Compare and Contrast

A few of you have asked if I've compared first photos of the girls. Around here #1 and #2 claim #4 and #5 are twins. Now I'm taking a real look for the first time. Pictures 1 and 2 are truely first photos (as you can see, Anna took more of a beating than Kate did - thank you, Kate). Pictures 3 and 4 are both from their first days at home. From what I can tell, aside from the lack of white hair, Anna is her big sister's twin. You be the judge...
KATE:

ANNA:

KATE:

ANNA:

Homeward Bound

A New Team Gootch Member

Anna Mathea (aka, #5) arrived at 7:58pm on July 16, 2009. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces and is 21 inches long. Shockingly (to #2 and me), she has brown hair and dark eyes (however - a hint of blue does exisit). I was expecting another litle Kate, but Anna had something else in mind. And it is just fine with me. She is an absolute delight. Welcome, #5. We love you very much.

Here We Go!

I look at this photo with dismay at my girth, but I know that the fact is I am simply a vessel bringing my new baby girl into this world. What an honor I have. At the moment this photo was taken I am filled with excitment, nerves and anticipation, as we are walking out the door to get to the hospital for my induction. A long day is ahead of me, and as much as I want to not be pregnant anymore, it is hard to fathom the process of obtaining that goal.
And so here we go!

3 days and counting, or maybe 1, 2, or 4

We're getting very close. I finally packed last night, thinking that my opportunities to do so are now very limited (like, maybe I was going then). I even timed a couple of contractions last night - with no luck. With such a short time to go, I anticipate that I won't be posting much of anything until after today; however, expect a couple of pictures of Kate. I feel like I'll need to be able to remember her exactly as she is today, in order that I don't forget these fanastic days of her suddenly being a big girl before her (our) world gets rocked by a new baby sister. I can't wait to meet Anna, but admittedly am aprehensive. With Kate I was aprehensive of labor and delivery, of bringing home a baby, of knowing what to do, of not screwing it up. This time I'm so focused on being the mom I became over the last 2 1/2 years that I can't help but to have changed aprehension regarding Kate and where she'll be during my labor and delivery, how she'll react to the hospital and a new baby, and of course to Anna's homecoming - and home staying.

So, as they say, one step at a time, and first off that means going into labor, or hurring up and waiting...

Closer

Last night I counted the days (11) until I'm scheduled for induction. That's not a lot of days, but it seems like a lifetime right now. This said, I have been concerned about Kate and her ability not only to grasp what's quickly coming our way, but to accept it.

Yesterday we were brushing our teeth at my sink. She pointed to the 4th hole in the toothbrush holder and said, "this is for baby Anna's toothbrush."

I don't know why that seems like such a big deal to me, but between potty training, trips to the pool, getting organized and sprucing things up around here, I didn't think she was paying attention to my giant belly and all of the baby talk. Seems as if I underestimated her. Good for her. She's already leaps and bounds ahead of me. As it should be.

Happy Independence Day, 2009

We kept it low key for the 4th of July this year and generally just enjoyed the day together (me hoping that I'd go into labor at any moment; however, that didn't turn out). Our neighbors; on the other hand, decided to go all out and throw a big shindig. They put adorable invites with red, white and blue ribbon and a firework attached to each in all of our mailboxes and pulled their chairs and grills out to the front of the houses. We joined them for the festivities, and the late night fireworks; although Kate only participated in the daylight activities - to include holding her first sparkler and throwing those snapping things on the street with all of the big kids. She also saw some some cool, colored smoke bombs and told me, "that's a lot of smokin, Mama!" She probably didn't go to bed until about 10pm, but had a great time celebrating with her BFF Joey and the big kids of the hood.