Rachel's Blessing

So this post is almost exactly two months late, but whatever! I'm juggling three kids, a busy husband, and a part-time job--I'm impressed that anything gets done around here. Just don't look in my fridge; we've been out of milk for 2 days and we still have tupperware with Thanksgiving leftovers...

ANYWAY.

October 14, 2012
Our sweet baby Rachel Marie Larsen was blessed by her daddy,  and both sets of grandparents got to be there. It was so great to have Charlie and Leanne out here! Leanne was super woman, cooking freezer meals and helping with the kids while I worked even though she was down to one arm.

the Larsens

her sad face is adorably scrunched up :)

the Mary Poppins feet!

Love!

I love this little peach dress! It actually belongs to one of my mom's dolls and it was the dress I was blessed in as a baby.

Alyssa also got to wear it. See any resemblance?

Alyssa, 1 month: BIGGER eyes :)

and pointy ears

but they both do "that tongue thing"

More kids means decent looking family pictures are harder to come by :)

with Nani and Papa

P.S. for the curious, we all agree that Rachel looks more like Scotty as a baby, with the same furrowed brow and big ears. Her head isn't as round as his was and she has the pointy chin like Alyssa.

I love: Rachel

Rachel is 3 months old today! Which means it is only fitting that I post about her 2 month stats :)

Our sweet little one continues to be sweet, and little.

At 10 weeks (I got a little busy at the beginning of November!) she was:

Weight: 9 lb 15.5 oz (10%)
Length: 23" (70%)
Head circumference: 38 cm (10%)
(the chemist in me finds it odd that doctors in the US mix English and metric units like this....)

9 days old

Dear Rachel-Angelo,

I do believe your Nani gave you the perfect nickname. You are charmingly sweet and delicate to hold. You still seem so tiny, weighing in at just over 10 pounds. Because you are relatively tall (long?) for your age you haven't yet picked up any baby rolls, except for a tiny bit of plumping at your hips. You are becoming your own little person, yet you remind me of so many people I love.

You eat like Grandpa Woodhouse, which is to say you are leisurely and savoring every taste. In less politically correct terms, you drink milk like it is molasses and could easily "nurse" for 30 minutes and still complain when the meal is over. Occasionally I feel like one of those drinking containers they use in hamster cages with the little rolling ball at the end, as you sometimes forget to latch and suck and just wait for manna from heaven to fall into your mouth.

You smile and light up like Alyssa. Whenever someone catches your eye your whole face instantly bursts into a huge smile and you start singing. You don't even seem to mind your brother and sister getting centimeters from your face and respond with sweet smiles and arm flailing.

my Mini-Eric (9 days old)

You sleep like your daddy. That is to say you can fall asleep just about anywhere, and sleep through just about anything. You stage a sleep protest about once every 2 weeks, sneaking in 15 minutes catnaps all night and day when I'm not looking, but even then you don't really get fussy, just alert. The rest of the time you sleep like a pro, which is such a refreshing change from your older siblings! It is not uncommon to find you sprawled out on the blanket in the middle of a block building party, fast asleep, while Scotty and Alyssa run in circles around you. When I lay you down in bed, you close your eyes and smile a half smile, as if you are saying:  "it feels so good to just lay down and fall asleep!" You often fall asleep draped across my arm while I am engaged in animated conversations with a friend or playing games with your brother and sister--and often I don't even notice. It is even more common for your daddy and I to exchange amazed glances at your ability to just recognize that you are tired and close your eyes! You also snore like your daddy. I have to admit that it's a cuter feature coming from you :)

You sneeze like your Peeta (Grandpa Larsen). Even from the other room I can hear the massive sneeze-plosion. People unfamiliar with your talents often mistake the build up as you starting to fuss or cry, only to be surprised at the powerful little blasts you can produce. Your daddy and I laugh every time, but despite our best efforts we have been unable to catch the recitals on video.

There are also a million things you do that are distinctly you. I will be sad when you lose some of your "baby" mannerisms, like how you still tuck your legs up under you when you stretch. How you naturally hold your feet with your heels together like Mary Poppins. How your eyes cross when you watch your toes dance, or your satisfied smile when you successfully navigate your fingers into your mouth for slurping. Most of all, I will miss feeling like I still have a tiny bundle, fresh from heaven. I love watching you grow and learn and explore, but part of me selfishly wants to keep you as my baby forever, so I don't find myself longing for another one.

Mary Poppins feet (on her blessing day)

I'll just have to find more reasons to hold you and more time to kiss you.

All my love,
Mama

I love: Alyssa

Lyssabelle. Syssa. Where do I even begin with this girl?

My dear Syssa,

When I imagine myself at age two, I picture you. You are such a character, full of spunk, determination, and sweetness. You are probably more sweet than I was! My days with you are a roller coaster. One second, you are yelling in frustration as you are trying to master a new skill, which you want to figure out and problem solve and complete ALL BY YOURSELF. You have been getting yourself dressed since you were 18 months old, including shoes. You have even taught yourself how to successfully wear socks with flip flops. You can put yourself in footed zip up pajamas. Best of all, you have learned that there are some limitations to your abilities, so after trying a few times, you will ask me to help you do the final snap or to hold your diaper down so you can pull your pre-snapped pants over it. You are insistent about doing things yourself, and often times your learning is accompanied by weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth (though I have recently taught you to say "this is really really hard!" instead of yelling. at least sometimes). Amazingly, once the task is mastered or the tricky shoes are on, you come bouncing out of your room, so proud and ready to show me the great skill you have learned. You don't carry resentment or frustration. Once the hard thing is done, you are right back to your sweet, cheery self.

You are my little singer. Your adorable mispronunciations and sing-song melodies (which are fairly true to pitch) fill the house. And the car. And the hallway, late at night when I think you are sleeping. Your favorite songs to sing: I am a child of God, I love to see the temple, the family name songs (Scotty, Nani, Papa, Lyssabelle, Rachel), The Wise Man and the "Fuelish" Man, Follow the Prophet, and Pickle Pickle Little Star. Last week, after dropping Scotty off at a birthday party, I thought you might be sad to be left behind. I asked you if you had a happy face about a special outing with Mama, and you treated me to "no one likes a frowny face, change it for a "file" - both verses, on endless repeat. I smiled all the way home. A month ago we were celebrating a typical Saturday in LarsenLand; when the college football refs signaled for a false start, you joined right in with them: "do as I'm doing, follow, follow me." Following in your brother's footsteps via bed time song requests, you have walking around the house this week singing "Jingle Bells, Batman smells." Sometimes I forget that you are only two because you carry on such intelligent, two-sided conversation. "How was your day at school today, mama? Did anyone choose to do bad things?" Your dad and I often exchange bemused and amused smiles over your antics.

From birth you have struck me as such an expressive little girl. You pulled tremendous faces! You have since learned how to use those big green eyes of yours. You flash them at me with shrugged shoulders and a sweet impish smile when you are being a mischievous. You are quick to lower your eyebrows and give daddy the evil eye if he starts teasing you, calling you a silly goose (you always reply: "I'm not a silly goose! I am TWO!"). You still unconsciously sign please when you ask nicely.

Basically, every day with you is an adventure. I am always wondering what new thing you are going to try, and master. Because you never give up. I am so delighted to have you for a daughter!

All my love,
Mama

P.S. I'm amazed that with your determination and independence that you are still content to wear diapers. I'm definitely not going to push that issue until you tell me you are ready! I don't think I could survive the pushback :)

I love: Scotty

A few weeks ago, after a late night feeding when I found myself regrettably wide awake, I began composing letters in my head to each of my children. I took advantage of the peace and quiet to take a step back and see my kids from the outside, from the "I can enjoy the little moments and see how special you are without thinking about all the things I'm trying to teach you as you grow" sort of view. I suppose that is the grandparent perspective.

So here it is (at least some parts. Not EVERYTHING that passes through my head is for public consumption!).

Dear Scotty,

Sometimes I see you running around the house and I realize my gerber baby is in full kid mode, complete with karate chop action. You run, jump, and climb on everything. I'll try to do more playing and less telling you to tone it down or just sit still. I'll watch when you say: "mama, look how high I can jump! I can jump all the way from the couch to this tile!" instead of cringing about all the ways I imagine you hurting yourself or breaking something while you hurtle through the air.

I'm amazed by your ability to remember small details and conversations we have. When you see a friend you remember exactly where and when you last played with them--even if it's been months. When you ask me groggily in the middle of the night if we can go to the zoo next Thursday, I have to think twice before I agree because I KNOW no matter how dazed you appear, you will store that bit of information and hold me to it!

You have a natural knack for math and numbers. You used to count from 29 to 2010. Yesterday, instead of singing to yourself while you were helping me clean, you counted to 59. I'm not sure when you realized your mistake or how you corrected it; I just know I miss getting to 2012 using your (much faster!) counting strategy. You constantly ask me questions like "what's 3 + 3 + 4?" and quickly answer them yourself. I take no credit for your apparent math knowledge except for possibly genetics. Can a kid be born knowing how to do math?

I love seeing you put your mind to something and working to achieve it. I often lament that you would rather ask for help than figure something out yourself, but you are starting to see how much you can accomplish by practicing. I credit your music class for that, and for bringing out the music in you. You were never the baby that cooed along with me, or the toddler that walked around the house singing, or even the kid that sang out loud in primary. When you sit at the piano, you finally seem comfortable enough to express yourself musically and it makes my musical heart sing! I'm so glad that at the end of the day, especially our hard days, I can sit by you at the piano and play our little duet.

Most of all, I love all of our talks. Yes, we are ALWAYS talking, but I try to imagine all of the times in the next 15 years where you won't want to talk to me and it makes me cherish your chattiness. You also have a knack for saying the best things. While watching a presidential debate this election season, you surprised both your dad and I by knowing the names of both the candidates. Your fact checking was followed by this gem of an observation: "Why is Obama even trying? He already had a turn! Doesn't he know that you have to share?" Out of the mouths of babes...

I am so glad I got you, my Scotty, with all of your love and personality.

And I'm glad I have this letter to come back to when we're having one of THOSE days and I find myself forgetting just how lucky I am :)

Love,
Mama

One Month

Time flies by. Even when you're cherishing every minute by not sleeping :)

thanks Auntie Misty for my awesome wardrobe!

Rachel Marie is 5 weeks old already! I went back to work last week and life just keeps marching on. Typically, she is a sweet, mellow little thing who likes to sing and coo, curl up like a frog with her ginormous monkey feet and snores in her sleep. Sometimes, however, she gets in a funk. When funky, she sleeps in 20 minute spurts. She also believes that she should eat every time she wakes, making these funky days even more exhausting for me. I feel like I should do weight checks on myself to see how much she is draining from me! Some days she has my body thinking it made triplets...

Her first few weeks included frequent projectile vomiting that had the doctors concerned she had pyloric stenosis and would require surgery....we have since discovered that she is just a bulimic in training--overeating and then violently re-gifting her largesse. I have to pay attention to how often and how long she nurses because she has no self-control and will just keep eating, but other than that she is growing and perfectly healthy.

she's learning the "shifty" face from her big sister...

Her one month stats:

Weight: 7 lb 12 oz (Scotty's birth weight!) - 10%
Length: 21" - 50%
Head: 36.5 cm - 25%
 (compare to Alyssa's stats here...)

Essentially, my (one week late!) 5 week old is the same size as my first born, but with a smaller head. So petite! She still feels tiny to me. She has yet to outgrow a single thing! I even bought a huge pack of newborn diapers because they fit her so well. She'd be drowning in 1s...

I love those feet! if she was a puppy I'd predict she'd be 6' tall...

Her favorite things:
1) eating
2) being held
3) curling up with mama (I love my new wrap! it makes babies so portable. She even nursed while I walked the older kids around Ikea today)
4) singing to daddy
5) watching her siblings play
6) sleeping

She's a pretty good sleeper (except those Funky days). Unlike my older two, this one will just fall asleep wherever she is when she needs a nap. Even if that place is a blanket in the middle of a pile of toys with the older two running laps and yelling. It's a tender mercy and practically a miracle that she gets any sleep around here. In fact, she probably has a hard time sleeping at night because despite our best efforts with a white noise machine, a fan, Eric snoring, and the music from her swing, we just can't recreate the Chaos that exists most of the daylight hours around here.

True to form, she fell asleep whilst chilling on her blanket as I typed this. Angel!

Ah, the blessings of being the third child. We love you, RachelAngelo!

The Birth Center is not the Hospital (but it's not a cave either!)

A birth center is not a hospital--but it's not a cave either :)

First, for those of you who are medically inclined or otherwise curious, here are the medical procedures I *did* have at the birth center.

the Larsen Ladies

5 days old!

For me:
 Check of temperature, blood pressure, pulse when I arrived. One course of IV antibiotics to prevent transfer of Group B strep bacteria, 1 hour before delivery. General timing of contractions based on watching me have contractions. Check of my temperature and blood pressure after getting in the tub. One cervical check that revealed complete dilation at 5:30am. Shot of pitocin in the leg after delivery to slow bleeding (this is not routine but was based on the above average amount of bleeding I had). Post delivery check of fundal height, uterine contractions, and determination of bleeding several times during my stay.

For Rachel:
Monitoring of heartbeat upon arrival at birth center, during a contraction, and after entering thee tub and between pushing contractions. This monitoring was for a minute or two at a time and could have been done with the doppler or the fetalscope; my nurse used the doppler so we could all hear the heartbeat. There were no concerns and she always sounded great! Delayed cord clamping--the midwife waited until the cord had stopped pulsing before clamping the umbilical cord, which Eric cut. He had never gotten to do that before and thought it was pretty cool! Monitoring of temperature frequently after birth, including while still in the tub. Full newborn exam conducted by the midwife when she was an hour old. Full checkup with the pediatrician on day 2, and check up with the nurses at the birth center on day 4.

attack of the ginormous thumb!

What we didn't have:
Pitocin to induce. Epidural. Stitches (hooray!). Fetal monitoring belts. IV tubes and pole. Any time apart! My baby was either in my arms, Eric's, or my mom's. Except when I shared her with my wonderful nurses and doula for some baby love :) but that was because I love those ladies! Baby eye goop (antibiotic to prevent transfer of mom's STDs). Baby vitamin K shot. Hepatitis shot (she did have this at the pediatrician on day 2). Newborn PKU (this was only done once, instead of twice, and was completed by the nurses at the birth center on day 4).

So excited to have a baby sister!

What I missed about being in the hospital:

1. Having food delivered to my door without having to make it.
2. Hospital pictures of my newborn (just because I have them with my other two!) Though my doula took pictures I'm just waiting to see!
3. A remote controlled bed so I could sit up without arranging pillows or having to use non-existent stomach muscles.
4. The awesome, ginormous cup with a straw which is great for drinking while nursing.
5. The ease and routine of newborn paperwork, like a birth certificate! It is easier when you have your baby in a traditional hospital.

What I didn't miss about being in the hospital:

1. Actually eating the hospital food.
2. Bright lights and linoleum.
3. Hospital gowns that hang open in the back and have convenient front pockets that gape open unexpectedly, exposing your breasts to random people as you walk the halls.
4. Having a shared bathroom after delivery!
5. Having to spend my first recovery night without Eric because of having a roommate.
6. Spending the recovery night at the hospital with nurse interruptions and beeping monitors.
7. Having to get out of the tub for the last hour of contractions!

LONG feet and monkey toes!

What I LOVED about the birth center:

1. The huge tub. Getting in the tub. Staying in the tub. Having Eric in the tub with me!
2. Knowing all of my care providers, including nurses, beforehand. There wasn't a single person in my space that I didn't already know.
3. Wearing my own clothes. At first I thought this would be a downside, because what do you wear in labor? And what if it gets all gross? But in the end it was so nice to just wear whatever I wanted to at the time, including a super comfy skirt that I could happily live in. I ALWAYS felt comfortable, and my stuff didn't get messy at all.
4. Not having tight bands strapped to my stomach. I can tell that I'm having contractions without them showing up on a printout! It was MUCH more comfortable to not have them. With Alyssa I had periods of time with the monitors on and even got in the tub with them, but it was still a relief to have them removed.
5. Not having a tube in my arm. I still have my IV antibiotics, but the only thing left was a bandaid. It was nice to not worry about snagging it on something! I chose to have a heplock in delivery with Alyssa (the IV needle inserted but closed off and taped down without any attached tubing) in case I bled out and needed a transfusion. It was nice to not have that this time, but I would have had it if I was worried about that complication.
6. Seeing my bright eyed baby gaze up at me. No meds. No eye goop. No sticking and poking her with things for her first day!
7. Getting to have Eric with me the whole time, and not having to send the baby off somewhere with him while I stayed behind. After delivery we curled up together (Eric and I, mom had Rachel) and took a nice nap on a super comfy bed.

her bracelet is her "hospital bracelet" and it says "Larsen"

So those are my thoughts. If I had another one (which I  don't think I will but I can't make that final of a decision right now!) I would do it exactly the same way. Especially if he/she was also petite as that makes delivery that much nicer :)

The Story of Rachel Marie

My baby is 3 weeks old today, and I still haven't posted her birth story or any pictures of her! I've been waiting to get pictures back from my doula, who got some amazing shots of the very first moments, but also because this story isn't as detailed or documented as my first two. If I had to pick a theme for Rachel's birth it would be "Let it Be." I wasn't micromanaging every detail of my labor plan or researching up a storm on natural childbirth like I was with Alyssa. The whole experience this time around was very hands off, very peaceful, and very perfect.

It all started with tears. My official due date was August 31, but by my calculations I would have put her due on the 28th. My predictions have been more accurate for my other two, so I felt pretty confident that this little girl would make her appearance during the last week of August, and I really expected her around the 26th. I had planned my chemistry classes to be on maternity leave during that week, with a test and an independent in-class research project. Every day, my students would look up when they walked in the room and exclaim: "you're still here!" When September 1st rolled around, I hit a wall. I was officially overdue, I was tired from not sleeping and being uncomfortable, I was stressed that my maternity leave would roll over into the next (and harder!) unit, and I was just DONE. Eric could sense this and suggested I take a nice warm bubble bath and zone out. He even lent me his iphone with my birth music playlist so I could listen to my favorite tunes. I don't think he expected the deluge of tears. After sitting by me for awhile, he asked me if I wanted alone time or if I wanted him to hold me. Through sobs I told him I just needed a hug and that wonderful husband of mine didn't hesitate--he jumped right into the tub with me, fully clothed!

40 weeks pregnant!

After a few more tears, I accepted that she would come when she was ready and I just needed to stop thinking about it. I even joked to Eric that the advantage of birthing a 3 year old is that they come out potty trained...

the family line up

While I had months of constant Braxton-Hicks contractions, I have never had painful contractions start and not turn in to full blown labor. So when I started feeling some twinges during dinner on Sunday night, I knew it was probably that time. We put the kids in bed and I glanced at the clock occasionally, noting that my contractions were about 15-20 minutes apart. It was only 8pm, so I decided a nice long, distracting game of Monopoly would be just the thing. I sat on an exercise ball and snacked while we played--and within 2 turns around the board I had landed on (and purchased!) all four railroads. Eric then proceeded to land on 3 within the next round. Even when he purchased Boardwalk to supplement his ownership of Park Place it was too late. He ended up selling off all his houses and mortgaging his property and within 5 rounds of the board, I had completely wiped him out. SHORTEST MONOPOLY GAME EVER. I took it as a sign to get some rest and laid down for the next two hours while Eric mentally prepared for labor (aka played Call of Duty MW3). At this point my contractions were about every 10-15 minutes and painful but not too terrible. I wasn't able to sleep but I felt fairly relaxed. Eric called our doula, Diane, to give her the heads up. The plan was to call her to come over when I felt like I needed her.

Wendi says they need to make one that says: "I caught my own baby"

We called my mom around midnight to come over and watch the kids while we took a stroll around the park, just as we had the night I was in labor with Alyssa. I continued to have contractions but they weren't any stronger or closer together, still about every 10 minutes. We got back from our walk just before 2am and I suddenly felt very tired. I tried to lay down on the couch while Eric finally went to bed. I managed to doze through a few minor contractions when suddenly I had 2 that caused me to leap off the couch. I could NOT lay down through contractions anymore! I went to post something on facebook so all the well-meaning friends would know this little girl was FINALLY on her way, and the contraction I had while sitting in the computer chair about knocked me on to the ground. I woke Eric up and told him it was time. "Time?" he says. "Yep, time. Call Diana. Tell her it's time." He just looked at me while I had a major contraction. He rubbed my back gently. He waited for more information. Through gritted teeth, I replied: "Eric, pick up your phone. Right now. Call Diane and tell her it is TIME." My legs were starting to shake and suddenly I knew that if I didn't get in the car soon, I wouldn't be leaving my house.

Diane didn't even ask how far apart my contractions were (still about 7-10 minutes). She just knew that I knew! She told us to meet her at the birth center at 4:15am, about 45 minutes later. We finished packing our bag, woke the kids, and sent them off in Nani's car to spend the night with Papa.

30 minutes after birth

The car is the worst place to have strong contractions. You are stuck in one position, with a seatbelt to add extra pressure, and there is nothing to distract you. Also, whenever the car turns even slightly, your muscles tense to stabilize you. It's a perfect storm of AWFUL. Fortunately, I only had to deal with 3 contractions during the drive as Eric decided 80 mph was an appropriate speed. We arrived at the Babymoon Inn at exactly 4:15am and were greeted by the smiling faces of Doula Diane, the nurse Roxanne, and the midwife on call, Wendi and her student midwife. No paperwork to fill out. No hospital intercoms and bracelets. No sitting in OB triage strapped to a billion monitors and listen to the heartbeats of 10 other babies in utero. I just walked in and kept doing what I was doing. Diane and Roxanne were filling up the ginormous jetted tub for me and Wendi asked me how I was doing and we just let it be. Wendi said she would check my dilation whenever I wanted her to, but that she never needed to check if I didn't want to be interrupted. At this point I didn't want to lay down, and labor was definitely moving along so I didn't think twice about waiting.

I spent most of my early labor minding my own business. At the birth center I had the support of Eric and Diane and emotional support from my mom, but I mostly just did my thing and let it happen. It wasn't all fun and games, but it was probably my easiest labor of the three. My contractions varied from 3 minutes apart to 10, and sometimes I could still talk through them and occasionally they threw me a curve. I threw up (3/3 on that end!) but Diane draped a washcloth dipped in peppermint oil over my shoulders and I never felt nauseous again, even when Roxanne was digging unsuccessfully for veins, trying to place the IV for my antibiotic. I also had a washcloth dipped in ice water to keep me from feeling lightheaded or overheating. After cranking through the antibiotic (Roxanne got that bag through in 2 minutes, instead of the 40 it took at the hospital before having Alyssa!) I could finally get in the tub!

The tub was awesome. All 15 minutes of it! Ok, it was probably closer to 20, but that's about it. I had a few minutes contraction free to really relax and breathe, and the I had 3 very intense contractions back to back. I kept shifting to find a more comfortable position and ended up kneeling and leaning my head on Eric's lap while he sat on the edge of the tub. Wendi had said she could check me in the tub if I wanted her to, so when I started feeling pressure during the last 2 contractions I called her in. I think I was the only one who WASN'T surprised when she announced that I was complete and the baby was at a +3! At this point I realized that I hadn't gotten a priesthood blessing from Eric, so I asked for a minute and everyone left the room. Eric gave me a wonderful and very brief blessing that my body would know what to do and that Rachel would be strong and healthy while I had 2 more contractions. And then the room was a bustle of activity with Roxanne prepping things for baby's arrival and everyone gathering. At some point Eric joined me in the tub, and when I opened my eyes I saw the midwife Wendi, Doula Diane, the nurse Roxanne, and my mom all kneeling along the edge of the tub, watching me. The student midwife, Ashely, channeled her inner spiderman and was straddling the tub to give me a little extra support. Rachel decided to come barreling through and on the first contraction she was nearly out! I could tell it was too fast so I actually held her back and told her to go slowly :o) On the second contraction it was much less uncomfortable and I knew she would be coming quick. Sure enough, on the third contraction her head was out!

Wendi told me to lean back onto Eric, and together we reached down and lifted this tiny, beautiful baby girl out of the water and into my arms. She was gorgeously pink and screaming merrily away, with a full head of dark hair. She seemed so tiny to me! I later learned that my mom managed to catch that perfect moment on video! Watching it makes me (and everyone else!) cry at how peaceful and natural it was. It's also pretty PC and completely gore-free for a birth movie. I'm not going to post it to a public blog, but if you're interested in seeing it let me know :)

I stayed in the tub holding my tiny baby girl while she started up at me until after I delivered the placenta. We got out to shower off, but I was bleeding more heavily than they would have liked so after a quick 30 second scrub of shampoo in the hair I was back in bed with a shot of pitocin in the leg. My bleeding quickly slowed and the worry was over. After nursing and weighing her in at a tiny 6 lb 4 oz (gestational diabetes? ha!), I handed her off to my mom and curled up by Eric for a nice long nap is a full size bed.

smallest baby ever! ok, at least for me

Papa brought the kids to visit, and while Scotty was more interested in the toys than his baby sister, he did tell me she was really cute :o)

SO excited to be a big sister!

Rachel passed her newborn exam with flying colors and after eating some lunch, we headed home around 1pm.

 For those of you who are curious, the pros and cons of the birth center versus the hospital, and more details about the medical care I had during labor are coming in the next post!