Vivi Talks to PaPa Bill

I was in the kitchen and overheard Vivi playing and talking on her play kitchen phone to PaPa Bill (which sounds more like PaPa Bow) and was so happy I had the camera close by!

Family & Friends

We feel so blessed that our family and friends have gone out of their way to come meet Addy Jane and to visit with us! The weekend before last, Sheila, Stephen, and my mom were here and we also got to see our friends Chris, Heather, and their son Jack.

Vivi and her "smile" for the camera...

We have eaten REALLY well over the past few weeks. My gourmet chef of a sister (Sheila) and her sous chef (Stephen) made us several meals that we were able to freeze, along with this beautiful dish below (pan-fried salmon on a pea puree with broth) along with a shimp and grits breakfast!

Vivi Skyping with my Dad who wasn't able to make it that weekend...

Last Friday, I made a quick stop by my office to drop of a few things and our new boss suggested that my friend Courtney (who is due exactly 1 month after I was on March 8th) and I take a picture together to show how we are contributing to the success of our company by producing more Gerber babies!

Addy Jane's 2 week check-up

At Addy Jane's 2 week doctor's appointment, she not only made it back up to her birth weight, but she gained another half pound on top of it! She's up to 8 lbs (30th percentile) and is 20 inches long (50th percentile). Her head is 14 inches. The doctor was still impressed that she doesn't have any rashes or scratches. We were happy to get a good report!

She's such a good baby. She's still very content and only cries when she's hungry. She sleeps really well and likes to be snuggled.

And here's Vivi sporting one of her big sister gifts...fairy wings (thanks Ms. Karen)!

Family Pictures

This past Friday, we drove down to Ft. Smith to have Mika Beth Edwards take Addy Jane's newborn pictures and our family photos. She took Vivi's pictures when she was a newborn, too! She is super talented and is so great with kids. Vivi did exactly what Miss Mika Beth asked her to do and was really good with her little sister. We're looking forward to seeing the rest of the moments Mika Beth captured for us!

Addy Jane's First Week at Home

We've had a great first week at home, with lots of help and visits from our family and friends. Thank you all so much!

Vivi loves her little sister, but can get rough with her and she does not like to be told to use her soft hands, which leads to intentional roughness and gets her sent to the naughty chair. 90% of the time, she is giving her soft rubs on the head and kisses. And the way Vivi says, "Addy Dane (that' what it sounds like)," is too cute.

Our friends Christin and Edwin, were in town from Little Rock for their own baby shower and were so sweet to make the time to stop by and visit us. We are looking forward to Baby Caroline's arrival in a couple of months.

Les, Tom, and Will also stopped by to see us and brought us a delicious dinner. Vivi had a blast playing with Will, as usual!

I love my baby sister...

Ron, Abby, Emma, and Sam came to visit on Saturday. Here they are opening presents from the Novaks--the girls' first matching outfits!

Emma helping Vivi be silly...

Emma loves babies!

Relaxing...

Later that night, Sarah, Kurt, and Caroline came to see us...

Vivi loves playing with the big girls...

On Sunday, Sarah, Brad, and Kate came to visit...

Vivi and Kate were so cute giving each other lots of hugs and kisses...

Brad and Sarah preparing a delicious meal for us...

Vivi's baby-sitter, Miss Melissa, brought her a new book called "Big Sister Dora" and it is a hit. As soon as we finish it, Vivi wants to read it again. She's also started reading along (she's started memorizing stories these days). Here she is reading it with Daddy and Addy Jane.

Awake and looking around...

Her first bath at home...

First Doctor's Appointment

We came home from the hospital on Thursday, and Monday it was time to go back to the doctor for Addy Jane's first check-up appointment. She was 5 days old and the doctor said she was perfect -- no issues, no rashes, and eating well because her weight was up to 7lbs 4.5oz (it had been down to 7lbs 1oz when we left the hospital). She was a good girl for the doctor, but cried when she was undressed and cold.

So, I was running late for the appointment and just sat down to fill out paperwork when another couple came in with a new baby. The nurse came out and called, "Adeline." We all stood up and kind of looked at each other confused. Turns out that was their daughter's name, too! This was the same couple who Damian met outside the hospital nursery. Both girls were born the same day and have the same name, just spelled a little differently (hers is spelled Addilyn).

Addy Jane's Birthday

Labor and delivery #2 could not have gone any better and was about half the time compared to with Vivi! I woke up at 3:35am on Wednesday morning feeling contractions that were slightly more intense than normal. I figured I was either going to work or going to the hospital, so I got into the shower to see if they would go away or get stronger. Once I figured out they weren't going to let up and they were only a few minutes apart, i woke Damian up and started getting dressed. I called our friend Sarah to ask her to come take care of Vivi around 4:15am and then went back to wake Damian up, since he had just rolled over and went back to sleep. :-)

Sarah got to our house around 5am and we were on our way to the hospital at 5:15 (thank you, thank you Sarah!). I texted our friend Stephanie who was working that day to let her know that I was ready for my epidural. With Vivi I was 8cm dilated before I got it and I remember a lot of pain! I was checked in around 5:30am and at 4cm and by the time they were ready to move me to a room at 6am I was at 6cm. Stephanie gave me the best epidural I've ever had around 6:30am or so and then my water broke at 7:02am. By 8:20am I was fully dilated to 10cm and ready to go! I pushed 2 times and Adeline Jane popped right out at 8:50am!

Love you Steph!

Waiting on the room to be prepared for delivery and Dr. Seale to arrive (Dr. Hinton was on vacation this week).

Addy Jane's first picture with Mommy...

Our first family picture...
Her first picture with Daddy...

First bath...

Hearing test...

Her first visitor, my friend Courtney who is going to have a baby in a month and happened to be upstairs for a doctor's appointment...

Addy Jane with her big sister...

with PaPa Tom...

With Lola Grace...

First diaper change...

With Auntie Les...

The girls with Miss Lee. It was so cute because we snapped a couple of pictures and Vivi requested, "again," and skooched herself close to Lee and posed...

Vivi and her new Penelope Peapod doll that Addy brought her as a present for being the best big sister ever! Notice her crooked smile, which is her latest pose for the camera.

Vivi's favorite thing about the hospital was the automatic paper towel dispenser and the rolling chair that she used to ride around the room. She went around calling it, "my chair, my chair!" And didn't like it too much when anybody else sat on it.

Thanks Mom and Dad for taking such good care of Vivi for us!

Getting read to go home...

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and for all our family and friends who have helped us out around the house and with Vivi, come to visit, and brought us delicious meals! We are truly blessed!!