one week later...

hard to believe that it's already been a week since Alice made her grand entrance to the world...and our first week as a family of four has already come and gone. our week has been wonderful.

my labor and delivery with Ellie was so stressful. i think it was a combo of it being my first, plus the fact that i was so far overdue, and my body just wouldn't cooperate for whatever reason (I tend to believe that Ellie was hanging on to heaven as long as she possibly could until we forced her here...which may explain why she was so ticked off at the world for the first several months of her life).

so naturally, i have been a little wigged out about labor these nine months.

well, labor and delivery with Alice were quite the opposite, my friends. it was as easy as it could have possibly been. sure, i'm not going to do it again any time soon...and i wonder how i will ever go on a bike rides again... but in a strange way, it was a very peaceful experience. some things i learned about labor this time:

-being induced is the most anxious experience in the whole wide world, and totally the way to go
- calling the hospital the morning of your induction date only to hear "there's no room in the inn" is very frustrating
- having a very proactive, concerned doctor to fight his/ your case and ultimately get his way is awesome
- contractions are so stinkin painful (ok so i knew this already but i had definitely forgotten)
- the epidural can be daaaang painful, too-- something i didn't experience last time
- it's a strange experience to have only half of your body go numb. thank goodness they kinda fixed it. kinda.
- having an anesthesiologist who seemed confused by half-body numbing is a little disconcerting
- having the most amazing nurse makes the most amazing difference
- having both the hubs and my mama there to support me through it all was so special for me
- having the doctor place that brand new baby on my chest was one of the most emotional/bonding moments i've ever experienced.

since then, we've all been getting to know each other...and learning/remembering how to live life with a newborn. some things we've experienced in this short week:

- more sleepless nights than remembered
- more restful nights than remembered, too
- lots and lots and lots of nursing.
- delicious meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert) that remind me of home, thanks to my mama.
- organized cabinets, linen closets, clean laundry, clean floors, clean garage, and clean every-nook-and-cranny, also thanks to my mama.
- very happy, spoiled, attention-fulfilled toddler Ellie, thanks to Gammy and daddy and Grandma and Grandpa.
- cuddling for no apparent reason. a baby that cuddles!?
- an Ellie who wants in on all the cuddle action
- sisterly adoration and affection that is so sugary sweet, it will melt your heart every time you witness it.
- poop, poop, poop...oh, and more poop. this baby's bowels are insane.
- enjoying daddy 24-7. does he really have to go back to work someday? life is waaay more fun when he's around.
- more nursing. ouuuuuch.
- more poop. how does that much poop come out of such a little squirt??
- minimal crying- of which Ellie is not a fan. Alice tears = Ellie tears.
- lots and lots of staring.
- hiccups and arm movements that are very reminiscent of little Alice's hotel stay in the womb.
- visits from lovely family and friends- and an outpouring of love and concern via phone calls, texts, emails, and comments/Facebook messages.  wow, we are truly blessed. thank you for loving our lil feisty family. i love you all too.
- and yet even more nursing. and an Ellie who is very fascinated by the whole ordeal and has made some classic inquiries about it:
"baby Alice eating your arm?'
"Alice only drink mama milk? not strawberry milk?"
"Ellie want some of mama's milk."
obviously these all led to some pretty interesting conversations.
- and yet even more pooping. seriously!!?
- snapping a gazillion pictures of it all in hopes of remembering such a sweet, surprisingly peaceful time for our little family. sure, we've had our "moments"...i know plenty more moments of chaos await us, but for now we have been enjoying every minute together.
so, without further rammmblings from yours truly, here's the part that everyone really cares about.  about 3% of the gazillions of photos aforementioned... enjoy.

first, a few more pics from d-day that i love:

me & the hubs--thank goodness i had such a sweetie by my side through it all:

 

me & my mama- what a blessing to share the whole thing with her.

some more of my fave shots of Ellie and Alice meeting each other for the first time:

M's family- so wonderful to always have their love and support:

Alice after her bath- super chill. i'm pretty sure i have a picture of Ellie in this identical position, screaming her guts out. 

day 2 in the hospital-all Ellie wants to dois kiss this baby to death:

and then the tender moments of home-life began.

we finally made it home...and my mama had dressed up little Ellie like a princess to welcome her baby sister (and even colored a welcome home sign as seen on the window).

 

daddy and his girls:

Ellie wants to kiss and hug and hold Alice non-stop. some proof:

 

this one is my current fave of the girls:

 

 

Ellie is very fascinated by all the baby items around the house-- especially the swing. she initially was adamant to sit in the swing..but we convinced her that putting her Belle doll in the swing was a better idea. now every time we walk by, Ellie makes sure the swing is on for Belle. 

 

like i mentiond before, my mama has been the best help this week. she has spoiled us all- with gifts, the most delicious meals, cleaning, princess dresses, and love love love.

 

 

 

 

 

 i cried my eyes out when she left today. sniff. how grateful i am for my mama!

and of course, here are a few little shots of our sweet & snuggly Alice. i'm excited to have a real newborn photo shoot this next week-- so stay tuned for some better shots then :)

cutest little profile...man i love her little nose!

she's just so yummy.

it makes me happy.

ok, so there's my really long update on one single week. whew.
*side note* this blog post took me like 4 days to complete (including midnight feedings, daytime feedings, and everything in between). hopefully i get better at this whole 2 kids thing soon. :)

xoxo