Alaina at 2 and a half weeks

Wow time flies!  Alaina is now working on 3 weeks old.  It has been a busy few weeks.  Alaina really loves to be held--all the time--much more so than Ethan did.  She is also a slower eater, which means I am nursing her almost 8 hours a day!  So not much time for anything else, besides eating, sleeping, and the occasional shower.  But she is very sweet, and very cute.  Here are a few newer pictures of her.  Her face is really filling out, and she is getting longer.  You can see her hair--the back is really long (~1inch)!  Jason went back to work this week, and Ethan is back at his preschool in the city.  So Alaina and I are working on developing a daily routine.  

Here's Ethan at about the same age:  pretty similar, huh?

THE RADIO

Jason's car radio has been broken in his new 2011 Camry and he finally had a chance to have it replaced a few days ago.

Its a new car so it was a little strange that the radio would have died so soon. Luckily it was covered under the warranty. Him and Ethan had a great day in the city visiting the mechanic, going to the park, eating lots of donuts waiting for the new radio.

When the repair was finished, the mechanic asked Jason to come examine the old radio!? He then proceeded to jingle it and showed him the coins that he had already taken out. There were about 5 left inside which surely short circuited the radio.

Ethan said he has no idea how this could have happened.

Welcome Baby Alaina!

She's here!

Alaina Madeline Greenberg

Born 1/11/13 at 7:14 am

Weighing in at 6 pounds, 15 oz

20 inches long!

So it has been a rocky few days, like I suppose it always is when you have a newborn.  But things are getting better now, she is gaining weight, my milk has come in, and she is less jaundiced......and I am adjusting to being up at night!

First the story of her birth:
I had really been enjoying my week off and lots of rest.  On Thursday  Jason was not scheduled to work, so we took Ethan into the city for school and had a yummy brunch at Banker and Banker, home of the famous cinnamon rolls!  Then we decided to see Les Mis....enjoyed the movie a lot, though it was LONG to sit through with my big belly.  Then to my non-stress test....baby looked great, and I was having contractions every 5-7 minutes--but they didn't hurt.  So we picked up Ethan and headed home for dinner.

After Ethan went to bed, the contractions were feeling a bit stronger, but still not really hurting....nonetheless, Jason decided to call his parents to come down and spend the night, "just in case", so they wouldn't have to make the 40 minute trek in the middle of the night.
By the time they arrived, the contractions were more frequent, but still not too strong, so I tried to go to sleep....but their intensity increased and we decided we had better head into the hospital--Jason was in no mood to deliver the baby on the golden gate bridge.

Glad we headed in when we did, because as I was walking from the parking lot into the hospital, my water broke!  Got checked in, got my epidural and continued to wait.  By 6:45, it was time to push, and she was born  a half-hour later!  Amazingly, I had a very similar course with Ethan, going to the hospital around midnight, and having Ethan at 7:43 am!


She was vigorous when she arrived and our hearts immediately melted!  Not sure who she looks like yet, maybe a little like Ethan did, but not completely.

Jason cutting the cord

Next, the story of her name:
We had a lot of trouble picking for her--there are so many great girl name choices.  We wanted an A name to name her after Jason's great-grandma Ann.  I wanted something a little more unique (there are several Ethan's in his school).  We settled on Alaina because we loved the way it sounded.  It means peaceful and/or  precious, depending on the name book you use.  Her middle name is my great aunt's name, who was a wonderful, generous woman that has a special place in my heart.  Also, both Ann and Madeline were great bakers--so Alaina has a lot to live up to, I think she will love to bake!

We had lots of visitors in the hospital, including great grandma and great grandpa.

 

We came home from the hospital on Sunday, and are adjusting to being parents of two kids.  It is different.  It is actually really strange to see Ethan compared to Alaina--wow how he changed in 4 years!  He is adjusting well to his new little sister.  He loves to hold her and gets very concerned when she cries.  Jason is off work for 2 weeks, which is really nice.  So now, we are really a family!

The waiting game continues...

But now I am off work and enjoying some relaxation time.   I actually am surprised that I have made it this far, last week at this time I was having a lot of contractions, the baby dropped and my obstetrician predicted I would not make it a week.  But since I have stopped working and started lounging, progress has stopped and here I am one week later!  I guess bedrest (and lack of stress) really can make a difference.  So check back in a little while for more news.