Week 1

 Just before we went home- Garrick said- I'd better take a few pictures in the room so we remember that we were here... We had already been checked out by the pediatrician, his medical student and the nurses, we were just waiting for Suzanne to come and for Emmy to get her picture taken for the Winona Health website.

 We got home and Pete had a chance to check out what was going on...

 Emmy snuggled with some grandmas-

 Pete is learning to hold his sister, give her hugs and kisses *gently*

Emelia, Emelia, Emelia

For the 2 weeks leading up to Emelia coming I had been having TONS of contractions and pre-labor. Our midwife, Suzanne,  kept saying it is going to be fast when the baby does come with all of that happening and sooner than later, but it was hard to be sure of that! I had an appointment on Monday and she was excited that it was going to be soon. That night I had so many contractions I thought it was going to happen too. But once I went to bed, they went away and I felt normal the next morning again. By the next afternoon, I was starting to see a little pattern but nothing too much. We went for a walk and then I went to knitting where some of the girls were happy to see me and some were a little nervous. When I got home the contractions were getting more even and we went for a walk and called the hospital. They said to wait for a while longer so Garrick went to bed and I tried to sleep. By 1AM we were calling our neighbor to come over and my mom to get her ready to come. At the hospital when they checked- I was already at 8cm- almost set to go. Suzanne got there in about 10 minutes too- she said she wasn't going to wait either to get in! After about an hour of labor, walking and in the tub I was getting ready to start pushing. Suzanne told me I had to get out of the tub- no water births at our hospital... even though she'd be fine with it. So we got out, sat up in bed with my feet below me and pushed. It took a while... not sure how long, but before the last push Suzanne asked me if I wanted to catch her since I was sitting up and I said SURE! So, one more push and I got to catch my own little baby! I set her on my tummy and we snuggled for a few minutes before someone asked- BOY or GIRL? It was so neat to get to see for myself that we had a little Emelia. This was so different than Pete's birth since I wasn't induced. Overall I think that it was easier and a little faster even though I had been in labor for 2 weeks probably already. 

Stats: 6 pounds 6 ounces 19.5 inches long 37.5 weeks

Suzanne with the baby and me-- she is AMAZING (it is as this point I realize that I don't have a picture of me and G and Emi...)

The other thing that we decided to do differently was to check out of the hospital the same day as long as everyone was ready to go. I knew I could rest at home better and that Petey would like to have us there sooner than later as well. Some of the nurses thought that we were crazy and some thought it was a great idea... I am happy that we did that- it is funny though that we sometimes had to stop and say- oh yeah, she IS just a day old- not 2 or 3 like some babies are when they come home. I had the best support that I could have asked for- just one nurse who was  great, Suzanne who just knows what to say and do and how to encourage and motivate and Garrick who does all of the above and relaxes me, backs me up and makes sure that we are all on the same page.

We are so THANKFUL to have a beautiful healthy family and are so greatful for all of our friend's and family's support, love, prayers, thoughts, toys for Pete, gifts for Emmy, food for us and TIME spent. It is more than we could think of or ask for.

WSU Homecoming

Last weekend, we did the Warrior Waddle for WSU's homecoming. I thought that it was pretty appropriate that it was called a "waddle" instead of a run- Garrick pushed Petey and jogged with me. I had been having a lot of contractions that week, so we thought that was the thing we needed to get baby moving a little! The people at the race thought we were NUTS- but fun for running- we even got an article written about us in the Winona Daily News- oh- and my time was 29:10. Not too bad for 8.5 months pregnant!!

We also went with Mike and Julie to the WSU homecoming parade. We got to see all of the cheerleaders, players and clubs at WSU and other fun things from around town. Pete also got lots of beads and a huge bag of candy- hope the trick-or-treaters enjoy it!!

Babies, babies, babies

I have LOTS of friends right now who are pregnant and having babies- some are "out" and some aren't quite yet, but it is so fun to watch us all grow! The picture outside is my friend Jenny from SMU cc- she is due about 3 weeks after me and the other is my friend Bri who is due with TWINS in February!!

Here is proof that I am really growing- I think that this is about 37 weeks.

We have gotten most things ready for Captain Hook too, the diapers are washed and we have a little changing table in the bathroom now which is nice becuase I used to change Petey on the floor, but it is getting a little hard to kneel on the floor and I don't want to put a tiny baby on the floor. Once he starts to wiggle all over the place- then we'll get rid of the sewing machine and move everyone back to the floor.

I eventually want the babies to share a room so we can keep our playroom/ guestroom upstairs but for now it is going to be the nursery, playroom/guest room. We just cleared out a corner and everything fits in! It will be nice so that Pete can sleep and once the baby starts to sleep through the night we'll put everyone back in together.

All that's left to decide is what the baby will wear home from the hospital!! Will it be the pink bunnies or the yellow koala bears? Hopefully we'll find out soon enough!

Bike Race Weekend!

 Garrick did a bike race at Holzinger's this weekend- Pete and I came to watch- and I actually carried him UP the bluff in the backpack. I'm SURE that I will not be doing this again anytime soon, but it was still a beautiful afternoon and we had fun watching the guys race!!

Why we love Fridays

Every Friday Peter and I go to ECFE at one of the area elementary schools. All of the kids that are there are between 1 and 2.25- when Petey started he was one of the little kids, now he is one of the 'bigger' kids there. They have so much fun, the teachers are so great and it is so fun-he'll tell you why!

We get to make HUGE messes and no one gets mad! I mean, sure we all have to clean up at the end of the day, but it is really the moms that do all of the cleaning and we just have to carry one toy around for a while then throw it in the right box. One of my favorites is the bus, oh and the tractor, and the parking ramp, and the trains, and the farm animals... just NOT the babydolls. We also get to do an art project, sing songs and dance. Then we line up to wash our hands and have a snack. BUT then- it is the best time of the day!!!

We go to the gym! There are slides, cars, balls and a trampoline!!

And a tunnel!

Sometimes I just eat a few crackers really fast so that I can be one of the first kids into the gym. We get to run around for a half an hour before it is time to go! But that's not all... when we leave we go to the library and pick out a toy to bring home for the entire week! It's free!! Mom keeps says that we are going to get something different every week, but I say that we should just get the train or the parking garage and I'll be fine with it!

AND that is why Fridays are the BEST!!!