Christmas Creations

Look what the toddler made this week at school!

A Christmas tree that is now displayed on our fridge. . .

This one, he told me, is covered in "beautiful Christmas stickers." He was also very eager to point out Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman. :)

I will treasure this ornament forever! So sweet!

Christmas Cookies

Ever since a particularly fun baking experience with his grandmother, the toddler has been bugging me nonstop to bake Christmas cookies. So, we finally had the chance to make and decorate some cookies together!

I quickly discovered that my son was much more interested in eating the sprinkles than in decorating the cookies.

But nonetheless, our cookies (though severely over-baked and consequently crispy, oops) looked very pretty! :)

Santa, I promise your cookies will not be crispy! They will be soft and delicious and NOT have toddler spit mixed in with them! :)

Week One!

One week down!

And dare I say it. . . but it's been an easy week! Baby brother seems to be very laid back. With a two-and-a-half year old big brother and constant noise and chaos around the house, he just sits or sleeps quietly. Please don't hate me, but the first night I got 4 hours of sleep and every other night I've gotten at least 6! (*Knock on wood*)

The toddler loves his brother so much! It warms my heart, and makes me so excited for the day when these two are running around the house together.

Thanks to my wonderful friends and family, I haven't had to cook (other than scrambled eggs or cinnamon rolls for breakfast). This week, my house has stayed clean and I've stayed on top of the dishes and laundry. I know. I can't believe it. 

So, week one was easy. It has been relaxing and restful. Staying in the house all week has been nice since the weather has been mostly dreary and cold.

Let's see what week two brings! Hopefully, more sleep. :)

Brotherly Love

The toddler could not possibly be more obsessed with his little brother! He wants to hold him, kiss him, and stroke his head about twenty times a day. It's precious! :)

Celebrating Pops' Birthday

This evening, we had our very first family outing with all four of us! We went over to my parents' house to celebrate my dad's birthday. We had such a nice time. I haven't been suffering from cabin fever; nonetheless, it was great to get out of the house! We ate some awesome food, watched the toddler open presents for my Dad ("Where's the toy?"), and enjoyed yummy birthday cake! :)

Happy birthday, Pops! We love you so, so much! Thanks for being the world's greatest dad/granddad!

December 3, 2012

I rolled over in bed: 3:51 AM. I snuggled close to my husband and thought about the day ahead. By the end of this day, we would have our precious second son! We would be a family of four! I could hardly believe it.

I waited until 4:21, and I could stand it no longer. It was time to get up and get ready! (The hubbs was not quite as ready to hop out of bed; I was throwing pillows at him and practically jumping up and down by 5:00.) 

When we checked into Labor and Delivery at 6:40, it felt real. This was happening!

The nurse started my Pitocin around 7:00, and at 8:15 my doctor came in and broke my water. I labored until 11:45 without an epidural. It was great! Because I had my first child naturally and I had constant back labor, I was miserable. This time, I enjoyed feeling the contractions and feeling like I could really be a part of the whole experience. 

My husband is my rock. He was so supportive! I think I got a four-hour foot massage. Husband of the Year! :)

Oh, and let the record show: My toes looked Christmas-y and fabulous. :)

My mom was particularly wonderful during my laboring. She stayed with me, timed my contractions, brought a ton of gifts for the little guy (my mother majorly spoils her grandbabies), chatted with me, and helped keep me distracted as the contractions got more intense. I was so, so glad she was there!

The time came when I was most definitely ready for the epidural. The anesthesiologist was amazing! Since I had my first child naturally, this whole extreme numbness thing was a bit unsettling. But, I was not complaining about not feeling my contractions! Around 4:30, I started feeling some pressure, and I knew it was going to be time to start pushing pretty soon! I was amazed that I labored for so long. Everyone always tells you that the second one comes quicker. Well, that was not the truth for me! The boys times of birth were a grand eleven minutes apart!

With my first son, I had to push for an hour. It was pretty grueling. But all of my friends assured me, "That second one comes way faster." Well, not so much. I still had to push for forty-five minutes. But this time, I had an epidural, so the pushing wasn't nearly as bad. 

And after forty-five minutes, at 6:25 PM, he was born. I immediately reached out and pulled him to my chest, weeping tears of joy over my baby. He was screaming--a beautiful sound to this momma's ears. My husband cut the cord and immediately went into camera-man mode. He whipped out the camera and video camera at the same time to begin capturing how beautiful, how perfect his second son was.

He weighed 7 lb. 6 oz. He measured 18.5" in length. Perfection. :)

Shortly after the birth, my family came back to meet the newest addition! They were all completely in love with the little guy! :)

I was most excited for the toddler to meet little brother. In preparation, I had bought a gift for the toddler that we said was from the baby. As a result, big brother was much more interested in the truck than in little brother. But he did get to hold him and kiss him. He was very sweet! My prayer is that they'll be best friends for their whole lives.

It felt surreal to have both of my boys sitting in bed with me. I feel incredibly blessed to have two healthy boys. It still baffles me to look at these pictures. We're a family of four!

Caption: "OUTNUMBERED." :)

We got a brand new postpartum room. It was amazing! The room was enormous with a beautiful view of all the Christmas lights at the front of the hospital. With lots of visitors stopping by, it was wonderful to have such a large room. And, I just have to say, I'm so proud to work and raise money for this hospital. Every single individual who took care of me could not have been more polite and friendly. 

We were able to leave the hospital exactly 24 hours after the little one was born, which was so nice! I was definitely ready to be home with all my guys under one roof. I was also anxious to start figuring out what our new normal would look like.

So, yay! We are home, and the little guy is doing great. So far, he's proven to be the typical nocturnal newborn. Mommy and Daddy aren't getting too much sleep. But unlike with the first child, I know now that this stage passes so very quickly. The toddler is obsessed with his baby brother. He wants to hold him all the time and "help" as often as possible! :)