The First Week and a Half

Tired...again!
New toys from my outing with Grandma and Grandpa!
Spending time with Grandma (She can finally see my eyes!)
First Bath-She loved it!

Fast asleep again!

We are definitely beginning to adjust to life with two little girls in the house. My parents (Grandma and Grandpa) were here to visit for awhile, my dad left Wednesday and my mom left this morning. It was definitely a huge help to have the extra sets of hands in the beginning. This week Brett is back to work, so I'll see how it goes on my own. Brett's parents (Nana and Papa) are coming next week, so more help is on the way soon!
Eleanor is a very sweet baby that spends a lot of a time still sleeping and has a tremendous appetite so far. I believe at one point Brett refered to her as "a lion in a butcher shop"! She is already eating 3 1/2 ounces at her feedings and has slept up to four hours at a time at night. Anyone of you reading this without kids yet, will think that I'm crazy for being excited to get only four hour blocks of sleep at a time, but trust me, I'm very excited. So far, she seems to have a pretty laid back personality. She only really crys when is is hungry (and even then she gives you warning by fussing some first) or sometimes when she is being changed. I realize that we are just entering her second week here, so a lot can still change, but let's hope not-it would be nice to experience a laid-back child!
Caroline is doing very well considering all the change that has been surrounding her. She still adores her little sister (so far!) and refers to her as "Baby Eleanor" or "My Baby". Whenever Eleanor is crying, she will run over to her to give her a "paci" or yell across the room, "DON'T WORRY!" (even though she is trying to console her crying sister, we told her it might work better if she uses a quieter voice!). She loves to sing to Eleanor, tickle her toes, and help burp her, too. Even though Caroline has had her moments with Mommy and Daddy (although no where near as many breakdowns as I thought she would have had by now), I am so proud to see how much she loves her little sister. Today she wasn't falling asleep for her nap. We just kept hearing her singing or talking in her bed. I finally went up to her room to tell her it was time to go to sleep and she told me, "I have a baby sister. Her name is Eleanor. I'm singing to Baby Eleanor. It makes her feel better." Now, how sweet is that?

IT'S A GIRL!

Eleanor Grace Oswick arrived on October 11, 2007 at 3:40pm. She was 7 lbs., 9 oz. and 19 3/4" inches! After being put on Pitocin to induce labor at 8:45 am, Lesley began feeling contractions at about 10:30am and was in labor for 5 hours. Eleanor was born after two quick pushes. Mommy and Daddy are thrilled that Caroline will be growing up with a little sister, although Daddy keeps thinking, "two daughters, two weddings!" Eleanor is going great, sleeping and eating non-stop. We probably only see her little eyes open for about 15 min. each day.
Caroline seems to love her baby sister (so far!) although she has her moments with Mommy and Daddy, which is to be expected. All and all she is doing very well and thanks to Grandma and Grandpa is getting lots of extra attention, too. Her Nana and Papa will be here in about two weeks, so she will be sure to take advantage of al the visitors making a big deal out of the big sister!

An End in Sight!

I had my 39 week appt. today and I am now just over 3 cm. Also found out that the baby's head is the lowest it could be right now, without me being officially in labor. That is what has been causing so much pain so consistently lately. The good news is, there is a definite end in sight now. I am going to be induced tomorrow!! There are 2 C-sections and 1 induction scheduled ahead of me, but we call in tomorrow morning to find out what time to go in. We are very excited and will keep you all posted. How funny that the baby will probably be born on Caroline's "half-birthday" and the siblings will be exactly two and a half years apart. Wish us a speedy delivery! Last chance to guess boy or girl!

Sweet Caroline

Apparently Caroline has a new favorite song. She was getting really impatient and fussy in the car a couple of weeks ago, so Brett and I just happened to have an old Neil Diamond cd with "Sweet Caroline" on it. We played the song for her and she just loved it! Now, each time we get in the car, she requests "Sweet Caroline" and sings along to it, too. Although I am getting really tired of hearing the song, I do have to say it's really cute to hear her sing the words, especially at the end when she puts her arms up in the arms to belt out "sweeeet Caaar-oooo-liiiiiiiiine!" and immediately says, "AGAIN!"
We'll make sure to get some video of it soon!

38 weeks, 1 day

I had my Dr.'s appt. this morning and I am now almost 3 cm. and still 50% effaced. She said it could be anytime now, but that it would mostly likely be next week. I definitely wouldn't mind having the baby this week! I have had some pretty bad cramping on and off for about 2 weeks now, so it's nice to know that I made some progress this past week, as oppossed to the week before where I stayed the same. Just think, by this time with Caroline I had already had my epideral (I am such a wimp!)!!
When Brett came home, we went for a walk around the neighborhood and ordered some spicy General Tso's chicken. A girlfriend of mine told me to try eggplant, so we ordered some kind of Chinese eggplant dish to go with the General's. Mmm, mmm... it was tasty, now if only it would put me into labor tonight!