5.5 Weeks and rashes

So, we finally made an appointment to take Alma in to check to make sure her skin issues weren't something really bad (like a flesh eating bacteria or something). After taking a quick look, our pediatrician said it's just baby acne mixed with whatever dermatitis causes cradle cap. Needless to say, it's not a pretty picture. It's the weirdest thing, baby acne. It's actually caused by MY hormones in her body...boy do I feel awful. The doc suggested using a blur mechanism on the camera until it goes away...but we aren't THAT shallow...really. We are just having a hard time getting TIME to take pictures of her. I knew this happened, but I never thought to us. I'll try harder in the next few days to get meaningful shots of my dear girl. She really is so beautiful and growing every day...

OH, and she weighs 10 lbs, 1 oz. I don't think she's going to beat G's 2 month weight after all...she's much less into eating than he is, so maybe she'll be tiny and dainty. OH hahaha, who am I kidding!?

Belated 2 week info

Bathtime for baby girl

Alma had her two week appt last week. New stats:
21" long
8 lbs 5 oz

She's working on beating her brother's 2 month weight of 11 lbs 2 oz. Next appointment will be some time after she is actually 2 months thanks to the popularity of our pediatrician.

Three weeks

It's been three weeks since our new little bundle of joy (and hiccups) entered the world via the quick route. Three weeks of easy recovery, three weeks of little sleep, three weeks of an edgy 3 year old, three weeks of a messy house, three weeks of cluster feeding, and three weeks of pure bliss. I honestly feel a little guilty that I didn't enjoy my first little bundle as much as Alma.

Guillermo's first year seemed like forever to me. I was always second guessing myself, and looking back, obviously suffering from postpartum depression for much of his first 18 months of life. I look at him now, how intense he is, how emotional, and I'm sure that his being a first child somehow molded (at least a little bit) parts of his personality. While they can be a tad bit trying for his rather passive parents, I try to tell myself that these parts of Guillermo's personality will serve him well in life. By far, my biggest challenge with adding a new family member to our household for me has been watching this little kid who days ago was my baby change his role from only child to oldest child. Surely this stems from my own inability to understand sibling-hood, but it makes a little bit sad seeing his little face while he tries to understand all the feelings welling up inside of him. He is at once filled with love and loathing for his sister. Luckily, the loathing is short-lived and never taken out on Alma (mainly he's just PO'd at mom and dad).

I recently received a parenting magazine in the mail that includes a little blip of an interview with Mark Consuelos (yes, I did spend a bit of my younger years enjoying his role on All My Children!). Anyway, he was asked what he would entitle a parenting handbook, and his answer was all I needed to realize that my feelings entering into the family of four routine aren't all that weird: The First Kid is Like the First Pancake: Burnt on the Outside and Raw in the Middle, But the Rest are Really Good. I can relate to the first part, but I think sometimes burnt on the outside and raw in the middle works, and this is especially true of my firstborn! He "rocks this party out"!

Awaiting the arrival of Alma E

I sit here at about 37 weeks awaiting the arrival of my daughter. My daughter. Just the sound of it makes me both nervous and excited all at once. So many things are already different--like the fact that the baby closet if FULL of clothes. I've bought 20 baby hangers several times in the last months, and there are still not enough. Everything is pink or purple. So many little cute 'girlie' things. Throughout this pregnancy, I've become uber-aware of how my ideas of child-rearing may change with a girl. Of how certain things that I find 'acceptable' for my boy somehow won't be for my girl. This has been a soul-searching period for me in that I can all of a sudden see how differently I think about the genders. Something I never thought I did!? So, since the bloggy thing has pretty much ended with Facebook and the like, I've decided to use this blog for my own processes as I begin my journey of raising two children.

As I await Alma's grand entrance, I can't stop thinking how different it feels to be having a second child. All those nerves about bringing home a baby are gone. I am actually counting days to getting beyond the hospital stay and being home with my family. When Guillermo was born, I was terrified to be left alone with him! I don't even feel all that nervous about having two children or dealing with G's regressions and issues of learning to cope with a new bundle around. It's nice not to have those nerves.

Alma at 37 weeks

On the other hand, without those nerves to help me through the last days of pregnancy, I can only focus on how tired, huge and seriously impatient I am to get this baby born. I am not enjoying the little pregnancy moments as much or even noticing some of them (probably due to play bad guys and super heroes all day!). SO, in the last days, I've decided to focus my time enjoying the not so little kicks that I'm feeling. Of chuckling when getting up every 30 minutes in the night. Of noticing the little growing girl inside my belly...

The closet with about a third missing due to laundering

Girls girls girls

So, the little one has been identified as a girl. I will leave the revealing ultrasounds for those who really care to see them, but here are a couple of not great head shots. I'll also keep the kind of creepy 3D shots to myself accept for family (for some reason, I take some issue with 3D shots of unborn babies...they kind of creep me out...but the tech said our baby was "so cute" that she couldn't resist..teehee). Well, without further blathering, here our the first glimpses of baby girl Bomberger (see, now isn't that cute skull?):

Changes a brewing

Guillermo started official preschool last Thursday. He is excited to go back again this week, and since I have a baby shower to plan and get ready for, I gotta say, I'm happy too! His first day of school was quite exciting. After circle time, the class moves around 5 or 6 different learning centers based on different topics (science, language, math, computers, art, etc.). His favorite part was playing with snow inside and mixing colors with eye droppers (or, "suckers", as he referred to them). He didn't get to check out the computer center because it was so popular that he didn't get a chance, but he wants to try it this week). I think he has been ready to go this next level for some time, but mommy finally caught up! I must say that leaving him there was probably a lot harder for me than him!

The only down side of this new adventure is that we have to quit attending the cooperative preschool that we've been at for 3 years because the days don't match up. I'm on the board at the cooperative, and it means that I have to resign before my post ends as well. Sadness mixed with happiness. I'll miss the co-op, and hopefully in a little over a year, I can attend again with our new little one.

Speaking of the new little one: We are now at 15 weeks. I heard the heartbeat for the first time today (although we had seen an ultrasound at approx 12 weeks too). At 12 weeks, the heartbeat was 168 and now it's still 165...the midwife's comment was, "Wow! You've got a live wire in there!" after she had to move the doppler several times because the baby was moving around. I told her that I thought our first child was the live wire!? I had a short moment of thinking OH NO, WHAT HAVE I DONE??? But, I'm sure the baby was just in party mode at the moment and will end up a calm, quiet, reserved child in the end. Haha!

Fall is here!

We've started swimming lessons, Kindermusik and co-op preschool so far this fall. Guillermo is the oldest in his co-op class and one of the youngest in his music class. Both classes are sheer bliss for our little socialite. Swimming continues to be a challenge, but we're just going to push through and do a YMCA class each month until next summer.

We've only got one month left of the 2s. It's bittersweet watching my baby grow into a little boy. At the end of summer, Guillermo woke up one morning and told me that his diaper was "bugging" him. He then took it off and threw it across the room. He hasn't worn a diaper since. We had a few pull-up days when I thought that maybe he'd get excited and forget to use the bathroom, but now we're on to underwear everywhere we go. Our lives now revolve around the potty. Yesterday we even tried out a portable unit!. Wow! It happened so fast! I'm so entertained by the little boy underwear--the laundry filled with superheroes, Toys characters and the Sesame St. gang. I love watching my kid pick his underwear depending on his mood...he could care less about his clothing, but boy, those underwear have to be painstakingly chosen each day.

We are feeling the busy days of fall as we go on school outings, make plans for birthdays, holidays and an upcoming weekend trip to La Conner for the Festival of Family Farms. We've also heard that the winter is promising a LOT of snow, so we're planning how to tackle those frigid winter days with sleds and cocoa....ah, this mommy is happy that the leaves are turning. Family seems to become more important in autumn. It seems like the time for memory-making and thanking each moment for being so special.

Hopefully I'll post more now that summer has ended. For now, here are some pics of G's first day of school.