I Haven't Disappeared :-)

For those concerned that I've dropped off the face of the earth, I am still here. :-) We are adjusting to life as a family of 4 with a newborn and a very active 20 month old toddler. Let's see if I can catch up a little...

As Chet said, Katherine's delivery actually was very quick, although the labor beforehand was not much fun. We actually ended up having to leave church after Sunday School on the 5th because I was having mild, but regular contractions. Just like a preacher's kid, isn't it? ;-) Anyway, they had us leave the hospital and come back later Sunday afternoon. They basically did the induction a day earlier than originally planned.

The last 2 weeks have been spent adjusting to having a second child and trying to physically recover. I spend a lot of time feeding the baby, and when I'm not feeding her, I'm trying to spend as much time as possible with Mary Joyce. We have also had family for the last 2 weeks, and their help was GREATLY appreciated. Today was my first day home with both girls while Chet was working, and it went pretty well. It looks like getting into a routine will be easier than I thought it was going to.

There are some frustrations--I had a good number of stitches after the birth, so I am limited on physical activity right now. I can't lift anything heavier than Katherine, which means that I can't pick up Mary Joyce right now. Chet has to get her in and out of her crib and high chair, and has to deal with a lot of the day-to-day caretaking for her. It breaks my heart when she holds up her arms to be picked up, and I can't do it. I just bend down and hug her or walk her to a chair where she can climb into my lap. The next few weeks are going to be long ones.

Mary Joyce is going to be a good big sister. The jealous moments are becoming much less frequent, and her favorite new word is "bayba." (Her version of "baby.") She loves to give her sister kisses, and would really like to pick her up, although that is not an option at the moment. She also says "uh-oh" anytime Katherine cries or loses her pacifier. It is really sweet to watch.

I have included a few pictures from the past couple of weeks. I'll do another short post with pictures of Katherine from today.