Born on the 16th of May

Sydney Diane is here!  I am so pleased that she stayed put until her scheduled c-section on Thursday, May 16th.  Everything went smoothly and just as planned...Millie now has a very sweet and extremely laid back little sister.  Our Sydney could not be more perfect!

My mom came in Wednesday to help out with Millie Bear.  Millie has found a new bestie, for sure!

Thursday morning, JKK & I headed to the hospital at 5am...last bump pic!

I always feel so much calmer when JKK is with me

And here's our girl...extra cheesy with more cheese on top.  That vernix substance must be some sticky stuff because the nurses kept wiping but not much was coming off.  Video: Sydney birth video (graphic...sorry)

Sydney was born at 7:32am, weighed 6lbs, 14oz, and was 19.5 inches long.  First sister pic...I love this one.

All of a sudden, our little family of three is now a family of four...

Millie has been very curious.  She gets a little rough sometimes taking Syd's hat off or paci out, but each day has gotten better.  I think she is starting to understand that she has to be gentle or mommy and daddy freak out. ;)  Not really, but it is one of the challenges of having another baby with a 22 month old toddler that doesn't really understand how to be easy.

Headed home on Saturday (Syd's waiving sayonara!)

This gal is a sucker.  She had zero problems with breastfeeding from the very first minute.  Every 3 hours...no problemo.  After the first 24 hours, we noticed that she was starting to use me as a pacifier and needed that sucking to calm herself.  We tentatively introduced a paci, even though the experts recommend waiting 2 weeks so that it doesn't mess with the breastfeeding.  Nope, no problems after introducing it...the paci has stayed and she loves it!

It has now been five days, and we keep waiting for the real Sydney to appear.  She is sooooo good that it seems too good to be true.  I can count on one hand the number of times she's cried.  No problems eating, no problems sleeping...calm and relaxed 24/7.  How is this possible?!  I know it is still early days yet, but our little Syd Vicious doesn't really seem all that vicious at the moment.

 pat pat pat

Mills now gives baby Syd sweet kisses and is eager to help us put a blanket on her or give her a paci.  Nana has been a lifesaver!  I don't know how we could've done it without her.  At this age, Millie is still a full-time job and I can't do that much with her yet...no lifting or holding her or getting down on the floor to play.  It has made all the difference having her here to help out and entertain Mills.  It has taken away a lot of the stress and anxiety I was worried about.

Aunt Colleen, aka Aunt Coco, was also here for almost two days to help out.  We are so lucky to have such amazing family to help take such great care of our kiddos.  Millie might be a tad bit spoiled after getting all of this attention. ;)

Papa (my dad) and Grandma Tricia came to visit in the hospital <3

I know it has been such a huge adjustment for Mills (and there have been several meltdowns to prove it), but I'm so proud of how she's handling it all.  There was a whole lot of momma and millie time before, and I might be the only one that is really sad about losing that so suddenly...Mills has loved having daddy and Nana around so much to play with.  Millie is going to be just fine and will be a great big sister!

Sydney had her first checkup with the pediatrician today, and she's healthy and gaining weight!

Born at 6lbs,14oz; Discharged from hospital at 6lbs,7oz; Today at dr appt 6lbs,10.5oz

Welcome to our world, Sydney...we could not feel more like we've won the lottery.  It's hard to believe we get to be parents to these two beautiful girls!  Blessed beyond anything we could've imagined...

Millie & Dah-ee...BFFs

Millie loves her daddy.  She gets upset when he goes to work and gets crazy excited when he gets home for the day.  She follows him around like a little duckling.  They have such a special bond. <3

38 Weeks on Mother's Day

This is it...my last pregnancy post since I'm truly in the homestretch.  Only 3 more days!  I had my last dr. appt. today; all is well and we are set to have this baby on Thursday.  Hurry hurry hurry up, Thursday...

Millie isn't getting her way and she's clearly not happy about it

I had such a lovely Mother's Day at home yesterday with my two favorite people.  JKK surprised me with a fancypants waffle maker, which he then used to make delicious waffles for breakfast.  Add waffle-making to his long list of other talents. ;)  Millie has decided that syrup is no longer suspicious and she's on board with putting it on her waffle.  No whining at breakfast...success!

One of her new favorite outdoor activities:  Video: kicking the ball around with dad

Later that afternoon, Millie's little friend, Grey, came over to play.  His parents, Tracey and Rush, also came along to hang out on the back patio while we let the kiddos play.  We never get to do this kind of hanging out with adults anymore; it was pretty great!  The kids had a good time "painting" with water.  (Thanks Aunt Kathy for the idea!)

 Grey was working hard

 mommy humor

I am so lucky to be a mother to my sweet Millie, and I absolutely can't wait to add Sydney into the mix.

My Sweet Girl

I've been feeling very emotional lately as our time with Millie being an only child is quickly coming to a close (6 days!). She is just so sweet and gives the most enthusiastic hugs and kisses, and she'll let me snuggle with her and love on her as much as I want.  And since I haven't exactly been what you would consider "active" lately, I do a lot of sitting around and snuggling with her.

sister pic!

JKK had a work lunch today, so Millie and I went on a little mommy/daughter lunch date to chick-fil-a.  This is our first time to do this, and it felt kind of special. :)  She got to play on the playground for a bit, although she is still extremely timid in there, and then we had lunch.  Juice boxes are still probably top of her favorite things list at the moment.

Recently, we've had some great feedback on Millie at MDO.  Her teacher, Ms. Erika, isn't all that talkative, so I was surprised yesterday when she offered up some Millie info.  She said that Mills is the only one in the class that listens and follows instructions the first time to be told.  She also said she is very sweet and she loves Millie being in her class and will miss her this summer.  I was so proud!  And then last week, another teacher at MDO stopped me in the hall to say that Millie is so smiley every time she sees her and is always friendly.  Augggghhhh, I die.  Of course I'm extremely curious to know how Millie acts when I'm not around, so it is awesome to hear that she is a pleasant little being and not the class beast.

I pretty much just move this big belly from room to room during the day and watch Millie play.  Thankfully, she's at an age where she can play on her own a lot and I don't have to do much.  I realize how lazy that sounds, but my extra energy stores are being used up with waddling and breathing.  We've spent a ton of time out back lately...the new patio is great and has been such a lifesaver with Mills.  As long as she's outside, she's happy.  

She's even sweet to Beansie...when she wants to be.  

Sometimes I like to go back to old blog posts to see where we were a year ago.  Here is a funny post from one year ago...JKK and I watched these videos last night and cracked up.  And then I got all sad missing Buddy again...sigh...when did I become such a cry baby?!

22 Months Old

Millie Bear is 22 Months Old tomorrow!  She feels so grown up to us...every week is leaps and bounds of development and personality growth.  Of course, there are times when the toddler tantrums can wear on us, but for the most part, she is really good-natured and extremely silly.  When I compare her meltdowns to those of other kids her age, I think we have it pretty easy.  Let's hope they don't escalate too much when we add a new baby sister to the mix. ;)  Video: getting silly with the spray bottle

She still loves Little Gym time, especially swinging on the rings and from the parallel bars.

Her new obsession is sunglasses.  She wants these yellow ones on all the time; they are so scratched up, I don't even know how she sees out of them.  She calls them "gass" instead of glasses...and she gets pretty upset when she can't put them on correctly by herself.  She usually ends up looking like she's had a few too many...

Other current loves: trail mix, taking her sweet time while eating meals (breakfast can take up to 2 hrs), saying "bye bye" to everything (including the swings and slide at the park), goldfish crackers, going to school, talking about Sawyer, playing outside or at the playground, getting rides in her pink car from daddy, giving kisses and big hugs to mommy and daddy, saying "see ya later" when she gets in her pink car, singing (Row row row your boat and the Itsy Bitsy Spider), watching Barney, cheese, owl and blankie, juice boxes, being read to, playing with the water hose, cookies, opening and closing doors, coloring...oh, and playdates with Cayden, especially if they are at TCBY (mommy loves this too)!

She still does NOT love riding in the car.  Or eating much meat.  Or having bubbles in her bath.  Or being told that it is too cold to go outside.  This past week, a record was set for the first snowfall ever in Arkansas in the month of May.  It wasn't a lot, but enough to accumulate...gross.

Millie is the absolute best sleeper, and she has been for many months now.  I cannot even remember the last time I had to get up with her in the middle of the night.  She is always ready to go to bed by 7:30pm and gets up between 6-7am the next morning.  Nap is right after lunch; she goes down between 12:30-1 and naps for about 1.5 hrs usually.  Not really looking forward to having my nighttime sleep interrupted with a new baby, but at least this time I'll know it won't last forever.  Everything seems to be a phase...

37 Weeks = Full Term!

Today baby Sydney is officially considered full term...such a big milestone!  I delivered Camilla at 37 weeks plus one day, but let's hope Syd stays put until her scheduled arrival time, which is only a week and a half away!  We're getting so excited!  It will be fun to have a newborn again. ;)

Yesterday, we watched our Happiest Baby on the Block DVD to refresh our memories on how to calm a crying newborn.  Millie sat on the couch and watched the entire thing with us...mesmerized by those crying babies.  She has such concern and worry for them...it's so sweet.  I think she'll be a great second mommy to Sydney.

Things have been going really well with the pregnancy and there isn't much to report.  My blood pressure is always good and so is her little heartbeat.  No signs of early labor, thank goodness. :)  Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Wish I could have a margarita...

Sah-wheeeeeeeeee

Sah-wheeeeeeee:  this is what Millie says when she swings from a bar.  Or her closet rod.  Or the side of her crib.  She has a knack for finding things to dangle from....it's her new favorite thing.  We're sort of impressed with her upper body strength and how long she actually hangs on to the bar.  ;)  Future gymnast?

Or maybe a future artist?  She really loves to color.

super cute and always impressive school artwork

Another new love thanks to that chick-fil-a bday party: juice boxes.  Ugh.  I wasn't planning to start this habit but never say never, right?!  I've found these Mott's Tots apple juice boxes that are part juice, part purified water.  She doesn't know the difference and it feels like a treat.  Guess it's better than kool-aid. ;)

She still says "scary" a hundred times a day and buries her face in my lap...especially when she hears loud trucks.  Please pass quickly "scary" phase.  Oh, hi Sydney @ 36 weeks!

JKK made this adorable magnet board for Millie.  I love it!  I found the idea on pinterest and he executed it beautifully.  We only let Millie play with it for a few minutes, and now we've put it up until Sydney is born...then Mills will have a new toy to play with.

 Awesome weather last Sunday for a park playdate with Grey

we <3 koalas

And finally, my longtime dear friend Christie came to visit yesterday...all the way from Portland, OR.  I'm so thankful she made the trip to see us, even if it was a short one.  Mills called her "kiss"...and wasn't cooperating with the picture taking. ;)