Doctor Visits

Yesterday we took both kids to see the doctor. Lily had her two week check up and we had a follow-up about Luke's knees. Dr. Purcell said Lily is looking great! She is back up to birth weight and we just have to bring her back in two weeks to make sure she keeps gaining. That also means I don't have to be as neurotic about waking her up to eat and she can sleep longer at night. She slept for five hours between feedings last night! I was very excited.

We're still not sure exactly what the problem is with Luke's knees. For about the last two months he has been waking up at night screaming and telling us his knee hurts. We went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago to see if she could figure it out and they took blood and sent him for x-rays, but both of those came back completely normal. That is a very good thing, but she's still not sure what is causing him to wake up hurting. She thinks it might be something like juvenile arthritis, but without the visible signs of inflammation. We have an appointment with a rheumatologist at Texas Children's next month and hopefully she'll be able to give us more information or at least tell us what we can do to help him feel better when he's hurting. We'll keep you posted on what we find out.

Luke's Birthday

Luke's 2nd birthday was Thursday and we had a wonderful day! I can hardly believe my little boy is two already. Time is just flying by.

Wednesday night Matthew built a tower with Luke's new blocks. Luke wasn't quite sure what to do with it when he woke up Thursday morning, but he figured it out soon enough. The rest of the morning I had numerous requests to "Build, build, build!"


Later in the morning, Nina and I took Luke and Lily to Burroughs Park. Luke had a great time - his absolute favorite activity these days is playing outside. He played on the playgrounds and had so much fun chasing the squirrels.


That night we had both my family and Matthew's family over for cake and ice cream. Luke was in heaven being the center of attention and playing with his new toys.

It's Good to Be Home

It is definitely good to be home! We got home early yesterday afternoon and Luke was very happy to see us when he woke up from his nap. And aside from the fact that we're pretty sure nobody except Lily slept last night, it was a good first night home. Today has been a great day - the best part of which has been watching Luke love on his little sister. Here are just a few pictures.

Lily's first car ride!


These are from Luke's first time holding Lily. He was so happy!

Lily Elizabeth

Lily arrived today at 12:21 p.m. Our little bundle weighs 8 pounds, 4 ounces, and is 20 1/2 inches long. Mom and baby are both doing great! Here are some pictures of Lily and her family.

To the Hospital We Go!

Well, I called the hospital at 5:30 this morning and they said to come in at 7:15. YEAH! It might be a bit unnecessary since I've been having contractions since 4:30, but I guess we'll find out when we get there. We are very excited to be welcoming our little girl into the world today!

Lily Update

Well, I had my doctor's appointment this afternoon and she said everything is still looking good. I'm dilated to almost three centimeters (not that that means anything because I was exactly the same with Luke), but at least I'm making progress. They got me on the schedule to be induced next Monday, January 5th, although that doesn't necessarily mean we will for sure be having a baby that day. I have to call the hospital at 5:30 Monday morning to find out if they have room for us and when. If they get a Sunday night rush of women in labor we might not get in, in which case my doctor will just have to try and get me in later in the week.

I'm still hoping that I might go into labor on my own before then, and I'm trying not to get my hopes too far up for Monday. I know she will be here soon enough, but I am so ready to meet her, not to mention how much I am looking forward to not being pregnant anymore!

No promises, but we will try and update to let everyone know what's going on come Monday!

Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Luke was so much fun. He was so excited to see what "HoHo" (as he calls Santa) had brought him on Christmas morning. There is nothing like seeing a little boy's face light up to make you remember how magical Christmas is.

Luke on the tricycle Santa brought.


Him getting ready to play his new harmonica (he's quite talented)!


We were so lucky to be able to spend Christmas with all of our family and we are looking forward to next year when Lily will be here to join us!