And then we were five...

On Dec 9th, we welcomed little Felix into the world.  Felix's arrival was so unlikely on so many levels that I'm still in a state of happy shock, 2 months after his birth.

I had a complication-free c-section.  No blood transfusions, no ICU.  No anemia.  8 units of specially ordered blood sat unused in the blood bank.  And despite having surgery, this was my shortest hospital stay.

And Felix--mellow, healthy, happy.  No jaundice, so no bili-bed.

We thought for a long time we would be three.  Then three became four, and now, unbelievably, we are five.  Felix means "happy" and "fortunate" -- an apt description for our family.

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Hayden turned 6 on October 18th. This year, he had 2 Saturdays of celebration. The first was cake and presents with family; the second was pizza and fun with friends.

The big gift from us was a real telescope. Hayden has been fascinated with space for almost 2 years, and it seemed like an appropriate gift. We were lucky to have clear skies, decent weather, and Jupiter nice and bright in the sky. Hayden got to see Jupiter's moons! Of course, it has rained pretty much every night since then, so we're waiting for a chance to look at the moon.

This year was the first time I agreed to have a "kid party" at our house. I didn't do anything elaborate. They decorated some cookies, ate some Papa Johns, played a simple game, and beyond that, basically ran around. Hayden said it was a "crazy" party, and that he hoped he could always have crazy parties from now on. Hmmm.

Beyond the festivities, though, it's hard to believe he is 6! I've done my best to document and savor each year, and we certainly have the pictures to prove it. Still, at the risk of being cliched, it has gone really fast! Happy birthday, buddy!

Happy Birthday Marlo!

Yesterday, Marlo turned 1.

It's the milestone of milestones. All week I've been having flashbacks to last year. A year ago, I went to the clinic for a routine appointment. As it had with Hayden, my blood pressure had suddenly jumped up. However, with Hayden, I was allowed to go home on bed rest. This time, I was sent directly to the hospital.

I spent a lot time getting tests and monitoring. I was already in early labor, so my labor was "augmented" rather than strictly induced. Labor was easy this time around. Marlo was born late afternoon/early evening on the 24th, perfect and beautiful with a full head of hair. I was delivered by my regular OB (just luck of the draw--she happened to be on call). Everyone reading this blog knows the rest of the story. I ended up bleeding buckets (reason still unknown), and was eventually taken to OR and anesthetized and transfused. I spent 3 days in ICU recovering before being transferred to the regular maternity recovery room.

I had a pretty rough go with Hayden, but this topped it. The ICU nurse told me they only see 1 or 2 maternity patients down there per year. However, since I spent most of my pregnancy in a haze of anxiety (shingles, antibodies, hernias, you name it), I was mostly just relieved to have a healthy baby.

Anyway, the memories of a year ago are pretty vivid, given the circumstances. And because the memories are still so strong, the past year seems to have gone extra fast. My little 7 lb 14 oz baby is now walking and starting to talk. Sleepy at birth (she was jaundiced), she still is a good sleeper...but incredibly active when awake. Happy temperament then, happy temperament now (with just a touch of attitude for good measure).

My 1 year old thoroughly enjoyed her birthday. There was cake, after all--shaped like a caterpillar. And wrapping paper, balloons, and time to play outside. She was a little mystified by everyone singing "Happy Birthday," though.

She loved all of her presents. Ben and I got her her own little chair. We got the same thing for Hayden when he turned one and we were amazed by how much he loved it. She had recently been climbing into his chair, and so was pretty excited to get her own. She liked to sit in her chair and look at birthday cards! Hayden got her a book, always a hit, and from family and friends she received many fun and thoughtful gifts--Baby Stella and accessories, a toy flying saucer (Hayden LOVED this one!), clothes, and a play sink.

It's been an incredible first year with her in our family--and we are already enjoying the second.

Happy Birthday baby Marlo!