Well we have almost finished the first week of school, and things are going pretty well. Emma is really liking kindergarten. I noticed her talking to Ella in such a big-kid way today, being a helper and nurturing her. Ella has had a bit of a rough time adjusting to Emma not being here all day long. Today she kept saying, "It's time to go get Emma!" We stayed at home the 1st 2 days, but ventured out to the park to play today. I'm learning how to manage my time as well. It's so strange to only have one around the house! I'm craving a schedule, and I know I'll get there. My main goals are doing an even better job with housekeeping, potty-training Ella, and maybe having time once in a while to scrapbook!

Today I told Ella that if she can use the potty and not have accidents in her pants, then I will get her a Fancy Nancy dress-up outfit from Target. Oh boy! Not sure if that was a mistake or a good thing. She's asked me all evening for the dress. She did have an accident on the floor and was pretty upset that she's not getting that dress TODAY! I don't think she competely understands the incentive. But she loves dress-up clothes, and loves Fancy Nancy as well, so this will probably work!

5 Years Ago...at this exact moment....

I saw your face for the first time....
I knew you were worth all of the pain I'd just experienced...

I became a mother for the first time.....
And I knew my life would be forever different....

Happy 5th Birthday Sweetheart!
I love you!!

Mommy Talk #9

This week's questions from Mommy Talk is: What was it like going home from the hospital for you? Did your baby have any medical issues?


With my 1st daughter, going home from the hospital was surreal. I couldn't believe that I was a mom, and that we were responsible for this baby! I was a little afraid too, and I HATED putting her in the carseat and not being able to see her face for 20 minutes!

I was exhausted and had little energy due to extreme anemia. My midwife didn't want me to carry the baby up and down the stairs and wanted me to get as much rest as possible. Add to that the fact that she absolutely refused to nurse, and I was pretty stressed out. She had jaundice too, so there were a few days on the biliblanket. Once we got the nursing down, she had colic for the next 4 months. Ugh! I know I sound so negative here, but the first few months were so hard!

With my 2nd daughter, I was more anxious to get home and see my mom and daughter who were waiting for me. I didn't really have any anxiety on the drive home, just the usual fatigue. The most difficult part during the first few days was her having to go back to the hospital for 24 hours to be under the lights. Her jaundice was severe and wasn't responding to the biliblanket. Ella developed a severe allergy to soy within a few weeks after her birth, and she was extremely colicy as well. But looking back, these issues seem so minor compared to what others go through. I'm just so thankful that my girls are healthy and happy these days!

Mommy Talk #8

This week's topic at Mommy Talk is:

Your Birth Story

This is going to be a long post, so brace yourselves! Here are the birth stories of my 2 girls:

With Emma, I was 3 days from my due date. My baby shower was supposed to be at 11am that Saturday morning, but I woke up at 3:30 am with contractions. Since this was my 1st, I wasn't sure if they were the real thing, so I went downstairs and watched some tv while timing the contractions. Isn't it strange, the things we remember from childbirth? I distinctly remember sitting on my blue couch, Seinfeld reruns on tv, contractions every 5 minutes apart. After a couple of hours, I decided that I was in labor and I woke Todd up and told him I thought we should head to the hospital. Contractions were very manageable that this point, so the ride to the hospital was uneventful.

We arrived at the hospital around 6am, and did the usual checking in, strapping on the fetal monitor, and being observed for an hour or so. I sat in the jacuzzi tub for an hour after that and then my midwife arrived and wanted to check me. She ended up breaking my water at 8 am and then got me up to walk. My contractions went from manageable to out of control! I barely made it across the room before I was begging to get back in bed. By 10am I was ready to push, but feeling very overwhelmed. The one shot of Stadol that I'd been given had worn off, and I was feeling everything! An hour and a half later, at 11:28am, Emma Rose was born! They really had to suction her out afterwards, so I didn't get to hold her for a while. I also had a few complications personally, so I'd say it was going on 1 pm before I really got a good look at her!

The second time around, labor began much like the first! I woke up at 3:15am and new I was in labor. My contractions went from 10 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart in an hour. I woke Todd up at 4:15 and then made the call to my parents and babysitter. I finally called the doctor around 4:45 and said I'd probably be to the hospital in about an hour. Labor was really intense, and I had a hard time moving around. Contractions were about 5 minutes apart when I was sitting, but when I'd get up to get ready, they were around 2 minutes apart. Our babysitter called from the drive-thru in McD's, and asked if I wanted anything. I remember thinking, "Are you out of your mind? Who wants to eat at a time like this? I just need my epidural!" She arrived at our house at 5:30am and I practically ran out the door.

This time the drive to the hospital was very intense. My contractions were right on top of each other and I couldn't think straight. Todd later said that he was worried because I sounded the same way that I sounded at the end of labor with Emma! We pulled into the ER and they wheeled me up to L&D around 5:55am. Things went fast and furious- my doctor hadn't arrived yet and I was told that I was fully dialated. I started crying because I knew I wouldn't get an epidural and I remembered how horrible it had been the last time. But in minutes, my water broke and I HAD to push. The resident told me to wait, but I said, "I have to push, and I'm going to push- I can't wait!" One push later, Ella Olivia was in our world! She was born at 6:12 am, barely 3 hours after my labor started!

Looking back, I'd much rather have it fast and furious than to experience an hour and a half of pushing. The pain was intense, but I'm so glad I didn't have the epidural with the 2nd one. If I had to do it again, I'd probably do it the same way!

Mommy Talk #7

This week's question over at Mommy Talk is:

What were your favorite maternity "could not do without" items?

I don't really know if I had too many items I couldn't do without. Towards the end of my 3rd trimester, I really loved those wedge cushions that you could put underneath the side of your belly and between your knees while you slept. My hips and back would've ached much more without those!

Mommy Talk #6

Here is this week's installation of mommy talk.

Baby Names on your list...What name did you chose, and why?

For us, picking baby names wasn't very difficult. With both of our kids, I think I thought about it a whole lot more than Todd did! It mattered to him, but it wasn't something he spent hours thinking about like I did.

When we were pregnant the first time, we had narrowed the names down quite a bit before our ultrasound. For a boy, we had picked Josiah Truman. We just love the name Josiah, and we picked it because Josiah was one of the few good kings of Israel in the Old Testament. Truman was Todd's great-grandfather's name, and everyone always says Todd looks like him, so we thought it would be a good fit.

For a girl's name, we had narrowed it down to Emma Rose or Lauren Olivia. Both of those names were chosen just because we liked how they sounded. After the ultrasound showed that we were having a girl, I just felt like she was an "Emma." So I convinced Todd to go with Emma, and the rest is history!

Alright, with the second baby we already had the boy name picked out. We had a more difficult time picking the girl name. I really liked Elanor, Sophia, and Olivia for first names. Todd hated Sophia and Elanor. I told him we could call Elanor, Nora for short, but he hated that even more. Isn't if funny that now that she has a different name, I can't even imagine calling her any of these names! After much discussion, we decided on Ella Olivia. First of all, it was kind of a variation of the names we both liked. Second of all, it was a tribute to both of my grandmothers. My paternal grandmother's name is Ella. My maternal grandmother's middle name was Olivanna. Thus, we got Ella Olivia. It fits her well and I'm so glad we went with it.

And yes, I do realize that my girls have very similar names. And yes, we get them mixed up sometimes. But every parent gets their kids' names mixed up, no matter how similar or different they are. So although many naysayers warned us it was a bad idea to name our children such similar names, we threw all caution to the wind and named our kids what we wanted to name them.

Mommy Talk #5

This week on Mommy Talk, they asked us to answer the following question:

When you were pregnant, did you find out whether you were having a boy or a girl?

Why or why not? honest...did you have what you were hoping for?

We found out what we were having with both of our babies. With Emma, we had the usual ultrasound at 21 weeks and the technician told us she was 90% sure it was a girl. That was good enough for me, and we spent the rest of the night trying to decide between 2 names that we had picked. (The other one was Lauren.) I was very excited because I had been hoping for a girl, but I think Todd was maybe a little disappointed.

With Ella, we had an ultrasound at 20 weeks, which determined that I was actually only 18 weeks along. Ella was in no mood to cooperate, so we couldn't tell whether she was a boy or a girl. The doctor ordered another ultrasound at 26 weeks, and that is when we found out that she was a girl. Honestly, I was a smidge disappointed that she wasn't a boy, but I wasn't surprised. On the way to the ultrasound, I just had a feeling that it was a girl.

We decided to find out what we were having because, honestly, I couldn't stand not knowing! I'm just controlling like that. With Emma, I just really wanted to know so I could buy all the fun stuff for that gender. With Ella, I wanted to know so that I would be able to buy boy stuff if we needed it. And I really think I would do it again if we ever have another one. Yes, you miss out on the surprise at the delivery, but it's still a surprise when you find out early.

I am really very thankful for my girls. I have never wished for a boy after finding out that they were girls, and honestly, I'd be happy with another girl if that should ever happen. My girls love each other and I know they will have a special relationship as sisters. They are such sweet girls and we love them so much!

Mommy Talk-#4 (well, #1 for me because this is my 1st week)

I stumbled across A Little Mommy Talk this morning, and given my lack of creativity on my blog lately, I thought I'd join the Mommy fun! Every week there will be a question about what your experience as a mom has been. Here's the question for today.

May 7
How much weight did you gain (w/ picture...are you brave enough:) )
and what did you like MOST about pregnancy?
What did you like the LEAST?

So let me start out by saying that I WILL NOT be posting any photos of myself in any stage of my pregnancies. Both times I was pregnant, I allowed only a few photos to commemorate the experience. And since neither of them are scanned and ready to be put on this blog, I will have to pass on this one.

I gained about 35 lbs when I was pregnant with Emma. I didn't feel like this was too awful, right about average with most women, I think. A lot of it was water, as I lost about 30 lbs within two weeks of giving birth. What I liked most about my 1st pregnancy was the newness of it all. I couldn't read enough books or study the fetal growth charts enough that 1st time. I looked forward to every appointment with my midwife and it was kind of dream-like to imagine what our first child would look and act like. What I liked the least was the 1st trimester "all-day" sickness. It was basically an all-day nausea fest. But after that ended, I really had no complaints until the very end. I had the usual uncomfortable, get this baby out of me, feeling.

With my 2nd pregnancy, I gained 25 lbs. Much slower on the weight gain! I remember having a good 6-week stretch near the end of it all, when I didn't gain an ounce! Ella was smaller than Emma, so maybe that had something to do with it, although I doubt it. I think it was probably because I already had a little one to chase around and I wasn't sitting at a desk job this time around. What I liked best about this pregnancy was that I knew what to expect. I didn't feel the need to read every book on the subject and so I think I was less stressed about it all. What I disliked was that my nausea was much worse this time around. I also had a really horrible problem with my pelvic bones, which caused extreme pain from about 34 weeks until I gave birth. But, I made it through and was rewarded with a much faster labor and delivery!