Sitting!

Woo-hoo! I can sit...

...and play with toys while sitting!

But sometimes I still fall.

Purple girls.

Miniwanca girls*

*Jocelyn was in town for a conference. It was so great to catch up!

Catching Up

Well, it's been a while. The longer I wait to update the blog the more daunting it becomes. We've been busy! Edie turned six months on the 10th while we were visiting my parents in North Carolina - "Nanaland," as we like to call it. It was a fun vacation filled with lots of beach and pool time and golf lessons for me! Todd got in a couple rounds and I played my first nine holes, so we got a little bit of time in for ourselves while Nana and Papa watched the kids. Grandma Mann was also there for the first few days and spent a lot of time holding Edie, who seemed to prefer napping in her lap. She's a pro!

Updates on the kiddos:

• Edie now weighs 16 lbs 8 oz (60th %) and is 26 1/2" long (80th %)
• Her first two teeth are making an appearance on the bottom. Anna didn't get hers until 7-8 months so it seems early
• She can sit up for a few seconds at a time before launching herself forwards or backwards
• Both girls were great travelers. Anna watched videos (Princess and the Frog is her current favorite) and played with her dolls. Edie nursed and slept. Good practice for our trip to Michigan in August!
• We started Edie on solids and so far she is not a fan. She gags and gives me this look that seems to say "why???"

Here are a few pictures from the trip. For the whole album click on this link.

The Double BOB

...worth every penny!

The Weekend

Some fun pics from the weekend... Anna's first painted toenails, Edie's first ride in the swing, day at Stinson Beach, and just general cuteness.

Edie at 4 Months

Our sweet little Edie is already four months old. We're so lucky to have such a smiley, happy and - so far - very easy baby girl. Of course she has her occasional fussy moments (all babies do!) and goes through several outfit changes a day (still lots of spit up), but aside from that she's been a pure joy. Excuse me while I go knock on some wood!

Here are a few stats, developments, etc:

• She weighs 14 lbs 2 oz (63%) and is 25 inches long (80%) which is quite a bit smaller than Anna was at this age (17 lbs and 26")
• Yesterday she rolled from her tummy to back!
• Lots of smiles and occasional giggles
• Starting to blow raspberries and bubbles
• Still wakes up a couple times a night to eat. I don't mind.
• Hates the pacifier and is starting to show a preference for her thumb (Anna loved her pacifier)
• She's finally taking a bottle after much reluctance (Anna loved the bottle)

It's crazy to me how different she is from Anna. For some reason I expected her to be a little clone! Here's a picture of Anna at four months to compare:

Happy Easter!

First Giggles!

We heard Edie giggle today! Anna did something funny in the car earlier and Edie busted out in a little giggle. Then we were able to get her going again after dinner. It's so great! I love seeing her personality blossom. Here's a link to some video.

Here are a couple other pictures I've been meaning to post. The first is of Anna and her buddies, Marin and Alessia. They have so much fun together.

This next one a lot of you have already seen but I had to put it on the blog for those who haven't. I really think it captures the "essence" of Edie and will definitely go in the baby book!

For the record, I wasn't trying to get her spitting up on camera - it just happened!

Three Years, Three Months

Our little ones are now three years and three months old. We had a fun birthday party for Anna last weekend. Grandma J was in town which makes three years in a row - what a great tradition! Aunt Lee and her boyfriend James flew in from Phoenix for the big day too. Anna was thrilled! Click here for more party pics...

It seems like every day Anna or Edie does something and I think "Oh, I have to put that on the blog" but I'm having a hard time staying on top of it. I'm just going to make a list of things that come to mind. Sorry for the lack of organization and detail!

• The other day Anna was playing outside with some balls and named them Kooka, Stooka, and Ballano. I don't know where she comes up with these things?
• Edie weighs about 13 lbs and looks nothing like Anna!
• We are now the ultimate suburban family: we bought a minivan.
• Edie slept through the night a couple weeks ago. It hasn't happened again but I have hope! Otherwise she's usually up only once during the night. It's dreamy.
• We sometimes call Anna "The Enforcer" because she has to make sure her friends and Océanne follow the rules. Yesterday she was already telling Edie not to put little things in her mouth.
• Anna and her friends have reached that wonderful age where they play all by themselves! Favorite games right now are princess dress-up, hide & seek, and "there's a monster chasing us"
• Anna's favorite foods are red peppers, sausage, pizza, broccoli, chicken, popsicles, grapes, strawberries, Goldfish (the last three would probably be on the list for every toddler, right?)
• Anna's favorite toys are Magna Tiles (best invention ever!), Disney princess dolls, ribbons/string, dress-up clothes, books, arts & craft supplies
• Edie's favorite toy? Mommy. Or sometimes she likes to hold on the the burp cloth that's almost always in her lap. She still spits up a ton but it doesn't seem to bother her much.

That's all for now. I'll try to be better, I promise.

Afternoon Swim

Had a little fun with iMovie...

Cousin Love

We spent the morning at Emily's house yesterday and finally captured all three cousins on camera!

Smiling

Edie is smiling! My favorite is when I'm holding her and I look down and she's looking up at me with a big gummy grin and I have no idea how long she's been doing it. She's also starting to coo and make little baby noises. Her face is filling out and she's definitely losing that newborn look.

We had her 6 week check-up today and she weighs 10 lbs 15 oz and is 22.5 inches long - both in the 93rd percentile. She's a big girl, just like her sister.

As far as sleeping goes we can't complain. For the past week Edie has been doing a good 7-9 hour stretch when she first goes down for the night. It's heavenly! Anna has started to sleep better too and it could be because she dropped her nap and we upgraded her to a twin-size bed. Losing the nap is a big bummer for me but I'm trying to convince her to at least have some "quiet time" in the afternoon so I can get some stuff done. So far she's not convinced!

Things are starting to feel more normal and routine. I'm so lucky that Todd is such a hands-on dad, too. I don't know how other moms do it without that kind of help.

B.Y.O.P.D.

We had a "bring your own princess dress" playdate at the Halvorsen's yesterday. Anna brought a suitcase full!

Anna, Marin, Kit, and Ruby (who's too cool for princesses & fairies - so far!)

Edie hangin' in the carseat

Four Weeks & Bye Bye Pacifier

Little Edie is four weeks old today. We don't see the doctor for another couple weeks so I don't have any new stats, but I know she's getting bigger based on the size of her wrist rolls! So far - and I'm almost afraid to say this - she's been super mellow! She eats a lot but I think the second time around it's easier. I feed her when she acts hungry and barely look at the clock, whereas with Anna I remember thinking "there's no way she can be hungry I just fed her!" At night she's been sleeping at least one 4-hour (sometimes 5-hour!) stretch and then 2-3 hours at a time after that. Not bad. She's a good sport in the car and is always making lots of cute grunts and squeaking noises. I just can't complain about anything, really! Well, except for the amount of laundry that piles up everyday. The girl spits up. A lot.

Anna is slowly adjusting to our new family. She's very loving towards Edie and likes to pat her on the head and poke her chubby cheeks while saying "boop!" She doesn't like to see her cry and is always saying "Mommy, help her!" as soon as she makes a peep.

If I'm up twice a night with Edie, Todd is usually up the same number of times with Anna. Her sleeping patterns were changing even before Edie was born so I know that's not the only reason why she's not our perfect little sleeper anymore. We've been toying with the idea of yanking the pacifier for a while now and realized the time would never seem right - meaning we would always come up with an excuse why she should keep it. Well, since she's been sleeping so poorly even with the pacifier we decided it was time. Today is Thursday and I don't think she's mentioned it since Monday!

Hello Edie!

At last! Edie Jolene Youngs was born on December 10th at 8:41 pm - 10 days past her due date! She weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and measured 20 3/4" long. We waited a long time for her but now that she's here the waiting seems like a distant memory. Our family feels so complete now, even though I know it may be a bumpy ride for a little while. How do we divide our attention between Anna and Edie? How do we reassure Anna that she will be just as loved as she was before her little sister arrived? How do we get dressed and out of the house?!

Here is the birth story for my friends who like the details. For me it was true that the second child comes faster and easier. I started having contractions around 1:30 in the morning but they were manageable and I was able to sleep off and on through the night. In the morning Anna went to preschool and Todd and I stayed home, hoping these contractions would really turn into something. They became very intense, yet very irregular as the day progressed which was confusing. I kept checking in with my doctor and doula and finally decided to go to the hospital around 6:00 pm to get checked.

It was interesting because as soon as we got in the car they started coming on super strong and like clockwork every five minutes. I think being at home and laboring in front of Anna all afternoon created a mental block because I didn't want her to see me in pain. By the time we arrived at the hospital the contractions were every 2-3 minutes and I was 4 cm dilated. Things were moving quickly! Our first nurse Edie (yes, that's where we got the name!) moved us to the labor and delivery room around 6:45.

I had an amazing support group working with me through every contraction - Todd, Emily, our doula and midwife. After about an hour and a half of laboring on the birthing ball they thought the shower might be a nice change. I wasn't so sure- the last few contractions were extremely intense and I didn't want to move. They stood me up, my water broke immediately and I felt an urgent need to push. Nobody was prepared for this! While the nurses and midwife scurried around to get things ready, Todd, Emily and the doula helped me get on the bed on all fours. Eleven minutes later Edie was born and they passed her through my legs so I could gaze down at her. She cried right away and looked up at me with her big eyes. Emily even cut the cord! It was an unforgettable experience.

Now we are home and adjusting to our new life. Anna is doing great. I know there will be ups and downs -we've already had a few. But I can see how sweet and protective she will be towards her sister. Today, Edie was crying in the car and Anna told her "Don't worry Edie. We'll be home soon." It made my heart just melt.

I can't thank my parents enough for being here for Anna. It was so much easier to be at the hospital and away from her knowing she was in such good hands.

Muir Woods

Emily and I took the girls to Muir Woods yesterday for a little adventure in the redwoods. I feel so lucky that this magical place is only ten minutes from our house!

Here's a good look at the belly (or Butterball, as I'm affectionately calling her) at 36 weeks. Not a lot of room left! When she tries to stretch out I seem to feel it in every part of my torso.

Trick-or-Treat!

Someone discovered the joys of trick-or-treating this year! We kept it simple and went to a neighbor's house for pizza before heading out with three other toddlers to do our loop. It was super cute. Anna had a change of heart at the last minute and decided to be Cinderella instead of the adorable homemade witch costume I borrowed from a friend. Oh well! I have to come to grips with the fact that she's a little person now with opinions of her own.

Butterball is in the homestretch. Four weeks to go. Oh boy!