Claires Visit to the "hostable"

Dan took off this afternoon to grab a nap and shower at home and then pick up Claire from daycare to bring her to the hospital. Claire was so excited to see "my Jenna" and she gave her lots and lots of love. Here is one of her first kisses for her baby sister.
Sweet kisses for Miss Jenna
Andrea had to take off this afternoon for a late night conference call and then she is heading to Virginia tomorrow for a wedding. And did you know she is closing on her house on Monday?!?! Claire just couldn't stop with the kisses

I guess this is our new normal. Don't mind me - I look exhausted. I mean, I am exhausted. We will send Jenna to the nursery shortly so Mommy and Daddy can hopefully get a good nights rest and maybe tomorrows pictures won't make me look like I have been run over by a mac truck - you can't even see in my eyes!
Daddy and his two little girls.
Thanks for all the E-mail, texts, phone calls, and well wishes. Since Jenna was born at 1:07 AM and we have to stay in the hospital for 2 nights, we are here until Friday. Kristin is heading down tomorrow afternoon and Pipere will be here on Saturday to meet Miss Jenna. We'll try to update with more pictures tomorrow - enjoy!

Welcome Jenna

Jenna's stats:

7 lbs. 11 oz.
20.5 inches

No rest for the weary

So, this time was just about as polar opposite as the labor with Claire. We arrived at the hospital around 9:45 and got admitted quickly thereafter. Once Meredith got her epidural we turned the lights off and got a little shut eye. While I was sleeping, or trying to, Meredith's contractions were getting closer and closer together and stronger. Our doctor was called/paged, but was unable to get here in time. They had to call in the in house doctor and he got ready. Meredith told him it was time to go and after about 10 minutes of pushing, the newest member of the Snider family was born at 1:07 AM. The nurses all say she is gorgeous and that she looks like a C-section baby (round head.) Once we get some sleep and some food in our bellies, I'll upload some pictures and hopefully report a name.

Something's happening!

A7 lb 11oz, 20 inch long baby was born at 1:07. Name and picture to come...

11:15 - Mere just called and sounded good! She has had her epidural and was 6cm - she was going to try to take a nap for a bit...

Mere and Dan are settling themselves in at the hospital and she is 3-4cm dialated. She started having contractions this afternoon and it seemed to move pretty quickly after that...it went from me heading up after my 9PM kickball game to leaving my house at 8:30 and having to pick Claire up from Mere's friends house because they were already at the hospital! Claire is settled in on the couch watching Curious George with her baby doll....shhhh...don't tell Mere and Dan :)

Good luck Mere!!!

Nothing happening

Last week I was convinced this baby would arrive early, but now I'm not so sure. Last week I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced and the doctor said I probably wouldn't see my due date, which is this Saturday. Today I went back for my 39 week check up and things are exactly the same - 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. So we are back to waiting....maybe for Pipere to return from Germany??

We have another appointment scheduled for next Monday morning if we make it that far - time will tell!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers Day!

Baptism

I know that I have sent out a message on Facebook about Charlotte and Lauren's baptism but for those of you who don't have Facebook or don't check it regularly here are the specifics:

 

Date: Sunday, June 5th

Time: 1 pm, after the noon Mass

Location: Jericho, 537 Northampton Street, Holyoke

Party to follow at Jericho

 

Please post if you will or will not be attending, either on the blog or reply on Facebook so I know what to order for food following the baptism.

Charlotte & Lauren Easter Pictures

Here are a couple of pictures of the twins on Easter. I can't believe I somehow forgot to get a picture of them together in their dresses. I have also thrown in a picture of Claire holding Charlotte when we went to see them the weekend they were up here. The last picture shown is also on Easter but at the end of the day. They are in their tights and onesies. I love the picture becuase they are looking at each other, and I can only imagine what they are thinking at that moment after seeing so many people in one day!

Tick tock....

Still hanging on after a busy week. Doctor appointment, ultrasound, visit from Marianne, trip into the city, chiropractor appointment, dentist appointment for both Claire and I, and play dates at the park. Whew...I am tired just thinking about it. But still, no baby and no name.

If you did not already know, my cousin Sara had her baby 2 weeks ago on April 18th - Jack Edward. Marianne came to visit on Wednesday and we took a trip into the city to meet Jack.
It was Babe Ruth Day on Wednesday and all the kids at daycare were supposed to wear a shirt from their favorite baseball team. Claire sported her Red Sox shirt, along with one other girl in her class, but she did look right at me and say - Sorry Mom, Indians....I wonder who put her up to that?
Claire is definitely tuned in to what is going on. She told everyone at the dentists office about her baby sister and how she is still growing in Mommys belly but will will be "borned" soon. She asks me if her baby sister is ready to come out and when do we need to go to the "hostable." One day last week she announced that today was her baby sisters birthday - I think I held my breath until the end of the day. Claire is also aware of what I can no longer do, like bend over to tuck her in and rub her back (I'm afraid I will break her bed if I sit on it.) Three nights last week she decided she wasn't tired when she went to bed and spent 2 hours each night making excuses of why she shouldn't go to sleep...I need a drink of water, I need to pee, I need to watch hockey, I want to watch Mr. Tony and Mr. Mike (from Pardon the Interruption), I want my magazine, I need to wash my binky, and on and on and on. These are pictures from those three nights, after she finally crashed.
The first night we tucked her in with 5 blankets at her request. She kept one for herself and carefully tucked in her baby doll at the foot of the bed with the other 4 blankets. The next night we thought was funnier because of how she fell asleep, but the 3rd night definitely takes the cake. Her hand in her pants, her baby doll perfectly tucked in, the book under her other hand, and of course the toucan nose that she is sporting on her head.

And of course, the ever growing and comparison belly shot.
And one last one just because I think it's cute....
Back to the doctor tomorrow morning to see what is really going on
*Update* - Doctors appointment went well, gained a few pounds, blood pressure 110/80, heart rate 138bpm. I am currently 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated. That kinds of freaks me out since I wasn't dilated with Claire until a few days before she was born. The doctor said she doesn't expect I'll make my due date but she doesn't anticipate anything happening immediately. Let's see, my dad leaves for Germany on Saturday, and we all know how that worked out last time...maybe it is time to start tying up loose ends at home!

37 weeks and counting....

Another doctors appointment down and our last ultrasound to check on little Miss Snider before she decides to make her arrival. Of course today was the first day I have been home on maternity leave that Claire let me sleep while Dan got her ready for school and I had to set my alarm to get up for my 9AM doctors appointment. Hopefully tomorrow Claire will let me sleep again...yeah right! Anyways....everything looked good at the doctors, blood pressure was 120/70, her heart rate was 145 bpm, and I gained 2 lbs, bringing my total weight gain to 23 lbs. Next week starts the internal exams to see what is going on. Our doctors like one last ultrasound to check size, positioning and fluid levels. This afternoon I picked up Claire from school and we took her to the "hostable" as she calls it. There really wasn't much to see since the baby is so big, but she is head down, face down (which Claire was not), and the fluid levels were good. They estimated her size at 7lb 4oz, which is exactly what they said for Claire and she was born at 7lb, 5oz. Let's hope they are right on again :-)

This weekend Mom and Dad came down and we did some serious cleaning. Dan and Mom were a champ and I think the house is ready for this baby. Today I finished all the laundry and I can not believe how many clothes Claire had. Now, we just need a name. I promise we aren't holding out on sharing the name - we are nowhere near deciding on one.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter - we missed you!

What's been going on....

This week I finished work and started my official maternity leave. I am so lucky to work for a company that puts us off work a month before our due date. It gives me some time to relax and get things done at home. Everyone asks what I am going to do while home, and I don't plan on doing much. Thursday I slept until 9:30 and Friday I slept until 10:30, after getting up and getting Claire ready for school. Claire hasn't seemed to notice that I am here in the morning and goes to daycare just fine. We are both much happier with me home relaxing and her at daycare.

This weekend we headed down to Andreas on Friday afternoon and spent the night there. Saturday morning Andrea and I went for much needed massages and we got all of our newborn clothes washed. We are lucky to be having another girl born in the same season - we plan to reuse everything. Sometime this week I will buy another changing table and get it set up in our bedroom, and Mom & Dad are heading down this weekend to help us get things ready. We are onto our weekly doctors and last week everything looked good. Blood pressure was good, weight gain was at 22 lbs and the doctor predicted I have at least 3 weeks left. I head back tomorrow for another check up and next Monday we have our last ultrasound to get the babies size and positioning. Time is a flying....

In the meantime, Claire has decided she wants to look like Cousin It - she wanted to wear Dans vest and I guess somewhere along the way she pulled her bow out of her hair. This was the result...

And here are a few weekly shots for you from 34-36 weeks.

And Claires latest trick is pulling her shirt over her head. She usually leaves her arms in, but I think she was getting ready for a bath when she did this.
And just another day at the park, checking out the city...

Long Awaited Pictures of Charlotte & Lauren

Fundraiser for Emily!

Stolen from Mandy...again :)

Check out Emily on the news!

http://www.ctnow.com/videobeta/33d7fb15-cfc7-4be8-82f9-08aef89de6e6/News/Fundraiser-To-Fight-Cancer-4-1

Here are the details about the fundraiser:

Benefit for Emily:
Banding Together For Emily
What: Pasta Dinner & Variety Show
Where: Granby High School, Granby CT
When: May 7, 2011
Time: Pasta Dinner 5pm - Variety Show 7PM
Cost:
Pasta Dinner Only: Variety Show Only:
Adults: $10.00 Adult: $15.00
Childern: $7.00 Children: $10.00
Under 5: Free Under 5: Free
Pasta Dinner & Variety Show:
Adults: $20.00
Children: $15.00
Under 5: Free
There will also be a Basket Raffle if you would like to participate in that.
If you would like to buy tickets, contact Meghan or contact Sue Sojka at sojkas@granby.k12.ct.us.

Bigger by the week....

Another 2 weeks pregnancy comparisons. We are under 7 weeks to go and currently have no name, nowhere for the baby to sleep, no diapers, no wipes, no clothes in the house, nothing to prepare us for the arrival of this baby. She better hold out until we get some things ready around here.

What a day....

I had a doctors appointment and scheduled THE REST of my appointments.....scary

I weighed in to find out I have already gained 4 lbs more than I did my entire pregnancy with Claire....very scary (especially with 7 weeks left to go)

I registered Claire for public school next year....very very scary!!

Smiles for Emily!

Mandy just posted a video that she and Paige made for Emily and I figured those non-FB'ers may be interested in seeing it. They did a GREAT job - such great pictures. I love the one of all the kids with Mimere on Halloween :) What do you think?



Also, if anyone is interested in donating to or participating, it looks like they will be walking in the Bark for Life at Stanley Part on April 16th from 9AM-1PM. You can donate or sign up here:

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/BFLFY11NE?px=19624817&pg=personal&fr_id=34208

And don't forget about her CaringBridge site - there are some great pictures and updates from throughout Emily's journey and she loves when people send her comments! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/emilysmith2

Did you know....

today is National Potato Chip Day? Happy National Potato Chip Day to all of you!

How do I know this you ask - because Claires daycare is celebrating. Each child was asked to bring in a bag of their favorite potato chip to share with all the other kids. Claire is probably in her glory (as I would also be) snacking on lots of different chips. And Claires chip of choice you ask - well, she picked out Cool Ranch Doritos to share with her friends.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

30 weeks & Hoboken St. Patricks Day

Don't forget to check out this post first.

Another weekly pregnancy update, now that I finally found pictures from my pregnancy with Claire.And a few picture from the Hoboken St. Patricks Day parade this past weekend.

Such an innocent little face - ya think?

Happy Birthday Auntie Cindy!!

I feel like this is the story of my life - better late than never... :-)

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Auntie Cindy
Happy Birthday to you

We hope you had a great weekend celebrating - you deserve it! We all love you very much!

Your thoughts

So what do you think??Yesterday marked 29 weeks pregnant - I find that hard to believe. So far I feel pretty good. Last weeks doctors appt went well, except that I have already gained almost as much weight as I did my entire pregnancy with Claire. That could mean trouble with 11 weeks to go - guess we will see. Otherwise I feel pretty good. By the time Claire gets to bed at night I am exhausted and usually asleep by 9. Lucky for me I only have 7 weeks of work left - and you better believe I am counting down the days!

Thoughts and prayers

I am sure Emily would really appreciate your kind words as she conquers the tough road ahead of her. Emily is Cindy & Rays granddaughter (~12 years old) who was recently diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma. She will begin her chemo treatments tomorrow. Her family has started a caring bridge site where you can follow up on how she is doing and send her some words of encouragement. Just click here and create a log in for her site. Don't be shy - just give your E-mail address to create a log in. Emily will be checking her site regularly and could always use some positive thoughts and words of encouragement.

We wish you well, Emily, and know you will get through this. Keep your head up and your smile beaming!

Claire had to remind me

As we were sitting down for dinner last night, Claire said she wanted to go back to Puerto Rico - and then I was quickly reminded that I never updated the blog on our trip. We had a blast and here are a few pictures (because I know all you really want to see if Claire)

The princess enjoying a snack by the pool - who has it better than her?
Playing at Luquillo Beach. Honestly, Claire wasn't a big fan of the sand OR the ocean. But she did OK at Luquillo because the sand was more compact and the ocean wasn't as rough.

This was the only time Claire got in the ocean. It took a lot of time to get her in, but once she was in, she was fine and enjoyed it.

Since the week we went down to PR wasn't the exact week Dad owns, we were in a different unit on the other side of the building. But that was fine, because this was our view.

I didn't lot time at the pool because of Claires nap because she loved to nap at the pool. Dan would usually lay with her until she was asleep and then we would put her on her own chair in the shade. She would sleep for a long time and wake up ready to swim.

Let me in this pool....

I couldn't resist this one - guess she has my genes when it comes to tanning. She got pretty dark while we were there and still has tan lines on her little tush. And I promise she was lathered in sunblock SPF 45 or higher everyday.

Claire keeping track of which room was ours by putting stickers on the door. And can we talk about how adorable her shoes are?

Strolling back from the beach

And she still loves her floatie. It was nice because we didn't worry about her in the pool at all. She actually went in a few times without us and was completely fine.

More snacking...

Smiles with Nana & Pipere!

And Claires final thought on Puerto Rico - 2 thumbs up!

Happy Birthdays!!

The blog has really been slacking and we owe some people very special HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!!

On February 4th, Maryellen and Peggy shared a snowstorm and a wonderful birthday. Insert sarcasm here as they both ended up in the ER two days apart on different issues. But the good news is they are both feeling much better now and I vote that you both have a re-birthday celebration on March 4th.

Today Gail celebrates her birthday - a very very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you. It sounds like you guys had a wonderful time celebrating on Sunday, and I hope the celebrations continue.

And I will also add that 2 of the 3 birthdays were big and the ladies are now celebrating this...