10 Day Pics

Baby Nae,  10 days old. She is such a delight--even when she's wide awake and wanting toplay at 2 a.m. :)

She's Here!

Baby N (whom I think I'll call Baby Nae for blog purposes) was born at 5:31am on December 9, 2013. She was my smallest and tallest baby at 6 lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long. The delivery went very well and she is a beautiful,  healthy,  happy baby.

She's incredibly alert and interactive for a newborn,  and was holding up her head and turning to look toward voices by the time she was a day old. Everyone here is totally in love with her,  and I'm lucky if I get to hold her much when she's not nursing.

I haven't been able to get out of bed and on my feet much yet,  but DH and the older kids are taking good care of me and Baby Nae. I'm thankful to be able to just rest and know that everything is pretty much under control. :)

I'll try to write out her birth story soon, but for now, here's a photo I took in the hospital when she was first born.

Just Waiting

Baby Girl's official due date is this Saturday. I've been having quite a few contractions, but with this being my 4th time around I haven't felt it was time to go to the hospital yet. They fluctuate in frequency and intensity, tending to be more regular and strong in the evenings.

At this point we have the most urgent things ready for the baby and, though there are more things I'd like to get done before she arrives, it would be fine for her to come any time.

I was in quite a bit of pain from my neck to my ankle (and everything in between) after taking a fall a week and a half or so ago, but some chiropractic adjustments helped quite a bit and although I'm still sore, the pain levels have gone down significantly in the last few days.

It's a whole different experience being pregnant with older kids than it was with preschoolers and toddlers. When Ebee was born, AJ was 4 and M&M was 3.

Now that Ebee is 8, M&M is 11 and AJ is 12 (she'll be 13 in February!), it's a whole different experience. I can nap when they're home and awake. Their "help" is actually helpful. They can even cook dinner, although they still need coaching and help for anything complicated.

Best of all, they are really great company and generally fun to be around. They're thriving in school and life and are generally happy, great kids who are well on their way to becoming productive members of society. None of the kids are having any major health or behavior issues (well, other than eBee acting like an 8-year-old and working through some normal transitions), and overall things are going pretty smoothly.

DH and I are in a good place in our relationship too, enjoying each others' company and making a good team.

I'm really enjoying life a lot lately. And, I'm finally feeling less nervous and more excited about adding the adventure of a new baby to the family.

Overall, life is good. Let's hope the lull lasts a while. :)