a must must MUST read for every parent

Wow, this article really hit home with me.  I hope you will read it.

How to miss a childhood

I make the mistake of thinking that Ella doesn't notice when I'm distracted with my phone or the laptop.  Who am I kidding?! This girl is smart, she sees and understands so much.  I remember one night we were all sitting in the game room upstairs and I was playing with my phone (probably on facebook or something of equal importance) and Ella was running around playing.  She came over, grabbed my phone and said "here mommy, why don't you let me hold this for you." She then put it on the floor.  I guess she thought about it a moment and picked it up, walked across the room and sat it down much much farther from me.  Shame on me!  My two year old had to take my phone away from me to make a point.  

Anyway, I doubt I'm the first mom to be distracted by my phone and other technology - tv, laptop, ipad, etc.  I know one thing is certain, my phone is staying in the kitchen all day/evening from here on out.  My kids shouldn't have to compete with facebook or sudoku or whatever else nonsense I can find to entertain myself with.  Let's be honest, Ella is entertainment enough!  Not to mention this other sweet little face that is practicing her smiles and giggles all day now.  God has blessed me abundantly, I don't want to neglect the gifts I've been given because I'm too distracted.

Happy Mother's Day

I've been a mother for two and a half years now - I realize this makes me quite the expert. Ha! While this year was not my first Mother's Day, it was certainly my first as a mommy of two. This year I realized something: I am much more aware of how blessed I am to have such an amazing mother and a wonderful mother-in-law.  God bless them both for all that they constantly do for us and our families!

My mom is more than just my mom - she is a wonderful wife to my Dad, an amazing sister, a selfless daughter, a humble leader at her church, and a loving teacher at her school. Some qualities I love about my mom include:

She sees the good in me and reminds me of that when I tend to focus on my flaws.

She is selfless with her time - she spends many hours taking care of other people, putting their needs above her own.  Not only did she take care of her father for many years, she is constantly tending to one of us or our kids.  She keeps Lily after school, which is probably Lily's favorite thing about going to school all together.  But what has made the biggest impact on me was after the birth of each of our daughters.  My mom took a week off of work and dedicated it to us.  She managed to be at my side at the hospital, while still taking care of our sweet Ella.  We came home to a clean house, a happy two year old, and a Grammie ready to help.  This adjustment would have been so much harder on Ella if not for my mom.  She spent countless hours playing with her in "her new room," giving her all the attention she needed.  And Grammie still managed to take care of me as I recovered from my c-section, help with Gracie, AND get up with Gracie and I in the middle of the night, ALL night.  And she did it all with a smile and a joyful spirit - I don't know how she does it, but I'm thankful still.

She praises us - she tells me often that I'm a good mother. This is something I value so much, because, like every first time mom, I sometimes doubt that.

She loves our babies and makes special time for them. This means the world to me.

She is one of my very best friends. I will always cherish the countless hours that my mom, sisters, and I have spent talking about everything from deep life issues to the silly issues we have, and everything in between. Some moments end in hugs and some end in more than one of us running to the bathroom because we are laughing so hard.

She gave me two precious sisters, also my very best friends. She taught us that having sisters is one of God's greatest blessings. You see, she also has the greatest sisters ever. I love to see my mom and her sisters having a good time together. I especially love when we all get to have "girls weekend" together. These ladies are so special to me and I am thankful that my mom taught us how to be a good sister.

But probably the thing I love and respect most about my mother is her habit of rising early to spend time with the Lord. If there is one trait that I want to copy from my mom, it would be her heart for God and her love for His word. I will always treasure the memories of waking up early in the morning to find my mom curled up with her Bible. Even at a young age, this was etched in my heart - when something is important to you, you make time for it. And reading God's Word is very important to my mom. So important that she begins her day that way. I want my girls to find me doing the same. I have a long way to go though. You see, I am not a morning person - at all. Just ask Nolan. He says that I can be a bit grumpy in the morning.  I know nothing about this (but I do know that he's awfully loud when I'm sleeping so I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. ;-) In the past, when I've tried waking up to read, I fall asleep reading. Not good at all. I used to set an alarm but never even make it out of bed. For the past three months, I haven't even set an alarm.  Gracie takes care of waking me up early enough, so waking up before my girls to read is not an easy feat.  So, like I said, I have a long way to go. But at least I have a good role model.

Mom, I love you dearly and am so thankful for the woman that you are.  I treasure the time that I get to spend with you and am blessed to watch you love our girls.

I am also one of those lucky women who has a wonderful mother-in-law. She has welcomed me into her family and loved me as her own daughter since day one.

I love many things about my mother-in-law, Heidi. My favorite has to be how excited she gets when she sees her grand babies. When Ella was a little baby, it would always startle her, but now, the excitement is mutual and I must say, it's pretty special to witness.  There is no doubt that she loves these girls so much.

Heidi is also a very selfless woman.  For as long as I've known her, she has always put others first.  She welcomes anyone into her home, taking care of each as though her own.  I've watched her care for her parents, her friends, and many family members with such a joyful attitude.

Probably the trait I envy the most is that Heidi is a "do-er," a finisher.  I am not. No doubt about this.  I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum.  I'm a great starter.  I get these wonderful ideas and go get all the stuff to make it and start out so enthusiastically.  And then for some reason or another, I never finish.  Nine times out of ten its because it was a whole lot harder than I expected, or far above my level of expertise.  I'm embarrassed to say how many of my ambitious projects that she has had to finish for me.  There's Ella's 1st birthday banner, Ella's big sister shirt, the curtain in Gracie's room, and so many more.  Not to mention the many things she always does around our house on the days that I work.  I will come home to find some random task, that I have put off doing for months, done - replacing an AC vent, a light bulb, organizing a cabinet - I'm a procrastinator.  Heidi gets things done.

And then there are the curtains in our living room - a true piece of art.  They deserve their own paragraph.  Heidi is an expert curtain maker.  I'm an expert pattern buyer.  I was looking for curtains for our living room and couldn't find anything I liked in my price range.  So I found a website that sold beautiful draperies - they were $300 a panel!  It's a good thing they sold the pattern to make them.  They claimed this project was for beginners.  I being the naive and ambitious girl that I am (bad combo by the way), decided that I was indeed a beginner and could likely figure it out.  What I didn't consider was that I didn't even know how to load the bobbin in my sewing machine.  (I'm certain that isn't even the correct terminology - see how "beginner" I am.)  I also didn't consider that I had never sewed anything before.  And yet somehow I thought I could sew floor to ceiling silk drapes for my windows, complete with fancy "tassel-y" things.  But Heidi knew better.  Somehow she managed to offer to sew these for me without ever making me feel like I was completely silly for even thinking I could do this.  It wasn't until they were all done and I had a few other failed sewing projects under my belt that I realized the hard work and detail these curtains required.  I don't even know how many hours she spent working on these things.  They are absolutely beautiful and I am so thankful that she worked so hard to make these for me.  Oh, not only did she make the curtains for me, but she also came over and helped me install the curtain rods and hang the curtains.  I know, I know, do something for yourself right!  Seriously, she is wonderful.

Heidi is also a woman who loves the Lord something fierce.  She studies the word so diligently and believes with all of her heart that she will see the ones she loves come to know Jesus.  God has rewarded her faith with several very special salvation stories.  I admire her faith very much.  She isn't one to preach at anyone, yet she shares what she believes with such love, gentleness, and kindness that others gladly listen to her.  She models her faith with her life, and this speaks louder than any sermon.

But the thing I am most thankful for (even more than the curtains!) is the man that Heidi raised.  When God brought Nolan into my life, I knew he was one of the rare special ones.  A man who actually knew how to treat a girl in a way that made her feel like a lady.  He is so good to me in so many ways.  He takes care of his girls and does whatever he feels is necessary to provide for and protect us.  You don't have to know my husband for very long to know that he has a good Momma!  In fact, when we were in the hospital with Gracie, we had one particular nurse who actually sought Heidi out and told her what a good job she did in raising him.  So, I don't think I've said this often enough, but thank you for raising such a wonderful son.  For showing him how to love his wife and his daughters.  This is one thing that I can never thank you enough for.


I realize that I am a lucky woman, a very BLESSED woman.  Not only did I get the privilege to grow up with an amazing Mom, I married a man who has a wonderful mother.  I have two very special ladies in my life.  Two wonderful examples of how to love the Lord above all else, how to love your husband, how to raise your children, how to serve your family, and how to love your friends.

Happy Mother's Day to you both.  May you feel as special today as you both make me feel every day.  I love you both very much.


And Happy Mother's Day to all the other special moms in my life...

For the woman who savors a backwards letter in childlike scrawl 

and secretly hopes “liberry” and “strawbabies” will never be pronounced correctly … 

For the woman who crawls on achy knees into her child’s tiny bunk bed to read stories and inhale his just-bathed scent  …

For the woman who would prefer a dandelion bouquet carried in a dirt-filled palm over a dozen red roses in a crystal vase …

For the woman who cries at the sight of her child and cannot explain why …

For the woman who feels her awkward bulges and morning breath slowly dissipate when a cherub voice says, “You’re so pretty, Mama” …

For the woman who is never at a loss for words when it comes to defending her child …

For the woman whose babies will never, ever become too heavy to carry …

Happy Mother's Day to you!
http://www.handsfreemama.com/ 

Date with Daddy in Aggieland

Ella was lucky enough to go on a date with Daddy to college station for the day.  She has been talking about going to college station for weeks now and has been so excited.  As an added bonus, her cousins Lily and Walker also came.  Ella had a blast being with outside all day with her Daddy!  I'm sad that Gracie and I missed it.

I'd say it was definitely a successful trip - she passed out the minute they got in the car to come home.

 

When I put Ella to bed that night I asked her "what was your favorite thing about today?"  

Her response - "Daddy" 

I'd say that was one good day.

Easter 2012

Who's Who?

When Gracie was born we all thought she looked identical to her big sister.  Over the past two months, though they still favor one another, Gracie has definitely developed her own look.  I know I'm their momma, but I think they are the most beautiful little girls ever :)

Here are my little newborns:

 

Ella - November 7, 2009

 

Gracie - February 17, 2012

Ella - 2 months

Gracie - 2 months

Ella - 2 months

 

 Gracie - 2 months

 

Ella - 2 months

 

Gracie - 2 months

One thing is certain, Gracie has a better double chin than her big sister did :)  I can't wait to go to Gracie's 2 month appointment this week so I can compare their weights and percentiles.  These girls are so much fun!

 

The things big sisters do...

and the things little sisters must tolerate.

Gracie couldn't stop looking at her new bling

 Even Gracie's giraffe got accessorized

 It's a good thing we love this big sister so much :)

Happy 2 months my littlest love

Miss Gracie,

Oh my love, how sweet you are.  I can't believe two months have passed since we brought you home.  It really does go faster the second time, as if the first baby didn't grow fast enough!

Some things about you at two months:

You have gained a whopping 4 pounds - you are a chubby girl and I ADORE your rolls.  A double chin has never looked so good!

You tend to alternate with your big sister when it comes to sleeping well at night - one night you sleep well but Ella doesn't, the next night you are up every two hours and your sister is out cold.  I guess you two are doing us a favor??  But last night you did sleep 8 hours so this Mommy couldn't be happier.

Speaking of sleeping, you've decided that 10 pm is your official bedtime and not a minute earlier.  If we put you to bed before that, you will be up in less than 30 minutes.  You were sleeping a total of about 12 hours at night - to bed at 10, up around 2, again around 5, and then you'd often go back down until 9, sometimes even 10:00.  Then you would take a good 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon.  Notice I'm using past tense. I guess you decided you were being too easy on your Mommy.  Now you are down by 10 and up by 8'ish.  And naps, well they tend to be little cat naps now days.  And here I was thinking I finally had a good sleeper on my hands.  But seriously, you already sleep better than your big sister so I'm not complaining.



I hate to jinx things, but you seem to have surpassed the fussy, gassy stage for the most part.  That is a great relief.


You are so full of smiles when you wake up in the morning - it's hands down my favorite time with you.  Ella's too.  Your big sister and I love to hold you in the mornings and see who can make you smile - you don't make us work too hard at it.  You are pretty generous with your smiles sweet girl.

You love bath time.  As soon as I lay you in the tub you start kicking your legs.  Your big sister loves to "help" but we have to watch her because sometimes "helping" means trying to pour water on you.  But as always, you're a good sport.

You still guzzle your bottles like you haven't eaten in days - maybe that's where your cheeks come from :)


Mommy has pretty much switched completely to bottles - I couldn't seem to keep up with this growing girl once you hit your 6 week growth spurt.


You are by far the best little snuggler (besides your big sister, of course).  When you are sleepy you lay on my shoulder and just nuzzle.  When you can't fall asleep there you just keep moving your head from side to side trying to get comfortable.  That's when Mommy turns to the yoga ball.  It gets you every time.


You hate the swing, much like your sister did when she was a baby.  You will, however, sit in your bouncy seat while Mommy puts on makeup or blow dries her hair.  I am so grateful for this.


You are only 2 months but are barely fitting into your 3 month clothes - gotta love those cute rolls!


Here are some of my favorite pictures of you at 2 months:

My little love, we have enjoyed you so much over the past two months.  You've added so much joy to our home.  I can't wait to watch your little personality develop and see all the fun things you will soon learn.  I pray you will continue to be a healthy and happy little girl.  May God continue to bless us with your sweet smiles.  We love you to the moon and back.

Sisters

There's nothing better than having a sister.  To this day, mine are my best friends and I'm not sure what I'd ever do without them. 

The moment we found out that our first baby was a girl, all I could think was how I hoped she would have a sister one day.  God answered my prayers with sweet miss Gracie.

Ella had been looking forward to having Gracie come "home from the hospital" for awhile before she actually made her debut.  I was a little concerned because Ella was insistent that she was going to have TWO baby sisters - Layla AND Gracie.  No matter how much I tried convincing her, she never waivered.  I'd say to her "Ella, are you going to help Mommy take care of your baby sister when she gets here?"  Her response was always something like "Mommy, you can hold Layla and I will hold Gracie." I was worried she would be one disappointed girl come c-section day when she only got to meet one baby.  Thankfully, after she met her little sister, she seemed content with just one baby.

I can't wait to see them interact more.  For now, their interactions consist mostly of Ella getting as close as she possibly can to Gracie and saying "hiiiiiii gracie!!" which sounds more like "greasy."  It's the best.  Poor Gracie just cringed in the beginning.  She's grown rather used to her big sister now.  One thing is certain, Gracie does love to hear her sister's voice.  If she's crying, Ella's voice can sometimes calm her down - except when its about 10 decibels too loud.

I've tried so hard to get a good picture of the two of them, but most of them usually end up like this: (but that's ok, I've decided these are the priceless ones after all)

Not sure what kind of face Gracie is making

Looks like Gracie is taking a punch to the face

Ella was saying "Mommy she's leaning on me"

Kisses are endless around here

Ella "helping get Gracie warm" - at least she left her face uncovered!

Ella LOVES to hold Gracie's hand - we're working hard on doing this gently.

Needless to say, there is not a lack of love between these girls.  

The adventures of having two little girls...

These days in the Nahidi house are some rather crazy days. I have to laugh at our adventures, because if I don't, I find myself getting easily frustrated with the chaos, the noise, and the lack of any kind of routine. So I am trying hard to laugh, to soak up my girls in this stage of life, because I know that like each stage we've gone through until now, they pass far too quickly.

For instance,

Ella has decided that the pantry is her new personal kitchen and often when I'm nursing Gracie, I can find my eldest hiding out in the pantry "pretending" as she says. In her little mind "pretending" has involved emptying an entire oatmeal cannister, pouring out a bag of rice into small tupperware bowls, peeling the labels off of far too many cans (we are about to be having "surprise" dinners as we begin using these canned goods!), and peeling onions. Maybe it's sleep deprivation preventing my mind from working well, but I haven't figured out how to block off the pantry just yet. There's no lock on the door and our many many baby gates are too big for that door. To prove my point, a friend suggested the child-proof door knob covers - now why didn't I think of that 3 or 4 weeks ago??! No sleep I tell you, it can make your brain do crazy things, or in my case, just cause your brain to be extra slow at problem solving (not super helpful to this new momma of two!)

Ella has been able to open the fridge and freezer herself for quite some time now.  This can be a problem when I'm nursing - she manages to open the gate I've set up to contain her and rummage in the fridge or freezer.  One day, I walk into the kitchen after changing Gracie's diaper and imagine my surprise as I find this:

Realizing she'd been caught, she looks at me and says "she wants ice cream Mommy."  Oh yes, I see that my dear.

Other things my busy two year old has been doing: she's pretty much potty trained herself with zero pushing from me.  Before Gracie was born, Ella had been using the potty on her own occasionally, but not consistently. I didn't want to push her too far because I was afraif she'd lose interest. Also, many had told me that even if she was potty trained before her baby sister came, she'd likely revert back once the baby came, so I stood back and just let her do her thing. These days, however, I find her running around fully clothed but missing one thing - her diaper. I usually don't notice this until I've stepped in a puddle she's left me (okay that's only happened twice). Or more often than not, I walk into the bathroom and find this:

a diaper on the floor and no toddler in sight. She just sheds that diaper as soon as I'm not looking. If I'm lucky, its just a wet diaper, but sometimes this Momma isn't that lucky. Sometimes they're dirty diapers laying on the floor. Then I have to track down my toddler and do some cleaning and some discussing as to why we must ask mommy to help with the dirties. On one particularly special occasion (Grammie was lucky enough to witness this one), I walk into my bedroom to find Ella completely naked watching a cartoon and a huge, I mean HUGE, pile of poop on the floor. The diaper was MIA. I couldn't really blame her for wanting to take that one off! So now I find myself cleaning up poop and "peep" off of the floor from a toddler and two puppies. Someone remind me that I will miss these days please ;-)

Ella has also decided that she wants to dress herself.  If she can managed to get Daddy upstairs with her, she usually comes down looking something like this:

The shirt/pants might change, but the common denominator is layers.  No idea why this girl likes to wear 12 layers when we live in this weather.

Her other obesession is shoes.  I can honestly say she did not get this from me.  I think we can blame her aunties for this love.  Ella probably changes her shoes at least 20 times a day.  I'm not kidding.  You can usually find her in the laundry room floor switching out her shoes.  Sometimes she has on matching ones, often not.  But one thing is certain, they are almost always on the wrong feet.  (Only lately has she allowed me to switch them for her!)

Needless to say, Ella has not allowed herself to fall prey to boredom while Mommy nurses Gracie. I'm sure this next week will be full of even more adventures in our house.  It's a little crazy, but I wouldn't trade these days for anything, tired or not.

Meet our newest Blessing

Oh goodness how life has changed in the past two weeks! We are so excited to introduce you to our precious Layla Grace, or "Gracie" as we've been calling her:

Layla Grace Nahidi
February 17th, 2012
9:00 a.m.
7 pounds 10 ounces
19.5 inches

Photo courtesy of Lacey Butler - she spent an entire day taking pics of our sweet Gracie. I will post more of these precious pictures soon. She did such an awesome job, they are worthy of their own separate post :)

Happy Birthday Gracie!

God blessed us abundantly with a second beautiful baby girl...

Layla Grace

February 17, 2012

9:00 a.m.

7 pound 10 ounces

19.5 inches long

Here is your story sweet girl: (warning, this is a somewhat long and detailed story of Gracie's first day, more for myself to have a record of it before I forget!  Feel free to skip to the pictures!)

This pregnancy was so much easier than the first. Maybe it had something to do with everything being familiar, you know, less of a shock when you see your body go through such crazy changes. The unending nausea, hunger, and growing isn't as big of a surprise the second time around. Or maybe sweet Gracie was just taking it easy on her Momma - I like to think she was already portraying her laid back "second child" personality. I had less nausea with Gracie than I did with Ella, my back didn't ache 24/7, my hunger was a little more controlled (as in I didn't have to eat PB sandwiches at 4am this go round!), and best of all, I gained MUCH less weight with my Gracie. Oh beloved second child, I owe you already :)

All along I assumed I would be having a c-section since I had one with Ella. My new doctor just so happened to specialize in VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean section) but never acted as if it were an option for me throughout pregnancy. I honestly didn't mind, considering the thought of a regular delivery scared me to death - call me crazy, but I was perfectly comfortable with a c-section. Well as my due date drew near, my doctor could not believe how low Gracie was positioned and that I was already starting to dilate. She told me I could opt for a VBAC if I wanted to. She also told me that Gracie could come "any day now" - this was at my 36 week appointment. Well, 3 or 4 weeks later I had only progressed to 1.5cm so the decision to stick with the planned c-section was pretty obvious (whew!).

The pregnancy flew by and before we knew it, we were sitting at home the night before we were to meet our Gracie. My family came in that evening since the surgery was scheduled for 8am the next day. I was getting so nervous and anxious about the surgery that I couldn't sit still. I just ran around the house doing random cleaning, laundry, packing, whatever I could to avoid sitting still and thinking about the surgery. All the memories from my first c-section were suddenly at the forefront of my mind - the pain, oh goodness, I wasn't ready for that again.

We attempted to go to bed, but I'm pretty sure neither Nolan or I slept at all! We had our alarms set for 5:30am since we had to be at the hospital by 7:00. If you know me, you know I don't make it a habit of getting up before 7 - I guess this was as good a time as any to make an exception! Well 5:30 came quick and unfortunately Ella decided to wake up sometime after 6 - not according to my plan. Luckily we got her settled with Grammie and some cartoons and off we went, running a little late, but out the door none the less.

We got to the hospital, checked in, and were sent to the the pre-op room where they prepped me for surgery. Talk about nerves - I don't do well early in the morning with no food in my stomach. Usually the first thing I do when I wake up is grab some DP or iced tea, sadly I could have neither.  As we sat in pre-op, the sleepless night hit me and I could hardly keep my eyes open.  Thankfully, our families arrived shortly after.  Just knowing they were there helped to calm our nerves.

As the nurse was going over the procedure with me she told me that normally I would be getting a drug called Duramorph, but there was a shortage so I would be getting something else.  Fine by me, I assumed the alternative must be just as good or they wouldn't give it to me.  Then the anesthesiologist came in to go over his part.  He proceeded to tell me that he found two vials of Duramorph that morning and I and the lady ahead of me would be receiving it.  The look on the nurse's face was priceless.  She said "oh you're so lucky!"  I didn't think much of it until later.

Finally it was time to go meet Gracie.  I was so nervous about going into the OR and  getting the epidural without Nolan being there.  It was so surreal being in there.  I remember watching them count all of the surgical tools, sponges, and gauze and thinking how glad I was that they do that!  The epidural was not bad at all, and before I knew it, Nolan was there.  My doctor came in and looked at the iv and said "oh you got Duramorph, I thought we were out."  (Again, no idea why this was a big deal).

The surgery began and before we knew it, we got to hear our precious girl's cry for the first time.  It's the best sound ever.  The moment I saw that beautiful little girl and her head full of black hair I had flashbacks to two years ago when we met her big sister.  She looked just like Ella! I remember when they held her up for the first time, I thought "wow she's so much smaller than Ella was."  Boy was I wrong!  Miss Gracie was actually seven ounces BIGGER than her sister.  I guess I just forgot how tiny they look as newborns.

Thankfully, we remembered to bring the camera to the OR this time ;-) so Nolan was able to capture plenty of Gracie's first moments.  The nurses cleaned her up and brought her over to me again, she was perfect, so beautiful.  While my doctor finished me up, they took Nolan and Gracie back to a recovery area to wait on me.  None of our family got to see her for awhile, which was different than with Ella.  Once I was back in the recovery area with Nolan and Gracie I was amazed at how different I felt than with my first c-section.  Last time I was in so much more pain.  I'm not sure if it really was because of the Duramorph but I was actually not uncomfortable.  After Gracie got a bath and I was able to nurse her for the first time, they began wheeling us to our room.  I was doing good until we started moving.  Then the nausea hit.  Right as we rounded the corner and my family was in sight, I felt like I was going to be sick.  Throwing up after a c-section is not fun.  But I'll take that any day over the pain I felt the first time around.  I also was more awake this time, not narcoleptic like last time.  So I feel like I actually got to enjoy everything afterwards.  I'm guessing I didn't have the better medicine the first time?? I don't know, I just know it was soooo much less painful, and every nurse or doctor that came into my room said how lucky I was to have gotten the Duramorph.  I agree VERY much. 

I didn't get to see Ella's reaction when she saw her baby sister for the first time, so I'm thankful we have some pictures of their first meeting.  I know Ella was so excited to finally meet you, sweet Gracie.  We all were!

The next few days in the hospital were filled with visitors, flowers, and not so good food.  My mom brought Ella to visit each day, we had missed her so much!

Gracie loved meeting her cousins, who LOVED coming to the hospital - I wish I had pictures of the play room on our floor.  Ella and her cousins practically lived in there!  It was so nice having a place for them to go burn off some energy while the adults got to visit and hold Gracie.  Such a great idea!

After four nights in the hospital it was time to go home.  While I appreciate being there and having help from the nurses and especially from the lactation consultants, I was beyond ready to go home.  That room was feeling pretty small and I was super restless and missing my Ella.

So, home we went.  And the adventure of having two sweet daughters at home began.  I am forever grateful for my mom's help over that next week.