Baby Carolyn Elizabeth Has Arrived!

It's a girl! Carolyn Elizabeth Carney was born one week ago today on Wednesday, August 24th at 12:45 p.m. She is a big girl, weighing in at 8 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. We were surprised she was so big - she was a week late but we were expecting a 7 1/2 to 8 lb. baby. It must have been all the ice cream I ate that last few weeks of pregnancy. Needless to say, this delivery was MUCH better. I am getting around very well and we are adjusting to life as a family of four very easily.

Johanna LOVES her baby sister and is very interested in Carolyn. She loves to hold her and can even hold her all by herself with the Boppy pillow. Johanna also loves to sing to her baby sister when she fusses and hasn't acted as jealous as I thought she would.

Overall, Carolyn is a very good baby. She resembles Johanna with some similarities but definitely looks different. She has blonder hair and a furrowed brow. She has yet to smile and sometimes has a little sour puss face when she is sleeping, but when she is alert she looks much more like Johanna did as a baby and very cute and relaxed. Right now she is content with sleeping and nursing most of the day but we are experiencing marathon nursing sessions were she is only comforted by nursing for HOURS at a time. This makes for a tired and worn out mommy and daddy but we know this soon shall pass.

I ended up being induced because she was a week late, and was only in labor for less than four hours. I guess I have babies pretty quickly! I decided not be smarter this time about pain relief and did not wait until the very last minute to get an epidural. This time there was no scary heart rate drop or other interventions. I actually had them cut my epidural in half because I got panicked when I couldn't feel the lower half of my body. I hated not being able to move my body. I was having quite a bit of pain toward to the end, but I could feel when I needed to push and could actually feel the baby being delivered. I really liked this combination of some pain relief but also some sensation.

Here are some pictures of Carolyn's first few hours and days of life. I have also taken some cute videos and will be snapping more photos in the days to come. Having two kids is definitely different. It is hard to get anything done but hopefully we will be in a routine very soon. I am staying at home full time until January and then I go back to my job at the library part time. It will be a fun time to be off of work - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas all at home with my babes.

My Precocious Johanna

I just wanted to take a few minutes to finally document Johanna's recent milestones. She is making leaps and bounds every day and constantly amazes me with her vocabulary and understanding of the world around her.

We have been having a really fun summer, and even in the last few often miserable weeks of my pregnancy, we have been getting out and doing so many fun things. In the last few weeks we have been to the zoo, gone swimming, been to the library, gone to Deanna Rose Farmstead, the Johnson County Fair, and the Johnson County Museum. Staying active helps make the day go smoother for both mommy and Johanna.

Johanna is really mastering potty training. She only wears a diaper at night time and is ready to take it off and potty on the toilet when she wakes up in the morning. We are still having some issues with the other part of potty training. She only goes poop about every 4-6 days. I think she tries to hold it in and then when she finally goes it is quite the ordeal. We have had some success with jelly bean bribes so hopefully she will get over her reluctance and stop trying to hold it in.

This summer Johanna completed the summer reading program at the library and earned a prize of free Royals tickets! We initially started this summer with small checkouts of only three books at a time but now we check out 10 or more books each visit. She is a voracious reader and likes to interpret the books with her own imagination and enjoys putting on a story time for mommy, daddy, and especially her babies. Yesterday at the library she pulled her chair up to another lady and her son and started to read them a story. It was really cute!

Johanna is really excited to be a big sister and likes to tell people she meets that her mommy is going to have a baby and it is going to "pop out." She was worried about the baby hurting itself when it pops out so we assured her that the doctor would catch it. She says it is going to be really little, like a few inches long, and that she will hold my hand and take care of me while I am in the hospital. She is so sweet and precious.

At every doctor's visit she is very curious. She is intrigued that I have leave a urine sample in a cup and often asks if she can leave one, too. The nurses and my nursemidwife let her help take my blood pressure, measure my belly and use the doppler to hear the baby's heartbeat. Maybe she will be a nurse or doctor when she grows up!

A few of my friends have just had babies and Johanna is intrigued. She makes me a little nervous because she hovers over the babies and wants to hold, touch, and play with them. We will have to keep on eye on her because I know she will be jealous and her independent nature will make her want to care for them all by herself.

While most of her behavior is very good, we are still trying to work on her temper tantrums. She gets very upset and angry and can throw quite the tantrum. Also, she is very busy and is constantly getting into things or touching things so we have to keep an eye on her all the time. I am happy she is so independent and curious - I think it has lead to her outgoing personality and brightness, however, it can be frustrating at times. But, I know most two-year olds do the same things.

Johanna has been saying the cutest and funniest things. Here are a few of her gems:

1. I have a great idea!
2. You are my best friend, Mommy.
3. Mommy, let's get some diarrheas (at the store pointing to the tortillas).
4. I am feeding the potty my poopies and potties.
5. (While reading books) Mommy, what I say?
6. But, Mommy! (I can't believe she already knows how to say this!)
7. Goodbye, hon! (She hears Vince and I call each other hon)
8. Get out Kujoe, I'm trying to sleep (when Kujoe comes into her room  in the morning).
9. Mommy, I will take care of you.
10. (In the morning when she comes into our room). Mommy! It's not dark outside. Time to wakey-wakey!

Stayed tuned for some cute videos AND pictures of our newest bundle of joy to be arriving VERY soon!