Tuesday, September 27, 2011

...sleepy wrap...

I ordered this wrap carrier right before Clara was born. A few friends have similar ones and I had heard good things about them. So I thought I would give it a try. Baby girl enjoys it! I have had her in it a few times so far, and everytime she is in it, she snuggles right up to me and crashes out. It should work pretty well I am thinking when we are in the grocery store or while I am making dinner. She thinks I am holding her because the wrap is so tight. It was a good purchase for sure :)


*bathtime*

Clara got her first bath last week after her umbilical cord fell off. We decided to put her in her baby bath in the big bath with Cashy. Sister did not enjoy her bath! The pictures are pretty funny since she is wailing up a storm and Cash is cheesing it up for the camera.








She was much better after she got her nightgown on (how cute is that!!!) and her hair combed. She calmed right down and all was better again.


Randoms of the Princess

The days are flying by with two kiddos. I find it harder to take pictures as much as I did when Cash was a baby. I am trying very hard to not let snapshots of Clara slide by the wayside. I keep the camera out on the kitchen counter ready for any kind of opportunity to take a cute picture of her. Still, there are nights that I tuck both her and Cash into bed, and I think about the day, and realize that I didn't take a single picture of her. I know the newborn stage doesn't last forever, so I want to capture all the little things before it passes. Here are some photos of Clara that I have taken over the last week or so.








Friday, September 23, 2011

**Big Brother**

Cash couldn't be a better big brother to Clara. He loves her so much. And he tells me numerous times a day. When we first brought her home, he kept saying "there are 4 people in our family"...and he would name off, Mom, Dad, Cash and baby sister Clara June Cope. He is very gentle with her and doesn't seem jealous at all. Actually he is more protective, which is pretty dang cute. Clara is on the receiving end of hundreds of "baby kisses and baby hugs" thoughout the day. It was pretty cool to see from day one how she responded when she heard his voice. Whenever she is up or even half sleeping and he is within earshot of her, she looks around and tries to track where he is. I guess she was used to hearing him in utero. I can't wait to watch these two grow up and become friends. I know he will be a great big brother to her.





Sunday, September 18, 2011

{Clara June has arrived}

Our sweet baby girl Clara June arrived at 4:37am on Tuesday, September 13, 2011.

Her birthstory....


I went to bed on Monday night with no signs whatsoever of labor. After weeks of Braxton Hicks every now and then, I wasn't having any the night before she arrived. I got a text from Mom asking if I was feeling like she was coming at all, and I let her know that I was feeling fine. I had a doctors appointment scheduled for Tuesday am in Bozeman, so I told her that Cash and I would see her in the morning as I was sure there would be no action.

I woke up at 2am to go to the bathroom and when I crawled back in bed I felt a gush! I quickly woke up BJ and told him that my water broke, and it was time to hit the road. We had bags packed for a few weeks in anticipation of this very moment. BJ threw everything in the Jeep while I got Cash out of bed. Poor guy was a tad confused as to why we were pulling him out of bed in the middle of the night. I told him it was time to go pick up baby Clara at the castle. (He had been afraid of hospitals since his tonsils were taken out last fall...when driving by the hospital one day he asked if that was a castle. Yep...sure is!) We made it out of the house in ten minutes. I still wasn't having contractions at that point. I called Mom and Dad and let them know it was go time and they said they would meet us at the hospital. All of a sudden, my contractions started coming. They were 4 minutes apart to begin with. To add to the excitement, we came over the hill right outside of Pipestone to come head on with a deer! BJ was quick and swerved around it. That could have been a bad deal!!! Cash refused to go back to sleep, even though I told him that it was really the middle of the night and he could rest some more. With every contraction that started to come, the ever present question of "mama where are we going" began to get to me...but I think I held it together fairly well. I only kinda got upset when BJ turned the radio station to the "boneyard"...really?!?!? I told him that I did not want to listen to the boneyard while in labor!! HA! About half way to Bozeman, my contractions started getting lots stronger and were now 2 minutes apart. I called Mom and Dad when we got to Belgrade and let them know we were getting close, luckily they had already gotten to the hospital. Once we arrived, Cash and Grandpa headed back home, and BJ, Mom and I headed it.

We had called the hospital on the way over, so when we arrived, Dr. Augustyn the doctor on call was waiting for us. I hadn't ever met her before, but she was super nice and I really like her. They sent me into a labor and delivery room and I was checked to see how dilated I was. I was at a 6 when we arrived, so I asked if I could have an epidural. I had done the natural way and opted for no drugs with Cash, and after knowing the kind of pain I was about to endure, was sooo ready to have an epidural this time. I am not sure how much time went by before the anesthesiolgist arrived, but it seemed like forever! I guess I forgot that it was the middle of the night and the guy had to get out of bed to come down to the hospital...After the nurses telling me that this delivery would be sooo much better with an epidural, I was anxious to get it going and have some relief. After getting a catheter put in my back and the drugs pumping through, all while having some nasty contractions, I was not so patiently waiting for my relief to come. The nurses kept asking me if my legs were tingly yet, and they weren't. After lord knows how long my right thigh became numb, but nothing else! Apparently the catheter was put in the wrong spot and the epidural wasn't working. So much for my much wanted relief!!! About that time I was feeling like I was wanting to push and knew that Clara would be born soon. The anesthesiologist said he could re-thread it and hopefully it would work. I asked how long that would take, and after he told me 20 minutes, I told him that I didn't have 20 minutes and to forget it! The doctor checked me and I was 8 cm dilated but I was wanting to push. She told me not to...really?! After a few seconds she realized that I was indeed ready to push so she got her scrubs on real fast, and they prepped everything. The nursery room nurse came in and I knew it was time. I pushed once and the doctor told me to open my eyes. When I did, I saw our girl come into the world. The first thing out of my mouth was "is she really a girl?" My Mom said "yes she's really a girl!"

They put her on my belly and she was just the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on. She had her big eyes open and they were trying to get her to cry. Since she was born so fast she didn't have time to push some of the crud out of her lungs. The nursery nurse suctioned her out and within a minute or so, she was screaming. I was so relieved that she was finally here and our family was complete. Dr. Augustyn and the delivery nurses were guessing her weight before she was officially weighed. The nurses were guessing somewhere in the 7 lb range. But the doctor said "no way, double chin equals at least 8 lbs!" She was right....8lbs 2oz and 21 inches long. A nice healthy baby girl. She nursed right away and took to it like a champ, she was a hungry girl from the get-go, and has been ever since.

We stayed in the hospital until the next day and we both were able to go home. Clara has been a really good baby. Rarely cries and is just content to watch her big brother or sleep.

I love this little girl so much. The long, hot pregnancy was well worth it to get this sweet thing here. I am excited to begin our life as a family of four now. And I always say people over use the word "blessed" but heck, I am really blessed, lucky, fortunate, etc to have an awesome little boy and a perfect baby girl.


First pic...


8lbs 2oz (bigger than her brother and two cousins at birth!)


*LOVE*





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