One month old

Where has the time gone?! I simply cannot believe a whole month has gone by. Emily is settling right in. I re-read "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" and I would say that Emily is a textbook baby. She doesn't really cry unless she is tired or hungry. We are working on a three hour schedule where she eats (about 40 minutes), has 30 minutes of activity time, and then takes a nap. Then we change her diaper and repeat. Having some type of a routine has helped us tremendously. We can usually coordinate both girls to take a nap around the same time so that gives us a little break in the middle of the day as well. I took Emily to her one month check up and she is growing like nobody's business. She is already up to 10 pounds 5 ounces (my jaw literally dropped when she got on the scale!). She's almost out of newborn size in clothes and diapers. She can hold her head and neck so well, and loves her tummy time. She is already rolling over from her stomach to her back, and she has started reaching for toys that are hanging in front of her. Overall, she is a very happy baby!

Daddy's Girls

Circus Adventure

Charlotte got a big girl outing with Grandma Monica and Grandpa Bill. She was a little scared to go at first, but once she got dressed and we reminded her how much fun she had last year she got super excited.



She came home with her arms full of prizes and her head full of elephants and tigers. She is still talking about the elephants that stood on their heads and the tigers that rolled over and she wants to try and "balance" on everything like the acrobats. Needless to say, she loved it!

Happy Valentine's Day

I actually love Valentine's day. I know we shouldn't need a specific day to tell someone we love them, but I do like the idea of having a specific day to honor the ones we love. I love the decorations, I love the sentiments, and I really love the chocolates!

Charlotte loves Valentine's day too, especially when we make cookies to share with all her friends at Mrs. D's:

You can never have too many sprinkles!!


Happy Valentine's day, Mommy!


New nail polish. It's an obsession.


A candy necklace. Notice the fingernails.


And Charlotte's favorite, a heart ring!

Life with two

The guilt is back in full force. No matter how much you give of yourself it is never enough. Life with two does not double the amount of effort you give or divide your time and attention in half, it exponentially creates it's own amount of work. The first week home was really hard for Charlotte. Besides the fact that she was so sick when we got home from the hospital, she had a really hard time adjusting to the fact that Mommy was going to spend so much time with the baby (especially when you have to feed them every two hours!) and that Daddy was going to be her main caregiver for awhile. Her initial reaction was to completely shun me. She didn't want me to touch her, help her, pick our her clothes, nothing. She wanted to do everything by herself and would have a complete melt down when she couldn't. She has never been a morning person, but when I walked in to get her up one morning she literally yelled at me "Get out! I don't want you!". Talk about heartbreaking!

Literally one morning she just woke up and was the sweetest little girl again. As soon as she saw me that morning she ran and gave me a hug and was a huge helper with the baby for the rest of the day. It's like she just had a moment where she realized this is our new normal and had to figure out where she fit into it. She LOVES the baby now. She wants to kiss her head and her feet any time possible, and she is the cutest thing when she talks to Emily. She has this sing song voice and it is so funny to hear her say what I say to the baby. Both girls have grown so much in the last month in their own ways. Charlotte is turning out to be an AMAZING big sister.


This picture pretty much sums up life with two. Constantly multitasking. Constantly entertaining. Trying to show some love to the baby while not making the big kid feel left out. Whew, it can be exhausting!


Charlotte is holding up a mirror so baby can see herself.


Charlotte is coloring her valentine's while Emily "watches" her and doses.


I was trying to take a picture of the baby in our big green chair and Charlotte jumped in. I used to have to BEG her to pose for a picture!


Great big sister in action! Charlotte is reading Emily's valentine card to her!

Weight Check

I braved it alone and came out victorious! It is amazing how even the smallest tasks can become cumbersome burdens when you have a newborn! I took Emily to the pediatrician for her first weight check and felt euphoric when I walked out that doctor's door. I remember taking Charlotte to the pediatrician for the first time and I was so panicked about how to get myself AND her ready that I had to call in back up (AKA my mom). Even with Mom in tow, I think I showed up with my hair wet and sweatpants on. I have a vivid memory of sitting in that waiting room furiously rocking a screaming Charlotte thinking "What are we waiting for people?! Can't you hear this kid screaming?! We should be next!". By the time I left the office with Charlotte I was sweating, leaking milk, and ready to cry. I am proud to say that the second time around is much more peaceful. I went ahead and pumped before we left, I was able to get up in enough time to take a shower AND dry my hair, and I even put on jeans (maternity jeans, but still...). When we got there I calmly filled out all the paperwork one handed and when Emily cried I calmly fed her a bottle and thought to myself "So what, babies cry. It's not like they've never heard a crying baby in here". Emily passed all of her bloodwork tests from the hospital and is right on track growthwise. At 10 days old, she is already past her birth weight (she went from 8lbs 8 oz to 8 lbs 11 oz). No surprise there, I knew this girl likes to eat!

It's all in a name

Naming our second little girl was a really hard task. I was so glad that we didn't name Charlotte any other name, that all of our previous names were no longer usable. It is really important to me to give a name with meaning....after teaching for the last eight years you definitely notice a trend with names and personalities and I totally believe that the meaning of a name can influence a kids temperment! I also really like the idea of passing a family name down to the next generation. I think it gives a built in sense of family right away.

After much debate we were down to two names....Emily and Reese. The name Emily means "industrious" and the name Reese means "enthusiasm". I just could not decide! As much as it irked everyone (including people who talked to me in the grocery store line!) Bryce and I decided to wait and see what she looked like. Even when we got to the hospital the delivery staff was obsessed over how we were going to choose our name. Once the baby was born, I tried so hard to see which name fit. I said both names over and over in my head while looking at her and the name Emily just kept sticking with me. After deciding on her first name we had to debate the middle name. Merrill is my maternal grandmother's maiden name and when I looked in our baby book it meant "shines". My sister and I have had many conversations about what it's like to live in a big sister's shadow and it was a profound moment for me when I realized that it doesn't have to be that way. This little baby will "shine" all on her own.

So.....Emily Merrill Fulcher it is!

One Week Old

Emily at one week old:

One week old already. Her birth feels like a lifetime ago, and it is amazing how quickly babies settle into your life and your heart. I already can't remember what life was like without her. Charlotte has been an AMAZING big sister. We hit a rough patch at first when she was sick and couldn't have all the attention, but she literally woke up one morning and became a grown up little girl. She loves to give the baby kisses, loves to rub her fuzzy little head, and loves to help Mommy in any way she can. Charlotte has started going potty all by herself, washing her hands all by herself, and getting water from the fridge door all by herself. It is amazing how fast kids adapt!

Emily's first week:


Day 1: in the hospital


Day 2: on our way home!


Day 3: Happy 30th birthday Bryce!


Day 4: Emily gave Charlotte a "big sister present", a new talking baby doll


Day 5: packed up both girls to go to the doctor....kind of weirded me out to see two car seats in the back!


Day 6: some breastfeeding issues.....first bottle from Daddy!


Day 7: enjoying my activity mat

Cuddle Bug

Emily already has a nickname.....Cuddle Bug! This little girl loves to cuddle. My favorite cuddle position is when she puts her forehead right up to your neck and you can feel that sweet baby breath.




Charlotte LOVES to cuddle with Emily....as long as she's not stinky or crying :)


Every time she cuddles with Daddy, she falls right to sleep. Lucky girl.


She is such a good baby!

First bath

The first bath was not Emily's favorite. She has started to calm down when she feels the warm water now, but the first time was a bit much for her.

STORKED again

As we pulled up our driveway, we saw that another stork made it's arrival to annouce Ms. Emily's birth.




Charlotte came outside with me to take pictures and wanted to "read" the sign to me. She's pointing at the words saying "Look Mommy, the sign says little sister came out".


Charlotte's favorite sign.....because it does NOT say "it's a boy" :)

Day 1 at home

We spent our first day home from the hospital (which happened to be Bryce's birthday) with a very sick little toddler. When we woke up Friday morning and Charlotte was SUPER whiney, I just assumed this would be my new world for awhile as she got used to the new baby in the house. After nap, Charlotte woke up with a fever around 101 and I started praying. She got progressively worse through the night, and after waking up for the fourth time with my THREE YEAR OLD, not to mention the feedings every two hours with my NEWBORN, I actually had to change Charlotte's clothes she was so soaked with sweat. Her fever at that point had reached 103.4. I called our Pediatrician's after hours number, and he agreed to meet us at the office, even though it is closed on Saturday, to look at Charlotte and Emily. I just couldn't risk taking Emily with us to urgent care and chance her picking up something there. The only thing Charlotte would tell us is that her "mouth" hurt, and she wouldn't eat anything. Literally, one bite of toast for breakfast, and half a chicken nuggett for lunch. She even turned down a milkshake, which is when I knew things must be bad! The Pediatrician tested Charlotte for strep and a UTI just to rule out infection. You haven't lived until you've had to catch someone else's pee in a cup! Then came the most dreaded words that every mother hates to hear: "It's just a virus". Which essentially means "I can't do anything for you, go home and wait it out". Then he gave us the speech about making sure Emily doesn't catch this virus. Charlotte is not allowed to touch the baby OR her things. Anything that Charlotte has touched has to be washed and disinfected. Are you kidding me?! That is literally everything in our house! I think the hardest thing for all of us was keeping the two girls separate. All Charlotte wants to do is be a "big sister" and help Mommy with the baby. I have felt so guilty, I feel like all I say is "Don't touch that" or "Leave the baby alone". My poor Charlotte feels terrible, can't see her new baby sister, and has a Mommy that is nursing around the clock. Needless to say, it was a rough weekend for all. The serenity prayer has been my mantra for the past 48 hours.

Emily Merrill Fulcher

After much anticipation, Emily finally made her big debut. I was waiting and waiting for this day to come, and had even contemplated being induced. I was just so tired of living a life of "just in case" and so ready to hold this little girl in my arms. God definitely has everything under control. January 31st was the day before my due date, and I spent the night tossing and turning with mild contractions. This had happened before and when I got up and got moving the contractions would go away. I assumed the same would happen this time but around 4:00 AM I had to get up out of bed because the contractions were so painful. By the time Bryce got up around 5:30 I had already made the decision that even if real labor wasn't starting I was too tired and too anxious to go to work, so I called in for a substitute. By 6:00 Bryce called in for the day as well, and we started mentally preparing for the hospital. I was able to take a shower and get dressed, get Charlotte dressed, and eat breakfast with her before the contractions became too much. By the time Bryce dropped Charlotte off at Mrs. D's house and came back, the contractions were every 5 minutes and it was time to go. The ride to the hospital was a bit more peaceful this time because I knew what to expect and had my end result in mind. I really focused on my breathing and was able to walk into the hospital unassisted. It is amazing what all I missed in the hospital the first time because I was so nervous. I feel like I kept my eyes closed the whole time with Charlotte! After signing away my life at the front desk, they took me back and hooked me up to all the monitors with a lovely hospital gown to wear. By the time I was done answering all their questions, I was having a hard time making it through each contraction and they checked me and said I was already at 4 cm. Exactly like I was with Charlotte. Once moved into labor and delivery, I immediately requested an epidural (I learned that lesson last time too!) and they started prepping me with IVs and fluids. There was already a waiting list for the anesthesiologist! They kept regularly updating me where I was at "there's two more people in front of you", "ok, you're next!". My contractions were incredibly intense and every 3-4 minutes apart. It is amazing how different this epidural was from the last one. With Charlotte, the doctor said "You'll feel a warm sensation now" and suddenly I was completely numb. I couldn't even move my feet back up to the bed by myself. With Emily, I was still feeling my contractions for about 20 minutes, but they gradually got less and less painful. I could still move my feet and legs and all the pain was gone. I could just feel ripples through my abdomen when a contraction came. The doctor came around 12:30 and broke my water and they had to give me a shot of muscle relaxant to lengthen the time between contractions so they would be more productive and from there everything went in fast forward. At 2:30 I was at 9 cm and they called my OB and began prepping for delivery. The doctor walked in at 3:00, and Emily Merrill Fulcher entered our world at 3:18. Everything about her delivery was peaceful and calm and even after her birth she had the most serene aura around her. We got some cuddle time before family came in to meet her and I can say for sure that the births of my two daughters are two of the happiest days of my life.

After a bath and some time under the warmer, Emily came back to our room in time to meet her big sister, Charlotte. Charlotte was SO excited to see her! I will never forget the look on Charlotte's face the first time she saw Emily. All she wanted to do was hold her and hug her and give her little fuzzy head kisses. Charlotte was so sweet!