Happy Easter (one week late)

Nana, Papa, Irelynn & IsaacEaster Egg hunting fun
Baby Bunnies
Aww!
All the kids - Isaac took off his bunny sunglasses at the last minute!
**I promise to load pictures of Irelynn with her eyes open (and with Grandma Sherry) on the next post!**

Once again, we had a fun-packed Holiday Weekend! On top of that, our week was filled with lots of fun dr. appointments and such (Irelynn is weighing in at 8lb. 4oz. already!!) I was a brave "mom-of-two" and took both kids to Chuck E. Cheese's on Tuesday!! Isaac had a blast and Irelynn slept in her Baby Bjorn the whole time! I also took them both to the grocery store and Kohl's. I figured I may as well dive in head-first... especially since at this point it's relatively easy to travel with them! I can't imagine what it will be like when Irelynn is mobile-eek!

We have all adjusted quite well to the new addition. It feels like she has been with us forever! Besides not wanting to go to bed before 1am, Irelynn is a great baby! She is even sleeping a 5-hour stretch at night - Isaac didn't do that until he was 2!!! Speaking of Isaac, he hasn't shown any signs of jealousy or aggression - just lots of love for "his baby"! It's funny, because all of the books/websites that I read about adding another baby to the family always mention how overwhelming it would be and that our marriage would start to go downhill. Our experience isn't anything like that... of course, I have been slightly sleep-deprived which brings out my weepy side, and I find myself getting upset because I don't fit into my pre-prego clothes yet. But, it has only been 2.5 weeks! I would love to start working out today, and there are some things that I can do, but if my body isn't ready yet, I don't want to push myself too hard. Our friend Joe bought us the Baby Om book and they even say to wait 2 months :o(

Luckily, Rob has been very helpful and supportive, even in my most weepy of moments. I couldn't ask for a better husband!! We are looking forward to our first date night tomorrow night - the kids are going to Nana and Papa's house while we enjoy a night at the Griffins. We signed up at the YMCA last night and left Irelynn at home with Granny and Grandpa Ben. I think that he really enjoyed the time with us without his sister for a few hours. What was the first thing he said when he walked in the door? Is my baby doing alright? It was soooo sweet! Rob and Isaac are at the Y right now - hopefully Isaac is having fun in the Kids Zone while Rob works on losing the pregnancy weight that he put on!

While Irelynn is wearing out the batteries in her swing, I need to finish up some laundry, defrost chicken for dinner, pack the kids clothes for tomorrow, and hopefully sit down for two minutes to enjoy my alone time - wish me luck!

The Gulliver Clan

Irelynn loves to be held like this when she is gassy! Ava, Andrew, and Irelynn

(we are going to have to start doing pics on the couch very soon!!)

Kylie, Ava, Andrew, Irelynn & Isaac
Isaac & Irelynn
Rob & Irelynn, Amanda & Andrew, Aaron & Ava
Ma Goo Goo with Andrew, Kylie, Ava, Isaac, and Gee Gee with Irelynn

The Car Seat Babies:

The sweet sleepers stayed sleeping through dinner - it was a miracle!
All the kids: Stephanie, Rob, Isaac & Irelynn; Matt, Amanda & Andrew; Katie, Aaron, Kylie & Ava

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Dad & Julie on Sunday. The babies slept through dinner - what are the chances that it will happen again? We will find out on Saturday for Easter!! The house was filled with toys and baby gear and lots and lots of love! It seems like just yesterday we were sharing the news that we were all pregnant! Our due dates were 6 weeks apart, but Ava came a few weeks early, Drew came a couple of days late and Irelynn came two days early. So they are 15 weeks, 6 weeks and 1 week!

It is going to be so much fun watching the little munchkins grow up together. Luckily Isaac & Kylie have each other and don't so much notice that all of the attention is going to the new babies :o)

The one-handed entry

I am sure that this is one of the many tasks that will be accomplished one-handed for the next few weeks...

We are finally home from the hospital - reality hasn't fully kicked in yet, but I am sure that it will... very soon! Our first night at home with Irelynn was a challenge, as she has her days and nights mixed up a bit... She was also very gassy, which was quite uncomfortable for her. Now that my milk has come in, she is having a much easier time burping and tooting! At our Dr. appointment yesterday, we mentioned that she doesn't enjoy sleeping flat on her back and she told us that we could raise one end of her crib so that she is on an angle. She was suspecting that she was having a bit of reflux and if we can make it so that her stomach is at a 30 angle, it would help tremendously. On our way home, we realized that she can sleep for a 5-hour stretch, but it has always been in our bed, not hers. So, I don't think that it's reflux, she is just a cuddler! Who can blame her? She has been warm and cozy in the womb for the past 9 months. She is probably cold and lonely in her own bed :o( However, we will not encourage co-sleeping with her. We need our space, plus, it's too stressful!!!

I still find myself looking at her in amazement. I can't believe that she is actually here and that we can hold her in our arms! Rob is absolutely smitten with his daughter. He had to go to school today and was having a hard time leaving his girls. Luckily, my mom and dad have Isaac today (they are going shopping for Harley Davidson stuff) so I get to spend time with Irelynn!

Isaac and Irelynn are going to be the best of friends - she already follows him with her eyes when he is talking to her. Not only are her eyes following him, but you can almost see them dancing with excitement. If there was a time that she could physically smile, this would be it!

We have determined that she looks like me with her eyes closed and like Rob with them open. She doesn't resemble Isaac at all. I dressed her in one of his old outfits to see if that made a difference... it didn't! She seems to enjoy being awake and alert. She can make some of the goofiest little faces already! Rob and I are finding that we aren't getting much done because we spend most of our time watching her every move!

I am signing off now so that I can continue enjoying 'girl time' with my little peanut!

The Wait is Over

Miss Irelynn Rene Gulliver has made her arrival in this crazy world! As I mentioned before, my water broke on Monday night at 11:45pm - she didn't make her way out of the womb until 7:01pm on Tuesday night! She weighs 7lbs. 8oz and was about 20" long. She has strawberry blond hair and big blue eyes. She has my shaped face and hairline, but most of Rob's features. She is the perfect addition to our family. I couldn't ask for anything more!

Apparently when I read everything saying that the 2nd baby's labor/delivery would be over in half the time that it took the first one to arrive, I really got my hopes up! I never would have thought that I would be in labor for so long with her!

When we got to the hospital, I was dilated to 3-4cm and I only made it to 7cm by 4pm. When 6pm rolled around and they told me that I was still at 7cm, I told them that I would prefer to have an epidural because I was soooooo extremely exhausted. I didn't think that my body could handle going through the next 3cm. Our wonderful nurse, Lynne, gave me something through my IV that would take the edge off until the anesthesiologist could come in with the epidural. I barely made it through about 5-10 more contractions before the dr. came in with the goods... I sat on the edge of the bed with Lynne while Rob and I mom sat and watched for support. As soon as the dr. inserted the needle into my back, I had the most excruciating pain in my lower back. It was the worst pain that I had ever felt in my life. I thought that I was paralyzed and I wouldn't walk again. The dr. told me that he would be administering the epidural in 3 sessions, spread out over 15 minutes. He was able to get the first dose in and Lynne somehow was able to get me back down on the bed on my side.

The next thing I know, Lynne is telling me that I am making a guttural moan and my mom was saying that she has heard that noise before. Lynne threw on a pair of gloves and checked my cervix. I was fully dilated and Irelynn's head was very close to crowning. Pretty soon, I had a room full of doctors who I had never seen before and all of the women (plus Rob) who had come to support us. Dr. Stephanie kept telling me to breathe through the contractions, but I couldn't stop myself from pushing! Within 5-10 minutes, Irelynn was out of the womb.

I am still in shock/awe/amazement with the whole process! We have been so blessed to have a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and beautiful baby girl!

In Labor

Well, my water broke last night at 11:45pm. We got to Metro at 2am and started pitocin at 4:15. So far there hasn't been much progress, but they keep increasing the rate of meds?! Hopefully things will start happening soon... we'll keep ya posted!

Still waiting...

Sorry I didn't update yesterday - I hate to leave the millions of you who read this wondering if our daughter has made her arrival. No, she hasn't. I am 4cm, 75% effaced and super soft and forward. Everyone (including Dr. Pete) thinks that I will go in this weekend. Yeah right - I won't get my hopes up! We are scheduled to be induced on Tuesday *Chay's birthday* at 5:30am. I am really hoping we go before then, because I am not pretty at that time of the day :o) After our appointment yesterday, we went to the mall and walked for about 4 hours. The only thing that changed was the balance in our checking account. I am going to the other mall today with my mom, grandma, my mom-in-law, granny, and Isaac! I just keep on walking and squatting in hopes that labor begins soon! I am feeling no pain whatsoever, so I am hoping that this is the calm before the storm... I will keep you all posted!

LOL!!

This cartoon reminds me of the time my mom gave Isaac a bath and let him run around naked before getting him into his jammies! While playing by his high chair, he decided to go #2. My mom swept him away and got him cleaned up and finally put a diaper on. My mom was shocked when she came back out to the kitchen to find that it had been cleaned up... and nobody else was around to do it! Apparently the dog thought that it would be a yummy bedtime snack!!

Week 38

This week has been surprisingly easy in the pregnancy department! After going through the grueling process of having my membranes 'stripped' on our Friday appointment, I was miserable for the rest of the day and most of Saturday. The days prior to Friday, I could hardly walk and Dr. Pete says that when he tried to move Irelynn's head, she wouldn't budge. That would explain why I feel like there is a head between my legs ;o) Anyway, I have made my way to 2.5cm, super soft and she is engaged! However, that was 4 days ago and nothing has happened yet - arrgh! On a positive note, Dr. Pete said that if I haven't delivered by this Friday (the 7th), we would talk about inducing. I say: BRING IT ON! Hook me up with some pitocin and break my water, I can do the rest. So, we are hoping that Dr. Pete will send us over to Metro after our appointment on Friday and we will be holding our precious little girl before Saturday!! Either way, she will be here before we know it...