yoga breathe through my contractions. While the epidural was still working, they had CRANKED the Pitocin way up to get things moving. I was now dilated to 7 (from 2 to 7 in just an hour!!) and the doctor was on his way! (You can imagine what kind of contractions that took!) We were going to have a baby and soon!

I think I began pushing at a little after 5 pm although I'm a bit hazy. I know the Boise State game was on TV, that it had started at 5 pm and that we hadn't had the chance to watch very much of it before I began pushing. I pushed for about an hour to an hour and a half and then all of a sudden, there she was! At 6:51 pm, a black-haired, blue-eyed beauty was placed on my chest. It was surreal. I kept expecting to see a face like Grace's but it wasn't Grace's. It was purely Charlotte's. It was magical and love at first sight. She didn't cry. She was calm. She just cooed and whimpered like a lost little puppy.

Charlotte and I stayed that way for a very long time. The nurses were short on supply (lots of deliveries that evening as well) and it took a while to get someone in to do all the tests, measuring, etc. 

Finally, they did the weigh-in. For 9 months, I had expected Charlotte to be huge and while she was a healthy 8.3 lbs, I couldn't believe how little she was! So petite and dainty! How had I gotten SOO big when such a small little baby was tucked away inside?

A few pictures of Charlotte right after delivery and clean-up.

I had to stay in the hospital for two nights. Court stayed with me through it all. He was so patient and calm throughout this entire process. He bantered with the nurses, walked the halls with me while my contractions were gearing up and eased all my stress and worry when the pushing seemed like it was taking longer than expected. My biggest anxiety about inducing (and thinking I had a bigger baby in there) was the chance of a c-section. Luckily, I had Court there with me to talk me through it all.

While Grace was definitely interested in Charlotte, she was much more interested in Charlotte's binky!

The binky in Grace's mouth shown below is the one given to Charlotte at the hospital. The amazing thing - Charlotte refused the binky from the get-go and has yet to take it since. I am freaking out that she won't take the binky. A binky is a very powerful, amazing weapon...I mean tool...that we parents have to use against...I mean use to aid our babies in satisfying their overwhelming need to suck. Since Charlotte is refusing the binky, guess who and what she has been sucking on - around the clock - practically non-stop? 

All in all, it was a text book delivery. I can't even begin to relay the difference between delivering a 9.3 lb baby and an 8.3 lb baby. The difference is beyond dramatic and the recovery?? Insanely more easy with a 8.3 lb baby. Women who never experience birthing a 9 pounder have NO IDEA what those women who do go through. There aren't words - well there are but I'm not ready to go there in graphic detail right now. (Your welcome!)

While I am confident we did the right thing by bringing Charlotte into the world on September 25, I will - for the rest of my life - wonder when she would have arrived had we left her to her own devices. In my heart of hearts, I think she would have stayed put until the beginning of October...but we'll never know. What I do know is that September 25 will forever be one of the most memorable days of my life. Welcome to the world darling Baby Charlotte!