Adeline Courtney Robinson has arrived!

And now we are a family of four! On September 21st at 6:15pm our world changed (again!) with the arrival of Adeline "Addie" Courtney. Adeline was my paternal grandmother's middle name and Courtney is my mother-in-law's name as well as many members of Tommy's extended family (his sister's middle name, cousin's first name, etc) so her name is very special to both of us. 

Addie's birth story (this is not going to be short...): I was put on the list to get induced for Wednesday night. The reason to get induced before 40 weeks was because Emma was a big baby (9lbs 12 oz) on her due date and I was worried about another large baby and tough delivery. Well this week in the hospital was apparently insane so we got bumped Wednesday night because my induction was elective. Thursday morning I called to check in and they said I would get in at some point that day but to go about as normal so I went for a walk and when I got home I got a call at 9am. I jumped in the shower because they wanted us there at 10. We got there at 10 and didn't get into a room until around 11:15. Well the doc on call that day came around 12 and decided that he didn't want to start with cervidil and go straight to pitocin so I was on pitocin from 12-8pm with not much change at all (sigh) so the doctor decided it would be best to stop for the night so I could eat and sleep and start again at 6am Friday morning. Talk about a long day. So 6am rolls around and they start the pitocin drip again. At 9:30 am the doctor on call that day came to check me and was surprised they hadn't done cervidil because I wasn't has dilated as they had stated. He seemed frustrated as well as me to say the least. He decided to break my water to hopefully try and get things going. Well around 12 I decided it was time for me to get my epidural. It finally got placed around 1. I had hit my threshold by this point. The doctor checked me right after that and I was only 3cm but was thinning out. I then took a nap to try and relax myself a bit. He came back at 4pm and I was still 3cm but was thinner (progress they kept telling me). I hit a mental wall at this point. I was convinced I wasn't going to progress past 3cm and I was going to end up with a c section after all this. I was really regretting having been induced to begin with. I was not in a good place. The nurse came in to up my epidural at 5:30 and we were just discussing when she thought the doc would be back to check me and she barely finished the sentence and in walked Dr. Marcus at 5:45 to both our suprises. He had been watching my contraction monitor (at 4pm they inserted an internal contraction monitor to get a more accurate read) and saw something (looked like nothing to me) that made him want to come check because he had a feeling she was ready. Well sure enough baby's head was right there and it was time to have a baby. The nurses came in to prep the room and we barely had time to process that it was actually time. I had a good feeling about pushing because I felt different than I did with Emma. The hour before pushing with Emma my back was in excrutiating pain because she was sunny side up. Addie HAD to be in a better position because I barely felt any pressure at all. Well 10 minutes later (3 contractions total) she was HERE! I have never been more relieved in my life. She was perfect and she was here. Northside now has the "golden hour" rule and they don't do anything with the baby until at least an hour later. It was so funny because the doctor and nurses were so anxious to hear her weight and it was going to be after shift change. She looked big. Dr. Marcus wanted to know so badly so he left his number with the night nurse for her to call him with her weight! Well an hour an half later the nursery lady came in and got started with weighing and bath. She weighed in at 9lbs 4oz and 21 and 3/4 inches long. She was only slightly smaller than her older sister. We enjoyed that time just the three of us. Addie was able to eat and we were able to just soak in her newness. It was pure bliss. At around 8:30pm my sisters, mom, Tom and Courtney all came in to meet sweet Addie. My dad came later once my mom could get home to relieve him since Emma was staying at their house. Everyone wanted in on the snuggles.

Saturday morning Emma came to visit and it was so funny watching her. She was so fascinated by Addie and wanted me to unwrap her so she could see her toes and fingers. She was really sweet and we are working on gentleness. Nana, mom and dad came with Emma. 

It was a long few days but all worth it in the end. Addie is such a good baby and we are all adjusting to being home. We came home on Sunday the 23rd and I can't believe tomorrow Addie will already be a week old. Life with two is chaos but beautiful chaos!

Baby time!

Well tomorrow is it for me at work before baby. I'm 39 weeks 3 days and I'm on the list to get checked in tomorrow night for induction (pending I don't get bumped due to lack of beds). We had an ultrasound yesterday to check baby's size and fluid levels. She's looking good and the calculations showed she's around 8lbs 6oz. The reasoning behind induction at 39 weeks is because Emma was a big baby on her due date and so I'd rather not go longer than my due date. My doctor isn't worried about me being able to deliver a big baby again but it just gives both Tommy and myself some anxiety. We would prefer to not have to use the vacuum to get this little love out. Since all looked well and I'm progressing my doctor felt comfortable with inducing. 

If I work tomorrow I won't have to go back to work until after Christmas break in January. 60 days of work goes from Thursday til December 20th which is ideal. Also with a toddler it makes it less stressful being able to plan for her where she's going and when not in an emergency type of way. We will take her to my parents tomorrow afternoon/evening and get her settled before we head home waiting for the call to come in.

I am definitely feeling large (who doesn't at full term pregnant) but overall feeling pretty good. Definitely have my moments of discomfort but I'm able to get decent sleep most nights and am functioning fine at work. I am ready to meet this new baby! 

Bump pictures from today:

I'm excited to see Emma with her little sister. She is such a little momma with her babydolls and I think she is going to love being my little helper (but definitely going to have to keep a VERY close eye on her. She's going to think she can pick her sister up like she can her dolls). It's definitely a weird mix of emotions around wondering how to love another child as much as you love your first. I can't wait to see their bond and watch their relationship grow. My siblings are the biggest blessings in my life and I'm so grateful I get to provide that for my children. As my doctor told me "giving your child a sibling is the biggest gift you can offer them" so I'm holding on to that tight as my alone time with Emma comes to a screeching halt tomorrow. 

I'll be back with a birth update once little sister is here and we are home. Prayers for a smooth delivery! 

Cousin Courtney's Wedding Weekend

In late June we had Tommy's cousin's wedding. Courtney and Andrew threw a fun party at Sun in my Belly to celebrate their nuptials. They got married with just immediate family earlier in the day and had a reception that night. We had a luncheon earlier that day with all the ladies thrown by my MIL and Tommy's Aunt Ginny. It was a fun time! 

The day after the wedding most of the wedding party headed to the Braves game all together which was a lot of fun. We enjoyed getting to spend time with all the Blackwells and Beth and Danny over the weekend. Always nice to have lots of family around. 

Baby Showers

This summer I helped host two baby showers for two of my dear friends; Caroline Stelling and Kyle Hartman. Caroline we celebrate with in June and her sweet daughter, Maggie, was born on July 21st! Kyle is due 9 days after me so we are anxiously awaiting baby Hartman's arrival. I'm putting it in writing that I think Kyle and Andrew are having a baby girl. 

Caroline's shower was as girly as they come. Flower crowns, flowers galore, edible flowers, and all the pink. We had such fun celebrating Maggie that day. Thanks to Drew's parents for opening up their home for us to host the shower. It was such a fun day!

Kyle we celebrated last weekend with a gender neutral brunch at her sister's boyfriends beautiful new home in Chastain Park. It was a great day with great friends. It's been a lot of fun going through this pregnancy with so many close friends going through it as well. Looking forward to watching all our kiddos grow up together. 

Boston and Cape Cod Trip

The week after the 4th of July the three Robinsons headed up north for a trip just the three of us. It was such a fun escape to a place none of us had been to before. Emma did great on her first flight ever. We spent the first day and night in Boston. We packed as much in as we possibly could! We walked the waterfront, the market, Boston Common, ate lobster rolls, and then went to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park (bucket list item of Tommy's). Emma was a TROOPER having only a nap in her stroller and making it way past bedtime to go to the game. We stayed in a hotel close to the waterfront which worked out great. 

The next day we wet to breakfast in the North End of Boston and grabbed some Mike's Pastry connolis before heading to the airport to pick up our rental car to head to Cape Cod. 

Cape Cod is just as you see in the pictures. It's gorgeous and man alive was the weather wonderful. It was just the break we needed from the humid south. It was in the 70s and sunny the whole time we were there. We rented an airbnb in West Harwich which was a an easy drive to most of the Cape. It was fairly centrally located. The day we got there we took it easy at the beach closest to our house. 

The next day we headed to Nantucket. Emma loved the ferry ride. We had such a great day walking around and exploring the island. The houses are gorgeous, the town is adorable, the flowers are to die for, and the calmness was awesome. We spent some time relaxing on the beach by the lighthouse while Emma napped. We took a late afternoon ferry home and grabbed a pizza on the way home. It was really a great day! 

Our last full day in the Cape we headed to Chatham. I have a good friend whose inlaws have a house there and she had a bunch of recommendations for us. We spent the morning on Lighthouse Beach watching the seals in the water and digging in the sand. The water is SO cold up north. We then grabbed a quick lunch in town before heading to our place so Emma could have a proper nap. We went back to Chatham after her nap for happy hour at the Chatham Bars Inn (oh my goodness the hydrangeas). It was a beautiful evening and we listened to live music, had some drinks and watched the water. We then went out for some seafood for dinner before walking the cute downtown for fudge and rubber duckies. It was a GREAT DAY! 

Our last day we got up and drove back to Boston. We dropped off our rental car then headed back into town to walk around and explore. We really lucked out with the weather. We headed to their "little Italy" area and had the most delicious lunch while Emma snoozed in her stroller. We got another cannoli to share before slowly making our way back to the airport for our flight home. 

Our flight home wasn't exactly the best. We were delayed, Emma didn't sleep a WINK, and when we got back to Atlanta our gate checked stroller had been sent to baggage claim. Cue the pregnancy hormones tears. We pushed Emma through the airport in a wheelchair to get to baggage claim. Not how we wanted to end our trip but there's always something when traveling. 

We had the best time just the three of us. It's so fun exploring a new place with Tommy and Emma. I definitely think Cape Cod will be a place we visit again.