Multi-Tasking at its Best

I've never been as proud of myself and grossed out at the same time as I was Sunday morning. The hubby had to work so I was at home alone with both little ones. We are still in the process of potty training JK and we keep a potty in the living room so that he'll go as soon as he feels the urge, which has worked out really well until Sunday morning. I had just started nursing Chelsea when all of a sudden J runs to the potty screaming "I need go poo poo in da potty!!" Now, typically this would be no problem, but my little diva of a daughter isn't a fan of stopping and restarting the feeding process. She likes to get all done in one quick swoop and I wasn't about to stop her. At this moment my mothering skills grew to a whole new level when after doing the deed I asked J to hand me the box of wipes. I then proceeded to wipe his tiny poopy butt, all while breastfeeding his baby sister. At first I was thinking this was the most disgusting task ever and then I realized just how awesome I was. I don't know many people who have nursed a child and cleaned up a poopy toddler at the same time, or at least I don't know anyone who's willing to publicly admit it! So yeah, it was nasty, but I got both jobs done at the same time. One kid was clean and the other had a full tummy, all thanks to my multi-tasking Mom skills!

Catching Up & Newborn Pics

I know that I've been a complete stranger lately. This little Diva of mine can be quite demanding. I rarely have time to look at my computer, much less blog! So to catch up a bit, Chelsea is three weeks old today. The time has flown by! She's still a pretty good sleeper, only waking every four hours at night. J.K. is a fantastic little helper and is so proud of his baby sister. The only issues he's had is that he's been telling us that he's sick a lot lately. He's constantly telling us that his tummy hurts, his arms/legs hurt, his throat hurts..it's all a ploy for more attention. However, I'm afraid he'll really be sick one day and I won't believe him.

I'm trying my best to balance my time between the two of them. It can be challenging, but I'm trying not to beat myself up too much. The hardest part is avoiding the self-induced guitl trip for taking him to daycare four days a week. I want him to stay on his schedule while I'm on maternity leave, but at the same time I feel like he should be at home with me while I'm here. It's a vicious cycle.

I promised to share the pictures from our newborn/family photoshoot. Can I just mention how much I LOVE Karie Mitchell? She's a fabulous and very affordable photographer. Check her site out at www.kariemitchell.com.
















This precious dress was given to Chelsea by her "Cookie" (aka: my sister Nichole). We used it as her door hanger at the hospital.




Chelsea holding her big sister's teddy bear.

Settling in as a Family of Four

Life is beginning to calm down a bit around our house. We're getting into a nice little routine and I couldn't ask for a better baby! The one great thing about being in the NICU is that they immediately get the baby on a schedule. The child sleeps like a champ. If it were up to her she'd sleep straight through the night and not worry about eating, but of course I wake her up every four hours.

We had Chelsea's newborn pictures and a few family shots made yesterday. I've seen a few teasers on facebook and they are fantastic. As soon as I get the disc I'll post them here.

Considering that my days consist of feedings, naps and diaper changes, I don't have too much to blog about. So for now I'll share a few pictures and a cute video of JK and his baby sister.


He thinks the bouncy seat is just his size!


It's a rough life she leads.


Getting some love from Daddy and big brother after bath time.

There's No Place Like Home

After six days in the hospital we are finally home as a family of four! Chelsea was admitted for fast breathing problems, which resolved fairly quickly. However, she became a bit jaundice and our stay was extended by another day. In reality Chelsea's issues were so very minor, but a stay in the NICU is never where a new mom wants to spend her first few days with her baby.

Chelsea was discharged yesterday with a bili bed to help with the jaundice. We can only hold her when it's time for her feedings, which isn't as bad as it sounds. The great part about it is that she's not getting accustomed to being held all of the time. She's sleeping really well so far and we're having to wake her for feedings, but I'm not getting too excited because I'm sure that can change any day.

J.K. finally got to meet his baby sister for the first time last night and I don't know that I've ever seen him so happy. If it were up to him he would hold and feed her 24/7. I'm really amazed at how well he's dealing with her. I'm sure we'll have a few bumps along the way once the newness wears off, but I'm taking what we can get for now.

Thank you for all of your sweet comments and prayers. Your prayers were felt and your encouragement brought a smile to our faces during those few days in the NICU.

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of days.


Getting ready to hit the road in her going home gown.


Heading home!


He's such a proud big brother.


He's such a great helper!

She's Here!

Chelsea Hope has arrived! She was born on Saturday, June 5th at 7:48 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. We are so happy to have her here and love her more than we imagined possible. Unfortunately we're dealing with some minor problems right now. She is in the NICU to be treated for fast breathing and grunting, which basically means her lungs aren't quite dry enough and she's having a difficult time transitioning from life in utero to life here in the real world. We pray that this will be a short stay and she'll be able to go home very soon.

Yesterday morning was one that I'm still trying to grasp and understand. You see, June 5th was already a special day for our family. This was the day that Olivia went to Heaven. This wasn't planned, at least not by us. I KNOW that God and our sweet angel had a hand in all of this. Four years ago we experienced the greatest loss imaginable and here we are today celebrating life on that same day. There are no words. I'm in awe by His AMAZING grace.

However, I will say that hearing we were going back to the NICU on June 5th wasn't an easy pill to swallow. I've cried. I've asked why is this happening to us. I've been scared to death again. But when we saw Chelsea hooked up to one little IV and nothing else, it really put the situation into perspective. This is a totally different experience. She's in intermediate care and her needs are minimal. Most of the doctors and nurses know our story and have been extremely compassionate and reassuring of our current situation.

So yesterday was a day of great joy and some sadness. Today is a new day and we're at peace. I'm ready to visit our girl and hope to hear that she had a good night. I'll update as often as I can, but bare with me as life is a bit hectic right now.

Thank you so much for your wonderful support throughout my entire pregnancy. You guys have been amazing.


First picture with Mommy and Daddy. Unfortunately, J.K. hasn't met Chelsea yet and probably won't until we bring her home.


Proud Daddy.


My first time to cuddle with my new girl.


Cici and Pawpaw with their 5th grandbaby.


Our first visit in the NICU.

No Baby Yet..

I'm more pregnant than I've ever been and it's a great feeling! I never imagined that I'd make it to 37 weeks (J.K. was born at 36), but here I am. I'll go to the doctor today for another check and we'll see where things stand. Honestly, as happy as I am to be at this point, I wouldn't be terribly upset if they sent me to Labor and Delivery today, but I won't get my hopes up. :)

I'm sorry we haven't had any pictures lately. The camera is packed in the suitcase and I haven't gotten it out, for fear that I'll forget to put it back. So rather than a picture of J.K. I do have a sweet story. Yesterday morning as he was waking up he immediately began telling me about a dream he had. It went something like this, "Daddy hold baby sister and pet her and I hold baby sister and pet her and 'den you wet (let) me kiss her sweet wittle face."

It was so precious and I so wish I had it recorded. He's so ready to meet sweet Chelsea and I can't wait to see them together. I'll keep you guys posted as I know more.

What a Week!

What a week this has been! It all started with the cavity scare, which turned out to be nothing. I started battling sinus problems over the weekend. I went to bed Tuesday night with slight pain in my right ear, but I woke up at 11 in excrutiating pain! I was close to tears. Of course my doctor wouldn't call anything in since I'm pregnant. So long story short I ended up in the ER at 1 a.m. for an ear ache. I felt ridiculous, but there was no way that I could wait for the doctor's office to open. They were able to give me a pain killer, antibiotic and decongestant, and it's working SLOWLY, but surely (the ear is still stopped up).

So that was early Wednesday morning, I was back at the hospital on Wednesday at lunchtime for my cerclage removal. Yes, this means that I got two of those cute little bracelets in less than 12 hours! The great news is that the cerclage removal was remarkably easy! She was finished in less than a minute! I was shocked, especially considering how horrid the whole process was last time. We hung out there for an hour and were later sent home.

Then there was last night, around 5 p.m. I began having contractions very regularly. I was told to go to L & D and by the time I arrived they were every 3 minutes. We were certain Chelsea was ready to make her debut..or not. It turned out I was slightly dehydrated. After a bag of IV fluids everything stopped and we were sent home by 10 p.m.

So needless to say, I have been exhausted today! I pretty much spent the day in bed doing nothing. I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow and will finally have a true full-term baby!

Tomorrow is also Olivia's 4th birthday. I can't believe that it's been 4 years since we had our baby girl here with us. We'll be celebrating her birthday in our own special way tomorrow, but I'll mainly just be thanking God for the lives that she's touched and continues to touch. I'll thank Him for a healthy J.K. and for getting me to the end of this pregnancy. We have come full circle.