Welcome Anna Lorraine Clarkson!

For those who haven't heard the news, Anna Lorraine Clarkson arrived at 12:26am on 5/25/10! She weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and is 21 inches long. We just came home this afternoon from the hospital and I am finally able to do a post full of pictures about our little Anna. Here's a link to the post about Eli at birth to compare their looks...they look pretty alike to me!! I'll post my birth story in another post, as I know everyone is most interested in pictures...enjoy!!

Here she is...all 8 lbs. 8 oz of her!

Lovely Anna:

The morning Eli met Anna, we gave him a race car track as a gift to him from Anna. He loved it!:

Kissing his new sister:

We did our own newborn pictures and here are a couple samples of how they turned out. We'll edit them & post them at a later date:

Anna's going home outfit was her lil' sis onsie. Eli wore his too, as you'll see below:

Going home!:

Eli was excited to have Anna sit next to him in the car:

Announcing to our neighbors that she has arrived!:

A lot of time will be spent on this couch with Miss Anna, I'm sure!:

How Anna spent the majority of her afternoon:

We've had a rough go this afternoon with Mr. Eli. No nap + big adjustment does not equal good day. He was really acting out and having a hard time with Anna being home. Hopefully tomorrow will be better for him!! Otherwise, we are happy (but tired :) to be home and look forward to our new family!! Thanks for checking in and I'll post more later!

A much needed post about our first born :)

As we await Anna's arrival, I realized that I haven't posted about Mr. Eli in awhile! There is much to say about him and his cute little nature, so let's begin:

1) While in the car the other day, I said to Eli "Ready Freddy?". Eli's response was "I'm Eli. I'm not Freddy!"
2) Eli is SO excited about starting preschool next year. I think that watching NickJr. has put the idea of preschool in his head as he on his own began to ask about going to preschool. We had already planned on sending him in the fall for 2 mornings a week, but didn't want to start talking about it TOO early knowing that we would never hear the end of it! So once he started asking on his own, I told him all about it. We drive by the preschool a lot and he always points it out and says "That's my preschool!". Then I say "And how old will you be when you go to preschool?". Eli responds, "Three!". I ask, "And when will you be three?". He responds, "August!". So, he is totally pumped :)
3) Eli is in LOVE with the older kids in our neighborhood. There aren't any kids his age in our neighborhood that we know of, which is actually okay, because he loves to play with Lance, who is in 1st grade & Jacob who is in 3rd grade. They live on the street right off our cul-de-sac so when he sees them outside riding their bikes, he wants to immediately jump on his tricycle and take off to play. The boys actually do pretty good with him, and will include him in some of their play. We have had, though, many fits about Eli wanting to play with them when he should be taking a bath or when the boys want to play like big boys in their house or back yard. It's too cute to see how social he is and how much he enjoys older kids. He will say "What are you doin', guys?". :)
4) As stated above, Eli is a little social butterfly. No matter where we are, he has no issue talking to other kids AND adults. He will ask other mommies to "Watch me!" or ask "How you doin' today?". I am always getting comments while at parks or out shopping about how outgoing he is. Of course, some stranger danger is necessary, so we'll have to work on that :0
5) We've really been talking to him a lot about what a big boy he is and how many things he can do by himself. This has of course sprung from the upcoming arrival of his little sister to help him be more independent about daily tasks. He is always saying "I'm a big boy" or "I'm a helper". It's too cute to see how confident he is and what a big smile he gets when he does something himself. Of course, there's the other end of the spectrum where he can get pretty upset if he can't do something....oh independence :)
6) Along with all the good stuff above, we are also battling a phase of hitting and insisting that everything is his. I have noticed that he can really clash with kids who have similar outgoing personalities or who are sensitive. He plays best with kids who are a little more timid and who can play and not get offended by his outgoing, sometimes pushy nature. As stated above, he plays well with kids who are a little older than him, for whatever reason. Our neighbors have twin 5 year old grandsons who visit sometimes and he plays with them SO well. It's quite interesting to see them interact. So, our playdates with his peers are often full of breaking up of issues around hitting and saying not nice words. Thankfully my mommy friends are all fine with helping all the kiddos learn through this phase. But boy, it can be a tough one!
7) As a result of #6, we have had to do more types of consequences for Eli. I'm not a huge fan of time out, but we have had to start using a form of time out. Essentially, we do a lot of redirecting and trying to remind him of what he should and can do. We give him choices of what he can do, which usually include the "good choice" and then the "consequence choice". Then we count to 3, 5, or 10 (depending on the situation) to allow him time to think about what choice he is going to make. We make this all very simple, of course, being is not quite 3 yet! The consequence choice usually involves a toy being taken away, stopping of an activity, or removing him from the situation. Removing him either includes sitting him with us (and often holding him) while he calms down and is ready to play again, or for more disruptive situations, going to his room. I also don't like sending him to his room, but have found it is all that works (besides holding him) as if we do time out, he will NOT stay there and it becomes the biggest battle ever. In his room, he stays, and he often cries or yells for us, but he is only in there for 2 minutes. So, we're not sure if all this is the best parenting ever, but we are just trying to help him understand consequences. He is a smart boy and I think he does understand so let's hope it's working :0

Okay, now on to some fun pictures of our little (I mean big ;) man:

At a garage sale (which he loves to attend simply because he likes to try out all the other kids' toys), I bought what ended up being 2 train sets and a remote controlled Thomas the train. The below track is great as it has a train the runs itself around the track and it isn't too big and complicated to put together. Don't mind Eli's dirty, grungy look...it was after a long day of play outside!:

Oh, and he also got a cool motorcycle:

While playing in the garage, Eli threw a softball up in the air and it landed back on his face. Poor guy had a fat lip for a little while:

Eli thinks he has super powers, which is something that cracks me up because he's never seen superman or any superhero movie or character besides Spiderman (and that's because he has a coloring book of Spiderman). But, he loves to pretend to be "Superman, to the rescue!" as he says:

Daddy bought Eli a monster truck....this boy loves cars, trucks, trains...anything with wheels!:

He loves his daddy!:

Eric said that one morning while he was getting Eli his breakfast, he couldn't find Eli and then found him like this:

Go figure!

Well, very soon, Eli's (& ours!) life will be turned upside down. I do believe he'll do okay with the change, and that probably our biggest challenge will be helping him understand how to be gentle and calm with Anna. I'm sure she'll quickly adjust to his sometimes aggressive and loud demeanor! I'm also glad that he is such an independent and outgoing kiddo who doesn't mind spending hours with grandma or daddy without me. If he were a huge mama's boy, I could see how adding a sibling would be really difficult. I'm sure Eli will also be a great helper and we'll quickly decide on what tasks he can be a "big boy" and help mommy with for Anna. I'm so excited to see their relationship form and see him take on the role of big brother!

We will certainly be enjoying our warm (almost hot!) weather his weekend and coming week. It would be a perfect time for Miss Anna to arrive! Keep checking in!

39 week doc appointment

Today we are 39 weeks 3 days....here are the stats!

Anna's heartrate: 144 bpm
Mommy's blood pressure: good!
Mommy's weight gain: or LOSS!! I lost 1/2 lb. since last week bringing me to right at 40 lbs. gained...for Eli I remained at 42 lbs. gained at 39 weeks.
Dilation/Effacement: I am 1 cm dilated today. I was also 1 cm at Eli's 39 week appointment. She said my cervix is softening nicely and the opening is way back to the left so she really had to reach back there to feel it...it felt really great...NOT! She also said she could feel Anna's head so that is great that she is in position!! Anyway, as I've said repeatedly, all this means nothing until the big day!

I'm still drinking my raspberry leaf tea and my braxton hicks are pretty frequent during the day. Nothing painful, just tightening. I thought I had 2 contractions with actual pain...one Wednesday morning and one Thursday morning. Obviously those are just a fluke as they were 24 hours apart from eachother!

This weekend holds our 6th wedding anniversary & my cousin Laura's birthday on Saturday the 22nd. My sister Sarah's birthday is on Sunday the 23rd AND my midwife will be at a graduation out of town on Sunday, so I only ask Anna to try to avoid Sunday. It would a little sad to have another doctor deliver her after seeing my midwife my entire pregnancy. But, of course, we would deal with it if that is what she chose :) The warmer weather is "supposed" to arrive tomorrow and stick around awhile, so that will be really awesome...we are rained out!

So, I'll keep everyone updated!

39 weeks!

39 weeks and my gut tells me her arrival won't be far away! Everyone tells me she has dropped a lot and today my nerve pain from her being so low was not fun. All signs the day is quickly approaching! Today was also my last official day of work so I am on leave...or what you can call leave from a company where I don't really have a set job to come back to! The only thing "in the way" of me wanting her to arrive NOW is I am transferring my social work LMSW license to Missouri (which Missouri only established the same license as of April 30th otherwise I would have done sooner) and I have to get fingerprinted on Thursday morning. I had to pay in advance and they had no other appointments this week, so it would be nice to get that done and over with before she arrives. But, if she comes before, as long as I give 24 hour notice, I can change my appointment without losing the money....or at least a sob story about being in labor should work ;)

This week we have scheduled our regular activities: music class, playdate, doc appointment, etc. No point of just waiting around! My sister Holly will be in town starting Friday through next Friday, so it would be nice if Anna arrived during that time frame. Plus, Eric & I's anniversary is Saturday & my other sister Sarah's birthday is Sunday so maybe Friday or Monday would work best :) No orders, though, Anna, I'm thankful you are healthy & have the choice to come on your own, sweet girl. We will be happy to meet you on YOUR time!!

Fun 39 week fact: She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, (or 8-9 lbs. as my midwife predicts). The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath. (babycenter.com)

My midwife appointment is Thursday where I will be checked for dilation/effacement. It will be interesting to hear of any progress, but as I continue to say, it really means nothing until I am in labor! I have increased my Raspberry Leaf Tea consumption to 3 cups a day this week, so I'm keeping my uterus toned for the big day! We'll definitely post on facebook and on our blog when any progress occurs so keep checking in!!

38 week doc appointment

Today was my 38 week midwife appointment. All is still great!! Below are my stats:

Anna's heartrate: 143 bpm (exactly the same bpm for Eli at his 38 week appt.)
Mommy weight gain: only .2 lbs! I've had zero swelling this last week due to not working in the office...that was definitely what was causing it!! Now I'm up to not quite 41 lbs.....1 lb. LESS than what I was at this point with Eli....yay!
Mommy blood pressure: great!
Mommy measurements: right on!

I chose to NOT get checked again this week. I left it up to my midwife and she said that it was fine to wait until next week but that for sure I would be checked then.

So, onward we go!

Belly moving videos

Enjoy two videos of Anna moving in utero and getting herself in funky positions. Here's the post I did of Eli moving in utero at 38 weeks. Ignore the veins and stretch marks...the video actually makes my belly look much worse. She does have the hiccups which is the rhythmical movement. Oh, and that is "Lost" in the background :)

38 weeks!

38 weeks today and her arrival seems very near! Here's my post for Eli at 38 weeks. Not much to report since last week's doc appointment, other than continued increased Braxton Hicks contractions. I start to drink Red Raspberry Leaf tea tomorrow so there may be more contractions on the way! I'll start diluted and see how I feel and then increase. Giving my uterus a work out before the big day!! I see the chiropractor tomorrow, which is always a good thing, and this week's doc appointment is on Thursday.

Today was my last day to go into the office and my work load will be very light this week (checking emails/voice mails). Then Monday, I transition my supervisor back for about 1-2 hours...then I'm officially on leave! I found out today about another possible part-time option for when I return, so that is great. Options are always good!

It continues to be cool & rainy around here & I see little hope of the temps being what I want before she arrives....oh well, what can you do.

Thought I'd post another belly parade so enjoy!!:

Fun 38 week fact: Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.) (babycenter.com)

Mother's Day 2010

I am very blessed to be a mother to big boy Eli and little Anna! Motherhood is amazing and the below poem that I post every year sums it up perfectly:

Before I was a Mom
I never tripped over toys or memorized the words to a lullaby
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a child sleep.
Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping child just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry child.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

To all the moms out there, hope you had a wonderful day!

Preparing for Anna

We've been busy around here preparing for Anna's arrival! My to-do lists have been long and I am feeling pretty good about the items I check off each week. Eric has had to do most of the labor, thanks, honey :) Things on my list have included:

1) Baby book/journal: I have a lot of it complete that can be completed prior to her arrival. I will order pictures soon to add to the album and to her first photo album. I started journaling to her once I found out I was pregnant...I will keep that up monthly after she is born and then yearly (just like I did for Eli!)
2) Stocking up on essentials such as wipes, diapers, nursing essentials, batteries for swing, vibrate chair, mobile, etc.
3) Eli's special toys: I bought a few toys and put into a duffle bag to bring out during those times I need him to be preoccupied with something "new".
4) Eli's gift from Anna: Anna bought Eli a special gift for him to open in the hospital when they meet for the first time! Can't wait to see what it is ;)
5) Sanitizing items such as breast pump supplies, pacifiers, bottles & nose aspirators
6) Putting together Eli's "plan" for when we go to the hospital. My mom will come be with him whether we go day or night so that will be great. He is very comfortable with her since she has cared for him multiple times a week since he was 1 year old!
7) Just had her car seat installed today! We always go to the car seat safety checks held by "Safe Kids"...makes me feel good they are professionally installed :)
8) Put together my birth plan (as I talked about in another post)
9) Put up pack-in-play bassinet beside my bed
10) Cleaning my car
11) Cleaning the house
12) Yard work: I planted flowers in my pots last weekend and Eric is working on the yard such as mowing, spraying weed killer, & trimming of bushes

Still on my list include items like packing my hospital bag (I will start to pack my hospital bag in the next few days and add to it as the days/weeks go on) and other items that are more ongoing. It's amazing what hormones do to your desire to organize, organize, organize!!

Also in preparation, I have asked my talented friends to make some items for me (or they surprised with as gifts!). Below you will see the handmade items for Miss Anna:

"Lil Sis" onesie, hair accessory organizer with clips, sleeper with "A", & "Anna" banner for her room:

Nursing cover, 2 wraps, and a sling:

And of course, helping Mr. Eli to be as prepared as possible has been our BIGGEST priority. He knows his sister by name & loves to shower her with hugs & kisses. Now don't get me wrong, he also has a tendency to HIT my belly, but we are working on that. We have been reading books about new siblings/babies, too, which he has been enjoying. He also loves to be in Anna's room and turn on her mobile or "lullabye baby" as he calls it. We talk about all the "stuff" in her room and how she will sleep in mommy & daddy's room for awhile and just "play" in her room. He likes to play with her toys (which used to be his toys), too. We talk about how mommy & daddy will have to go to the hospital when she decides to come out of my tummy & that he will get to meet her at the hospital, too. His face lights up when we talk about that. He has started to say "Anna come out now?", "I want Anna", etc. so he is getting geared up, too. In addition, I purposefully put up the swing, brought out the vibrate chair, installed her car seat, etc. early enough so he can get used to these items being around. He tries to swing the swing too hard, and wants to sit in her car seat, but he'll get the idea soon enough :) Below are pics of Eli with the new items we brought out this week:

Putting Mickey in the vibrate chair and giving him a drink of his water:

His favorite part about the swing is all the buttons he can push & turn:

Wearing Mickey in the sling!:

I brought out Eli's "Big Bro" shirt to show him how he will wear it when Anna wears her "Lil Sis" shirt...he thought that was fun!:

So, while I know the transition will be hard, and that there will probably be issues of jealousy and times of trying to stop Eli from bopping Anna in the head with his hammer, I am looking forward to introducing the two of them in just a couple short weeks. I'm sure there will be several posts about our struggles with this transition, but we'll make it! I'm excited that daddy will be taking 2 weeks off from work to help with Eli. Also, family will be in town and he will love all the attention :) Monday is 38 weeks!!

Baby Showers!!

I've been lucky enough to have 2 baby showers thrown for me & Miss Anna! So fun to celebrate with friends our little girl. Here are pics:

The first shower was thrown by my playgroup friends. At one point, there were 7 of us pregnant at once, now 3 have had their babies and the rest of us are due within days of each other! Below is a picture of me with another pregger mama, Tiffany, who is due a week ahead of me:

They did a cute idea of decorating laundry baskets and then everyone brought a small gift to put in each basket. There are 3 girls and 2 boys for this shower!:

The yummy food:

And the mamas! From left to right: Chantel (who had her little girl, Leah, just this Tuesday!), Allison with baby Cerise (who will arrive this coming Thursday!), me with Anna, and Tiffany with her baby boy whose name is still undecided:

Here's the mamas with ANOTHER mama who is due in August...right around Eli's birthday!:

The 2nd shower was a more intimate shower for two of us pregnant mamas thrown by some other wonderful mommies. They did an adorable theme of children's books with food to match! Too creative, they are!:

One of my friends does art with paper, paper supplies, fabric, etc. She made this adorable banner with Anna's name. It now hangs in her room:

Eli & I enjoying the delicious food:

Presents! Look at the adorable crocheted hat with flower clip:

Yay! Anna's "Lil Sis" onesie to match Eli's "Big Bro" shirt!:

AND my sling!:

And, and, AND my nursing cover!:

Thank you so much, everyone, for the time spent and creative ideas for these showers....she's spoiled already!