They Lie…

Those people who say having a second kid is easier since you’ve already had one. No, not easier. Not worse, either. Just totally, completely, different.

Plus, you get this:

Fun with Bottles

To commemorate Cora’s first bottle, I thought I would share a couple of pictures.

I am very excited, for a number of reasons. But mostly, it’s really cool to see Kris get a chance to finally feed her youngest daughter.

Also, we spent some time prepping the front yard for the summer. I wasn’t able to help quite as much but we got a lot accomplished – planted new plants in some bare spots and moved some planters to the front yard from the back. It looks great. I hope everything thrives! It could be a pretty hot summer (thank goodness I am not pregnant for that)…

6.5 Weeks

Well, those last 5 weeks sure went by quickly. Rest assured, we are all doing well. The grandparents and aunts have visited so Coraline has met the family. We are starting to get into some kind of routine. Although it changes regularly, so it’s less of a routine and more just a “things-are-settling-down.” We’ve even been out to eat more than once.

Cora is thriving. She’s had a cold, which is sad in an infant. You can hear all of the snot but it doesn’t come out much. Poor, snarffling little pumpkin. Also, she has an ingrown toenail, which doesn’t mean much except we have to keep the toe soft until her toes and toenails catch up. So, there’s that.

Not too much going on, although there was baseball opening night. I couldn’t go because I got sick. But the rest of the family went. A good picture of that below. Gramsey was visiting, obviously. And Coraline got a souvenir.

Some other pics for your enjoyment!

First Week

It’s been a little over a week since Coraline joined our family. We are enjoying the newest member of TeamKupferman and Kris and I are getting reacquainted with caring for a newborn. They really don’t do much. Our memories were not incorrect in that regard.

The great thing about the second time around is not panicking about every little thing that Coraline does. We know there are only a few things that make her cry (diaper, hunger, tiredness, temperature). All we have to do is figure out which it is and what she likes that makes her feel better. It also helps that she’s a very even tempered baby – she eats, takes a nap, wakes up, eats so more, checks out the world for awhile, goes back to sleep. So far, so good (I’m keeping my fingers crossed!).

It’s sweet to watch Kris with her, too. Kris is much less flustered this time around since she knows what she can do to soothe a fussy baby just enough to give me a break to eat dinner or go to the bathroom.

Kris has been an absolute rock star this last week. I’m on bed rest (nothing serious) so she’s had to do everything – keep up with Saige, take care of the house, figure out food, and keep me supplied with whatever I might need. I can’t say enough how wonderful she’s been. Although she does keep mentioning something about being a single mom to three kids…hmmmm…

Saige has very much taken to being a big sister. She’s adjusting well to the newest Kupferman and, thankfully, sleeps well enough that the occasional middle-of-the-night-fuss-fest doesn’t wake her up.

The first week has been good! Here are some pictures (I put them at the end to keep you reading – I am so very clever…) of Coraline.

She is here!

http://teamkupferman.com/?page_id=814

Still. Waiting.

40 plus weeks. My due date was 3 days ago. But, no, really, I’m fine. Not bored of waiting or tired of sitting or frustrated whenever a slight contraction turns into nothing. Nope. I am just…fine.

So, what I am trying to say is: No news to share because nothing is happening. I know y’all are excited to meet thewidget and I promise, if I wasn’t such an awesome incubator, you probably would’ve by now. I mean, I know it’s comfy in here. Saige thought so, too. I’m not sure how she was able to communicate that to thewidget, but she’s apparently already divulging sisterly secrets without our knowledge. It is nice to know they’ve already bonded.

I hope to have an announcement up for you all soon. But, in the meantime, I am napping and walking, and, well…waiting.

Almost 39 Weeks…

But, we’re here. Finally at full term so thewidget can come any day now (no, really, she can, it’s okay). I am working from home, which helps with alleviating some of the discomfort I am feeling. It doesn’t necessarily help with the not-going-stir-crazy-because-I-am-home-all-alone-for-the-entire-day feeling but I have been doing pretty well in that department, too. Thank goodness for IMing with coworkers.

Overall, I am [pretty] uncomfortable but everything is going just fine. Kris is a wonderfully patient partner, as always, and I appreciate all of the work she has taken on. Add into that mix Auntie Heather’s assistance and support and I really, truly, can’t complain about the current state of affairs here in the TeamKupferman household.

I am ready to not be pregnant. Kris is ready for me not to be pregnant. Saige is ready to get some of Momma’s lap back. However, all we can do now is wait. And keep waiting. The due date is in a little more than a week. I wonder if this one will decide to actually come on time or if, like her older sister, be a frustratingly late child. Depending on who I talk to, second babies come at the same time as first babies or about a week earlier. So, basically, I have a minimum of a week and a day left. I have had a lot of practice contractions but that comes from having done this before. The body knows what to do to get ready.

We will keep everyone posted. I will try not to write everyday about how ready I am to meet thewidget and stop being uncomfortably pregnant.

And because I am unafraid to share, check out the 38+ week belly.

Insert Clever Title Here…

Yes, it’s been awhile since we’ve posted. Yes, many things have happened since we’ve posted. Let’s start the rundown, shall we?

1) Pre-Christmas: I finally kicked the cold that I’d had for weeks. Please mark this down: Kris was right. I’m not going to say about what, but suffice it to say, I can no longer argue with her about how to resolve illness.

2) Christmas: We stayed home and took it easy. It was lovely to have some time off with just the family, not having to worry about traveling. We got to enjoy our Christmas tree for the full season, too, which we don’t normally get to do. It was a little sad to not have any kind of Christmas-like weather to enjoy but we survived. We enjoyed the company of Auntie Heather’s dog, Charlie, while she was up visiting her folks. It was fun to see what it would be like to have a dog in the family. It went well, but dogs are not on the list of approved items to purchase before thewidget is one.

3) Post-Christmas: Quick trip up to the Sierras to try and find some snow for sledding, which we did find. Although it was really minimal and kind of icy, but it made Saige happy and that was really the intent. Plus, we got to stay at our favorite bed & breakfast. We also started to get things ready for thewidget’s appearance. Saige got into it in a big way and wanted to rearrange her room to put the crib in it. So, the room is ready and it seems like we are actually prepared. Mostly. I think.

4) New Year’s: Ummm, I think we went to bed early.

5) January: The waiting game for thewidget begins. Clothes are ready, changing room is prepped, we figured out what to do for the whole sleeping situation, and we’ve pretty much organized post-birth visits with the immediate family. So, now we just…wait. And wait. Then wait some more. It is week 37. Thewidget is just packing on the pounds. And we are waiting. (Fun fact: thewidget is now the length she will be when she is born. No more is she concentrating on getting longer/taller – now she just needs to put on weight in order to be ready for her external survival.) We are also waiting for Auntie Becca to move to California! Turns out she’s going to make the leap, too. Kris and I are both super excited that they will be here when the kids are young. Both for us and for them. Now we just have to work on my sister and the trifecta will be complete!

6) February: It is almost here. This is the month of thewidget. I am saying she will make her appearance on 02/20/12. Kris is saying 02/22/12. I am happy to compromise on 02/21/12. We are most likely going to both be wrong, which means we have a high probability of a leap year baby. Poor widget. Poor Momma. Poor Moppa having to wait for thewidget and manage a cranky, overly pregnant wife. Of all of us, Saige is probably the least phased, at the moment, of what is coming. Mostly because she has no previous experience, I’m sure.

We are figuring out the last few things we want to do with just the 3 of us. I am trying to not concentrate on how much longer we have to wait and just enjoy what we have at the moment.

Although feeling like a beached whale when I try to get out of bed for the third time in the middle of the night doesn’t really help with staying in the moment.

The intent is to keep everyone posted here about progress and, of course, let you know when thewidget is born. I’m sorry we’ve been so bad about posting regularly. I can’t promise it’ll get any better but we’ll promise to try.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Again

This weekend was visiting Santa Claus! Saige was so excited she actually gave him a hug of her own volition. All. By. Herself.

She asked him for the complete LalaLoopsey collection, which, would be a Christmas miracle, since she has one and there are at least 10. The coolest part was that when all was said and done, she hopped off his lap and chatted with him while Kim and I looked over the photos. It was cool. She also promised to help thewidget out next year. She saw a bunch of little babies crying and vowed that her baby sister would not suffer the same fate. I won’t hold her to it, since it seems a rite of passage.

Enjoy everyone. Please take time to enjoy the season.

Beginning of the Holidays

Well, we had happy Thanksgiving with a nice, large group of people. We smartly asked guests to bring more food than we usually do, which means there was less cooking for the home team. We had a good time, although I was pretty pooped by the end. I’ve been fighting this cold that just keeps lingering and lingering…yuck. It’s almost gone, though I still sound like a sick puppy.

The day after Thanksgiving we went and got our Christmas tree, like we usually do. But this time, Heather found a “cut your own” Christmas tree ranch right up the road from us! Kris sawed us down a tree! And Heather did too! It was very impressive. The tree is up and decorated, the front yard is done, and the mantle village is in place. There are still some tweaks we need to make, plus we are adding something in the dining room. So, not quite finished. But we’re getting there.

Overall, things are going fine. Thewidget is getting bigger and wiggling like a fish. Or tumbling like an acrobat. We are officially in the third trimester! The countdown is really here. In just a few months, there will be an extra baby Kupferman! With all of the craziness lately, it’s hard to remember that thewidget is coming. We still have things to do and not that much time to do it. Once we finish up putting up Christmas, I am hoping we can concentrate more on prepping for thewidget’s arrival. One thing at a time, I suppose.

We’ll get some photos of our Christmas decorations up soon. In the meantime, I hope everyone’s December is peaceful and enjoyable!