Introducing Cora Clare

We welcomed Cora Clare into the world at 6:48 am on Sunday morning, May 22, 2011. She weighed 7 lb 11 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. Cora means "maiden" and is a name Gil and I both liked (there aren't many due to Gil's dislike of all names I think!), plus it is his great-grandma's name and the name of one of his aunts (although she went by Charlotte). Clare means "illuminate" or "light", and is for St. Clare, a Fransiscan, so has a Briar Cliff relation. My due date was the 23rd and my choice date was the 21st, so the 22nd ended up being perfect! (in fact Jude was also born the day before his due date, so I guess I know just what to expect for next time!). The labor/delivery went very well (despite the fact that the epidural barely had an effect) and very fast! We got to the hospital at 4:20 am and she arrived a little over 2 hours later. It was nice that it happened quickly, but not so nice that labor was all during the night and then visitors came all during the day. Well, I said that wrong, visitors were very nice, but it was also a very exhausting day! Thank goodness for the first two nights of having the nursery so that we could get a little shut eye in between feedings and blood pressure takings and all the other interruptions you get with a hospital stay. We ended up delivering at St. Luke's and overall had a very good experience. The other bad part about delivering in the morning though is that you need to stay two whole days and part of another. We were SO ready to come home!

Now that we are at home we have been able to get a little more rested. She has done quite well at night. Actually, she is a very content and pleasant baby so far. Eats great, poops great, sleeps great (despite waking every two hours), what more could you ask for?! Jude LOVES his "sisser." He often looks at her and says, "So cute!" He loves to point out her body parts, give her her binker, and play the music on her swing. He has even been willing to share toys (not that she is the least bit interested!). But he has also shown a few signs of jealousy and being uncomfortable not getting all the attention he demands. It was great the day of her birth though. He was on cloud 9 with the baby, both grandparents there, and especially the presence of cousin "Ashy."

It is amazing that even though Jude is only 2, I have already forgotten so many things about newborns. Like the startling reflex, falling asleep while eating, all the guesses of feedings and diapers, and how EASY they are compared to a two-year-old (except at 2 am). It is also amazing how it has all come back to me. Definitely easier for me the second time having a little experience to draw on.

Cora had her first well baby check yesterday. She has NO jaundice (something we were very concerned about since Jude had such a rough start with it. so that means no supplementing or bilirubin lights!). Plus she is at 7 lb 8 oz already. We are just so thankful and feel so blessed! We have been given a very healthy baby girl and have a very healthy and energetic big brother for her:)

Here she is moments after birth.

Sleeping in the hospital on the quilt Grandma Carolyn made for her.

Feeding and pee/poop tracking at the hospital.

At home:) This is a hat my grandma Mary Lou crocheted for her.

Jude holding his baby sister.

Sporting the headband from Aunt Alissa and laying on the quilt I made.

Funny Face:)

Sleepy girl

To Pay or Not to Pay?

Here are some pics I took of Jude the other day after school. I really like taking pictures and wish I remembered to do it more often. Right now I am contemplating getting professional pictures taken of the new baby and for Jude's second birthday. They are just sooooooo much money when I really only want a couple to hang on the wall. I mean having an excess of pictures is fun for a while, but really just excessive! Maybe I should just buy a good camera and take a class. I love to do things myself, that is another part of the issue. Hence the quilt that I made myself! Despite the various flaws, I made it!!!

On another note, I am 39 weeks along tomorrow...not sure if I'll make it through the week or not as I was at 3 cm last Wednesday. But I didn't know if I'd make it through last week and here I am! Who knows, maybe I'll even make it to the due date. The ideal time period for me is May 19-22. The last day of school for kids is the 18th and the last teacher day is the 20th. Then Gil's sister, Brittany, leaves for Spain for 6 weeks on the 24th, even though that is the ideal day for my doctor (she is not on call the weekend of May 20-22 due to her daughter's high school graduation). I guess we'll WAIT and see:)

Oh, yes, and the curtains I also made myself!!!

More Jesus!

Here are some videos of last weekend that I couldn't get to upload earlier (and I'm not so sure they worked now either...). Also, I completely forgot to mention another big event that took place. Last Friday Jude got his first real haircut (Besides the buzz cut he got last July, we have never cut his hair. That was Gil's decision by the way!). It was actually done, by chance, by a woman who is the mother of a boy he goes to daycare with. Landon is just about Jude's age, so she was really good with him. And he did amazing (much better than I expected for being tired, grumpy, and having a general dislike of sitting still!). The thing that kept him the most occupied was having the spray bottle of water and shooting himself in the eye! I, of course, forgot my camera, but did get some good shots on my phone. I just have no idea how to get them from my phone to here! Anyway, I think it turned out nicely. It is still long (as you can see in the previous photos), but at least it is not in his eyes or looking like it should be in a ponytail!

Another Jude story I want to share has to do with bedtime. I am the put-to-bedder of the family generally. And we have gone through various stages with the whole bedtime routine. It used to be that when he was tired I laid him down and he went to sleep. Not much to that routine. Quick and easy! (mind you this was after a long time of sleepless nights, I did get my share!). Then he started to be sad when I left so we started reading books before I laid him down to get ready for it. From books we went to songs, then books and songs, then songs and books and milk, and lately we have even used the ipad for "stories" before bed. Jude is absolutely in love with the ipad and has his own folder of activities from which to choose. He is really good at it. The only problem is he NEVER wants to put it away once it is out. He also thinks it is his turn to use it whenever he sees it and "stories" automatically has come to mean the ipad. Anyway, no matter the routine it is never enough. If I say goodnight I can bet I'm going to hear one of these: "More Milk!" or "More Songs!" or "More Stories!" But the latest is, "More Jesus!" Now, I'm not quite sure where he got that. We do occasionally pray, but I have to admit I'm not as good about doing that as I wish I was. But how can I forget when my two-year-old is insisting on more Jesus! So we pray and thank God for all of our family and our pets and our food and friends. We go through a whole list and I'm pretty sure he thinks it is a game because whatever I say (like, "Thank you for this day"), he will say, "No day," and wave his hand in the air. He does this for everything I pray for, but giggles and seems to think it is funny. We also sing some Jesus songs now and he likes those too. Hmmmmmm, I'm still not sure what is going on in his little mind about Jesus, but I love that something is! And let me tell you, it is tough to leave the room at night when he is screaming, "More Jesus!"