Claire's arrival

They say the second child gets shorted when it comes to pictures and such. Sadly, after a month, I have to agree. So here is my attempt to give Claire the blog time she deserves. Plus this is my way of documenting all those important moments and memories.

December 22 started off as a normal day. Well, mostly. Early that morning I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. This wasn't unusual, the last month of pregnancy mean tossing and turning almost every night. This time I decided to actually get up so I wouldn't wake Randy up. I spent the next two hours playing on the Internet. Finally I was tired again so I went back to bed. I woke up early to take a shower and get ready for my midwife appointment. Our babysitter, Tiffany, came over to watch Avery for me while I was at my appointment. While in the shower and driving, I noticed I was having some small contractions. They were sporadic and not very painful. At my appointment, my midwife checked me and we were measuring at 37 weeks. I was also dialated to a 3 and 50% effaced. Funny thing was, I was at a 3 and 80% when we went to the hospital with Avery. I told Lisa that I had contractions for two days with Avery and didn't realize they were contractions, so I could be wrong about these. She said since they weren't strong and regular that it could still be a while. She jokingly said if we wanted her to come soon to walk a lot.

I left the birth center and headed to Sam's to finish my Christmas shopping. I just had a few things to get then I headed to Studio Movie Grill to buy tickets for the date night Randy and I had planned for that night. Bad idea I know. Ran by the post office to drop off a package. Got home and Avery was asleep. I grabbed some lunch and sat on the couch to blog and look at Facebook.

During the time I left the center and got home, the contractions got a little stronger but weren't long or regular. I thought it was just because I was on my feet. Resting on the couch seemed to lessen them. I still tried to time them but they weren't regular. Avery woke up about 3 and played while I sat on the couch. At this point, they would come in groups of 3 if I got up and walked but sitting slowed them. By about 4:30 I was having them while sitting too and they were getting stronger. Avery pretty much had free reign of the house. Poor thing, snacked on Cheerios and juice and ran wild for the most part.

Because I couldn't see a pattern I really wasn't sure if labor was progressing or if they would let up. Plus I really wanted to make our date night. By 5 they were pretty strong and I was having to sit or lay down during them. At this point I realized we wouldn't be making the movie. I called Randy and let him know I thought we needed to head to the birth center. I called Lisa and let her know what was going on and asked if we should come in. She said yes and that she'd get things ready for us.

Here is where things get crazy. See Avery surprised us at 38.5 weeks and we didn't have our bags packed or the car seat installed. Well this time we told ourselves we would be ready by 38 weeks and not be surprised. We should really stop saying that. There we were at 37.5 weeks and deja vu. So after calling Lisa and Randy and making sure Avery had plenty of juice and Cheerios, my to do list started. My bag, Claire's bag, snacks, Avery's overnight bag all had to be packed. I called Brenda to let her know Avery would be spending the night. And all this was from the floor of my bedroom. :) thankfully Randy got home soon and I had most of what i needed laid out for him to put in a bag. The Segler's arrived to get Avery and finally we were ready to go. Poor Avery didn't know what was going on. She did know something was up and that mommy was hurting. She was so cuddly that afternoon.

We left and debated on which route to take. Because of traffic and construction it took us about 30 minutes to get to the center. I was focusing on breathing through the contractions and Randy was driving and timing them. :) We got there, went upstairs to our room and it was about 7:00.  Lisa and Rebekah helped me get somewhat comfortable on the big exercise ball. I was having lots of pressure down low. Resting on the ball helped take some of the pressure off. With their help, and Randy's encouragement, I labored like this for about 30 minutes or so. Then my legs started feeling weak, so I asked to lay down.

After a little "rest" it was already time to push. Are you keeping track? We hadn't been at the birth center for an hour yet. I pushed for 10-15 minutes and then Claire was born! At 7:52 p.m.  She was perfect! I think she came out screaming. Her lungs were very healthy. :) We thought she was smaller than Avery, but she actually weighed 6 lbs 7 ounces. Avery was 6 lbs 5 oz. She was red, with light brown hair, and chubby cheeks. So different than Avery. She was all her own. I got to hold her right away and I was in love. I don't know how it happens but I loved her just as much as when I saw Avery for the first time. She got to nurse and took to it like a champ.

My parents arrived just after she was born and got to come in and meet her. Lisa and Rebekah checked her out, Daddy got to weigh her, and then it was time to enjoy her. Our little Claire Elizabeth. She was here. 2.5 weeks early. We joked that she didn't want to miss Christmas. She (& God) had a timetable all their own.

Randy and Dad left to grab something to eat, while Claire and I got to enjoy a nice herbal bath. We ate dinner (at 10 that night) and then Mom and Dad headed back to our house. Randy and I decided to stay at the birth center overnight because it was so late. We could have gone home 2 hours after she was born if we had wanted to. We had an ok night. I don't think either of us slept much. Not because Claire was fussy, she just was restless. I was running on adreniline and just couldn't sleep. It was a sweet night all the same. We got up the next morning and headed home around 8. 

I'm going to break this story up here. It will be easier to blog about our arrival home and Avery's first meeting in another entry. Pictures will come soon.

20 month milestones - 1/4/12

20 Month Milestones - 1/4/12

Height - 30.25"+

Weight - 21 lbs

Sleeping - You usually go to bed around 7:30 or 8. Your morning nap is gone for good. :( Mommy was sad about this but giving it up means you sleep til 9:30 or 10 and still take a 1.5 to 2 hr nap in the afternoon so I cannot complain. You still sleep all night without waking so we are very blessed in this area.

Eating - Let's see, since I have been home with you full time for over a month, I am realizing you eat a lot! Breakfast is usually eggs with cheese and fruit, oatmeal with frozen blueberries, or a waffle with yogurt and fruit. You can finish off 2 scrambled eggs with no problem. Depending on when you get up, sometimes you have a mid-Morning snack of cheerios, fruit, or crackers. Lunch is either left overs, chicken nuggets (5), or our muffin tin lunch. After nap time, you have a snack (again) and usually munch on something until dinner. For dinner you mostly eat what we have but occasionally you won't touch it. I am really not sure why you aren't close to 30 lbs when I think about all you eat in a day! You LOVE prune juice. We water it down so it's mainly water with a tiny bit if juice but you still love it. Milk and water are staples too. Mommy discovered an easy way to lose weight - sit next to you while eating. You will eat off my plate more than your own. You also now have 16 teeth, 8 on top and 8 on bottom. Your eye teeth came in thus month.

New discoveries - You became a big sister this month. Claire arrived 3 days before Christmas and your world changed forever. You weren't sure about her when we first brought her home. You did not like the fact that she had a new blanket that you thought was yours. But you gradually warmed up to her and now I think love her. We have to remind you to be gentle but you are sweet to her.

You also love to talk on the phone - any phone, real or not. This started when Mommy started being home full time, I think. When I needed to get some work done but you needed interaction I would call Nonna and you and her would talk and talk. Most of it was jabbering but every now and then you would throw in real words. Your Aunt Vickie got you a play iPhone for Christmas. It's cute until you get mad because you want to talk on our phones and we are using them!

New accomplishments - you love to open presents and since it was Christmas you had several opportunities. It started out with Mim and Papa's visit. You loved pulling the paper off the boxes. Then came Christmas morning. You opened Mommy and Daddy's gifts first. Then came Nonna and Poppa's and Daniel and April's. This time you just wanted to tear off the paper and move on to the next one. ;) you stuck to it in spite of it being your nap time.

You also had your first week long trip away from Mommy and Daddy.  Mommy wasn't allowed to lift you after Claire was born. Nonna stayed with us the first week we were all home, and you went home with her and Poppa for the second week. From what I heard you kept them on their toes! They really enjoyed getting to spend so much time with you and you had a ball.

Places you went - To Tyler with Mommy to meet your cousin Layla. To Bass Pro to see Santa with Mommy, Daddy, Mim, and Papa. To Aunt B (Brenda) and Uncle Mark's overnight when Claire was born. You even slept in Tiffany's bed with her! To Oklahoma with Nonna and Poppa for a week.

Special Memories - Meeting your new cousin Layla for the first time. Eating breakfast with Angela and Ashley at Cracker Barrel. Seeing Santa at Bass Pro. Riding the carousel with Daddy. Meeting your baby sister for the first time. Christmas with Mommy, Daddy, Claire, Nonna, Poppa, Daniel, and April.
This month was a busy one. It went by much faster than expected. You were a trooper though, through it all. It was so much fun to experience Christmas through your eyes. The wonder and excitement, the awe. You grew up so much when we brought Claire home. It was so wonderful and sad at the same time. You will always be my baby, but you are no longer the baby of our family. You are learning to be gentle and sweet to Claire. You are learning to be patient and share Mommy and Daddy's attention. So much in so little time. You are a precious little girl. We love you more than you know.
~Mommy & Daddy

19th month milestones - 12/4/11

19th Month Milestones - 12/4/11

Height - 30.25"+
Weight - 20 lbs+

Sleeping - You usually go to bed around 8:00. You also gave up your morning nap for the most part. Funny thing is if you aren't at home you'll take it. Mommy also realized your room needs to be darker for you to sleep longer. We are working on that one. You usually sleep until 9 or 9:30.

Eating - Your picky phase got better this minth. Which was great considering Thanksgiving was in there. Since Mommy was home with you full time now, I'm getting creative on ways to get you to eat. One of your favorites is eating out of a muffin tin. I put cupcake liners in the tin then fill each with a small amount of food. The first time we had this you ate everything! You even tried some new foods. Muffin tin lunches will be making their appearance a lot around here!You have 12 teeth, 6 on top and 6 on bottom.

New discoveries - You are recognizing who people are and putting names with faces. You started calling me Mommy more. Yay! You still yell Da-da when you wake up. Every single time. Even though I'm the one who gets you out of bed 80% of the time. You are starting to learn what the potty is. Hopefully you still love it when we do full out potty training.

New accomplishments - You stayed 3 days by yourself with Nonna and Poppa before Thanksgiving. We weren't sure how you would do but you did great! Didn't throw fits or anything. You started throwing fits/tantrums often after mommy started working from home this month. Like all out screaming and crying. Most of them happen when mommy tells you no. It's like your whole world falls apart at that word. We are working on it though. In the meantime know we love you and our no's are to protect you not because we want to be mean. I'm sure we will have to explain that several times over your lifetime.

Places you went - To Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. We celebrated by spending all week at Nonna and Poppa's.

Special Memories - Having a garage sale with Daddy, Mommy, Nonna, and Poppa. Thanksgiving in Oklahoma. Spending time with friends - Amelia, Jessica, Zach, Ava, Katie, Lily, Cami, Lacey, and Jon. Getting spoiled by all your great-grandparents, aunts and uncles. Driving to see the Christmas lights (much better experience this year).

You are growing and changing so much punkin doodle. Everyday I see you learning and trying something new. So blessed by your little life and heart already.

~Mommy & Daddy

2012 - resolutions

It is already January 12, 2012. How is that possible? I have let the blog sit idle long enough. My goal this year for the blog is to get caught up and do better at writing what's happening in our lives.

The last few months of 2011 were kind of crazy in our lives. I was growing a baby and finishing up working full time. Randy's job kept him busy and all his hard work paid off in him getting the most cost efficient award out of all the warranty reps. Avery was growing, learning, and changing what seemed like daily. And then Claire arrived! I promise I'll do posts about all of these. Soon!

Claire's first pictures

6 weeks left...

Poor 2nd child is already getting the short end of the stick and she isn't even here yet. So much has happened since my last blog and its time to get caught up.

We were 34 weeks as of Sunday. Only 6 (or so) weeks left! I seriously can't believe we are this close and it has already gone by this fast. I remember this point with Avery and it felt like we would never reach the end. This time around, I kind of wish it would slow down. Yes, I'm so excited to meet her. I can't wait to see if she looks like Avery or has a look all her own. I can't wait to see Avery with her. I can't wait to see Randy hold her for the first time. And yet, there is something about having her inside me that I wish I could hold onto forever.  I love that she gets really active after I eat fruit or sweets. I love that I can tell when she has the hiccups. That is one trait that she shares with her big sister.  :)

No new symptoms. My belly is growing and growing and growing. I didn't think it could stretch more than it did with Avery, but it has! By the end of the day I can tell if I have been up walking around too much by how sore my belly is. Its a weird feeling, kind of like a bruise. I think its probably from the fact that she is dropping and the pull gravity has on my belly. Its a weird thing to blog about, but I want to remember it for the next time (if there is one).  Sleeping has been ok. For about 2 weeks I was waking up every morning around 4 to 4:30 and not able to go back to sleep until around 6:30 - right as my alarm for work would go off. Thankfully, that passed. Weight gain has been about a pound a week, until last week. I kind of stopped getting on the scale since we were celebrating Thanksgiving and all the yummy food we had. I'm waiting until later in the week to take that plunge. :) I have a midwife appointment next week so I'll know the official numbers then.

In other related news, I'm officially a stay-at-home mommy/wife. I haven't mentioned this in our blog until now - just because it was such a uncertain situation. Randy and I had been praying and working toward me being able to stay home once Claire arrived for a while now. Not many knew about it, just our family and close friends. We have been so blessed financially in the past few years and now with Randy working for Grand Homes, we decided we could make it work. Yes we would lose my income, but we would also lose my expenses related to my working - gas, wear/tear on my car, babysitting, food, etc. Plus if we had babysitting expenses for 2 kids, one a very small infant, we just couldn't justify it. So we waited, until I was toward the end of the pregancy for me to put my notice in.  Then October 26th came. The Rangers were supposed to play that night so I dressed in jeans and my Rangers t-shirt for work. I got in and someone stopped by my office to say my boss (from Boston) was there. We weren't expecting him so I wondered what was up. He came by shortly after and that's when I heard the news. Corporate had decided to move all the finance functions from the Dallas office to Boston. Meaning my job, unless I moved, was gone. Moving wasn't an option, and honestly, it was a confirmation for me. This was what Randy and I had been praying about and God was just shutting a door confirming we were moving in the right direction.  So my last full day was November 15th and I'm working part-time until mid-December from home. Big changes for the Harrelson family, but we are excited and ready. We know it won't be easy, but are up for the challenge. We do ask for your prayers. Prayers that we can learn to budget with Randy's income. Prayers that I can adjust to being a stay-at-home mommy to Avery and Claire and a housewife to Randy.

I do have pictures. I just keep forgetting to download them. Hopefully I'll get them loaded soon. Thanks for reading!

18th Month Milestones - 11/4/11

18th Month Milestones - 11/4/11

Height - 30.25"
Weight - 20 lbs

Sleeping - You usually go to bed around 8:00. You still take 2 naps a day but that may be coming to an end. For some reason you'll take 2 good naps while at the sitters, but not at home. I'm not sure if it is because mommy and daddy are there and you don't want to miss the action, or if its time to give up the morning nap. Guess we'll see this month!

Eating - You've been more picky this month. Mommy is hoping this is a short phase, but if not, we'll work through it. You still love your fruit and yogurt. Meat is iffy. We had to take you off milk temporarily due to really bad allergies. You have 12 teeth now, 6 on top and 6 on bottom. You LOVE your Goldfish/Cheez-its.

New discoveries - You discovered the fun of coloring this month. :) So much so that you colored on the walls in your room and at the sitter's. Normally we let you sit at the coffee table in the living room and color while we are there with you. Mommy forgot to put the crayons up one day and you decided to add some decoration to your room. Your words and communication has started expanding this month too. I'm going to have to sit down one night and just list out every word you can say.

New accomplishments - You "jump" which is more like a hop or a skip. You twirl and dance to music. You love to run and chase Daddy. You love to help Mommy load and unload the dishwasher. You know where the trash is and where to put your shoes when you take them off.

Places you went - To Oklahoma for Mommy's 10 year high school reunion. To Tyler for Aunt Kristi and cousin Layla's baby shower.

Special Memories - Getting to see Nonna & Poppa and painting a pumpkin on their backporch. Playing with Creed, Sam, and the other kiddos at Mommy's reunion. Seeing Mim, Papa, Bella, & Kristi in Tyler. Watching the Rangers play in the world series, again. :) Dressing up as an adorable lady bug for Halloween and trick or treating with Nathan, Ashtyn, Kierstyn, and Alexis.


~Mommy & Daddy