A Few Firsts

Yesterday Eleanor went to her first pediatrician's appointment. She is doing great. When we left the hospital she weighed 6 pounds (5 ounces lower than her birth weight) and now she weighs 6 pounds 2 ounces. She has a touch of jaundice, but doesn't need any intervention. She was excited to ride in her car seat again and slept the whole way there. She doesn't get out right now, so I dressed her up for her appointment.

And today was Everett's first day back to preschool. I can't believe he is now in the 3's class. His teacher's name is Mrs. Stevens and she is so sweet.

I drew this heart on Everett's hand and kissed it. I told him if he gets nervous or misses mommy, to just look at "mommy's kiss."

He had a great morning at preschool and had a lot to say when I picked him up. We then went to a bakery and he picked out a gingerbread cookie as a special treat.

Now all babies are napping and Eric and I are looking forward to hanging out together. By the way, I am loving having him home this week!

Little Flower and the Boys

We had a good day today. Gigi joined us again for the weekend. Eleanor and I spent most of our day lounging. I love this. For lunch Eric and I got out for about an hour and went to Panera. I haven't been out at all so it was great. I was ready and eager to get home again though. This afternoon, Eric and Gigi took the boys to the arboretum.

Hampton pushed his walker all around.
And Everett loved running around.

I love this face.

I love these boys.

And I love this little flower.

She likes her bouncy seat and even took one of her many naps in it today. What she does not love is her crib and being alone in her room. We are having a hard time with this right now and last night it took awhile for her to go to sleep.

Sleep

Last night was great. Eleanor woke up at 11, 2:30, and 5:30 to nurse. She would nurse, burp, get her diaper changed, and then go back to sleep. I don't think I could ask anything more from a newborn. I keep also having to remember that she is three weeks early. She has been so great! Also, not to be pessimistic, however I know that this could all change in an instant. However, for now I will be happy with a good night and keep praying for more! Today mama and Eleanor continued our rest and recovery mostly upstairs in the bedroom. She is starting to have more awake time during the day. Today she lounged in her bouncy seat while looking around for quite some time.

And here is a picture of the biggest brother and little sis that Gigi took. He is so sweet with her.

Rest and Recovery

Today's focus has been obtaining more rest and continuing to recover. Eleanor did well last night. She slept in her own room and woke up to nurse. She had a hard time getting back to sleep after nursing and just wanted to be rocked and held. Eric did a great job with that! Gigi was with us today and helped out with our rowdy boys, which allowed us to rest even more. Most of the day Eleanor was doing this...... However she did have small periods where she was awake.

Eric and I even got to take an almost 2 hour nap when the boys and Eleanor were sleeping. Glorious!

Gigi has now left and all the babies are due for a bath. So grateful our friend Sally Ann dropped off dinner for us. I'd say it has been a pretty good day. The transition from 2-3 hasn't hit us quite yet, but so far so good. The boys are just loving little sis and are so interested in her, especially Everett. Looking forward to a few more days of rest.

Homecoming

Today we had a good day. Last night Eleanor did great. She was a bit fussy in the early morning hours and just wanted to be held. She settled eventually though and we were able to get some sleep. Today has been another low key day. I saw my doctor, Eleanor saw her pediatrician, and we met with the lactation consultant. I am recovering well and got discharged. Eleanor is doing great too. Her blood work was within normal limits and she only lost 5 ounces. She is nursing well so far too.

Some of Eleanor's gifts. Everybody has been so sweet.
Little miss has been sleeping most of the day. We were anxious all day to get home.

We got her dressed up to come home. She looked so precious in this dress. It is so fun having a girl.

She slept during the car ride.

When we got home the boys were playing in the front yard with Gigi. They were so happy to see us! Everett has already warmed up to Eleanor and Hampton is in love. He kept giving her her blanket and can't stop saying "baby!" We are now settled in. We got Carrabbas take out and Eleanor and I are now resting. Praying for somewhat of a peaceful night, but no matter what we feel overwhelmingly blessed.

Today with Eleanor

Today has been great! We are just smitten by this sweet little girl. Gail, Everett, and Hampton came to see us this morning! Hampton and Everett had very different reactions to their sister. Hampton went crazy yelling "baby, baby, baby" and wanting to hold her/kiss her/squeeze her. Everett was very unsure. He said things such as "she not going to get me" and "I not scared of her." He also kept insisting we put her back to her crib and asking me to get out of bed. He will warm up to her though. I think he was just confused by the whole situation.

Hampton is now a big brother too!

Our family of five. I am in a bit of shock at the amount of children we have now. Going from two to three kids does make a difference. Eric and I are now officially outnumbered!

Eleanor already loves her Gigi.

Eleanor in her first pair of pajamas. I have a feeling we will be wearing a lot of these in weeks to come as we hibernate at home.

Modeling one of her hair bows. She has a milk mouth here!

She is already a daddy's girl. I just love that.

Today other than visiting with the boys this morning, we have had a low key day. She nurses about every 3 hours. We ordered lunch from Jimmy Johns. We watched television. We napped occasionally. We have had a nice day. Now praying we have a restful night. More to come I'm sure!

Eleanor Jane's Birth Story

Yesterday did not start off quite like any other day. Soon after Eric had just gone off to work, I started having moderate-intense contractions. Friday morning I had experienced some of this, which turned out to be false labor, so I really doubted myself if this could be the real thing. Around 9ish, I could barely walk, and I had a hard time taking care of the boys. Poor Everett kept asking me if my belly hurt. I think I was making him nervous! I talked to Eric and kept telling him it was nothing. I called my friend Sally Ann and asked her to come over as soon as possible so I could figure some things out. She was there within 10 minutes. I then called the doctor's office, explained everything and they got me an appointment within the hour. I left the house thinking I would be back soon. On the way to the office the contractions intensified and when the doctor checked me I was 4cm and 70% effaced. He advised me to get to the hospital quickly as I was definitely in labor. I then called Eric and told him to meet me at the hospital. Once I got there, he arrived within minutes. Yesterday I turned 37 weeks. I delivered both Everett and Hampton the day I turned 37 weeks. I guess there is some switch in my body that knows it is time when each baby is then full-term. We all thought this labor was going to be quick since last year Hampton was born under 2 hours. This labor was different however as my water did not break on its own and it took me longer to dilate. In fact, I labored with Everett for 8 hours, Hampton for 2, and Eleanor close to 9 hours! She just took her time. In fact, I ended up having to get a second epidural since my first wore off; however right when the anesthesiologist finished taping me up, I was ready to push. I pushed for close to 9 minutes and then she was out! She arrived at 3:50pm.

She is a pretty pink color and has a head of curly black hair.

It looks like she is waving here.

Sweet girl weighs 6 pounds 5 ounces (same as Hampton's weight) and is 19 inches long. She looked so petite I had guessed around 5 pounds. Still a healthy weight since she was 3 weeks early.

She nursed right before we went up to the mother/baby unit. She did great!

I love this girl!

Right before we left the delivery room.

Last night Eleanor slept great. She woke up in the middle of the night and nursed for about 40 minutes. Other than that she slept completely through the night. Unfortunately I was not able to sleep. I guess it was the adrenaline or hormones, or both but I barely slept all night. Today has been going well as well. She nurses every 3 hours for about 30 minutes each session. She is doing great with that and I am so proud of her. She saw her pediatrician today as well and is healthy thus far. Praying she can discharge tomorrow. More updates to come, but we are in heaven with this sweet girl.

Apple Dumplin' Gang

This morning we went with our friends, the Mertens to an apple orchard. We had so much fun! Everett was very excited that the first thing he got to do was play on a swingset. I love how Abigail and Everett look like they are having a deep conversation in this picture.

Eric, Hampton, and a goat. Hampton kept pointing to it and saying, "baaa."

Everett was brave enough to feed the goats.

A classic Hampton facial expression.

Feeding the ducks. Everett gave the rest of his apple to one of them.

What very well may be our last family picture as a family of four. Next time we come here, we will have Eleanor with us!

Now we have a bushel (or is it a peck?) of apples to make some apple pie and applesauce!