FAMILY PHOTO SESSION (SNEAK PEAK)

I am a little embarrassed to admit that my oldest daughter is 14 months and this is the first time we hired a professional photographer. For some reason I am very anti photographers. Growing up I think my mom brought us to JC Penny or Picture People or something. We took a lot of home pictures and movies but the professional route wasn't something that was valued. As we started decorating our house we realized we didn't have any many nice pictures. I started to think maybe it was time to change things up and get some professional ones done. 

When Brooklyn was born I really wanted to get some of those cute newborn photos in a bucket or basket however I didn't realize they needed to be taken within the first two weeks when the baby is still super sleepy. We missed the deadline so my mom and I took some make shift pictures. We lucked out becuase they actually ended up turning out really beautiful. 

This time around I wasn't changing anything and demanded we hire someone. I scheduled her in advance and thought it would be a great opportunity to take a few family and sister-sister shots as well. Rob and the girls (yes, I group all three of them together ;) ) were awesome! They let me dress them and posed like little models for all the different scenes. The shot lasted about two hours and I could not have been more impressed with their efforts. Lydia even decided to wake up for her solo shots to show off those gorgeous eyes. 

The photographer was praising my mom as her "assistant." She was hilarious jumping around with a squeaking chicken. Any picture that Brooklyn is laughing ridiculously hard is a direct result of my mom's antics. I love Brooklyn's over the top smile, its a perfect representation of her personality. Little girl use to smile on demand now she actually frowns every time I pull out my camera or phone. Because I have not captured a smiling shot in about four months I am so glad we were able to get some of her happy self. 

My mom and I had a blast buying all the outfits and props for the big shoot. I actually felt pretty fancy posing for all the different pictures. Our photographer was kind and patient with everyone. I am so happy with how these came out and cannot wait to see the full disc of pictures. This experience definitely changed my perception of hiring a professional. 

Expect to see a lot more Williams family photos! 

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.