Getting in a Rythm

Now that we've got three weeks under our belts with the two girls, things are getting into more of a rhythm now. I took the girls out for our first solo trip to Costco today, and suprisingly, it wasn't too bad. Getting out of the house is still an ordeal, but it's getting faster - maybe that is just because I'm leaving important things behind! Thankfully, my mom has been over to hang out with us a lot while Mark is on this latest trip. We've definitely enjoyed her company and her help. While the big sister isn't still completely sold on the idea of sharing attention, she has demonstrated some really sweet and loving behavior towards Lyla. She has started to give her a lot more kisses, and she seems concerned when she doesn't know the wherabouts of Lyla or if she hears Lyla crying. Hopefully this is a good sign that she's learning to accept the inevitable fact that the little sister isn't going anywhere!

Fishing Together

Mark likes taking Nina fishing at a pond near our house. Lately, the weather has been nicer and they have caught quite a few nice sized fish. Mark is definitely hoping his love of fishing is emulated in his daughters so we can all enjoy it together. So far, Nina has no fear of slimy things. She likes holding the fish, and she picks up worms from our driveway after the rain, so at least that part isn't going to be a problem! Giving the fish a kiss - definitely her father's idea!
Nice catch!

Cousin Time

This morning, Shenley brought over Emme and Ryleigh so they could meet their newest cousin and have some time to play with Nina (which Nina was very excited about). Emme was very excited to hold Lyla, and she did a great job. After playing hard for most of the morning, they entertained each other through lunch...
Then we actually got the four of them to sit together on the couch!
We imagine they will be quite a crew in the years to come...

First Haircut and Lyla Update

Nina got her first haircut yesterday. She did pretty well since we were at Cartoon Cuts where she got to watch Dora and suck on a lollipop during the whole haircut.
Lyla had her two week check-up yesterday, and she got a great report. She had gained a pound and grown 1 1/4 inches since our last visit! The doctor couldn't believe how much she had grown in a short time, but since she started out small, we figure she's got plenty of catching up to do, and it seems like she's trying to get caught up quickly! The down side is that our nights have been much more sleepless since she's wanting to eat much more frequently, but we're guessing this is probably a growth spurt that will last a week or two then even back out again (at least we HOPE!).

Easter and Toy Recommendations

Today we celebrated Easter at my mom and dad's house. Since it was a pretty nice day today, we hid over 30 eggs in the yard for Nina to find. She had a great time, and we'll be rationing out the Easter treats for quite some time!
For those of you who have to find gifts for toddlers, this is for you. I always have the hardest time trying to find toys/gifts for little ones that I actually think they'll play with. In the past three days, Nina has gotten three awesome gifts from friends and family, so I thought I would pass on a recommendation for those who might have to shop for a toddler. My sister brought Nina a plastic fishing pole with a magnet hook and the seahorse and fish that come with the pole have magnetized noses to get caught with. She loves it and has played with it for hours! Our friends, the Korsvalls, came over yesterday to bring a meal, and they brought Nina a doll called Nina Ballerina. It's a wooden doll that comes with a bunch of magnetized outfits, shoes, etc. and it's a great gift for little girls because Nina has loved dressing and re-dressing the doll. Finally, today for Easter, she got the Water Wonders activity kit from my parents. Like the flip books, all the activities are 100% reusable once the water dries, and the kit comes with counting cards, seek and find cards, and large pictures. It's great to keep them entertained with something artistic that is also non-messy!

The Novelty Has Worn Off...

The novelty of being "big sister" has definitely worn off for Nina. As you can see from her face in this photo (which was begrudginly taken), she's no longer thrilled with the idea of having a little sister. The adjustment has proved to be a big one for our Nina. While she still gets plenty of attention and 1 on 1 time, just the fact that Lyla needs to be fed and held at times causes much frustration for Nina. Both Mark and I are doing our best to try to help her adjust, but we know it's a good thing for her, and we hope she soon starts to accept that her little sister is here to stay.Lyla, on the other hand, is doing great and is quite the low-maintenance baby. She is really filling out since we brought her home from the hospital, and we're excited to see how much she's grown when she goes to her 2 week appt. on Monday. She sleeps and eats well, and when she's awake, she's content most of the time. Her fussy time is normally for a short spell in the evening, but sometimes she even forgets to be fussy. Mark and I are so thankful to be getting more sleep this time around. So far, we haven't had to resort to our antics with newborn Nina which were driving around the local highways in the middle of the night, taking turns pacing around the house with a crying baby, or putting her in her carseat on top of the turned on dryer in hopes that the vibration would lull her crying. Lyla shows no signs of developing the protein allergy to milk that Nina had, so we're hoping this easy going trend continues!

Gotta Support the Team

The staff at DC United had this onesie made for Lyla, so now she'll be ready to support the team at games this season.

Great Friends, Great Visits

P and Jeff visit from NJ!

The Clarkes visit from just down the street and bring an awesome meal!

We had two great friend couples visit yesterday. P and Jeff came down from NJ and visited with us for the first part of the day. Then, the Clarkes came over in the evening and brought a fabulous dinner and great company. We are so thankful to have such good friends - those who are local enough to visit and also those who are too far away to visit.

Easter Eggstravaganza

Yesterday, our community had an Easter Eggstravaganza which my mom and I took Nina and Lyla to. Getting out of the house with both girls is somewhat of a production at this point, but we bundled up Lyla and let Nina have fun with some other kids. She got to meet the Easter Bunny...She cleaned house on eggs during the egg hunt for ages 0-3 (as you can see, they weren't that hard to find)...
Even still, she prefered looking in the bushes for the harder to find eggs...
Our little egg hunter
Back at the house, she is wearing one of the prizes from an egg she found (it's a pirate eye patch)

6 Days Old

Lyla is six days old today, but this isonly the third day that Nina has had to be around her sister. So far, she's done great. She is gentle and loving, and while it's hard for her to understand the changes going on, she's done a great job thanks to the help of my mom and dad who have taken turns being here each day while Mark has been gone. Spending the day playing with Mousey and Poppy has been a real treat for her.

Arriving Home

Thankfully, the hospital agreed to release me a day early so Mark could take us home before he had to leave for Jamaica early Tuesday morning. So, on Monday afternoon, we arrived home and were so happy to be out of the hospital. It will definitely be a period adjustment for all of us, so please forgive us for not returning emails and phone calls as quickly as we may like. Nina already seems to be very interested in her new little sister.

Lyla Simpson

As many of you know, my due date was 3/3, however during the week following 3/3, I had been having contractions, but nothing that caused us to rush off to the hospital, but we were starting to get a little impatient. On Friday morning, 3/7, my water broke just after we woke up, so the doctor told us to head over to the hospital. I wasn't having contractions right away, but soon after arriving at the hospital, the contractions started (not bad at this point). We watched the hours tick by - passing the time by playing cards, watching TV, and I walked and walked trying to get things moving faster. As the contractions got worse and closer together, our doctor was pleased at how the labor patters had developed, however I still was not dialating as expected. To make a long story short, 19 hours after my water broke, I was still not progressing at all in dialation, and my doctor told us what we already knew - there was no way I was going to progress enough in the little bit of time we had left (to avoid harm to the baby or myself since my water had broken so long ago), and we had to have another C-section. On the bright side, Lyla did great (except for one rather dramatic scare during labor), and she and I came out of the experience healthy. While we were disappointed that things didn't work out as we hoped, we were so happy to finally meet this little girl!

Here is Mark snipping the cord after delivery.

Lyla Rose Simpson - 6 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 3/4 "
Big sister meets little sister. Nina was so excited to hold Lyla.
First kisses...

Big Sister Nina

Uncle Bo with Lyla. Lyla was actually born on Bo's birthday, so in this picture we have birthday girl meets birthday boy.

Mike came by with a bag full of goodies for Mark and I to feast on that was SO much better than hospital food!!!!Proud Grandparents of grandaughter #4 in under 4 years! My sister was also there visiting, but as she was our fist visitor, we didn't have our camera out yet to get her photo with Lyla. Proud and tired daddy...

Counting

Spring Fever

In order to make the most out of a gorgeous spring-like day (and keep our minds off the fact that today is the baby's due date, yet no baby so far), we spent most of the day outside enjoying the sun and warm weather.

We went to the playground, the swings, ate lunch on the deck, and Nina and Mark worked on their golf short game in the back yard. I think we all have spring fever now!

Update

Sorry for the lack of pictures lately, but we really haven't had that much exciting to take pictures for unless you would like to see pictures of us selling a car, doing taxes, putting together baby gear, and doing laundry! Mark is home with us now, so we're ready for the baby to arrive at any time. Still no word on when that will be yet. The due date is Monday, but who knows if it will be sometime around then, earlier, later, or what. For those of you who voted on the poll of the baby's sex, the boy votes won out - we'll see if you're right. Most people who see me comment that I look like I'm having a boy, but most people said that the last time too, and we know how that ended up. We'll keep the blog updated with any baby developments, and maybe we'll actually do something fun with our weekend and take some pictures of it!!