Settling in--the first 2 weeks

We were anxious to get home to Ethan after Carter was born and were released just a little over 24 hours after we got to the hospital. This is us ready to hit the road!

We were very grateful that Tristan's mom was willing to stay the night with Ethan at our apartment. Tristan had gone home to play with Ethan and put him to bed the night we stayed at the hospital, but I hadn't seen him much at all. I was so glad to be home and start the process of settling in to our new routine. Welcome home, Carter!

Honestly, the first week or so are still just a blur of diapers, feedings, and wonderful people dropping off meals to us...we were exhausted! But, we were very well taken care of by friends and family. My best friend, Kelly, set up 5 or 6 meals to be brought to us and even came and got Ethan one Saturday to get him out of the house for a little bit. Ethan loves his Aunt KK!

Ethan loved looking at his "baby brubber"...

All the boys together
Juggling the kids

My mom and dad also dropped off a meal and stopped by for a few short visits during our settling in phase.

One thing we've learned: life with a newborn means lots more time for a toddler to get into things they shouldn't be in to...yes, that is sharpie marker on my son's face and in his hair, and yes, it does make it look like he's wearing pink eyeliner...
We tried to keep Ethan busy helping us with as many things as possible. Tristan made cupcakes with him one morning.

Carter's first sponge bath at home...not so happy at first!

By the time he got massaged and rinsed with warm water he was much happier and content!
Ahhhhh!

Because Carter was jaundiced, I tried to give him some time in his basinette by the window in our room. Here he is soaking in the rays!

It seems like Ethan grew up while I was in the hospital. He went with Tristan to go to the store one day and the sight of him carrying this diaper box up the stairs for Tristan made me realize what a big boy he's become!

Here's proof that even though it didn't feel like it at times, we actually did get some sleep! Carter napped a lot during the day and we got it in whenever we could!

As crazy as it feels at times, we are so glad to have Carter as a part of our family...and we love him to pieces!

Introducing Carter James Bernard

We are so glad for the safe arrival of Carter James Bernard to our little family. Carter came into this world with a bang on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 5:29 a.m. To say it was a surprise would be to put it mildly. We had set up an appointment for me to be induced (due to Tristan's work schedule) on Monday, September 19. Knowing that, I had grand designs in mind for our weekend with lots of errands and loose ends to tie up. I picked Tristan up from the airport on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. We decided to "divide and conquer" (as we often call it) on Friday, with me running around to stock up on groceries and run a few shopping errands and Tristan manning the toddler. I pushed it on Friday and knew it. By the end of the day I had a minor backache (not the first time) and was beat! But we managed to squeeze out the last bit of energy and enjoy an impromtu dinner with our friends, Rich and Allisha on Friday night. They left around 8 or so and we got busy doing bedtime routines and clean up.

When we went to bed around 11, I started having contractions. This was no big deal, since I battled intense Braxton-Hicks contractions all through my pregnancy (Ethan, too) and I knew I had pushed myself. I decided to drink some extra water and take some Tylenol. By around 2 a.m., my back was really hurting. I decided to go lay on the couch, which is a little firmer for better support for my back. By 3 a.m., the contractions hadn't gotten any better, my back still really hurt and I started to think maybe I should time the contractions. I also started gathering the last few things that needed to go in my hospital bag "just in case"--not really thinking anything was happening. I was having a hard time timing them because the back pain blurred right into the contractions so I didn't know when to start and stop timing them. Generally they were about 4 minutes apart and lasting over a minute each. Another problem I had was that I kept falling asleep in between them, so I wasn't sure I was getting an accurate time.

Around 4 I woke up with a start to a HORRIBLE contraction. The minute I felt it, I remembered being in labor with Ethan and knew something was going on. Around 4:30 I told Tristan to call the hospital and find out if we should come in. Half way through his phone call I decided we were going whether they thought we should or not and started calling our phone tree to get someone to our apartment. I was in horrible pain and having a hard time sitting or laying down and felt like I had to go to the bathroom every few minutes. Finally I noticed some slight bleeding and told Tristan we had to get in the car right that minute. We called my parents again to see where they were and waited in the parking lot in our car for them to arrive.

We left our apartment at 5 a.m. It is a short drive to the hospital from our apartment (about 8 minutes) and I could barely stay in my seat the whole way there because of the pain. I kept telling Tristan to run the red lights to just get there. We parked in the ER driveway and went in to check in. Now keep in mind, I had pre-registered with the hospital, however we were still in the ER for about 10 minutes with me pacing around with each contraction. The guy kept asking me to come over and sign things and I was thinking, "SERIOUSLY??!!" Around this time I started bleeding a lot more and was getting a little frantic. Finally he let Tristan finish signing for me and got us a wheelchair while he went to buzz us in the door (stopping on the way to make some copies of my info first--SERIOUSLY?!) We had to walk, literally, about a quarter mile to the elevator (I couldn't sit at first and then HAD to sit). We couldn't find it at first and when we did find it had to ride it up to the 4th floor. We got out to a room that was locked and had to wait to be buzzed in.

They got me into a room and had me change and noticed a lot of bleeding, at which point I asked if the baby was o.k. The nurse told me she though so and sometimes the bleeding can come from rapid cervical changes. I laid on the bed, she checked me and told me I was complete and she hooked me up to the fetal monitor. My next contraction I told her I had to push to which she replied, "Please don't." At that point my body took over and the next thing I knew, Carter was here! From the time I got onto the bed to the time he was born was only 4 minutes. The nurse said that beat her record for fastest birth. I just kept thinking, "What if my parents had taken a little longer or we had been stuck at more lights?" We arrived with only 4 minutes to spare! That's a close call, if you ask me! I never had an IV the whole time I was in the hospital because they didn't have time to put one in...My doctor didn't even make it for his delivery, arriving a few minutes after Carter was born.

But, even with all the craziness, he arrived safe and sound and perfect in his own little way.

Carter James Bernard

September 17, 2011, 5:29 a.m.

8 lbs., 19 1/2 in.

Dad cleaning up our little man
Kelly arrived with breakfast a little later in the day (after she got, what I'm sure was a shocking text message).
My parents brought Ethan by to meet his new little brother. He was a little weirded out by the fact that I was at "the doctors" (which he still talks about) and didn't stay for long.
Ethan holding his present from his little brother (he loves Curious George, so we thought it might be a good way for him to warm up to Carter).
Me and my new little guy
Ethan measuring his little brother for me
Grandma Bernard showed up later in the day with Aunt Tennille and Aunt Desiree and maple bars!!!
Sweet little face

We stayed overnight and were cleared for release the next morning. We were there for a little more than 24 hours and anxious to get home to Ethan. Like I told the nurse, I'd rather not get any sleep in my own bed!

Getting ready to bust out of there!
Grandma Bernard had come to stay the night with Ethan and was there waiting for us when we arrived home on Sunday morning. Ethan was glad to see us, but uncertain about why that little baby came, too. We did manage to get him to hold Carter, though!
Carter's arrival was definitely not as planned, but we are just thankful that he made it here safely and are so glad to have him as a part of our family. Thanks to our many family members and friends who have helped to fill in the holes for us as we adjust to a life as a family of four!!

Sand in the City

Neither Tristan or I have ever been down to the Annual Sand in the City event that Olympia Hands on Children's Museum holds each summer, so this year we decided to do it! We made the mistake of waiting until the afternoon, when it was boiling hot and we were rushing before dinner, but we still got some fun play time in!

We quickly walked through and saw some of the amazing sand sculptures, but failed to get any pictures of them...oh well, next year!

They had a couple of large sandboxes for the kids to play in and Ethan dug in to the fun!

We spent most of our time at the toddler rotation stations. There were lots of things to do that were right up Ethan's alley. He LOVED the Play Doh table (which we already knew) so we spent a lot of time there.

He also really liked the sand painting. I've recreated this at home using sugar and he has a great time making designs in it with paint brushes.

We finally got him to leave the toddler stations to explore a little more and found this fun water station. The garbage cans were full of sponge balls and you had to throw them and try to get them through the holes...Ethan just liked taking them and dropping them in the pools. Tristan tried to help him throw some, though!

He also really like the touch tank with the star fish. He wasn't sure what to think at first but then I had to keep pulling them away from him!
We only ended up getting to spend about an hour and a half down there but it was lots of fun and we look forward to going again next year!

Ethan's 2nd Birthday Party

August was such a busy month that we didn't end up having a birthday party for Ethan until the middle of the month. I'm glad we waited, though, because it ended up being our hottest day of the summer so far and it was perfect for the outdoor construction-themed party we had planned. Ethan has really been into everything construction lately, so we thought he would love it. We kept it to family and a few of my closest friends and their kids, but we still had quite the crew!

A few shots of the decor and food set up

After people ate, we let the kids swim and play in my parents' backyard. This year my dad had an even bigger pool set up (obviously not filled all the way) and with as hot as it was, everyone was taking advantage of it!
I printed some coloring sheets off of the Tonka website, but the water was way more appealing to everyone!This is the first picture of me and Kelly in I don't know how long! I'm so glad to finally get to spend time with my friends that I haven't seen on a regular basis for a long time.

I set up a sand dig for the kids as a game. There were toys and candy buried in the sand and they got to dig up as much as their bags would hold!

Afterward it was time for dessert--dirt cups and cupcakes!
Getting ready to blow out his candle!

I love that he will actually smile for the camera now...it really helps to get some good shots of him!

Yummy! I remember last year he had no interest in cake! It was a much different story this year!

My aunt, cousin and her kids came down from Burien to be part of the fun! The girls were really good sports about all of the boy party favors! Lowe's hooked my dad up with aprons and goggles for each of the kids and I found the construction hats online.

Anderson enjoying dessert in his hat
Skyler sporting the whole ensemble

Lowe's also send my dad home with build-it-yourself binocular kits and badges for each of the kids, so I put them into goody bags for everyone to take home. Good thing I assigned that part to my dad...he rocked it!

Time to open gifts! As you can see, I had to bribe Ethan to help me by bringing trucks over for him to play with.
After presents it was time for more fun in the pool! Ethan really loves the water and loved going down this slide over and over.

Ethan and Anderson having a blast

It was a fun, long day. I wanted to get a shot of Ethan before bed with his new construction bedding and pajamas and the balloon from his party.
This was him not long after we put him down. All worn out from a full day of partying!
We had such a wonderful day celebrating our little man and we were so glad to get to do it with family again this year. I can't believe that another year has passed...it seems like yesterday that I was posting about his first birthday party! We are so grateful to everyone who helped to make it a special day!