We were allowed to leave late this afternoon, and so far, it's been uneventful at home. (Whew.) Eric has had one poopy diaper and one meal, and now he's sleeping. I expect he'll be hungry in a couple hours, but that's no surprise. Anneli's been very good so far, no jealousy that I can tell. She is taking everything in stride and wants to be helpful. Tomorrow will be our first full day together at home; we'll see how that goes...

The Birth!

Time: 8:29 pm
Weight: 8 lbs. 3 oz.
Length: 19 3/4 in.

Just like big sister, Eric decided he just couldn't wait until he was scheduled to arrive. I left work on Wednesday thinking I'd have a lot of time the next morning to get more lessons planned and handouts copied. I decided to leave my books and flash drive on my desk... I should have known better!

I picked up Anneli from daycare and we went grocery shopping. I wanted to stock up on things we (read: Ryan) could whip together easily. We finished with an insane amount of food from Safeway and headed to Costco. On the way, I felt a little strange and thought I might have peed in my pants a little. Not really thinking much of it, I figured I'd just use the restroom at Costco and finish up. Well, as soon as I stepped out of the car, I felt a gush of water. I got back in the car and tried to call Ryan, but my phone wasn't working. I tried several more times with no luck. Luckily, we only live a couple miles from there, so I rushed home and called from the house. I called my mom and my cousin too, just to let them know.

We finally got to the hospital just before 7. I went into triage by myself (no children allowed - Ryan had to wait downstairs with Anneli), and I endured an hour of painful contractions. I wasn't allowed an epidural because I needed a liter of saline in me before they could administer it. I didn't get one until I was already in the OR. From there, things went very smoothly and quickly (unlike the first time, thank goodness). Zero complications and twenty-nine minutes later, baby Eric was born.

Both of us recovered quickly from the birth. Eric was a bit jaundiced, so he spent most of his time under a light in the nursery, but we still got to spend a lot of time with him when he came to my room. Anneli has been enjoying getting to know Eric.

Anneli doesn't just like to talk about cars. Now, she likes to draw them. When I asked her where the doors were, she added them (in purple). She also enjoys "writing", which usually means a series of "X"es, but we'll work on it. In the meantime, I'll enjoy getting pictures of cars and faces.

I need to figure out a new name for Baby, as she is no longer a baby. :) I guess I could just call her by her name.

So the following conversation occurred as I was (naked) putting lotion on my belly. Anneli is watching curiously.

Anneli: [points at my boobs] What's that?
Me: That's where the baby's milk comes from.
Anneli: Is it chocolate milk?

Long overdue update, yea? Baby is no longer a... baby. "I'm a big girl," she insists. She is finally potty trained; she only wears a pull-up during her afternoon naps and at night. The people at her daycare are reluctant to let her wear underwear because she doesn't yet vocalize her need to use the bathroom. (She does this just fine at home.) Baby is also getting used to the idea of another baby coming soon. She refers to the crib as the baby's bed, not hers.

In recent weeks, she has become a "good girl," according to her. Getting her to take a bath, brush her hair, or nap was always difficult; she'd start crying and refusing. But now she simply says okay and goes upstairs. "I'm a good girl," she says. Where has this good girl been for the last several months? It's actually very cute, the way she emphasizes her good behavior. She has fewer crying fits as well. Every little thing that didn't go her way used to make her fall over and bawl, but she is learning that crying doesn't get her anywhere.

She is also obsessed with the movie Cars, and she knows everything about that movie. She knows all the characters and what they say. She can recite lines from the movie. I don't have a problem with her obsession, but Husband doesn't want me to let this go too far. "She doesn't have to have everything related to the movie." I figure there's no harm in it, especially since I prefer she like Cars than baby dolls or Disney princesses. She is excited about the new Cars movie coming next year.

Today is Baby's first day of daycare. She's been there about an hour now, and there hasn't been any phone calls, so she must be doing okay. It was so sad to wave goodbye and leave here there. But she seemed okay when I explained that I was leaving. She quietly said, "Okay," and kissed me. I definitely shed a few tears as I pulled out of the parking lot. This is the first time she has not been in the company of a relative. Hopefully she will make it until 3 when I pick her up. Sigh.

Potty training has been an interesting experience. I'm not sure whether to think it has been easy or challenging.

Baby has figured out the peeing part. She is able to pee almost on command now. The first few times (this is only the third day of trying), she would cry when she started to pee; I think she was afraid she would get in trouble for peeing. (She got in trouble the other day because she peed on the couch.) She doesn't cry anymore, which is great. She actually congratulates herself for a job well done. She hasn't had a pee accident since Monday.

The pooping part is proving a bit more difficult. She has not successfully pooped in the toilet yet. She has, however, managed to poop in her underwear several times, each time prompting her to cry hysterically. She frantically asks me to clean the poop and change her pants. Of course, upon getting a whiff of her own poop, she gags violently, which makes her cry even more. She doesn't poop at a regular time--in fact, it's been very irregular in the past week. (It may have something to do with all the major changes in her life.) She had some prunes yesterday and today, so, fingers crossed, she'll poop more regularly. I need to get her on a schedule.

All in all, it hasn't been as trying an experience I thought it would be, but there's no way I could have done this during the school year. Being able to drop everything and just sit in the bathroom for twenty minutes is the only way I could have done this. Whew. Hopefully she'll be completely potty trained by the end of the month.