Last weekend I gave Greenlee a haircut.  I've cut her hair several times in the past year, but this time it was extra fun because she was so aware of what I was doing and she LOVED it.  She held the mirror and watched what I was doing-- she also watched some Mickey too :)  It was a fun little family moment and I'm thankful that I have the skills to keep my husband and kiddos well groomed!

The first month has been a big adjustment! Thankfully we've had lots of help from my parents and inlaws which has been wonderful. Porter is a really good baby for the most part. He came home from the hospital sleeping 4-5 hour stretches at night. He has gone as long as 7 hours, which honestly has made the transition much more manageable. When you are insanely sleep deprived, it's hard to think clearly or deal with life changing events like having a new baby. I feel like over all we are doing well with the adjustment. Greenlee was throwing a lot of tantrums the first few weeks but seems to be doing better now that she knows porter is a permanent addition to our family. She loves to give him kisses and overall I think she will be a great big sister to him. At his 2 week checkup, porter weighed 7.9, so he is gaining about 1.5oz per day which is a LOT! He's a great eater but he spits up a ton. I'm hoping he gets better as he gets bigger. His one month checkup is tomorrow so I'm interested to see how much he has gained in the past two weeks. Ill add more to this post tomorrow :)

On the way home from the hospital

Our first walk with both babies in the BOB stroller

My mom with Porter on his 1 week birthday

Big sister in the tub

2 week checkup, 7 lbs 9 oz

Big sister checking out little bub

Second day in the hospital, wide awake!

At his 2 week checkup

Just a few days old

3 weeks old

1 Month old

my two precious babies

Worn out and trying to beat the 106 degree heat by taking a dip in the baby pool

Ok, so it took me a few weeks but I've finally gotten a moment to blog about Porter's birth.  It's a good thing I wrote it down in my journal two days after it happened or I may have forgotten the details. 

The night before he was born we had Mexican and I told the waitress that I was hoping it would put me into labor because I was supposed to be induced the next morning!  It honestly couldn't have been more perfect the way it worked out because Greenlee was already at my parents house since we were supposed to be induced.  Anyways, I woke up at 3:30am on Tuesday morning unable to sleep so I figured I would take a shower and then call the hospital to check for bed availability.  Well, around 4:30, I noticed some pretty heavy duty cramps and then as the hour went by I noticed they got stronger and had more of a rhythm to them.  I had been having contractions off and on for weeks so I just figured they were the fake ones even though they had a pattern to them.  I called the hospital and they said I would have to be on the waiting list since I was going to be induced and they were super busy.  I told them about my contractions and they said if they continue to get worse to come on in.  Of course they did so we headed to the hospital around 6:30am.  They went ahead and admitted me since I was supposed to be induced-- I don't think any of the nurses believed I was really in labor, haha.  About an hour later after taking all my history and giving me an IV, they finally got around to checking me and I was 4-5cm and 80% effaced.  I was in labor and no pitocin was going to be needed!  Yay!  I got my epidural around 8am, water broke at 10:15am, and he was born at 12:30pm.  Everything went super smooth and I am so thankful to God at how it all worked out-- I prayed to go into labor on my own and He answered my prayer in exactly the way I needed it to be answered!

I will be back soon to post about how the first month is going for us.  Juggling two kids has definitely been challenging but they are my little blessings and I love them both to pieces!

 These are some photos of Greenlee from the past few months.  She will be 21 months on July 5th and I still can't believe that tomorrow she will no longer be my baby anymore.  We decided to go ahead with the induction after weighing the pros and cons, so today was my last day with her that it will ever just be "us two."  It was a bittersweet day.  I took her to Target and Chickfila for lunch.  We read a lot of books and snuggled while she watched a movie.  Josiah fed her dinner when he got home from work and then we dropped her off at my parents house.  I almost cried dropping her off.  It was just really sad-- knowing it was the last time she'd ever be an only child and that it would just be the three of us.  But it is also exciting for her to have a sibling.  I know she will never remember not having her brother around.  I'm sitting here choking back tears as I type wondering how in the world my baby went from:

38 Weeks

At my appointment this week I was 3cm dilated-- still 50% effaced, and baby's head still in the same position.  I think it's so weird how I keep dilating but no progress with effacement.  The same thing happened with Greenlee,  I stayed 60% with her until the morning I was induced.  I've been really crampy all week and even had some major contractions on Tuesday night.  I truly thought it was labor but after 5 hours they went away.  Pretty disappointing.  I am scheduled for an induction on Tuesday, the 19th, but I'm not sure if I will do it or not.  I kept my appointment on Monday to see what my progress is and then I will decide.  But, since it is an elective induction my doctor told me to go ahead and schedule so I can make sure I am on the books.  I also gained a pound last week so I am at 18 total.  EEEKK...I really hope I don't gain any more!  These last few days I am just walking around the neighborhood for exercise-- my gym membership was almost expired so I had it frozen so I will have a few weeks after I have the baby that I can work out before I have to pay to renew.  I feel like walking puts more stress on my body than the elliptical did-- it is definitely not comfortable on the pelvic area!  Anyways, I'll try to post on Monday to update about our decision to induce or wait it out.