Alec David is Here!

Ok, I have exactly 17 minutes before both kiddos wake up from afternoon naps. Although this is a post I certainly don't want to rush...such is the life of a mother of two! :)

Most of you already know, but our little miracle Alec David joined us on September 10 at 5:14pm...after another ridiculously easy labor. I pushed exactly four times through four contractions (about 10 minutes), and he was here! I was induced at about 11:30am, so I really didn't labor for very long.

As I look back on that day, now about two weeks later, a few moments are captured in my mind like little unforgettable snapshots. I, of course, remember the moment he was laid on my chest...all warm and snuggly. I didn't want to let go...and I didn't for a really long time. :) It's amazing to me how those first few moments, everything else just fades away. All the other action going on in the room...my sister taking photos, Dave cutting the cord, the doctor continuing all his "work"...it's all like fuzzy background to me. Like none of it was even going on; I don't remember any of that happening. I just remember my little man snuggling with me and the sweet bliss of finally seeing him face to face.

A second moment that I'll forever treasure is when Andra walked into the delivery room to meet her baby brother. The entourage of grandparents were so kind to let her be the first to walk in. The smile and excitement on her face is forever burned in my memory. I'm so grateful my sister captured it on camera...my little gal walking in with nothing buy joy written all over her face. Oh, how I hope they're great friends someday! Ironically, we actually brought her baby brother home on her third birthday, Sept. 12. We'd already celebrated with a party weeks earlier, and she really didn't even KNOW it was her birthday...but it was surreal to think on the day Andra was born three years earlier, we brought home another little miracle. God is good.

So here we are. A family of four. Mother of two. Life at home has been going relatively smoothly (other than the first couple days home, when Andra came down with an ugly virus that sent us to the hospital twice. Those are a couple days I'd like to forget!)

I think it hits me the most at nighttime...this whole "mother of two" thing. I've gotten into the habit of always sneaking into Andra's room before I go to bed just to check on her...make sure she's under the blankets, has all her animals close by and is snoozing peacefully. Now, I leave her room, walk about six feet down the hall into ANOTHER room. Where my other baby is sleeping (hopefully!). Something about walking into TWO rooms, checking on TWO miracles...it gets me every night. It's like I can physically feel my heart warm...it feels so FULL. I don't really know how to describe it. I wonder when checking on two kiddos won't feel so "new"?? Well, I love that feeling, and for now, I'm just gonna enjoy it.

Waiting Waiting Waiting...

Well, here it is Labor Day, and I was pretty darn certain that I'd have a baby in my arms by now...but this little guy has apparently got a mind of his own! The doctor had led me to believe that I'd probably be induced around 39 weeks...but 39 weeks came and went, and the doctor seems confident we can give the little guy until 40 weeks to come on his own. Beyond that, he's concerned his size could make for a difficult delivery, so.... the final verdict seems to be that unless he comes on his own before then, I'll be induced first thing Friday morning, Sept. 10. It's a little ironic, considering that's been his due date all along! Maybe he just likes to be punctual. :)

So we're (not so) patiently waiting...and I'm trying to just let this process be in God's hands. I really don't want to be induced--I loved the surprise of waking up in the middle of the night with Andra's delivery--but I'm also trusting that our little man will enter the world exactly how he's meant to. Andra's getting really excited, and keeps asking how many more days until her baby brother is born. I don't have an EXACT answer to that, but at least we now have an idea! Until then...