Resuming life as normal

It is hard to believe it has been 18 days since Gillian was born. We seem to be falling back into our old routine, with a few new changes here and there. All of this will be changed again when Seth goes back to work this week and I go back to primary care giver for Alistair. Getting my rhythm down with him and working feedings in with Gillian will take some time. Just when I think she is getting into a routine, she goes on a marathon eating binge. She is certainly putting on weight now, her face is beginning to look chubbier. She had a weight check last Wednesday and she was up to 7lbs, 6oz - only 2 ounces from her birth weight. The upside of Seth going back to work is that he will be doing it slowly - 2 days this week, 3 days the following week. So I won't be going a whole week without him for another 2 weeks. Easing into it is the way to go!
We have had a couple of outings now besides going to the store. I hadn't been south of Evergreen Hospital since the beginning of February. Last Sunday we drove to my parent's house for a belated Easter dinner. The Easter Bunny came a week late and left eggs for Alistair and Natalie to find and then baskets for all 3 kids. We had such a beautiful day, I even have tan lines on my feet! It was nice to get out of the house and out of Bothell for a change!The GrandkidsWhile Seth has been home he has decided to use the time to get some things done around the house, with the help of Alistair. One of the major projects was to tackle our lawn, or lack thereof, and get rid of the moss. Seth borrowed the neighbor's broadcast spreader and Alistair used our drop spreader and the two of them spread moss killer. Since that time Seth thatched the lawn and the 2 of them raked (we bought Alistair his own rake) it up and then spread sand and grass seed. Alistair is into trying out whatever piece of baby furniture we have out. We brought the bassinet downstairs in an attempt to get Gillian used to it. Alistair was checking it out and next thing I know he is laying in it. He had tried to get into the bassinet while it was on the stand, but he was thwarted. I think he has given up on that, but now tries to get into her swing!The Unibomber when he was almost 3?Pretty baby on her new quilt Grandma Hennessey madeGillian's favorite way to hangout with Daddy. She always looks so comfortable!

She suckered me into sleeping with her like this after an early morning feeding. It was quite cozy!

Brothers and Sisters

Alistair didn't want anything to do with Gillian when he got home today. We didn't force him to do anything with her. He has come around on her and this afternoon wanted to hold her. She even decided to wake for the occasion! Alistair also decided he wanted to try on my donut I got in the hospital from the soreness in my back end from the horrible bed!

Gillian Isabel Hennessey

Gillian Isabel Hennessey arrived on Wednesday morning, April 8th, at 7:33am. She weighed in at 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. She arrived via c-section. She has a full head of dark hair and 2 little dimples located on either side of her mouth. She is very cute and we are in total awe of her. So far she seems to be a very calm baby. She only cries when she gets her diaper changed or when I am not quick enough to pick-up on her "I am hungry" cues. We came home Friday after 3 nights in the hospital. I was admitted a day early to be on a 24-hour insulin drip in order to stabalize my blood sugars. This in turn made sure her blood sugar would be stabalized after she was born to avoid blood sugar crashes and having to be in the NICU. Bringing a newborn home right after birth is a new experience for us. There is much to figure out that we didn't have to with Alistair. Speaking of Alistair, he came home today. So that adds a new dimension to figuring stuff out. So far forAlistair, Gillian is an acceptable addition to the house. I wouldn't call him crazy for her, but he has taken a certain interest in her and checks on her occasionally! We are looking forward to this next stage in our lives. Gillian is going to be fun to watch grow and Alistair will be both fun and entertaining to watch how he adjusts and changes to this new addition. Once he comes fully around, I think he will really love having his little sister! We took a ton of photos (as did others) the first few days. If you are interested in seeing them, here is the link to our web album:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kellyhennessey/WelcomeGillian#

Things and Stuff

You would think with all the "free" time I have on my hands I would get more up on the blog that I do! (: I have intentions, they just don't always get followed through on! We are still on baby watch. If nothing happens by Wednesday (the 8th) she will be making her debut via c-section. Not thrilled at the idea of recovering from one of those again, but whatever works to get her out! While we have been on baby watch, here are a few things we have been doing in the meantime:

On March 29th Sadie turned 7. We celebrated by getting her a marrow bone that kept her busy for about 4 hours in the yard. I think she enjoyed it. Of course first she had to indulge us by waiting for us to sing her Happy Birthday and having a candle lit for her. She has had some health problems lately and for a week earlier in the month we thought we were going to have to say goodbye to her. But she turned around and is doing so much better now. Thank goodness, we aren't ready to not have her in our lives anymore quite yet! ):

This past Saturday, when the sun decided to finally make an appearance, we headed for an early morning outing to Country Village. We took some stale bread to feed the ducks and then took a train ride. After the ride, Alistair played on the new pirate ship they built as well as some other climbing structures. We ended our outing by visiting the kettle korn stand and waiting for the first batch of the day to cook. It was delicious as usual and didn't last long!

Yesterday we decorated Easter Eggs in advance of Baby Sister's arrival. Once she is here, things will be falling by the wayside a bit! Alistair seemed to enjoy this activity and really got into choosing the colors and putting them in the cup. We tried to get him to put stickers on the eggs after they were dry. He would put one on each and that was it. We tried to show him you could put more than one on, but he wouldn't have that! (:

The next post you see will be announcing the arrival of Baby Sister! Stay Tuned...