Our photo shoot pictures are online now so check them out!! We'll post the pics we took in the hospital soon once we get some time to photoshop them! Enjoy!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Miss Anna is 1 week!
Today Anna turns 1 week old...time has flown already!! We had her first pediatrician appointment and she passed with flying colors....even gaining 1.5 lbs. since birth!!!!! The pediatrician was really in shock, repeatedly making sure the numbers were right...too funny!! I knew I had abundant milk, but she has her brother beat as he only gained back his birth weight at one week!! We are too lucky that our kiddos seem to have no issues gaining weight...yay for mommy milk! :)
My sister Sarah & sister-in-law Stephanie arrived on Friday afternoon while my sister Holly left on Thursday evening. So, Eli has had constant entertainment from his aunties....which he has soaked up like a sponge!! Sarah & Steph went home yesterday, & my cousin, aunt, uncle, and 2nd cousins visited, so today was our first day with just the 4 of us. While we had appointments to tend to, it was nice to be just us, but we also missed our wonderful family. This coming weekend my dad & step mom will be in town and more friends will be trickling in to meet lovely Anna! The BIG transition will be next week when daddy returns to work...I'm breaking out the sling & wrap this week to get some practice in so I can have my hands to play with Eli!! Oh, and of course the double stroller...should be exciting! :)
Anna has been really great. She nurses awesome (obviously with her weight gain!) and I am not sore like I was with Eli. With Eli I had scabbing, cracked nipples, etc. so I am SO counting my blessings this time around!! She has been held constantly, but does enjoy watching her mobile in her crib on occasion. She sleeps on average 2-3 hour stretches, but the 3 hour stretch is usually just one before the sun rises. I'm not worried about sleep, really, as we co-slept with Eli to keep my sanity, so starting co-sleeping sooner is really a sanity saver!!
Anna makes adorable faces while she sleeps, snorts & stuffs her fingers in her mouth when hungry (& lets out a high shreek if not fed soon enough!), coos when awake, smiles & even laughs in her sleep, & loves to be outside on the deck. She sleeps through any noise & doesn't like wardrobe changes too much. Her cord fell off today AS I was putting her in her carseat for her doctor appointment & Eli found it on the floor & said "what's that?" otherwise I would have not even noticed until we got to the doc! She is out of newborn clothes unless they are separates as she is too long!! Trying on clothes is hit or miss as some 0-3 are too big, while others fit great. But, we have a closet full so she'll be just fine!
Below are some pictures of Anna's first week!
2nd day home. Eli loves to hold Anna but becomes very impatient about it, sometimes. He likes to point out all her body parts & say "Anna's here!":
First sponge bath at home!:
My sister Sarah & sister-in-law Stephanie arrived on Friday afternoon while my sister Holly left on Thursday evening. So, Eli has had constant entertainment from his aunties....which he has soaked up like a sponge!! Sarah & Steph went home yesterday, & my cousin, aunt, uncle, and 2nd cousins visited, so today was our first day with just the 4 of us. While we had appointments to tend to, it was nice to be just us, but we also missed our wonderful family. This coming weekend my dad & step mom will be in town and more friends will be trickling in to meet lovely Anna! The BIG transition will be next week when daddy returns to work...I'm breaking out the sling & wrap this week to get some practice in so I can have my hands to play with Eli!! Oh, and of course the double stroller...should be exciting! :)
Anna has been really great. She nurses awesome (obviously with her weight gain!) and I am not sore like I was with Eli. With Eli I had scabbing, cracked nipples, etc. so I am SO counting my blessings this time around!! She has been held constantly, but does enjoy watching her mobile in her crib on occasion. She sleeps on average 2-3 hour stretches, but the 3 hour stretch is usually just one before the sun rises. I'm not worried about sleep, really, as we co-slept with Eli to keep my sanity, so starting co-sleeping sooner is really a sanity saver!!
Anna makes adorable faces while she sleeps, snorts & stuffs her fingers in her mouth when hungry (& lets out a high shreek if not fed soon enough!), coos when awake, smiles & even laughs in her sleep, & loves to be outside on the deck. She sleeps through any noise & doesn't like wardrobe changes too much. Her cord fell off today AS I was putting her in her carseat for her doctor appointment & Eli found it on the floor & said "what's that?" otherwise I would have not even noticed until we got to the doc! She is out of newborn clothes unless they are separates as she is too long!! Trying on clothes is hit or miss as some 0-3 are too big, while others fit great. But, we have a closet full so she'll be just fine!
Below are some pictures of Anna's first week!
2nd day home. Eli loves to hold Anna but becomes very impatient about it, sometimes. He likes to point out all her body parts & say "Anna's here!":
First sponge bath at home!:
Sitting on the deck...she sometimes coos at the breeze:
Mobile time...actually more like dancing shadows on the bumper time:
Anna & daddy:
More deck time:
This is a sure sign she is ready to eat...the fingers only last a few short seconds:
Aww....sibling love:
On the way to grandma & grandpa's!:
A newborn dress that only fits because the diaper cover is separate from the dress!:
Also, Eli is doing better. The first afternoon home was really tough for him, but since then, have improved. I was really sad for him that first day as I understood where it came from, but some things just couldn't be tolerated! I'm sure I'll have a hard time transitioning next week to mothering 2 kiddos on my own, especially at bedtime, but we'll figure it out. I'll keep you posted!!
Lastly, today we got photos taken of Anna, Anna & Eli, & all 4 of us. The link should be up by Friday so I'll post a link this weekend. In addition, I hope to post Anna's birth story soon along with a post about Eli so keep checking us out!!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
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:
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!
Friday, May 21, 2010
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!:
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!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
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!
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!
Monday, May 17, 2010
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!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
