the first weeks

The first few days home. Could watch this doll for hours. Nothing sweeter than a smiling baby while sleeping EXCEPT a smiling baby looking into mama's eyes. That is TOTALLY my heart melter. We've received quite a few of those now.

Starting to fall into a routine. I'm still not healed as fast as I think I should be. It's awful awful hard not to pick up my big girl.... and she wonders why I can't. 

My beautiful mother. I love watching her with my babies. I know it's how she was with her own babies and it fills me with a special love for this wonderful woman that raised us kids with patience, guidance, love, and care.

 Grammie and her babies with Zaiya showing off. This was the morning she left us and we all cried. Well mom and dad did.... Zaiya didn't know what was going on. 

Daddy and his newest little love. He loves being a dad! And he is such a good, helping one!

Zaiya's first time warming up to Anya. Since then she has wanted to hold Anya which is a bit precarious and totally precious!

Love this photo! Brock and Elton braved chilly weather and wind to come take a peek. 

Grammie and Anya telling each other stories.

The result of Dustin sleeping the night in a hospital chair. Zaiya was more than willing to help....well play!

       

Snuggles with Grammie in midst of getting breakfast ready.    

Being outside doing a bit of winter yard work I couldn't get to. They were out there for hours! Zaiya loved riding in the wheelbarrow and could get so mad when Grammie would fill it up!

Clowning around. 

Hard to believe in a couple more days Anya is one month and Zaiya is nearly 22 months.....

Anya meeting Jewel.

First little moments with mom at home.

Sweet baby in pink :)

Announcing Anya Lu on October 22nd

We are happy to announce our little dolly! We were so sure we were going to have a boy and we have another girl!! Two daughters - how lucky we are! Never a moment of disappointment, after all, that's why we don't find out, we wanted the SURPRISE!! and oh my were we. Love it. And love her. It is wonderful how quickly one can fall in love all over again. Completely and wholly in love. 

Anya Lu was born Oct 22nd at 12:26pm 8 pounds, 8 oz and 19 inches. She is a healthy, beautiful little love and as sweet as can be. 

She is sleeping well, eating lots, all systems are go :) (I forgot how many diapers a newborn is) She was born 3 days late if you go by my first due date, and 1 week early if you go by the 2nd. I honestly think the first one was correct because she is perfect. I couldn't go another week in my emotional state of all over body itching and waking every half hour (last 3 weeks of pg) because of her sitting on all my nerves. Literally :) I haven't felt 3 fingers on each arm for weeks. Dr says it will go away very soon. I'm still waiting on the soon.

Mom is here, thankfully and more photos to follow, but recovery is a little harder this go and probably having a 30lb toddler has much to do with the seemingly slower recovery. And Zaiya being busy, I just don't have my camera at every beck. It by no means lessens our joy and total delight over our sweet Anya Lu. Her first name because we love it and her second for her grandma Lulu (Hagbom) Voth. 

To say the least, Zaiya isn't overly impressed. I had a feeling the adjustment would be big and it. really. is. big. Since being home we've had several learning curves, but she always goes to check on Anya for any squeak or sigh. :)

This photo was the first she met Anya and pretty much was a "ummmm , hi. Okay goodbye, you can go back now" wave that cracked us up!

This was a little later when she came to terms that this was a little tiny 'people' and not a dolly. We're very into finding every point on the face and she was determined to show me where Anya's nose was :)

We're tired, but in love with two perfect little darlings and that accounts for energy that we don't feel we have and the awe that we are so lucky to have healthy, loving, and ever so loved kids.

4 Month Catchup.

4 months since my last post. Eek! I'll just say energy has been used elsewhere. It's not easy growing a baby that is already estimated to be 8lbs at birth!! (not at present thank heavens!!) and chasing around a 31lb toddler who is one bizybizybizybizybizy little girl.

Consolation? I'm not the first woman to do this, nor the last one. Also, I am 36 weeks, Zaiya takes a 2 hour nap and I nap then too. So at least I rest. The house doesn't get attention and I have 100 lbs of tomatoes to can. About a bushel of corn to freeze and I honestly don't know if any of it will happen or not. Potatoes and Carrots are still in the ground because I don't have a place to store them and they'll be fine. I would not have even picked tomatoes, but Sept 10th we got a hard freeze and picked them in a snow/sleet storm. The preserving part just seems like too much, too big of a deal, and what did they invent grocery stores for anyhow!??! 

The trouble is, in another 6 weeks after a birth and getting back into the swing of things, I am going to be very sorry I didn't can my own tomatoes, I'll be hungry for corn, and I will be irritated at the prices in the grocery store over the things that I grew.

Never a perfect world.

Much has happened in 4 months. I"ll see if I can do a quick catchup. 

I am so hungry. This is what I have expected all along that is going on in my expansion to XL and I found this in the Dr. office. Substitute the hot wings for anything with ice cream, hot or cold sandwiches, and curry. And lately, chocolate. The worst craving ever has been those nasty little tater tots with even nastier plastic-tasting Nacho Cheese Sauce. And Rocky Road ice cream.  Pretty sure this baby is a boy. 

I can't wait to get back to my yoga and real food to eat. Thus far I have to force veggies down my throat after a self pep talk every.single.meal because I know I need to. Dr has strictly enforced a no exercise rule on me which I've never had that happen before! Have had a few scares here and there with this pg and partly is forcing myself to slow down. Lots of pressure/pain where they've taken many tests to make sure I am not in pre-term labor. This started about 32 weeks. Last craze is the severe itchiness from head to toe which they were worried about ICP. It isn't, they don't know why, but at least we have the  relief of knowing that I am not going to miscarry which apparently can happen up to 40 weeks with ICP. Talk about living on pins for  a few days.

Happier days were going 'home' for 2 weeks to the WEST side!! And what a long ol' road it is. We sure put this kid through a lot. No sitting around at home waiting for her to grow up. We go, she goes and what a trooper she is in a 12 hour long car ride.

We played, we worked, and it was just plain good to have a change for 2 weeks. Zaiya and her Uncle Tony are great buds. This kid has absolutely no fear of anything. She was so happy to have her legs kicking in the water and leaning over to see the bottom which usually contains a crawdad or two. (I caught her one, she wasn't impressed.)

Sitting with cousins enjoying the summertime evening on the lake.

She loves water! And her Uncle Tony :)

And got around to shearing the poor sheep. Dustin's first go with that. He said it was fun, but he wouldn't make a habit out of it! :) We have 3 left from my sister Lynae's flock from high school days.

Zaiya couldn't let go of grandpa while they were sacking the wool. She wasn't scared of the sheep at all, just the wool!

VERY big wether. The muscles were working hard on Tony and Dustin!

I love this photo of Dad's pickup. Stock full of every need out in the hayfield! It is the way it is during haying season. And that nice stack of bales in the background. It just makes me happy!

Dad bringing home a load of hay

Zaiya went to meet grandpa along with the dogs, Whiski and Willie.

We also picked raspberries with grandma. By the gallons. And oh how good they were!

Zaiya loves sitting with Grandma. This is one where she brought the hymn book and they were singing. She's really getting into music, more so than dancing around. She climbs up on my electric piano and makes the thing just ring. I don't know how she gets 1/2 the keys to work because I never have!

So that was our trip back west. In the interim, Dustin bought a truck.

Sharing Sunday night popcorn.  She loves to read! This is a usual setting.

And she loves our dog Buddy. He wandered in about a year ago and never left. I hate him. (he's a 2 year old yellow lab. 'Nuf said.) But he would do anything for Zaiya. He never leaves her.

I think he WOULD like to leave her sometimes!! This is blurry thru the window, but she insisted he have a blanket over him in 90 degree weather! haha! Then she washed his blanket in his water dish. 

And a huge highlight... we have an "Uncle Graham" who is back in the states from Kenya for a time and we ran up to Aylesbury Canada to see him for a weekend. Worth every bit of travel involved and tenting it in a thunderstorm. Zaiya did amazingly well even though it was 100 degrees. So wonderful to see Gra. It's been 13 years since the last installment. My mom and several of her friends had a flat near his work in England some 40+ years ago. Wonderful a generational friendship!

Telling him a big story.