MY BIRTH STORY: LYDIA TAYLOR WILLIAMS

We could not be more excited to welcome our new baby girl into the world! After three days in the hospital we finally decided to name her Lydia Taylor! We had several names however none seemed to fit after we met our very sweet, very girly, baby. We think Lydia is elegant, beautiful, sophisticated and encompasses everything we hope our daughter will grown to become. 

Her birth story is eerily similar to Brooklyn's. {We were scheduled for a 7AM induction on Friday, July 27th. Everything was packed, we had taken time off from work and sent our last emails when my water broke at 1AM on the 27th and we headed to the hospital..} With Lydia we were scheduled for an induction on Friday, September 27th at 10:30am. We were totally prepared work wise and at the house. 

We enjoyed a "last dinner" with friends and Brooklyn. It was at my friends house I got my first contraction at 8PM. I knew it was different than the Braxton-Hicks because of the cramping along with the tightening of the stomach. I had to move to the couch it was so strong. We headed home, still not sure exactly what that contraction meant. An hour later I felt another one and this continued until 3AM when they started to be about 15 minutes apart. By 4AM they were 10 minutes and then 5 minutes apart. We called the hospital at 5AM and knew we needed to go NOW. I was fearful we had waited too long I NEEDED THAT EPIDURAL!!! We arrived around 5:30. They measured by cervix which was already 6 cm dilated. By this point the contractions were so strong and so close together I could barely walk or speak. I keep asking for the epidural but the anesthesiologist was in a c-section and there was still another woman waiting ahead of me. The contractions were bringing me to tears. I thought I was going to vomit and/or pass out. I was so lucky to  miss all this with Brooklyn because my water broke and I received the epidural so quickly.

Finally, I got the epidural around 7:00AM. They told me to rest for an hour until they checked me again. At 8AM I was 9.5 cm dilated and would be ready to start pushing soon. We waited a few minutes for the doctor and began! Less than 15 minutes later our sweet girl was born! The pushing was unbelievably fast and easy. It almost made those few hours of contractions worth it. 

Because the birth was so quick Lydia was just perfect looking! Her skin was a pretty pink color, no swollen face or cone shaped head. I was able to hold her skin-to-skin and admire her beautiful face and all.that.hair! Rob and I feel so thankful and blessed that we have such a beautiful, healthy daughter.

We love you Lydia!! 

^^Post epidural. Feeling goooooood. Waiting to fully dilate and then began pushing. 

^^Seconds after she was born! Skin to skin with mommy. 

^^Proud parents and our amazing OB, Dr. Silverman! 

^^Cleaned off and tanning under the heat lights.

^^Grammy brought Brooklyn in to meet her baby sister. Brooklyn was so sweet and soft. Brooklyn had a little runny nose so we didn't want them to be too close. She will be coming home tomorrow. I just cannot wait to watch these two together! 

^^My family<3
I am so, so in love with each of these three people.

^^Dad and Lydia. She has his heart. 

^^Lydia Taylor Williams. 9/27/13. 8:47AM. 8pound, 20 inches

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Remember eternity two weeks when I was 2cm dilated and the doctor said it could be any day now?  Ya, well we are still baby-less. We have both been feeling a little anxious only because we thought the baby would have arrived already. Its almost a joke now that every time I call Rob he answers with "ya, is this it?!" not even hello anymore. I feel the same each time I feel a contraction.

Rob decided to come to my doctor appointment today to hear the update and actually meet the doctor (I had switched just last month to a new one). Exciting news I am not 4 cm dilated! These appointments usually last 10 minutes but of course because Rob came along we were there for two hours. 

I haven't felt as much movement with the baby this past week so the doctor decided I should get a stress test to make sure everything was looking OK inside. I got a little panicked when he said if anything looked troubling we could go over to the hospital and deliver now. Now, as in like RIGHT NOW. 

Fortunately everything is perfect with our little baby however we did decide we would induce on the due date, this Friday. Brooklyn was a week early and weighed 8'11. The doctor said this baby will also be big and there isn't a real reason to go over the due date. Rob is convinced if we wait any longer the baby will be so big I will need a c-section. Thanks for making me even more nervous, babe! 

At first I was really excited to be induced on 9/27. Brooklyn's birthday is 7/27 and I think it would be so cool if they have the same day of the month for their birthdays. If nothing else easy for family and friends to remember, ha! I was almost hoping the baby would hold off until Friday for this very reason. It wasn't until we left that Rob reminded me Drew's (Brooklyn's older half-brother) birthday is 9/28. Ah, I didn't even think of that OR consider that I could possibly be in labor until the next day. I guess it would be kind of lame sharing your birthday with a sibling. Everyone wants to have their own special day. 

So, the decision is: Do we induce on Thursday to ensure a same day birthday isn't shared, yet shatter my dream of having Brooklyn and the new baby share the same day of month? Or do we wait until Friday and hope we can have the baby in less than 12 hours? 

.....Decisions.Decisions....

LIBRARY TIME

Whenever I have time off from work I look for fun organized things to bring Brooklyn to. I really love all the San Jose libraries and the special events they put on. This summer we have gone to story time, baby yoga, move and dance and most recently a petting zoo. The best part is all of these events are free. The worst part, because they are free they are super popular and crowded. Yesterday we called some friends and headed to go pet some animals. 

^^Brooklyn and one of her best friends, Ty

^^We were too lazy to wait in the super long line to go inside the cage. Petting the bunnies from outside the cage was good enough. (Notice her new hair style: pig tails!)

^^Side profile of my favorite girl

^^The reason we went inside: to escape this crazy crowd

^^Seeing them sit at that table and read open the books melts my heart.

^^And the preggos sitting on the smallest chair in the library. So lucky to have such great friends out here.

APPLE PICKING

..Apple Picking at Gizdich Rach.. 

Now that I am a mother I realized I may end up loving these "kid" activities more than the actual kids. I really get way too excited for this type stuff. Sadly, Rob does not share my passion. He does know happy wife equals happy wife and does he very best to support my little outings.

 I know Brooklyn is a little young for apple picking but she did seem to have a great time. Her favorite part was running around, falling the dirt {sigh} and of course eating the apple pie at the end.

Growing up in New England we went apple picking every fall. We would put on jeans and long sleeve shirts and head out into the perfectly crisp fall air. It wasn't fall in my house unless we had gone apple picking for those big juicy, macintosh deliciousness. Out here in California the seasons are blurred and its tough to get into the spirit of the holidays. All the more reason it is important to do this type of stuff. 

Even though it was an hour car ride to Watsonville, super hot and dusty, andddd the apples were lack lustier we had a great time! Next year we may try out another farm but this is definitely going to be a Williams family tradition. 

^^ Heading out to find the apples. Brooklyn needed a little lift. 

^^ She ended up really liking this wheel barrel and wanting to ride instead of walking. 

^^ Doing a little picking with daddy.  

^^ Theres a semi smile. Notice our twinner shirts? My dream to match my baby! 

^^Hello bump! Hurry up little baby. 

^^The bump in walking action. Brooklyn still refusing to look at the camera but holding strong onto those sides. 

^^ Miss Independent wanted a turn pulling the wheel barrel. 

^^Waiting for our apple pie and ice cream. Little girl is getting to big to be held these days. 

^^The apple pie! Very tasty, very filling. Sorry Gizdich Ranch, I like my mom's better. 

^^How did a girl get so lucky with there two. Just love them. 

SEVENTEEN DAYS

Seventeen days until our due date!

i.cannot.believe.it

It dawned on me yesterday just how very, really close we are when one of Rob's coworkers asked how many days until d-day. I fumbled but Rob quickly replied "eighteen days"{good job dad!} After his coworker left we got to talking about how ready and prepared we felt. It hurt a little when Rob said he wasn't ready and just hasn't really thought about it. It hurt even more when I nodded my head because I am on the same exact page. 

Really though, who did we think we were getting pregnant again at FIVE MONTHS! Everyone I met asks me when I am due and the next question is how old is she (Brooklyn), then they shake their head, almost in a pity like fashion and say the same line: "wow, your going to have your hands full." When Brooklyn was five months she was tiny, adorable and e-a-sy! No running away, no talking back, no disobeying, no tantrums, etc, etc. I thought we were just blessed with an easy child however looking back all children are "easy" in that regard, at that age. We did luck out with an awesome little kid but none the less she is still a toddler with a lot of personality. 

But as much as I am not ready to have this baby, I am totally ready. I'm ready to have my body back, ready to work out hard, ready to drink soda and eat sushi and deli meats, ready to lay on my stomach, ready to hug my husband without a massive bump in between us, just ready to be without child. 

I know it will be a tough go for a little while but I love how much Brooklyn strengthened our marriage and our love for each other. Her addition made our family feel whole. I know we aren't even close to done completing this little family of ours and this new baby will be just the perfect piece, right now. 

At my doctor appointment today I found out I am actually 2 cm dilated! That means our sweet girl could be coming any day now. Little nameless baby you are invited to join the world early. The countdown is on. We cannot wait for your arrival! 

^^Cutest girl ever terrorizing the Obgyn waiting room. The no cloths you ask? Blow out on the car ride over.   Really wish I got some pictures of the actual appointment. Doctor checking my dilation while I am laying on a table with Brooklyn draped across my chest. Not sure why I continue to bring her to these appointments. 

^^38 weeks!! Oh we are excited! 

WHERES DADA

This weekend Rob flew to Denver to see the Williams kids while Brooklyn and a very pregnant mama held down the fort in San Jose. Weekends in our house revolve 100% around family so she was very confused to wake up and not see him here. It was darling all weekend long she seemed like she was looking around for him and saying dada with a little question in her voice. Even though she is a mama lover through and through she loves her dada a lot.

So this was our big weekend to go wild, just us two girls and I realized I may be the lamest person ever.

I am furiously trying to finish Brooklyn first year baby book before the new baby is born and was actually depressed all weekend that I had been lazy and ordered the prints to be delivered instead of picking them up from Costco. Worse.decision.ever. I kept imagining my glorious weekend of scrap booking, to no avail.

^^Friday night we got a pity invitation to a friend's BBQ that was all couples and no kids. Brooklyn and I got all dolled up and out we headed. She started melting down approximately two hours after her bedtime at 8:30 and home we went. I spent the rest of the evening begging my mom (who is three hours ahead of us) to stay awake on the phone and talk to me. sad.

^^Saturday we did what girls do best: shop. We hit all kids of home stores looking for some new additions for my very color lacking home. 

^^Brooklyn starring at the lights and/or fan. Her new obsession. For some reason she thinks seeing this is the funnest thing in her life right now. We did the usual Whole Foods run- bulk grains and organic fruits/veggies followed by some lunch there. I am kind of obsessed with their tuna sandwich. Surprisingly Brooklyn was not. 

^^Home for another recent favorite: Baby Einstein videos on YouTube. She was squealing and jumping on the bed each time a new barn yard animal would pop up. This lasts for about 3 minutes until she gets so excited she smashes the keyboard and closes the program. She yells mama mama and points to the screen until I get fix it for her. 

^^Baby goes down for a nap and I start with home repairs. That middle panel has been sitting in the guest room waiting to be "rehung" for about three weeks now. Husband, you should feel guilty that your NINE MONTH pregnant wife is picking up the slack while you are out having a grand old time in Denver. I sent this picture to Rob and he wrote back "it looks crooked" with a smile. Ha-Ha. I'm not laughing and I think it looks perfect!

^^Halloween decorating! Premature? Possibly. Do I care? Nope! For the amount of money  I spend on decorations and the amount of work it takes to put them up the longer they are displayed the better. 

^^Delta Queen car wash time. I am kind of obsessed with this car wash place because of the fun gift shop you get to walk through and the whole Delta Queen, Mississippi River thing they have going on. We walked back and forth, back and forth along that boardwalk about 100 times until the car was ready. You can put 25 cents into a machine and get food to feed the fish which was quite a sight! I wish I had gotten a picture of their huge open mouths. It was actually quite disgusting looking so maybe I am glad I didn't. 

^^Back for more shopping basically because Brooklyn was super fussy and hates being in the house.  Home Goods this time, one of my all time favorite stores. Brooklyn was digging her neck pillow. I almost bought it until I realized it would be good for about 2 minutes and then she would throw it on the ground. I don't even really enjoy those neck things, there is no chance a 13 month old is going to need one on a plane. 

^^Posing before church Sunday morning. Very pleased with our purchase of this full length mirror.  Notice I left the cardboard on the edges anticipating Rob would hate it. And he did. I talked him into exchanging it for a more gray color one. Picture soon on that one! 

^^Little girl continuing to torture me at church. She is teething her molars and having a really hard time this go-around. I tried to dress her as angelically as possible thinking it would maybe rub off on her attitude. No luck there.

After church we headed up to Danville for dinner with my in-laws and two of my nephews (totally forgot a pic) then picked up Rob at the Oakland airport. I was so, so, so excited to see him and leaped out of the car for a huge hug and kiss. He was less excited because he had been standing outside waiting for me for 45 minutes. Sorry, babe! I still can't believe we use to spend days and sometimes a whole week apart at my last job. I loved the start up idea but who was I kidding with that schedule?! I love cuddling and watching TV every night like we do now. And when we got home thats exactly what we did. :)

SPRINKLED WITH LOVE

Thursday night my awesome friends threw me a sprinkle. I love the name sprinkle, for a mini baby shower for the second or third born child. A sprinkle is for moms who have many traditional registry items already, but still want an occasion to celebrate with their friends. Since I love any reason to throw or attend a party when my friends brought up the idea I was in. 

I did feel a little guilty at the thought of receiving gifts for my second baby, especially because its going to be a girl however. We came up with a great, inexpensive idea of having me create a book registry and requesting just that. It was really fun to choose all the books and know my guests would have a simple, inexpensive decision to just pick the one they wanted to give. I loved that several of the books ended up being some of the ladies childhood favorites. Hearing the stories made me imagine reading the books to my little girls and them having those same fond memories.

Everything about this night was just perfect from the desserts to the games to the gifts and conversations. 

I loved the sprinkle games the most. My favorite was everyone brought a baby picture and put it on their gift so I had to guess who each present was from. Either I'm a bad facial profiler or people look way different because I think I got maybe two right. 

Thank you to everyone who came and made this night so exceptional. A special thanks to Emi, Tarin, Adria, Katie, Kira and anyone else who helped put this together. The party was so much fun and I truly felt showered in love. I really lucked out with such a great group of friends. These girls are my family away from home and I love them for that. 

  

^^gift table. <3

^^perfect sprinkle treats

^^opening some gifts 

^^{almost} everyone. an amazing group of woman right there 

A LABOR DAY ROAD TRIP

This long Labor Day weekend I really wanted to take a fun trip with our family of three. With only a few weeks left before the new baby arrives it feels really important to soak up all this time with Brooklyn as an only child. We decided to do a road trip north up the coast. Special thank you to my awesome husband who said this was "my weekend." He kind of hates this type of thing but he was amazing and agreed to every stop. Even the antique show, although he gave me a 5 minute time limit.:) We started out Friday night staying in San Francisco then drove to Muir Woods, Bodega Bay, and the Russian River. We worked our way up and down the coast until we arrived back in San Francisco Saturday night and spent the day there Sunday. We had SUCH a blast and were delighted how good of a road trip-er Brooklyn is. Next trip will be as a family of four!   

Getting it started Friday night! 

^^watching the street  performers along Fisherman's Wharf 

^^ ending the night with in-n-out shakes

^^ early start in the car saturday morning 

^^muir woods! a 4 year dream of mine to attend

^^a very curious brooklyn

^^ love these two always making the same faces

^^heading down to the russian river for a swim

^^such a fun and cool spot

^^look close thats me and brooklyn! 

^^we hit the antique show in town after. this was ..... interesting. 

^^rob was pretty opposed to attending until he saw this beauty

^^an antique hat for brooklyn, don't mind if i do

^^bodega bay was gorgeous but really overcast! 

^^definitely needed jackets to hang out in the cool/misty weather 

^^yes i received worst mother of the year award when i fed brooklyn ketchup to keep her from screaming until our food arrived. rob was horrified when he saw this and immediately instructed me to stop. 

^^brooklyn's very first kid's meal! she ate the entire thing... and some of mine

^^we saw lots and lots and lots of cows on our drive 

^^making our way back into san fran

^^and directly to chili pies once we arrived in the city. super cute little restaurant that blends a full slice of pie with ice cream into a shake. i would recommend trying it once for the experience but for the amount of calories and taste i wouldn't go back. 

^^lazer focused on all and every food

^^my baby is so big! she looks like a little kid now :/

^^and this is what we look like after a full day of driving. yikes

^^checking out the view from our hotel room

^^hotel whitcomb very much resembled the tower of terror elevator. i was just waiting to be ejected out the side of the building

^^family selfie shots. you know you do them

^^love those blue skies. we kind of like living in the bay area

^^walking the mean streets of sf

^^mel's "famous" dinner

^^last stop dropping off the husband to band practice in the city. yup, i'm his groupie ;)