Getting ready for baby #2

Let's talk about packing the OTHER hospital bag! My best tip to get ready for baby #2 is by making a special hospital bag for the older sibling!! We packed a little bag for him to bring to the hospital when he came to meet our new baby. It had a set of stacking blocks, a new notebook & markers for coloring, a book, some stickers, and a book (Laugh Out Loud Baby). We also included a little snack for him to nibble on; it doesn't need to be a sweet treat- we did olives and salami, something that would last in his belly. After he was done checking out the baby and moving my hospital bed up & down, he opened up his bag and was able to just hang out while the rest of us ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the baby.

First Few Weeks

We've successfully made it through 3+ weeks as a family of four. I'm not going to talk about sleep because I don't want to jinx it ;) The little one is a trooper, as most second babies have to be. I've been trying to post daily photos on our Flickr site. Some of our construction is done - we've moved back into our room (see first photo!) and it's lovely!! We made the pom-pom mobile before he was born as one of the advent calendar activities! I'm very happy with how it turned out! And the green "bed" is a total IKEA hack that I made!! It's from an under-bed storage container that I added padding and bedding too!! Woohoo :)

Here are a few recent favorites. 

It's a Boy!

We're thrilled to share some photos of our new sweet son, who was born 4 days past due, on Sunday, March 24, 2013. He clocked in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 21 inches in length. 

Labor and delivery was painful, but smooth, kind of quick, and drug-free. My great husband and my mom were both there. Oh, and let's give a special HOORAY for midwives everywhere! Lin Lee at Bay Area Maternity & Women's Health was so helpful during labor. With her guidance I was able to deliver our son without tearing which is just about the best thing ever. 

We came home on Tuesday and are adjusting to life with a 4 year old, a newborn, dog, cat, relatives, and major renovations inside and outside our house. We live in a glass house without a fence and a lot of workers- it's the opposite of private, but there's nothing I can do- so I'm just going with the flow. Would you believe our bed broke the night we brought our lovebug home from the hospital? And I have a stress fracture on my foot and can barely walk :) Life here is hectic, but we're taking it in stride and trying to enjoy every minute of it! I know things will settle down soon. 

(We've decided to not share his name on the blog, as we've done with our older son.)