Kung Fu Fighting

So things are finally falling into a routine around here - albeit a pretty crazy, sleep-deprived, verge of collapse kind of routine.  And I haven't even gone back to work yet.  God help me if my clients need me to travel anywhere soon.  Afraid Leslie may just tell me to not bother coming back.  Anyway, in reality, things are settling down.  Sarah continues to be a dream, eating frequently and sleeping a ton.  She easily surpassed her birth weight at her first doctor's appointment on Thursday (8 lbs 12 oz) and is right on track in terms of height and weight.

Her brothers have also been great and seem genuinely happy to have another kid in the mix. They've been great helpers with diaper changes, bath time and getting Sarah in and out of the car.  The only hiccup is that we're seeing a little more sibling rivalry than we used to - which we're addressing with our own version of the Thunderdome.  So far the guys seem pretty easily matched but I'll probably get in trouble for encouraging this after pumping them full of donuts this morning and watching Kung Fu Panda about 20 times.  Probably time to sign them both up for the swim team and keep us moving to a bit more of a "constructive" routine.

P.S.  Andrew was also pretty excited today about getting over his fear of fireworks.  Yeah, that's right, right after kung-fu-wrestle-mania, we went a little safe and insane with poppers throughout the neighborhood.  Next stop, the 'rez.  Better watch out 4th of July weekend (see what happens without maternal supervision). 

Sarah and Grandma

Little Sarah is doing great and starting to develop her own look and personality. She continues to eat well and sleep a lot, which has been great for us. Leslie's hospital stay has been extended a day due to a low blood count so the doctor can keep an eye on her a bit longer. Primary instructions to her have been to start eating a lot more red meat so, great - no problem, New York Strip and T-Bones for us all next week!

Grandma Peters has also been a lifesaver for us - keeping Andrew and Owen on their schedules and using her "30 years-as-an-educator" experience to finally ween Owen off bottles and keep the boys in their own beds each night. Of course, she's also doing great with her new granddaughter, as you can see in the photos below.

Thanks to everyone for checking on us. More updates to come as we emerage from the fog of the last few days.

Sarah Elizabeth Capron

We added Sarah Elizabeth Capron to the family today at 12:04 pm. She weighed in at 8 lbs 4 ounces and was 20 inches long. That's a little bit bigger than Andrew and just a bit less than Owen. She was delivered at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach via C Section which, although controlled and planned, was still a bit traumatic for Leslie and me. Nonetheless, both Sarah and Leslie are thriving. Sarah's had no trouble feeding and Leslie, other than trying to stay a step ahead of the pain medication wearing off, is recovering nicely.

Andrew and Owen are equally excited. They've not yet visited in person but thanks to Skype and a web cam, they had their virtual introductions earlier this evening. Owen seemed to like "Sarah" as a name (versus "W" and "Airplane" that he and Andrew had already agreed would be perfect choices), and Andrew was thrilled when he found out that "the baby came out and Mommy wasn't fat any more." Probably not a bad way to ease them into this new family set-up but we have a feeling they're going to be great, helpful big brothers.

Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers. Looking forward to introducing Sarah to all of our wonderful family and friends. In the meantime, here's a few snapshots of the days events:

... And a little more after

... And after

Before...

Aww...

Aww..., originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

I snapped this picture fast and it turned out a little blurry, but I didn't want to miss this moment! They're holding hands. These two get a long pretty well.

37 Weeks

37 Weeks, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Here I am at 37 weeks. As you can see my belly is rather pointy. Apparently this is a sure sign that I am having a boy. Many, many people tell me this on a daily basis. Including Owen's pediatrician. Just on Tuesday she took one look at me and said I was having a boy. I am pretty sure that after three ultrasounds, I am in fact having a girl, but I'm a little unnerved nonetheless (only because the ultrasound tech who made the girl pronouncement is the same one that said there was no baby when in fact I was pregnant with Owen. ) So, if this baby pops out as a boy, there's going to be some lucky baby out there who will be gifted with the few hundred girly pink outfits that have taken over the nursery here at Casa Capron.

I've been off work since Monday and have been feeling good. I've dropped the boys off at Kindercare each day and have been slowly plowing my way through a modest to do list. Really what I'm using this time for is to catch up on bills, laundry, grocery shopping so that when the baby gets here we won't be in a major chore deficit. I'm also catching up on some sleep.

My due date is May 26. And my delivery will most likely be a c-section. During my last conversation with my doctor this week, I asked him again what his latest thoughts on delivery were and he told me that from his perspective, his goal is to deliver a healthy and uninjured baby (that is my goal too by the way...). He is taking birth recovery for me less into consideration. So, given that if we try to go naturally there is a higher risk of another shoulder dystocia and a higher risk of permanent nerve damage if the baby is severely stuck (like Owen was), then there really is one option - c-section. I'm feeling frustrated because if that's the case, I just want my doctor to schedule the date and get on with it, but instead, he wants another ultrasound next week to look at the baby's size and have more information to make a decision. I knew this time around that a c-section was very likely since before I even left the hospital with Owen my doctor told me that any future deliveries would be a section - so this is no surprise. I'm just scared of the surgery, and don't understand why I don't have a surgery date already. This really isn't an "elective" situation. So that's the latest news.

I am in a hyper-vigilant state so that every twinge in my belly is stopping me in my tracks in the hopes that this is labor starting and we can get this baby out already!