Hello World!

Reese was bright-eyed & bushy-tailed this morning so she spent some time on her Einstein's play mat. She's been hitting the little rattles that hang but I think she has no idea she's even doing that. Although maybe she's just really advanced for a two-week old?!





She also did some tummy time which she wasn't necessarily fond of but did a good job anyway.



And then after all that exercise & alert time it was time for her to settle into a long morning nap! Being a newborn sure is tiring!

Two Weeks Old!

Reese is two weeks old today! We're still doing really, really well & enjoying the heck out of our girl.



My mom will be staying with me again this week which is great. So far I've had zero issues with postpartum anxiety (unlike my experience with Cam) but I'm just making sure all is well before I turn away the extra help. I never want to experience that kind of anxiety ever again so I'm playing it safe this time around. I'm someone who is not at all good at accepting help but for the sake of my sanity & for the good of my kids, I'm putting a bit of pride aside & taking it. Cam is back at daycare this week which is also a good thing since he keeps so active & structured there & is able to burn off some energy. We've definitely had some issues with him listening (or, I should say not listening) this week which has been very frustrating. His favorite word has been NO! & I've found myself short on patience. I'll pick him up early from daycare as my mom stays with Reese, but it'll be good for us to miss each other a bit!



Reese is doing great! Eating & sleeping lots & being a very content, calm girl. She even slept through the night last night... unbelievable. I truly believe that a newborn either sleeps well or doesn't. We've done nothing different with her than we did with Cam & he was up a ton during the night. Here's to hoping she keeps that up!! I'm loving staying home with my girl & having time off of work. And what a perfect time of year to be off!

Thankful

I have so much to be thankful for this year! We had such a nice, low-key Thanksgiving & it was wonderful to spend the day with my family. Reese slept through much of her first Thanksgiving & she didn't even try the turkey! ;o)



This year I decided I was going to make the mashed potatoes & sweet potatoes the day before Thanksgiving so the day of would be a lot more relaxing. I wanted to try something new so I made the Pioneer Woman's recipes. They were really good! Click here for the sweet potatoes & here for the mashed potatoes if you're interested.



My mom was already staying with us this past week & my dad joined her Wednesday night which is our yearly tradition. We ordered Chinese food for dinner & just hung out which is also our yearly tradition.



We went lighter on the appetizers this year since most years we over-do it. I put out a simple cheese, meat & cracker platter. I rolled one log of goat cheese in dill & the other in paprika which I also stole from the Pioneer Woman. Click here to see how it's done.



My niece Maddy was so happy to hold Reese! When Reese was in my belly, Maddy loved to feel her kick & move so I knew she'd be excited to finally meet her.



Yesterday we took our yearly trip to the Christmas tree farm to pick a tree. Reese slept in the sling I wore most of the time we were there but Cam had a blast taking a walk through the "spooky forest" AKA, walking through all the Christmas trees that are actually grown here in Florida.





I had some snuggle time with my loves as we put our tree up last night. I am one lucky girl.



Reese supervised me & Cam as we decorated the tree. She didn't do a very good job of it if you ask me! Ha!

We had such a great Thanksgiving & we're very excited to be gearing up for Christmas. I considered skipping the outdoor lights this year, but we summoned the energy to get them strung as Reese napped this morning & I'm glad we did. Christmas & Thanksgiving is such a magical time of year! I am so thankful!

One Week Old

Yesterday Reese hit the one week mark! I meant to blog but time got away from me... imagine that. Mike went back to work yesterday & today but my mom is staying with us through Thanksgiving. Mike will be home with us tomorrow through Friday which I'm really looking forward to since we're taking our annual trip to pick our Christmas tree on Friday.



We've had a really smooth week with Reese & it truly feels like she's been in our lives forever. She has been such an amazingly easy baby, never crying unless it's time to eat. Basically all she's doing is eating, sleeping, dirtying diapers & sleeping some more. She's even doing awesome at night which is something we're so not used to since Cam had been up every two hours for the first couple of months at least. We'll see if she keeps up the good work!



Reese was able to meet her two best friends on Saturday. Baby Taylor is six months old & Samantha was born a day after Reese! Kelly came to the hospital to visit us on the day Reese was born & ended up going into labor that very night! It is SO cool that our girls are only a day apart!

I'm loving my time off from work & just soaking up every moment with Reese. My little Cam has been home from daycare the past two weeks so I've been making sure he's getting plenty of love and attention. Having my mom here helps tons with that since I was able to take him outside yesterday to play & ride bikes. He's been adjusting really well & absolutely adores his sister. We've had some meltdowns for sure & I'm just keeping my patience since I know we're all adjusting. But so far we're adjusting better than I ever imagined!

First Photo Shoot

Friday my friend KC came to do our newborn/family photo shoot. I now know that I could never have the patience to photograph babies or children!



Here's a sneak peak of one of the photos KC took... I cannot wait to see the rest! It's perfect timing since we'll send out a sort of combined birth announcement/Christmas card this year. If you're looking for a photographer in the Tampa/Orlando area, I highly recommend KC. Check out her website here.



I was sweating my butt off as KC took Reese's pictures since it needed to be warm in the house with her being naked. And with all that nakedness, she peed on me & Cam & pooped on Mike! What a stinker!







All in all, the photo shoot went very well but my three year-old stinker wasn't in a cooperating mood since the shoot extended into his nap time. Luckily we had a few moments of cooperation & KC assured me that she definitely got some good family pics. I'm so excited to send out our Christmas cards this year. We are so blessed!

Our Hospital Stay...

Well, we're settled at home with Reese now & everyone is doing great! I have to say that this overall experience has been night & day from the one I had with Cam. Sunday we checked into the hospital & rested until 4am when they started the induction process & the Pitocin. I slept maybe two broken hours, but all in all I felt pretty good Monday morning. I really wanted to get my epidural before things got too painful, but that really didn't end up happening. When the Pitocin was first started, the contractions were completely manageable. That all changed when the doctor came in at 6am & decided to break my water, just after the nurse increased the rate of my Pitocin. Things got pretty painful from there & the anesthesiologist seemed to be taking his sweet time!



After the epidural was in place at around 7:30am, it was a much more comfortable experience. We basically waited & tried to relax until I was 10cm which happened around 9am. I did a couple of practice pushes with the nurse & then when the doctor arrived, I pushed maybe twice & Reese was quickly born at 9:39am.



Seeing Reese for the first time was a very emotional experience for me as I heard her first cries, Mike cut the umbilical cord & they placed her on my chest. It was seriously love at first sight. I think with Cam, I was so overwhelmed with everything since it was my first time around, that I didn't feel nearly as bonded with him as quickly. Things just felt really right this time. Cam & I could not be closer now, but it did take time for me. I think that contributed to my postpartum anxiety since I felt like a bad mom who wasn't connecting to her child.



After Reese was born we moved rooms, she got her first bath from a group of nursing students & we settled into our very spacious room. She slept a lot of the day! It was awesome when Cam came with Grandma & met his baby sister for the first time!! He was wonderful with her immediately & just wanted to hold her. It was, however, very upsetting when he had to leave a couple of hours later. He just didn't want to go so my heart completely broke as I comforted him as he cried. The nurse brought me out into the hall to ask if I wanted to walk him out to the car & I completely lost it & cried hysterically. Luckily my friends were there to calm me down & Daddy walked a happier Cam to the car.



Since I came back Group B Strep positive, we had to stay for 48 hours after delivery. Tuesday was very low-key & relaxing & Mike & I spent a lot of the day just bonding with Reese. My co-workers visited (since I delivered at the hospital where I work) & Cam & Grandma came for a while too. We sent Reese to the nursery both nights so we could get some much needed sleep before heading home. We didn't do that with Cam & ended up getting VERY little sleep & coming home like walking zombies. I am so thankful we came home rested & ready to handle our three year old & newborn.



I'll post more about our first couple of days home, but thus far we are really doing great & it's been wonderful to be home as a family of four!! I am so blessed.

Happy Birthday, Reese Elizabeth!!

We welcomed Reese Elizabeth Pernecky this morning at 9:39, weighing in at 7#, 1oz & 19.5" long!



We couldn't be more thankful & overjoyed about our healthy, beautiful baby girl!