Elle baby

 Every night I think is the night I am going to get 3 or more hours of sleep...but 11 pm rolls around and baby E just wants to party.  She is up until 2 or 3 usually nursing on and off, I know I will miss this time together some day...but not right now.  I am running low on patience! Then C will wake up usually around 6 am these days and want to come in our bed to snuggle...I am one tired mama right now.  Elizabeth is so alert compared to how Char was as a baby it is really cool to see her eyes open a lot more, I just wish she could be less awake from about midnight on haha.  We gave her first official bath last night, she looooved it! We have another water baby! 

This morning I showered, did my hair, make up, and got dressed in real clothes, it seriously did wonders for my mood, while I was getting ready Charlotte decided to read to Elle and it was THE cutest thing ever.  I feel so lucky to be these girls mama, they are the sweetest, and I know once we get into more of a routine it will get easier.  Elizabeth has quite a few nick names now, Char calls her "my baby" and we call her baby E, Ellie bean, Bean, Elle Belle, and just Elizabeth.  So even though we are tired, we are hanging in there!!

family of 4

 We took some family pictures yesterday just for fun because I realized we hadn't gotten a picture of the four of us yet!! Crazy. I really wanted to at the hospital but I was so out of it I couldn't remember to get that shot! I am so happy with how these turned out, and I just want to take more and more.  It still doesn't seem real to me that we are a family of four now.  These past two weeks have flown by and I cannot believe little Ellie bean is 2 weeks old already.  They have all kind of blurred together (the days and nights) she isn't on any sort of schedule yet, and its hard for us to go anywhere before 11 am...I don't know how people do it with more kids! E loves to cluster feed until 2-3 in the morning so that has been interesting because of course Char gets up at 7 am so we are surviving but barely.  We had her 2 week appointment today and she weighed in at a whopping 7 pounds 4 ounces...she is so teeny! Charlotte when she was BORN weighed 7 lbs 5 ounces...its crazy to me how small this girl is compared to her sister.  C was already in 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers at 2 weeks old, and baby E is still in newborn diapers and clothes.  She is such a sweetheart though and when she is awake she just looks around, but if she is hungry? She lets out a super loud scream and lets you know she needs food ASAP otherwise her world is ending.  She sleeps in her crib every night, but hates being cold so sometimes after I nurse her I just let her sleep in bed with us for the hour she sleeps and then wants more food again.  She still has so much hair, it is lightening up a lot though so I think she will be blonde eventually.  My cousin has been in town this week helping out with C and I am reallllly going to miss her when she goes home.  She has been SO helpful and let us just soak in newborn baby time. 

In my brain

- I cannot believe Elizabeth is here most days...she is a great sleeper except once 11 pm rolls around she just cluster feeds until 2 am and then will sleep 4 hours.  For the most part I really don't mind but some nights I am just so tired I wish I could just sleep while she eats...

-She is such a sweetheart and loves cuddling, I hope she always loves to cuddle!

-When she nurses she will hold on to the collar of my shirt, and it just melts me.

-C got a haircut the other day and now she looks so old to me!

-Yesterday after a marathon eating session all night long, Russ let me sleep in and brought me breakfast in bed.  He is a keeper. 

-I have been SO emotional lately, and I know it has everything to do with post partum but I wish the random tears would stop and I could get back to normal.

-I thought I would take way more pictures with my big camera of E but every time I get a free moment and she is sleeping I don't want to disturb her.  Thank goodness for cell phone pictures I guess! I took a few for her announcements but really wanted to do more, I guess I still can she is only 12 days old.

-Charlotte is doing so amazing with this big change, she gets a little whiny and throws maybe a few more tantrums when E is attached to me eating but I try and put the baby down and play with her one on one, I think later this week I will take her on a date just me and her.  I miss her!

Life with two

 Life with two kids? Harder then I ever imagined.  And its only been a week.  Needless to say we are tired.  So tired.  I just literally feel hung over every single day, E sleeps for 3-4 hour stretches usually so at least that is good.  The second night we were home she was up until 3:30 am though cluster feeding and being kind of fussy.  We are doing better now, but she still sometimes doesn't latch right away and gets frustrated which in turn makes me frustrated and then I just break down and cry.  Hormones are just crazy right now, and I cry over the dumbest stuff.  Last night when E was getting her diaper changed and she was crying? I just started bawling myself...cannot wait until these hormones straighten out!

Charlotte loves her little sister, the two things she says all the time are: "She is so tiny mommy!" and "This is my little sister" its so sweet.  She is having a kind of hard time adjusting though and is throwing lots of tantrums, not listening, and being naughty in general.  I think its terrible twos combined with not being the center of attention anymore.  

Yesterday Russ went back to work and so i was alone with the two girls, it went better then I expected it to, but man is it exhausting! I think it will get better once E gets on a schedule...at least I hope!

Elizabeth's Birth Novella

At my 38 week appointment (on a Thursday) my doctor checked me and said I was 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced, and I had been having contractions all week so I was hoping that my water would break that weekend and we could go have our baby! Friday night came along and I was having contractions every 6-10 minutes but they only lasted at most for 30 seconds, but I called the hospital and asked what to do just in case.  They said I should just stay at home because they might continue or they might stop all together...well they stopped all together around one in the morning.  On Monday (39 weeks) I was getting induced and I had so hoped that I could go into labor before that.  Monday morning rolled around and I got a call saying to come in at 7:30 for my induction.  I thought maybe I was already at a 3 because of all the continuous contractions and we were going on 3 walks a day to get the baby to move on down. We decided that it was fine to go in at 7:30, we could put C down to bed and leave my parents with her for the night and the next day hopefully she would get to meet her baby sister. 

 

 I got to the hospital and we got to a room, I got checked to see what method of induction I actually needed, and I was COMPLETELY closed, at a -3 station, and 25% effaced.  I cried because I honestly thought I would be at a 2 still.  So I got my first 12 hour dose of cervadil around 10 pm and hoped my water would break on its own over night.  Around 10 the next morning my water still hadn't broken and I got checked again and NOTHING.  So they decided to give me another 12 hour dose of it...I cried.  I wanted to see Charlotte, I needed to eat, and I just wanted SOMETHING to work.  Around eleven pm that night I got checked again...I was at a 1.  All that work for a 1.  They decided to see if a foley bulb would work, well nope didn't work because my cervix was super closed and it wouldn't go in.  They decided then to start me on pitocin to see if that would help open my cervix more, and to check me in the morning.  At 6 a.m. they checked me and I was still at a 1.  I was beyond upset.  After a few more hours and some morphine later they checked me again and I was at 3!!!! Finally I was getting somewhere. 

I then realized that this baby was coming TODAY finally!! They still had me on pitocin and morphine to see if that would do the trick, I decided to get an epidural around 11 am because the morphine wore off and I decided that the epidural would relax me enough to let me sleep and let my body do its thing.  The doctor broke my water around 2 pm, and I felt the urge to start pushing around 4:30 so they checked me and I was at 6 cm.  They gave me another dose of epidural because I was really feeling the contractions and they hurt so bad.  A half hour later around 5:10 I felt the urge to push again and I literally felt her move down.  They checked me again and I was at a 10!! I officially started pushing at 5:16, and I just remember thinking PLEASE get out of me before 6 pm I really want Charlotte to come visit before bed.  10 minutes later Elizabeth was born! 

After 43 hours of labor, thank goodness it only took her 10 minutes to make her way out.

 

 Charlotte LOVES her little sister and tells me daily "Mommy this is my little sister" and she helps change her diaper, hold her, and always wants to give her kisses and hugs.  We are all so in love with this little girl.

She's Here!

Elizabeth Grace 

7 lbs 1 oz 

19 inches long

8/13/14 at 5:26 pm 

We are all so in love with this little girl

Birth story to come!

Come on baby

38 weeks 5 day bump

I had a doctors appointment yesterday and I am 2 cm dialated, and 80% effaced.  My doctor said she wouldn't be surprised if it happened before Monday...but I am not getting my hopes up just in case this little lady is stubborn.  I have been having contractions and been completely exhausted all week, so I am hoping she decides to come out SOON.  I have dreams about her all the time, and C is just beside herself with excitement and asks all the time if she is done growing yet.  She also asked me if the baby would have a real butt...not sure where that came from buttttt whatever.  

Come on baby Elizabeth we are beyond ready for your arrival, and can't wait to snuggle you!!!