Saturday, May 29, 2010

Dad and the Girls!

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Precious Playtime

As I mentioned earlier, we've really been trying to stick with our normal routine as much as possible. Each week, Brian takes Megan to Gymboree for a play class. This gives Megan and Dad some one-on-one time and gives me a chance to get some things done around the house or just have some mom time. This morning, however, Sarah and I tagged along to the class, which allowed me to finally get some pictures of Megan in Gymboree-action!

This morning, the theme was "Butterflies" and all the activities revolved around pretending to be butterflies (ie, starting as a caterpillar, crawling through the tunnel/cocoon, and coming out the other side as a butterfly). There was a butterfly hide-and-seek and Megan found 2 of the butterflies, then she shared one with another little girl. So sweet!!

And not to be left out, Sarah had her own special playtime consisting of tummy time. Megan even joined in, too!

Life With Two

Thanks, Dad, for posting about little Sarah's arrival. It's been almost 2 weeks since she was born and a little over a week since we came home from the hospital. We're all doing really well, though a tad sleep-deprived. Sarah's pediatrician is very pleased with how well she's doing, and on Tuesday she weighed in at 8 pounds 2 ounces (up from 7 pounds 12 ounces at birth and 7 pounds 6 ounces when she left the hospital). I'm recovering much better and faster it seems after this delivery than after Megan's. Though they were two completely different kinds of labor and delivery...I really don't feel like I just gave birth less than 2 weeks ago.


Megan seems to be adjusting okay to being a big sister. Other than the occasional sympathetic crying, she responds well to Sarah and is quick to tell us that "it's awake!" or "baby sister crying."

We've tried to maintain a pretty normal routine, for Megan's sake as well as my own. Megan, Sarah and I went to playgroup on Monday so that Megan could play with her friends. On Wednesday, I ventured out with the girls by myself to Chapel Hill to run an errand (my first trip with them alone!). We rode through UNC's campus, but didn't stop to reminisce since it was a quick trip. And on Friday, we had a very chic girls' outing to Rockwood Park, complete with a picnic lunch and gummy bears from Foster's Market.


And somewhere in there, Sarah got 2 sponge baths this week -- she was smelling pretty milky. Like big sister Megan, she appeared to like the water, but didn't like being cold. Thank goodness for the adorable, cozy bath bag!

I think that just about covers our first two weeks as a family of four. There are lots more pictures on the photo page so check them out. I'll add a few more in separate posts. Stay tuned for more "Life with the Herrings!"

Monday, May 17, 2010

Sarah Ellen Herring is Here! 2:37am!

Well, we were here for about 1 hr 18 mins, and then Sarah was born at 2:37am on May 17th 2010. Delivery took... oh, about 10 mins or so. It was ridiculously fast, and up until this point, Mom has been getting repaired. Mom did this delivery NATURALLY as she could not wait the 1hr to get the lab results back!

Mom and Sarah are getting their first feeding together. We will be moving to the post-delivery room shortly, and then I will be doing whatever Mom needs.

If you need to contact us, please do.

- dad

Baby on the way!!

We are leaving for the hospital. Of course it would be right after midnight.

Check-in afterwards.

Later!

- dad


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Catching Up

Thanks, Dad, for putting up the last few posts. With trying to keep up with Megan and get everything ready for the new baby, I just haven't really felt like adding "update blog" to my already too long to-do list. But I will add a few things here to bring all you readers up to speed on life around here.

So Megan turned 2 back in March. It's amazing to have a 2 year old and she's just hilarious with all the things that she says and does. She had a purple cake for her birthday (at her very specific request) and I'm sure she'd love to show you all what it looked like. Her favorite park of the cake - any cake for that matter - is definitely the icing. She's a sugar fiend like me.


Here are Megan's 2-year stats, as well as some other pertinent info:

Height: 36 inches (though I think the nurse was a little ambitious there, and I measured her a little closer to 35 inches)
Weight: 26 lbs, 4 oz (and I'm certain she's gained another few pounds in the last month)
Favorite color: purple
Favorite foods: grapes, blueberries, shrimp, elmo snacks, corn
Favorite letters: M and W (because a W is an upside-down M)
Favorite songs: Old MacDonald and the ABCs
Favorite activities: painting, washing her hands, taking pictures with mom's camera

Here's a Megan photograph...she's not too bad!


So, now you know!! She's also becoming insanely independent and I hear "Megan do by self" all day, with some "Mommy pick up" thrown in for good measure. She seems to have some grasp of the new baby's impending arrival. Last night I told her that my tummy was moving around a lot, and she said, "Baby Sarah come out soon." Bless her heart, I hope she's right!! She'll also tell me that some things are Baby Sarah's, like a pair of shorts that are too small for Megan or the new crib. Hopefully she'll adjust ok once the baby is actually here.

Here are some of the things we've done in the last month...

...Went to The Fork Stables in Norwood to see the horses


...Dyed Easter Eggs


...Hunted Easter Eggs and saw the Easter Bunny


...Went to the Museum of Life and Science and rode the train


...Went to a Durham Bulls Baseball Game and played in the Wool E. Bull playground


So that's it in a nutshell. Otherwise, I'm cleaning, organizing, doing lots of laundry, and just trying to make sure we've got things covered for the baby's arrival. I think we've got the big things covered: crib (check), diapers (check), clean clothes (check), hospital bag packed (check), and car seat installed (check). That puts us in pretty good shape. I'm hoping that all the newborn knowledge will come back to me. It's amazing how foreign it feels even after 2 short years...but Meg's been mobile and talkative for what seems like so long, that I often forget she's only 2. I'm just ready to have this little one out. I'm ready to get this show on the road, to stop being a punching bag for what is surely a world-class kickboxer or a kangaroo that is living in my tummy, to meet this little girl, and to be able to walk normally again (this pregnancy waddle has got to go!). It's sad to think that this will probably be the last time I'll be pregnant, because overall I do enjoy being pregnant - though this pregnancy has been tougher than my first, probably because chasing around a toddler doesn't leave a lot of time to just sit and bask in the pregnancy glow. BUT - I am excited about our growing family and can't wait to introduce little Sarah to you all.

Stay tuned, the next post will probably be "the one." Until then, take care! (oh yeah, and here's one more rare photograph of pregnant mama with the little one.)

Monday, May 3, 2010

Pop goes the Mommy!

Hi again!

Well, it is almost time, but not quite. Since this is our last planned child, and actually carrying around a child inside of you for 9 months is an important time, I thought it was only fitting that we have some pictures to remember this time by!

I guess that it is fitting that our last child is going to be born near Mother's Day weekend. It is a special time for Mommy and the family.

On a related note, Megan and Mom are both born in March while Sarah and Dad are both born in May! This will lead to some interesting birthday situations and delegation in the future, I am sure.

We may not be updating this for a while (or we might have to rely on help from others!), but we should have some exciting news on May 11th 2010! Mom hit her first date 100%! Let's see what happens this time!

Here's to hoping we see you all happy and healthy on the other side!

- Dad