Our little Cora is here!

Our sweet little Cora Nicole was born this morning. Surprised? We were too. I really thought and hoped that I would make it full-term.

Everything was looking picture perfect at the doctors. Weight, blood pressure, baby, measurements... literally everything was "textbook" perfect. We tried P17 shots, my cervix was measured, extra doctors appointments and screenings, etc. Everything looked great, but it seems as if my body hits 34 weeks pregnant and that is it!

Here is her birth story...

I woke up Friday morning and felt fine. Steven went to work, Aubrey and I ate breakfast. I took a shower and then gave her a bath. We played princess and I was getting really excited because Steven was coming home at noon and it was the start of our Christmas break since he has the next week and a half off work.

At about 9:30 am I just started feeling a ton of pressure. I have really been trying to listen to my body and take it easy, so I put a TV show on for Aubrey and I rested on the couch. By about 10 am, I started to feel pain. By 10:30 I felt like I was having contractions. So, I called Steven and told him to come home. By this point, I was honestly crying. I cried for a while. It took me a while to accept that despite everything I tried.... she was probably coming early. I just "felt" like this was it. I hoped that I was wrong because everything was going so well and it just came out of nowhere (again) but I kind of knew.

I called the doctor and they told me to go to the hospital. We arrived at about 11:30 and then checked to see where things were at. 3 cm dilated. Just like when I got to the hospital with Aubrey. And again, just like Aubrey, I had no clue that anything was happening until like an hour before.

Since my water hadn't broken yet, the doctors gave me a bunch of drugs to try to slow down/stop my labor. When it became obvious that it couldn't be stopped, they just said that every hour could help so they slowed things down as much as they could. I am pretty sure if they hadn't, she would have come really fast.

The rest of the day was pretty long. I held off on getting the epidural until about 5:30 pm so it was a pretty long day of contractions. Not fun. The epidural was nice, but just like with Aubrey, I don't freeze well. So, I still felt most of the contractions. The drugs they gave me also gave me a really bad headache and my blood pressure kept dropping crazy low so I was dizzy and nauseous for most of the day. 

At about 10 pm, things started to really hurt. So, I asked for more drugs :) I figured... what is the point of an epidural if it doesn't even work that great? Well... then things were really nice. Finally, at about 11 pm, when I was checked at a 9 and it was obvious they couldn't do much more to slow things down, the doctor came and broke my water so I could deliver.

Yikes! As soon as she did that, things got intense. Even with the extra epidural. Around 11:30, I kept telling the nurse that I felt a ton of pressure. We all kind of wanted to make it to midnight so that technically she would be born at 34 weeks 5 days instead of 4 days. Every day makes a difference with preemies. At that point, a few extra minutes wouldn't have mattered, but I wanted that extra day because I fought hard for each day this pregnancy. 

So, I pretty much tried to not push. When I did start pushing, she had to stop me to run and get the doctor. 2 pushes later and she was here! Crazy different than the 2 hours of pushing + vacuum that I did with Aubrey. It was so fast. 

She was born at 12:04 am, weighing 4 lbs 14 oz and 17.5 inches long. She got 9 and 9 on her APGARS, and has been on room air since birth. They even let me hold her for a few minutes before they took her away to the NICU. She is tiny and dark and beautiful.

It is amazing to me how love really does just grow. I thought that my heart was full of so much love for Steven and Aubrey. I still love them just as much, but there is now a whole new kind of love for our little Cora there as well.

She seems to be doing really really well. Just like with any major trial, only those who have been through the NICU roller coaster can really understand how much work it is to get them home. I know that there will be setbacks along our way to get her home, but she is doing great so far. She is much stronger than Aubrey was at birth, so we will see how long we are here.

It all feels like deja-vu. Another preemie. Another Christmas in the NICU. More hours of pumping. More missing my sweet baby and wishing I could hold her. But, I am happy and I am grateful. I am so lucky to be a mother and lucky that even though this is really really hard, I am so blessed to have these girls in my life.

We are happy to be a family of 4 and can't wait until we can take our sweet Cora home.

Aubrey is 2!

I really can't believe that my little girl is a full-blown two-year-old. Where does the time go?

Since Aubrey and her soon-to-be little sister have the same due date, it has been exciting but kind of emotional at the same time. Aubrey's birthday has been much anticipated... mostly because I am so excited for her, but also because I kept wondering if I would still be pregnant by now. I won't go into lots of pregnancy details, because this is about Aubrey, but yes, I am still pregnant!

Because I really had no idea what would be going on with the baby, I was nervous to plan a big party. So we had an "all about Aubrey" day instead. She definitely had a fantastic day. She kept saying, "Happy Birthday Aubrey!" It cracked me up.

She started the day by opening her presents. She loved playing with all her new toys. I have already bought a new toy storage system in anticipation of the onslaught between her birthday and Christmas.

Then we went to this huge (and I mean huge... think a few hundred kids running around) playgroup with a few of her little friends. I didn't take any pictures there because it is the kind of place where if you turn your back for a second you could lose your kid, but she absolutely loves going there. 

Then lunch at LinkedIn with daddy. "Shopping", "Inked In," and "friends" are frequently brought up as favorites. 

Naptime. So, the whole day wasn't all about Aubrey. This part was for me.

Play with toys and dinnertime! Homemade mac and cheese and fruit salad. I really tried to make something I knew she would love. She ate some, but really not much. Some days I wonder how she survives :)

Then, cake and ice cream. I made a hot pink rosette cake for my little girl that loves pink. She really liked trying to blow out the candles.

And... since we have no family around, we did a Google hangout so everybody could sing Aubrey Happy Birthday. I was thrilled because every family member on both sides was there to sing to her. So grateful for technology that can keep us close despite the miles.

More playtime, lots of stories and snuggles, and she is now fast asleep. Pretty fun day for a two-year-old! 

So, this is the part that is probably just for me to remember and the grandparents, but here is what Aubrey is up to at 2!

• Knows most of her colors and a few shapes. She loves "pink, purple, and yellow." All the pictures she brings home from nursery are colored in these colors. Mostly pink though.
• Clothing battles! Ugh. Mostly just sweater/coat battles. It is a good thing we live somewhere relatively warm, because getting her to put one of those on is such a hassle. She also has an opinion and likes to pick out the clothes that Steven and I wear. I think Steven is going on week #3 of purple ties at church.
• Loves to sing. Can sing quite a few songs including almost all of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" by herself.
• Still active as ever. I literally have to run to keep up with her. 
• Definitely throws her share of temper tantrums, but I am finding her actually easier to deal with than the 18-month time period. Now that she can communicate and I can communicate to her, things are less frustrating.
• Talks a lot. Like.... to herself, to her dolls, to us, and to anybody she is comfortable with. Sometimes is quiet around strangers, but she is saying new things everyday. 
• Very friendly and social. LOVES her friends. Talks about them all the time. She plays really well with other kids, but can be kind of passive aggressive. We had a little friend over the other day and instead of just not sharing, she was hiding her favorite toys so he couldn't play with them. I couldn't help but laugh at that. 
• Still my amazing little sleeper. Sometimes she doesn't like when the books and stories have to end at bedtime but she goes to sleep so quickly and sleeps all night without a peep. Do you think I can get this lucky twice?
• I would say my most frustrating part of the day with Aubrey is getting from our third-floor apartment to the car. She runs away, demands to be carried, or just is plain slow. This is probably the main reason I just have to move when our contract is up in February. 
• Loves babies, dolls, and anything girly.

There is so much more, but we just love our little Aubrey. She is such a joy!

Vintage Affair

We went to the LinkedIn Christmas party this past Saturday and had a great time.

First, I sent Aubrey and Steven to the ward Christmas party so I could blast some Taylor Swift music while doing my hair and make-up completely toddler-free. Definitely brought me back to my high school days until I had to get dressed and remembered I was 8 months pregnant.

LinkedIn sure knows how to throw a party! The party was at the Fairmont hotel in downtown San Jose and they definitely didn't spare any expense. Everything was great... except parking, which was a complete nightmare.

There were various ballrooms around the hotel that had bands, music, games, etc. While most people couldn't wait to get as many free drinks as possible, Steven and I took it upon ourselves to try out the different buffets in each and every room. I was soo full....

They had everything from fancy food like oysters, crab, and sushi to a nacho bar and candy room. We had a lot of fun and I sure always enjoy a date night out with the Steven.

We also stopped at one of the photobooth stations. I love photobooths. I had Steven scan our pictures, but the quality is pretty bad and he cut off the last picture. Gives it character I guess.

Aubrey also had a great time and definitely wishes her parents would fork over the money for a baby-sitter more often. She was thrilled that somebody new came over to play and happily waved bye bye as we left. She is such a social little girl and I am very happy she is so well-adjusted, but sometimes a mom would like to feel missed!

Can't wait to see what next year's party brings. We are grateful that Steven has a good job that allows me to stay home with our kiddos. The cool parties are just a bonus :)

Sick

This is what my normally spunky little girl looks like after being up all night throwing up:

It was pretty sad.

She went to bed Thursday night completely fine. I went in to check on her about an hour later and when I peeked in I saw that she was lying down with her eyes open. So I went over to give her a kiss and when I got closer I noticed something smelled a little funny. She was completely covered in throw-up! All over her bedding, pillow, pajamas, etc. She looked up at me and said, "Clean up?"

I felt terrible. She didn't cry, or try to come get me or anything! I mean... I'm glad she is such a good sleeper and stays in bed all night, but I felt so bad. Luckily, it was only an hour and not all night.

Then... we spent the ENTIRE night up with her throwing up. I think we both might have fallen asleep between 3 and 4 but I'm really not sure. 

And... despite my best attempts at directing towards a bowl or running her to the bathroom, toddlers do not aim well.

10 loads of laundry this weekend! Whew. Lots of carpet cleaning as well. 

I suspect the ball pit she had so much fun playing in on Wednesday to be the culprit.... 

I will admit that I'm not very good at the "at-home" part of stay at home mom. We like to get out. It keeps me sane. Unfortunately, that means that we also get sick alot. Stronger immune system right?

But, things are better now. My spunky little girl is back. She was running around like a wild women tonight playing with her "glasses." She still isn't eating much, but that isn't too different than normal :)

Thanksgiving

We have had a great Thanksgiving with just our little family of 3 soon to be 4. This is the first year we have not been around our extended family and the first year we were in charge of our own Thanksgiving dinner. I was impressed with us though!

We had Thanksgiving with our good friends Dave and Liz and it was soo good. They took the hard job of the turkey, but we brought the pies, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and rolls. Yummy. I am so grateful for all of my many blessings.... especially these two (and the one of the way).

We tried to take some family pictures before Thanksgiving dinner but it didn't go too well. Aubrey is pretty sure that she should be the one taking the pictures instead of in them.

Speaking of Aubrey, she is just becoming her own little person and talking more everyday. She has quite the personality. She will tell you too. One of her favorite things to say is, "I'm so funny." 

On Friday we set up the Christmas decorations and wrapped all our presents. I only have a couple left to get and we are ready!

Putting up the lights, or "yites" was a big hit. 

I swear I also grew a couple inches this weekend. Third trimester of pregnancy over the holidays = yikes. 31 weeks and things seem to be doing well. Another thing I am very grateful for!

I love this time of year!

Halloween 2012

For this year's Halloween pumpkin, Steven decided to carve the LinkedIn logo:

It looked way cool and it was a very fitting pumpkin for the Foote family year of 2012. We absolutely LOVE LOVE Steven's job at LinkedIn and it has been such a huge blessing for our family. A year ago, I wondered what we were doing here in the Bay Area. Now I know, and we are in a good place. 

The company is fantastic and there are a lot of perks to working there. Aubrey and I love coming to eat lunch with Steven and help enjoy some of those perks :) 

Here are some other photos from Halloween 2012. We actually did a lot, but I spent most of the time chasing my crazy little girl around and so I didn't get too many pictures. She was a darn cute Zebra through.

We carved pumpkins, went to a pumpkin patch, 2 Halloween parties, and Aubrey went trick-or-treating 3 times. 

We spent a lot of time practicing having Aubrey say "Trick or Treat"... and then "Thank you." But when the time came she wouldn't say anything! She would just hold out her bucket and then wave bye bye. *sigh* All that practicing for nothing. Despite being a mute, she loved trick-or-treating and definitely got the hang of things quick.

Grandpa Kelly

Steven's Grandpa Kelly passed away this week. He was such a sweet and loving man and will be greatly missed:

I know that Steven has many more memories and should probably be the one writing this post, but every time I saw him he was so kind and happy. The above photo was taken at our wedding and I am so glad our photographer captured such a great shot. 

I am especially glad that we were able to go to a family reunion this past June with this side of Steven's family. I remember Aubrey sat on his lap and tried to feed him ice cream. 

The funeral is being held today in Reno. Since I am now entering my third trimester and at a risk for pre-term labor, my doctors advised me not to travel at all, and so I was unable to go. That on top of the fact that I have another cold/flu virus that I am fighting unfortunately mean that I am here resting (and coughing like crazy) on the couch today instead of with my family.

Steven took Aubrey with him to the funeral. As I watched him carry her sleeping down to the car this morning at 5, my heart hurt and I missed them like crazy even though they will only be gone for a day. 

I realized how grateful for I am for family, and how blessed I am that I get to spend my days with my little ones. Even on the really hard days, and honestly with how sick I have been, how hard this pregnancy has been, and how incredibly active Aubrey is... there have been some hard days lately, I cherish the blessings of family and motherhood. 

Losing a loved one puts life in perspective, and having a testimony of the eternal nature of family and that the relationships we develop in this life can last forever, brings such peace and hope.

Steven's grandfather was married for 56 years, raised 8 children, had 38 grandchildren, and now 16 great-grandchildren with more on the way. That is what life is about, and I am grateful that we can be part of such a lasting family legacy.