New Bling Bling

My aunt Marilyn sent the girls these cute t-shirts, which they absolutely love! They looked so grown up in them.

My first Halloween

Our next door neighbor bought Matthew the cutest tiger outfit, so that will be his real costume. I thought he looked pretty cute in this little onesie, though.

First week at home

It is hard to believe that last week at this time Matthew was not yet here with us! In some ways, it feels like he has been here much longer, but in others we are definitely still getting used to things. He is changing quite a bit each day. His actual physical appearance is changing, something that is always odd for me to see as a parent. Most of the time it is a very gradual change over months, but in that first week of life, newborns change each day. He still seems tiny to me. We went in for a quick checkup to make sure his jaundice was okay (it is!) and he gained an ounce to 5 lb, 7 oz from his hospital checkout weight. I will post a photo on here later that I took last night where he looks exactly like Meagan at the same time period. Something else that I am having to get used to is changing a boy's diaper. Not only do I have to mess with the taking care of the circumcision thing, but I have learned very fast that I need to make sure things are "arranged" properly or I will be changing his outfit five times a day. I have been overjoyed with Meagan and Natalie's reaction to Matthew; it is really my dream come true. Natalie is a little bit thrown off of her normal routine and we all pay the price for that, but both girls are so loving towards him. They like to sing to him, show him his toys, and start the music on his swing. The first thing they want to do after school is run to kiss him . Of course, he can't really see anything, but he does react to their voices.
The only rough part? I don't mind the diapers, the laundry, any of it. The part that has been rough is the usual mom complaint of a newborn being confused about day and night. Two nights ago he did great and I was so happy. Last night was awful. He was wanting to eat all night, non stop, and there is no way that I slept total more than 2 1/2 hours. As I said, rough. When Meagan was born, I had no other responsibilities, so it wasn't a big deal. Now, though, I have two little girls who also depend on me. Andy has been awesome about pitching in, and of course they are in school much of the day, but we still have baths, dinner, and bedtime routines to do, and I am not willing to give that stuff up with Meagan and Natalie. I know how quickly this time will go, so that is making it much easier.

Big Sister pictures

Getting ready for Halloween, loving on Matthew, and just being silly!

First few days of Matthew

On Becoming A Mother (again!)

I feel so lucky to be holding my sweet little boy, Matthew Colin Greenstone. He is 5 lbs 13 oz. and 18 inches, a little guy. It feels different this time, not as frantic and crazy as when the girls were born. I am determined to slow down, appreciate him, and love on him since this is most definitely the last little one in our home. Yesterday was a roller coaster ride. He was induced due to low fluid levels, but because of his size we had to be a little bit more careful than in the past. I am one stubborn mama, and I delivered him without one bit of pain medicine, something that I am extremely proud of, yet realize was not the easiest route. His heart rate went down into the 60s and 70s several times, so I was limited to bed...not the easiest way to handle active/transistion labor. I did it though! I had him at 3:36 PM, 8 hours after beginning. By far this was my longest labor.

My girlies visited yesterday right after Matthew was born. They seem a little overwhelmed, but excited. They could not understand why I could not just come home with them right then, but they are enjoying the special time with their uncles and Grandma Lois/Papa Joe.

One perfect weekend!

Andy and Meagan's daddy/daughter date at Grease went off without a hitch. Andy said Meagan was completely transfixed to the entire play. I wasn't totally suprised, as she acted the same way when we went to see Annie a few months ago. She got a new Pink Ladies shirt and took many pictures with Murphy, the pet cat from her kindergarten class. Each weekend that cat goes home with one kid and then we put together a few scrapbook pictures to show the adventures. Meagan and I also had fun at her friend's birthday party at Build a Bear. Natalie was not left out, however! She enjoyed a manicure and a pedicure on Saturday, complete with little flowers on her toes. The weather was heavenly. I love Austin this time of the year!!!

Career day!

Today was Career Day/Community Helper day at Meagan's elementary school. She first said that she wanted to be a teacher, which inspired both panic and pride in me. The only problem is that it was hard to find a real costume to be a teacher, and she wanted something fun. So, her other career aspiration is apparently to be a doctor or veterinarian . Andy and I felt guilty since M's teacher specifically said to NOT go out and buy anything, but we think that this costume will make a great addition to the make believe box.
This weekend is a special one for Meagan. She has a daddy/daughter date at the Long center downtown to see the traveling Broadway cast version of Grease. It is starring Taylor Hicks from American Idol. On Sunday she has a birthday party at Build a Bear that she is very excited about also. The tricky part is going to be entertaining Ms. Natalie while her sister gets to do all kinds of neat stuff.

Special Mookie time!

Mookie is in town for a while from Houston. The girls are giving her lots of love. She adores them too and has realized that they are a great opportunity to find some snacks! Natalie tends to be a bit messy in the eating dept.

today's ultrasound

The amniotic fluid numbers were up, so nothing immediate. He is really, really low down, so the tech had trouble measuring the head (in the pelvis.) His stomach, though, actually was a bit smaller, so that is not a good thing. The guesstimate, which she was not super confident on, was 5 lb 4oz. I did not see the doctor yet, so I will know more tomorrow afternoon.

Last date night

Andy's parents came to town last night to drop off Mookie, their dog because they are going out of town. We are pretty sure that this is our last chance to get out without children in tow, so out we went. I have been having major Houston's cravings (if you haven't ever had their spinach dip, you are missing out!) so that was what we had. It was so nice to be relaxed for a few hours and enjoy ourselves like real people. :)
I went to Meagan's first parent teacher conference today at her school. It went well. She is doing well and is on grade level for all of her skills. Andy and I really just wanted one thing for her during her first nine weeks at kindergarten, and that was to be happy and well adjusted, two goals that she has acheived.
I know that I have been in the south for too long. Today's indicator? Meagan used the phrase "right quick." Oh my.
We have an ultrasound tomorrow. If my amniotic fluid drops below 5 ( I was at 7 last week, so pretty close) I will get induced. Cross your fingers for me...I really want to let him cook for another week.

Looking like we are going to have a smaller baby...

I had an ultrasound today, which was nice because my mom drove in from Dallas to see it (thanks mom!) He is measuring at just about 5 lbs, which is the 10th percentile. Definitely not a big boy. My amniotic fluid levels are low, unfortuantely, so he may be here sooner than we thought. I have another ultrasound, this one called a Biophysical Profile, to see how he is doing on Tuesday. I am crossing my fingers that we can keep him in there for a while, since I am just barely 36 weeks now.
He looked very cute and it was fun to watch him moving around!

Gotta enjoy it while it lasts!

In case you can't read it, Meagan's shirt says "Kindergarten Rocks!" She truly feels this way too, which is very cute.

Busy Saturday

Considering it was gross outside, we had a good Saturday. The girls had fun at their CATZ class doing their obstacle courses. I think it is about time to get Meagan started in a real soccer team, as she seems pretty good. Natalie, well, we will let her practice a little more. She is having fun and that is what counts! We drove down to Driftwood where Peter and Mary live to go to Mandola's Winery. Andy and I would both highly recommend it! The food was great, but that was no surprise to us since we love Mandola's at the Triangle. It has a beautiful atmosphere! Reservations are a must and going early with little ones is a good idea. I liked that they had a wide variety of things for the kids to eat and gave each girl a little ball of pizza dough to play with.
H1N1 seems to be all around us, but we have been lucky enough to have avoided it so far. It scares us very much for Natalie to get it, but there has only been one case of it at her school. Andy and I are both fighting off a little bit of something right now, but neither of us have fevers or anything. I just think it is a head cold. I am hoping that all of this craziness with the flu lets up before "Grover" is born or I will have to get him a baby sized breathing mask!