One Week

Thank you everyone for your kind words and comments on Zoe's birth.  This past week has been really good- Zoe is a great sleeper, especially during the day.  We started to work on that yesterday, and last night she was only up two times! 

Avery loves her new sister, but is still trying to understand the "rules"- no touching the baby's face, no poking the baby- be gentle when you touch her, and no touching the baby's bottle.  She has loved having her dad home this whole week (and so have I!) and has gotten lots of time outside to play.

Franz and I laugh about how different things are the second time around.  No detailed records of when she ate, how much, when she pooped, etc.  Sometimes we forget Zoe is even in the room with us- she doesn't require much from us yet.  Franz goes back to work on Monday.  I am going to miss having him around during the day- it's been really nice being able to spend this week together.  He has been so great about giving Avery extra attention, changing diapers, getting up at night, etc.  I am very lucky and thankful to have such a nice guy :)

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and are enjoying lots of yummy leftovers!  I'll leave you with this picture of me and my girls: 

Have a great weekend!

Monday Update

This morning I was supposed to be at the hospital at 7:15 to be induced, but instead we were at home with:

Meet Zoe Marie Michel!

After my OB visit on Friday morning, I spent the rest of the day with more cramping.  I thought it would be fun to share the timeline for how the rest of the evening unfolded.

3:45- The teenager next door came over for her usual Friday afternoon playdate with Avery, and I was able to get out of the house and run some errands.  I wanted to treat myself to one last little luxury before the baby came, so I stopped in for a pedicure.

Pretty Toes!

4:30-5:30 Pedicure-  As I was sitting there, my cramps got stronger, so I started watching the clock.  I didn't realize it at the time, but these cramps were really contractions, and I had between four and five of them during my hour long pedicure.  I had two more on my drive home.  

5:45-7:45 Home- Said good-bye to the neighbor and Franz got home from work.  Made a couple of phone calls, made a quick dinner, and then realized how painful and fast these "cramps" were coming.  I no longer wanted to sit down, it was more comfortable standing.  Franz ran out to pick up some milk and then gave Avery a bath.

7:45- The "cramping" was getting more painful, so I jumped in the shower while Franz put Avery to bed.  I was having between five to eight of these an hour now, but they still weren't following any type of pattern, so I ruled out them being real contractions and just figured I would see how long I could live with these "cramps" before I decided to go to the hospital.

8:15-8:30 A friend stopped by the house and took one look at me and said, "Jen, you guys need to get to the hospital right away.  I'll stay with Avery, you just need to go- now!"  I finished getting dressed, packed a few last minute items, and got in the car.    

8:50- Arrived at the hospital admitting and gave them my paperwork.  It was about 2 minutes later that my water broke.  They hurried me upstairs and got me into a room.  A quick check determined I was 7-8 cm. dialated.  I was shocked, how could I be that dialated when I wasn't even having any contractions? 

9:30- Anxiously awaiting the anesthesiologist, I told Franz to "go find her and give her $50, I can't wait any longer".  She arrived shortly after (no tip involved!) and within a few minutes I was feeling much better.

The next hour was spent making phone calls, laughing about how the day had unfolded, and realizing that we were about ready to become a family of four.  My OB arrived and determined I was 9 cm, and the room was prepped for delivery.

After 10 minutes of pushing, Zoe Marie entered the world at 11:06 pm. She weighed 6 lbs. 15 ozs and was 19" long. She was born 11 days before her due date, but came on her own- no induction was needed :)

Barely two hours after arriving at the hospital!

Proud Dad

We're not sure whose nose that is

Leaving the hospital on Sunday afternoon

First car ride!

I am SO glad she decided to come early- I was pretty miserable the past week or so.  It boggles my mind that I'm technically still not due until the 30th, and instead we're home with our two little girls :)

Now, to figure out how to adjust from one to two- that is my job over the coming days.

Friday Update

Well I thought I'd be able to post Before/After pictures of the master bedroom, but the weather finally decided to cool down.  It's pretty dark and overcast, with spots of rain, so not the greatest for taking pictures where you need the natural light.

But more importantly, I'm 2 cm dialated and have been cramping since last night.  I did not sleep at all as there were between 2-4 of these cramps/contractions per hour.  Of course Franz snoozed right through it all (ladies, how do they do that?)  My induction is still scheduled for Monday morning, but at this rate I'm not sure this baby girl is going to wait until then.  And if she doesn't, I'm not sure I can- who wants to have cramps for 3 days and 3 nights without any pain relief?  Not me :) 

I'll keep you all posted!  Until then, have a great weekend :) 

Nursery- Finished!

My approach to the nursery this time around was so different than last time.  We found that Avery never actually played in her nursery- she wanted to be with us in the living room.  All she really did was sleep in in her room.  This worked well for us when she was really small because we were able to keep our eye on her while she was playing, and keep up with household stuff at the same time. 

That being said, when I started working on the nursery for this one, I knew that all she would be doing in this room was sleeping.  Once she's old enough to scoot around the house, she'll be in the living room and Avery's room.  So, I kept the room to the bare bones so to speak.  Remember also that we are planning on the girls sharing a room, so this room is only temporary until they are ready for that. 

This room is about 9' x 9', not including the closet.  It's tiny.  Another reason for keeping things streamlined and not a whole lot of stuff.

View into the room from the door

Moved our dresser and mirror into the nursery

 

Close-up of the pelmet- added burgundy ribbon to give it some detail

The frame is for her footprints- they do this at the hospital right after she's born

Same crib, same mobile

There are a few things missing from these photos, like a night light (which I still need to get), the Fisher-Price crib aquarium (which needs new batteries), and some other random items.  We will not be using a diaper pail/genie/whatever you want to call it.  All stinky diapers go directly outside into the garbage!

To wrap it up, here is a list of the DIY projects:
-Dyed changing pad cover orange
-Made pelmet for window
-Sewed new cushion cover for rocking chair
-Crib skirt (stitch witchery is my new BFF)
-Artwork
-Mobile
-Baby Blanket    
-Mats for footprint frame (I used two different scrapbooking papers and made my own mats)

Hope to have Master Bedroom pictures up tomorrow!

The Big Day

I'm going to the hospital on Monday to deliver this baby, and Monday can't come soon enough.  I will be 39 weeks when I deliver.  This pregnancy has been similar in many ways than my last, but different in many ways as well.

Similarities:
No morning sickness.
Having a long torso makes being pregnant fairly comfortable until the last month or so.
The heartburn has only showed up occassionally, and usually Maalox does the trick.
Hip pain (this time not as severe, but still pretty painful).
Hot ALL THE TIME.

Differences:
Lower energy levels.
Carpal Tunnel in both hands.
Really sore feet.

I am emotionally drained.  My body is strained to its max as well.  I just need to hold it together for a few more days.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  

A quick baby blanket

When I was pregnant with Avery, I didn't own a sewing machine.  I also wasn't very confident in my sewing skills, so I turned to Etsy.  I bought her baby blanket- a simple blanket made up of two rectangles, sewn together. 

Fast forward a year and a half and a lot has changed.  This past Saturday I was out running errands and popped into Joann's.  Didn't really need anything or have any projects in mind, but I like going there and browsing when I'm without Avery.  They were having a sale on flannel and minky fabric.  I bought a yard of each and this past week made baby #2 her own baby blanket.

I loved the preppy vibe of the flannel!

I had a few scrap pieces of the Amy Butler orange dot fabric leftover (used elsewhere in the nursery), so I added a bias binding. 



Super soft pale green minky fabric on the reverse side.



Yes, I machine sewed the binding on.  I know all you quilters out there are squirming in your seats, but I just really hate handsewing.  I definitely need to work on mitering corners as these are far from perfect.  Anyone have any tips or links to good tutorials on mitering corners using bias?

Turn down the heat please!

Dear Warm Front,

Good grief, I never thought you'd still be hanging around burning us up with 90+ degrees in November- especially since I am 9 months pregnant.  I cannot believe I am about to say this, but please go away.  I would gladly welcome the cooler weather- I'm not sure how much more of this heat I can tolerate.  Help a miserable girl out, I'm just so tired of being hot all the time.

Your friend (most of the time!),
Jen

Four years

One of the fun things about meeting each other online, is that we can look back at our profiles and read through the emails we sent to each other before we even met in person.  It's interesting to see how much we've changed and how some things have stayed the same.   

These were the "first impression" photos we saw of each other.  I remember thinking, wow, this guy is super cute!  Then I read his profile and said to myself, wow, this guy sounds too good to be true- I hope I get the opportunity to meet him!

Franz said his first impression after looking at my photo was, wow, she's hot.  I bet she gets hit on all the time.  He read my profile and said, I'm going to respond to this one, what do I have to lose?

Today is our 4 year anniversary.  I love you Franz more than ever and still feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have met you.  You bring so much joy and laughter to my life.  You are devoted and hardworking and always looking out for my best interest.  What more could a girl ask for?  I'm so glad you decided to take a risk and email me :)   

Happy Anniversary~

Love, Jen