...Hello Juliette!!

Honestly, I didn't think giving birth could get any easier after Jenna buuuuuut I was wrong.  Listen, I wouldn't really classify myself as being outstandingly talented at anything, but you guys?  I am really really good at giving birth.  Seriously.  The nurses asked me to come back and do it again the next day.  Granted, it's much easier to be good at giving birth when you have an epidural, but still. I am a birth-giving machine, y'all.

It all started around 12:30 in the afternoon.  I had just spent a delightful morning interacting with the crazy people of Walmart (see previous post) and was settling down for my lunch/nap when I felt the first contraction.  Actually, I didn't know if it was a contraction or if Juliette was just moving around in an uncomfortable way, so I waited to see if there was any sort of pattern to what I was feeling.  If you've never been in labor before, contractions (for me, anyway) feel kind of like period cramps, except instead of being a dull ache that hangs around all the time, it comes on gradually and increases in intensity before tapering off again.  And of course, they happen at regular intervals.  After I felt it again roughly 20 minutes later, I texted Jacob to let him know I MIGHT be in labor.  Not to leave work yet, but just to be on alert.  

By 2:30, my contractions were the same low level of intensity, but were now 2 minutes apart.  I called my OB's office, and the nurse COMPLETELY freaked out.  I tried to tell her that I think that's just how my body does early labor (my contractions were 2 minutes apart with Jenna for a while too), but she told me I should come in anyway.  I started preparing to go to the hospital (making all the necessary calls, getting my things together, etc.) but I was suuuuuper slow about it because I was afraid of going in too early...I really didn't want to get there just to be sent home after they checked me.

By 4:30, our friend Joel was over to watch Jenna, Jacob was home from work, and we were on our way to the hospital!  For the most part, we held off letting people know because I really wasn't sure if I was actually in labor and I didn't want to have to send out a second "JK NEVERMIND!" text later on.

Apparently, October 12 was a popular day for giving birth, because there was no room left in triage for me and we were put straight into a room (score!)  I still felt really silly being there because I rated my contractions as being a 1 or a 2 on the pain scale and when the nurse examined me, I was 4.5 cm dilated, which wasn't that different from my last OB appointment.  (By the way, can we talk about that pain scale for a second??  I hate being asked to rate my pain because it's so relative!  In the grand scheme of things, a 10 is probably like...getting your arm sawed off and I've never felt anything like that, so how can I judge where I'm at??)

Anyway, our nurse was so great, and reassured me that as I was 40 weeks, having regular contractions, and dilated halfway, she would make me sign an AMA if I wanted to leave now and I should really stay.  I agreed, but asked for my water to be broken just to make sure things kept rolling along.  I still felt like it couldn't be real that I was actually in labor, so at one point I asked, "Just to be clear...I'm definitely going to have this baby in the next 24 hours?"  She laughed and said, "You're probably going to have the baby in the next 6 hours." Huge relief. That finally gave me the confidence to tell my mom to go ahead and book a flight, and to have Jacob spread the word that it was go time!

Oh, also our nurse was amazing because as soon as I said I wanted to stay, she made sure to get my IV drip and paperwork going RIGHT away so I would be ready to get my epidural at the first hint of any increased discomfort.  God bless you, Amber.  It worked out perfectly too.  She came in to check on me maybe 20 minutes after having my water broken and asked how I was doing.  This is pretty much how it went down:

  Nurse: "How are you doing?  Do you think you're ready for your epidural yet?"
  Me: "Umm I don't know.  My contractions are a little more intense, but I don't think I'm in active labor yet."
  Nurse: (gives me a look) You're 6-7 cm dilated.  You're in active labor.
  Me: Oh ok well...yeah let's go ahead and get the epidural then.

By the time the epidural was put in and working like a charm, I had only had about 3 or 4 actually painful contractions.  Then all we had to do was wait!  I mean really, could it have been any easier??  That was around 7:00 and we were getting kind of hungry, so Jacob and I ordered some food from Cheesecake Factory to eat when everything was said and done. Then we just hung out, chatted and periodically checked the Cubs score (they won, by the way. Maybe Juliette will be a lucky charm for them!) 

Shortly after 9:00, the whole labor and delivery entourage came in.  I was at 10 cm so they had me push through a contraction and there was her head!  The OB told me to wait until the next contraction, but then she looked up kind of unsurely and said, "Unless...you want to push now?"  I shrugged and said something like, "Might as well" or "Sure, I could push."  Maybe 30 seconds later at 9:07 PM, she was born at 20 inches, 6 lb. 15 oz., and with an APGAR score of 9 and 9 because we're high achievers like that.

They saw a little bit of meconium in the amniotic fluid earlier on, so I was preparing myself for them to take her away to examine for a while before I could see her (that happened with Jenna and it was really hard for me) BUT they made it a point to hold her up and let me see her right when she was born.  I totally lost it and started crying.  Honestly, I probably cried more than Juliette did.  

What a big baby.  Me, I mean...not the actual baby.

Then we just got to snuggle and take pictures and eat Cheesecake Factory....I mean, can you imagine anything better?

Wait, yes I can.  The next day when Jenna came and our whole family was together for the first time.  THAT was better than anything else I could possibly imagine.

There I go, crying again! 

Welcome to the world, Juliette Elize!!  We love you a whole lot!

Good-bye Pregnancy...

Our family!!

Actually, this is probably a more accurate depiction of our life now... :)

How far along? 39 weeks and 2 days...although according to the doctor's due date, I was an even 40 weeks.  You win this time around, science.
Total weight gain: 34 pounds...WHICH, by the way, is something I totally don't mind talking about but...let me start by saying this: I managed to make it almost all the way through my pregnancy without ANY strange pregnancy-related interactions with strangers.  I had several pleasant and helpful ones, but nothing weird or awkward until the VERY LAST WEEK of my pregnancy.  And then the crazies came out of the woodwork.  I had one lady rub my belly like a Magic 8 Ball...seriously, she rubbed aaallll around it. And then on very the day I went into labor, I was at Walmart buying a new coffee machine and was stopped by a woman who asked me if I'd ever been to Trader Joe's.  She then proceeded to tell me how I shouldn't buy any food at Walmart because it's all "bad for baby" and she ONLY shops at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.  First of all, lady...you're clearly a little late in the game to be talking to me about my pregnancy diet.  Second of all, your grocery bill must be outrageous.  Just sayin'.  THEN she asks,  "So how much weight have you gained?"  UM!!!  And not in an "Oh my gosh, you look so great!  You can't have gained any weight during this pregnancy!" way but in a "Let me scrutinize every morsel you've put in your mouth over the last 10 months" way.  And then she really and truly did give me an analysis of whether that was an appropriate amount of weight to gain or not. (It was, because she gained 30 lb. during her pregnancy and was back to her pre-pregnancy weight immediately after pushing out her baby. Yeah right, if your baby weighed 20 POUNDS) Oh man...I really wish I could've seen her reaction to me putting down Hostess Cupcakes a few months ago like my life depended on it.  Folks, can we just all agree that asking strangers about their weight isn't super polite? Kgreatthanx.  Oh also, I really liked the part of my shopping trip where an employee stood there and shook her head at me while Jenna had a full on meltdown because she wasn't big enough to push the cart.  Rude.  This is what I get for going to Walmart.
Maternity clothes? Target maternity tanks and hand-me-down maternity jeans were king this pregnancy!  Not to mention my trusty yoga pants (sans any actual yoga, of course)
Sleep:  There were definite ups and downs, but I think I slept better at night overall this pregnancy than I was expecting to.  And I had WAY less weird dreams.  Unfortunately, the night before I went into labor I decided it would be a good idea to stay up super late and work on every meaningless project ever...or maybe I just binged on Netflix.  I can't remember because I'm (unsurprisingly) still quite sleep deprived 
Best thing about pregnancy overall:  There are a lot of really great things about pregnancy.  Everybody always tells you how cute you are, your hormones can do awesome inexplicable things like make the hair on your head really thick and your leg hair basically stop growing, you wear tight shirts everyday without a care in the world, you get a free pass for eating seconds on everything, and the best parking spots at Kroger...BUT!  BUT!  BUT! Actually having that little tiny human at the end of it all?  I mean, there's just no contest. 
Miss Anything? The thing I missed most during this pregnancy was my mobility/comfort.  It's tough running around after a 1-year-old when you're carrying 30+ extra pounds and can't twist or bend like you used to!  [However, side note: there are huge perks to having a 1-year-old around when pregnant.  Besides the cute factor and the part where I love her and stuff, it was awesome having her around because she totally picked up after me and would run and get me things when getting up off the floor just seemed way too hard.  Love my little helper!]
Movement: Juliette was so active!!  She moved a lot, but it was a lot less like kicking and a lot more like just getting comfortable in there...she loved stretching herself aallllll the way out (which involved pushing out on opposite sides of my stomach, which both feels and looks totally bizarre) and tossing around until she found just the right place to curl up.  They actually had a really hard time monitoring my contractions and Juliette's heartbeat during labor because she kept moving around so much.
Food cravings: Sweets!!!  Nuff said.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Other than my one week of chicken aversion, I didn't have too many issues with queasiness.  PTL!!!
The baby bump: I mean, what is there to say?  I was pretty large and in charge there for a while, and practically busting out of my skin at the end.  I think I might've been bigger with this pregnancy, or maybe Juliette was just lower...but I DEFINITELY had to waddle quite a bit in those last few weeks.  I mean, it wasn't an option.  My legs literally did not have room to move straight forward
Gender: Girl!!  I'm already having so much fun putting her in all of Jenna's old clothes...and we've only dipped into the footie pajamas so far.  They're so cute!! <3
Labor Signs: I felt like I had labor signs for SO long!!  The waiting was so hard because I just wanted to meet Juliette, but it made things go much quicker in the end, which I definitely appreciated!!
Belly Button in or out? Sooooo far out!  Jenna loved it, Jacob hated it, and I finally got my outie back after all these years.  It was a nice reunion, old friend.
Wedding rings on or off? They ended up off.  I couldn't squeeze them back on my finger in the end if I wanted to.  Luckily I was able to put them on again at about a week postpartum, so I'm not permanently sausage-fingered
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Overall happy, but I had a lot of anxiety during this pregnancy!  I really wasn't expecting that, but I think I just wanted to make sure I did things right AND I had a much better idea of what I'd be missing if something went wrong!! I know there are no guarantees ever, but I'm just super happy that she's out safe and sound
Looking forward to: Watching my girls grow up together!  I can't wait to see their relationship grow...I love them both so much!!

Juliette: 1 Month

Age: 1 month
Milestones: I mean, all of the obvious firsts...first cry, first poop, first trip to the grocery store (more of a milestone for me than for her, probably), umbilical cord falling off after less than a week (because she's advanced, obviously), and MOST gloriously that she has gone 5-6 hours between feedings overnight a few times.  It's marvelous to only have to wake up once during the night.  It was really tough for the first few weeks. She spit up a lot so I was always afraid of her choking overnight and it felt like she cried anytime we set her down...we ended up sleeping with her on our chests almost every night for the first two weeks which a) is definitely not AAP sanctioned and b) while it is so snuggly and fun, is not actually particularly restful.  BUT after a few weeks, we figured out that we weren't bundling her up enough, so she was crying because she was cold. #parentingfail   She sleeps great now though...
My Favorites: When she smiles at me!!!  Sometimes it's just gas, but I think she really does know me and smiles when she sees me.  She has the cutest little coo when I smile at her. And I love her dimples!!
Her Favorites: Being held, hearing me and Jenna sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (it gets a smile every time), baths, being swayed back and forth, being in the swing, and being practically buried in blankets.  
Surprises: How fast time has gone!!  She already holds up her head so well knows who I am and has things that she likes...I forgot how quickly that all happens.  Also, girl is NOISY!!!  She just grunts and growls and makes all kinds of noises, even when she sleeps
Other Notable Moments:  Her first Halloween!!  The girls both had cat costumes, which Jenna was obsessed with and Juliette didn't poop or spit up on so I can only assume she loved them as well.
Looking Forward To...: Oh, everything.  Each stage is so fun and I'm just enjoying the one we're in right now.

Both sisters are experts at throwing shade

Burrito Baby

Holding her first thing!

39 Weeks

How far along? 39 weeks.  Baby apparently is the size of a watermelon!  Yep, that sounds about right.
Maternity clothes? Do I need to be wearing maternity clothes?  Obviously, yes.  However, if I'm going somewhere that requires wearing actual clothes instead of Jacob's big t-shirts and sweatpants, there's only a 50/50 chance I'll show up.
Sleep:  Good!  I've been conking out so hard this week.
Best moment this week:  Can I just say all of Tuesday??  We went to the zoo in the morning with some friends, and then in the evening our neighborhood had a little parade for National Night Out.  They had a fire truck and the kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes and we just marched around a few blocks while the Civic Club threw candy.  It was so cute!!  They also had a costume contest and Jenna won!  Not that my costume making skills are so superior...there just weren't that many kids there dressed up and Jenna was laying on the charm pretty thick with the judges.  Those little old ladies were powerless against her meows and sparkly shoes.

This was the moment she realized she was dressed as a cat.  She loved her little tail!

We also did our first pumpkin patch of the year, complete with petting zoo, mini-pumpkin decorating, and pony/cart ride through a Frozen-themed forest.  Basically everything Jenna is obsessed with and it was really really fun.  If I haven't mentioned, I flipping love everything about October through December.
Miss Anything? Sitting on the couch! It just hurts my back too much right now.  I've been sitting on the tile whenever we watch TV, and let me tell you...sitting on tile = cold cold buns
Movement: So much!  I honestly don't remember Jenna being this active when I was this far along with her.  Juliette definitely loves to stretch out and shift around to find just the perfect snuggle spot!
Food cravings: Sweets, burgers, and fries.  Basically my favorite things in general anyways, but now I want them 100x more!
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, and I feel like I've been STARVING this week!  Seriously, I'm a bottomless pit right now.
Have you started to show yet: Ooohh yeah. I go out in public like... 

(Not really, that looks exhausting.)

Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Yes, almost all of the gross ones!  I won't list them here because if you don't know, you really don't need to.  I will say this though...I feel like if you're at the point in your life when you're having babies and you don't have anyone to text about your pre-labor diarrhea, you're doing life wrong.  Whoops, I guess I just said one of the gross things.  Well anyway, I'm not even sure if that one was due to impending labor or because of all of the weirdo organic pregnancy tea I've been guzzling to "ready my womb for labor," as it says on the box.  Aaand since I haven't ACTUALLY gone into labor yet, I'm going to go ahead and guess the latter.  Rats.
Belly Button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? Still off!  I miss my ring! 
Happy or Moody most of the time:  In the interest of being totally honest, I actually had a lot of really blue moments this week!  I think it was a combination of hormones and anxiousness over birthing logistics and very little sleep and feeling listless because all of my to-do's have been to-done and because I really really really really thought Thursday was going to be the day and then it wasn't....this weekend really rejuvenated me, but up until that point I was struggling with just feeling really sad!  It made me nervous too because I had ZERO postpartum depression with Jenna and I was (and still am a little) afraid that my moodiness this week meant I might be hit with the baby blues pretty hard this time around.  And who knows, I might.  The good news is this past week gave me and Jacob a chance to talk about potentially having postpartum depression, since I don't think it crossed either of our minds up until this point.  At least we'll be prepared if it happens!
Looking forward to: Meeting my sweet little girl, and having all of the grandparents come down to visit/help!!  (Not all at once, naturally.  That would be insane.)  My mom is flying down as soon as I go into labor and I'm SO excited to see her!!!!!  Not to mention, having her visit be shortly followed up by my dad's (staggered to maximize help and to make sure someone is around the Chicago area for the birth of my niece Sofia!!) and then Jacob's parents in early November.  I'm just so psyched to see all of our folks!! <3 <3 <3

Jenna 1.9

Our little doodlebug before her gymnastics class

Age: One year and nine months.  I've just started telling people that she's "almost 2"  when they ask, which I can't believe is true!!
Milestones:  Potty training!!  We're not QUITE there yet, but she's getting really good at telling us when she needs to go.  We just need to work on sitting patiently on the potty for #2 to come out.  AND not stripping naked in her crib whenever she has a wet diaper overnight....yeah, that's been happening.
My Favorites: Potty training!!  Don't get me wrong...the whole process has definitely had its ups and downs, but all in all I LOVE not having to change her diaper all the time.  I'd so much rather just pop her on the potty when we're running errands than cross my fingers that her poopy diaper doesn't leak before finding a changing station somewhere.  PLUS, because we always celebrate when she goes in the potty, she has started celebrating when WE go too.  She comes flying around the corner, wildly applauding and saying, "YAAAAYYYY MOMMMYYYYYY!!!!  POTTTYYYYY YAAAYYYYYY!!!!" every time she hears the toilet flush.  I don't know the last time anyone applauded you for anything, but let me tell you...it's an ego booster.
Her Favorites: Gymnastics!  I wasn't sure how long it would take her to warm up to it, but it was instantly a hit.  The second I let her hang from the uneven bars, I peeked around to see her face and I'm telling you...the Easter Bunny could've been standing there singing Frozen and holding 10 kittens and giant vat of cottage cheese and she wouldn't have looked more excited.  We're also getting really into Winnie the Pooh and Sophia the First since Mommy is getting huge and sometimes needs a mid-morning nap.  Can I just say too, that I love how she love frogs, trucks, and dinosaurs just as much as she loves kitties, tutus, and tea parties?  Still not a huge fan of bugs though.
Surprises: How well she knows songs!!  I love hearing her sing along with whatever we're listening to...she chimes in with the words that she knows and does all the hand motions like a pro.  We also have Disney Pandora on a lot...just in the past week she's been asking to look at the album covers whenever a new song comes on, and now can identify which song is from "Mermaid!" or "Lion!" when she hears them, even though she's never seen the movie.  What a pro!
Other Notable Moments: She started putting two words together!  Her first phrases were "bye bye tape" when Jacob threw away a tape dispenser and "dog bath" when we were at Petsmart.  Profound stuff, really.  Other than that, potty training and prepping for Juliette's arrival have sort of dominated this month.  Other than little outings to the library, some friends' houses, and Mother's Day Out, we haven't been up to much.
 Looking Forward To... Seeing her with Juliette!  She's been having so much fun pretending to feed, change, and put her stuffed animals and baby down for naps.  I can't wait to see how loving she is with her new little sister!!

Trying to get a good mother/daughter headband photo for Christina...sorry we're the worst brand reps ever!

Classic toddler uniform

And a pumpkin lover is born.

This is the hand of a dad of girls.

Putting the baby to sleep

There's a baby in there somewhere....

"MOM!  No pictures right now, we needed to get these figures out like...yesterday!"

38 Weeks

How far along? 38 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yes, and I've officially graduated from my medium yoga pants to my large ones. #movingonup
Sleep:  Really good for the first part of the week, and then towards the end of the week my back just started killing me and sleep got reeeeally tricky!  I think because she's so low, it's rolling out my hips and pinching some nerves near my tailbone.  Yowza.  Either that or it's back contractions....fingers crossed for that one, (even though it's not any less uncomfortable!)  On the cute side, Jenna has started rubbing my back and moving Jacob's hands onto my back to help fix Mommy's "owies" haha
Best moment this week:  October's arrival!!!!  I LOVE this month, and I'm so glad that Juliette is officially going to be born in it!!
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my stomach.  Although I can pretend like I'm sleeping on my stomach if I lean towards my front and sprawl my legs out so I take up almost the whole bed...poor Jacob
Movement: Lots from her, she's gotten very active!  She loves pushing her feet against the side of my stomach, and I think I felt her toes from the outside last night!!  And as for my movement...I never really understood why pregnant ladies walked with their backs arched and hips pushed out until this week.  I'm definitely getting my waddle on (or "pregnancy swagger," if you'd like to make me sound a little cooler.  Please and thank you.)
Food cravings: Eh...not really.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still plenty hungry and am definitely eating for two....or three...I'm just not wanting anything in particular
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nada
Have you started to show yet: Yes, and she's lowwww
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: A few more irregular contractions, and the OB said I'm almost 3 cm!!!  She asked if I wanted her to sweep my membranes to move the labor process along...and I totally panicked! All of a sudden I felt like...whoa whoa whoa, AM I ready to have a baby?!  I felt a lot better after talking to my friend Kathleen though...she just had a baby a few months ago and it was so good to be reminded that the newborn phase of feedings every two hours and very little sleep, etc. only lasts for a month or two!  That's what I was feeling the most nervous about, but it's a phase and it'll pass and every day of having a baby just gets better and better (except when they go through growth spurts, but let's not talk about that)
Belly Button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? OFF!!!!!   Ahhhh I didn't take my ring off before bed on Wednesday night and woke up the next morning with it TOTALLY stuck on my finger!  It woke the claustrophobic up in me pretty quick, I'll tell ya that.  I've been wearing a fake ring ever since (that's about two sizes too big) because I do NOT want to go through that again!
Happy or Moody most of the time:  I want to say happy, because honestly that's how I feel most of the time, but I have definitely had some super crabby mood swings.  It's either hormones or lack of a good night's sleep, but I've found myself having to apologize to Jacob more often than not these days...womp womp, sorry family...
Looking forward to: Enjoying more of this amazing weather!