Overdue!

This update, along with the baby, was/is overdue!

Our little Chicklette #2 -- let's call her Little G -- was born at 41 weeks on April 22nd. As with her older sister, I was induced and had a blissfully drama-free vaginal birth. One great epidural, roughly 6 hours of labor, and 8 pushes and she was out. She was 7 lbs. 10 oz., which shocked me -- I guess a 39-pound toddler will skew your view of babies.

So, 5 weeks in and we're doing great. The 2 weeks post-birth were pretty grisly -- including but not limited to a pair of cracked and bleeding nipples, and numerous rounds of resulting blood-laced spit-up -- but we are thankfully past that. In fact, breastfeeding has been a breeze since she was about 2 weeks old. I won't lie and say I love it, but Little G is gaining weight, latching great, and I'm even building up a modest stash of frozen milk. So I guess it doesn't have to suck the second time just because it did the first.

I thought I would have mixed feelings about being done with the whole pregnancy and childbearing thing (I was feeling very weepy towards the end of my pregnancy about this) -- but I am unequivocally thrilled and relieved. No more IVF. No more nervewracking ultrasounds/amnios/bouts of random spotting/etc. I feel very lucky. I know I'm lucky. And am so grateful.

This may be my last post -- I am obviously horrible at keeping this blog updated, and feel pretty confident that there is not anything especially interesting or valuable that I have to add to the interwebs on the subject of parenting. So, just in case....thank you to everyone out there who might still be reading for all of the support over the years, and thank you to the amazing women whose blogs I still avidly follow and read -- you've been and continue to be inspiring, enlightening, amusing....and a very special part of my journey towards becoming a mom.

Nesting, nesting, nesting

26 weeks and all is well. Our full amnio results came back normal, and the little one is kicking up a storm in there all day (and all night -- yeesh) long.

And the nesting bug has bitten me HARD. And it's a good thing, because we are still in the same tiny house that barely fit one kid. And because we don't have to buy all of the baby gear we did the first time, I can channel all of my nesting energy into home improvement. Which the Mr. is THRILLED about, let me tell you.

So, IKEA has been visited, paint chips have been taped and tucked in various places, rooms have been measured, and excess belongings have been (mostly) purged. Here's what we have on tap for the next 6 weeks or so (in rough chronological order):

• Paint and install crown molding in master bedroom
• Build and install wardrobes in master bedroom, move husband's clothes from room which is currently the office but will soon be a playroom
• Move desk from office/playroom to kitchen nook; move play kitchen and bookshelf from Chicklette room to office/playroom
• Install new sofa bed, rug, TV and assorted other items in playroom
• Move all toys possible from various locations in house to playroom
• Buy new toddler bed and install in Chicklette's room (she will share with #2 -- although she doesn't know that yet!)
• Install new lighting fixtures in master bedroom, playroom, dining room, kitchen
• Pray that baby doesn't come before above list is completed

So, we've got our work cut out for us.  But I'm having a ball planning all of this.  Will post before and after pictures if I remember!