Look at what I found today...

Sunday photo shoot

Here are some new photos posted especially with the grandparents in mind.

We miss you Nana, Papa, Gramma and Poppy!

Elise talking baby talk to Claire.

Kisses

and hugs

Happy girls

Profile shot

Sitting pretty

All done :)

Claire trying a little tummy time and modeling one of mommy's favorite Rump-a-Rooz diapers.

"Playin' baby"

Every time our neighbor Gail stops by these days she asks, "So, whatcha been up to?" To which I reply with a smile, "Not much." Then she always says, "Just playin' baby?" "Yep," I say. "Just playin' baby."

"Playin' baby" these days means we don't leave the house much yet - maybe one brief outing a day, a walk or quick trip to the store. Most mornings we're in our pajamas until noon, and sometimes (like yesterday) I somehow never make it to the shower. Claire is learning to be content in her swing or on her little "play gym" mat, but at this point that only buys me 10-15 minutes of having my hands free. And then she begins to fuss, calling for attention, a change of scenery or - most often - just to be held close to mom. Thank goodness for my Sleepy Wrap!

Overall, Claire is a good baby, and overall I am much more relaxed this time around. Of course, it helps that we're sleeping a night, usually in two 4-hour stretches or more. Elise didn't sleep that well until she was 7 months old!

Elise is handling the big sister role pretty well. Most of the time she is super sweet with Claire, gently touching her hand or talking to her in a high-pitched motherly voice, and other times... well... Elise gets a bit jealous. She might say, "Put her away, Mom" or lightly squeeze Claire's arm and look at me with two very big, guilty eyes. For the most part though, Elise is doing great and I'm proud of her for handling everything so well. I know our adjustment to being a family of four will only get better and easier for us all as time passes.

Claire's birth story

Before I forget the details, I thought I should record the events of Claire's birth.

On Monday, July 6th I had an appointment with my new OB, Dr. Pearson. Since I was one day away from being 42 weeks, we talked about scheduling an induction. He explained that because I was a VBAC patient and he had to be at the hospital the entire time I was laboring, it was best for him to induce me at night and not miss a day of his clinic patients. So, it was settled - we would meet at the hospital that very evening at 8pm. I had mixed feelings about this decision. I had wanted my body to start the labor process naturally, but I also feared that the size of the baby and and older, weaker placenta would lower my chances of a successful VBAC. I was nervous but also excited, filled with concerns but also peace and hope. It was all very surreal.

I left the OB office phone in hand and dialed Toby's number as I crossed the parking lot. When I couldn't get in touch with Toby on his cell, I paged him and then drove straight to his clinic. A fellow resident tracked Toby down for me and I shared the news.

I then ran a couple of errands, my mind racing with all the things I wanted to do before heading to the hospital in just a few short hours. I got home and immediately began nesting... repacking my hospital bag, cleaning up our bedroom, tidying up the house. Of course, I also made time to play with Elise, knowing that these were the last few moments we had together before adding the new dynamics of a second child.

To my disbelief I started having some pretty intense contractions at 7pm, and by the time we reached the hospital they were 3-4 minutes apart. My body was actually going into labor on its own! I was thrilled with the timing of it and my OB's willingness to let me labor naturally for a couple of hours before intervening. By 10pm I had not progressed as we had hoped, so we made the decision to have my water broken (which, I might add, is a very strange experience!). Within minutes my contractions began to intensify and become extremely painful. I had hoped to avoid pain meds, but by 1:30am, I was begging for an epidural. I remember thinking (before being in labor) that I didn't want to be numb and tingly, but once the epidural was in and working I thought it was the BEST feeling ever. I decided, "Who cares if I'm numb and tingly?! I love feeling numb and tingly! It's way better than feeling all the pain!" :) (So to all you moms out there who gave birth without pain meds... I think you are AMAZING!)

During the next few hours of painless contractions, Toby and I were both able to sleep some, which was so needed. Finally at 6am the doctor came back in to assess my progress. Unfortunately, I was stuck at 7cm. So, he went ahead and started me on low-dose pitocin. Less than two hours later I was complete and ready to push. With the best delivery team I could ask for (consisting of Toby, Dr. Pearson, and two wonderful nurses), I pushed for only 29 minutes. And so it was that 7/7/09 at 8:56am Claire Margaret Long entered the world and became our youngest daughter and Elise's little sister. :)

New happenings...

Claire checked out her Baby Einstein "play gym" for the first time the other day. Big sister Elise decided to test it out as well.

My precious girls :)

Goofy grins while half asleep are so sweet!

Claire's first sponge bath.

My sweet smelling baby, all clean and cuddly.

We have seriously taken hundreds of photos during the past six days. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

It's a GIRL!

After 42 weeks of pregnancy we finally got to meet our new baby!

Another precious little girl, Claire Margaret Long, has been added to our family tree.

She arrived Tuesday morning July 7, 2009 at 8:56am,

weighing in at 7lbs 12.7 oz and 20 3/4 inches long.

Happy 4th of July!

We had a perfect 4th of July with Toby's parents in Grand Junction today. We started with bagels and coffee at Main St. bagels followed by a lazy afternoon at home. We watched the downtown parade, grilled brats for dinner and then enjoyed the city fireworks from our front yard. A great day...