DIY photography

When it comes to Christmas cards, birthday invitations, and birth announcements, nothing stresses me out more than the picture!  I always want the perfect picture.  We bought an SLR before Bryce was born so we could take "good" pictures.  Little did we know, you still had to be a "good" photographer!  I almost broke down and bought the outrageously priced cd of pictures from the hospital so I would have the perfect picture, but I didn't!  So, since Jason was off today, we set up shop at home and attempted our own photo shoot.  I don't know how photographers get those adorable shots of sleeping babies holding up their head in their hands.  We did the best we could and here is what we came up with!  I ordered the birth announcements today!

happy valentine's day

Jason doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day (typical male), but I do.  I just love an excuse to do fun festive things.  Bryce even enjoyed making and delivering his Valentine's!  I think Valentine's Day is fun with kids because you get to show them you love them in a different way than you show them on a typical day!  This year was a Cars the movie themed V-day.  Bryce has a ton of the cars, a game, and a pillow pet, but we never know what to call them because we have never seen the movie.  We decided to get him the Cars DVD.  We also got him a Cars card, stickers, and box of candy.    He loved it!

My littlest Valentine!  She was really not interested in having her picture taken.

I enjoyed spending the day with my two Valentine's!  We went to Chuck E Cheese with Chase and Taylor and had lunch at Chick Fil A.  I think it was a special day for Bryce.  I'm hoping to go to Sweet Frog tonight for some red velvet cake frozen yogurt....Happy Valentine's Day to me!  Hope you had a special day!

1 week

Emmy is 1 week old today!  My picture doesn't do her justice.  Her cheeks really aren't as big as they look, but those eyes are!  She and Bryce definitely have the deer in the head lights look.  I'm wondering if she will have big wide eyes like her brother.

 

Sleep:  Emmy has been sleeping the majority of each day.  Her first few nights at home were difficult for me.  I had forgotten what sleepless nights were like.  I tried my hardest to wake her some during the day, but she just slept on.  I tried putting her in the bassinet in our room the first night and she didn't sleep a wink.  We moved her to her crib the next night and she still slept very little.  Not only did she want to be awake at night, she only wanted to be eating if she was awake.  We turned a corner last night and she slept 2 long stretches between each feeding and I feel like a new woman today!  I sure hope this continues.

Eating:  Emmy caught onto nursing very quickly.  I was glad to be able to nurse her so soon after delivery since I didn't get to do that with Bryce.  I am still waking her during the day to eat, but she does a pretty good job of letting me know when she needs to eat at night.  Bryce was like clockwork and wanted to eat every 3 hours. 

Bryce has been a big brother for a week now.  He needed his picture taken too!

Bryce and Jason and the boys are going to Monster Jam on Friday night before Bryce's birthday.  He is super excited about it and now prepared thanks to Chase for buying him hearing protection.  He has been wearing them around all day.  He keeps asking me if I can hear him, ha!

We made some Valentine cookies this morning.  I obviously had to rearrange the cookies when he was done!  We have had a wonderful day today and we even made it out for some errands.  I think I already have this mom of two thing down.....for now!

playing catch up

I'm still trying to blog all the pictures I took off my camera from the hospital and our first few days home.  The hospital pictures sure have improved since Bryce was a baby.  The picture they took of him was just your standard  hospital picture.  It wasn't bad, but the outfit we put him in made him look like a jail bird so we didn't buy any of the pictures.  Now, a professional photographer comes and takes the pictures.  I hadn't planned on buying any, but after seeing their edited versions scroll through a slide show with a sappy baby song, I was hooked.  We tried to snap a few pictures for us after she left, but it just wasn't as good.  You can go to www.bellababyphotography.com and click on "view photos" and use the password rkru0206whitlock until February 21 to view the adorable pictures.  We ended up purchasing the picture of her holding our hands to hang in her room and then another one of her to send to family. 

Bryce just looks so proud to be a big brother!

Emmy didn't enjoy her first bath at home.  I don't blame her.  Who would want to take a sponge bath without the water being able to cover you and warm you.  It took me a little longer than I planned so that didn't help!  The rest of her umbilical cord fell off today, so we should be taking real baths soon.

All wrapped up after her bath.

Look what greeted us when we got home!

I love that the company leaves the information sign as a gift when they take the stork down.  We have one from when Bryce was born, too.  Thanks Kelly!

Bryce meets his little sister

It was very important to me that we made Bryce's first visit with Emmy as special as possible.  I think we succeeded!  Bryce got right up in the bed with us when he got to our room.  He was very excited about meeting Emmy for the first time.  Jason picked out and bought Bryce the shirt he was wearing.  Too cute!

Whenever a baby is born, they push a button that plays a song throughout the hospital.  Turns out, the button hadn't been pushed after Emmy was born so when they went to do it, I asked if we could wait until Bryce got there so he could do it.  He really enjoyed it and even talked about it the next day!

Don't they look proud!  Check out my cute wreath a good friend of mine made.  She is a nurse at the hospital and she made a special trip in that day to be with us (she gave Emmy her first bath)!

I think it was love at first sight!  He sang "Happy Birthday" to her and it was the sweetest thing.

DaDa and his babies.

Bryce loves to give Emmy kisses!

MaMa and her babies!

Bryce has adjusted really well to having a baby at home.  I wasn't sure how it would go, but I couldn't ask for more.  He doesn't get upset when he goes down for a nap or bed.  I thought for sure he would ask about Emmy and want to be up with her, but he is fallen right back into our schedule.  I can't wait to watch their relationship grow as they get older!

Emmy's birth story

To say Emmy's birth was easier than Bryce's is an understatement!  I had started to reach the point of just being done with pregnancy and was ready for Emmy to come, but I wanted to avoid induction this time because it made for a more difficult delivery with Bryce.  Little did I know I would get my wish!

I woke up Sunday morning feeling a little crampy and hoped it was going to be the day.  I decided to get up and get ready even though it was really early (just in case).  We headed to Panera for a family breakfast and then I walked to Target (hoping to get things moving).  Later at church, we had a food packing event and I stood on my feet for 2 hours (that may have helped too).  Still no sign of baby by the time the Super Bowl rolled around so we headed out to a party with the youth group.  I wasn't very comfortable that night at the party, but I wasn't really having contractions.  It wasn't until we got home and I was laying on the sofa that I started noticing contractions accompanied by some pain.  We called Jason's mom and told her that we thought that it might be the night (in case she needed to start getting things ready).  I called the doctor and told her my symptoms and she said it sounded like labor.  We called Jason's mom back and she came to stay with Bryce and we were at the hospital by 11:30.

We were sent to a triage unit in labor and delivery where they hooked me up to monitors to see what was going on.  I was still only 2cm and my contractions weren't consistent enough to be considered labor.  So, they had me walk the hospital for 2 hours and then they would decided to admit me or send me home.  After the first hour, we had to come back and get Emmy's heart rate checked and then we were sent on our way for the 2nd hour.  The contractions were starting to get too painful so we cut the walk short so I could lay down.  As I was laying down and having a painful contraction, I tried to roll over to alleviate the pain and at that moment, I heard/felt a pop and my water broke.  I was elated because I knew for sure it was my ticket to stay and not go home.  At this point it was 2 am.  I had Jason get the nurse as I lay in intense pain that never really went away after my water broke.

I was then taken to a room and checked.  I was between 2-3cm.  The nurses started hooking me up to IVs and getting things ready for my epidural.  I continued to be in a great deal of pain and apparently the noises I was making had the nurses worried as to how far I had already progressed.  They checked me again and I was 6cm.  They sped up the fluids to prepare me for the epidural and hurried the anesthesiologist along.  By the time I was ready for the epidural, I was already 8cm and not sure I was going to be able to get it.  I debated, decided if I could hold still long enough, and went for it.  By the time the doctor finished, I was 10 cm.  The nurses tried to get me to rest before I started pushing so the epidural could kick in, but it was just time.  Luckily, however, I never felt a thing.  I think I pushed through 3 contractions and she was here!  I cannot believe how quickly things happened.  My water broke at 2 and she was here by 4!

I will cherish this picture and moment forever.  I was not able to hold or see Bryce after he was born because he had breathing issues.  I was so glad to finally hold my beautiful, healthy baby girl.

Weighing in at 7.9.5.  We have a picture with Bryce on the scale with the same weight.  Although, his was rounded up.

We can't get over how similar she and Bryce looked as newborns.  As soon as she came out, Jason commented that it was Bryce!

Wide eyed for so early in the morning!

Not really loving her first bath!  She didn't love her first bath at home the other night either!

All cozy and warm after her first bath and ready to meet her big brother.  Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Emmy

Emmy Paige

7 lbs 9.5 oz

20.5 in

4:03 am

soccer

We signed Bryce up for soccer the other day and he seems pretty excited about it.  He hopes he is on the red team!  We bought him some shin guards today while we were out and they are the cutest little things I have ever seen!

It will probably take us a while to find some cleats small enough to fit his little feet.  We didn't buy an official soccer ball yet because we want to make sure to get the right size! 

The mascot for the soccer group is the Dynamo Dog.  He keeps asking if the "domino" dog is going to come to his games to cheer him on!

I think I'm more excited about him playing soccer than he is!  I can't believe he's big enough to participate in an organized sport.  Where did my baby go?

15 years

Fifteen years ago today, as freshman in high school, Jason and I started "going out".  I decided to remember the day with this lovely picture (taken from our senior yearbook.....senior superlatives) that my principal just recently plastered all over my school. 

Even as freshman, I can remember us talking about "when we got married".  I guess we knew from the beginning that we were meant to be!  To say that we have grown up together, is an understatement.  We have seen each other at our most immature moments and our most "grown up" moments.  I can literally say we have experienced everything together!  I cannot imagine how different my life would have been had it not been for Jason.  I thank God everyday for bringing Jason into my life.  Jason has taught me so much and he takes great care of me.  I feel like our dating anniversary is just as important as our wedding anniversary.  We've been together longer than we haven't been together.   

39 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 39 weeks

Maternity Clothes: Yes and I'm tired of them.  I got rid of a lot of my maternity clothes from when I was pregnant with Bryce because they were too big this go around.  I have not bought many new pieces so I feel like I'm always wearing the same things with a lot of my regular shirts thrown in.

Gender: Girl.  Emmy Paige

Movement: They say babies start to slow down toward the end of pregnancy, but she is still throwing a party each night at bedtime.

Sleep: Not horrible, but I can tell I'm not getting good sleep because I fall asleep on the couch every night after we put Bryce to bed.

Cravings: Candy.  I'm normally a candy-holic, but I just can't get enough.  I'm not interested in eating whole meals anymore, but snacking all day sounds more appealing.

Symptoms: Contractions.  I though for sure we were having this baby last Friday.  I had contractions all day and decided to start timing them around 3:30.  I timed them for an hour and they were about 6 minutes apart.  As the night went on, they got closer together.  We sent Bryce to Kelly's for a sleepover with Chase, just in case.  By 9:30 the contractions were 3 minutes apart so Jason told me to call the doctor.  The doctor said I needed to be in pain before I came in.  So I waited, cleaned the play room, and finished packing.  Still no pain so we went to bed.  I was still too anxious at the thought that it was time, so I got out of bed, unloaded the dishwasher, and watched tv until midnight.  I still wasn't in pain so I went to bed and everything stopped, bummer!  With all that activity, I was still at 2 cm at the doctor yesterday, big bummer!

Total weight gain: No weight gain this week!  Still at 26 pounds!

What I miss: My regular clothes!

Best moment of the week: Another good doctor visit (no weight gain, blood pressure was 120/60, and Emmy's heart rate was 136).  I was also a bit excited when my sweet hubby surprised me with a big bag of my favorite Jelly Belly flavors from a local candy store on Monday!  I managed to make them last 3 days!  

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting our little girl.  I'm just so anxious and ready to see her.