By Tyler
Annley has heroes…
They have names like Ariel, Belle, Cinderella… Meg
Annley likes to name some of her toys after her heroes.
Though her little girl dolls are all named “Meg”.
When Annley says “Meg” it sounds like “Egg”.
So this morning when she came running up to me saying “Egg! Egg! Egg! Daddy, Egg!” I reached for a nearby girl doll and handed it to her.
Annley looked down at “Meg”…
and said, “No Daddy. Breakfast. Egg.”
By Tyler
Sorry I couldn't get into more detail last night. With all the excitement and exhaustion, we didn't want to fail to let everyone know the great news, but we just didn't have the energy or were clear-headed enough to elaborate. Some of this information is repeated from my post last night so please forgive me. I just wanted to give all our friends a little more detail.
Carmen's doing fine now. The labor was much shorter than last time, but she still labored for just under 12 hours (way better than for 3 days). Parker 8 lbs 8 ounces, was 22 inches long with a head 14 inches in diameter so it took a few really difficult pushes, but there was no tearing (rips). From the time we got to the birth center to when Carmen delivered was only about 2 1/2 hours so our timing was very good. Her water broke while she was laboring in a bath; after that she only labored another 1 1/2 hours until Parker was delivered.
Parker's amazing. He's got great muscle tone and strong lungs. He doesn't seem quite as aware as Annley was of her surroundings when she was born, but he's far more relaxed and quiet-tempered. The only times he really gets upset at all is when he has to be changed (he can't stand the cold) and when he's hungry. Other than that he's perfectly content.
Annley stayed with my parents last and Carmen is really grateful for the break since Annley is a firey ball of energy and also since Carmen's still on the mend. We're at home now and enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep last night. Annley will probably come home in just a few hours where she'll have to start getting used to the idea of sharing "mommy" with a new baby. She regarded Parker last night with curiosity, a shred of jealousy, but mostly excitement, so I believe she'll be just fine after a short adjustment. Annley is a bright, helpful, and intelligent young girl, so I have no doubt that she will be a great big sister.
Parker is the second child we've given birth to with a perfect Apgar score of at least 10. We've been told that's not particularly common. We already know what an amazing child Annley has turned out to be so we have confidence that we're at least a little prepared for all the joy and difficulty that comes with bringing a second child into the home.
We appreciate all your love and support. Thank you for the incredible out-pouring of well wishes. We love all our family and friends and we'll be excited to share our family with them whenever possible.
Love,
Tyler and Carmen
By Carmen
Lately Annley has found a new favorite place to watch her movies.
We have a few other options but for some reason this is the place to be.
By Carmen
Yesterday was Annley’s birthday. I can’t believe she is already 2 years old. It seems like she was just born. Annley is such a wonderful part of our family and Tyler and I love her very much.
Some things we love about Annley;
She loves princesses, singing, dancing and jumping.
Has a great sense of humor and loves making people laugh.
She loves to cuddle especially in the morning.
She likes to have a plan for the day.
She LOVES animals.
She has a terrific memory (this comes in handy when my memory fails me).
She has a way of making you think her idea was actually your idea.
We had Annley’s party and a park and invited some of her friends. It was a beautiful day to be outside.
I made my first attempt and doing more than just frosting a regular cake.
Annley played at the park with her Nana and her friends.
By Carmen
Annley has never been the most friendly person with kids her own age. She usually gravitates to older kids who she can actually have a conversation with and who can grasp the game of tag.
Regardless of that fact I have been trying to do play dates at least every other week. We finally had a break through a couple of weeks ago while we were visiting my parents.
I scheduled a play date with my friend Candace and her daughter Laurel.
The play date started out with Annley being clingy and whiny but after about 10 minutes of being in the “toddler’s” museum and seeing all the wonderful things to do she took off. She played by herself for a little while and then she and Laurel actually played together.
Here is a glimpse of what they did together.
They ended the play date with hand holding and hugs.
By Carmen
A few months ago I started giving Annley chores to do around the house. It drags the chores out longer for me but Annley is learning how to help.
When I first decided to have Annley start helping with the chores, I was worried it would turn into a power struggle.
Then I remembered that she is an attention seeker.
All I have to do is give lots of praise and do a couple of cheers and she is more than willing to help.
Her chores include;
Laundry- loading the washer, putting clothes in the dryer, taking clothes from the dryer and putting them in the “big chair” and now we are working on putting her clothes away.
Dishes- Unloading the silverware and other unbreakable dishes.
Cleaning her room and play area.
So far she is more than willing to help feels very proud that she is helping. I am going to enjoy eagerness to help while it lasts.
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