Nanny (aka Nana)

We had a Nana weekend (I can't ever have enough of those). She helped do tons of laundry and allowed me to be in a sleep-deprived daze and not feel guilty for neglecting my toddler. She loves to bathe my kids, which is great because the novelty has worn off for us. She was so tolerant of Leo's increasingly "terrible-twos" attitude. He was bossy and cranky with her, but she just rolled with it. She also bounced and rocked Serafina to keep her happy while I did stuff like shower and eat. Leo took issue with Nana holding the baby. Apparently, he thinks I'm the only person who should hold the baby. We had to remind him that Fina is Nana's baby too.

Leo loves to tell you to "sit bottom". He instructed Nana to sit bottom at his little table and chairs this morning so they could color. He's got a ribbon tied around his torso for no particular reason.
A sweet moment between siblings.

Out and about

I'm proud to say I've made it to playdates every day this week so far and plan to attend a late afternoon one tomorrow. I also plan to go to Target tomorrow...with both kids...by myself. It may be disaster but the lack of toilet paper in the house is a bigger disaster. My friends have offered to shop for me, but I really feel like I need to try this on my own. I can always abandon my cart mid-aisle and make a run for the door if it goes badly. I did that once when Leo was an infant.

At the playdate today, my friend April took a couple of cute shots of my kids.

I did it!

I survived my first day alone with two kids. I even managed to get out of the house and meet my friends for a playdate. I was greeted with a round of applause for the accomplishment. Not only we're we out and about, Leo did it without a diaper and no accidents. I was very proud of him. Overall we did really well. Shortly after Tom left for work, Serafina had an epic spit up . It just kept coming and coming and it worried me enough to call the pediatrician. I was reassured that it is normal and just keep my eye out for other signs.

While we were at the park, a woman was leaving with a baby in a carseat set in a stroller similar to mine. Leo started to get very distressed and cried "baby, baby". We showed him that I was still holding Sissy and no one was taking his baby away. It was extremely sweet.

We're having a heat wave. Leo and Tom found an entertaining way to cool off yesterday.


Serafina looks a lot like Leo did when he was a newborn, but she's very different. Leo loved to be swaddled and spent a lot of time in the baby burrito. Fina doesn't seem to need it as much. We do it at night, but that's mainly so I can have a convenient little bundle to scoop out of the co-sleeper and nurse. She's also a very noisy baby. Grunting, groaning, and a lot of other unlady-like noises. I tell her she sounds like a wookiee. It would be cute if it wasn't keeping Tom and I up at night. I also tell her she's a little monkey baby, but that's because she looks like a little monkey.
Here are a couple of quick videos.

Short post

I only have one hand to write a post since my other hand is filled with baby. I forgot how much newborns like to be held. Luckily, I love to hold my newborns. On to a few pictures with very little commentary.

Leo helped Tom do yard work.

Fina had her first real bath.

Looking wary at this daddy person.

Piggy baby

Our little girl is packing it on. She had her two week check up today and she's up to 8 pounds 12 ounces. Based on how much she nurses, it's not a big surprise. It's nice to have a healthy baby and not be stressed about breastfeeding, jaundice, lack of weight gain, etc. She did make me a little worried because her sacral dimple was deep and the doctor wanted to be sure it was closed and normal, so she had to have an ultrasound yesterday. The results came back normal and we don't ever have to think about it again, but it was pretty miserable to be in the darkened exam room with our tiny baby being scanned. It reminded me of Leo's ultrasound when he was diagnosed with his hernia. It's a very vulnerable feeling to see your kids like that.

Though Fina got a clean bill of health, that doesn't mean she's out of danger. Leo clocked her in the head with a toy today. Twice. I handled it best I could and Tom helped out with conveying the seriousness of the situation. It is the first time I've ever felt angry at Leo. I've been frustrated with him and at my wits end. But I was angry he hurt his sister and made her cry. Hopefully it was just an experimental thing. Later in the day he told me that "baby bump cry no" and then stroked Fina's hair while saying gentle, so I think he has it figured out.

Speaking of figuring things out, Leo is only wearing a diaper for nap and bed. He's consistently pooping on the potty (a very big deal), he's been to the park a few times diaper-free and he even peed in the "big potty". Exciting stuff.

On Monday, my friend April had a little photo shoot with our girl (and her brother and parents). Here's one of her supermodel shots.

Tom's leave is rapidly coming to an end and I'm definitely anxious about being on my own with the two kids. I hope I can handle it. Or at least just survive it.

"Funny hat"

My mom made this little hat, but when Leo saw his sister in it, he pointed and said "funny hat". I think Nana would agree that it is a bit of a funny hat.

Ready for her close-up

How you doin'?

We're all still doing really well, but all the change is taking a bit of a toll. Leo is showing signs of stress. He melts down easily and is compulsively rubbing his face and sucking his fingers. He takes them out of his mouth as soon as you mention it, but Tom and I spend all day saying "take your fingers out of your mouth". We're also trying to move him forward with the potty training. It seems like bad timing in some ways, but it other ways it is perfect. Tom is here to spearhead the project, and since Leo is already experiencing a lot of change, a little more won't break him. He's excellent on the potty when at home and bottomless, so we're trying to get him use to wearing pants (with no diaper) and being out in the world without a diaper.

I'm still feeling a little physically "beat up" and the postpartum hormones are hitting me hard, so everything is more emotional than it should be. For the most part, I'm handling it well, but I've been brought to tears by seeing my oldest upset. It also caused me to leak breastmilk all over myself. Fortunately, breastfeeding is going really well with this little one. It was such a struggle with Leo and cause for a lot of stress, depression and overall worry. Serafina is a great baby and a big part of it is because she is well fed.

Today we took a little family trip to the park and Leo didn't wear a diaper while he was there. He peed in the bushes under Tom's supervision. Only possible with little boys. Here's a picture of Tom and Leo playing.
It seems like every time Fina has her eyes open, Leo is insisting on "camera". I was told second kids aren't photographed as much, but Leo is making sure that isn't the case.

Just the four of us

We said farewell to Nana today. I was pretty emotional about it all. Fortunately, I was distracted from my sadness by witnessing her airport shuttle driver pull a junky exercise machine from my neighbor's driveway and load it into the van next to my mom's suitcase. It was quite surreal.

Right as Nana was leaving, we were loading up for our first family outing. Fina had her follow-up doctor's appointment and we brought Leo along. He was a good sport, but got nervous about his sister being on the exam table. He doesn't like it when I'm on the exam table either, which was difficult during my frequent OB appointments. Fina's weight is back up and the yellowing has improved. The doctor gave us the thumbs-up and we'll see her again in about a week and a half for a check-up. Fina and I had our first mother-daughter shopping trip. Just a quick errand, but it was a big deal for us.

On to some pictures...

Yesterday we took a little walk. The weather was too beautiful to stay inside, but it wore me out.
Just being cute in the swing.
Nana gave her a good wipe-down this morning. Leo helped.

She was not a big fan of this little headband, but it looked cute.
Leo practiced being gentle with the baby. So far, so good.

The first days of Fina

Wow. What an amazing couple of days. I'll give you a brief run-down and share some pictures.

Here's little Fina, fresh from the belly. Actually the birth canal. She spent a lot of time in there, just like her brother. My babies just don't want to come out on their own. Once again I had an vacuum extraction. I was very lucky that my OB happen to be coming on shift right about the time we were ready for show time. Her skill, confidence and encouragement kept us out of the operating room (even though I had to sign all the consent forms "just in case"). It was a long night with some tense moments as her heartbeat dipped. Our nurse was awesome and even stayed after her shifted ended to see us through the delivery. Serafina was delivered to my belly, all slimy, and it was wonderful. I didn't get her again for a while since she had a lot of mucus and needed quite a bit of suctioning. Tom held her first and the pure joy on his face was...well, I don't really have a word for it.


My first time holding her.
Checking for all 10 toes.
All cleaned up after her bath.
Meeting Nana for the first time.
Meeting big brother.

We were put in a shared room. I'm sure my roommate is a very nice person, but her constant chatting on the phone and cheesy music were tough to take. Luckily, both the OB and the pediatrician were comfortable discharging us after just one night and were able to come home the next day at lunch time.

Here she is all dressed for the ride home. It was a very hot day.
Arriving home to a special sign made by Leo and Nana.
Last night was rough. She's not a fan of sleeping flat on her back, but we survived it. One of the contingencies of going home early was seeing the pediatrician today. Here's her visiting the doctor outfit. The appointment was generally fine. She's dropped in weight, which is normal and is a bit yellow. We've been down this road before so we aren't overly concerned. My milk is just coming in so I'm confident we'll be on the right track very soon. We follow up with doctor on Sunday just to make sure. I nursed Leo before bed and shortly after he started he popped off to point and say "milk", so I think things are flowing. She's been latching on well since the first nursing in the delivery room. One of the nurses told me that second-time moms have a confidence that babies can sense and it usually goes smoothly. Apparently I was the talk of the nurses station because whenever a new nurse came to check on me, she said "I hear you still nurse your 23 month old."
Leo is very big on "holding baby". He asks to hold her often and once he has her, tells us "camera", so I guess he realizes it is a good photo op. His interest in her is brief. After a few minutes of holding her and pointing out body parts, he's done. He seems to be adjusting well, but tonight he was extra fussy and needy. He's a pretty adaptable kid, so I'm not too worried. Though when Nana leaves on Sunday, it may be a different story.

Leo looks like such a giant next to little Fina. It's funny and a little strange to see.
Tom gave Fina a little sun therapy. Just like Leo.

I'll try my best to keep blogging regularly. I've got a lot on my plate, but I'm just so thrilled with my little family. Fina is full of funny faces and cute noises. She's a wonder. Leo is just as awesome as always. Nana is so willing to help however she can and I'm not sure how we're going to cope without her. And Tom...well, he's super dad and the best labor coach a girl could want. I hope I remember all this love and happiness when the going gets tough. I know there will be times I feel like I am drowning, but right now, at this moment, I'm in heaven.

Baby girl

Serafina Rose Mirrione was born this morning at 7:30. She weighed in at 8 lbs 3 oz and is 21” long. We are all doing well and recuperating after a long night last night. Leo is embracing his role as big brother and is especially interested in touching her eyes.

Got the call!!!

We're suppose to be there at 8pm. Woo-hoo! Let's go have a baby!

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said...

So I didn't get called in to the hospital last night. I even phoned at 3am for a status update. I think all the people who I've ever pissed off in my life have become nurses and are taking turns working the charge shift at my hospital.

This morning I called my doctor's office and they had me come in at 11am. My usual doctor was booked, so I saw a new doctor. She was very nice, but didn't pull off getting me into L & D. She did an aggressive (read: painful) stripping of my membranes and told me that once I start feeling anything at all, to head to the hospital. I'm 3 - 4 cm. dilated and very ready to have this baby.

On the way home, I picked up some spicy chicken wings for lunch and just had a walk. I plan to lay down for a bit while Leo sleeps and then try another walk after nap time.

I'm mentally exhausted from the emotional roller coaster of the last couple days. I feel like I can't even articulate my thoughts. I keep trying to say something to Tom and just end up crying. He's been a rock through this whole thing even though I know he's super pissed about the situation and wants to go all New York on some one's ass.