With my own two hands

Henry is here! He was born safe and sound at home and I was able to help catch him and pick him up immediately. Henry is exactly nine pounds and twenty-one inches long. He is slightly heavier than Evelyn was, but the same length. Labor and birth were absolutely beautiful and perfect-- less than half of the time I spent laboring with Evelyn. It was still very hard work, but I felt great after his birth and didn't have any complications at all.

From start to finish (start meaning that contractions are still pretty manageable and 10 minutes apart), I had a twelve hour labor. Evelyn went to stay with a friend at about 1:00pm, after she had a nice nap. I think that my body was holding off until I knew that Evelyn was safe and secure with our friends so I could focus completely on labor. Things didn't shift into "high gear" (two to three minutes apart, much stronger) until about 3:00pm. Our doula came over to our house at that point and our midwife and her assistant joined us somewhere close to 5:00pm. Henry was born at 6:00pm. He latched on right away and is content to nurse or sleep next to Mama while swaddled in a soft blanket.

Evelyn came back to join us about two and a half hours later and she was very excited to meet her baby brother. She exclaimed, "Oh! It's Henry! He's out of Mama's belly. It's my baby brother!" Chris took some excellent video of Evelyn remarking over Henry's eyes, nose, mouth, chin, ears, blanket, and "tiny little hat." I helped Evelyn hold her brother. She was very excited about him and had a hard time leaving our bedroom, but Chris settled her to sleep pretty quickly.



Speaking of sleep, Henry is asleep right now and Chris has taken Evelyn out for a "big sister trip" (she has a lot of energy and is still learning about body awareness near the newborn, so we thought a little break would be nice). I think I'll try to sleep a bit, too.

Snapshot: 40 weeks

Today is my due date, so a bite-sized gluten-free brownie didn't seem out of place at 8:00 AM along with my breakfast. In fact, I've decided that today can be my day to indulge a little. I've been quite diligent in eating mostly whole, organic foods throughout this pregnancy so I don't feel bad about slacking off a bit now.

This photo was actually taken yesterday, but let's just call it 40 weeks. Also, it's not a side-profile shot. In honor of reaching the 40 week mark, I have decided that I just don't feel like posting one of those today. This decision may or may not be influenced by the masses of people emerging from the woodwork to let me know that I look uncomfortable, ready to pop, finished, etc. . . . Kind strangers, I thank you for your concern, but no I am not smuggling watermelons. I am not carrying twins. And, may I add that it is not really a compliment to tell someone you're surprised that she isn't swollen and her face still looks great. Haha. That little tidbit was quite funny, but mostly because it's such a strange thing to say to a complete stranger.

Quality time

Baby-on-board is "due" in just a few days, so my days as a mother of one are coming to a close. I have been stepping up my efforts (fatigue be darned!) to spend quality time with Evelyn. I know that especially in the first days and weeks after her brother is born I will not necessarily be giving her my 100% best. Thank goodness for wonderful fathers-- I know Evie will get plenty of attention and loving. Still, I want to have fun with my favorite girl. So far this week, Evie and I have done a lot of creative play at home (playing "grocery store" is a huge hit!) and we have spent several hours each day outside.

Evelyn loves to explore, help me weed the garden, look for birds, and dig in the dirt. She also adores going to playgrounds. We've been to three in the last two days! Evelyn happily climbed all of the steps and went down the tall and twisty slides. She enjoyed the swings. This afternoon, she came upon a miniature mud pond of sorts at the park and entertained herself by digging into the murky water with a stick. I was thrilled to see her playing independently, even if she emerged from the play time without one of her shoes and speckled with mud!

Snapshot: I've got pockets!

Snapshot: 39 weeks

I almost didn't post a photo for this week. The very end of pregnancy seems to be defined by the ill-fitting and ever-dwindling supply of maternity clothes one is forced to wear in public. To be fair, I still several relatively cute shirts but this photo was taken on a hike and so I wasn't exactly dressing for style.

The main reason for posting these pregnancy photos fairly regularly (aside from sharing this pregnancy with family and friends spread across the country) is to be able to look back at them and remember this pregnancy. I know there will come a time when I will miss the little kicks and wiggles. I am also optimistic that these late pregnancy photos will come in handy when I am a few weeks postpartum. I was shocked at how slim I felt after Evelyn was born. This isn't to say that I was slim. Compared to the "before" (end of pregnancy) shot, however, the postpartum period can actually feel beautiful.

A lovely birthday

Today was absolutely lovely, for a number of reasons. First, I woke up feeling rested for the first time in months-- thank you, Evelyn! Second, the Seattle area was blessed with beautiful blue skies and a seventy degree day. The rest of the day's details were simply icing on the (birthday) cake. It wasn't a particularly momentous number this year, I'm still a twenty-something gal. But this was one of my best adult birthdays.

Evelyn happily wished me "Happy Birthday!" a number of times throughout the day and she drew me a birthday card. Our whole family enjoyed a long walk through the neighborhood and some of the trails. One neighbor found it necessary to let me know how "uncomfortable" I looked and asked if I was due very soon. We just smiled and nodded and kept walking. While Evelyn napped, I went for a pedicure and read more of the novel I'm currently reading. Chris and I left Evelyn at home with her favorite babysitter and went out to one of my favorite local restaurants for a leisurely dinner. We drove along the lake, just enjoying some good conversation. We ended the evening with dessert, cuddles from a very happy toddler, and a quiet house.

I think we are definitely ready for Baby-on-board to join us. I'm feeling pretty relaxed and refreshed!

Introducing the concept of time

It was probably a mistake to tell Evelyn that Mimi was coming soon. Time is quite an abstract concept, especially for a little girl who is not quite two years old. If Evelyn hears the garage door open or the front door close, she scampers over and asks "Mimi?" I then explain that Mimi will come after baby brother is born-- also a pretty vague concept. Evelyn accepts that answer. One thing is for sure, when she does arrive, Mimi will be greeted by a very eager little girl and a "big, big kiss."