granny and gramps

Tyler and Jenna were treated to a visit from their Granny and Gramps from Florida. Tyler was a tad shy at first and then his personality popped out in no time. And it helped that Granny brought him a bunch of matchbox cars. The boy does love his cars! Tyler loved having more members to his audience and Jenna loved the cuddles with Granny.

2 o'clock

Everything for Tyler happens at 2 o'clock. He insists now that he goes to Ms. Debbie's at 2 o'clock. We should eat at 2 o'clock. His bedtime is, of course, 2 o'clock.

go getter

Tyler decided that he wanted some peach yogurt as a snack. Only trouble is that I was finishing up a phone conversation in the family room and had Jenna asleep on my lap. I asked him to be patient and I would assist him in a few minutes. I heard some noises but figured he was playing with his trucks.

As I entered the kitchen a few minutes later, I was both horrified and impressed with what Tyler had done. He slid the kitchen chair in front of the refrigerator, hopped up, opened the door, pulled out the fruit drawer and selected the particular yogurt he wanted. So proud of himself, he held out the yogurt for me to open so he could get started. Good for you Tyler (teeth clenched)!!

unkadillo

Tyler has a little trouble saying Uncle Dylan, which comes out more like, "unkadillo!" We like the new nickname. He has no trouble saying Christine; he seems to have a fondness for his uncle's girlfriend!

rough day

I'm blaming it all on the hormones. Or maybe it was that I knew Alex was having to leave town overnight for business. But I had some major anxiety about caring for both kids by myself for the first time. I was crying before he even left. Could this be my first bout of postpartum depression?

I called in some reinforcements and arranged for my brother Dylan and his girlfriend to come over to help entertain Tyler. Unfortunately they got delayed and prior to their arrival the Campbells were in poor shape. I was trying to feed Tyler and Jenna picked this period of time to need intense attention. I tried to put her in the swing. This didn't go well. It seemed to only make her wail harder. Then I made the mistake of using one of Tyler's favorite blankets for propping up Jenna since she is still too small for the swing. He was fine with this at first but then wanted to switch blankets midstream. When I said no, Tyler started to wail. With both kids screaming I resorted to joining in with sobs right in the middle of the family room floor. It wasn't until Tyler told me through tears that he was scared that I was able to pull it together.

To top it off, I was having extreme breast pain with that I believe was a clogged milk duct. So I was up at 3 a.m. searching the house for my breast pump to alleviate my discomfort. A new day, a new dawn. All was better (mommy, kids, and breast) within a day's time and Alex was home!

visit from the Coles

It was a girls day out. Kristen and Ayla came over to meet Jenna and go to lunch. With Tyler in daycare, Ayla got the run of the place and Tyler's toys!

visit from the Gillespies

Tyler and Jenna got a visit from our close friends the Gillespies. Between the energy of their three kids and Tyler (which equals three all on his own), it was near chaos. But we wouldn't have it any other way. They were in and out from the backyard to the family room, they were playing trucks, trains and dancing like wild animals. And then there were the tender moments with a pretty new baby!

4 hours

For the past two days Jenna has started to go at least four hours between feedings. It is heaven and totally unexpected for a two week old!

visit from the Howes

The Howes family came today to meet Jenna and let the boys hang out. We headed to the nearby park where the boys were mesmerized by the big lawn-cutting vehicles. When the novelty finally wore off, probably after a half hour, they finally got down to the business of having fun on the playground equipment. The girls peacefully napped near their mommies. Back at the house we enjoyed banana smoothies while the boys quarreled over cars and kissed their little sisters. And then wiseguy Tyler put a box upside down on his head and then Simon wisecracked, "Nice hat!" Despite vying for the same toy trucks, the boys play well together.

Howeses and Campbells

Tyler

Jenna

Howes girls

Howes boys

Simon and Tyler

Matilda and Jenna

big brothers and baby sisters

silly Tyler

the case of the missing binky

For days I have been searching for Jenna's pink binky. I swore that the last time I saw it, the pacifier was sitting on the end table next to me while I fed Jenna in the playroom. But after searching for days, I thought maybe I was mistaken and had lost her favorite binky while at the doctor's office earlier in the week.

Investigator Alex solved the mystery after a more thorough search of the playroom. Tyler was using the binky, in his words, as "cargo" in his truck which was then rolled under the chair. Mystery solved.

finger squeezes

Tyler has realized that if he holds his finger near Jenna's hands that she will grasp his finger tightly. He loves this and rushes back to excitedly tell us, then goes back to offer his finger again.

first bath

Jenna took her first bath. She was not a big fan. Although she tolerated the splash of water to the face very well when her big brother tried to help wash her hair. Oops.

stump is gone

While disrobing at the doctor's office to get her blood drawn, Jenna's umbilical cord finally fell off.

another checkup

We brought Jenna back to the doctor to follow up on her jaundice condition. I was a little skeptical as to why the nurses and doctors were making a bigger deal about the borderline jaundice condition this time and not when I had Tyler, who showed similar symptoms and for which the borderline condition cleared on its own quickly. Turns out that Tyler and I have the same blood type (O positive). Jenna has Alex's blood type (A positive) which means that mother and baby have an ABO incompatibility (Coombs positive) and Jenna is more at risk for jaundice, the reason for the extra vigilance from the medical staff.

She looks less yellow than she did at the end of last week, but I wanted to be sure since her face and eyes are still tinted yellow. She was tested and her bilirubin levels are declining. Yeah! She is nursing well, which helps her rid her body of the bilirubin, so the doctor is very pleased and we don't need to go back.

And for more good news, Jenna is still gaining weight well. She is now up to 7 pounds, 8 ounces, just above her birthweight.

now you see me, now you don't

pretty in pink at one week old

Isn't she absolutely precious?

first checkup

Jenna had her first checkup today. She has already gained weight. Yeah! (You'll remember that we had some issues getting Tyler to gain weight in the first couple weeks of his life. See pics from his checkup.) While in the hospital, Jenna went down to 6 lbs. 14 oz., but was up to 7 lbs. before leaving. As of today, she is 7 lbs. 2 oz.

She has been borderline with jaundice for several days now. She's still looking a little yellow, but we're hoping that it will pass on its own as was the case with Tyler as well. Otherwise our little girl is healthy and doing well!

she bit me

Tyler came up with a game he thinks is so funny: he puts his finger near Jenna and then turns around giggling and exclaiming, "Jenna bit me!"

visit from the Redmons

My friend Meg and her youngest, Ben, were in town and came by to visit Baby Jenna. Albeit a brief visit, it was a sweet one.

Ben Redmon

family walks

I love walking to the park as a family. Alex and Tyler push ahead (Tyler on his new trike) while Jenna and I take our time strolling along. Despite being less than a week out from surgery, I'm happy that I've been able to still enjoy our family tradition. But I did take it easy and sit with Jenna while Tyler and Alex ran around and played soccer. We also spotted a big bunny which was another highlight.

big brother

We talked to Tyler today about the fun and responsibility that comes with being a big brother. He is more than excited about "Baby Jenna!" To make sure that he doesn't feel left out of this big family shift, we rewarded him with a new trike and he loved it! And of course the whole family took our first walk together: Tyler on his new trike and Jenna in her hand-me-down carseat/stroller. I felt like I could keep going but decided not to push myself as I'm only four days out from surgery.

loving his baby sister

We could never imagine how over the moon Tyler would be for his baby sister. We've been expecting some jealousy or annoyance on his part due to the splitting of our attention, but not so. Tyler wants to see her, kiss her and says, "Oh Jenna! So cute!"

on the go

pre and post belly

My belly the day of delivery and then days after surgery as we left the hospital...

on the way home

Jenna's drive home from the hospital (May 2009)

Tyler's drive home from the hospital (Nov. 2006)

mama's house

This morning Tyler was upset because he wanted to see Mommy and Jenna. He told Alex that he wanted to "go to Mama's house" to see us. Funny how four or five days in the hospital equates to ownership in the mind of a two year old. Time for me to come home!

two days old

one day old