sneak peek

photos by eleventhirtysix images

 

Weekend with Auntie

I was so glad to have my sister here for a visit this weekend. Our time together passed much too quickly, but we packed a lot of fun into 48 hours, and we had the best time.  As she was getting ready to leave yesterday evening, Sara wanted to know why Auntie couldn't just stay at our house forever.

Melissa showed up on Friday night with a copy of "The Little Mermaid" for Sara, and we all stayed up late watching it and singing along.  It pleases us both to no end that Sara loves Disney movies as much as we do.  Saturday evening, after a family-friendly day, Melissa and I were able to sneak away for a bit for some drinks and girl time. 

We laughed about a lot of things this weekend, including how perplexed Sara was by the fact that her Auntie is also Emma's Auntie and that Melissa and I are sisters just like Sara and Emma are sisters.  She couldn't quite wrap her head around those ideas!  Spending a weekend with my sister makes me all the more grateful that my girls have a sister.

As we were driving away from the airport, Sara said, "Let's run through the airport and find Auntie for one more hug. Just one more!"  Broke my heart and melted it all at once. Love you, Auntie!

Wordless Wednesday

Check-ups

Emma and I had our two-week check-ups this morning.  While both were relatively painless, Emma definitely capitalized on the excuse for drama and screamed through a good portion of her appointment.  She was happy by the time we left, though, and had a great check-up.  At two weeks, Emma weighs 7 lbs and is 19 1/2 inches.  All of her eating has paid off!

On Friday night, we went out to dinner and to Target.  It felt so good to get out of the house for a little bit, since up til that point it had just been Emma and me home during the day, unable to drive or even walk around the block.  I have to say, though, I wasn't too anxious to get out of my sweatpants and put on real clothes ... it was especially depressing to have to slip back into maternity pants in order to have anything presentable to wear.  I just hate that frumpy feeling.  I got the all-clear at today's appointment to drive and start some low-key exercise.  I think the freedom and the fresh air will help both of us; it will be nice to not feel so cooped up, and hopefully it will also propel me back into my regular pants more quickly.

Emma enjoyed her first trip to Target.  She learned very quickly that we always leave Target with items we didn't know we needed.  On this particular trip, Sara raided the Halloween decorations in the dollar section, and spent her very first gift card (thanks, Tammy!) on "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown".  We all watched it together on Friday night (and again and again throughout the weekend), and on Saturday had to pull out all of the Halloween decorations.  Sara even found her trick-or-treat bucket and is ready to go as soon as we say the word!  It could be a long month.

Target Love

In other important news, the Cyclones are 3-0 going into their bye week!  And we have free tickets to see them play TCU when they come to town in October.  It's been a long time since we've seen live Cyclone action, and we can't wait.  Hopefully at the end of October they aren't still sitting around with three wins, although it's entirely possible.  As we were watching the game on Saturday night, the four of us across the couch, Steve and I had to laugh (yet again) as we took in how much our lives have changed.  We first watched Cyclone games in Ames as college kids, and then at game-watch establishments with other alumni and plenty of cold beverages.  Now we watch them on our couch with our two kids ... I think we're both still a little in awe of how far we've come since we met as 19-year-olds.  Life right now feels really good.

It Won't Be Like This for Long

When I was in pre-op and the epidural kicked in, causing my blood pressure to plummet, a team of nurses rushed in, gave me oxygen, and pumped me full of ephedrine.  As I came around, I joked, "Maybe I should get my tubes tied after all."

 It won't be like this for long ...

When, during our hospital stay, the combination of the pain and the side effects of the medicine left me feeling nauseous and seeing double, I told Steve, "There is no way in hell I'm doing this again."

 ... one day soon that little girl

is gonna be all grown up and gone ...

When I was up in the middle of the night feeding Emma just a few days after we'd come home, surgery still fresh on my mind, I looked at her and thought, "I would absolutely do this again for you."  I don't know that I will, but I know that I would.  Seeing Emma next to Sara, I realize how precious my time is, and how quickly they'll be grown.  I knew it with Sara, and it's been confirmed for me again: I would go to the ends of the earth for my beautiful girls.

... Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by ...

It won't be like this for long.

Emma's First Week

Baby Emma is already a week old, and what I want more than anything is for time to just stop.  We've had such a wonderful first week with Emma, and I think I'd be okay with it if she and Sara never got any bigger.

Steve went to work this morning, Sara went to school, and my parents flew back to Minnesota, so Emma and I are on our own today.  I'm so thankful to have had my parents here for the past week - especially for Sara.  They took her on bike rides to the park and pool, took her out for Sonic drinks and frozen yogurt, and spent countless hours playing hide-and-seek and "doing funny things" (Sara speak for being swung around upside-down or carried like a sack of potatoes) in the backyard (even on the triple-digit heat days).  I know the house will feel awfully quiet to her tonight without G & G here.  Last night when it was time for stories and bed, she only wanted Grandma and Grandpa to read ... now she's back to being stuck with boring Mom and Dad.

 

Emma came home from the hospital weighing 6 lbs, 3 ozs., over a full pound smaller (but almost identical in all other features) than Sara was as a newborn.  Despite being a tiny thing (G & G had to pick up more newborn size clothes at Target because we were rotating through about three onesies), she is a perfect little girl.  Our first night home was a little rough, and Steve spent most of it rocking with Emma snuggled up on his chest.  We were reminiscing about Sara's first night home, and how Steve spent it in the living room, by the light of the Christmas tree, holding her so she would sleep.  I actually think he's just a huge baby hog and likes to pretend our babies won't sleep unless he's holding them.  He even hogged her in the hospital (proof below).  Joking aside, my girls really have the best dad.  They are so lucky.

At this point in her little life, Emma is a great eater, a pretty sound sleeper (excluding the aforementioned first night), and has a strong dislike for baths.  She spent basically every moment of her first week of life in someones arms, and seems to enjoy such luxury.  It's been especially rewarding to watch Sara with Emma.  Sara takes her role as big sister very seriously, and when she got home from school last Thursday and found us home from the hospital, she promptly grabbed a stack of books and began reading to Emma.  I know this bond will just continue to blossom, and I'm so thankful that they'll always have each other.

 

Family of Four ... smiling at the end of week one!

Complete

Welcome to the world, Emma Grace.

September 3rd, 2012

8:16 am

6 pounds, 8 ounces

18.5 inches

Healthy and Beautiful

 

Today our family feels complete.

Peace Out, Pregnancy

Dear Pregnancy,

It's almost time for us to part ways.  We've had a decent run, but now you have got to go.  Although I am incredibly thankful for the beautiful gift with which you'll bless me, I have to be honest: you're really kind of a bastard.

For starters, it sure took you a while to make yourself known.  As a result, I spent the holidays last year sipping a little bit of this and a little bit of that and a lot of everything in between.  Not good.  When you did finally present yourself in all your glory, you gave me serious rusty-nail mouth that lasted for at least four months.  Might have been five or six, but at some point I gave up counting.  I know it's not super classy to bring up your laundry list of flaws, but since you're on your way out, I might as well.  I want the last word anyway.

Most days, you brought out the worst in me.  You made me crabby and impatient, and in the end, you left me in tears on a nearly daily basis.  You drained all of my self-confidence and took great joy in my undesirable large-and-in-charge state of being.  You made me feel guilty about drinking caffeine.  Then you kept me up at night, tossing and turning and uncomfortable.  When I woke up so tired and found myself dragging through the work day, I was desperate for caffeine.  But then there was the aforementioned guilt.  You really created a cruel catch-22 for me (until I decided your rules didn't matter, that is).

And in the end, you're leaving me with the worst of you: the ugly veins and cellulite.  You could at least have the decency to take them with you when you go, but you won't.  I hope you're happy.  Somehow, and I'm not sure how, you had this miraculous power to make me forget that you've done all of this to me before.  You wiped those memories from my mind, and I let you back in.  I've realized, yet again, that we just don't mesh well.  I can't even pretend to be sad about this split.

It's not often we get the best and worst of something all at the same time.  If you weren't so worth it, you'd really be the world's biggest jerk.  It's with absolute joy that I say sayonara.  Peace out, pregnancy.

Sincerely,
So Over You