Picture update

"Lights!"
Claire says this a lot. Very cute.

Mary Jane already defending herself from Claire.
Claire loves to "help" change MJ.

How Mary Jane spent the 1st couple days at home:
wrapped in a bili-blanket.
AKA: our Cylon baby

I think Claire was so excited for MJ to sit in the bouncy seat-
which is what she uses as her doll bed.
This was also the 1st time I put MJ down at C's level.
They both survived :)

What I'm thankful for... in no particular order

1. Being redeemed in Christ
2. my two sweet daughters- they're unbelievable to me
3. Jeremy- I couldn't imagine a better husband for me
4. My family in town for Thanksgiving
5. Good health for me and my family
6. a job I love
7. a church I love
8. friends who really are amazing
9. sleep- even though I don't get a lot of it there days
10. a warm house

One week old

Mary Jane's officially one week old!!! We're starting to settle in and things are starting to feel more normal. Claire loves to give MJ kisses and loves to watch her. Claire has also been playing better on her own and is a little bit more forgiving of MJ taking up a lot of her Mama's time. Eventually I'm going to have to figure out how to do housework in the midst of the craziness... but I'm so not worried about that right now!

Week 1 almost down

Things I've learned this week-Things I had forgotten about newborns- Things I love right now:

1. Newborns sleep a lot
2. Newborns eat a lot
3. I'm going to have to get used to spit up in my hair if it's long
4. Claire would kiss MJ all day long if we let her
5. Claire has moved from being horribly jealous to being obsessed by her sister
6. Claire has stopped calling Mary Jane, "Emma" for the most part
7. Claire has learned to say, "Bless you" when you sneeze
8. When Claire burps, she says, "burp" right after
9. Claire rocks her baby doll and sings, "Rocky, rocky, rocky..." over and over again. She's now attempting that with MJ in her bouncy seat...
10. Mary Jane is such a cuddly little girl... I love it. And I love it that Claire is wanting to cuddle now more because of that!

Seriously?!

This may have been one of the craziest experiences ever. Because it was so normal.

On Monday I went to the doctor. She told me that MJ had dropped very low and that she thought I would go into labor in a week or two.

At 2am THAT NIGHT my water broke. Yes, like in the movies. I woke up Jeremy and we headed to the hospital. It was that simple.

13 hours later, we met our sweet, little Mary Jane. Everything was so textbook and simple. COMPLETELY different from the days leading up to meeting Claire. I'm thankful for my sweet girls, and for the great and opposite birth stories I have with each.

Btw, MJ is "glowing" in the first picture from a bili-blanket we had for about 24 hours because she's a little bit jaundice. She gets checked again in the morning and, hopefully, it won't be an issue anymore!

Things that have made me laugh in the last couple of days...

1. Pulling up to a drive-thru yesterday to pick up lunch and Claire yelling, "Coke!" I've spent way too much money on fountain cokes from McDonald's during this pregnancy!

2. Claire has suddenly taken to ordering around Jack and Diane. "No, Jack!" "Go away, Jack!" "No, Di!" "Stay away!" Maybe I should watch my tone with the pets....

3. For a few nights in a row, Claire has ASKED to go to bed. Like at 6:30pm.

4. When Claire wants both me and Jeremy it turns into one word, "MommyDada."

5. I bought Claire a toy umbrella stroller for her doll. She has now taken to sitting in it, scooting around the house, and sitting in it to draw on her chalk table.

6. She loves dumping out her blocks and yelling, "Boom!"

7, Claire and Jeremy fist bump and she says, "Dynomite!" in her cute little Claire voice.

8. Claire loves ice. She always wants water with ice and will insist on in until she can hear it in her cup.

9. When Claire says, "Book," it kind of sounds like she's German.

10. Claire would eat pretzels all day long if I let her.

11. She LOVES to "dip" her food. She loves ketchup, BQ sauce, honey mustard, hummus, it doesn't matter. It's all about the process.

Long day...

I should have known first thing this morning that this would be a long day when Jeremy brought Claire down from her room, wrapped in a blanket, and said, "Guess who took off her pants and diaper in the middle of the night?"

Claire's been into everything today; thankfully we hung out at the Coalier's house all morning to break up the day and hang out with our friends. I'm grateful for friends that I can hang out with and just BE, especially since I'm 36 weeks pregnant and am not feeling great.

How cute are the girls in this picture??

There's no place like home

Home. I'm glad to be sitting on my couch, watching the CMA awards with the husband playing video games in the same room and the kiddo upstairs asleep. (The same kiddo who said, "Night-night" at 6:30pm and proceeded to take herself upstairs to bed.)

Here's the run-down of this week so far:
on Monday I went to the doctor for a check-up. My blood pressure was up (150/100) and didn't go down after I laid down for a bit. The doctor sent me upstairs to the labor and delivery floor to get checked out and immediate blood work. Contractions got closer together and I was in a bit of pain. I really hadn't felt good the past couple of days. The doctor was able to stop the contractions and keep me from progressing any further into labor with a Tributelene (sp?) shot. A shot that makes your heart race and makes you shaky for about an hour. I was then admitted into the hospital to figure out what was up with the pain I felt. After another day and half in the hospital, we found out my gall bladder is inflamed. And all the JUNK I've been eating this pregnancy has not helped.

I got to go home this afternoon with orders to stop working, stay on bed rest, and stay away from super fatty foods.

Mary Jane is great. All week she's had a super strong heart beat and hasn't slowed down her movement.

So now I'm at home, grateful to be here and continue the pregnancy. I'm still in some pain which is really uncomfortable but I'll live. I'm more annoyed by the fact that my throat is starting to hurt...

Randomness

1. This week Claire has started using "please" and "thank you" appropriately. Some times. And it sounds more like "peas" and "tank you". I feel like just hearing those words has made my life more enjoyable.

2. I'm 35 weeks pregnant and MJ will be here in 4 weeks.

3. Claire is obsessed with playing with her baby doll and doll stroller.

4. Claire likes her new room and has been sleeping well in it.

5. I'm now only eating McDonald's once a week... the craving is subsiding.

6. Claire loves playing with her legos, toy cars, and play kitchen.

7. Claire has also learning the word "mine" which makes me want to rip my hair out. Maybe that's why I'm so grateful for #1.

8. Claire constantly says the names "Emma, George, JJ, and Amy". Over and over again. Every child her age or younger is "Emma". I think she likes the way all those names sound. Of course, she constantly says "mama and dada" as well. Did I mention over and over again?

9. When Claire hears music she loves dancing to it.

10. I'm growing more and more uncomfortable every day and am ready to meet MJ! Thankful Claire is a fun distraction. (most of the time)

Claire's little sister

When Claire says, "MaryJane," it sounds more like, "My-Jane-a."

How cute is that?

I love technology

This is one of Claire's favorite past times right now:
watching YouTube videos with her Daddy.
She really loves Muppets videos and they watch some music videos.
I think Claire just likes cuddling up and doing something her Dad's doing.
Could those giant headphones be any cuter?

Oh and apparently Claire has picked up on my phone obsession.
She picks it up and pretends to swipe her finger across it.
I really love my new toy but I need to stop using it so much in front of her!

My Ode to Peach Rings

I have been obsessed with this candy during my entire pregnancy. At any given time, for a few months, you would find it in my bag or house. Seriously. It's been one of my strongest cravings, along with Coke. They remind me of my friend, Rachel, who has always had a love for them. I've always liked them but this pregnancy has brought on a constant craving. In fact, I'm going to have to stop by the store at some point today...

It's amazing that I passed my glucose test a few weeks ago.

Also, this post is dedicated to my good friend, Greta, who has insisted that I document the randomness of this craving :)