On Being a Big Sister

so, i've been trying to figure out all this big sister stuff ... it's pretty cool that i'm a big sister now, but i sure wish my little sister could do more things with me. mommy says that she will be able to play with me someday, but i don't like waiting! i asked mommy the other day if isabella could go back in her tummy and mommy said she couldn't. i don't know why. nobody told me that there was a no return policy on little sisters.

i've been getting some really fun presents for becoming a big sister. i've been loving it! i got a cool present from mommy and pappa the other day for being a big sister ... a backpack and lunch bag for school that i can carry. they are pink and have my name on it. here are some pictures of me with my new bags.

i had my dance recital over the weekend. ms. sandi taught us a cool dance routine. we were the tinkerbells ... although, i liked calling myself fiona at rehearsal and cinderella the day of the dance. anyways, it was lots of fun and i liked having all the mommies and pappas clap for us. i even got a medal when i was done.

i will be trying a tumbling class this summer. i start at the end of this month. i am excited about that. i am also returning to see ms. tanya for my refresher infant swim resource classes at the end of this month. she taught me how to float and swim last summer, so i am going back in a few weeks for some refresher classes. our pool is opening in our neighborhood, so i want to be ready to swim.

well, i have to go take care of my babies. i'll share more with you soon.

I'm two weeks old!

it's been a fun adventure since i entered this big bright world two weeks ago. just before i left mommy's really cozy tummy, i could hear mommy yelling at pappa and the nurses, "i have to push!" and they all kept telling her "no, wait. you can't." i don't know what exactly was going on, other than i was trying really hard to get here to meet everyone. it's funny because for months everyone was making sure i stayed in mommy's tummy. then all day on my birthday they were wanting me to come out. then just minutes after mommy got some medicine and they layed her down, they were all telling her that i couldn't come now. i could hear all the nurses and the dr running around and then it was finally time. mommy didn't sound very happy. i felt bad and wanted to come and hug her. i was glad that i was able to see her not too long after all that commotion

since then, i've been doing all kinds of things. i went for my first car rides ... i'm not so sure that i like that little seat i have to sit in. but once the car gets moving, i usually fall asleep. i had my first dr visit last week. i really like my dr. she was so nice and called me a princess. the dr told me that i no longer had to be on my light bed anymore. i was happy to be off that hard bed and in a cozier place to sleep. and, mommy and pappa get to hold me more now that i'm off the light bed, which i really like. the nurse told me that i am now over my birthweight. that seemed to be a good thing as everyone cheered that. i've gone to the church and seen where emma goes to school. i've met some of emma's and mommy and pappa's friends. i also got to go shopping for the first time. we went to costco, target, and wal-mart. all the lights and noises made me look around and wonder what was going on. i got to go to my big sister's dance recital, and went out to dinner one night. and, i had my first picnic for mommy's day.

since then, i have been enjoying hanging out with my mommy and pappa. my big sister seems like lots of fun. she taps my bed a lot, and mommy and pappa tell her "no" ... i just keep my eyes closed so no one knows that i'm really trying to see what's going on! i am looking forward to playing with my big sister. well, i have some sleeping to do. but, i will update you all again soon!

Under the lights ....

sorry we are just now updating again, but for some reason we were unable to get online while in the room at the hospital. what a wonderful few days of celebrating we have had. after all those months of laying down, the reward in the end has once again made it all worthwhile! isabella is so beautiful, and we couldn't be happier.

and, we are happy to say we finally decided on the middle name .... isabella sara.

emma came to meet her new little sister on friday. she was very excited to meet her. the first things she said, "i want her to talk to me ... make her talk." and, then she wanted her to color with her! it was so cute. emma has been anxiously awaiting the arrival of her sister at home, and has been talking all about her. she's also taken a few things that the nurse gave her at the hospital and has been taking very good care of her babies.

i was discharged late last night, and we spent the night at the marriott across the street. isabella had to stay at the hospital as she was jaundiced with very high levels of bilirubin. it was so hard to leave her as we had so hoped to leave the hospital with our baby this time.

isabella has been on a phototherapy bed since late Friday night, and an overhead lamp was added last evening. we have been increasing feedings and keeping her under the lights to help bring the levels down.

we were so excited when we got the news this afternoon that she would be able to come home with us. the levels had come down some. so they sent us home with a phototherapy bed, which isabella will have to stay on unless she is feeding. a nurse will come to the house each day to draw blood to continue to monitor the levels. we will keep you all up to date.

It's a...

girl! We have another beautiful daughter!

Our little miracle was born 7:55 pm, weighs 7 lbs and 4 ounces, and is 20 inches long. Amy, who was incredible, is doing well, as is our tiny wonder. They finally gave Amy an epidural and laid her down around 7 pm or a little after tonight and then everything moved fast. Our super cute baby had trouble breating at first, but is now fine and resting with mommy. She's already starting to eat.

Cool. Unbelievable. Exciting.

One more thing: Her name is Isabella. Still working on middle name.
Thank you for your support and care.

Astounded

We’re having a baby…no really, we’re having a baby! (me talking to myself)

well…while I have anticipated with some anxiousness the arrival of li’l G, I am still astounded and captivated by the fact that it’s happening today…right now. we’re at the hospital…look there is Amy (contracting now every 2 minutes)

…her phenomenal Doctor Sue Glander just came in to brake the water (…should help the flow). I am astounded by Amy’s courage and strength, a supernatural gift for sure. Now, she’s cranking the pitocin and making huge sinus curves on the monitor.

Pretty soon, we will be welcoming our little son or daughter for the first time ever. They say first impressions are huge, well, this one is.

Author guaranteed to be a mess for days.

BIRTH DAY ...

a day, a week, a year of celebrating ... it's been one week since the stitch came out, and little g has not made an appearance yet. i am 38 weeks now ... 5 weeks longer than my pregnancy with emma! we are still anxiously waiting. but, i've also been trying to enjoy some time out now that i'm allowed to get out of bed. of course, my body is weak and sore, so i find myself still spending half the day resting on the couch! and, it's so hard to sit up. but, i am glad to have this time to get my muscles moving a little before little g comes, and i've been trying to do some things with emma as well, which i've really enjoyed.

i got to go to emma's music recital at school yesterday. i was so happy to be able to go see the recital and be there for emma before her little brother or sister arrives. i even "talked to" little g the night before and asked for this one favor for his/her big sister. the recital was wonderful. i loved watching emma and all of her friends at school perform for us. emma didnt' sing a lot ... i think she was in awe of all the parents being there. she looked like she was having lots of fun though. there were so many smiles ... and, i choked back a a few tears too (ok, i'm hormonal :) )

today, tom took me for a manicure and pedicure ... and we both had one done. wish i would've had a camera. being the quality time person that i am, this was a great present. tom and i got to relax and hang out. and, it felt wonderful to be pampered like that after laying down for four months!! we got sushi from my favorite sushi place and enjoyed some soy ice cream with emma and nana. what a fun day!

well, the plan as it looks now is that i will call the hospital tomorrow to see when they can bring us in so that i can be induced. when we saw my ob on monday i was close to 3 cm. little g has been measuring ahead, so she wanted to schedule me to be induced. so, keep your eyes on the blog ... we'll be posting updates tomorrow as we all await the arrival of little g ... a very special belated birthday gift for mommy!

Bed Rest Ends!!!

wow, i can hardly believe that we have made it this far ... without any hospital time (other than those 3 hours one day for contractions), no medicine!! 112 days of bed rest! and, we've made it to 37 weeks, which anything from 37-42 weeks is considered full-term!! so amazing and wonderful. we are celebrating.

today was a big day ... my stitches were removed. my drs had been back and forth for some time on when the stitches should come out, should they come out and induce the same day, not induce, epidural/no epidural. we weren't sure if they would ever get on the same page. so, finally on monday they scheduled the stitches to be removed today. so, today we went to the hospital to see my perinatal dr who was taking out the stitches. he had planned on using an epidural, but the nurse had scheduled me without one. i was already there and the dr said we'd at least give it a try with no pain meds.

i'm not sure if tom's hand will be usable for a few days ... lots of clenching of tom's hands, a few nails digging in, and some awesome relaxing music in my ears. i just kept telling myself that there was an end in sight. two of the nurses were also in the room and were very sweet and helpful during the whole thing. a couple times i did grab the one nurse's hand ... i think i only squeezed and clawed tom's hand ... i hope!

the dr showed us the stitches. we had no idea how large and thick these stitches were, but we now understand why they were saying that the baby was not going to suddenly pop out! the drs that we have been with throughout this process have been so wonderfully encouraging and amazing. we could not be more pleased with all they have done for us.

after i rested for awhile and finally got my legs to stop shaking, we headed out for lunch. how wonderful ... my first lunch outing in at least four months!!!! it was great. of course, being that i haven't been this active in several months, i'm in my ninth month of pregnancy, and i just endured some incredible pain, i was pretty sore and worn out. but, it was still wonderful to be out in the real world today!

it is such a huge responsibility to carry another human being inside of you. to know that every thing i do affects this person directly. i just think back to that 6-week appointment and that heartbeat we saw. how cool that i have two hearts beating inside of me. how totally beautiful to think about that little one forming and growing each day. what a gift this is!

at this point ... we wait. labor could happen any day now. we are celebrating this gift we are about to be given and are so excited to meet Little G soon. what a miracle the creation of life is, and how much we have enjoyed watching my belly grow knowing that another little person is forming inside. so, we are excited to celebrate Little G's birthday sometime in the very near future. keep your eyes tuned to our blog as we'll update here.