Two weeks old...

Our sweet Allison is now over 2 weeks old.

I still can't believe that she's here sometimes...

But then in a way it seems like she's been with us forever.

So how has it been?

Much easier that I thought it would be!

We are tired... she's still a newborn...but whether it's her sweet temperament or just that we now have a clue...it's felt so great to have this little addition to our family.

I can't believe how much we love her.

As for the basics... she has been eating like a champ.

We haven't been to the doctor yet.. that'll be this week... but I'm sure she's gaining weight. Usually once a day she's so excited to eat, and she inhales so much air, that she flat out vomits. This is not spit-up. This is full contents of the stomach. Everywhere. Full wardrobe change for her and for whoever is lucky enough to be holding her at the time.  Very gross. Definitely trying to figure that one out but we're glad she's eating.

With sleep it's been rather inconsistent.

We have days and nights where she'll only sleep for an hour or so at a time but then we've had stretches where she's slept for 6 or 7 hours.  Amazing!  The only tough thing is that we can never predict when those sleep stretches will be but we're definitely thankful that she seems to love to sleep as much as we do!

And how is Jackson doing?

Really well!

When we first brought her home, he seemed to guard his room.

It was quite strange but it definitely made us laugh.

He moved into being rather indifferent but now it seems like he is noticing her more and more and trying to be more helpful.

He is quite concerned when she starts to cry.

He did tell us that she's not to be ever called "Allie Mae" but only "Baby Sister Manz." 

He was very serious about that!

This week he's going down to 3 days at school instead of 5 so we'll see how it goes for me to have both kids. 

As for Jonathan and I... we're doing great, too.

Jonathan hasn't been traveling so that has helped in these initial weeks.

We've also been blessed by some friends with some delicious meals.

Personally, i've been recovering so much more quickly from this birth which has been really nice.

 I think with so many things being "easier" for whatever reason, it's made me appreciate this experience all the more.

Baby girl, we love you so much and are so thankful for you!

You are beautiful and sweet and wonderful.

Allie Mae's Birth Story...

Our sweet baby girl, Allison Mae Manz, came into the world on Friday March 15, 2013.

3:29am.

1 week past her "due" date.

I would say right on time.

Her birth story is in many ways the ideal.

At least for me.

And our family.

And so more than anything I'm thankful that it was such a positive experience and that our little one came safely.

I can't believe how different it was than Jackson's birth story. 

Which is perhaps why I am so amazed by it all.

I knew things would be different this time around.

Not just because it was a 2nd birth- which is likely to be faster- but also because the pregnancy and my attitudes were so different.

This pregnancy was HARD.

My body hurt greatly for months on end.

There was very little preparation.

I was tired.

I was working full-time with a two year old at home.

Yes, definitely tired.

So I just trusted that things would work out.

That baby girl would come when she was ready.

And that Jonathan would be in town.

As January and February passed, I did wonder if Baby girl would come early. 

I never wondered that with Jackson, but I felt like it was a possibility this time.

So did Jonathan I think.

I went to the doctor at 38 weeks.

He was concerned that I had not gained a lot of weight during the pregnancy.

But Baby Girl measured over 7 pounds on the ultrasound.

And everything looked great.

Unlike before there was no mention of induction.

I worked full-time up until March 8, my due date.

It is the busiest time of year for us at work... definitely not the ideal for me to be leaving...but thankfully I was able to get the things done I needed to, while packing my office to leave for good and trying not to think about saying goodbyes.  

It is quite strange to leave a job that has been a huge part of your life for nine years.

The last week was probably my quietest week ever.

But it felt "right" when it was time to leave.

I was glad that Baby girl had waited.

At that point, I was supposed to have my 40 week appt.

I canceled it online.

I was sick.  

Jonathan was really sick.

I just wanted to relax and enjoy a few days of rest.

And i knew there was nothing they could tell me at the doctor's.

I wanted to take advantage of each precious day.

It turned out that we only had time enough to get over our sicknesses.

But my week at home gave me a lot of the rest that I had been missing.

I got as much sleep as possible.

And i enjoyed every minute of it!

And just like that, Baby girl decided to make her entrance.

Thursday night at 9:30 I was watching TV when the contractions began.

I timed them for less than half an hour.

They were only 30 seconds long, but they were coming every 3 minutes.

I knew that was really fast and we had to get ourselves organized quickly!

Just then Jonathan randomly came upstairs early from playing videogames.

He asked, kidding, if I was having contractions.

He didn't expect me to say yes, but when I did he jumped into gear as well.

No time to mess around with a 2nd baby.

Time to get all of our stuff together.

I called my dear friend Corrie to pick up Jackson and then kept getting ready as the contractions got more and more intense.

Thankfully I was able to shower.

But by the time Corrie arrived 30 minutes later, I knew we would have to leave soon.

After all the hospital is 45 minutes away.

The car ride was difficult to say the least- contractions were then 50 seconds each and 2-3 minutes apart- but there's not much traffic at 11:30 at night.

Thank goodness.

We arrived at the hospital around midnight.

And i was proud to still be able to walk myself upstairs.

We met our nurse for the night.

And she soon realized that I would be having the baby relatively soon.

I was 6 cm at arrival and the contractions kept getting worse and worse.

All i could think was that I really hope it wasn't too late for an epidural.

And this is where the birth became so different than Jackson's.

I was able to get an epidural.

My nurse was able to get the doctor to do it before she went into surgery knowing I couldn't wait an hour for it.

And though it was hard to stay still for it with the contractions coming that fast, it offered almost immediate relief.

It was like a miracle.

It definitely felt like a miracle.

Just like that, I couldn't really feel the pain of the contractions anymore.

I was focused again.

I could laugh and joke with my husband and the nurse.

I could take a few random pictures.

I could listen to music.

I could *enjoy* the birth.

I was baffled.

This was so unlike my previous experience.

I couldn't believe it.

And yet there was definitely a part of me that felt like I was appreciating this so much more because of the prior experience.

After only an hour they told me I was already at 9cm.

Shortly after that (3am), our nurse came in and told me that I'd be having the baby in 15 minutes.

Again, I was baffled.

Really?

Ok. Sure.

And so we started the pushing phase.

Really, it was a piece of cake.

And at 3:29am, just six hours from the first contraction, little Allison was born.

I was so overwhelmed by this beautiful little girl on my chest.

I held her and kissed her and was so *thankful*.

I was instantly and completely in love.

Allison Mae weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces.

She was 20 inches long.

We love you baby girl!!

Welcome to the world!!!

Allison Mae Manz

Allison Mae Manz

March 15, 2013

3:29am

7 pounds, 10 ounces

20 inches long

40 weeks and counting....

40 weeks and counting now...

Technically 40 weeks and 4 days.

I can't believe you've waited this long already baby girl.

For some reason I thought you would come weeks ago.

Here's the 40 week belly picture of you and your mama.

So now we're playing the waiting game.

I've now stopped working.
It's been *really* nice to slow down.
I do have a bad cold... but
I've been trying to relax and sleep as much as possible.
Thankfully, with being home for several days now- the back pain is not quite as severe.
And I've had no symptoms to cause me (or the doctors) to worry about your arrival.
We know you'll come when you're ready.

Your daddy has stopped traveling.
He's been miserably sick.
He's been telling you to stay put for awhile longer so that he can get better and be able to help when you come.
You're a good girl for listening to your daddy.
(I think he still needs a couple more days.)

Your brother is pretty unaware that you're coming soon.
We keep talking about it but I think he just needs to meet you!
So far you've given him a baby triceratops and a monster truck so he is really happy with that.
We are hoping that you both are always sweet with each other.

As far as everything else...

We've got your clothes, diapers, carseat, bassinet, and other necessities.

We just need you baby girl.

We love you so much already.

We pray that you are healthy and that you come safely.

(When you're ready.)

Love,
Mama, Daddy, and Jackson