Dual Pool Party Bash Celebrating Two and Four

I didn't actually think about their birthdays being back-to-back months as something awesome. But when they are young, it turns out you can take advantage of a dual birthday party. Pay one fee. All the friends are the same anyway (at this age) and you only have to plan one party.

It was pretty sweet. I sent out an Evite, paid the YMCA $185 for 1hr of pool rental with 1 lifeguard, locker room + 1 hour in the party room with friends for dinner and cake. They supplied pizza for 12 kids (which is apparently FIVE large Domino's Pizzas and Honest Juice boxes, a tablecloth, napkins, plates, and a party host to setup, help, and clean up). We added in two more Costco pizzas (totally unnecessary given how much they supplied) and a Costco sheetcake, bringing the grand total to like $225.

And bonus, we had 2/3 of a large cake left and a whole Costco pizza, which then became our #fatkid indulgences for the rest of the week.

I bought some party favors as well along with pool toys, so the price was probably closer to $250. I threw a bunch of little birthday squirt toys in the pool and each one had an attending child's name on it, along with some filler shapes and things. I also bought some (really lame) bird dive toys that just ended up being the things the adults had to retrieve when the whole thing was over.

I try to only include the very most flattering photos of myself. 

The favor for each kid was a Buzz Lightyear bag filled with 2 markers and some individually packaged Crayola Model Magic I found on Amazon. I used the same party favors for his school gift to classmates, as special desserts aren't an option. I'm kind of obsessed with the stuff. Like kinetic sand, I might like it more than my kids. Good thing, because we have like 50 of those little packages left!

Benjamin and Claire wanted to place the candles on their cake themselves, so I just let them. I didn't anticipate them wanting to put on all the candles in the package, but hey. It was their party and it made them happy. Same cake, but Claire put on her 2 and Benjamin put on his 4. I bought a cool Buzz Lightyear and rocket candle at the Wilton tent sale last summer and then promptly dropped and broke Buzz's head off when I got home. I melted him back on and he was back in business.

Decorations were just some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse hanging party streamers above the kid's table that were leftovers from our California celebration with family. Throwing a party somewhere other than your home is brilliant because cleanup and planning is a snap. Noted for all years to come.

B and C have birthday heads that hang from the mantle all month + birthday countdowns! 

On Benjamin's actual birthday, I decorated his doorway with streamers and stuffed a bunch of balloons in his room after he fell asleep. Instead of excitement when he woke up, he was matter-of-fact about telling me there were a bunch of balloons in his room, complete with a confused look on his face. We had cinnamon rolls with 4 candles for breakfast, followed by a day of bday crowning and favor giving at school and an afternoon at a local ball factory/play zone where we went down tall slides and shot foam balls from cannons for about 2.5 hours. We completed the evening with dinner out at Noodles and Company, per the birthday boy's request.

Three birthdays in three months is no joke. And that, my friends, concludes birthday season. 

Claire is Two!

Our sweet little chicken (nickname because, short, erratic hair) is now officially 2.

This absolutely delightful little miss has changed our lives in so many ways. When brother is high strung, she is calming. When things are hard, she hugs harder. When something exciting is happening, she's laughing and smiling from ear to ear. She eats actual food. Gasp. She senses our needs and is full of love and comfort. She's the best at hide and seek, has herself a mean sweet tooth and knocks out fine motor activities like a boss. She loves to be with her people, no matter what we are doing.

She cuddles up to her brother, even when he's pushing her away. She calms him like no one else can.

She can count to 11 all on her own, knows the entire ABC song and is ridiculously adorable singing the ending part.

She still sleeps in a crib because she loves the security and comfort, but it's probably her mom's decision most because I don't feel like locking another kid in their room at night. She naps, but can skip that nap and rally like a champ. She doesn't want to miss life.

Baby dolls are her favorite. She totes around a small baby and a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal most places and defends them with intense screaming.

She hugs with her entire body. Her very favorite word is "hugs" and when she says it, she usually fully envelops her body within your arms and must have her head rested on yours with her hands tucked inward.

She's terrified of all characters, both real and fiction, despite having been to both Disneyworld and Disneyland in her first 24 months of life. Strangers take a bit to warm up to, as she reminded her doctor this morning for her perfect 26th percentile checkup. "All done." "No more doctors." "Doctor ouchie." "Mama hug." That intense grip she had on my arm at the doctor this morning is similar to the grip she had on her Gawbee and Grandpa when meeting Minnie, Mickey and the princesses at Disney last week.

She loves the gym daycare dropoff, children's museum and only tolerates our interest to water exposure about 2-3x each week. And baths are just the worst thing about bedtime for her.

She's just the most wonderful last child we could've ever imagined. Smart, considerate, loving, fun. The insanity of her high risk pregnancy was worth every single bit to have her here with us, enriching our lives.

Beach Bash Third Birthday Party

Benjamin is officially out of the toddler stage and into the "preschooler" stage. He's three.

We celebrated the weekend before his birthday and he celebrated again with his preschool class with pretentious, overpriced organic cupcakes. We also went to Cheesecake Factory and enjoyed not one, but two slices of cheesecake. They sang to him. He couldn't have felt more special. And then he tantrumed in the car because he didn't want to leave.

Months before his birthday, I began brainstorming ideas. I was walking through the aisles of Target one day with Claire (while Benjamin was at preschool) and spotted a clearance pinata.

I love pinatas. This one was an ice cream cone and just over $7. I snatched it up.

Now to plan a themed party around a pinata I bought on a whim. I immediately thought, pool party. Our basement has concrete epoxy flooring we had glazed and set a few years ago. No carpet, so I thought up a crazy idea to actually buy kiddie pools and make a mini splash party down there with real water! Concrete floors would be easy cleanup! Except, slippery. Total safety hazard and middle of freezing February. Meh. We'd be better off renting out the local indoor pool (which is a huge possibility for future parties). Actually, my husband vetoed the idea completely and he was right. Pool party, out.

Next idea. How about a beach-themed party? Because, I love the beach and I'm from the beach and know a thing or two about how to make that happen. It would go with the ice cream pinata still because it's summery and beachy. All I had at this point was a pinata. I bought 11 pounds of kinetic sand for his birthday present from Amazon anyway so I figured it could double as a party activity.

I wanted it to be somewhat of a sensory experience, just like a real beach. The rest just kind of pulled together.

The invite asked party guests to dress "beachy" and bring no gifts. They mostly got that right, but somehow I'm about to bust out at least 10 thank-you cards... (we did have a clever friend donate to Heal the Bay in Benjamin's honor, going with the theme. Cute!)

The Beach: kinetic sand
We tried to repurpose a lot of items we already had within the beach sensory experience. The plastic bin needed to be low depth for the kids to be able to reach, as I didn't want it on the floor because of the smallest party guests. Plastic bin from IKEA that I did actually buy specifically for the kinetic sand. Within the sand we threw in cookie cutters and some barrel nesting toys we already had (from E's childhood!) that make for great sandcastles! I don't recommend shovels or spoons in kinetic sand because it will find its way out of the bin quickly.

The Ocean: homemade flubber
I devoted at least 1.5 hours of naptime to this. I had about 25 clearance Up&Up brand glue bottles I bought at Target for $.03 (!) during back-to-school time. They went 90% off and I snatched them up, thinking we'd eventually use them or I'd plan to have flubber for the party. Initially thought to make flubber with the kids, but the coordinating of that and the messes and parent engagement wasn't sounding like a good idea. So, I made a bunch, dyed it blue, put it in an under-the-bed box we already had (low depth!) and called it ocean. I threw in more cookie cutters and random kitchen utensils and it was a huge hit. The whole batch cost me less than two quarters. We are still playing with it and my husband even commented that it's just as cool as the kinetic sand. Excited for back-to-school clearance this year like I am? 

Coral Reef: already owned kiddie pool with mini beach balls and colorful paper confetti
I knew this would be a big mess. It was. I knew the whole party would be. I predicted that. It was still fun and this was specifically chosen to be mostly for the littlest party guests, but I saw plenty of big-kid action. Note: don't put paper strips in flubber. You'll be picking it out for awhile. 

Seaweed: two packs of jumbo 32oz. cheap spaghetti, coated in oil + food coloring
I paid about $3.00 for two jumbo containers at Aldi. I cooked them up, colored them by hand (resulting in smurf hands...but only me as I made it... did not come off on kids!), oiled them up so they wouldn't stick together and threw them in our water table (minus the water). Was fun, but definitely a one-time-use thing. I felt a bit wasteful throwing it all away after 3 hours of use. Note: keep wet wipes on hand for that oil. Does make for a cool sensory experience, though.

Beach Ball Party Favors: beach ball bags filled with a container of glue (from that Target clearance haul!), measured borax in mini baggies and recipe to make your own flubber.
All 10 I made were about $2.50 total. I left these on the table, but should've warned that it is definitely something parents must help with. Borax is not safe for kids to handle alone. Guests also took home a bag of candy, temporary tattoos, playdough and fake mustaches from the pinata along with a lei for each of their kids.

Beach Sticker Scenes and Fingerprint Fish: I set the sticker scene and fingerprint fish at the table as a craft for kids who didn't want as much sensory or were done exploring.
Ended up being take-home items because kids just didn't sit down. Bought these from Oriental Trading on the cheap and while I liked them, they probably weren't necessary.

Decor: Not much here. Didn't buy much, just repurposed items we had. I did create nametags for each kid using $.33 letter pasta from the Hispanic section at the store and added a cute beach-themed sticker. These were on the table with the sticker scenes and fingerprint fish craft sheets. I remember feeling so special as a kid when my name was on a chair or party favor at birthday parties.
I hung his birthday faces and hats I made for his (and Claire's) first birthday parties like I do every year. I put up a Happy Birthday banner and suspended a jumbo sand shovel we already had along with a fun paper ball thing. I hung some flip flop sandals from the lamp and at the last minute, I made the signs for everything above (and colored them by hand!) because I felt we needed those to tie everything together so it made sense for all the guests like it did in my head. I cut out some freebie clip art images from Google of under-the-sea creatures, colored and hung them on the wall. I did hit up the Dollar Tree (um, $1 mylar balloons that are still kicking 15 days later!) because I knew Benjamin would feel super special with balloons, even if they were not party-themed.

Food: DIY sandwich bar
Consisting of King's Hawaiian rolls, pulled pork, sliced ham, sliced cheese, red onions, lettuce, tomato, lots of condiments, hummus, sliced pineapple, fruit skewers (strawberry/pineapple) and two sand buckets (we had but thoroughly cleaned) filled with Goldfish crackers and Pirate's Booty.

*We actually won a House Party and they supplied all the King's Hawaiian products and leis and bags for our guests to take home. I'm sure I've talked about House Party before, but it's a website that you can apply for a party and if you score it, they send you a box of fun swag and free products from companies to throw a party! You just have to take a photo with people who came along with the stuff to prove you shared the loot. The incentive for them is giving away product that costs them little without the need for expensive advertising and word of mouth spreads. King's Hawaiian was totally perfect for our beach theme! I've hosted 11 parties from Budweiser, DiGiorno, Fisher Price ($170 of free toys!), Sabra, LEGO, Dietz & Watson, Qdoba.... If you're interested in learning more, go here.

Dessert: Ice cream sundae bar + two-bite brownies from Costco. No cake. Hooray for easy.
Regretfully, we have NO pictures of this! I have one of a friend helping one of the kiddos with his ice cream selection, but none of the full spread. I'm so sad! Included: vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, birthday cake ice cream choices, sugar and regular cones, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, maraschino cherries, crushed Reese's cup, crushed Butterfinger, sundae nuts, gummy bears (hit!), Swedish fish, m&m candies, whipped cream, two-bite brownies, sprinkles and premium Goose Island Root Beer for root beer floats. Probably more impressive for a group of 10-year-olds, but alas.

Beverages: regular and mini water bottles, apple juice boxes and beer for the adults (outside because it was colder than the inside of my fridge).

This was definitely a lot of (unintended) work, but such a labor of love. I know I say it a lot, but these things continue to be so important and so special to me as a parent. Sure, I could've rented a room at the local kid play-place or something. And in the future, we will (when Benjamin has an interest to choose himself... maybe next year?). But these first few years, I pour my heart and soul into their parties because I want them to feel so special. I missed this with Andrew. All of them. And on the heels of sister's big first birthday bash (nevermind that his was just as huge a hers for his 1st!), I wanted him to know how important he is. Also, he's been talking about his birthday since the fall and finally understands it. We're totally in the middle of serious terrible-two, punkass teenager stage and I don't ever want him to lose sight that we love him unconditionally and will go to great lengths to celebrate him despite this rough developmental growth period. Anyway. I've jabbered enough.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

/// and with that, birthday season has officially ended. {December, January, February} ///

365 Glorious Baby Claire Days

You delight us beyond measure, baby girl. Life is more wonderful with you. Those giggles and nuzzles and smiles you share with us are so important and much needed. Those big cheeks and the even bigger smile make life way more exciting. Couldn't be more thrilled to be your parents.

Happy Birthday. HAPPY, HAPPY Birthday.

*posted at exactly 1 year from when you were born, to the minute. That (scary) emergency c-section was the best. decision. ever. Also marking 1 year since I've been pregnant. #hallelujah

Want a blast from the past (not me. I'm just enjoying this day-- well if the kids are cooperating on our 4.5 hour flight), read this.

Claire's Birthday Party & Baptism

Claire's actually 25 hours away from turning one. Well, 29 hours really, considering she was born at 4:17 a.m. on January 14th. We have travel plans coming on Claire's actual birthday (she's so fancy!), but we celebrated the little one this past weekend with a house full of 40 people, lots of food and both sets of grandparents.

We have a tradition of baptizing our children on their birthdays. Andrew was baptized on his birthday, Benjamin was baptized on his 1st birthday (exactly!) and Claire was baptized days before her first birthday. It's another tie we keep to hold our three together; a special bond they all share that doesn't matter at all, but pleases our hearts.

Both sets of grandparents flew in for the occasion, just as they did for Benjamin's first. Making it to a first birthday after losing a baby (and never celebrating any birthdays before) is really monumental. Benjamin's 1st birthday was epic and undoubtedly over the top, and Claire's was just following tradition (with a lot less stress this go around). Birthdays to follow will be more low-key and spent with families whose kids are like-ages.

On the day of her party, Claire woke up uncharacteristically early (of course) and since I was already up as she snoozed herself back to sleep, I headed out to grab donuts for the family and three balloons from the grocery store. I don't know why I chose three... just thought the colors were a cute combo. As soon as I left the grocery store after having the most talkative and slow worker ever at 6:45 in the morning (gah), I promptly walked the balloons right into a tree and popped one. Like immediately. Two balloons. I was totally not going back in that store to ask for another balloon. Donuts + two balloons did make it back home and the people you see in this picture below were happy.

Baptism done by our good friend, Jim. He also baptized Benjamin and his family has been a constant support in remembering and loving Andrew with us.

I should've taken better shots of these banners considering how much of a (huge) labor of love they are... that I started with Benjamin and ended with Claire. Only the first birthday, but goodness... reason enough to stop having children because they take forever!

I made the (horribly tasting, but egg free and who really cares anyway because cream cheese buttercream frosting with sprinkles trumps all cake) smash cake and my very talented and very pregnant friend Karoline baked those fabulous cupcakes.

We had a hot dog bar, chips and cupcakes. I was even sent this great party pack to share Beanitos puffs (um, delicious and my friends loved them, too!) with our party guests.  The hot dog bar consisted of two kinds of hot dogs grilled in-house because it was flipping freezing outside. The condiments included: caramelized onions, diced onions, pickles, sauerkraut, cheese, giardiniera, relish, jalapenos, tomatoes, hot sauces, Sriracha, ketchup, BBQ sauce, three kinds of mustard, chili-dog chili and vegetarian chili. I even had those paper boats to put them in. The only thing missing, said my local Chicagoan partygoers, was celery salt. To which I grabbed from my spice rack and slammed on the table. For the vegetarians or anti-hot dog people, there were corn chips and chili with all the condiments to top. Drinks were simple with the option of two sizes of bottled water and apple juice boxes for the kids. Beer only shows up when the parties are below 30 people. It's just easier to keep it simple and beer + holy baptism never seem to go together well. We ditched the ice cream or big cake for cupcakes. It was a (mostly) utensil free party and everyone happily ate. I'd definitely throw another one again.

We called Benjamin over to help with blowing out the candle and it was all over. He blew out the candle and hopped right up to sit shotgun with Claire while all the gawking grandmas and mamas (and friends) snapped away with their cameras. The cake was basically untouched, but the frosting was a hit. It could've been a cardboard box under there, for all my kids cared. Two outfit changes ensued immediately following the smash cake escapades. Benjamin was also caught singing happy birthday to Claire and doing about 3,460 adorable things during the maybe 15 minutes of them both sitting there and chowing away.

That hair I sported all day? Woke up with it. Not kidding.

We Celebrated! We Painted! We Ate!

The little mister turned two on Sunday.

Two. Let's just take a moment to let that sink in.

We threw a party. Not an insane party for the family who has a not-even-six-week-old baby in the house, but a party to celebrate the little boy that brought us back to life. Back in October, I was researching Halloween costumes that were simple and unique. I came across a cute idea to write on a mustache, throw on a French beret, apron or t-shirt and hand the kid a paint palette. Voila. French artist.

I loved the idea so much that I just envisioned our neighborhood friends coming over and all walking around with cute little French mustaches and painting while wearing cute berets. Let's not confuse this whole daydream with me actually liking all things French. While France was nice, I had other European favorites. But little tiny mustached artists with cute hats? Sign me up!

Then I got a reality check. Is my kid actually going to let me draw on a mustache and wear a beret? Unlikely (spoiler alert: he DID!). But I had already bought the paint supplies and French berets because I was smitten with the theme. Most kids want to choose their theme, but he's still too young to articulate or really understand the whole hoopla over birthday parties and themes and such. So this one was my freebie. Lord knows if he was able to tell me, we'd have tigers and trolleys and a theme I didn't really want to embrace. I'm already swimming in all things DT. I sing those songs in my (little) sleep.

All the kids at the party... missing the two that couldn't make it and dreaming of their little mustached faces!

The party went off without a hitch. Aside from a few friends not being able to make it, we still had sixteen people in our house. Considering the 40+ from last year, this one was a breeze! The only thing that was not a breeze? Prepping for the party with a toddler and newborn. The toddler is about 4 inches behind me taking down all the party decor and the newborn needs to be fed what seems like every 18 minutes. Okay, not really... but you know. Feels like that. Friday night was a little hectic and the toddler was given two DT episodes to keep him in the living room while I ran around blowing up balloons and setting up a paint table for the kids.

Party decor, paint table with berets hanging on chairs, paper people and wooden cars to paint & random mashed potatoes in the KitchenAid! My friend recommended it and what a breeze!

Yes, this was all happening at exactly the same time! Unheard of for children this age!

Benjamin received a balance bike for his birthday. We live in Chicago. It's currently being used in the house. Wuh, Wuh.

The food was fun and relatively easy. Most of the it was store bought, but I really like to put an added personal twist to things, so I added Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes to the mix along with a Fresh Express Salad Bar. The salad was provided, as I am part of Green Moms Meet and try out fun, healthy and green products with my friends at playdates and parties. It fit so well with the party and theme and the salad bar was a hit by our friends! Fun little tidbit about Fresh Express salads: when Elliot and I were first starting to chat some eight years ago, he brought two bags of Fresh Express salad to a party we were both attending. I still remember what they were, and I'm not kidding-- the Asian and Southwest mixes. I've bought both many times ever since.

I purchased the pre-washed Fresh Express lettuce mixes at the store and consulted their free Salad Swap phone app that has recipes and food indulgences you like that can be used to swap out for a delicious salad instead-- but not just boring salads--salads with a kick. For example, if you're into grilled cheese sandwiches but want to cut the calories, they recommend (with recipe and calorie information) a spring mix and grilled cheese crouton salad. You're getting a hint of that indulgence food and adding in some greens to your diet to make it more balanced and healthy. There is a website dedicated to the 30-day salad swap challenge as well.

I opted for a salad bar with a number of their mixes. We used the Fresh Express Baby Spinach, Baby Kale Mix and Sweet & Crunchy mixes. I threw them in my big wooden bowl and offered a variety of full and low fat dressing options along with five toppings to make up a salad bar: honey ham, crushed butter crackers, sliced pepperoncini, raisins and Parmesan cheese. Tasty combinations were made and the salad mixes and options were an extra nice added touch that definitely lightened the heaviness of the rest.

To make up the rest of the (heavy) food, I wanted to feature a food my 2-year old scarfs down when we're shopping-- Ikea meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce. I bought a few bags of the meatballs, oven baked them & stuck them in a crock pot. I made PW's mashed potatoes (incredible), whipped up the gravy and opened up a can of that lingonberry sauce. Surprisingly, among the group of 16 people, including six children ages 5 and under, it was all a huge hit!

We finished things off with a Costco sheetcake, ice cream, and some incredible mustache-themed cookies made by a friend we met at storytime who lives just blocks away. She's a super fantastic baker and kind of a big deal. She's a freelance writer for the Boston Globe even! Told you she was a big deal. She may have scoffed at the Costco sheetcake purchase when I told her, but the damage was already done. However, her cookies were nothing to scoff at. They were every bit gourmet and totally expert status like everything she creates. You should see the tea party she threw for her daughter's 2nd birthday last month. She's also suffered many struggles to grow her family as well and that has connected us in many ways. She's dealt with PCOS and infertility and is hoping to add another child to their family. She's been writing candidly about that and ways to improve fertility through diet as well, since she's knee deep in the process and has quite the expertise in all things food.

Family photo attempt (Andrew is behind us but that wasn't planned well) & the amazing mustache cookies made by my baker friend, Karoline!

Food pictures: sheetcake (tons of leftovers I may or may not be eating at every meal), ice cream, meatball plates, salad bar. Drinks: easy with milk boxes for kids & water bottles for adults

As for the rules and a schedule...we had none. I kindly requested no gifts because my child really does have everything under the sun and he has not been a very thoughtful recipient lately. So instead, people ate as they wanted, played with toys and balloons we had blown up and thrown around the place and all of the kids painted. It was like a little zen moment (that lasted at least 10 minutes!) where the kids all hopped up on chairs and embraced the theme. Every one of them painted the little people and some of them painted the wooden cars. It. was. awesome. They were quiet, concentrated, and totally into it. To say that we were all shocked because the majority of kids were two years old was an understatement.

Not too stressful and a house full of friends and cute little mustached kids. It doesn't get much cooler than that.

You can like Fresh Express on Facebook or follow them on Pinterest. There's even a a coupon available at greenmomsmeet.com/freshexpress if you'd like to try out the Fresh Express 30 Day Salad Swap for yourself and "indulge" in some of their delicious recipes and cut the calories at the same time.

Disclaimer: I received this product (Fresh Express Salads) free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC. or the manufacturer of this product.

The Day He Became a Whole Lot More Expensive to Fly With

His birthday itself was a relaxed and fun day.

I decorated his door with streamers the night before so he'd wake up to that. Of course we lock him in his room, so it's not like he would walk out on his own, but anyway. He was pretty excited.

He helped make a smoothie (his favorite because he can press the blender buttons!) and his number 2 pancake with sprinkles. And as a result, sprinkles will be found all over my kitchen for the next 6 months.

For lunch, we went to the train restaurant. I don't know if they have these in other areas, but this suburb area of Chicago has a number of different restaurants that are train themed and bring your food to you on a train. They sing to you and ice cream or a cupcake with a candle is also delivered via train. It's overly stimulating, but we had to check it out. He had already been with both sets of grandparents, but this was our first time taking him. Surprisingly, the food was even good for adult standards! Something tells me we'll be back.

Both sets of grandparents took him to the train restaurant as well... here are their photos!

First expensive flight on the books for April. We're going to Florida to escape the never-ending winter we're having this year! Hello 75 degrees and sunny! And that extra plane ticket. Two wonderful years... can't believe it. Feel like I just wrote this post. But on days when the tantrums and menacing reach terrible heights, it feels like a million years ago.

*party post to come. It's just about done. :)

Home & Free - The Story of a Little Sister

After just 2.5 days in the NICU, Claire was released into our Mother-Baby room. Our first time having a baby in Mother-Baby. It was pretty magical. Her NICU stay was quite short considering her gestational age of just 4 hours into 36 weeks. She was on oxygen for her first 10 hours of life (gradually being weaned and really just in case) and completely on room air by that evening. She had a feeding tube inserted, but it was never used and also removed on her birthday. Considering the meconium in her fluid, they gave her antibiotics over the course of the two-day stay.

The first attempt at breastfeeding was a success. For being four weeks early, she latched quickly and well. Though small, she is mighty. She still gets tired at the breast and is given expressed breastmilk after each feeding to top her off, which means I am pumping a few times a day. Benjamin was slow to latch and feed and even had a feeding tube (and longer NICU stay) at an entire week older. That whole "lazy white boy" term proved to be more than true. Did you know African American girls are the best at early birth in all developmental areas? Interesting. Girls in general fare better and thankfully, Claire sure did.

I'm still recovering. The physical effects of the emergency C-section are no different than any other C-section. I'm on Motrin and no narcotics. I'd say the hardest part physically is not being able to pick up Benjamin. He has been a trooper about holding my hand down the stairs instead of Mom picking him up, so that's good. My parents have been in town and have been a great help, so that's been easier on the recovery as well. Things will get a lot harder once my parents are gone and we're going through day-to-day trying to keep things normalized for Benjamin.

The emotional recovery. Well, if you know our story well enough as most of you do, pregnancy and growing our family has not been an easy task. Each pregnancy I've had ended in tragedy, almost tragedy, and/or heavy complications. I'm still not sure how I was dealt such cards, but it's hard to complain when we are holding the life of a precious daughter in our arms today. I struggle with the thought of why we were put through the wringer and why we were spared this time. And why not with Andrew? Why not all of my friends who have lost babies and multiple babies? How did my doctor have such incredible intuition? Did that Cholestasis that kickstarted the last 4 weeks of crazy mayhem and doctor intervention cause my daughter's almost demise, or was it the savior that landed me in the hospital that night for extra monitoring which ultimately saved her life? I do believe a blog post about Cholestasis is in order to get it out on the web. It's so important that moms fight for testing if symptoms are present.

My OB who had been carrying my case throughout Benjamin and Claire's pregnancies exclusively came to visit me 5 hours after Claire was born. It was just past 9:00 a.m. on January 14th and she was supposed to be my delivering OB (as she was with Benjamin... yet she's never delivered any of my babies!). She rushed into my room and took me into her arms. She told us that when she called in this morning to check on my status and they told her I was "crashed" and had an emergency C-section in the middle of the night, she nearly dropped the phone. She couldn't believe it and was so relieved. She said that countless doctors including the NICU doctor who was present with his team at Claire's birth all asked her why she chose to admit me that night rather than wait until morning. When I was admitted that night, they were all questioning it and thought it was weird and odd. I wasn't being induced that evening and it really made no logical sense, especially since I had perfect NSTs that weekend. She didn't know. It was just her intuition and wanting me to get some rest because I had been through enough with the itching and scariness. My OB told me right there that she couldn't believe the record of decelerations she saw on my chart from that night and if I was not there that night, Claire would not have made it. Just typing that makes me cry big, huge tears. We're so lucky, and yet, so unlucky.

Without having lost Andrew, neither Benjamin nor Claire would be here. Benjamin based on timeline and possibly complications that could've lead to his birth ending horribly (Polyhydramios, cord issues, poor NSTs) and Claire because the Cholestasis would've been written off and not been admitted that evening. But because we lost him, the doctors were taking our case very seriously-- after I demanded those blood tests. It is so, so important to advocate for yourself and your baby. I don't like to think about Andrew "saving" them, because I'm not willing to allow the thought of me having to sacrifice my firstborn to have some kind of normalcy and family, especially when others don't have to go through any odds to achieve "the dream" like many of us loss families. But the connection to losing Andrew is something that has changed the outcome of our family dramatically.

Here are some photos of Claire's birthday, along with more storyline.



Left: taken at home as I was getting ready for my last night with my boys before being admitted for my induction the next morning. We went to Barnes & Noble (toddlers love escalators & train sets), Subway so I could eat... even though I had two dinners that night..., and for frozen yogurt before the boys dropped me off at the hospital. They went to Chipotle for dinner and I settled into my fancy hospital gown (right pic) in room 108 where I was "going to deliver" the next morning, said the nurse who admitted me. I walked by Andrew's room (120) on the way to this room. I settled in with the monitors tracking Claire and my contractions, watched The Bachelor, wrote a blog post, ate stir fry for dinner #2 and took an Ambien before drifting off to sleep...

As Elliot wrote in the last blog post about Claire's unexpected delivery, he did not receive my phonecall as I was being wheeled into the OR by a team of nurses, the delivering OB, the anesthesiologist, NICU doctor and their team... and whoever else was in that room. There were a lot of people. I left him a message with something very casual like, "Going in for an emergency C-section. Bye." He may never live down not receiving my phonecall. Note to other husbands out there whose wives are alone in a hospital overnight-- don't keep your phone on silent.

My friend Kristi was my on-call person who would show up in the event of an emergency to relieve Elliot and stay with Benjamin who was sound asleep, but I called her the night before telling her with 100% certainty that we would not be needing her and that she didn't have to wait by the phone. After all, I was being monitored, so nothing could happen, right?

I remember being wheeled in, being asked to move over to the delivery room bed, telling the nurse what my passcode on my phone was along with my husband's name (so she could call him after my unsuccessful attempt--and I totally used Siri to call Elliot but failed, haha), telling the anesthesiologist to please knock me out before they start cutting, a gush of liquid across my belly, an oxygen mask on my face, and the anesthesiologist grabbing my jaw tightly with his big football player hands to get me knocked out immediately. I also remember someone saying something about arms and being strapped down. The rest is lost.

Elliot finally answered and the nurses asked him if he had been receiving their calls--apparently called a few times. Nothing like knowing my husband was sleeping soundly while I was going through a major emergency abdominal surgery and that our daughter's life was on the line. He couldn't believe it and neither could I... though even if he were there, he would not have been allowed in the room and it might have been more traumatic for everyone. He remembers asking if we were okay and they said we were both alive. When he arrived, the nurses were discussing "Where they wanted Mr. Wilson", which scared him a bit.

Claire was born at 4:17 a.m. and these photos of me in the recovery room (which I don't remember at all except Elliot and the anesthesiologist talking about Elliot's hat from Antique Archaeology) are all we have of that time. Apparently I'm quite funny under general anesthesia and morphine, because Elliot remembers me cracking jokes (!) with the anesthesiologist. These photos were taken at 7:19 a.m., thanks to the photo properties for keeping track. It had been 3 hours since she was born and we had yet to see her. Elliot was asked by the nurses if he wanted to see Claire or me first-- he chose me (wise, husband). He actually arrived in the recovery room before I did, though I truly have no known knowledge of any of this, or seeing Elliot at all. My first memory when I woke up that is visual was being wheeled down into the NICU to see Claire for the first time with Elliot. The NICU was huge, the rooms were all private, and less than a year old. It was an entirely different NICU than Benjamin experienced.

Apparently I asked for tissues. I was crying I guess.

My first memory of seeing Claire was noticing that she was small (no surprise as she was my smallest and youngest baby by gestation) and was sucking on a pacifier. I was amazed she had the sucking ability for being so young. It's wild to think that many people saw Claire in her first 3 hours of life and we had yet to see her at all. Many doctors and nurses were caring for her, cleaning her and dressing her... and yet we had not been around. That's still something we have been chatting about because of how abnormal it was. She was alive in this world hours before we met her. And while of course we wished the circumstances were different, we wouldn't trade the diligence and intuition of those nurses and doctors that night. I also oddly remember my nurse from my room 108 "delivery room" being pregnant. Odd what pieces I've managed to collect.

In recovery mode. Morphine (which apparently I was pressing often until I realized what it was) made me SO drowsy and unable to keep my eyes open. Yet, I couldn't sleep at all. Between our Mother-Baby room and seeing Claire in her private NICU room. I remember trying to get up to get in the wheelchair to see her for the second time and getting dizzy. I didn't get to see her again (since that 8-ish a.m. first meeting being wheeled in from my OR bed) until that evening when I could stand up on my own and make it to the wheelchair for my ride down to the NICU. We were put on the second floor of Mother-Baby to be close to Claire... as the NICU is also on the second floor. That proved to be quite nice as we visited her often, just like Benjamin, to feed, breastfeed, and hold. The leg cuffs were to prevent clotting and lower swelling. They were horrible, itchy, sweaty, and didn't prevent swelling as I still can't wear normal shoes at 6 days postpartum-- though the swelling is reducing, thankfully.

In the meantime, Benjamin was being cared with the best hands possible. Our friend Danielle took him to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast (note donut hands grabbing for more), the children's museum, playhouse, and he ate super well for her!

On Wednesday (after my parents arrived Tuesday night and took over for Danielle), they came to visit and meet Claire. Benjamin did not meet her that evening because NICU has strict orders against anyone under 16. Elliot took Benjamin down to the Ronald McDonald House to check out their fun kid toys and things. The hospital social worker (who also runs the SHARE program for pregnancy loss... I'm telling you...it all comes full circle for us...) told us we were welcome there to stay or visit and remembered us from last time. If you don't remember that fiasco and story, here's Benjamin's birth story about the Ronald McDonald House not being open despite the signs saying they were and us sleeping in the lobby because we refused to leave. The social worker picked out a special toy for Benjamin and everything.

Finally in Mother-Baby with our baby girl. We were released by my rockstar OB around 1:30 p.m. on Friday the 17th and headed home. I was wheelchaired to the car as I was after the births of my boys and walked the two feet from chair to car in my socks because I didn't have shoes that fit my swollen feet. I didn't care. Get. us. home.

She's doing incredible. At birth she was 6lb. 1oz. and dropped to 5lb. 13oz. at discharge. She is now up to 5lb. 14oz. with just 3 ounces to go until she's met birth weight. She's sleeping, eating, being all around amazing and has turned Benjamin's world upside down. That's for another post.