If Mama Ain't Happy

Daddy to Annabelle this evening: "Because if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, right?"

Annabelle nodded her head and then responded, "Except both of us," as she pointed back and forth between herself and her Daddy.

I said, "You guys are a little more alike than I thought."

Fun to be a Baby

"It is fun to be a baby because big sisters can snuggle you," Annabelle said this morning after she crawled into bed with Sophia and me and was snuggling with Sophia.

Sophia's First Bath

Sophia had her first bath at home this evening. I know, I know, she's only 9 days old already, but how dirty do babies really get? Especially since she rarely spits up. I just jinxed myself!

She was not a big fan at all! But in all honesty, I don't think she much minded it until her big sister decided to wet her hair within the first minute of bath time. That is the one thing you learn with the first child, save the hair washing until last or they will holler and scream and shiver the entire time. Poor Sophia! I forgot to mention that minor detail to Annabelle.

And Sophia has a mean streak! Do you see that bump in the middle of her forehead? I don't think either of us had noticed it before, but I am sure we will see that in the many temper tantrum days ahead. Who on earth did she inherit that from?

Oddly enough, when I rolled Sophia on her side and tummy to wash her back, she calmed down and stopped crying. I still cannot figure that one out except that she likes to be on her tummy.

And here is the clean little booger, highlights and all! After washing her hair, I told hubby that I think her hair may actually be thicker than Annabelle's. She does seem to have some wave to it, but I cannot figure out if that is true wave or just a different texture from Annabelle's. Bring on the curls!

She'll thank me for this picture one day! Hee! Hee!

And, her big sister Annabelle had a blast helping bathe Sophia. This next picture is actually one of my favorites because it shows the sheer joy in Annabelle's eyes. Sheer joy that I had actually missed because I don't remember looking into Annabelle's eyes very much. I heard the joy, but I was so busy trying to make sure that Annabelle didn't bathe the inside of Sophia's eyes or dump water onto the floor with her wet washcloth that I failed to really look into Annabelle's eyes. But, as you can see, she was truly looking into mine. It is just a new lesson for me to try and watch the joy in both girls' eyes! Especially since the youngest wasn't feeling the same joy as the oldest.

A Daddy's Touch

So far [knock on wood], the second time around is much easier. I told hubby if next time I get pregnant shortly before Sophia is age 2, I could have a whole house full of kids. Well, if I can also forget the horrible labor and delivery this time around and this letdown period and emotional roller coaster I am on right now.

But, I do love me some babies! That is when they are mine.

I've even noticed how much more laid back hubby is with Sophia than he was with Annabelle. We both were probably more uptight because we didn't quite know what we were doing. I remember him asking with Annabelle, "What do I do?"

But, he has the touch! I cannot change Sophia's diaper without her screaming bloody murder. We really need to get that wipe warmer out of the shed because she does not like the cold wipes, and I don't blame her one bit.

As for hubby, he's got the touch! Sophia was asleep this evening, but yet it was very close to feeding time. Annabelle was in her room attempting to fall asleep. Annabelle will claim "Sophia woke me up" for every whimper that Sophia makes. Of course, Annabelle was never asleep in the first place. She sleeps through the cries all during the night, so I know Sophia did not wake her up. And, Sophia desperately needed a diaper change.

Hubby changed her diaper without even a whimper! I was completely amazed. I said, "How did you do it?" He just shrugged his shoulders. Of course, I know he warmed the wipe, and his hands are much warmer than mine, but still, he definitely has got a Daddy's touch with this little girl!

Perhaps Sophia is going to be a Daddy's girl. I already suspect that she is going to get away with a lot more than her big sister!

Dimples

We already know that Sophia has a dimple on her left cheek, just like her big sister. We aren't sure yet if it is quite as deep as Annabelle's, but it is definitely there!

But, this evening, we think we may have spotted a few more dimples. It looks like she may actually have two dimples on her chin. If so, she inherited those from her Granddaddy.

I guess only time will tell.

Sister Love

It takes some true sister love for Annabelle to loan Sophia her lovey, Teddy, that dates back to her 1st birthday and her newest love, Princess Jasmine, her first Build-a-Bear. Sophia was crying, so Annabelle decided that both Teddy and Princess Jasmine would comfort her.


Sisters! I love it, love it, love it!

A Box?

One of the girls that hubby works with visited us at the hospital on Saturday. It was so nice to see her, and it gave us a chance to converse with someone besides family. She brought gifts for both girls. I, of course, opened Sophia's at the hospital. She gave Sophia a Keepsake Bible. It says the following on the back of the box.

I am a child's First Bible,
As pure as can be.
Give me to someone precious,
Who's treasured like me.
An heirloom forever,
A treasure today,
A gift for the future,
For the Bridal Bouquet.

So very cute! And, I love these types of gifts. I don't think we even got one when Annabelle was born. I think the keepsake gifts have lost their popularity over the years which is such a shame as they are absolutely precious.

Well, when Annabelle arrived home, we told her that Miss Meghan from Daddy's office had sent a gift for her. We had already peeked into her bag at the hospital, so we knew what Annabelle was getting as well.

But, first, she wanted to open Miss Sophia's. When she opened the Keepsake Bible, she pulled it out, still packaged in the original box, and she said, "A Box?" With a huge emphasis on box. It was absolutely hilarious! If only words could describe her expression!

As for the gift to Annabelle from Miss Meghan, she received some dress up accessories including a purple boa, a skirt made with flowing purple ribbon with tiny flowers attached and a hair band made out of the same material as the skirt. Annabelle absolutely loves it!

And, when I get the time, the pictures will definitely follow. We all know that Annabelle loves getting "all fancied up!"

Thank you Meghan!

It's a girl!

It is with great joy that we welcome Sophia Marie into this world and into our family! We are truly blessed!

Sophia was born on Friday, April 16th, 2010 at 11:02 p.m. She weighed in at 8 lbs, 5 oz and was 21 1/4 inches long! She was born with a full head of dark brown hair with blond highlights (so much that every nurse commented on her beautiful highlights). And, she has a dimple on her left cheek, just like her big sister! Sophia is doing awesome! And as you can see, her big sister, Annabelle, is very, very proud!

And, Sophia was even kind enough to wait until after the big tax deadline (April 15th) to make her arrival! She apparently didn't quite understand the importance of waiting until April 18th, but the 16th will do (on most years)!

P.S. The above is the e-mail I sent out to everyone announcing Sophia's birth. For the second picture, I was so enthralled in finding the cutest picture of Annabelle that I didn't even bother to make sure that Sophia looked cute in it. After I sent it, hubby said, "Sophia looks like a little chub in that picture." When I got a chance to look at the picture again myself, I realized just how chubby my sweet baby girl looks. Oops! I guess next time I need to make sure that both girls look their cutest.

Station of -1

That means absolutely nothing to most of you. I even learned this terminology myself for the first time with this pregnancy (and not with Annabelle).

But, basically, the station is where the baby is positioned in your pelvis. It goes from -3 to 3. The baby is at a station of -1 right now. Per the doctor, a station of 0 is active labor, and at a station of 3, the baby is crowning.

So, all that being said, the baby is really low (per the doctor), and she anticipates I'll go into labor on my own, without induction, some time this weekend. If not, I have an appointment scheduled for Monday, and she said at that time they will schedule an induction for Tuesday night (with her) for the baby to be delivered on Wednesday.

She said they don't usually like to go more than a week past the due date for the safety of the baby, but as long as an ultrasound (scheduled for tomorrow morning) checks out alright with the amniotic fluid levels, then I am alright to wait since I prefer the natural method.

She did understand that my first concern was for the baby, and she felt comfortable waiting as long as the ultrasound checks out alright tomorrow. If it doesn't, they will be inducing tomorrow night.

And, they ran a non-stress test today, and she was fine (finally, after the baby started moving) with those results. They did have us a bit concerned at first though.

And yet again, the contractions picked up this evening in regular 6 minute intervals. We even called my parents to the house as I thought for sure that this was the real thing. I guess not since it is now 12:26 a.m., and the contractions have pretty much stopped.

This child is a complete tease! It must be a boy, not in a rush to do anything.

Snug as a Bug

Okay, so we made it past the weekend. Thank goodness! And, the contractions are no longer strong and uncomfortable. And, they are few and far between. I rescheduled my doctor's appointment that was scheduled for tomorrow until Thursday, April 15th, tax deadline day. The one day I will never ever forget as long as I live because it brings back wonderful memories of stressful days.

Since Beebo has decided to wait until after his/her due date, and I was planning for Beebo to arrive 5-7 days early, I am now praying that Beebo will wait until at least April 18th to make his/her grand appearance. April 15th is definitely out of question if I have anything to say about it. That being said, Beebo's birthday will officially be April 15th, 2010.

Why April 18th? Because you see, if April 15th falls on a Saturday, the tax deadline is extended until the following Monday, April 17th. Therefore, April 18th clears the deadline completely, and Beebo and I can celebrate his/her birthday with less stress every year.

What if Beebo arrives between now and April 15th? Well, I guess that will be the end of my career as I know it because my babies will always come first! Perhaps that is an excellent reason for Beebo to arrive early? I'm enjoying not working so much that I don't think I ever want to go back to work as long as hubby can support my frugal habits.

Annabelle was respectful enough to dodge the tax deadline perfectly. October 15th is another major tax deadline, but she was kind enough to wait until October 18th! That's my girl! She planned accordingly! I guess she wants me to continue working because she thinks I am going to buy her a car and pay for her wedding one day. She can keep dreaming!

So until Sunday, let's hope Beebo stays just as snug as a bug!

Why do you want a brother?

Mommy: Tell me why you think you want a brother.

Annabelle: Because we're all women [with an emphasis on women].

Mommy: Who told you we need a boy?

Annabelle: Nobody. I figured it out all on my own when my big girl and me were hiking.

["Big girl" is her Madam Alexander doll that looks like an American Girl doll that she got from Nonnie for Christmas. She also refers to "big girl" as Mary Annabelle Grace {insert our last name}.]

Mommy: Hiking? Where were you hiking?

Annabelle: At Stone Mountain [with some attitude in her voice]!

No ma'am Mommy!

Shortly after Annabelle was sleeping in her big girl bed, she yelled out "No ma'am Mommy!" early in the morning (before her usual wake time), just as hubby was walking in the door from working out before work.

Fortunately, we didn't hear another peep from her, so she apparently was dreaming, and she fell back asleep. Hubby and I laughed about it later with her and asked her if she remembered it.

It has now become a habit just about every single morning before she gets up out of bed. I will hear her say, "No ma'am Mommy!" And then shortly thereafter, I hear the cracking of her door opening and pitter patter of little feet.

She claims that she says "No ma'am Mommy!" because she thinks I'm trying to come in her room, and she doesn't want me to walk in. Ha! I don't believe that for one minute.

Doctors On Call

Say a little prayer that Beebo is just teasing us again. I really, really wish that Beebo would hold off until at least Monday to make his/her arrival.

The doctors on call this weekend are doctors from a completely different practice. Doctors I have never met, much less seen.

That is just a tad bit irritating to me. I didn't find this out until about a month or two ago. The paperwork I had read stated that if you wanted to have a doctor from my particular practice to deliver your baby, then you had to go to the Northside Atlanta Hospital instead of the Northside Forsyth Hospital. Well, that is what we are doing.

Why did they all decide to take the weekend off? I know it is Spring Break, but come on! Of course, there is definitely one from my practice that I would prefer to most definitely do without. He ticked me off when he was doing his rounds after Annabelle was born.

Contractions

What is up? These annoying, uncomfortable and somewhat painful contractions are NOT going away. And, just wait, I bet my next appointment will show absolutely no progress whatsoever!

I thought for sure that if you had calculated your due date accurately, then the baby would arrive just on time. I am becoming doubtful as my actual due date is Saturday, April 10th. My first and only ultrasound predicted today, Thursday, April 8th, and based on my last cycle, my OBGYN has a due date of Sunday, April 11th.

In all honesty, I am feeling rather awesome despite these annoying contractions. If the first trimester morning sickness could be eliminated and I could afford to pay someone to clean our house and cook our dinners, I would have 4 more children on top of these two!

Who believes me?

In the mean time, I am going to go indulge in some more ice cream while I still have an excuse. Of course, I still have an excuse until Beebo stops nursing too, right? Right!

For that reason alone, bring on the six kids!

Easter Sniper

Picture this...

Easter Sunday.

Balcony at the United Methodist Church we attend.

This beautiful princess dressed in her Easter's best. Amanda Remembered smocked bunny dress.


Pointer finger extended.

Towards the preacher.

With a look of perfect aim in her eyes peering through her pointer finger.

She did, however, forget the sounds. Not to mention, she has no clue what she is actually doing. Too bad I didn't have the camera in hand!

Hubby reminded me of this episode this evening when I told him I wasn't sure how to play with boys. He said, "Cars, Hot Wheels. You already have one trying to knock off the preacher." Oh yes! I forgot! And, the best part, this is the very first time either of us have seen her use her finger as a gun. I am pretty sure she learned that from some new church friends we have been hanging out with lately.

Girls will be boys sometimes! It just brings back the good old memories of playing cops and robbers with my brother. Who needed play guns? We had our fingers!

Barometric Pressure

I'm taking a poll, except I'm too lazy (more like tired) to figure out how to add a poll to my blog tonight. But, here are the questions.

Do you think the change in barometric pressure caused by the thunderstorms and rain tomorrow will send me into labor?

If not, do you think this child has enough of a sense of humor already to wait until April 15th to make his/her arrival into this world?

As for hints, all of the labor indications are definitely there. Contractions (definitely contractions) since Monday, low dull backache with contractions, emotional mood swings since this weekend, nesting and other hints I won't disgust you with on this blog.

Any guesses on the weight? Hint: As of Monday's doctor's appointment at 39 weeks and 2 days, I had gained approximately 32 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. When Annabelle was born early at 39 weeks and 2 days, I had gained 40 lbs and she weighed 7 lbs, 9 oz at birth!

10 Hours

I know, I know, you all are probably very tired of hearing this, but why is it that my child only needs 10 hours of sleep every single night no matter how hard we play during the day?

She played hard at the playground this afternoon, and I even allowed her to play in the backyard where I could see her while I cooked dinner this evening. And yet again, it is 9:40 p.m., and I am scheduled to check on her for the first time in 2 minutes. I left her room at 9:30 p.m., and Jezebel felt the need to meow. Annabelle, of course, found that as her excuse to come out of her room to tell me, "Shadow [she confused the cats] woke me up." Sure she did! You weren't even asleep yet! How did she wake you up?

Big surprise! I went in her room to check on her at 9:42 p.m. Do you think she was asleep yet? "Mommy, can I get some pants?" Seriously? For what? It is 76 degrees in this house. You don't need pants! But, whatever. Stall tactic. That is why I have NOT even attempted to cut out the diaper at bedtime. She would never go to sleep!

This is just going to get more interesting in a few short days (or weeks)! I am praying for a second child that likes to sleep much like his/her Daddy. One duplicate of me is quite enough!

Bedtime Music

I can see that being a big girl is not on the top of Annabelle's list, or at least it wasn't tonight. She did not want to be a big girl this evening, and that was after I threatened her with, "if you aren't a big girl, Mommy will make you be a big girl, and you won't get a sticker if Mommy makes you be a big girl." And, she even okayed sleeping in her crib again if that meant not being a big girl. Of course, I realized that threat had backfired, so I told her she was going to do it and Mommy would check on her as usual.

She whimpered a bit and then requested some music. Thank goodness! We tried to get her to listen to music a week ago to drown out the other noises in the house, but she wasn't interested. But, tonight, it worked, and the Baby Einstein music is softly playing as I type.

After I started playing the CD, and in hopes of persuading Annabelle to listen to this music, the following conversation was held.

Mommy: You used to listen to this when you were a baby.

Oops! I realized instantly that was a bad comment since she's a big girl now and not a baby.

Mommy: Mommy likes to listen to this music too.

Annabelle: I listened to it when I was a baby?

Mommy: Yes, you did. It makes you smart.

Annabelle: Does Daddy listen to it too? Is that why Daddy is so smart?

Mommy: Yes, Daddy likes to listen to it too.

Do you want to know my thoughts at this point? They go a little like this. "What the heck? Is that why Daddy is so smart? What about Mommy? I just told you that Mommy likes to listen to it too."

What is it with little girls and their daddy?

Cinderella's Crown

If you've hung out with us enough, then you know that Annabelle loves to dress herself, and she especially loves to dress herself fancy. And on most days, I don't fight it. Except for Easter of course. Easter and all holidays are Mommy's days to dress Annabelle, for now at least.

Today, she decided to wear an orange gingham dress with an ice cream cone on the front accessorized with a bright pink tie, bright pink Mardi Gras beads and her bright pink sparkly "pincess" shoes. My mom was actually in the room when she was getting dressed, and she said that she actually laid the dress down on the glider stool and then laid the tie and beads on top of the dress and mumbled something about, "Oh good, that matches."

So, we left the house dressed in the cutest orange gingham dress ever adorned with a bright pink tie and bright pink beads. Oh, and we must not forget the "matching" silver and blue Cinderella crown she got with her Halloween costume. Too bad I never took a picture!

After we had finished eating lunch out, Annabelle somehow managed to break her Cinderella's crown. The crocodile tears started flowing. I felt so sorry for her, and I tried to talk her through it to let her know that we could always just bobby pin it to her head or perhaps Daddy could glue it back together again. Unfortunately, the reasoning didn't help much, but she did finally dry up those tears. But not until she had broken my heart!

False Labor

What is up? Yesterday afternoon, I thought for sure that we were going to meet Beebo for the very first time by Tuesday early morning at the latest. I even called hubby home from work at 2:30 p.m. because my emotions took the best of me, and I was afraid that labor was going to progress quickly as I started having uncomfortable contractions around 1:00 p.m. And, they were becoming fairly regular.

But, now I'm just waiting for the real thing, and frankly, I'm a little freaked out that the real thing will hit suddenly with all intensity at the worst time.

Fortunately, yesterday's little episode did prepare me more emotionally for Beebo, and believe me, that goes a very long way! Based on my emotions alone, the remote thought of natural childbirth before yesterday made me cringe. Now I say, bring it on (assuming pitocin is not involved in the equation)! But again, let me reiterate, I am NOT against an epidural.

For now, I'm just a little worried that my water may break and require an induction of labor. The doctor stripped my membranes yesterday (and caused this mess of contractions). I just hope he didn't do anything that will cause my water to break because of it.

And, I'm also a bit worried about the size of this child. But, of course, isn't it really the size of the head that matters? And, I've already mastered the birth of one big headed child (in more ways than one). Hubby's side of the family doesn't make small headed babies!

Baby and Me

Annabelle attended a Baby and Me class at Northside Hospital today. She had an absolute blast, and as we were walking down the hall for a tour of a hospital room, she turned to me and whispered, "This is fun!"

Some highlights of today included the following:

1. Ms. Pam taught the class. At the beginning of the class, Ms. Pam asked all of the kids to spell their names. When she got to Annabelle, Annabelle literally jumped up and down with excitement as she spelled her name. "A-N-N-A." Then she turned to me and whispered, "Mommy, what is next?" I was so proud of her for spelling Anna all on her though!
2. Annabelle was not shy at all when the class first started. We didn't know what had happened to our little girl. She was so excited! However, two girls in the class who were sisters aged 6 and 4 got to laughing so much that Annabelle quieted down. She watched them the entire time, and she became very shy again when it was her time to change the baby doll's diaper because they kept laughing every time the diaper was referred to as a stinky diaper.
3. Ms. Pam asked if she was going to have a baby brother or baby sister, and she replied, "We don't know."
4. Then she was asked what the baby's name was going to be if he or she was a boy or girl. She told Ms. Pam, "We call it Beebo while it is in Mommy's tummy. But, if it is a girl, I think we should name it Pin-cess Jasmine or Ariel." Ms. Pam actually thought we are planning to name it Beebo if the baby is a boy.
5. When asked if she wanted a boy or a girl, she said, "A boy!" I think she's been brainwashed by someone as she used to say she wanted a girl.

She graduated with flying colors, and she was rewarded with a certificate and two coupons for a free McDonald's McFlurry.