Sadie's Birth Story Part II

During nap time today while the boys were sleeping I turned on “A Baby Story” on TLC to help keep my mind off the dreaded task of folding laundry.  It happened to be documenting a woman who was giving birth to a little girl after already having two boys.  I was somewhat interested to see what her experience was as she was aiming for a natural water birth just like I had.  Let me tell you…her experience could not have been more different than mine.  Sometimes I wonder if that show purposely decides not to show the more dramatic, painful REAL births that most women have.  I feel like every time I watch it just doesn’t depict anything close to my experiences.  This woman labored at home for a bit until her water unexpectedly broke and they calmly gathered their things to head to their birthing center.  Apparently things moved very quickly as by the time they arrived at the center and got in the tub she was ready to push.  You wouldn’t know this based on watching her – she never made a sound and barely winced her way through contractions.  After peacefully pushing for 5 minutes her baby was pulled out of the water and placed on her chest.  I wish I could tell you that my labor was as quick and easy and peaceful as hers, but that certainly wasn’t the case…

So I finished Part I of Sadie's Birth Story with Scott and me spending the morning of April 2nd walking the halls of the hospital and running stairwells trying to kick my labor into high gear.  Throughout the morning, my contractions were painful and, of course, all of the pain was centered in my lower back as I was once again experiencing back labor, but they weren't falling too close together and I knew we still had a long way to go before Sadie was going to make her entrance into the world.  Around 12:30 my wonderful midwife, Lucy, checked my progress and I was about 4-5 cm dilated.  I was feeling frustrated and discouraged as I hadn't made much progress at all throughout the course of the morning.  After being 8 days overdue and so desperately wanting to hold this child in my arms I was anxious for things to really get moving for me.  Luckily, I didn't have to wait much longer.  By 1:00 my contractions were practically on top of each other.  We had headed down the hall to go on another walk and had to turn around and head back to the birthing center because I was suddenly experiencing such great pain and constant contractions!  The fun was officially beginning...

 We labored in our room for about 3 hours, moving around constantly and trying to find any position to ease the pain of the contractions. 

We tried using the birthing ball, leaning over the sink, laboring in the hot shower...no matter where I was I had to find a position in which Scott could press his entire body weight on my lower back through every contraction.  It certainly didn't take long for me to remember why I had been dreading labor so much.  I can't even attest to what a normal labor feels like, but back labor hurts like h-e-l-l!  Thankfully, my incredible husband was working through each contraction with me and helping me focus, breath and relieve a bit of the pain by putting pressure on my back.  Though I certainly couldn't find a "comfortable" position, we managed to pass a few hours and were hopeful that we were making progress.

Around 4:00, Lucy checked me again and I was around 6cm.  This time I felt extremely discouraged.  We had just labored intensely for three hours and I had only made a little bit of progress.  All that nonsense that people throw at you saying your third delivery will be quick and easy and you'll hardly know you're in labor...yeah, that was definitely not the case for me.

I know everyone's experience is different and every body handles labor differently, but my secret hopes for having a quicker and easier labor were unfortunately not coming true!  We decided that it was time to get into the tub and see if laboring in the water helped me at all.  I had heard some personal stories from other friends who had had back labor that the tub had really felt good for them and I was definitely willing to give it a try.  I had spoken to my midwives about a water birth and had expressed to them that while it certainly wasn't my official "birth plan" that I was striving for, I would certainly be open to and feel comfortable with a water birth if I was in the tub and things naturally progressed that way. 

I got into the tub shortly after 4:00pm and it took a little while to figure out how to manage the contractions in the tub.  It turned out that every time I felt one coming I would get up out of the tub to a standing position and lean my hands on the edge so Scott could press on my back, then I would lie back down for a minute or two until the next one came.  This made for a very challenging and exhausting part of the labor and by the time I reached transition I was just standing the entire time since there was no time in between to sit back down.  I had invited my Mom and my mother-in-law to witness Sadie's birth.  After the year that my Mom had, losing my Dad and experiencing so much pain and sadness, I thought it would be especially meaningful for her to experience new life coming into the world...and knowing that it was our last child made me feel like it was worth offering her this opportunity. 

Nancy had three sons and I knew not having a daughter would mean she may never get to witness something like this so I invited her to join us as well.  Heading into labor I was pretty sure I only wanted them to arrive at the very end to witness the actual birth.  I didn't think I wanted them in the room with me while I labored, thinking it would add more stress and just another thing for me to think/worry about when I already had enough going on.  I had expressed my concerns and expectations to them, so when they arrived around 5:00pm they peeked in for a minute and were ready to go wait down the hall, but I asked them to stay and be a part of it and I'm SO glad I did.  Since Scott was behind me it was so helpful to have my Mom in front of me and I ended up squeezing her hands through every contraction and both she and Nancy turned out to be a huge help and a wonderful support system for me.

Around 6:00pm, Lucy checked me and I was 8 cm.  She broke my water and from that point on I was in constant terrible pain.  I kept saying, “I don’t think I can do this…”, “I’m soooo tired…”, but my cheering squad pulled me through and helped me focus and somehow, we made it to the end.  Around 6:50pm I started pushing.  I’ve had a number of people ask me how the water birth compared to my previous births and I have to say, I think this stage was much more difficult for me than my other births.  I was pretty much floating in the water on Scott’s legs who was holding me from behind.  There wasn’t anywhere sturdy for me to put my feet, so my Mom and one leg in one hand and one of the midwives was holding my other leg.   

This was so challenging because I had nothing to brace myself against (when I was pushing with Micah in a bed my feet were stable against something and I had handles on the side of the bed that I was gripping with my hands and of course I was pressing against the back of the bed with my weight as I pushed…during this birth I just felt like I was floating and didn’t have that same resistance which was super challenging).  Luckily, I only had to push for about 20 minutes and at 7:11pm I pulled my little girl out of the water and up onto my chest.  It was one of the most incredible moments of my life.  Although we were told at our one ultrasound that we were having a girl, we had a difficult time wrapping our head the fact and continued to be a little unsure if they were right until we actually held our precious daughter in our arms.  What an amazing feeling.  

Unfortunately, I pretty much want to erase the next hour and a half from my memory so I’ll try to breeze through these details.  I sat in the tub holding Sadie while Scott cut the cord (and she pooped all over me) and I started shaking like crazy.  A combination of sitting in an empty tub in a wet bathing suit and the shock of all that my body had just endured made me shake uncontrollably.  Then I had to climb out of the tub and into a wheelchair to get back down to my room and climb into the bed.  (These are the little details that I didn’t really think of when I considered a water birth – getting out of a wet bathing suit, climbing out of a tub and into the bed etc…)  After I got settled into my bed, I had to endure nearly an hour of being stitched up.  It was horrible as it was pretty complicated for them and I was in so much pain that I didn’t feel I could safely hold Sadie.   

She was crying and wanted to nurse and the midwives were having difficulty stitching me properly (to the point where about halfway through I had to climb back out of the bed so they could lower it’s position to get a better angle and then climb back into the bed - this is not an easy task for a woman who just endured delivering a 9+ pound baby).  By the end of the hour I was sobbing and just wanted to hold my baby and be done with all the medical procedures.  It was the biggest feeling of relief when Sadie was finally given to me for good.  I snuggled her so close and she immediately latched on and nursed for about 45 minutes!  She’s a champ! 

Overall, I’m so grateful for my experience.  I’m thankful that I was able to have a natural birth even though it was ridiculously painful and something I never want to experience again!   I’m thankful for my wonderful midwife, Lucy, who is just now passing her boards at Yale and becoming an official midwife.  She was following the 3 midwives in my practice throughout my pregnancy, and was with me for nearly all of my appointments (through my Dad’s sickness and passing) and I felt pretty close to her.  I was grateful that she was able to deliver Sadie (the official midwife was also there, but hardly had her hand in the process at all).  I’m thankful for Scott, who was so steadfast and knew just how to help me through labor, and for my Mom and mother-in-law who were a huge help and who I will forever feel closer to after sharing such a raw and intense experience.  I’m thankful for Pop (my father-in-law) who carried the majority of childcare responsibilities for the boys while we were in labor (I’m pretty sure not everyone can say they feel 100% comfortable leaving their two boys with their grandfather for such an extended period of time, but he is SO good with them and I never have to worry about a thing!)  

 Finally getting to hold her after the stitches debacle...

 Proud grandparents...

 My midwife, Lucy...

 Introducing Sadie to the boys for the first time...

 Family of Five!

 So proud...

 Ready to go home...

 I definitely felt, and continue to feel, extra emotional about my Dad.  It’s just so hard to go through something so significant and know that he’ll never be able to be a part of it.  I’m grateful that he at least knew of our pregnancy and knew we were having a little girl…but knowing that she’ll never know her Bepa makes me so sad.  I know he’d be proud of me.

Sadie's Birth Story - Part I

I've been wanting to sit down and write Sadie's birth story for a while now, but I just can't seem to put her down long enough to get anything done!  I mean, she is so snuggly and this newborn stage is so short - I just want to hold her and nurse her and smell her sweet little smell and soak in these moments while I can...
______________________________________________

So, the above paragraph was first written on April 11th.  It is now April 22nd and I am literally just sitting down once again to try to type up Sadie's birth story!  See!  I wasn't kidding about never wanting to put this precious little girl down.  I literally never seem to have my hands free and even now, as I type, she's sound asleep on my chest.  Oh, I just love this newborn stage.  The little sighs in her sleep, the little noises she makes while nursing, how she snuggles up so close to me to fall asleep every night. Sadie really is such a good baby.  Camden had that witching hour where he would cry every night from about 7:00-9:00, but Sadie never really has prolonged periods of crying like that!  She is content, happy to be held and loved and snuggled.  Obviously she does cry, but we're usually able to calm her down relatively quickly and then she's back to her happy self.  I'm just soaking up these days - she's already changing so rapidly and growing so fast (and she's not even three weeks old yet)!

Anyways, back to the point of this post.  I want to write down Sadie's birth story while it's still fresh in my mind.  I have to admit, as much as I love all three of my babies, and love being a Mom, I dread childbirth.  It doesn't help that Camden's birth was one of those horrible experiences (21+ hours of active back labor and 5 hours of pushing (he was stuck)...I swear I had a little post-traumatic stress disorder following that experience.  Micah's birth was much more manageable, but I still had back labor with him (apparently, that's just how my body carries pain - and it is horrible) so I knew heading into this delivery that I was going to be in for another challenging, and painful (!!!), experience.  I worried throughout my pregnancy about all of this and spoke to my midwives and just hoped I would find the courage and stamina to survive this ordeal one last time!  (I know you're sitting there thinking to yourself that I should have just gotten an epidural and then I wouldn't have to worry about this stuff, but I was pretty set on not having one for a variety of reasons - especially after having two natural births already - so I was just hoping that my body and my mind would be strong enough to handle it all!)  Obviously, I survived...but it wasn't easy!

Sadie was due on March 25th, which happened to by my Dad's birthday.  I thought it was so special that they shared this date, and after losing his battle with cancer just a couple short months ago on January 31st, I wanted SOOO badly for my little girl to be born on his birthday.  Or, if that wasn't possible, maybe I'd be lucky enough to go into labor a week or so early!  But no...the days ticked by and the 25th came and went.  I was very emotional on that day.  Part of me felt like after everything I'd been through with my Dad, couldn't God just give me this one little gift and let my daughter share this special day with her grandfather?!?  I walked up the biggest hill in town, hoping to get things moving, but evening came and no signs of labor.  I was very disappointed, but knew that I just had to be patient.  Apparently, I had to be really patient, because Sadie was happy where she was until 8 days later when she finally made her appearance!

I woke up in the early morning hours on April 2.  I had been having nearly constant braxton hicks contractions for weeks by this time, but I finally felt that these contractions might be a little bit different.  I tried to go back to sleep and was restless for a couple of hours until I finally woke Scott up around 4:00am.  I knew it was only early labor, but I was very hopeful that it was the real deal.  Scott ended up running into his office down the road from about 5:00-6:00am just to make sure that all his lesson plans were ready to go for whoever was going to take over his classes.  I continued to time contractions and they were consistent and painful, but not too close together yet (6-8 minutes apart).  We called our midwife around 7:00am and she suggested that even though it sounded like the early stages of labor we should make our way to the hospital sooner rather than later.  It would have been challenging to labor for too long at home since we have two other kids to take care of and with a third pregnancy you just never know when or how quickly you might shift from early labor to really active labor.  Since the hospital is 45 minutes away we all agreed that it would be best to play it safe so we gathered our things and got ready to leave. 

My Mom came down to the house and we said our goodbyes to the boys.  I was definitely sad to say goodbye, knowing that life would never be the same again, but at the same time I was so relieved that this day had finally arrived and I was very ready to get this little girl out of me!  We had a relatively uneventful ride to the hospital, and I was just hoping and praying that my labor would pick up and not stall.  After being sent home from the hospital with false labor with Micah, I was fearful that that would happen again.  We arrived around 8:30am, got settled into our room, got checked by the midwife (I was about 4cm - though I had been almost 3cm for a couple weeks by this point) and we started the process of trying to get things really moving and get the baby to drop even more.  We walked the halls of the hospital, did squats, walked up and down stairwells (Scott was in a funny mood and kept dropping and doing push-ups everywhere.  At this point we were still enjoying our time and not in too much pain...but that didn't last forever)!

Part II (the exciting/good part) coming soon! 

Ready for you!

Come on Baby Goose!  We're ready to meet you!!!  I'm sitting here on the couch, watching you move inside my belly like crazy and wondering when you're going to arrive.  Tomorrow is your due date (and Bepa's birthday).  It would mean a lot to me if you showed up right on time, but even if you don't I know your timing will be perfect.

Your room is all ready for you, which kind of makes me laugh because you will likely be sleeping in our room for the first 10-12 months of your life, but who knows, maybe you'll want your own space more than your brothers did and want to get settled in your little room sooner rather than later.  I can't wait to hold you and kiss you and love on you for the rest of your life.  See you soon, Little One!

Don't worry, we'll replace the pictures of Micah with precious little newborn pictures of you!  :)

 Soooo different than your brothers clothes! 

 We had to squeeze a twin bed in here for Daddy for the nights when all you want to do is stay awake with Mama and nurse.  Daddy needs to sleep a little bit so he can wake up with your brothers at 5:30 every morning and let us sleep in! 

We're ready Baby Goose!  Are you?!?!

Waiting

I've done a lot of waiting this year.  Waiting for good news.  Waiting for answered prayers.  Waiting for my belly to grow.  Waiting.  Trying to be patient and trusting.

I sat by my Dad's bedside as he slowly slipped from this world to the next.  For more than a week I watched, and I waited.  I waited for him to take his last breath.  Every moment wondering if this would be it.  Every night when I kissed him on the forehead and told him what an incredible Dad he was to me I wondered if I'd see him again.  Every night I fell asleep with my phone next to my bed, waiting for the dreaded phone call that was bound to come.  And then one night, about an hour after I had said yet another "final" goodbye to him, the phone did ring.  And it was it.  The waiting was over.  It had actually happened.  And I arrived at my parents' house just a couple minutes later and sat with him and loved him and cried.

And now I find myself waiting once again.  Though this time I'm not waiting for a final breath.  I'm waiting for a first breath.  A first cry.  I'm waiting for my heart to become whole instead of waiting for it to break.  

In just a few short days I'm going to give birth to our precious little girl.  Maybe on her due date, March 25th, which would have been my Dad's 59th birthday.  And when I'm in those horrible, painful moments of labor, I'm going to remember how brave my Dad was throughout his entire journey, but specifically during those final weeks.  I learned, as I held his hand, that dying isn't easy.  That it's physically exhausting and draining and challenging and heartbreaking and scary.  I learned that going from this life to the next takes courage and, if you believe in heaven and eternity with God, death is, in a way, being born into a new world.

I'm going to take what I learned from my Dad and tackle this labor with the same courage and strength that he showed me at the end of his life.  I dread labor.  I have had some pretty horrendous experiences in the past and I can already feel the pain of the back labor I've had with both of my previous births just thinking about it.  But I'm ready.  I'm ready for new life.  I'm ready for a little precious person to bring hope and joy and grace to our family.  I'm ready.  And so I will wait once again, but this time my heavy heart has been replaced with one of hope. 

Just the Five of Us?

So, for those of you who live under a rock (or aren't Facebook friends with me), we have some news...

We are so thrilled to announce the upcoming arrival of of the newest (and last!) little Allenby.  Baby Goose (as the boys affectionately refer to him/her as) is due in late March on my Dad's birthday!  I love that this little one shares a due date with my Dad's special day, and although they probably won't actually share the same birthday, it's fun to think about the possibility.  (My mother-in-law's birthday is earlier that same week, but the likelihood of me actually giving birth to a child early is slim to none.  Both boys were six days late, so I'll probably end up with an April baby!)

Scott and I went back and forth for months (years?) about whether we wanted to try for a third baby or if our family was complete with our two boys.  We love our little family just the way it is, and practical concerns (financial, space in our house etc...) weighed heavily on us.  We talked this subject into the ground every single day and finally we decided to just stop talking about it for a little while and see how we were feeling in a few weeks.  One day Scott came home from work and said, "I've been thinking a lot these last few days, and I just really feel like our family isn't complete yet.  I also don't think it makes sense to make a decision like this based solely on finances...a lot can change and we just never know where we'll be, but I know we'll make it work."  Well, although he had been swaying me a bit towards his "no third baby" side with some legitimate concerns for a while, it didn't take any convincing for me as I was always leaning towards wanting just one more.

My concerns differ a bit from Scott's.  Finances will definitely be extremely tight, but my fears revolve more around the fact that I have to push another large Allenby baby (so far we have Camden weighing in at 9lbs even and Micah at 8.5lbs) out of me and endure excruciating back labor one more time...and the fact that I'm bound to get mastitis about 6 times in the first year of breastfeeding...and the fact that many nights a week during the school year I will be on my own attempting to put three kids to bed instead of just two...and the fact that right now, when I read bedtime stories to the boys, I have one arm around each of them with their heads resting on my shoulders and I just don't have another arm and shoulder for this third little person.  I'm sure we will have moments where we are overwhelmed and while we're scrambling in the zone defense we may sometimes reminisce about the good ol' man-to-man days, but I know for a fact that this little life is going to complete our family, that we will love him/her unconditionally, that s/he will be a great playmate for our boys and that Micah and Camden will love their little sibling and they will all take good care of each other.  Based on my experience with Micah's birth, I know that even if I'm nervous and feeling a little unsettled in the final days before Baby Goose's arrival, my heart will grow the moment I lay my eyes on this child and I will never be able to imagine my life without them.  I feel so blessed to be experiencing pregnancy again, to lie down with my boys and let them snuggle my belly and talk to the baby. We are just continuing to pray that all goes smoothly throughout and that little Baby Goose is healthy and content in there.

Does this mean I have to change the title of my blog?  Again?  (What was I thinking when I originally titled this Just the Three of Us?)  Thanks for all of your excitement!  It's gonna be a wild ride!

Love Grows

A friend of mine is expecting her second child in just a few short weeks and she asked some of her close friends how they prepared themselves for #2.  The second pregnancy is often so different than the first.  You're often too busy chasing around #1 to notice every little movement or kick of the little one inside of you and without the need to buy all new baby items and a whole new wardrobe (and often without another baby shower to shower you with gifts) it sometimes seems like the birth of this second child can just sneak right up on you.  After hearing her air a few of her concerns and thoughts earlier today, I've been thinking all day about my experience carrying and birthing Micah...and what an emotional ride it was.

I remember feeling so worried that I couldn't possibly love another human being as much as I loved Camden.  The usual response that I heard when I mentioned this fear was, "Your love doesn't have to be divided between the two of them...Your love multiplies and you suddenly have more love to give."  I have to say, that this statement is SO true at this point.  I love both my boys more than words can even describe.  I would give my life for them at any moment if it meant they could live their life to the fullest and find happiness.  It almost hurts inside when I think of the love I have for both Camden and Micah.  But this didn't just magically take place the split second that I pulled Micah up onto my chest in that hospital room.  There were a lot of emotions that brought me to this place and I thought I would share them with others who might be expecting a second child and don't know what to expect!

Throughout my pregnancy, and particularly in my third trimester, I felt like I was cheating on Camden.  How could I possibly love him as much if I was bringing another child into this world?  Would I be able to give him the attention that he needed?  Would I still be able to rock him to sleep at night as I had every other night of his short little life?  Would he know that I loved him even when I was always holding his new little brother?  I would often rock him to sleep during those last few weeks and would feel a sense of loss.  My eyes would brim with tears as I felt his little body drift off to sleep and I wondered if he would still be my little baby when I had another little baby to love as well.  The idea of this second little being entering the world felt a little strange.  Who was this little guy that would turn our world upside down?  We knew we wanted to have another baby, and we wanted them to be about two years apart, so he wasn't a surprise...he was (and IS) a blessing!  But it still felt strange to me.

And then it happened.  My little Micah entered the world.  He was perfect.  Precious in every way.  I literally pulled him out of my body and onto my chest whispering "I love you. I love you. I love you" over and over again.  I wanted him to know he was wanted. I wanted him to know he was loved.  And I wanted to reassure myself that I could love another being as much as I loved my first.

Introducing Camden to Micah in that hospital room was a beautiful moment.  I saw my two boys together for the first time.  Two brothers that would hopefully, one day, consider the other his best friend.  Two brothers that would laugh together.  Cry together.  Beat each other up, but also stand up for the other when he needed someone to.  I'm already seeing this friendship develop.  Camden was the first person to ever make Micah laugh.  He loves him so much and I know Micah will idolize Camden as he continues to get older.

Over the next week or two, my emotions shifted even more.  I don't know if this is normal, if it was the hormones or something else, but I suddenly became very protective of Micah.  He was my baby.  He was helpless and tiny and so new to this big world.  I was fiercely in love with him - more than I could have imagined during my pregnancy.  In some ways I started to feel distant from Camden.  He was trying my patience.  Things that didn't used to bother me were bothering me.  I didn't know how to divide myself between the two of them, when one seemed to need me so much more than the other.  I gave Micah to Scott and read books with Camden.  I put him to bed when I could and we shared those quiet moments together.  But something had changed.  My love had multiplied like everyone told me it would and he suddenly wasn't my only love.  (I do love Scott too...don't get me wrong!   I'm just focusing on my boys here!  Love you, Hubby!)  I was afraid to admit these feelings to anyone.  I didn't want to feel any sort of animosity or frustration towards my firstborn.  But when I shared these feelings with my sister she reassured me that it's totally normal.  In fact, many, many, many new mothers experience that distancing from their firstborn - and everything would find it's balance in the end.  She was SO right.

But it took some time.  And that's what I wanted to share with my friend (you know who you are).  It's OK to feel like this pregnancy was different than your first.  It's OK to feel like you need to psych yourself up a little bit for this upcoming birth.  It's OK to feel a little disconnected from this being inside of you that you haven't met yet...and once he or she arrives, it's normal to feel pulled and strained and confused on how you're going to love both of your precious children.  But it will all work out just how it's supposed to.  Your love will grow.  Your love will change.  You won't be able to imagine your life without both of your babies.  It may take a day, a week, a month...who knows...but before long you will find that balance and your love will be overflowing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.  1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a

The Waiting Game...

The wait is on!  Our due date is just ten days away and we are ready for this baby to arrive!  His room is set up, the baby swing has been pulled out of storage, the instructions are typed up for our parents who will be taking care of Camden.  The end of a pregnancy is tricky.  Will this be my last night putting Camden to sleep with my attention focused solely on him?  Are we stocked up on groceries for our families and Camden during the time we're gone?  Do I have everything packed for the hospital?  Is the house in order in case it happens today and we need to leave?  And then of course, there's always the possibility that I might not go into labor until six days late like I did with Camden, which just extends this waiting game even longer!  My friend, Lynne, who lives in the dorm next to us, just had a baby just a few days ago.  Her little girl is only seven pounds and holding her yesterday was a surreal experience!  The fact that they estimated that my little guy was already about 7.5 pounds last week made it pretty weird to be holding a baby smaller than the one that has been moving inside of me for 38.5 weeks!

Camden has been practicing his big brother skills.  He carries Curious George around the house.  Tells me that George wants to nurse.  Burps George.  Pretends to change his diaper.  Puts George down for naps.  He's going to be an amazing big brother and I can't wait to see the two of them together. 

We are SO excited to meet our little one.  Anxious about labor.  Praying for no back labor this time.  Sad to be leaving Camden behind...But so excited to be holding our little one in our arms...FINALLY!

Surprise!!!

So, I had my first ever surprise party last night!  My family organized a surprise shower for me and Baby #2 and I had NO idea it was happening!  Scott has known for over month and he usually can't keep a secret.  He's the type of husband who always says, "Guess what I got you for your birthday?  Can I give it to you early??"  And I always love tradition and surprises, so I cover my ears and run away and wait until my special day.  Needless to say, it was very impressive that he didn't let this one slip!  We had a fun Labor Day weekend cookout planned with our two families together at my in-law's new house in New London.  I didn't think twice about this, because our families are very close and it's common for us to do activities all together.  After cleaning up dinner, my Mom and mother-in-law came outside and put a "Mommy To Be" purple sash over my head!  I had seen my aunt and uncle arrive and thought that maybe we were just going to have a little family shower, but they led me into the house to a room full of friends and family!  I don't know how I was so oblivious to all those people arriving at the house and sneaking in the other door, but I had no idea!  It was a wonderful evening full of delicious desserts, good conversation and lots of presents and surprises!  Thank you to everyone who helped make last night so special, especially my mom, Mom A, Caren and Sarah (and Scott of course!).  Our little guy feels VERY blessed and can't wait to join such a wonderful family!

Here are some pictures from the family BBQ and the surprise shower!!!

Following in our footsteps!  :)

Dad and Clara's new dolly...I couldn't resist posting this!

Pop manning the grill...

And then, without any warning, I turned into the guest of honor!

SURPRISE!!!

My sister snuck into our house and grabbed these photos off the wall in the baby's room!  It was a nice touch!  :)

Talking with my friend Lynne who works at Proctor with us.  We were pregnant together with our first pregnancies and now we're just a couple weeks apart again!  Can't wait to meet her little one!

Everyone wrote little blessings on these cute cards and hung them on this clothesline!  Love it!

Thanks Amy and Cope!  Love these!

Little Miss Clara...

Lynne, Me, Clara and Amy...

The whole group!  Thank you all SO much!  What a wonderful evening!