Meet Baby C!

I was so bad at documenting this pregnancy but I still wanted to share Baby C's birth story because I love reading them and I know many of you do too!

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I woke up on February 20th not at all thinking that I would go into labor anytime soon - I thought I would have at least a week or two before having another baby. E woke up at his normal early hour and we were in the living room watching a show and I started having cramp-like contractions that started at 6:30am. B woke up around 7:00am and I went to the bathroom after getting them breakfast and noticed thick discharge and blood. I texted my husband and told him to keep his phone by him and I called the hospital to see what I should do about the bleeding. 

They said I was probably in the early stages of labor and not to come in unless my contractions picked up or the bleeding got worse. Contractions came and went, sometimes being 3-5 minutes apart and then almost 10 minutes apart. That went on until 3:00ish when they started to pick up again and became a lot more painful. The boys went with the some friends to a preschool activity and we decided to go to the hospital at 4:00pm just to see what was going on.

We got to the hospital and went to triage. They checked me and I was only at a 1cm....I was so mad that I was only that far along! They were going to let us stay and walk the halls because it wasn't my first baby and they thought things would progress faster. The baby’s heartbeat started dropping a little with each contraction so they had me stay in bed and checked me again at 6:45pm and I was at 3cm. 

Contractions got pretty unbearable soon after and I was dying to get some medication/ the epidural ASAP!!! They finally admitted me and took us to a room at 7:30pm. The anesthesiologist was already there waiting for me, I just had to sign a few consent forms and was told the risks of getting an epidural when I "supposedly" was only at 3cm when I knew I wasn't!  I still demanded to get one and I'm so glad I did! The epidural was placed at 8:10pm, my water broke (more like went gushing everywhere) at 8:30pm and baby girl quickly came at 8:54pm! She weighed 6 lbs 12.5 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long.

We love you Baby C!

Photos by Kristina Sponseller

Three Things

We have had a busy week so far with meetings, church visits, play dates, and Valentine's Day! B got a balloon and has been carrying it around with him all week! It's like an imaginary friend or something!

Anyways, I just wanted to stop in and give a quick update of each person in our family!

Baby E:

1. Is an amazing sleeper at night but still cries a few hours a each day.

2. Loves to suck on his fingers and Mom's hands.

3. Favorite part of the day is being naked on Mom and Dad's bed before getting dressed for the day or at night in pajamas.

B:

1. Still loves trains and Little Einsteins.

2. Is awesome at flying his Dad's mini drone!

3. Can sing the ABC's all by himself and is learning to cut paper with scissors.

Hubby:

1. Is halfway done with boards! One more written and a practical and he'll officially be a dentist!

2. Wishes he had more time to read books that aren't for school....only 4 1/2 years until he can do that:)

3. Has been searching for a place for us to live in Boston. We've decided we'll most likely be renting and we know what area, now we have to find the perfect place!

Myself:

1. I've recently started exercising again and I'm so out of shape but excited to feel myself get stronger!

2. For part of my church responsibility I plan a lot of activities/events and I'm starting to enjoy planning them. 

3. I've been in packing mode since January but I've resisted and I'm trying to hold off until at least March or when we have a place to live!

Thanks for catching up! See you back here tomorrow!

Linking up with Thoughts for Thursday, Thinking out Loud, Penny's Passion

Transitioning from 1 to 2 Kids

Two kids has definitely been a wake up call for me!

Before having two kids, I had my house in order most of the time. I had certain areas I cleaned each week, I exercised 3-4 times at the gym, and I was feeling good about life. Then I had Baby E and all of my expectations with cleaning and life went down quite a few notches!

Here's a list of things that I've learned from going from one kid to two!

Lower your expectations- There will always be toys out and things to clean up, but enjoy seeing those "decorations" because they are a great reminder of what you've been blessed with. Don't expect perfection from yourself, you have kids and they take up time, but also remember to take time for yourself (exercise, eat right, get dressed every day) that will get you on track and enable you to handle more.

Learn to say NO- I had to start saying no to things because I realized that I couldn't do everything. Now that Baby E is a little over three months, I am able to add a few more things to my plate and not feel overwhelmed.

Ask for help- You can't do it alone! This one is really hard for me, but as I have more kids I'm realizing that I'll never be able to do it all without asking for help. We have a sweet lady in our neighborhood who has watched the baby for me so I can take B on dates or go to appointments. It has been so helpful!

Spend one-on-one time with older child- Make them feel special. I've really had to focus on and make an effort to give B the attention he needs. I imagine it would be hard going from getting all the attention to having to share my attention with a new sibling.

Have older child help and feel included in caring for baby- B loves to get diapers for me and it helps him feel like he is helping me in a big way- which it is! I've also heard of parents getting the older sibling a doll to care for while the mom cares for the baby. We thought of doing this but decided not to and it's been fine but that might be because B is older.

Cherish time with each child- They grow up way too fast! If you have time a few times a week, hold your baby while they sleep. That has become a favorite of mine with Baby E!

What has helped you transition from one to two kids?? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Linking up with Thoughts for Thursday, Thinking out Loud, Penny's Passion

Tips for Flying with a Newborn & Toddler

Our trip out West for Christmas break was the first time flying with two kids and let me tell you-It's a lot harder and different than with one! Each way we had one four hour flight, a layover, and then an hour flight. The four hour flight was the hardest, because we all were getting restless and ready to be at our destination.

During these flights I took some notes on tips that I thought would be helpful to someone else who may have to fly with a newborn and toddler in the near future!

-Dress baby in dark clothes in case of blowouts to prevent staining. Baby E had a blowout flying there and one on the flight back. I brought a plastic bag for the soiled clothes and washed them out later. I intentionally put him in dark clothes and they didn't get stained, even after the poop being on it for several hours!

-Dress yourself in dark clothes in case of spills or other matter (poop) getting on your clothes. This saved me because on the flight out to our families, Baby E was being the messiest eater and I had breast milk all over my shirt! Thankfully it was dark blue and you couldn't really tell from afar! Also if a blowout happens on you, it won't stain as easily.

-Get on the plane first and let your toddler play and get their wiggles out. In my last traveling tips post for a two year old I suggested to get on the plane last. Well with a newborn in tow we decided to get on first and get our stroller and kids situated. This also gave B time to explore before we had to take off!

-Bring lots of snacks! Of course we needed to keep B and ourselves happy with food. Plus it was great to bribe him with fun snacks like fruit roll ups because we normally don't eat those at home!

-Bring headphones for toddler and yourself. The long flight we went on had TVs to watch and this kept B's attention span the longest. Sometimes they offer headphones to buy, but it's better to be prepared!

-Wear easy to nurse in clothes. You definitely want to be easily accessible for the baby, so I found it easiest to wear a shirt that didn't require an undershirt. I wore a cardigan over it to layer and to help cover up.

What tips do you have for traveling with two young kids?? I'd love to know!

You may also like my post How to Travel Smoothly with a Two Year Old.

Linking up with Thoughts for Thursday, Thinking out Loud, Penny's Passion

Life Lately with a Newborn and Toddler

Hello everyone!

We are all still alive.....this is just how we feel most of the time!

I had forgotten how tiring this newborn business is and to have a toddler on top of that makes napping during the day almost impossible. BUT we have been very fortunate to have had both of our moms in town to help keep our sanity! My husband is at the tail end of residency interviews and I couldn't be happier! As you know, we tried for Baby E for over a year and so it wasn't really up to us to decide when he would be born. With that being said, he came at the busiest time of my husband's school year and I personally would not be surviving without our family's help.

Lots of people have asked how B is handling being a big brother...most of the time he ignores him, except for when Baby E cries loudly or is getting his diaper changed. Then he'll come up to him and sing him the ABC's. At the beginning B was asking us why Baby E doesn't talk...haha little does he know, he won't be talking for a while! This new addition has also brought some rebellion and trouble listening on B's part, but that was somewhat expected.

Well I'm going to take a nap now, but be on the lookout for pictures from a photo shoot I did with the boys later this week!