First Two Days

Our little girl is here! We're still working on the name, so stay tuned.

She was born at 2:31pm on January 16th, 2013
weighing in at 7lbs. 14oz
measuring 19.5 inches
and with a head circumference of 13.75 inches

Here are some impressions from the first two days:

She was amazingly calm from the moment she was born, only crying when manhandled.

She has more hair than Alexander or Annabel did at birth, and she was covered with an amazing amount of vernix. Annabel was with us here at home for her sister's birth, and when she saw the baby seconds after delivery, she said in a soft sweet voice, "Oh, the baby's here." Then she saw the vernix and her tone changed. "What's all that yucky stuff?"

She has big hands and long fingers that she kept flexing and stretching that first night. Also long toes. And long fingernails. Though she was very calm to first night, she squirmed a lot and made lots of little squeaking and sighing sounds, as if trying out her voice. She also had long periods of open-eyed alertness that night. At least, one eye was open. Tiny pirate. She makes all sorts of little-old-lady-who's-lost-her-dentures faces. It's pretty cute and funny looking.

She's got a strong sucking instinct and pretty much wants to do that every time she's awake.

And last, for now: Jolene was here for the birth and she was going to catch the baby, but the last bit happened so fast and surprised us all. Our little girl came out in one push and I got to catch my own baby! Pretty magical.

Expecting

We are two weeks away from the due date of our new baby and the excitement is mounting.

I'm feeling mostly ready, having gathered baby things from friends and family, put the house in better order, and finished all the important paperwork I had been neglecting. Of course, there are still endless tasks to do, but if I were to go into labor right now, I'd feel prepared. Mostly, now, I feel like we're waiting, joyfully anticipating what this new little being will be like.

Annabel is especially interested. She talks about her new baby sister all the time and always wants to "listen to the baby." She is really quite sweet and gives hugs and kisses to my belly throughout the day.

More and more I think about how this baby will change our family. Not just the whole roller coaster of having an infant in the house again, but the changes in the family dynamic. Annabel will go from the baby of the family (a position she relishes) to being a big sister, and the middle child. How will that change her?

We joke about how we've decided this baby will be our Buddha-baby, a child that brings peace and calm and enlightenment to our family, but who knows what she'll be like?

We're waiting to find out.

Waiting for...

There's much excitement in our household these days. Awaiting the new baby? Yeah, but that's old news. The latest excitement is Alexander's first loose tooth!

Technically, we first noticed a slight wiggle in said tooth over a month ago, but now it's flopping around all over the place. And the new tooth has already started to push up underneath. It has broken through the gum in a valiant effort to oust the old tooth. But the baby tooth hangs on.

We'll keep y'all posted on the next exciting developments.

Happy New Year!

A new year has begun and we're all excited about the changes 2013 will bring. A new baby at the end of this month. Hopefully a job for Michiel. Annabel will start school this year. And Alexander...well, everyone knows that six is soooo much older than five.

And here's our fun art project with sparklers. Michiel did the 2 and the 3. Annabel did the 1. Alexander did the 0, and I took the pictures. Joy and peace to you all in this new year!

Big Boy

Sometimes I forget what a competent, independent boy Alexander is. He's almost six years old and he knows how to do so much! Of course, I'm always trying to show him how to do things and it annoys him to no end. I'm trying to back off.

This weekend he made pannenkoeken for the whole family...practically by himself. Michiel was there for safety, but Alexander did it all himself. And yesterday, he came home and folded everything in the laundry basket. Without being asked.

A week or two ago he came to me all proud of himself and said, "Mommy, did you know that the leaning tower of Pisa is in Italy?"

I said, "Yes, I did know that."

"Arrrgh!" He said. "Why do you always know everything I want to tell you?"

Poppies Mural

I finally finished the mural I started ages ago. It was for a woman who remodeled her house and then found the half-bath too bland, so she asked me to paint some poppies. I'm glad to have finished it (at 29 weeks) before getting too big.

Halloween

Though Halloween was two weeks ago, I'm finally getting around to posting something. I'm behind with everything these days. So, here's what the kids got for lunch on Halloween. I was particularly proud of the little pumpkin-shaped carrot slices - Michiel's idea, my execution.

And here's our little pink bunny, ready to go out and get candy. She was pretty cute because she kept mixing up which she was supposed to say first: "Trick or treat!" or "Thank you!"

And here is my little policeman and my little bunny trick or treating at the house of our good friends, John and Hilary.

And of course, later on, examining the loot. Alexander got about twice as much candy as Annabel, even before convincing her to share a bunch of hers with him. He's quite the little con artist. I suppose that's a privilege of being the oldest. I remember convincing Jo to make all sorts of candy trades with me - two of her snickers for one measly malt ball. She doesn't remember any of it. I hope Annabel will be so lucky.