It's the Holiday Season

Two things are making me feel very grown up this year (none of which are that I have 3 children, that has yet to sink in):

#1 We have a big, full, pre-lit tree this year! After squeezing 7 years out of our $14 tree from Walmart, we got a new Christmas tree for our house. I am in love with it.

#2 I bit the bullet and bought stocking holders. They are expensive! Especially when Juan says we could just go grab some rocks from outside instead. I love how they look on my mantle.

These girls play with these snowmen like they are the 4 musketeers. They're not meant to be played with, but why not?

 We spend most our days in pjs over here. Getting dressed and ready around 4 pm. Amelia got this picture of Maya.

 Oscar chilled while we set up the tree.

 

We've had a few days of cold-for-Texas weather (39 was the high, say what?). So we have been inside a lot. But Christmas has livened home up for us! Christmas movies, books, music, cookies. Love.

And for those who missed it on Facebook, my friend Kasee took some fun pictures of Oscar and the fam on Saturday. I love them.

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.