Girl Power!

Our cousins Susana, Chad and Camilla came over to meet Anna yesterday.  Not only did Camilla have a wonderful time holding such a little baby (although in these photos Anna looks huge next to Camilla), but she and Lily had a great time playing dress-up and getting in to some make-up (my entire house, Noah and I, and even Anna are now covered in the glitter that they two girls doused themselves with!).  Not only did Noah put Chad to work installing the air conditioner in our basement apartment, but I think that Lily cherished the time with her big cousin (some much needed non-baby play time!)

Lilyisms

I'm not sure if it's pregnancy brain, sleep deprivation, or that my first child is bound for a career as a stand up....but lately Lily has been cracking me up.

Here are a few of her recent one-liners --

"Calm down, Courtney." (note, she doesn't call me Mommy or Mom when she tells me to calm down...which she's been doing a lot lately!)

"Mommy, you shouldn't be arguing with me in front of Daddy."

"You are KILLING me, Mommy!"

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, live from Arlington it's Lily Israel....3 1/2 going on 35!

Sisters

Many people have been asking us if Anna looks like Lily.  The answer...well...I don't know.  Some times I look at her and she's a carbon copy (albeit with hair that's a bit darker).  Other times I look at her and she looks nothing like Lily at this age.  And yet other times I look at her and she looks like herself but with many traces of baby Lily.  I guess that time will tell.

(Lily at 13 days old)

(Anna at 15 days old -- keep in mind that Anna "cooked" for 2 1/2 weeks more than Lily)

Apparently they both favor the crossed leg side-sleeping position (I swear that I didn't position Anna to resemble the Lily shot...she immediately settled down like that).  One thing is for certain -- Anna is a super sweet baby who can sleep through a 3 year old melt-down and a barking dog!

The Knot

A few hours after Anna and I got home from the hospital last Saturday, Noah and Lily boarded a train bound for the Big Apple and our cousin Laura's "big day." While I was SUPER crushed that I was forced to sit this one out, I was delighted that Anna's arrival allowed her big sister to walk down the aisle, thus keeping the family tradition alive (Noah was the ring bearer in his aunt and uncle's wedding; Sy and Gayle are Laura's parents).

I've seen a few of the photos; it clearly was an amazing day. Lily made it down the aisle without a hitch (although she soon fell asleep and, apparently, slept through the entire ceremony and reception).

Lily and Noah

Lily and junior bridesmaid, Emily

A STUNNING bride and groom 

Sister of the Bride, our cousin Julia!

She's Here!!

After complaining for the last 2 1/2 weeks of the pregnancy that I was "SO DONE," when my water actually broke last Wednesday night I suddenly felt so NOT ready! 7 hours and 1 push later, though, ready or not Miss Anna Lake Israel made her grand debut.

To proactively answer the name question -- Anna has no major significance (it's a name that Noah and I just like) and Lake is a family name on my mother's side (my great grandfather, grandfather, uncle and cousin are all Lake; my mom's first cousin, Mary Lake, is the only other female with the name...that I know of....and if Anna turns out to be half as amazing as Mary Lake then I'll be one proud mama).

Vital stats -- 6 pounds 15 ounces; 20 inches; born 4/10/08 at 7:15 a.m. (due to the 7 a.m. shift change, Noah and I almost had her by ourselves!).

Thanks to a few good night's sleep and a few days of school under her belt (read -- normal routine), Lily is starting to settle down. She absolutely ADORES her little sister...sometimes just a bit too much. ;-)

I promise lots of photos soon. First I've got to dump them off the camera (I've started sounding like Scarlet O'Hara from Gone With the Wind -- "tomorrow is another day"). I'll get to it sooner, hopefully, rather than later.

(click on the title of this post, "She's Here!," for some additional photos)

Pump It Up!

As I've gotten...well...larger and larger, Noah has been shrinking before my eyes.

Since filming for Inspired: The Movie (http://inspiredthemovie.com/) is about to wrap up, Noah's friend Steve, documentary film producer extraordinaire, was in town last weekend for Noah's "after" shots. You will fall off your chair when you compare the after with the before (he may kill me for posting the before -- but the after is well worth it)!

Lily, who has started complaining that she "never gets to go to meetings" and "never gets to work out in the shack," decided to slip in to the tail end of the photo session. Check out those guns on my babe (and please ignore the wet hair)!

Fish

What seems like eons ago, I signed Lily up for a winter swim class through Arlington Parks & Recreation. Noah was set to take her. This would be the beginning of their "official pre-baby bonding time," as I'm assuming once Goldilocks arrives they're going to be spending LOTS of time together.

Having taken an Arlington swim class with Lily last winter, I knew full well that parents participated IN the pool. Noah showed up on day 1 in his swim suit ready to go. Turns out he was the only parent in that kind of suit on the pool deck; the others, apparently mind readers, were still in their business suits. Beginner Swim 1, for those who can read between the lines, is for kids-only. Sorry Noah. I may never live that one down!

Anyway, the last 10 weeks of class has had its ups and downs. Lily loved it at first. Then hated it. We let her skip a few (she actually begged to go grocery shopping one Tuesday night instead of swim). Then we changed our tactics....we'd trick her in to the car with the promise of an "adventure." Of course she caught on when Noah would pull in to the Yorktown High School gym parking lot. But at that point, half the battle was over since they were already there.

This week was the last class in the series. So focused were we on our family's "next great adventure" (aka Goldie's arrival), that we almost missed the class. I'll admit...we forgot. I had picked Lily up a little early from school and had her out on the playground (it was one of those incredible 70+ degree Spring evenings). Noah called me from the car, about 11 minutes before class was set to begin, alerting me to the fact that she did, indeed, have swim....he'd be late but he'd meet us there.

As he had done over the past few weeks, I hurried Lily off the playground and told her we were going on an adventure. As she had been doing to him, she called my bluff when we pulled in to the parking lot (yes, it is only about 4 blocks from our house and, yes, we do drive there). But then the most amazing thing happened....she hollered HOORAY and jumped out of the car.

Three year old brains really are fascinating things (BTW, Lily has taken to saying "because I'm smart in my brain" when I ask her how she knows X, Y or Z....which I ask almost daily....because I'm TOTALLY amazed by her these days). Why did she hate swim class, for weeks on end, and was now practically running towards the pool? Good question. No answer here. But I was delighted!

Something must have clicked. Lily happily jumped in to the pool (which got me a good scolding from the teacher -- apparently kids aren't allowed in w/o a teacher or parent before the age of 5) and was all smiles for the entire class.

She was a total fish. She was a rock star swimmer. She'd go under the water...kick her legs....use her arms.....float on her back. She jumped in when the others would only timidly slide in. Gusto was the name of the game.

I WISH that I'd had my camera there. Then again, some things are better experienced than photographed. Perhaps she would have turned off the enthusiasm, as she's sometimes apt to do, when she saw the camera appear.

All I can tell you is that it was so much fun to watch. Totally awesome. I was filled with pride. Noah was beaming (he did make it, and only about 2 minutes late). This is what parenthood is all about....makes the tantrums and whining instantly vanish from your memory!

April Fools!

Although, sadly for me, it's not a joke. After having a pre-term baby the first time around...and after all the complications with this pregnancy (all of which were indications that I'd likely have another pre-term baby)...it now appears that I might actually have to go to ALMOST 40 WEEKS (gasp!) before "Goldie" makes her debut.

I mean, talk about cruel and unusual punishment! In fact, while I got a super nice surprise with Lily's early arrival, every day since I hit the 36 week mark this time around has felt like torture.

Poor Noah keeps telling me that he predicts it'll happen "at any time" and "definitely this week." In husband-speak, I think that boils down to "I'll say anything that I think she wants to hear just so that she doesn't jump off the roof and leave me with TWO kids to take care of!"

No change since last week's appointment. And while I still hold out hope that I'll go in to labor on my own before then, I'm now officially scheduled to be induced on April 14th. So, yes, if you're doing the math and looking at an astrological calendar, that does mean yet another Aries in our house (poor Lily!). Which just increases the tally of Aries-folks in my immediate circle to....well....too many to count. And "Goldie" is already exhibiting a tell-tale Aries trait -- stubbornness.

Since pity loves company, I just jumped on to one of my favorite blogs -- amalah.com. She's 11 weeks pregnant right now with #2 and misery is her middle name (morning/noon/night sickness). I figured that I'd feel better about my 2 remaining weeks of pregnancy if I could read about her latest pregnancy dealings. What a treat I discovered. Having recently gotten over a terrible case of bronchitis, I can relate (sadly) to this story. For those of you reading this who also happen to be pregnant, please don't laugh too hard!

http://www.amalah.com/amalah/2008/03/a-story-that-i.html

I do have a (scary) 37 week belly shot to share....and I promise to upload the picture and post it while I'm actually still pregnant.

As for "Life with Lily," she's not exactly camera-friendly these days, so you might have to wait for hospital pics of the big sister (who repeatedly asks if becoming a big sister will mean that she can drink Diet Coke and lattes...oy veh!) with her new little bundle.