Stepping Out

I have had an awesome recovery so far and have been getting out of the house a lot! And I think getting out has been what has kept me so happy and upbeat. With the girls, I was very weepy and cried over everything. I discovered with Amelia that if I got out of the house each day, even if it was just to walk around Target for 15 minutes, then I wouldn't feel so down and wouldn't cry every second. 

I went to cooking club last week, then on Friday we took a family trip to Austin's very own Wildlife Preserve. This was really really awesome. We drove through the property and animals would come right up to the car and we could feed them. We saw Zebras and Deer and Wildebeests and Ostriches. Right up in our faces! They also had giraffes and monkeys and a petting zoo with all these goats. It was an awesome experience, even if it ended up being a 10 hour day when Oscar was only 8 days old. Yikes.

Sunday we got out to a work party and left the girls at home with my parents. And tomorrow I am going out to a girl's night! I am glad I am feeling so good, I wouldn't want to miss all these fun things. Tomorrow will be a little sad, it is a farewell dinner for my dear friend Steph who is moving to Utah. We are really going to miss Steph and Cam, and the girls are really going to miss their best friend Andy. Boo. I don't want to think about it. 

Onto pictures.

 The girls loving their brother. Maya has really warmed up to him and it's almost like she forgets about him, then she'll see him lying on the couch and gasp and say Oscar! and run over to hug him.

 I take a hundred pictures a day. All for this money shot. Can you believe the cuteness?

 The girls helping grandpa make Apple Pie. Amelia has been talking about baking a pie with grandma and grandpa ever since we read an Amelia Bedelia book about it a few months ago. She loved it.

 And our trip to the Wildlife Preserves. Oscar was a champ in the car, they all were.

 Maya's excitement, and what she was looking at (below).

 First family picture. 

 Petting zoo. Maya was obsessed. Amelia quickly learned that the black one was mean, and therefore spent most the time watching from behind the gate.

Oscar is spending more and more time awake! The first 10 days of his life, he had maybe 2 hours of wake time total outside of eating.

And tomorrow we say good bye to Grandma and Grandpa. They have been so much help and who knows how I'll survive without them! I spend all my time taking care of 3 kids, who has time to make dinner and do dishes and clean? Yikes.

Meet Oscar

Oscar

Born Thursday, November 7, 2013.

11:53 pm. 8 lbs 3 oz. 19 1/2 inches long.

I had an awesome delivery in the hospital, delivered him 3 hours after we were admitted. But I really did have 4 days previous of contractions at home, mostly through the night. Which means I was getting very little sleep and feeling very frustrated and discouraged by the time Thursday came around. And I was in a lot of pain!

On Thursday I picked Juan up from work in tears. I just couldn't do this for 5 more days. I needed sleep, I needed more than a 20 min break between contractions. The contractions were irregular, but very painful so I really just lived in fear of when that next contraction would hit. By Thursday afternoon, the contractions were consistently 10 min apart, and they didn't stop when we went for a long walk around the neighborhood. This was my first sign that it was the real thing. Then we went to visit a friend, went to dinner, soon it was 3 consecutive hours with contractions about 7-10 min apart. I started to really believe that I was finally in real labor! Juan wasn't so sure... he didn't think I was in that much pain. Silly Juan.

I got home, did dishes, packed my bag, set out the girls' clothes and wrote instructions. In that one hour, my contractions were suddenly 3-4 min apart! It was really so exciting! So that was it, we headed to the hospital. I did have my doubts, the contractions were terrible, but were they painful enough? I guessed I was a 3 and that maybe they'd take sympathy on me and admit me since it was my 3rd child and I had the potential to move fast.

After 25 min of questions at the hospital, they finally checked me. I was dilated to a 6. Seriously, I have never been so happy in my life! I was in heaven. After an hour, I got the epidural. And I was so comfortable. And then 2 hours after that, we had our baby boy!

Life at home has been a smooth transition. My parents are in town and my mom has been amazing. She does all the cleaning, entertains the girls, lets me nap twice each day. I am the most well-rested new mother of three! Amelia adores Oscar, and Maya follows suit. Maya at first seemed to be uninterested and just copied Amelia, but now she gets these spurts of just uncontrollable love where she hugs him 20 times in a row and is filled with pure joy.

 Juan and Amelia, headed out on a lunch and movie date.

 I took Oscar outside since it was a perfect day out, 70 degrees. This is what he thought. Too bright.

 Maya's pure joy.

 The girls huddled around the Kindle, in a rare moment of cooperation and no fighting.

The girls are each vying for attention in their own ways. Amelia threw a full on tantrum today as she was yelling down a 10 minute rant from her bedroom because Juan surprised Maya with some cheetos and failed to acknowledge they are suddenly Amelia's favorite too and Amelia wants her own bag, she doesn't want any from Maya's bag. Drama. Maya is focused on teasing Amelia 100%, she does it with a sly grin and suddenly loves to cause trouble. This is all expected, and I know it will continue.

 Remember just last week, I thought she was so tiny?

Welcome to our world, Oscar.

Cruise Control

We are on cruise control over here. Ok well maybe that's not exactly true considering the day we had yesterday when we put the girls down to bed a full hour early because we just didn't have the energy to deal with them any longer. Energy levels over here are very low these days with me at 39 weeks pregnant and Juan who picks up all the slack. He is superman. He is pretty incredible.

But when days go according to plan, and the girls actually nap and behave like they aren't monsters, then it feels good. We are ready for this baby, 100%. I am SO excited to have him in my arms and just watch him as he snuggles in and sleeps (that's how my newborns have been so far at least, this little boy of mine just might give us a reality check :). Halloween is over and it was the best. These years with young kids, can anything beat it? It is a lot of fun watching them get so happy over simple things.

I think a lot about how life is going to change. The girls are used to seeing a mom who is pretty tired. But I still spend all my time with them. We are 3 amigos during the days. We read a lot of books and we spend a lot of time playing, baking, going on walks, going to the park. Now there will be another child that demands a lot of attention and I'm afraid of what that will do to my little girlies. Yesterday Maya snuggled me in the morning after she woke up a little early. She had her hand on my cheek just staring at me, waiting patiently for me to get my booty out of bed. I opened my eyes to look at her, and my little Maya is so so tiny. I feel like she could fit in my belly right now, she is still a baby. And here she is going to be a big sister. And a middle child for life. Oh Maya, we are in love with her. She has the sweetest smile and she doesn't give it away to just anyone. She has a lot of sass and is always silly and lively. And miss Amelia, she is my sidekick. She asks me conversational questions and we just have the best time together. She is only 3, but so often I treat her like she is grown and expect so much out of her, and what amazes me is that she steps up to the challenge. She always surprises us and I am so proud of my oldest girl. 

And after all that chatter, some pictures from the last couple weeks:

 Matching Minnie Mouses from our church trunk or treat.

 Family picture. I was a monkey and Juan was a very sweaty gorilla. 

 Playing a real carnival game! She is just growing up too fast.

 This is my husband. Juan is hilarious. For years he has put up with my lame, home-made costumes, always talking about how he wants to be a gorilla. Life dream for him, no joke. And he had the best time of his life scaring way too many people, including me and the girls! I love this man.

 Millie and a photo shoot.

 Time for trick or treating! Please know that after this picture was taken, I could not stand up again on my own. Bad idea.

 The girls with Mickey and their friend Andy!

 Off they go with Daddy!

 Maya too busy for pictures, "Open that!"

  My beautiful Maya.

Twinkle Twinkle.