When Liam met Nora

There really are no words to completely describe the moment when my favorite little boy in all the world met my favorite little girl in all the world.  It was magical. I hadn't seen my first baby, Liam in almost 24 hours and in that time frame, I had gone into surgery and we delivered our second little.  I was missing Liam so much and couldn't wait to see him.  My parents brought him to the hospital, all along keeping me posted on their arrival status as I grew more and more excited to see him and introduce Nora.  The moment he walked into our hospital room, I could have cried. Just seeing his little face and how happy he was to see us made me so emotional. We had Nora in the hospital basinet and focused our full attention onto Liam first. He climbed up into bed with me and after lots of hugs and kisses we asked if he wanted to meet his baby sister.  We'd talked so much about her over the course of my pregnancy that he was excited to finally see the baby!  My dad brought Nora to us and the rest was just pure throat lumping, heart bursting, complete joyous history.  I couldn't love these two babies of mine any more.
Here are a few pictures that I am so thankful and glad to have, captured by the ever-so-talented Nicole of Nicole Clifford Photography (if you are in the Kansas City area, hit her up for all kinds of family photo needs, you won't be disappointed - you can follow her on FB here.).  Even in the neon overhead light of the not-so-glamorous hospital room, she captured a sweet moment for us. 

^^ Looking at her little toes!

^^ This one captured my my mama. <3

^^ Nora got Liam a present. :) What an awesome sister already!

 ^^ And a few shots I captured with my phone.

I have to admit, you always wonder how on earth it will be possible to love another being as much as your first child.  But then that sweet second little face comes along and you do. You love them just as much.   Your heart doesn't make room for them, it doubles in size.  And then somehow,  seeing your first born with your second born, your heart triples in size with the love of them together. I'm so thankful for these two little munchkins and so proud of Liam in the love and caring nature he has already shown his little sister.

A huge thank you to all our family and friends who've come to visit us and meet Nora, but also did such a great job of paying attention to Liam. He has received equal amount of presents and love these last 2 weeks as Nora has, and is feeling really special in his new role as a brother.  He's been taking to our new family so well. He is so sweet and funny with us and Nora, we're just so overjoyed. 

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Baby Nora: One Week Update

A little late here, as our Nora is already 2 weeks old, but wanted to give you a one-week update on our little lady (after this I'll move to monthly updates).  It's hard to believe she's only been in our lives this little of time.  I guess for me, I've been getting to know her for 10 months prior.  I can see the way she loves to ball up, how she must have been positioned in my womb.  And it's funny when she stretches, pushing her arms and legs out from her body - I sure felt those same stretches the last few months carrying her, sure she'd just come bursting out my belly!
So far, she's pretty chill.  But boy does she have some lungs on her!  She lets us hear her when she's hungry, has a dirty diaper and when she's getting her diaper changed.  Like her big brother, this girl does not like to be cold, so diaper changes are a bit brutal.  Thus, we are loving blankets to wrap her up in and swaddles to keep her cozy at night.
Sleep has been sparse.  She has some good nights with a couple 2.5-3.5 hours chunks and then there are nights where she wants to eat or needs a diaper change every 1.5 hours. I've been letting myself "sleep in" on and off from about 11pm to noon, so I can try to get a decent amount of sleep overall.  With Liam, that's one thing I didn't do well - let myself rest during the day.
Having my husband home for Nora's first 10 days was amazing.  It's always so sad when he has to go back to work.  We got to spend a lot of time together at home as a family of four.  So far, I think she's looking more like her dad.  I know she's only a couple weeks old, but I can see his eyes on her.  We'll see how that changes (back and forth, many times, I'm sure) over the years.  
Liam is an awesome big brother.  He loves to come give her kisses and helps with diaper changes.  The way he says, "bay-beee Nor-uh" is precious.  And we're trying to each give him plenty of one-on-one attention, too.  I really can't wait to see how they'll interact more as she gets a little older.

You can see a few photos of Nora's first few days in the hospital here.

And here are some of our favorite things for Nora in her first few weeks:

Pack n' Plays that zip up for daytime; Gowns (easy for diaper changes galore) & Fleece Swaddle for night (similar to what we're using, which is old from when Liam was a newborn); the Breast Friend - especially great for late night feedings when I'm extra sleepy; Boppy for daytime feedings and setting her in next to me on the couch; Soft Blankets to keep little lady warm.

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Tips for preparing for a c-section recovery!

  With my first baby, I labored for over 18 hours, dilated at a 9 to 9.5 for over 4 hours with the baby never dropping down far enough to get that last bit of dilation or begin pushing before I was moved into surgery for a c-section.  This experience started on Monday, went through the night and finally our baby boy was born Tuesday morning.  It was a rough way to discover that my pelvic bone is tilted and while wide enough, not round enough to pass a little babe.  The good news is that we knew all that going into delivering our second child, which was a scheduled c-section with no laboring beforehand. So, in preparing for baby #2, I'm was also prepping for another c-section (something I didn't get to plan for before).  C-sections definitely come with a harder recovery, and will be especially more challenging this round with an almost-two year old I won't be able to pick up.  But going into one, planned and avoiding the labor before hand has been a much easier recovery so far. Obviously, this is not something everyone gets to plan for, but in case you find yourself needing a c-section or end up with one, here are a few ways you can prepare for recovery at home post-surgery:
1. Bring things in closer to you.  You'll be doing a lot of laying down and siting as you recover, plus snuggling up with a new little baby.  I found that it's harder to lean forward and reach for things, so bring those items (drinks, laptop, baby bottles, etc) closer to you with the help of a c-table (my fav I've already been using a ton) and tray.
2. Tummy and back support.  With any abdominal surgery, you'll need some extra support so you don't end up throwing out your back.  Last time I tried this belly wrap and I hated it and pretty much never wore it.  It was too stiff, hard to relax or sit in and like a corset - just not very practical.  This time I'm excited to try this Bumped tank that allows for nursing while wearing.  It's a softer form of support that also helps smooth your midsection and hold up unbuttoned pants (until they can button again).
3. Find comfort when sitting with pillows!  Try this backrest pillow to keep you upright.  One of the great things about the hospital is the bed you can control, at home you most likely don't have a bed that can be adjusted at the touch of a button. I've been using a big wedge in bed to nurse.
4.  Walk it off. Though you might not feel like it, doctors recommend trying to get up and walking (even just a little) in the first 12-24 hours to get things (i.e. your bowls) moving again.  Try to do a little walking every day in the days following, too and more as you feel better and better.
5. Stock up on meals prior to surgery (you might want to do this whether having a c-section or not).  We start doubling our recipes when cooking dinner so we can freeze some for easy dinners post-baby.  Nothing hurts more than bending over a counter post-surgery, nor will you have the energy to do so with a new baby in tow, too!  Try this easy soup that is great to freeze and get yourself some reliable freezer containers.
6. Stool softeners... ya, not the sexiest thing ever, but this will make going to the bathroom way more comfortable.  I remember having the worst pain ever after coming home in this area, bringing me to tears!  
7. If you have a toddler at home... stock up on some seated activities that you can do with him/her.  Thankfully Liam has really taken to drawing lately.  So we'll be doing a lot of coloring at the table.  Reading books, playing with blocks or Legos, gently rolling a ball back and forth, etc.
8. Stock a diaper caddy that you can keep on every different level of your home as to not have to climb stairs too often for the many, many diaper changes newborns require!  We used ours especially at night, sat next to the bed for easy midnight diaper changes and feeding sessions without having to get up.
Any other c-section tips out there?  I'd love to hear the things you did (or didn't do) to a speedy recovery?

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Favorite Wears: Red for the Holidays

I don't own a lot of red for some reason... but there is something about the holidays that has me digging  through my closet for any red pieces I do have.  And after months of searching for the perfect red bag, I was so excited when Fossil contacted me about some of their new products, including this amazingly beautiful, buttery soft, leather red purse!  Perfect to add a bright pop to the increasingly dreary backgrounds that the end of fall has left us.  As for buffalo check, I could wear this jacket or some version of this print everyday. I'm obsessed.  Such a perfect winter and holiday time pattern.
It feels good to be getting to wear some of my regular clothes now post-pregnancy, but being only one week postpartum in these photos, I still have a belly!  Every day my belly seems to shrink a little bit and my swelling (from surgery and getting pumped with extra fluids) in my feet, legs and face goes down more.  There is nothing like having the baby, but still looking pregnant... all worth it though.
{Outfit Details: Buffalo Check Jacket; Plaid Shirt; Flats; Bag - c/o Fossil; Sunglasses; Watch - c/o Fossil; Necklace - J.Crew inspired via Ebay (similar)}

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Fossil.

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook