Mother of Two

4 weeks old already. I can hardly believe that Olivia is 4 weeks old. She is now, 11 pounds, 4 oz. and 22 inches long. Way to GROW Olivia!

Here is a short list of my new Mommy skills. Just some things that I learned how to do as a new mother of 2 kids under the age of 2.

-I can breastfeed standing up...yeah me!

-I can survive a 12 hour day home alone with the kids

-I can have a toddler slap me on the leg with a poopie hand and not freak out.

-I can run much faster than anyone would think with an infant strapped to me.

-I can leave the park, or any public setting in a matter of seconds...know when to leave!

-I can carry both children up and down the stairs (Jacob, 32 pounds; Olivia, 11 pounds)

-I can have 2 children at the Dr.'s office, both screaming and not loose my cool!

Most importantly, I have learned that my heart does have the capacity to love Olivia as much as I love Jacob. I love them both, more than I ever thought possible and it's the most wonderful feeling to be the mother of 2, healthy and happy children.

Olivia Mae is here to stay!

Olivia Mae was born on Friday, April 17 at 7:49 am. My labor was fast and furious with no time for drugs or intervention :). I'm calling it my redemption birth! After Jacob's birth I was left wondering if my body even knew how to labor (it was not given the chance) and now after 7 hours of natural childbirth, I know that it can, I CAN! I pushed that baby out with no drugs, just the love and support of Matt and my wonderful Midwife.

Olivia was born with a head full of black hair. We wouldn't have expected anything less (can you say Heartburn???). She does look a lot like Jacob did, but I mostly see myself when I look at her. And YES, she's beautiful. Here are a few photos. I'll post more about Olivia once I get to know her more. For now, we are learning the ropes of parenting 2 kids.

OH BELLY!

I've had several requests for more pregnant pictures of myself. To be honest, I haven't even taken that many. With Jacob, I had a photo taken every 2 weeks at least. This time around...please, don't take my picture! But I've had Matt snap a few. Here is a photo of me at 38 weeks with Jacob and 36 weeks with this baby:

March Maddness

We made it through the dreadded month of March. I was truly dreading it because it is technically still a "winter" month around here. With each passing week, my body has grown more uncomfortable and my patience has been tested. I say this now, as I'm 38 weeks pregnant and finally feel that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And it helps that now it's April. Due date: April 21. I think I will survive this pregnancy.

Jacob on the other hand, spent the month of March running circles around me. He's getting faster, smarter and more clever by the day. The childproof locks on the kitchen cabinets, no longer childproof, the windowsills have become platforms for his little feet, he's discovered how to take off his diapers (oh JOY) and the toilet is his new favorite toy (several times a day he runs into the bathroom, flushes the toilet and runs back out making a wooshing sound). I used to feel like I was always just a step or two ahead of him. Now I'm feeling like I'm 3 or 4 behind!

He's a happy little guy, but like most toddlers, wants HIS way. This means that I'm either on the ground crawling around like a "doggie" (what a funny looking dog I must be), giving the boy a "horsie" ride, or getting all of the crayons out so that Jacob can sit down and color for aprox. 2 seconds before saying "All Done".

Finally, I get to the "March Maddness". Jacob didn't watch much of the basketball tournament (except for when Matt had it on), but he had his own little TV tournament with Blue's Clues and Seaseme Street! I thought I'd be very opposed to letting my child watch TV, and for the most part I do try to use it sparingly (Jacob actually wouldn't watch TV until recently). However, the past month Jacob watched a fair amount of TV (1 hour max/day). Something I'm not particularly proud of, but it has done the trick. I'm not trying to be a perfect parent, no one is, but in order for me to survive this pregnancy (which I finally think I will), it's nice to know that I have something that will slow down the maddness. And here's the proof:

Peace At Last

It isn't an unusual event in our house to have Jacob wake up in the wee hours of the morning, soaking wet. Wet PJ's, wet sheets, wet blankets. I've tried everything I can possibly think of to prevent this from happening, but for some reason Jacob is a very heavy wetter at night. Last night was quite a doozie. I heard wimpering and told Matt to listen for me because I may need some help. That was an understatement. Jacob was soaking wet and saying "All Done" over and over and over and over. I called for some assistance because there was NO WAY, I was going to be able to do this on my own. Matt changed the bed while I attempted to change and comfort the now hysterical child who was shivering, as I stripped him of his wet PJ's, and still saying "All Done". I brought Jacob into our bed and he refused to lie down with us. He literally just sat there sobbing, saying and signing (as if we didn't quite get it) "All Done". Finally, I just decided that enough was enough and I would attempt to settle him back into his own bed. We managed to locate all of the nookies (it is essential that Jacob have all 3 nookies, 1 to suck, and 1 for each hand), and this 9-month pregnant Mama, climbed into the twin bed with my little boy to attempt to get him back to sleep. After several songs, Jacob finally managed to calm down and fall back asleep. Leaving me with one arm asleep, a leg that was on the verge of cramping and a very full bladder being kicked by baby girl. Risky as it was, I managed to sneek out and climb back into my own bed to join my snoring husband. Peace At Last!

Mommy Love

Jacob loves his Mommy. He really does, I'm not just tooting my own horn here. He loves to be wherever I am (literally freaks out when I go upstairs to get dressed) and is very affectionate with me. He gives me lots of hugs and kisses. It's so great to have him share his affection with me. Sometimes though, it's too much! When we flew back from GA, Jacob started to lick me right on the mouth on the plane when we were surrounded by complete strangers. I don't know where he got the idea to lick me (Matt and I have hardly shared a hug in front of the kid). He now likes to lick the belly, although, recently he has said "yuck" after doing this. I think he's trying to butter me up before the arrival of his new sister. Honestly though, I love every squeeze and smooch from him. I just can't seem to get enough. I guess that's what being a Mom is all about...never getting enough of your kids.

Even the belly licks are ok!

Spring

Spring is here! BUT- we live in Maine, northern Maine that is. So Spring is quite a relative term around here. We don't have grass and tulips blooming, or even leaves on our trees yet, but it feels like Spring. When you have lived for several months in a row with the temperatures hitting -15, a day when the sun is shining and it's a balmy 48 out, it feels like Spring! We have had some days when the temp even went up to 52! But, then we also recently had a huge snow storm...18 inches of that white stuff fell from the sky and out house looked like we had been attacked by snow monsters. For Jacob, Spring means more driveway time and splashing in puddles. They don't call it "Mud Season" for nothing! For me, Spring means more laundry.

Here are a few pics of our 18 inches of snow!