Cecilia Kateri turned one month old on Monday. You can tell by my delayed post that I've been soaking up every minute of snuggle time there is. She's just so incredibly precious.

Our littlest lady surprised us by actually making it to her due date. Even my midwife thought she'd arrive early. With moving to a different house in my third trimester and remodeling the house, along with all of the other activity in our life, I had pretty strong, and somewhat regular, contractions early on. My midwife advised me to take it easy or I'd end up on bed rest. I believe her words were "you need to start taking it easy, and by that I mean delegate everything and stop doing so much". Her advise worked. Cecilia arrived on her actual due date.

When I was pregnant with Amelia I was induced four days past her due date. My labor was hard with her and lasted 38 hours with 4&1/2 hours of pushing. I knew this time I really wanted to avoid induction if at all possible. At my appointment four days before Cecilia was born my midwife did a membrane sweep and told me that if it was going to work, she'd be here either on or before her due date. I spent the next couple of days having very strong, but very irregular contractions. I also really wanted to labor as long as I could at home.

Fast forward to 3:02am on Sunday February 7th. A super strong contraction woke me up and within 5 minutes another one hit. I grabbed my phone and decided to start timing them. 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes... they weren't letting up. By 5:00am I had a pretty good idea that I was in labor. I stayed in bed hoping to catch some more sleep in between contractions, but there was no way I was going to be resting between them. At about 6am I decided to get up and shower. The second I stood up the gush happened. The one you see in the movies. Since my water had been broken for me with Amelia, I had never experienced this before. All over the floor. In the midst of the pain, it made me laugh. At this point contractions started coming on much stronger and definitely regular. Every 4-5 minutes. I decided we should get ready to go in so I woke up Mark. Since we both procrastinate we had to finish packing our bags. I called into labor and delivery and had such a hard time talking through the contractions to tell them who I was. They said to come in right away. I woke up Amelia and got her ready to go to Grace's house. She had kindly offered to keep her for us until we were close to delivery and then she planned to bring her to the hospital. My mom headed our direction and Erica was on standby to come too. I love how my family (mom and sisters) rally around one another.

Mark, mom and I got to the hospital at 8:00am. Because of having symphysis pubis dysfunction I knew I was going to have an epidural. I could barely walk and the pain from spd was a million times worse than the pain from contractions. They checked me and I was only dilated to a 3. Within 30 minutes the epidural was being placed and contractions were 4 minutes apart. The epidural didn't do much for the pelvic pain caused by spd. It was horrible. The anesthesiologist came in two additional times and gave me extra shots directly into the site. At 11 o'clock they checked me again and I was dilated to a 6, and by noon I was at an 8. As 1 o'clock came around I started feeling ready to push. At that point Erica was there and Grace had come up with Amelia, Chris and Liam. They checked me and I was fully dilated... and I kept telling them I needed to push. Erica ran out and grabbed Grace from the waiting room. Oh I should also mention that I had to set my camera at this point. I insisted on taking the very first picture of Cecilia. Blame it on the photographer in me. My midwife hadn't even gloved up yet and was still getting her gown on when she said I could try pushing. First push and Cecilia's head was crowning. That sent everyone into overdrive to get ready. Three pushes later and she was out. I grabbed my camera and snapped her picture. Our beautiful baby girl was here.

The first photo of Cecilia, taken by her mommy who just delivered her.

Amelia had asked to be in the delivery room when she was born, but I was afraid she would be worried seeing me in pain. She has watched her own birth video so that part didn't concern me as much as her worry for me. The hospital I delivered at does delayed cord clamping so I had my sister run out and grab Amelia as soon as Cecilia was out. She came in, looking somewhat concerned, but I'm so glad she was there. Mark got to cut the cord with my mom, sisters and Amelia there. It was perfect.

A huge thank you to Grace for snapping these photos for me. My epidural didn't wear off for quite a while and I couldn't move my legs to get up and take these photos myself. Having photographed these moments for other couples it was hard to hand over the camera, but she did a fantastic job!!!

Amelia didn't leave her side

I LOVE that you can see Amelia in the mirror, watching every single thing they were doing.

We spent just over 24 hours in the hospital before going home. It took a few days getting used to life with two littles (one who I have to get to and from school every day on time), and I'm in a permanent state of exhaustion, but my life is more amazing than ever. These girls and their daddy are my everything and I can't imagine life without them. I'm definitely a blessed mommy.

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook then you've known for a bit now, but I am so happy to share our news with you all. Our precious baby girl, Cecilia Kateri, made her grand entrance into this world on her due date of February 7th. She weighed 7lbs 9oz and is 21 inches long. I've been so busy snuggling my two little girls that it's taken me almost three weeks to even write this post. My heart is just overflowing with joy at this moment. It's true what they say, a mother's heart just grows with each child. We are adjusting to life as a family of four, but so far it has been absolutely wonderful. I will be sharing her full birth story tomorrow. Here are a few phone photos that we took during her first 24 hours. I of course have non-phone photos, but I'm still working on finding the time to upload them to my computer.



The proud big sister

Waiting for her to hit 24 hours so we can take her home.

Well, we are officially one week out from our due date. I'm sitting here breathing through contractions as I type this up, wondering when little Cecilia will make her debut in this world.

There is a special bond between a mother and her daughter. I can't imagine what my life would be like without Amelia. She really is the most amazing little lady ever. I think it is incredibly important to spend as much time as possible making memories with our little ones. Even simple things can have a huge impact on our children and give them something to remember for the rest of their lives.

Get dressed up and go out to dinner. Let your little lady wear some blush and lipstick, put on some fancy clothes and take her out for a night on the town. Pick a restaurant she will love and save room for dessert.

Visit a local library. Our library has toddler story time and preschool story time, each two days a week. After story time, let your little girl pick out some books to take home and read with you later.

Play at the park. Put down your phone, get up off the bench and swing next to her. Go down the slide, run around playing tag, kick a ball together or play on the teeter totter. She will enjoy the park much more if you are playing with her.

Go to a movie. Let her pick out everything. Movie and snacks.

Walk to a local coffee shop and grab some hot cocoa, a steamer or an Italian soda. Have a seat at a table by the window and talk to your daughter. Conversations with little ones are the best.

Craft. If you don't have craft supplies at your house already go to a JoAnn's, Michael's or your nearest craft store and pick up a few things. Glitter, beads, paper, paint... whatever you fancy. Just have fun creating something wonderful with your girl.

Take a trip to the nearest children's museum. You might even be able to get free passes from your local library.

Visit the zoo. It might be fun, depending on the age, to take a sketch pad and have your little one draw each animal you see. 

Mani/Pedi dates are always fun. If you don't want to spend the money to have them done somewhere you can do them at home and have just as much fun.

Have a game night. Get in your pajamas and grab all of the games you have.

Close yourself in her bedroom and play... play babies, barbies, legos, ponies, house and whatever else she likes to play.

Teach her about paying it forward. If she's old enough, volunteer together. If she's still too young, give packages to and do things for people in need.

Have a tea party. and dress up.

Dance party. We love to crank up some music and dance like crazy. You could even add to the fun of it and give makeovers before. Let her put make up on you and pick out your outfit.

Cook. Bake. Either one, include her in preparing dinner or a yummy treat. Wear aprons, let her put in the ingredients and even lick the spoon.

Go to a show. There are often kid friendly options available for plays and musicals. Portland has great options for children's theater performances. You can find local ones in your area with a quick google search.

Paint your own pottery and ceramic places have popped up all over around here. Let her pick out something special to paint for her bedroom or to display in your home. This is such a fun thing to do!! They even make great gifts!

Movie Night. Amelia and I often have Friday night movie night while Mark is at work. We usually pick out a new movie that we haven't seen, grab some snacks and snuggle down in bed to watch it together.

Picnic. Pack up some of your favorite foods and head to a nearby park or waterfront. Take a blanket, a basket and sit outside having lunch and enjoying each other's company.

Hike. It doesn't have to be an all day thing, but exploring new places can be such a fun adventure.

Play a sport together. Whether it's kicking around a soccer ball, shooting some hoops, playing some tennis or another sport that your little one loves, there will surely be a lot of laughs and fun memories made.

Road Trip. It can even be a day trip. Pack up the car and head out for the day. If you have a beach nearby, mountains close or a cool town not too far away, go explore a new place.

Let her plan the date and go with it!

A lot of these ideas can really be used for dates with your daughter or son, but since I'm a girl mom I thought I'd share some of our favorite things to do. What are some of your favorite things to do with your littles?

Happy Friday All!!!
This week had some pretty great moments. Here is a quick recap.

Amelia got a sewing machine over a year ago and we just now pulled it out of the box. She's been dying to learn how to sew. Her first project was a baby blanket and it turned out great. I think she's a natural.

My sister Erica and I spent the day together on Monday. She works so much that we don't get to do that very often. We headed out to a children's store on Mississippi Ave in Portland, then we went to Ruby Jewel for ice cream! Yummy!!! She had a doctor's appointment mid day and then we ended our hangout session with a trip to Ikea and happy hour. It was such a fun day!!!

We bought this dresser off of Craigslist a few months back. I knew I wanted something that I could use as a changing table and this was just right. We only paid $50 for it. Mark sanded it for me last weekend and I was certain I had picked out the perfect paint color for it. We plan on painting the dresser and one accent wall in the nursery the same color. So I went and picked up the paint, super excited to get going on this project, and when I started the first coat I knew it was all wrong. I hoped it would dry darker, but it didn't. My awesome husband, knowing that I was super sad about this, told me to go pick something else out. I tried three new colors and ended up with one I am absolutely in love with. I can't wait to reveal the finished dresser. I just put the second coat on and it's awesome!

I had my 38 week ultrasound and check up on Thursday. We've now had every ultrasound tech at the clinic tell us that baby girl has a head of hair. They've even shown us a few whispy curls on the ultrasounds. This week I'm definitely feeling like they might be right, and I blame Mark and his head of thick hair. Holy heartburn. I didn't have any with Amelia, but this is constant now. Even just drinking water. Ugh, I feel so sorry for people who have to deal with this on a regular basis. Everything looked good though at the check-up. We're just anxiously awaiting her arrival.

We spent one evening setting up baby gear. The bassinet, bouncer and stroller. Since the remodel has us sleeping in the nursery, we are just keeping everything in a corner of the living room, but it still feels nice to have some of that stuff put together. Amelia was excited to try it all out with her animals.
I'm looking forward to a weekend hanging out with Amelia at home. I need some girl time with her. I've commissioned her to create some watercolor art for the nursery and I can't wait to see what she comes up with. She's going to start on them tomorrow, then we are going to find some old frames and paint them to match the nursery accent wall. I just love the art she creates. We also have a lot of decor to make for Amelia's room and some organizing to do in there. It's taking a while, but this house is starting to come together. I think our new couch and love seat will be here this next week!!! Mark is going to begin some projects in our bedroom. That's the last room in the house to be remodeled. We have a few things here and there in every other room (like painting trim), but our room is completely unlivable. Hopefully I'm able to help him out some. I'm anxious to get this place finished!

Enjoy the weekend!