Meeting Miss Emily Mae

Two sleeping girls, an empty sink, a quiet house, and a free hour (with "resting" as a great excuse) adds up to an opportunity for me to type out my memories of one of the best days of our lives. It's true: there are certain days that just take the cake. The pictures taken cannot possibly capture the joy that you experience as you marry your best friend or witness the birth of two little girls... In fact, even writing out the memories I have (yes, I'm getting old and the details are already fading) seems in some way to diminish the whole experience. You know? But for little Emily's sake, I'll jot down what I remember. This time, I took a friend's advice and had my husband write down details over the course of our night in the hospital, and I'm so glad I did. There are a few "coincidental" details about Emily's birth that just make me laugh. The first is that I gave birth to her the day after a doctor's appointment, as I did with Elyse, both girls were born on a Wednesday, and labor started with both girls at 38 weeks 6 days.

Tuesday, May 18th was kind of a blah-day... I was feeling very large and in charge, but we all packed up and headed to the doc's office for my exam. Jordan was sweet enough to come with me, and Elyse actually cooperated quite well! My doctor confirmed that I could go any time, but as you know, that could mean weeks.... months... years... yes, I was starting to feel that way :) We got home at about 11am, and I started getting the same contractions I'd been having for days: random contractions about 6-8 minutes apart with absolutely no pain and no regularity. I still managed to take a nap that afternoon, which convinced me that these silly contractions weren't going anywhere. After Elyse was in bed, I cleaned up the house and the contractions started back up again with no change. I kind of had a hunch that real labor might be close, so I washed up diapers and started to pack up our things. I was getting kind of uncomfortable, so I blew up my exercise ball and started bouncing around the living room (yes, that mental picture still cracks me up!!!). Since labor started very obviously with Elyse, I had NO idea what to expect with these contractions. They were now about 4-5 minutes apart and lasting for almost a minute each. At about 9:30, I called the doctor on call to just see what he would recommend, and he suggested I head in to get it checked out since my labor with Elyse was fairly fast for a first baby. I waited patiently until Jordan got off work at 10pm and called him at 10:01pm to tell him to hurry home. By this point, I knew this was definitely the real thing! My sweet brother-in-law Izaak was kind enough to swing by the house to pick up Elyse, since by this point, I knew I'd have a very hard time saying goodbye to her over at their place, if I even made it there without crawling to the backseat to writhe around in pain :) Yes, I still had a hard time saying goodbye to her at our house :( By the time Jordan got home, I had showered and had most everything packed. He calmly loaded me up in the car and we headed in.

We got to the hospital at 11:10pm, and I had my first wheelchair ride EVER. I learned that it's really not that fun. We arrived at maternity, and I was getting quite miserable. After they confirmed that these contractions were indeed doing the trick, we got settled into our room just before midnight. The nurses were great, and they called the anesthesiologist right away so I could get my fun epidural :) The anesthesiologist arrived at 1, and by 1:20, I was feeling quite lovely. Jordan dozed a bit, and I laid there wondering how long this was going to take since my water still hadn't broken...? At 2:30am, or so, I started to feel that not-fun feeling again: PAIN. The nurse was kind of in disbelief, but she did call the anesthesiologist again and she attempted (to no avail) to alleviate my pain. Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted! Apparently, there had been too much of a delay in starting my epidural drip, and it had just enough time to completely wear off. Poor Jordan :) No, actually, he was amazing. I had not planned on having Emily without meds, so I didn't exactly have a birth plan (except to get the baby OUT by the time I left the hospital). Note to self: be prepared. My bad! Anyway, it was a "neat" experience (in hindsight) that thankfully didn't last that long.

My doctor arrived at about 3:15 and broke my water. He then took off to help another patient. I missed him because I was ready to meet Emily! The nurses were very calm and Jordan had this look of horror on his face... Okay, just kidding about the look of horror. He was so empathetic during the whole process that I just wanted to stop pushing and hug him... but I didn't. Anyway, I informed the nurse politely (I'm keeping this clean) that I was ready, and she politely informed me that the doctor was on his way (as she was panicking into her phone for him to get his bum over to room 12). Doc literally walked into his gloves and mask and had about a minute to get settled before Emily jumped into his arms at 3:31am. She weighed in at a whopping 6 pounds 12 ounces and she was 19.5 inches long. We were both so surprised at how quietly she entered the world. She squawked a time or two and then patiently endured all of the nurses' prodding and poking without a peep. You might have noticed that she does not look much like her big sister because she really resembles her mommy! Shock of shocks! :)

I have to say, I was a bit apprehensive about meeting a second child. I really had no idea what to expect when it came to that. Would the love I have for Elyse divide to cover Emily? It took about 1 second to realize that there was plenty of love to go around. And, as it did when I had Elyse, my love for Jordan grew even more. We are so thankful for a healthy little girl. God's kindness to us is overwhelming and we pray that she will grow to love him.

Well, today was day one of my adventure with two. I had prepared for the worst possible, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm surprised that Elyse really has no idea that a new little lady is living with us! She meanders around the house just as she did last Tuesday and stops every once in a while to giggle and point at baby "Emmie" (as she calls her). I'm sure life will get more interesting as I will soon need to start cooking again (SO thankful for a generous church & family!), doing my own laundry, cloth diapering, and inevitably, Emily will realize that sleeping all the time isn't so fun. But for now, I will enjoy it. I desperately miss my mom, who was kind enough to spend the first week with us, but I guess I need to a big girl and get settled on my own now.

Emily Mae, we love you to pieces and are so thankful that you're here. We've been praying for you and will keep praying that you grow into a lady who loves Jesus.

p.s. Thank you for being a small baby! :)

" Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from

the Father of lights . . . "

James 1:17

SO BIG!

Elyse has been reminding me a lot in the last couple of days how big she is. . . and NOT just because I'm still carrying her around while being ready to "EXPLODE" (as my thoughtful neighbor so aptly put it today). She LOVES to try to say "big" whenever I compliment her on her latest trick, and all this praise might be coming back to bite me. I already hear her say "yay" to herself upon her small accomplishments. Soon enough, we'll be regretting all of this positive reinforcement, but, hey, she's still a baby, right? :) For now, I'll enjoy hearing her tell herself "yay" when she gets the cow's sound right.

It's just too fun and I can't stop.

The best things in life...

... are free :) Friday night, we headed over to Rita's to utilize some good ol' freebie coupons and enjoyed Italian ice. Of course, we had to head over to the park and enjoy some of the pre-summer weather to go along with it! Elyse didn't mind a bit. She's still a bit timid with slides, but the swings are a HIT.

Of course, as I watched my hubby and daughter playing (I'm not exactly great on slides these days), my mind drifted to how much life changed in the last couple of years. Can't help but think, as well, of how much life will change in the next two years! I must say, the park was never so fun before Elyse.

Books-a-million

Well, there's been a lot of reading going on in this house all week. My neighbor dropped off an armload of books from her playroom that weren't being used anymore, and Elyse is in book-heaven! Some of them are still a bit old for her, but she is fascinated by all of the new stories and pictures. My new favorite is Corduroy, but I love the way Elyse is addicted to the two books with princesses in them (much to my poor husband's chagrin). I didn't have the heart to hide them from her :)

In such a little thing, I am so grateful for God's gifts. I'm not too picky to buy used books, but they are very hard to find in good condition. These are in beautiful condition. I have been a bit on the sleepy side this week (I LOVE my naps these days!), so nothing suits me more than having Elyse drag her books over for a good read. I have probably spent hours with her this week on my ever-shrinking lap as she giggles over her favorite pictures. I know I won't forget these special moments with her as long as I live. She probably doesn't notice how I just have to play with her curls or smell her hair, because she's far to wrapped up in the little bear without the button. I love it, love it, love it. . .

Have I mentioned that I love being a mom?

Sweet 16

16 months. 16 months! Wow!!! It has been sweet, too. Elyse is growing like a weed and I am enjoying all of the new fun! She has been progressing so much in her mobility, which has strangely started/accelerated with the arrival of the cute pink glasses... ?? I don't know enough to correlate the two, but it definitely has made me think about what the vast living room floor looked like with very poor vision: a bit intimidating, perhaps? Either way, in the last two months, Elyse has been doing all of the things that babies do between 6-12 months. I think it's adorable to see her actually care about the toys that sit in the next room, explore the house like there's no tomorrow, and giggle when she achieves something she's worked hard for. It's mostly adorable because she still adopts crawling and scooting, and although we know she can cruise around on furniture, she has deemed that it's just not for her right now. Let's just say Jordan and I do a lot of chuckling at our little miss lazy pants :)

She will try to repeat just about anything you ask her to say, and it usually comes out in a one syllable grunt. She loves her books more than ever and is often found in her room at the base of her bookshelf "reading" Jordan's old collection of Sugar Creek Gang books. I'm amazed they aren't shredded to pieces. She is very passionate about grapes, peas, yogurt, and jam (we blame Daddy for that one). She is pretty independent in her eating these days, but cannot master the fork to save her life! Silly forks. Who needs 'em? She does have moments when her bowl of cereal and milk is just TOO tempting not to tip. Ugh. I feel in the last few weeks, something has REALLY clicked in much of her understanding of what I'm saying regarding sometimes "poor" behavior :) For that, I am thankful, but it hasn't exactly made this new phase a piece of cake! She enjoys testing us more than ever, and it does keep us on our toes! Here are some of my fun's and not-so-fun's for this stage:

fun's:

* She will repeat "mommy, daddy, mommy, daddy, mommy, daddy" until she has to literally catch her breath. This is usually done while plowing down the hallway as quickly as she can move (which isn't that quick).

* She adds new inflections to the words she says: "baby" & "happy" can be said in about 10 different ways as if she's telling a really dramatic story :)

* She's as bad as a puppy with the phrase "bye-bye"

* She is VERY chatty.

* Her animal noises are hilarious, but they all sound about the same :)

* She now pushes her glasses up if they start to droop by smashing her hand against the lenses

* She likes to clap along with "If You're Happy..."

* The word "banana" comes out "nanana"

* She will dig up the smallest specks of lint on the carpet and hunt me down in the house to "give" them to me. I wish she would pay more attention to the big stuff. :)

* Waiting for daddy to come home as we sit on the porch steps. LOVE seeing her face light up when he pulls into the driveway!

* She still lets me rock her, despite the growing sister between us :)

not-so-fun's:

* watching Elyse beat a toy to death trying to get it to "cooperate" in some way.

* seeing her little "practice" baby experience head trauma in her crib repeatedly...

* playtime in her crib before bed and naps can sometimes last almost 2 hours since she has officially figured out her baby and animals can keep her company!

* she knows how to remove her diapers

* she knows how to weasel out of her strap that should keep her confined to her changing table

* Her "sign" for "all done" is evolving into speaking the word "done." Sadly, it comes out "die, die, die."

* Disobedience has a brand new intentionality :-/

* I've known girls are moodier than boys, but WOW! This girl can go from sobbing to giggling in a split-second!

I've cherished these months with Elyse, and I'm so excited that her little playmate is on the way in a few weeks. I can't wait to see how she will interact with Emily and learn to love her :)

My girls

Just as I suspected, poor little Emily will have very few shots of her pregnant mama. Alas, it was not as much due to a lack of time but a lack of motivation :) But, Elyse is very interested in where her baby sister is (I like to think), so I figured Emily should see how happy her sister is to meet her soon! Okay, I'm not kidding anyone. Elyse is actually very interested in how far out my stomach can really get. She is utterly fascinated with the torpedo that is overtaking Mommy's lap in the rocking chair. Emily, we can't wait to meet you next month! I sure do love my girls.

35 weeks and counting!

Sacred

Amidst being "housebound" this weekend with a sick, fussy little darling, I listened a bit more closely to this song. The melody is catchy, and I'm a huge fan of Caedmon's Call to begin with. I'll soon be joining the ranks of those of you moms with more than one child, and I know within a matter of weeks, I'll soon be able to relate to this song even more! It doesn't take long for days like these to drive my mind to how much I have to be thankful for (admittedly, after a bit of grumbling). Elyse's cold will go away, unlike many ailments children suffer from in the world. I get to take care of my baby, a privilege many moms without working husbands don't have. I have the Lord to remind me that each action in my day can be done for his glory, even when no one is watching. AND, I can remember that everything is sacred. There is no "banal" task (I admit, rinsing out Elyse's cloth diapers will test that truth) in life when all of life is worship to our God.

"Sacred" from the album Overdressed

This house is a good mess:

it’s the proof of life.

No way would I trade jobs

but it don’t pay overtime.

I’ll get to the laundry;

I don’t know when.

I’m saying a prayer tonight

cause tomorrow it starts again.

Could it be that everything is sacred?

And all this time. . .

everything I’ve dreamed of

has been right before my eyes.

The children are sleeping,

but they’re running through my mind.

The sun makes them happy,

and the music makes them unwind.

My cup runneth over,

and I worry about the stain.

Teach me to run to You

like they run to me for every little thing.

Could it be that everything is sacred?

And all this time. . .

everything I’ve dreamed of

has been right before my eyes.

When I forget to drink from you

I can feel the banks harden.

Lord, make me like a stream

to feed the garden.

Wake up, little sleeper!

The Lord, God Almighty

made your Mama keeper

so rise and shine,

rise and shine cause

Everything is sacred!

And all this time. . .

everything I’ve dreamed of

has been right before my eyes.

Words and Music by Randall Goodgame and Andrew Osenga (c) 2007 House of Mirrors Music (ASCAP) admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc. / 2007 Mighty Molecule Music. (ASCAP) admin by Music Services

Some things...

... never change. And, I hope this thing never ever changes!

Can I just say that I love sleeveless dresses and bare feet?

...and chubby ankles and neck rolls...

ALL, of course, on Elyse... not myself.

Silly Faces :)

She might as well be saying,

"Mom, KISS MY CHEEKS!!!"

Just Cruisin'

Please note that at no time did Elyse's feet touch the grass. Not once :)

15 months with this sweetie & we have officially turned to mush!

Randomness

is the title of this post for a reason. Just lots of little things going on here, most of which won't be too exciting, but a few are interesting enough to make me want to write them down!

SPRING!!! Though here tomorrow, we took advantage of the weather yesterday to spend an afternoon at the lovely oceanfront. Ahhh, yes, a moment that I think to myself, "I never want to leave the beach." Remind me of that in September when we've been there a total of FOUR times, or something like that. It sure is lovely, though, and I will miss it someday. Elyse loves having the breeze blowing in her face, and she decided she doesn't like to touch sand. She stayed mostly on her towel with her hands off of the surface, so as to remind me that she wasn't a fan of the sand. Having said that, she did manage to eat a goldfish cracker coated in sand. She was a great sport, and I hope she will love the water when it comes above freezing temperatures. BRR! We picked up Daddy on the way home and had frozen yogurt together, which topped off the perfect afternoon.

TOYS!!! My sweet neighbor surprised us with a "Little People" dollhouse for Elyse. It was waiting on our porch for us yesterday. She claims she is cleaning out her playroom, but I think she's seen my pitiful lack of toys here and took pity on us :) Jordan set it all up for her before he went to work this morning, and she is having a blast with it. She's definitely not at the point where she's playing "house" or anything, but it is fun to watch her rearrange the furniture. Our neighbor also gave us some backyard toys, and Elyse (though frightened at first by the car) has really taken a liking to them. I'm so thankful for Irene and her generosity to us. Her granddaughters love to come visit :)

FOOD!!! Today marked the first day that Elyse fed herself a bowl of cereal. With a spoon. By herself. With milk and everything. I almost cried. She was quite proud of herself, and I don't blame her. I still have a hard time chasing down the final cheerios in the bottom of my bowl!

WORDS!!! Anything Elyse says these days is hard to bank on. Once in a while, she'll just come up with a "word of the day" and fail to use it for days to come. It is fun to hear her say them, though, even if it's for just a day :) We've had "bye-bye," "yummy," "bum-bum," "baby," and today was the phrase "be happy." I really hope the "be happy" sticks around, because it's like a MadGab phrase. Very funny to hear!

GLASSES!!! Last week, we seem to have had a small breakthrough with the concept of Elyse wanting her glasses. I went to get her up from a morning nap, and she greeted me by squinting and pointing to her temple, the "sign" for her glasses. I about lost it with excitement. *Knock on wood* Ever since that moment, Elyse has done SO much better in keeping her glasses on. We've had several days when they've come off only when Jordan or I have taken them off! This has been revolutionary for my day to day (okay, I might be overdramatizing) routine, as I am no longer forced to follow her around the house to do glasses patrol. YAY! We're praising the Lord for a great follow-up visit, too, with the ophthalmologist last week. He gave us great news: Elyse's eyes are responding perfectly to the glasses, and at this point, we don't need to head down the path of patching and surgery. She is one of the few "baby" cases that he's seen that is purely farsighted. We're thankful that she can see so much better with her glasses. On that note, they're broken :) Somehow, the part that wraps around her ear is broken. Hmm... I wonder how that could have happened? :) Yes, we resorted to taping it. Yes, she looks nerdy. Yes, it was actually Jordan's idea! Yes, we'll get them fixed on Monday.

BABY!!! We've spent a little more time working on the concept of "baby" with Elyse, but she still has no clue. She has about 2 months to get her little mind around it, because this little baby is going to arrive eventually! I'm 30 1/2 weeks now, and I've been feeling great. Other than an achy back (still hoping Elyse will get on her feet and move soon), I have felt just fine. I'm so thankful for our new little girl, and we are SO excited to finally meet her! I'll admit, I'm already kind of intimidated by this 2nd girl... memories of my sassy ways have started to haunt me, but I hope that will bond us in an even greater way :) Emily delights in kicking my ribs most of the day, and I love knowing her little feet in there will soon be kissable! She is definitely an active baby, and she's kept me up parts of several nights squirming around. I try to use those moments to focus on praying for this little girl and her sister, that they would find the only true source of joy in life.

Well, that about sums up what's going on here. As you can see, it can definitely make Elyse quite sleepy :)

Sunday afternoons...

...for some reason end up being Daddy and Elyse time. Naturally, I love the opportunity to get dinner on the table in peace, and Jordan is a great sport in entertaining a usually VERY HUNGRY little girl. Funny thing is, Elyse is usually very hyper on Sunday afternoons. It could be that all of her pent-up energy just explodes as soon as she has an audience, or it could be the precursor to a total collapse in her crib. Either way, she's usually quite slap-happy. This tradition of Daddy/Elyse time has stuck around all year. After lunch is eaten, inevitably, Jordan suggests that he thinks she'll nap just fine right on his chest as he reads. In turn, I remind him that would end up in NO SLEEP for any of us, and we eventually do toss her in her bed for a nice, long nap. I can't wait to see Sunday afternoons in a couple of months... I think Jordan will do great with TWO little girls to entertain! I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind at all.

I love Sunday afternoons, and these are some of my favorite pictures to prove it :)