Look who started smiling.....

 

That's right.  This little girl has been flashing us some big ones the past couple of days.  The picture above is the very first smile I could capture with the camera.  So heartwarming.  Nothing like early mornings talking to the baby and she rewards you with a smile like this.  Love her to pieces.

 

Emmi is doing well.  She's a pretty content baby.  She's not the best eater in the world, but what can ya do?  She's a lot like the twins were as babies...she's a snacker.  Rarely does she eat enough to truly fill up her belly.  Instead, she eats just enough to take the edge off and then wants to eat again an hour later.  But she's gaining well.  I would imagine she's about 10 1/2 pounds now, maybe even a little bit more.  So she's getting plenty to eat, it's just happening in about double the amount of feedings that it would otherwise need to!

 

She's a decent sleeper.  She wakes an average of three times a night to eat but she goes right back to sleep.  And that insanely loud moaning/groaning/grunting that she used to do for hours is officially something of the past.  Thank the Lord.  Every now and then she'll throw in a night where she wakes up to be fed and then wants to play.  But for the most part, she's strictly business...as soon as she eats, she dozes off.  So overall, nights with her aren't bad.

 

Can't believe she's quickly approaching two months!  Just one more week.  Ugh.

Monday Night Football

Go, Pack, Go!!!

 

My little helper

I was very curious as to how the big girls would accept a new baby in the house.  When I was pregnant, they talked almost every day about the baby and how big it was getting, when it would come out, what they would do with it, etc.  I worried that the excitement would fizzle the moment the baby arrived.

However, Livi is by far a little mother hen.  She absolutely insists on helping me give Emmi a bath.  It kind of slows the process down, but she truly enjoys being my little helper, so I have to let her!!  When she sees or hears me running the bath water, she immediatelty needs to know if the bath is for Emmi...and if it is, she's right there in the bathroom within seconds. 

Once Emmi is in the tub, Livi asks for baby soap on her hands.  She lathers them together and first washes Emmi's feet.  Then she needs more baby soap, rubs her hands together and washes Emmi's belly.  She wants to wash Emmi's head too, but I haven't let her quite yet.  I tell ya, she is such a nurturing little child.

And here is that little nugget in the tub that Livi loves helping bathe...

And a few extra just because!!

She really pouts that lip sometimes!

Working on holding that head up!

Happy 2nd Birthday

Happy 2nd Birthday to a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful baby girl.  This day, two years ago, was one of the most amazing days of my life.  I still remember the first time you opened your eyes and stared into mine.  What an unforgettable moment.  Elliana Jo, you are loved and missed beyond words.  What a special little girl you are and always will be.  Happy Birthday, sweetheart.

 

You were fussing and I remember pressing my lips to your forehead and saying "shh, shh, shh, mama's got you, mama loves you"

 

This is how I imagine you in Heaven - laughing it up with all the other Angels

 

One month old already

Where is the time going?  I simply cannot believe that Emilia is a month old today!  I could definitely use a pause button...or at least a slow motion button.  I feel like we're running in fast forward.  And I don't like it!!

She's doing well.  She's not the best of sleepers, but we've never had a good sleeper.  So I'm pretty gosh darn used to this!  Although she's doing better than she was just a week or so ago.  I can deal with her waking up 4-6 times a night.  What I was having a hard time with were the noises she was making at night.  Now I know that babies moan and grunt in their sleep.  But I've never known a baby to make as much noise as she did!!  She would grunt and groan insanely loud for HOURS!! 

There was a night sometime last week where she did it for 3 1/2 hours straight - from about 2:00-5:30am.  And she was asleep the entire time!!  It was something I was hoping and praying she would outgrow, and knock on wood, but she's been pretty quiet the past few nights.  Still up at least four times...and like I said, I can handle that...just please be quiet in between the wakeups!!

She just started coo-ing a bit in the past couple of days.  She doesn't do it a lot, but when she does, it's so stinking cute!!  And anytime the big girls hear her do it they have to tell me "mommy, Emmi is talking!"

Sporting her "sock-shoes" as the girls call them.

Working hard at this tummy time stuff.

She was moving so fast (hence the blurriness) and playing with her tongue.

Do you think she saw a ghost?

One month old with her bunny.

 



Just a snippet

A couple days ago I took Emmi to work to visit with my coworkers.  While we were there, I decided to weigh her...and our littlest peanut is growing!  At 3 1/2 weeks old, she weighed in at 8lbs 11oz.  Nate didn't think she was gaining weight.  On the other hand, me being the one who carts her around for a good chunk of the day because of nursing, I knew she was getting plumper.  I guessed she'd be about 8 1/2 pounds, so she was just a little heavier than that.  Can someone please find me a pause button? 

Today I took Addi and Livi to a self serve yogurt bar.  The excitement on their faces when they get to pick out which flavor of frozen yogurt they want and then the types of toppings they want is simply precious.  What I find funny is when there's about 15 different flavors to choose from (banana, expresso, mango, blueberry, etc)...what do the girls pick?  Addi wants chocolate and Livi wants vanilla.  Addi loves her chocolate milk.  Livi loves her white milk.  When we go to DQ, Addi wants chocolate ice cream in a cup.  Livi wants vanilla in a cup.  So here we are at this self serve yogurt bar with multiple flavors...and they pick chocolate and vanilla.

That's about it.  More pictures to come soon!!

More camping fun

We went camping for possibly the last time this year.  The big girls stayed with grandma and grandpa on their "bus" (it's an RV) while Nate, Emmi and myself travelled back and forth between the campsite and our house.  Luckily, the campground we've always gone to is only 20 minutes from home.  I'm not sure I would've enjoyed an overnight stay with a 3 week old!

The girls absolutely love camping.  This weekend the campground's theme was a pirate one.  So on Saturday morning the girls got to decorate a pirate hat and a pirate eye patch.  But that's about all they wanted to do with the pirate stuff...instead of actually wearing it, they made grandpa wear it.  Luckily, grandpa was a good sport!!  It's always sad when the weekend comes to a close.

Emilia's first experience camping.

They were tracing each other with chalk.

I think Livi is meditating...I'm not sure she trusts Addi's work!

Walking to the pool.  How sweet.

Pretending to be a seal.

She just yelled at me to stop taking pictures.

Just chilling on the RV.

Pictures!!

10 days old with her Bunny

BIG yawn!!!

Getting ready for bath time!

I know she looks like a sleepyhead, but she's really not!

Don't mind Addi.  She didn't feel like cooperating.

Everything else

So remember when I was talking about the busy week I was supposed to have at the clinic?  The one where Addi had an appt with Audiology on Monday, ENT on Tuesday and followed by my own OB appt on Wednesday?  Well, my OB appt was canceled because little Miss Emmi decided to make her arrival.  However, Addi's appointents still needed to take place.  Emmi's birth put a little curveball into the plans, but we managed to get everything accomplished.

Nate took her to her audiology appointment because I was still in the hospital and Nate's dad stayed home with Livi.  We found out that her hearing has decreased somewhat.  It's not terrible, but it's definitely down from when she had her testing done after her first set of ear tubes.  The following day we saw ENT.  For this appointment, knowing there would be a discussion about a second set of tubes, I wanted to be there.

We were essentially given three options.  First option was to take a wait and see approach because her hearing isn't that bad.  Second option was to schedule the second set of tubes.  The third option was to schedule the second set of tubes in addition to having her adenoids removed.  I guess it's now fairly common to recommend having the adenoids removed if a second set of tubes is warranted.

We've decided to take the wait and see approach.  If it beomes apparent that her hearing is further decreased or if she starts to complain about increasing pain in her ears (she has pain because of the fluid behind the eardrum even without an infection), then we will move forward with tubes.  And if it comes down to having a second set of tubes, we'll likely have her adenoids removed as well.  We're just hoping that we don't even have to go that route!!

Other than that, the girls are doing well.  Livi, my more tenderhearted child, continues to be a little mother hen.  She takes such good care of Emilia.  She covers her up with her blanket, she takes her nuk to her, she strokes her head nicely, etc.  It seems like she's always aware of what Emmi is up to.  She is such a sweetheart!!

Photo Shoot

I have a friend who I used to work with on 7th floor in the hospital who contacted me shortly after Emilia was born asking if she could come take some pictures of our sweet addition.  Of course I jumped at the chance!  She's working on her photography skills and wanted some extra practice with a newborn.  Who could pass up the opportunity?  So here are some pictures of our sweetie at just 5 days old.

And on Friday, at 6 days old, she had her first well baby visit with Dr K.  She's the first of our children to have gained weight by this visit.  The other three girls were still losing weight.  But she actually gained a couple of ounces.  When she was born, she was 7# 10oz.  And when we were discharged from the hospital, she was 7# 3oz.  But at Friday's appointment, she was actually 7# 5oz (and measured at 20 1/2 inches)!  Woo-hoo!!  All the other girls had to go back for weight checks.  But not this sweetie!!

She was also the first of our girls who didn't have to get poked in the heel for a bilirubin check at this visit.  The first three were bordering on jaundice at 5-6 days old.  But her coloring looked completely normal, so we got to escape the clinic without a lab draw.  Hooray!

Overall, Dr K has deemed Emilia perfect...and we agree.

Well........

SHE'S HERE!!!  Our beautiful new addition arrived on August 4th at 11:39pm.  Emilia Lynn weighed 7# 10oz and was 20 inches long.  The older girls predicted all along that this baby was going to be a girl...and they were right.  I have so much more to say, but for now, some pictures will have to make due.



Taken just 1 hour and 40 minutes before the arrival...and I'm still smiling!

First bath.

Two hours old and she has a tendency to purse her lips.

Chilling with mom at 6am.

Sleepy.

Just making sure all my fingers are there!!

Being a day old is rough work.

So precious.

This was the best picture she would let me get of her feet,

The big girls first introduction at home.

They wanted to take her for a walk.

So peaceful.

Overall update

I've had a couple OB appointments in the past week.  My 36 week appointment was supposed to be on Wednesday but got pushed to Friday because the doctor was out sick.  And today, I had my regularly scheduled 37 week appointment (yeah, just 4 days after my last visit)....

Everything is trucking along just as it should.  Blood pressure is great and I'm measuring 36cm.  Yesterday, I contracted for well over six hours about every 3-5 minutes.  However, none were painful.  Some were uncomfortable, but definitely not painful.  So I wasn't concerned about the contractions.  What I WAS concerned about is that my usually hyperactive baby became rather calm for several hours.  I texted Dr L and she suggested drinking some ice cold water to wake the baby up a bit.  That seemed to have done the trick and I felt much more confident that she was still doing well. 

So at my appointment today, Dr L wanted to hook me up to a non-stress test for twenty minutes just to see how the baby was doing over the course of some time (versus just a 5-10 second heart rate check with the doppler).  I'm happy to say that she is doing absolutely fine.  Her heart rate varied anywhere between 125-155 and she tolerated the few contractions I had during that time frame just fine.  Whew.

Busy week next week.  Addi has an appointment with Audiology on Monday, then an appointment with ENT on Tuesday.  And I'll have my 38 week OB appointment on Wednesday.  Pretty sure the ladies at the front check in desk will know me quite well by the end of next week!!

Conversations with kids

This was from a couple days ago.  They had just woken up from their afternoon nap.....

Them:  "Mommy, did we take a good nap?"
Me:  "You took a VERY good nap."
Them:  "So is the baby here yet?"
Me:  "Umm, no.  Not quite yet.  Your nap wasn't THAT good!!"

Later that same day.....

Me:  "So girls, if this baby is a girl, what should we name her?"
(Addi was already disinterested)
Livi:  "Hmmm.  Hmmm.  Lucy!!"
Me:  "Lucy, huh?"
Livi:  "Yup, Lucy."
Me:  "Well, what should we name the baby if it's a boy?"
Livi:  "Ummmm....no thanks."

They're fairly adamant that this is a baby girl.  Not only do they think it's a girl, but I believe that they WANT a baby girl.  It's going to be an interesing birthday if this baby is actually a boy.  I'm not sure how they'll react.  They've pretty much said from day one that "mommy has a girl in her tummy."  Regardless, they're becoming pretty obsessed with the baby.  Almost every day they tell me that my belly is getting bigger.  Then they ask if the baby is getting bigger.  And after that, they want to know just how big as they stretch their arms out to varying lengths.

Livi wants to change the baby's diapers.  Addi wants to play with the baby.  They both talk about wanting to hold the baby and rock her.  I love their excitement.  I just hope their excitement lasts once the baby is actually here!!

Last Pregnancy Survey

How far along?  35 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss:  Too embarrassed to share.  Let's just say that I'm likely going to finish this pregnancy having gained more than I did with either of the prior two pregnancies.  With Elli I gained 30 and with the twins I gained 33.  In my defense, I started this pregnancy weighing less than I did with the other two.  And I actually think I'll end the pregnancy weighing about the same as the last two.

Maternity clothes?  Do I even need to answer?

Stretch marks?  They're wonderful looking.  Nice and shiny.  But not from this pregnancy...at least not that I can identify!

Sleep:  Depends on the night.  Some nights it's really, really lacking.  Other nights it's not great, but managable.  I'm still on the couch (for the back support) and will be for the duration of the pregnancy. 

Best moment this week:  Potentially agreeing on a name for a girl.  Middle name is still up in the air.  But progress is progress I guess!

Movement:  At times I feel like this baby is trying to create a hole on the left side of my belly with its tiny little foot.  It feels like she's grinding it in one spot all the time!  It's not a pleasant feeling!

Food cravings:  Still none.  No surprise.  I've never had cravings with any of the pregnancies.

Gender:    We should be finding out pretty gosh darn soon!!

Labor Signs:  There was actually a day last week that I had to go home from work for a couple of hours.  I started contracting every 4 minutes.  I knew I needed to lay down and guzzle some water.  And that did the trick.  After those couple of hours, the contractions spaced out to about every 10-12 minutes and it was back to work for me!  Since then, I've been having my fair share of Braxton Hicks contractions, so my body is starting to gear up!

Belly Button in or out?  Half and half?  The top half is out but the bottom half is not.  It's interesting.

What I miss:  Playing with the girls the way I used to.  I've reached that point where getting down on the floor is hard.  Getting back up is even harder.  And my back screams for mercy if I'm on the hard floor for too long.  I still play with them.  It just takes some creativity as to how best to go about doing it! 

What I am looking forward to:  Slightly cooler weather!  Temps in the 90s with a heat index over 100 does not go over very well with heavily pregnant women.  A nice little cool down would be nice so I can enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy!

Milestones:  I start weekly appointments next week!  You know what that means?  The end is super, super close!

Last week's picture.  But here I am at 34 weeks!

Camping

We took the girls "camping" this weekend on grandma and grandpa's RV (or grandma and grandpa's 'bus' as they call it).  They had a whole lot of fun riding their bikes, going for walks, playing at the park, swimming, riding a train, eating S'mores, playing with bubbles and many more things.

There was a woodpecker in the tree right across from our campsite.  He really made his presence known.  When he'd get really loud, he was usually poking his head in and out to see what was going on.  So the girls had to go see "Woody" every time they heard him making a fuss.

Yesterday, our last day there, we were going to eat lunch by the pool.  After deciding what they wanted, they saw a guy walk past with cotton candy.  Of course then they needed some.  We told them that if they ate a good lunch that they could have some cotton candy.  Well, that didn't stop them from asking a few more times if they could have some at that very second.  When the answer continued to be "if you eat a good lunch,"  Addi asked "well, can the cotton candy WATCH me eat lunch?"  What a conniver.  Because I'm absolutely positive that the cotton candy would've sat right on the table and watched her eat her lunch without being touched in the least...yeah, right.

And Livi was swimming by herself (with her lifejacket) by the end of our weekend!  She's a little more gun shy in the water than Addi is.  She wants to spend more time in the water overall than Addi, but she isn't quite as brave.  So anyway, several weeks ago when we were in my hometown, we went swimming at my friend's house and Addi started swimming by herself.  However, Livi refused to be let go of.  But yesterday, we were practicing kicking and moving her arms while I kept my arm under her belly to keep her balanced.  Eventually, I let go and she had no idea!!  I told her when she made it to the wall that mommy let go and she was soooo proud of herself!

The first four pictures are from our previous camping trip that I never blogged about.  It was about a month ago.  Same campground.  Same activities.  Same fun!!

Coloring pictures.

Thoroughly enjoying their S'mores

Livi going down the frog slide.

And Addi practicing her swimming!