Update on life with two!

Wow, I now realize why so few of my friends are able to keep up with a blog when they have more than one child!! :-)  It has been almost a month since my last posting....maybe a good goal will be once a month, and if I over-achieve, great!
We have been super busy with adjusting to life with two little girls!  :-)  They are both so precious and at such incredibly cute stages, but with a newborn and the intermittent defiant two year old behavior there have been some challenging times as well.
Addison has been doing incredibly well adjusting to her life as the "big girl" and "big sister."  We went through a few episodes early on of jealousy with wanting to act like a baby and try to use Riley's pacifier or steal the boppy pillow from mommy....however, as the days go by these episodes are quickly diminishing, and she loves to give kisses and hugs to Riley.  She has even started to put the pacifier in Riley's mouth when she needs it and snuggle with her on the couch.  They are definitely cute together! :-)
Addison is OBSESSED with "ouwies" and ICE lately....there are regular episodes of real and make-believe injuries throughout the day!  It is actually hysterical.  Noah and I have moved the ice packs in the freezer to a shelf that is easily reachable for her to get her own ice as needed.  :-)  She is also, of course, still in to her tee-tee (her special monkey blanket) and "ulp" (the word that she has always used for milk).  It is funny that as well as she speaks now, she still uses this phrase for milk.....kind of endearing! :-)  I wonder if the will order "cereal and ulp" when she is in college???!! :-)
Baby dolls are still a FAVORITE toy, and probably even more so since Riley arrived.  She is regularly changing their diapers, changing their clothes (usually using Riley's clothing) and taking them on stroller rides.  On occasion, she will even lift her shirt and pretend to nurse and burp the baby....when I asked her about it, she said, "that's what mommy does."  Cute to watch her imitate being a mother.   :-)
Another big development for Addie has been her beginning to potty train herself. I bought her a small frog potty, and the first day I brought it home she peed 6 times in it!  She gets a huge grin and dances each time saying, "mama, I pee-peed!!!"  We make a big deal of it and then clean it out together!  She pees a few times each day in it, and yesterday morning even pooped in it!  Now it is getting her to remember without reminders to "go try to use the potty please."
We have had lots of playdates to keep Addison occupied and entertained with this transition in to being a big sister.  We continue to do our music class on Thursdays and our regular playgroup on Wednesdays.
She has a wonderful time with daddy home for two weeks and Opa and Jojo visiting for another two weeks!
Santa has been super exciting this year, and Addison can't wait for him to visit our house.  We went to see him at Macy's Santa land last weekend, and she loved seeing Santa's village.  :-)  We have been watching lots of Christmas movies, reading Christmas stories, and talking about him each day!  I can't wait to see her face Christmas morning!  Our tree is up (we had so much fun picking it out!) and the stockings are hung....Addison can tell you which stocking belongs to each of us and has made lots of fun ornaments to hang on our tree this year!  When you ask her how to call Santa she says, "santa, santa, ho, ho, ho!"  (from Mickey Mouse club)
Riley.....she is a wonderful baby!!!  She is already a month old...can't believe it!  She has been only awakening one to two (maximum) times at night to eat, and sleeps like a champ otherwise!  I weighed her on our scale last week and it said 9 pounds...so she is definitely beginning to chunk out a bit and get those adorable chunky baby cheeks!  She is quite the snuggler...loves to be held close to my chest (so the baby bjorn has become incredibly handy!).  I have had some of the same challenges with breastfeeding due to overproducing again, but have been working on a technique that the lactation consultant told me to try...so we'll see how it goes.  She nurses well, she just sometimes gets a little too much milk and then becomes gassy, hiccuppy and irritable for a bit.  I honestly couldn't have asked for a better second child so far....such a sweetheart!  We have been doing some mat time and some swing time, but her preference is to be held close to someone's heart as much as possible....and I'll take it while I can have it, because I now understand how quickly this passes! We will return to the doctor at 2 months for lots of shots..ugh, definitely dreading that visit.
We had an amazing two week visit from Opa and Jojo....they were incredibly helpful with both kids and helping to keep my house picked up, meals cooked, laundry completed...I have definitely missed them this past week! :-)  We are looking forward to the arrival of Nana on Christmas night and Papa a few days later!
I promise to try to update the blog soon....enjoy lots of pictures from the last few weeks!

She's here......Riley Trimble Parker!!!

Well, it was only a short time after my last post that I first started in to labor with our newest addition!!! :-)  On Friday, November 16 in the early evening, Addison and I had run to Babies R Us to grab a few last minute things, when mommy started to feel some mild contractions on the way home.  I figured, just like the couple weeks before, that it probably wouldn't progress in to anything regular.  After we got home, the contractions continued, and I started timing them....10 minutes apart.  A short while later they had progressed to about 7 minutes apart and definitely were not stopping!  I paged Noah in the OR around 6:30pm to let him know it was time to come home because I could be in labor.  I called my doctor who suggested that I sit in the bathtub and pace around the house for a bit to see if it would calm, and if not to come in if the contractions got too painful or were five minutes apart.  Well, after a a few hours of trying different things to calm the contractions and sitting on the couch with Noah trying to gut through the discomfort, the contractions got to about 5 minutes apart!  I knew at this point that she was on her way! :-)  We called Annie to come watch Addison, and headed in.  By the time we got to Labor and Delivery at 11pm, my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and quite uncomfortable.  We got in to our room and things progressed rather quickly.  I went from 4cms to 8cms within a couple hours and my water broke shortly after 2am.  Unfortunately, I did not even have the option for an epidural due to having taken my lovenox earlier that day.  I did have an intrathecal injection with fentanyl and morphine...however, it was super short acting and really only provided relief for about an hour, and seemed to be completely worn off by the time I was pushing.  I pushed for about 25-30 minutes and our beautiful Riley Trimble Parker was born at 2:42am on Saturday, November 17! She was 7 pounds and 6 ounces, 21 inches long......a much larger baby than Addison.....but also born at 39 weeks (a week and a half after Addison).  She has brunette peach fuzz for hair and dark colored eyes (color still unsure?!)
Addison came to the hospital to visit baby Riley on Saturday afternoon, and was so precious!  She was her usual shy self for the first 15 minutes or so, but then completely warmed up and wanted to hold her, touch her and cuddle with her baby sister!  :-)  So sweet!
Unfortunately, due to my being strep B positive and having a relatively short labor, I was not able to receive the full 4 hours of antibiotics needed before delivery, so Riley was exposed to GBS.  Luckily, it is a very rare occurrence that anything effects the baby......and fortunately, she looks wonderfully healthy!  They usually make babies with exposure stay in the hospital 48 hours; however, because she looked so great, we were able to leave Sunday at noon (just over 24 hours).  It was so wonderful to get home to our own environment and begin our own little family routine.
It has now been a whole since she was born, and my goodness what a sweetheart she is!!!!!  She loves to cuddle!. :-)  She has been sleeping remarkably well, and in fact, the last few nights I have had to awaken her for feedings in the middle of the night.  It's amazing! :- )  I have gotten about 6-7 hours of sleep the last few nights which is unheard of for a newborn.....wow, I'll cherish it while it lasts! Addison has been an absolute sweetheart with Riley!!!  She loves to sit next to her, watch her diaper changes and regularly asks "where is baby Riley?" immediately when she awakens in the mornings.  We couldn't have asked for a better response from  a two year old!
It has been a wonderful week of just the five of us (Wally of course included!)  Daddy has been cooking up a storm in the kitchen....I feel spoiled to have breakfast, lunch and dinner served to me!  We had our first Thanksgiving dinner together as a family....so much fun, and delicious dinner (daddy's first turkey!)  We have been venturing out a few times to the doctor, out to lunch, and to a friend's son's brit yesterday (what an interesting and fun event...we had never attended one  before!)  My great friend Ali delivered her baby boy, Geoffrey, the same early morning that I had Riley....two hours apart!  :-)

We are so appreciative to our family and wonderful friends who have been calling, emailing, and stopping by for visits and with dinners, goodies for the baby and big sister, etc.  We feel so blessed during this special time in our lives!!!

NO BABY yet!...but coming soon.....

Well, it is a week later......and STILL no baby!!!  She is hanging in there until the end, as I will be 39 weeks tomorrow!!! :-)  I just got back from the OB this morning, and I am dilated to 3 cms and ~50% effaced per Dr. Pukite.  She said that I could go any minute, but may well make it to my induction date, Monday, November 19.  Oh well......what's three more days at this point??!!!
I finished up work on Tuesday, and have been busy cleaning, doing last minute preparations for baby, getting a pedicure, chasing Addison around, and WAITING!!!  I have been trying to enjoy these last few days with just Addison....as I know things will be very different come next week.  She finished up daycare on Tuesday and brought cupcakes in to share with her teachers and friends.....they made her a nice card and sign to say goodbye.....it was definitely sad! :-(......  Wednesday we went to Eden Prairie Mall and met our friends Ali and Levi for some playtime in the kids area and lunch in the food court.  The two of them were adorable sprinting around the mall and laughing with each other!  Yesterday we had music class in the morning and Addison got to paint with wood stamps.....she created quite the master piece that is now on our magnet wall.  She was so excited to "show daddy" last night!
We plan to spend our last weekend together as just the four of us (including Wally of course) finding some fun things to do around town and enjoying the warmer weather-up to the mid-50s this weekend!

Addison ready for music class this week...she absolutely loves it!

Noah is planning to take the first two weeks off when the baby arrives, and then Opa and Jojo will make the trek up November 30 to join us for a couple weeks.  They will leave the 14th of December, and then Nana and Papa will come December 25.   I am so looking forward to all of this! :-)   Addie is super excited for baby sister's arrival! :-) More to come REAL SOON!!!!!!!

Where is baby???!!!

So the much anticipated making it to 37 weeks (full-term) has come and gone.......the due date that I had on Addison's watch has come and gone......and 38 weeks is approaching (tomorrow)......still no sign of baby #2!!!  Where is she???

I left the much awaited OB appointment this morning nothing but disappointed!!!  After feeling cramps and contractions off and on for ~1 week and exercising as much as I can tolerate to help speed things along.....the progress remains unchanged!  I am currently just 1 cm dilated...ugh!!!  I had a major mommy meltdown on the way home from the OB and for a little while after.....and now a couple hours later, I finally have it all in perspective.....this little one has a mind of her own and will arrive when she is good and ready.....regardless, she will be here soon.....so I need to relax and enjoy these last few days as the mother of one! My hormones are definitely out of whack and causing me to be much more emotional than normal! 

My induction date has been moved back to November 19 (Monday) from Saturday, due to my doctor's schedule and the hospital disliking inductions on the weekend (although that seems odd considering I was told this wasn't an issue earlier).  Oh well.....at that point, what is two more days?!

The good news of all of this is that baby girl is healthy, and she will be stronger and more ready for life outside the womb when she finally decides to arrive!  Maybe she'll even sleep well??!! (I won't get so optimistic!)

I have a four day stretch of work starting tomorrow....then I will be officially off for maternity leave....wish me luck! 

 Addie on the slide at Levi's birthday party!

 Ali and Levi, Mommy and Addie.....Ali and I are due 4 days apart!

 Pretty headband girl......too bad she spit up her milk so that her shirt is wet! :-(

 The fam.....fun at Williston Park celebrating Levi!

 Levi and Addie climbing!

Daddy did some climbing with Addie!

So.....what else have we been up to besides waiting on baby???  Well, Addison has been busy with wrapping up her last few weeks of school, attending her McPhail music class on Thursdays (which she loves...and talks about all week), playing outside on any possible warm day that we get, attending to her baby dolls constantly and fulfilling all of their needs, playing with neighborhood friends at playgroup and playdates, and running around the house getting in to all of "baby sister's" beds, clothes and supplies that are awaiting her arrival.  She is quite the character! :-)  

We celebrated mommy, daddy and her friend Levi's birthdays last weekend.....Addison learned how to say happy birthday and even sing part of the song.....she loves to talk about birthdays now....and even made a birthday cake with candles (sticks) out of sand at the park yesterday!  She loves to open presents, and help others too!! :-)  For Levi's party, we went to dinner at Snuffy's (a little diner in Minnetonka) and then to Williston Park for the party...Addie had a blast!  Mommy and daddy got to share a dinner out at Haute Dish for our birthdays on the 2nd (we keep thinking it could be our last date night for a while...we'll see ).

More updates to come soon...................

Happy Halloween!!!

October 31......I can't believe November is almost here, and our new baby girl will be here soon!!!  I will be full-term this Saturday!!  If she decides to come at the same time Addison did, we will meet her on Tuesday! :-)  Mommy is super tired, and ready to be finished with pregnancy....so anytime is welcome! :-)  I had an ultrasound last Friday (the day before 36 weeks) and it showed that baby is head down and was weighing a predicted 5 lbs 12 ounces at that time!  Everything looked well regarding her growth and health!  This was such relief to know that there is no reason I am not at least expected to have a natural delivery again!
We have been busy setting up the condo for the new arrival!  The pack'n play and rock'n sleeper are set up, the dresser is filled with newborn clothes, the changing table is prepared with diapers/wipes, etc.......my bag is packed!!!  :-)
Last week we celebrated Halloween with some neighbor friends with a pizza party.  The kids decorated cupcakes and ran around playing all evening.  Addison was a little grumpy that night from her late nap and would not wear her costume for anything!  I finally gave up and put a trick or treat shirt on her and off we went!  Luckily, Addison changed her mind on actual Halloween (today!) and decided that dressing up is fun!!  She was a trooper and wore her little lamb costume all night long!  She was absolutely precious....even after a no nap day.....and loved running up to the doors collecting candy!  :-)  Enjoy the pictures of our precious peanut!

 Decorating cupcakes and cookies....yummy!

 A fun night a week before Halloween....Addison wasn't so much in to costumes that night!

 Snuggling with her friend Nils!

 Addison helping to celebrate her big cousin Victoria's 6th birthday!

 Our precious little lamb!

 Friends on Halloween!

 Trick or Treat!!!

Addison also got to attend her cousin Victoria's birthday party last weekend!  She was the youngest kid there (mostly 6 year olds), but seemed to enjoy herself! :-)
Noah and I will be celebrating our 32nd birthdays this weekend....can't believe it!  Addison's little friend Levi turns two soon, so we will be attending his birthday party this weekend too.

October is here!! Baby is coming soon!

Just call me slacker!!! I'm not sure what the best excuse is for my failure to keep up on the blog???  1) I have a two year old now, 2) I am 35 1/2 weeks pregnant, 3) we've been having such a busy fun Fall, 4) pure laziness!......regardless, we are long overdue for an update!!!
We have had a wonderful Fall!!
Addison has been busy with music class on Thursdays (so much fun!!!..she is in the 2-3 year old class now!), school on Monday and Tuesdays, lots of play dates with friends, a trip to the zoo, a trip to the pumpkin patch in Minnetonka, a visit from Opa and Jojo for 5 days, a Gopher football game with daddy, and as much time as possible outside at the park!!
Addie is talking all the time now.....and even full sentences!  The other day we were leaving her school and she said, "my jacket mommy....it's cold outside!"-sure enough I had forgotten it! :-)  She told her teaching, "I'm washing baby, she's poopy!"  It is so much fun to hear what she comes up with each day!  She'll say things like, "no help mommy, I got it."  My Miss Independent!!!
We did a trial of formal potty training for about a day and half...but we don't think she was quite ready.  She did sit on the potty numerous times throughout the day, but not much success!!  So.....we gave it up until a few months from now.  However, in the last week she has asked on her own to sit on the potty to go poo poo and has actually been successful!! Yea for Addie!!! :-)
She is still in to picking out her own clothes, and absolutely obsessed with putting on her own boots and sneakers....she will sit for a good 15 minutes working on this project! :-)  She regularly wears her cowboy boots this Fall...so precious! Her favorite toys continue to be trains and dolls.  She regularly "feeds her babies" at the kitchen table, changes their diapers, bathes them, and rocks them to sleep.  I even hear her disciplining them sometimes...."no baby, sit in the stroller!" (sounds familar!!! :-))
Last week we took a fun Fall walk and collected leaves and pinecones to create our own centerpiece in a glass jar.  Addie loves to tell everyone, "Addie made it!" and add to it on occasion as well!
Opa and Jojo visisted last week and they greatly enjoyed seeing all of the changes in Addison.....especially her language and her confidence at the playground now.  She is truly becoming our "big girl!"
We are looking forward to Halloween events in the next couple weeks.....a party with some neighborhood friends tonight, trick or treating in the neighborhood on Sunday, and then Halloween night in the building!!  Addison is going to be a little lamb this year, thanks to Nanny for the amazingly cute outfit!! :-)
As we begin to prepare for our new arrival (washing newborn clothes, setting up the pack'n play, building the dresser, reorganizing our home to accommodate.......it has become clear that Addie is starting to catch on to change.  She regularly will make "baby sister" comments and loves to pull newborn clothes out of the dresser and say, "it's cute mama."  I have no doubt that there will be some hard times with jealousy, as the clinging has already started to increase; however, I also know that she will be a wonderful "helper" to mommy and love her sister!  I am so excited to meet our new little girl and for Addie to meet her best friend! :-)

 Snuggling with my princess!!!

 Addie at Minnetonka Orchards!

 Addison loved trying out the new changing table/dresser for baby sister!

 My model....on the train at Minnetonka Orchards!

 Addie is cooking for daddy at the park!

 A perfect seat.....she fits snugly on top of baby sister! :-)

 35 weeks!

 One of our best family pictures ever!!!

Addie loves "Addie's park" ....especially the big kid slides!

I will be 36 weeks this Saturday....we are truly getting close!!!  The nesting urge has already set in as I have been cleaning, reorganizing, having the carpets and couches cleaned, getting Wally groomed, etc......all to prepare for that special day!  I was told at my 32 week appointment that baby was transverse in my belly (she had turned after being head down at the appointment before!)...of course that had me paranoid!!  However, at my 34 week appointment I was told that baby was again head down, and that I was measuring big.  Due to this, they may do an ultrasound at my appointment (day before 36 weeks) this Friday to ensure everything is ok with baby and that she is still head down!  I hope so!!  I am praying that the measuring big is related to an early arrival and not a LARGE baby, yikes!!!  I have definitely slowed down a bit in the last couple weeks and fatigue has set in.  I am still working, but the days are starting to get long and I am thoroughly exhausted at the end of the day.  I have gained almost 33 pounds now, so hopefully will stay within 35 for the total.  Hopefully our little one will be arriving soon!!! :-)  I had my hair done last week and plan to have a prenatal massage this Friday....great ways to relax a little at this point in pregnancy!   I plan to pack my hospital bag by the end of the weekend just in case......if this baby is like Addie, she will be here in about a week and a half! :-)