A marriage, a mortgage and a minivan...

As I sit here at the kitchen table, I hear so much... The sound of Finding Nemo in the background, Anna using her not so quiet inside voice and Emma being held by Grandma and suffering from yet another case of the hiccups...

This is hard - being a mom of two. And I have help! Grandma is still here for another week but the idea of her leaving has me scared. I know things are going to start to suffer after she is gone. I have managed to keep up with the laundry, keep the house clean and both girls have always had someone's attention... that is all going to change after Grandma goes... then I have just four more weeks with both my girls before I go back to work. Another thing that is going to be so hard.

My biggest struggle is trying to figure out a schedule for Emma. I want so desperately for her to sleep more at night... She is a big fan of being up for two hours in the night for a feeding... The bizarre part is that I love this time with her although I am exhausted and trying to keep the house quiet so everyone can sleep comfortably... Emma is so awake at this time usually 3-5a.m. or 4-6a.m. - she smiles and looks around and the other morning, i swore she looked at me and grinned from ear to ear... it was a beautiful mommy moment...

Oh and now we have a minivan... let me tell you I never saw myself with a minivan and well i never saw myself with two kids either and being only 26, I feel so grown up. But the minivan, as much as I fought the idea of being another soccer mom, I love having the conveniences of it. Both girls have room, I have room and we have cupholders for twelve... Thank goodness for minivans!

well that is what is going on in my domestic world... how about you?

I am so proud...

Ok everyone last year my coworker found out about this photographer who was hosting a photo shoot and I booked a session for Anna. It went perfectly and the photos were amazing! I recently booked our family photo session for Sept. 30 at a local park here and Olivia, the photographer, invited us to come down with Emma and have some newborn photos taken- well the session was last night - Emma was officially 7 days old and it went perfectly! I am in love with the photos! Please go check out her site and of course pics of my little Emma Rose~

http://oliviawagnerphoto.blogspot.com/2007/07/introducing-emma-rose.html


take care everyone and please check out the pics!

More pictures...

Here are some more pictures of Emma... she is a bit orange right now with a very mild case of jaundice. She had a check up this morning and she is back up to 8lbs. already so the doctors are pleased and she doesn't have to have any photo therapy. She looks a bit like a carrot but I think by Monday she'll start to regain her pink color.

She is sleeping beautifully and I can't help but feel blessed with another good sleeper and even more just a beautiful, perfect child. Motherhood is truly a blessing and being a mother of two is going to be such a great adventure.

I am enjoying these moments so much...

Emma Rose Nystuen - Welcome to the World

Tuesday, July 10 - 6:20p.m.
8lbs. 5oz. 20 inches

Labor and delivery took about 10 hours which was nice! Thank goodness for epidurals although I could have done without feeling any pressure at all - boy was that fun! I only had to push for 30 minutes and I was able to come home late last night. Such a difference from my delivery with Anna (26 hours)... I am feeling pretty good - a little sore and tired but mostly good. Emma is doing well. We had a doctor appt. this morning because Emma was a little jaundice but we are pleased to say that after her billirubin check, she is doing well and not quite 48 hours yet. Eating every 3 hours and no such luck with the breast feeding... I am not entirely giving up and waiting for my milk to come in...

Probably more details than most of you wanted... but after delivering a baby and all that other stuff, the modest side of me has faded...

here is pics of the new family... not as cute as April's fancy pics though...:-)

Big Sis Anna is adjusting really well..


The proud parents

Sheer Disappointment

I woke up this morning at 6a.m. and called the hospital to check on the status of my scheduled 7:30a.m. induction. The nurse who answered said to call back in a half hour. Panic officially set in when it occurred to me that there might be no room at the inn... I called back at 6:30a.m. and they said to wait and call back at 11a.m. because they had four women come in that morning all in labor and poor old me, I just want to have this baby but there is no medical emergency behind it. So I call back at 11 a.m. to find out that the "charge" nurse is in a delivery and will have to call me back. Could the clock tick any slower? And then the phone finally rang just minutes ago with the news that my induction was cancelled. The nurse had called my doctor and let him know and he said to call the office tomorrow to schedule for a second time. So now after having my family drive 9 hours to be here and telling more people than I can count, I am forced to take a dose of humility and wait. Ahhh waiting - isn't that the best part of pregnancy (please note the sarcasm).

So tomorrow morning at 8a.m. I am going to call the doctor's office for a second attempt at delivering the little person who ISN'T GETTING ANY SMALLER...

I know there is a lesson in all of this for me but right now, I really don't want to learn it.

the end is near...

I am uncomfortable. It is amazing how you forget about the discomfort and pain that comes with the last weeks of pregnancy and of course, the pain associated with the birth. I have always been a bit of a pansy when it comes to pain so even I am surprised that I would be doing this again. As for an update on little Emma's arrival; I went to the doctor on Tuesday and after some serious discomfort (you all know what I mean) we determined I was probably a good 2 cm dilated! Unfortunately my cervix has not turned yet - it is posterior - so we are going back in on Friday (tomorrow) for a final check and then we are going to schedule an induction for Sunday morning. I will be 39 weeks on Sunday and I am so happy to be able to deliver early. Anna was a week late and after 25 hours of labor, I am so glad to do this a bit earlier in hopes that Emma will be a tad bit smaller and easier for me to push out! So being the planner that I am, we will know tomorrow for sure what the anticipated birthday will be for little Emma. I got the last of the clothes organized, filled out my paperwork and packed my bag. All that lies ahead is the recovery... for some reason I have convinced myself that the recovery will be easier to manage and that I will master breastfeeding this time and i will lose the baby weight in a matter of weeks... ok that last one is a bit of a stretch but I am going to try.

I am looking forward to having a baby again... I am happy to do the diapers, the bottle, the baths and of course the many clothes changes... motherhood is amazing. I am so happy that I get to experience it and oh so thankful to God for allowing me to be someone's mother.