The Frog

So how we know Emma is O-U-T?

She does "The Frog"

Girl's Outing

So, last weekend Mike and I ventured out with the girls. And, today it was Nana and I taking a stab at it. I do have to say, having a c-section has it's advantages and disadvantages and one disadvantage is not realizing your physical limitations following the surgery. Today, was one of those days that made me realize I am definitely not 100%. :(

Mom and I decided last night that today was the day. The day to try taking out both girls to the store, Kohls. It took us both, without showers, two hours and many tantrums later to get out of the house. The car ride took 10 minutes each way and with 40 minutes shopping we were all ready to come home. Yep, two hours prep time for an hour trip out. GREAT.

By the time we got home, we were ready to crash.

Lessons Learned: Pick and choose battles, Trips now need to be based on need NOT want and outings need to be decided upon the night before not the morning of.

I've also heard that there's a 3 month learning curve when going from one child to two!

And so now my new mantra: 3 months, anything goes, just survive the day :)

Business As Usual

Baby? Sister?

Snow White has a Baby Sister?

Hmm...let me think?

Playing dress up, Business as Usual.

Grampa Visits

Grampa has not only given Nana to us for a month and a half but he came up just for a day to visit his two granddaughters!

Lily took no time at all to grab Grampa's hand to play ball in the hallway, show him some books in her room, point to the couch for him to sit and watch Super Why with her after lunch and of course give him hugs! Emma slept most of the time but cuddled right up to Grampa!

Thanks for coming Grampa!

And, for living the bachelor life for the time Nana is here helping us out!

We love you Grampa!

Helping, Helping

Lily truly takes her Big Sister role very seriously. When she wants to help she walks around and says, "Helping, Helping". She likes to especially help when Emma is sleeping, the one time we don't really need or want her help. But, have you ever tried to get a two year old to use her inside voice? to understand Emma can't play when her eyes are closed? Or, for a two year old to understand the accomplishment of putting a baby to sleep and you should tip toe around?

So, for now Lily will be "Helping, Helping" until Emma can at least sit up and play with her longer than a few minutes.

Sponge Bath

We hate to admit that things are REALLY different with your second child. We told ourselves that we would do everything the same as we did it with Lily, but it's just absolutely impossible. With Lily, we were completely on top of everything and now, all we say is 'Sorry, Emma'. This weekend was her first true sponge bath at home. Horrible, isn't it.

She seemed to dislike the water and the whole bath process until we got to her hair. Oh, how she loves her hair being washed and her head being rubbed :).

And, like everything else, this was a family event. Maci under our feet, Lily on a chair in between us and Nana snapping pictures of absolutely everything. Wouldn't want it any other way!

First Family Outing

The Girls

One eating and one screaming.

Happy Mommy finally getting out of the house and a very content Emma about two minutes from our house. Luckily, she slept all the way to Target and as soon as we got to the front dollar bins she was screaming and had to be carried all through the store. Biggest hurdle of the trip, where to put Lily and where to put the infant seat in the cart. Need to learn types of carts in certain stores all over again.

We all made it home.

Two hours of getting prepared and ready to go.

A two hour trip to Target with a short list.

Some happy, some not so happy, some sound asleep and some resisting everything.

But, we made it none the less.

Singing and New Friends

Lily loves her keyboard and microphone and lately a little too much.

Her new favorite song,"Eeemmmmaaa, Eeemmmmmaaa..."over and over.

So sad to say Mr. Keyboard has had to go on vacation and he's not sure when he will return.

Meet Emma's good friends, Mr. Frank the Firefly and Eddie the Elephant. They live mostly in her pack n' play and get a lot of attention.

Tummy Time

Emma is in love with tummy time.

She loves to sleep on her tummy any chance she gets.

And we're just in love with her little voice!

Big Girl Gift

Mike and I decided that Lily and Emma would exchange gifts but we also felt as though it would be special to give Lily a Big Girl Gift as well.

We discussed the gift for weeks and then finally came up with a necklace with a charm. So, after an OB appointment we headed to the mall to check out the department stores, jewelry stores and Things Remembered. We also had to keep in mind that this would be for a two year old so cost couldn't be outrageous.

So, good old Piercing Pagoda is where we ended up with a really pretty silver necklace and flower charm for our sweet girl to where on special occasions. Plus, if something happens we won't be upset and it's easily replaceable.

We're Very Proud of you Lily!

One Sick Mommy

Well, it's been a week and a few days since Miss E joined our clan and I began nursing in the recovery room and have kept it up, until today.

For multiple reasons we bottle fed Lily and this time around I really wanted to give nursing my best shot. But, a case of VERY painful mastitis and a trip to see my OB we have decided to go ahead and bottle feed Miss E as well.

So, now as I recover and Mike and Nana can help with feedings I am left with cabbage leaves, ace bandage wraps and cool showers...oh how fun.

Last Day Off ... Sigh

I could babble on and out about Emma being a week old and how great it is having two daughters, but there are tons of other blog posts for that. The point of this post is that today is Dada's last day of "vacation" and I have to go back to work tomorrow. Sigh!

Sisterly Love

This picture is worth a thousand words, endless smiles and tears of happiness.

We Love You Girls!

Uncle Mark Visits

Uncle Mark came down to visit for Sat and Sun.

Thanks for making the trip Uncle Mark!

It was wonderful seeing you and Lily and Emma love you very much!

Hope to see you in a few weeks!

Daddy and Lily Picnic in the Park

Aside from all the Emma excitement, this time off has also allowed me to spend a lot of quality time with Lily. Since it was such a nice day, Lily and I decided to enjoy a day at the park and packed a little picnic. We packed my lunch bag and headed out the door to the nice shaded park. When we got there, Lily had no problem showing me she knew the lay of the land. She was a little timid at first due to 2 little boys throwing sticks, but she was off once they left. We went down the slide, played on the swings, walked down to the river to look at boats ... and of course ate. She even ate the yogurt I packed for myself, go figure. Afterwards, we made a trip to the grocery store where we topped the day off with a cookie. Fun times!

Thank You Nana

Although the last few days (and weeks) have been somewhat of a blur, we couldn't have done it without Nana. We are so lucky that Nana has been willing come up early and to stay longer, providing us with unlimited support and help. From pitching in around the house, changing diapers, managing Lily, running errands, doing naps, making dinners, and numerous other things; we can't thank her enough. We know how difficult it is to be away from home for an extended period of time and then to get "thrown into the fire" as soon as you step through the door. We cannot say enough words to express our sincere gratitude. We are truly blessed to have such a great mom / mom-in-law/ nana and could not have done this without her.

THANK YOU NANA! WE LOVE YOU!

First Day Home

We arrived home around 230, just after Lily went down for her nap. It ended up working out perfectly that we could adjust for a bit and get ready for the sister introduction once again!

So in the meantime, Lily and Nana got some quality time!

When Lily got up she took Emma on a house tour and of course the first stop was Lily's Big Girl Room! Lily was adorable. She took Emma to show off her crib, glider, books, closet and everything Princess!

Next stop on the tour was the bassinet. This is where Miss Emma will sleep for the next two and a half months next to us in our room. Lily had no problem starting to help out by giving Mike the bink to give to Emma.

After a quick outfit change, Maci took her turn to protect the newest member of our family. Maci didn't stop following Emma around the entire evening and wanted to stay as close to her as possible.

Before dinner we allowed Sister gifts! All Lily asked for from Emma was "Tink". So here she is opening her Big Sister gift, a bag full of Tink!

And afterwards, Lily "helped" Emma open her Little Sister gift. Two things that Lily herself chose especially for Sissy. Of course one of them had to be an Elmo rattle/teether toy and the other a soft ladybug rattle. Such a proud big sister already and an even prouder mom and dad!

Emma Grace Check - Welcome to the World! (Part II)

But when it's all said and done...and the worry is taken over by complete excitement this is what can happen:

Our beautiful baby girl was born!

Emma Grace Check

April 12, 2010

8 pounds 10 ounces

20.5 inches

While I was still on the table they whisked Emma away and that's when I shoved Mike over to her. They checked her out from head to toe all the meanwhile she was screaming showing us her strong lungs and Mike yelled over, " blonde and blue eyes!" I didn't believe him so he ran over to show some pictures to me and there she was the complete opposite of our dark haired, brown eyed girl that we have here at home.

My first look and meeting with Miss Emma behind the dreaded blue curtain in the OR. Mike then followed her to the nursery where he cut her umbilical cord and took all the pictures to document the journey for me since I was still being operated on. More pictures on our picture site.

Happy and Thrilled Parents

Nana brought Lily to the hospital on Tuesday to meet Sissy Emma. She was estactic and could not wait to give her hugs and kisses! Finally, my girls!!

On our way home, a little less than 48 hours after my c-section!

A little nervous and a little dislike for the car seat and ride home...

...oh wait...just lasted a minute.