family of four

I'll try and summarize the last several days for you....

*Last Wednesday, the day before Rebecca was born, was Rachel's preschool graduation (she's got another year of preschool, but everyone graduates, for some reason).  They sang three songs and everyone got a character award.  Some kids got "Kindness" or "Obedience" or "Hard Working."  Rachel got "Decisiveness: Able to Make Up My Mind."  Yep, that's my girl....it's a nice way to say she's stubborn and knows what she wants, I think.  But we are proud of her and love her just the same!  She's made great progress at school this year.

*Thursday morning we headed to the hospital at 5:30 AM for my induction.  By 6:30 I was hooked up to everything and the contractions started.  I wasn't allowed to get an epidural until I had a bag and a half of fluid in me, which took between an hour and two hours, I think.  They started getting painful before long, but finally the fluid was done and I was allowed the epidural.  It was heaven.  I didn't feel a thing after that.

*It took a few hours to go from 4-5 cm.  Once I was at 5, I suddenly started contracting every 1-2 minutes, instead of every 4-5 minutes, like I had been.  About 15 minutes or so after she checked me at 5 cm, she decided to check me again, and lo and behold, I was already at 10 cm!  In just minutes!  The nurse couldn't believe it (neither could we!) and ran out of the room to call the doctor and get everyone to come in and get everything set up for baby's arrival.  This baby was coming FAST! 

*My doctor came and pushing began.  I only pushed through about 4 or 5 contractions, and there she was, my perfectly healthy little girl!  She was crying before she was even all the way out.  She was beautiful and I was just in complete awe and disbelief, that she was finally here!!!!

*My dad had taken Rachel to school that morning.  When he picked her up, an hour after Rebecca was born, he was able to tell her that she was a big sister!  He took her home to change her into her "Big Sister" shirt, and brought her to the hospital.  She was so excited to see the baby and hold her.  She said, "Mommy, can we put her in a bag and take her home?" 

*Rachel had a million questions, about what I was wearing (the hospital gown), what was in my arm (an IV), what was on my wrist (hospital bracelets), and on and on and on.  She loved exploring the hospital, though she was much like a caged lion in that little room.

*She's fascinated with Rebecca.  She wanted to hold her over and over in the hospital, and whenever she did anything Rachel would report it to me.  "Look, Mommy, she's moving!"  "Mommy, she's getting ready to whine a little."  "Mommy, she's crying."  "Mommy, she's looking at me!  She likes me!"   And she tells me over and over again, "I'm so glad my baby sister is here!"  She checks on her all the time as she sleeps in her cradle (where she sleeps during the day downstairs with us) and reports her findings to me.

*On Saturday morning I was discharged from the hospital.  My husband and Rachel came to get Rebecca and me and we had our first family of four trip home.  Rachel saw me in my regular clothes, patted my tummy (which is considerably smaller, but is still there somewhat) and said, "Mommy, do you have another baby in there??"  Gee, thanks, Rachel.....  :)

*Life with a newborn and a four year old has had its challenges the last couple of days, but she's a pretty good baby so far.  When we first got home Rachel wanted lots of attention, understandably so.  That was hard for me, because my mind was on Rebecca and what she needed, but I knew that Rachel needed my attention too.  Since that day, though, Rachel has done pretty well with adapting to life with a baby.  She happily played by herself almost all morning this morning, without any prompting from me, which was great!  Rebecca has been sleeping most of the time, waking up every 2-4 hours to eat.  We've had to up her intake because she was constantly draining her bottles in minutes and looking for more.  Now that we've done that, she seems much more relaxed during her feedings and is sleeping longer intervals.  Hopefully the doctor will agree that this is okay when we go later this week.  She's got her days and nights mixed up a little bit, though she did better last night than she had the night before.  She spent a long period of time today awake, so hopefully she's learning that daytime is for playing and nighttime is for sleeping.  One can always hope!!! 

*We took our first family outing yesterday, to the park for a short walk.  It was nice to get out of the house, after being stuck at the hospital for two and a half days.  I went slowly, pushing Rebecca, but I'm actually not feeling too badly, for having just given birth four days ago.  I feel much, much better than I did after Rachel was born.  I guess because this was a much faster, easier birth.

*Overall, I'm loving having a newborn again--she's so sweet, cuddly, and tiny!  I'm loving NOT being pregnant anymore--I can't even tell you how glad I am that that is over.  And I'm trying to savor each of these precious moments of babyhood, because I know they'll go by waaaaaaaaaay too fast.  When my husband goes back to work and my mom leaves, I know I'll be much more tired and overwhelmed than I am right now, adjusting to having two girls; it's a huge help to me to have them here, but I still want to remember to enjoy these days of cuddling with Rebecca, watching Rachel enjoy her, and just smelling the top of that precious baby head!  (Why do babies smell so good, anyway!?!?)

heading home

So excited to be going home today with my favorite people....

And here are some other pictures from yesterday:

I'll try to write more soon.  We're all doing well and are loving getting to know Rebecca.

introducing...

Rebecca Joy!!!

May 27, 2010
10:37 AM
7 pounds, 10 oz
20 inches long

We couldn't be more thankful!!

summer!

The summer temps have returned, and are supposed to be around all week, so guess what made its debut today!

She was thrilled, to say the least.

It wasn't even full yet and she was in it, splashing around in the freezing cold water.  While she's napping I hope the water will warm up a bit so she can swim in it more later this afternoon.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying my mother's day present, which my husband put together for me last week:

I love it and can't wait to swing with BOTH my girls in it very, very soon!  (Nope, she's still not here....taking her sweet ol' time.  She seems to have a mind of her own already--uh oh!)

birthdays

Tomorrow is my husband's birthday.  It's a milestone birthday, though I won't tell you which one....he probably wouldn't like it if I did.  I had been planning for years that for this special birthday I would have a big surprise party for him and invite all of his friends from up north where he used to live and totally blow him over with the surprise.  Then, 9 months ago, I found out that a baby would be arriving right around the same time as this big day.  I knew I wouldn't be able to pull off the big surprise that I had been hoping for. 

So there's no surprise.  I'm sad about that.  I really wanted to make it special, because he really doesn't like his birthday (especially this one), and I wanted to do my best to make it a happy day for him.  He's told me over and over that he hopes the baby decides to arrive on his birthday, because then everyone would forget about his for the rest of his life and focus on the little one's birthday instead!  While I don't particularly want them to share a birthday, at this point it would be absolutely fine with me if this baby decided to come tomorrow (or today, for that matter!!).  Maybe I should eat some spicy food tonight....I read that it sometimes puts women into labor.  I've already tried bouncing on my exercise ball....another trick that supposedly works, but hasn't worked for me.  I've been on it almost every day this week and there's still no baby. 

At this week's doctor's appointment I found out that I've progressed a bit more (to 4 cm), so that was good news, and she told me that she'd induce me next week if I wanted, and advised that that's what she would do if she was in my shoes.  So that's what I've decided to do.  Unless the baby comes on her own earlier this week, I'm going to be induced on Thursday morning, May 27th.  So it looks like we'll be having two birthdays to celebrate in the family this week:  Daddy's on the 23rd (actually, that's my grandpa's birthday, too!), and baby girl's on the 27th (or any of the days from the 22nd-26th would be just fine, too!!!).

still waiting....

Yesterday was one of the most disappointing of my life.  Around noon, out of nowhere, I started having fairly strong contractions between 2-4 minutes apart.  Knowing how dilated I was and how low the baby was, according to my doctor, my husband (who was home for lunch just after they started) started rushing around the house like a maniac, getting us ready to get to the hospital while I frantically called my parents and various friends, looking for somewhere to take Rachel until my parents could get here and pick her up.  He had visions of delivering the baby in the car if we didn't hurry up.  Within the hour we were at the hospital, with the contractions still a steady 2-4 minutes apart. 

(Someday I'll add details here about the horrible accident we almost witnessed on the way to the hospital and the way my husband practically broke my hand while squeezing it in the triage room....but for now, I'll get to the story at hand.)

They took me back to the labor and delivery triage room and got me all hooked up to monitors.  The baby's heart rate looked good and my contractions continued to be every 2-4 minutes.  They checked me and said I was 3 cm dilated, which I had been at the doctor's office last week. 

The nurse called my doctor's office, but my doctor wasn't in, so she talked to another doctor there (who I've never met).  He wanted me to walk for an hour and see if I'd dilate and labor progressed.  So my husband and I waddled around the labor and delivery floor (15 times, if I remember my husband's count correctly--and I should say that I waddled...he just walked slowly for my benefit!) for an hour, while my contractions got stronger and stronger and closer together.  We went back to the room, hoping for some good news of more dilation.

Nope.  Still 3 cm.  She said they'd let me labor for another half hour and check me again to see, but that they'd probably send me home.  Meanwhile, a doctor from the hospital came in to talk to me and tell me that it probably wasn't active labor and they didn't want to induce me because I wasn't 39 weeks, everything looked fine with my health and the baby's health, and it wasn't medically necessary to get the baby out yet (I was 38 weeks, 2 days yesterday....6 days shy of when they apparently would've induced me).  They checked me again a bit later, and I was still only 3 cm.  Another doctor came in and told me the same thing.  Not labor.  Huh?  I was in PAIN!  It sure was labor!  Maybe not active labor, but definitely labor. 

So even though I was still having painful contractions every 2-4 minutes, they sent me home. I don't know if I've ever been more disappointed.  We were sure this was it--who has contractions that close together, that painful, and is already 3 cm dilated, and gets sent home????  I was devastated.   They also told me that it would be a hard call about when to come back, since I was already having the contractions so close together and they were painful.  They said I'd have to judge when they started getting more painful and then come....or if my water broke.  I was hoping for the water to break so I'd know for sure.

So I spent another couple of hours in pain every 3 minutes or so at home, until finally the pain started dying away and the contractions slowed down.  More disappointment.  No baby.  At least not on May 18th.  (Not that I was set on May 18th....I'm just ready for this baby to come out!!!!)

The good part was that I was able to sleep last night.  I was worried that the contractions would last into the night and I'd never get rest, but I did.  And today at Babies R Us I was still able to park in the "expectant mothers" parking space....I have to look at the positive side here.  :)

Today there haven't been any contractions.  Just lots of discomfort, like usual.  I know the end is in sight...but it just seems to be taking FOR-EVER to get there.  Tomorrow I have another doctor's appointment and I'm anxious to see what MY doctor has to say about the whole thing. 

the waiting game

I got some good news and some bad news at the doctor's office yesterday.  The good news is that I'm 3 cm dilated and things are ready to go.  The doctor said it could be any day.  The bad news is that it could be any day. 

See, I had resigned myself to the fact that this baby likely wouldn't come until her due date or after (since I had originally been due June 7th, and they moved it up to May 30th....I kept telling myself she wouldn't come until June).  Now that the doctor has told me it could be any day, I want it to happen NOW!  I'm becoming very, VERY impatient.  I know she'll come when she's ready, but I'm really, really tired, uncomfortable, and just SO ready for this season of life (pregnancy) to be done and the next one (mothering an infant again) to start. 

But here I am waiting.  The waiting game is not one I want to play any longer.  I'm ready!!!

on being a mother

What a difference a year makes...

(37 weeks today...full term!)

This is what I was thinking last year on Mother's Day.  It's been a looooooooooong year since then, and I'm so glad not to be in that place anymore.

This year I have much happier, hopeful thoughts in my mind, but I can't stop thinking about last mother's day, and how hard it was.  And how hard I know it is for so many women because of loss or infertility or heartache of some sort.   And  really, I don't want to forget, because I always want to be sensitive to those I know in those situations.

I've spent the last month or so really trying to enjoy and make the most of each minute I have alone with Rachel before the baby comes.

Even though I'm usually tired and often don't want to, when she asks to play a game or color with me, or whatever, I try to comply, because I know that a month from now when she asks, it'll be a lot harder to say yes. 

And I'm almost always rewarded for making the sacrifice, as I hear, "This is so fun, Mommy, playing games with you," or whatever it is we've been doing together.  I hope that I'm making memories with her that she'll happily remember.

Yesterday morning we made pizza dough and then banana bread together (I've been trying to fill the freezer with meals and food, preparing for after the birth).  She had a great time, and though it slows things down to have her "help" me, I keep reminding myself that it's the memories that matter, not just that I got it done. 

I've also been trying to focus on the enjoyable parts of pregnancy (at this stage, they're hard to come by, but it really does help improve my mood when I focus on them!).  I know it is a gift to have this little girl growing inside me, and I don't want to lose sight of that in my discomfort and difficulty.  I know that this is very likely the last time I'll experience pregnancy, and though I don't really enjoy being pregnant (I'm envious of women who do!), there are definitely things I'll miss about it, so I want to enjoy them now, while I can.  I know the thing I'll miss the most is feeling her move inside of me.  Ever since the first movement back in December, and the immense joy it brought, after feeling no life for so long, each movement has been a wonderful reminder that she's alive, healthy, and growing.  Now that the movements are forceful, uncomfortable, and often annoying, I still love knowing that she's alive, healthy, and growing!  

(Oh, and I also know I'll miss being able to eat ice cream whenever I want!  After this baby comes I'll have to start paying more attention to what I eat and ice cream certainly won't be on the list of what I should be eating very often!)

I'm kind of rambling, and don't know if I really have a point, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that being a mother (pregnant or not) is hard, and sometimes it's easy to get frustrated by all of the sacrifices I have to make, but when I choose to focus on the positive, instead of the negative, I realize that the sacrifices are so worth it. 

Happy Mothers' Day.

showers of blessing

My friends threw me a little baby shower on Friday.  Because it's a girl and I have all the baby gear I need and about every pink thing imaginable from Rachel's infancy, they showered me with diapers and wipes instead of clothes or baby gear.  Look at all of these diapers!!!

What a blessing it will be to not have to buy diapers for quite awhile!

(And while I'm at it, here's a picture of the new crib.)

Of course, I forgot to take pictures at the shower because I was too busy enjoying hanging out with some of my favorite people who I don't get to see very often.

The shower wasn't a surprise--my friend Amanda asked me about it about a month ago to find a date that worked for everyone--but what WAS a surprise is that my dearest friend, Allecia, came from out of state!  I wasn't expecting that, and was so excited to see her.  I did remember to take a picture the next morning....

(she was in cahoots with my husband and arranged to stay at our house that night, without my knowing beforehand, so we got to stay up late talking after everyone left and hang out a little the next morning...when I could get a word in with my chatty Rachel who monopolized the conversation, telling Miss Allecia every little thing that popped into her brain!)

It was a wonderful night (complete with cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory!  Yum!).  Now I'm really ready to welcome this little girl into our family.  26 days and counting until she's due! (and of course it's wishful thinking, but maybe she'll even come early!  Rachel was three days early....)

four year stats

Rachel had her four year doctor's visit today.  Most of this is rather unexciting news, but I want to keep track for posterity's sake...

She's 39 1/4 inches tall, which puts her in the 45th percentile for height.  Last year she was only in the 25th percentile!  She's grown three inches since last year at this time.

She weighs 33 1/2 pounds, which also puts her in the 45th percentile.  Again, last year she was in the 25th percentile, and before that, at her 2 year visit, she was only in the 5th percentile (and let's not forget before that, when she was below the chart!).  The doctor is thrilled with her growth, and so are we.  She's right where she should be (though, how she's managed that with her current picky eating practices, I'll never know!).

She had to get three shots.  I didn't know what to expect, so I hadn't told her about it beforehand, but after the doctor told me, I passed the news along to Rachel.  She said, "Oh no!  It's going to hurt!"  And when the nurse came in to do them, she was a little scared.  But she barely said "Ouch!" and didn't cry a bit.  She hugged me with one arm while the nurse put them in the other and was such a trooper.  She complained before I put her down for her nap that her "boo-boos" hurt, and pointed to her bandaids on her arm, but that's all I've heard about it. 

She chatted away with the doctor and the nurses and had a grand old time.  I'm glad going to the doctor is such a fun outing for her!  Her only complaint on the way home:  "Mommy, they forgot to take my temperature!" 

tickets

Here's a story I forgot to write about in the birthday post. 

My grandpa sent a card along with my mom when she came for Rachel's birthday.  So when she was opening her presents, she also opened the card from her great-grandpa.  When she opened it, four one-dollar bills fell out, since she was turning four.  She got really excited and said, "Wow!"  My mom asked her what they were, as she picked them up. 

"TICKETS!" she replied, excitedly.

"Tickets?" we all asked, trying to control our laughter. 

"Yeah, tickets!"  she said.

She was so excited....but had absolutely no idea what they were.  Grandma explained that it was money (she's never received money before, nor does she ever see me use money, other than a penny to ride the horse at Meijer every now and then....I always use my debit card to pay for everything!).

Then she was even more excited, when she found out it was paper money.

"Mommy, we can buy GROCERIES!!!" she exclaimed.  That had us all rolling on the floor.  I told her that we wouldn't use her money to buy groceries, but that she could go to the toy store and pick out something that she wanted with her money.  She liked that idea.

The next day we were getting ready to go pick up her cake for her party.  She said, "Mommy, we can use my money to buy it!"  Bless her heart.... I explained that Mommy and Daddy would buy her cake and she could save her money for something she really wanted for herself.

She finally decided that she wanted to buy a horn for her new big girl bike--a princess horn for her princess bike. So last week she and I went to Toys R Us to find one.  They only had two, and they were black, and they didn't work.  She was so disappointed.  But then she spotted a princess bell.  I was against it at first, and told her we should go to another store to look for a horn, because she's never been successful at making the bells ring on her own, and I didn't want her constantly asking one of us to ring the bell for her.  But I got it down and had her try it, and sure enough, she was able to make it ring on her own.  So we bought it (after walking around the store looking at everything else, with her telling me she was going to buy this and that too--I had to expain over and over that she only had enough money to buy the bell and we weren't going to buy any of the other things).  She had 79 cents left over, after using her money and the gift card they send you for being in their birthday club. 

She said, "Where's my money?" once the cashier took it. 

I showed her the change and said, "This is what is left after we paid the man for the bell."  She was a little confused about how her paper money became coin money, but she was excited about the coins.

As we walked out of the store she saw the Winnie the Pooh ride on toy they have out in the front.  She has always wanted to ride it, but we've never let her.  She said, "Can I use my coins to ride Winnie the Pooh?"

It was her money, so I told her she could use it for whatever she wanted, and that's what she wanted.  She put in her two coins (it was 50 cents to ride it) and it started moving and playing the Winnie and Pooh theme song.  I don't think there's ever been a little girl so happy to ride that thing.  She smiled and laughed her way through the whole ride.  It was well worth the 50 cents, just to see her so happy to use her money on something she wanted so much.  And the fun continued after we got home: I put the bell on her bike and she rode down the sidewalk ringing it over and over as she rode, making up a song about a princess bell.  She is completely thrilled with it. 

So thank you, Grandpa, for making my girl so happy with her four TICKETS! 

birthday fun

Last Friday, Rachel's birthday, was a full and fun day celebrating my girl. 

-She helped me make cinnamon rolls for breakfast (helping me means actually helping for about two minutes, and licking a spoonful of whatever dough/batter/icing there is for the rest of the time I'm busy making whatever we're making "together").

-She played in her room FOREVER, and was having such a great time that I decided not to go ahead with my plan for heading to Toys R Us, and to let her play instead.

-We took a trip to the grocery store because she wanted to "help" me make the cupcakes I was planning on making during naptime, and I had run out of cupcake liners.  While we were there I got her a princess birthday balloon, which she then carried with glee all around the store.

-She "helped" me make cupcakes (just as much as she helped me make cinnamon rolls).

-We headed to Red Robin for lunch with friends to celebrate the birthday girl.  She was so psyched for the waiters to sing "Happy Birthday" to her (she remembered it from last year), but this was the look on her face when they did:

because it wasn't the regular "Happy Birthday" song, but their own version.  The first thing she said after they left was, "I fink that was a wittle bit diff-went."  But she had a great time sharing her ice cream with her friends:

-During her nap, Grandma and Grandpa arrived.  When she came downstairs after her nap she spied a big box of presents they had brought with them.  Daddy had just gotten home from work, so she opened the presents, along with a couple from us (we saved most of them until her party the following day).

-She got to choose what she wanted for dinner.  She said mac and cheese, but as soon as we got to the restaurant she changed her mind to pancakes.  When they learned it was her birthday they put extra whipped cream on her pancakes.  What a lucky girl!

-We came home and sang happy birthday to her and she blew out the candles on her cupcakes.  She loved it all.

-She got to stay up late and play some of the games Grandma and Grandpa had given her: Cootie and Hi-Ho-Cherry-O.  It was a happy day.


Saturday morning she woke up and said, "Mommy, you're supposed to tell me Happy Birthday!"  I told her it wasn't her birthday today, but it was her party day.  She was satisfied with that and couldn't wait.

Grandma, Rachel, and Mommy went to the store to pick up her cake.  She was so excited to come home and put the princesses on it (she got the princesses the day before as a birthday present, and I told her they were for putting on her cake for the party).

The party began a little before lunchtime.  The kids (Rachel and five of her cousins) played outside for as long as possible before coming in for pizza).

After lunch and more playing Rachel opened her presents.  It was such a beautiful day that she opened them outside.  She was thrilled with everything.  Her favorite was Tiana's blue dress (third picture below).  She'd been wanting it and talking about it forever.

We were most excited to give her the big girl bike.  She'd been talking about wanting one for quite awhile and we were sure she'd be thrilled with it.  But as soon as she saw it she burst into tears and said, "But I want to ride my old bike!"  We don't understand what that was about, because she soon cheered up and was excited about riding her new bike, but it kind of put a damper on our excitement of giving her the bike.  Not to mention the damper of me pinching her chin in the strap of her bike helmet, causing her to start crying all over again (and me crying too because I felt so bad for hurting her....and because I'm pretty much an emotional, hormonal wreck at this point in pregnancy!)

While everyone else was playing outside some more, she wanted to play inside so she could wear her new Tiana dress.  We told her she could try it on and show everyone.....but then she played outside some more, without the dress.

Finally it was time for cake.  She loved having everyone sing to her and laughed the entire time.

She had a great birthday.  I can't believe my little girl is four.


(And for those of you who are wondering....34 weeks down, and only 6 weeks left!  This baby is coming SOON!!!!)

my sweet girl

I'm working on a post about her birthday weekend, but it's taking awhile because of the all of the pictures.

In the meantime, enjoy the picture I had taken of her this morning.

four!

My sweet birthday girl,

Where has the time gone?  Didn't you just look like this yesterday???

Last week I read this letter I wrote to you last year on your birthday, and I thought to myself that so much of it still applies this year.  In many ways, you haven't changed a lot since then.  And yet, you're so much more grown up this year at age four than you were at age three. 

*You still love playing outside, but this year you are so much more independent in your playing.  You climb up and down on the playset with such confidence, can swing by yourself (though you'd rather have Mommy or Daddy push you higher!), and ride your tricycle up and down the sidewalk as fast as can be while Mommy or Daddy watch, instead of walking alongside you (this year you're getting a big girl bike for your birthday, and I can't wait to see your face light up when you ride it up and down the sidewalk instead!).

*You're still a chatterbox!  You say the funniest things and make Daddy and me laugh all the time.  

*You're still a princess fanatic--probably even more than you were a year ago.  Your favorites change from day to day, but you're completely in love with Tiana and The Princess and the Frog at the moment.  Your love of Thomas isn't quite what it used to be, though you still enjoy playing with your train table every few days.  But you'd much rather play princess or a game or color pictures these days.

*You still love letters, and this year you've learned to write your name.  Just the other day you asked me, "Mommy, what letters spell dog?"  I said, "Why don't you tell me?"  So you said the sounds, "d...d....d.....o....o....o....g...g...g."  So I asked you what letters those were, and you told me, "D....O....G!"  You're well on your way to being a reader.  You're also counting much better than you were a year ago.  You can count up to 14 without any mistakes, but have a little trouble getting from 14 to 20, but you're learning quickly. 

*You are such a social little girl, and love people.  You ask me almost every day, "Where are we going today, Mommy?" because you're so anxious to get out of the house and into the world with other people.  You love preschool, and every day when you walk in the classroom your classmates get so excited and yell, "Rachel!  You're HERE!"  You love them, and they love you.  Every couple of days you say, "Mommy, I have to tell you something."  When I ask what you need to tell me, you say, "I like everybody!"  And it's so true!


This past year has been a hard one for your Mommy, but you've taken it all in stride and become a much more independent little girl because of it.  You help Mommy whenever you can and are such a good girl.  You're also such a happy girl--enthusiastic and excited about every day.  You fill my days with such joy and laughter.

This next year has some very big changes in store, and though you're super excited about being a big sister soon, I know you really have no clue just how much this little sister will change your little world!  In the past week or so it's just started to hit me that these are the last weeks I'll have with just you and me, and I've been sad and nostalgic about it, trying to savor every last bit of it.  For the last four years my life has been almost completely about caring for, playing with, and teaching YOU, and in just a few short weeks, that will all change.  I know that I'll still do all of those things, but now I'll have to figure out how to do all of those things plus care for, play with, and teach your little sister, too!  And unfortunately, out of necessity, her needs will have to take prescedence over yours sometimes, and that will likely leave you disappointed and sad at times.  I hate the thought of making you feel that way and don't want any of this to change who you are.  But I know that with time we'll all figure it out together.  That's why I'm so glad you've become so independent in the last year--putting your clothes on, going potty by yourself, washing yourself in the bathtub, cleaning up after yourself (sometimes!), and on and on.  You're such a big girl and a cheerful helper, and I know that you'll be a huge help to Mommy in caring for your little sister.

I can't wait to watch you become a big sister, and know this will be a year full of both joy and change for all of us. 

I love you,  my sweet four year old.  Happy, happy birthday!

Love,
Mommy

Easter pictures

Her first time dying easter eggs was a great success.  She loved it!

Easter Morning

She got a princess kite in her Easter basket.  We went to the park to fly it.  She was ecstatic.  The wind was perfect and she even got to fly it all by herself part of the time.  It was a beautiful day.

We had an easter egg hunt in our backyard for her after she woke up from her nap.  She had a great time.

SPRING!!!

Actually, it's been more like summer the last few days.  A record of 81 degrees Thursday, and yesterday it was 85!  I broke out the few items of maternity capris, shorts, and short sleeved shirts I have, and it's exciting to have something different to wear, after wearing the same four pairs of pants and seven or eight shirts for the last several months, even if it IS maternity clothes!  (I actually have a ton of summer stuff that generous friends have given or loaned to me, but sadly, most of them don't fit, so I'm pretty limited in what works).  I'm not complaining....I'm still excited to have different clothes to wear, and especially for the beautiful, warmer weather that allows me to wear them!

So with the warm weather means LOTS of playing outside.  To say Rachel loves playing outside is a huge understatement.  She'd rather play outside than do just about anything, I think.  We've been outside every possible moment these last few days.  She comes in for her bath at night dirty and scraped up and oh so happy!  What does she do outside all day?  Bike riding, swinging, sliding, climbing, soccer ball kicking, bubble blowing, leaf raking (we have a big oak tree which sheds its leaves in the spring, so she and Daddy have been raking those up this week), rock collecting, cloud gazing, pirate pretending, t-ball hitting....and we haven't even broken open the sand box yet!  She's having a great time.

I'm FINALLY feeling better this week and have been able to be out and enjoying it, too, though I'm reaching the uncomfortable pregnancy stage of waddling and feeling like my skin just can't possibly stretch anymore, especially in the evening, after being up and around all day long.  How can it stretch for 8 more weeks?  I can't imagine.

Today was a busy day....my brother's neighborhood has a monsterous Easter egg hunt every year, and I took Rachel up this morning again (she went last year, too).  She had a great time collecting eggs and playing with her cousins.

Then I had a baby shower to go to (not for me....for a friend who is due a week before I am).


After dinner we colored Easter eggs. It was Rachel's first time, since Easter has always been right around her birthday and coloring eggs has always kind of gotten lost in the shuffle. I only boiled six eggs because I knew we wouldn't eat very many, but she had a great time (pictures in another post...they're on a different camera and haven't been downloaded yet)

And while she's up in the bathtub right now, the Easter Bunny just stopped by and put her Easter basket together!  She'll be an excited girl tomorrow morning.

mystery solved

The missing box has been found and all is right with the world.  Actually, the missing box turned into three missing boxes!  My wonderful husband crawled all around in the crawl space looking for it, since I had looked everywhere else in the house that it could've been, and instead of just one box, he uncovered three boxes that said "baby" on the sides!  I found all kinds of things I had forgotten we even had.  They were mostly baby toys, but I also found the baby bjorn, play gyms, bathtub, and doorway jumper that I knew were missing.  Now I can continue with my nesting and get them all cleaned up.

In other news...tomorrow the countdown will be 31 weeks down, 9 to go! I'm in single digits! Here's a picture for those of you who keep asking me for pictures of my big belly. Today was my sister in law's wedding, so I had something on besides jeans or sweats for a change and told my husband he'd better get a picture since it doesn't happen very often! (I was very self conscious about not wearing a dress/skirt to a wedding, but every dress I tried on felt like a tent, and I really, REALLY didn't want to wear hose!!! My husband assured me that no one would notice that I didn't have a skirt on. I hope he was right!)