He's Got Moves!

The other day Joshua climbed up onto Daddy's nightstand, turned on the clock radio, and danced!

I love it when they play well together.

Big Brother Shares

Joshua wanted to share with Nada his blankie, 2 stuffed animals, and a cell phone (by her elbow). What a nice brother.

Easter

We had a good Easter Sunday. After church, we took some pictures of everyone (attempting to get a family picture with the timer on the camera), ate lunch, then took naps, and then Kara and Joshua went for an Easter egg hunt in the house.

Somehow Kara and Joshua had similar expressions in these photos.
Make an unattractive face...


Now smile with your mouths open...



And now a big, cheesy grin!


the best one of the whole fam


egg hunt




sweet, peaceful baby

The Park and Sea World

A week after Nada was born, Brian took a week off from work, and we all went to a park and played at Sea World.

climbing, climbing


in a hurry


They loved this contraption.


Around and around they go!


Kara could hang on for quite a while.


The swings are always a favorite here.


watching the dolphins at Sea World





riding the rides with Daddy

Two Weeks Old!

Wow, time flies. She's already growing too fast! At her 2-week appointment, Nada weighed 7 lbs 12.5 oz and measured 19.5 inches long. She is eating and sleeping well, and I'm back on my feet. We're all doing great!

Nada's Birth Story

(Today was her EDD.) Around midnight on the morning of Friday, March 20th, a strong contraction woke me up. I continued having powerful contractions all day, ranging from 20 to 60 minutes apart. I was able to get through each one using techniques I learned in a Hypnobirthing class, "breathing up" with each uterine surge so that I wasn't in any pain. Brian's mom arrived around 2pm, and Brian and I headed for the hospital at 7:00. I was able to skip triage and go straight into a labor & delivery room, per Jan, the on-call midwife. At my appointment on the previous day I was dilated to 3cm, and once I was settled in at the hospital, I was at a 5. Brian was a wonderful support, rubbing my back and always encouraging me. I continued breathing calmly and relaxing throughout the labor. Brian, Jan, and the nurse Jule all said that they couldn't tell when I was having a contraction because it just looked like I was sleeping the whole time. We knew I was in transition when I threw up, and little Nada Mae came into the world at 11:33pm. I didn't tear at all, which has helped make recovery wonderful. Jule said, "That was one of the best natural births I've ever seen!" and Jan said, "It was an honor to be a part of this." I was able to hold and bond with Nada for quite a while right after she was born, and she nursed for 45 minutes (and pooped) before I gave her up to be assessed and cleaned. We came home Sunday afternoon. I am feeling great, and Nada is so calm and easy-going, which I attribute partly to the calm labor. My MIL is being an amazing help, taking care of Kara and Joshua and preparing meals. We'll see how I adjust to having a family of 5 once she leaves on Friday. Thank you all for your love and support. I can't wait for you to meet our little baby girl! We love her!

IT's A GIRL!!!

* This is a temporary post by Brian until Leah can update :)

Nada Mae Vance
Born on Friday, March 20th @ 11:33PM
Weight: 7lb 2oz
Length: 18in
Hair: looks to be Red (surprise!) but really short so we'll see what happens

Pictures to Compare

We went to Brackenridge Park last month, and I had to have Kara and Joshua each sit on the turtle there once I remembered that I had a picture of Kara sitting on it when she was around Joshua's age. It's so fun to see how much she's grown. I don't think Kara and Joshua look a whole lot alike (his head is huge, and she's so petite), but you can definitely tell that they're brother and sister.

Joshua, 20 months

Kara, 20 months

Kara, 4 years

38 weeks