Hi Ladies ~
Sorry it has taken me so long to post. Lily is now over a month old
and I honestly can't tell you where the last month has gone ... wow!
It definitely is a crazier with two! We are getting into somewhat of
a routine, but Lily is starting to be a little fussier in the day,
making it really hard for me to do much of anything! Luckily, Zach
is the BEST big brother ever and just loves her to death. He has
been incredibly patient with everything and we have yet to hear him
ask us to "take her back" etc.! Mostly we just have to worry about
him "loving" her a little too roughly!

Thank you Michelle for posting Lily's birth announcement -- we've
been so inundated with family since her birth that I've had a hard
time making it to the computer!

For those of you who love birth stories ... here's how it went! I
had my last dr.'s appointment on Friday, June 4th -- I was told I was
3 cm dilated and completely effaced. My dr. said it could be
anytime! I was due June 8th and feeling pretty uncomfortable. I did
a lot of walking over the weekend and started having contractions and
a lot of back pain on the morning of Sunday, June 6th. By mid-day it
was completely gone though and I was so disappointed. The
contractions started up again that night about 11:30 when I was going
to bed and I woke about 1 a.m. with them about 3-5 minutes apart. We
got to the hospital about 2 a.m. and I was already at 5 cm. They
gave me the epidural pretty much right away -- but it didn't really
work. It numbed my legs, but I could still feel the pain in my back
as my back labor was pretty intense (due to her being face up). It
got pretty bad and they finally game me lidocaine which COMPLETELY
numbed me and I was able to rest couple of hours. By about 7:30 a.m.
it was time to push, but I was so numb I could barely feel anything.
Then everything started to wear off and my back labor was MISERABLE!
They tried to give me a bolus (sp?) of the epidural but it did
nothing. So ... I basically gave birth naturally! Lily did turn face
down and after approximately two hours of pushing -- and with the
help of a vacuum extraction -- little miss Lily Anne was born at 9:56
a.m on Monday, July 7th. She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20 and
1/4 inches long. I had to have an episiotomy -- ouch! -- and that
has been the worst part of the recovery. Other than that, it has
been so much easier than recovering from my c-section with Zach.

Lily and I came home the next day and we've had family in and out
helping us since then. She is such a beautiful baby and slept most
of her first couple weeks of life. She is now getting to be more
alert and I think we are just on the verge of some coos and smiles!
She can already hold her little head up very well and can turn from
her back to her tummy (yikes!) as she loves to sleep on her tummy. I
am constantly having to watch her to make sure she's on her back!

Anyway, that's about it here. My little guy will turn three in just
a couple of weeks -- July 27th -- and I just can't believe how big he
is getting. Zach will start preschool in September and I am really
hoping he enjoys it as he can be a little on the timid side. He is
such a little tender heart and I just love watching him as a big
brother!

I will post some new pictures in the Yvonne folder if you care to see
miss Lily and how big Zach is getting!

Take care everyone and I hope to catch up with everyone real soon!
Much love,
Yvonne