3 Weeks Old

Happy Halloween! Today Nora is 3 weeks old. She is doing great - eating lots and staying awake more and more for longer and longer stretches at a time. Not a whole lot new to report since last week...I'm thinking about taking her into the doctor's office next Wednesday just to get weighed because I am so curious as to how much weight she has gained.

The picture below to the left totally shows off her "signature" look - that furrowed brow and slight scowl is definitely a look she gives us all the time! And I just can't get enough pictures of her and Henry together. He still asks to hold her all the time and is so sweet to her. :)

Halloween pictures to come soon!

Pumpkins and Preschool

 Last Friday Henry's class went to Lee Farms Pumpkin Patch for their annual field trip. On Mondays and Wednesdays he is in a mixed 3/4s class, but on Fridays, it is only 4 year olds...and they only have 7 kids so they are a pretty close knit group. At Lee Farms they got to tour the whole farm and see all the animals including chickens, turkeys, rabbits, goats, pigs and cows. They also got to sample apple cider, go on a hay ride, and, of course, pick out a pumpkin. Here are some of the pictures from their trip.

 Then on Wednesday night we had a special pumpkin carving/decorating night at the preschool. We were all able to attend (including Nora) and I think Henry really enjoyed having his whole family there and showing off his new baby sister.

Two Weeks Old

 Nora is two weeks old today! I wish I could say these last two weeks have flown by, but truthfully it seems pretty long!  I feel like I shouldn't complain because she is so much easier than Henry was at this age, but taking care of a newborn is still hard work regardless of how "easy" they are...plus I am still getting used to taking care of two kids instead of one. We are trying to figure out new routines and make adjustments, but we're learning as we go and the transition isn't always a smooth one.

That being said, Nora is doing great! She had her two week check-up yesterday and weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces. The doctor had me stay and nurse her and then we weighed her again and she weighed 7 pounds, 3 1/2 ounces. The doctor was pleased with that amount of gain in one feeding and said I can let her sleep for up to 4 hours overnight in between feedings if I want. Of course last night (after getting that clearance to sleep longer) she fussed all night long and didn't sleep for more than an hour or two at a time, but maybe tonight she will! She also measured a full inch longer than she did when she was born, but I

 have to wonder if someone made a mistake somewhere, because an inch seems like an awful lot to grow in two weeks.

She continues to sleep a lot, but is staying awake longer and longer each day. She is holding her head up and looking around which is so amazing to see. Henry is still being very sweet with her and handling the changes fairly well. He is definitely missing the attention of being the only child, but so far it hasn't affected his relationship with Nora.

 We gave her her first real bath the other day since her umbilical cord scab fell off. At first she seemed to like it, but then something changed (maybe she got cold?) and she screamed for the rest of the bath. Just like Henry did! I love the look on Henry's face as he helps bathe her...he looks a bit disgusted, doesn't he?

I floated her in his bath this morning and she seemed to like that a whole lot better than the bath in her little bathtub. Henry was like that too - he didn't like the little bath, but loved being in the big bathtub with one of us.

Introducing Nora Lennon

 Nora's here! We made it all the way to the induction date of October 10th! Here are the vital statistics: born on 10-10-12 at 4:43 pm. She weighed 7 lbs, 5 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. We checked into the hospital  a little before 8 am and started the pitocin at about 9 am. The doctor broke my water at noon and the contractions really started to get intense around 2 pm. Finally at 3:15 I got an epidural. I was really nervous to get an epidural because I had such a terrible experience with Henry's.

 Not only did it not offer any relief it actually caused me more pain than the contractions...and that's saying a lot! I was also worried that an epidural would make the labor last longer (especially the final, pushing stage). However, none of that happened and it was a wonderful epidural! I could still feel the contractions and the pressure so I was able to know when to push and push effectively, but without a lot of the pain. Of course it still hurt like anything when she was actually born, but so, so, so much better than without an epidural! I pushed for about 30 minutes before she was born, about the same as with Henry. I also progressed much the same as with Henry...going from 5 cm dilated to fully dilated very quickly.

 It was so great to be able to see Henry meet Nora. He is so absolutely sweet with her and was so excited to finally meet her. I was (am) worried about how he would feel going from the only child to the big brother, and while we are experiencing some behavior issues in other areas, with Nora he is 100% sweet and loving. His "big brother" gift was "real" cowboy boots, a new cowboy hat, and a Lone Ranger video. He loves the cowboy boots...he wears them at least once a day to play Lone Ranger or Roy Rogers.

 Today Nora is one week old. It's her 5th day home from the hospital. We're doing pretty good. Of course I am exhausted and it's a whole different experience to have a newborn along with an older child. With Henry I could just adapt my schedule to his...when he slept I could sleep, I could just hang out in bed or on the couch all day...obviously this is not possible now! But we're figuring it out. Yesterday was my first solo trip out with the kiddos - we went to the toy store in Multnomah Village so Henry could pick out a new puzzle. Then later in the day we went on a little walk and to Fred Meyer. Once again, as with Henry, the Moby wrap is a lifesaver!

Especially at the grocery store where I can still have both hands free, Henry can ride in the cart and we still have the   basket part of the cart free for groceries.

Nora is doing good with her feeding; the only problem is that she is so sleepy all the time that it can be difficult to wake her. And she definitely needs to eat! Her billirubin levels were a little elevated so she needs to pee and poop it out. :) Plus newborns are supposed to eat every 2-3 hours which adds up to a lot of nursing! Despite this, she is still much easier to feed than Henry was at this age.

Waiting, waiting, waiting

Still waiting for the baby to be born! Although I'm not officially due until this Sunday, I thought that she'd have made her appearance by now, but nope! Sometime between now and next Wednesday (10-10) we'll finally meet her though as I have an induction scheduled for that day. So we'll see.

In the meanwhile Henry continues to do amazingly well at school; loving every minute and even attending a once a week "lunch bunch" where he stays an extra hour and has lunch with some of his classmates and teachers. Here he is with our fall art project - a wreath made from leaves and other things (including a hot pink piece of fabric) he collected from the cemetery. He refused to pose for a picture without his "sword."