The Bear Cub has arrived!

The Birthday Bandit

My baby girl is here! Scarlett Kate arrived Wednesday, September 18th at 2:07 AM. She weighed in at 6lbs 12oz, and is 19.5 inches long. She was born six days after her due date and I am so glad that the labor process kicked in naturally just as it was meant to. Especially being overdue, I kept saying that she will choose her own birthday - birthdays are written in the stars and it is one of life's best surprises. Well, this little lady was destined to be born on her Daddy's 33rd birthday! We knew it was a possibility this whole time, but I can't believe it actually happened! It is such a gift and we will be basking in this double birthday for the rest of our lives.

 

 

Sharing birthdays happens to be a tradition in my family. My sister, Bethany, was born on my mom's birthday. And when I was 8 years old, I received the gift of my youngest sister, Megan. Scarlett is just carrying on this tradition.

 

It was the most amazing, beautiful sight to watch my husband hold Scarlett in the wee morning hours of their birthday. I fell in love with both of them so deeply. I'm so proud of the man that I chose to spend my life with and the Dad that he has become. (You are welcome for your birthday present! I'll never be able to top it!)

 

 

So now, here we are. We have been a family of four for 3 days now. We are resting and adjusting at home. Fortunately, our circumstances are providing us with time and support to settle in to this new family dynamic. Miles is able to use his saved time off to take a four week paternity leave. Our family lives close by and have already helped us out immensely, and Miles' mom is also staying with us for two weeks and is a huge help in keeping us fed, our house tidy, and spending lots of time with Jude Bear.

 

 

 

Jude has just been through 4 to 5 days of intense transition. Tuesday morning was his very first day of preschool. Tuesday afternoon I went into labor, and by 2 AM Wednesday he had a baby sister. Daddy & I had not spent a night apart from him up until this time, and he spent 2 nights with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. On top of all of this, he developed a cold Monday night. Also, we passed through a full moon Thursday night, and he is my full moon baby. Each cycle he grows a ton and gets a little wild. Keeping all of this in mind, he is dealing with everything wonderfully. On the outside, he has a lot of rowdy, loud, wild and whiny moments. He is hitting Daddy, which is not typical behavior.

 

 

I see my job right now as getting as much rest as I can so that I can heal as completely as possible. From there, I'll be able to approach caring for my kids & family from a healthy and positive place. My job is also to keep myself and Scarlett fed - my appetite is ravenous! My body is figuring out the whole nursing process, and she is figuring it out from her end as well. We are having some difficulties with latching and sore nipples. But, we definitely have the supply & demand!

 

 

For this blog, I want to document my first 45 days as a Mother of Two. This is my entire life right now. And I just realized that it will be my Life forever... from this day forward.

 

Whoa!