McCoy Family: The First Six Weeks

It's hard to believe that Baby Nelle is already six weeks old! We're having a fun - if a bit sleep-deprived - time with her, especially now that she's starting to recognize her surroundings a bit more and even give us an occasional smile or two. So here's what we've been up to for the last six weeks (this post is long, people, so settle in!)...

Nelle's arrival was a quick affair, just like her sister Maddie's. I had the first indication of labor around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 20, at which point we quickly made our way to the hospital. (After Maddie's one and a half hour labor and my doctor's warning to keep an emergency delivery kit in my car, there was no waiting for the usual 3-5 minute contraction spacing for this girl! Even the half hour drive to the hospital made me a bit anxious.) I don't think the triage nurse took me very seriously when I mentioned that I was nervous about having another fast delivery, but as my contractions quickly increased in frequency and strength, Dan was a bit more forceful about moving from the triage room to labor and delivery. (I'm sure everyone comes to the hospital thinking they're going to have their babies soon, but when I say that my labor seems to be moving quickly again, I'm not joking or wishfully thinking. I mean that baby is on the way, for real, like now.) Once the nurses realized what was going on, we made a fast move to labor and delivery, and Nelle arrived about fifteen minutes later - at 12:45 a.m. on July 21. That was a grand total of two hours and fifteen minutes in labor, with no time to enjoy all the wonderful new amenities in the family birthing center at the hospital and no opportunity for an epidural (frowny face), but a beautiful, healthy baby girl at the end. (Coincidentally, she arrived four days before her due date... just like both of her older sisters.)

On the way to the hospital (10:34 p.m. on 7/20... contractions just started)

Nelle Avery McCoy (12:46 a.m. on 7/21... one minute old)

One hour old

We called big sisters with the news in the morning. Since they were in bed before we left for the hospital - or even had any inkling that anything was going to happen - it was a big surprise! They got to meet their Baby Nelle a little later that day and were so loving and excited... such a blessing to witness. Norah is quite the pro at being a big sister, and Maddie has quickly adapted to her new role. (We've only had a few instances of her wanting to be the "baby;" mostly she is just fascinated by this tiny new creature who wiggles and cries and is happy to be Norah's favorite playmate - now that Mommy is a bit preoccupied with other things.)

We enjoyed having Dan home for Nelle's first week, which gave us some great family time and also allowed the big girls to do some special Daddy activities. Since then, the girls and I have figured out a pretty good rhythm on our own during the days, but we're certainly glad when Daddy gets home at night to help out!

We were lucky to have a few visitors during Nelle's first week... Grandma and Grandpa came to the hospital on Nelle's birth day, followed by Aunt Laura, Aunt Maggie, and Uncle Jake a few days later. Nelle is part of an amazing extended family, and we're looking forward to introducing her to everyone else soon.

Three generations of Klas/Devany/McCoy women

Maddie celebrated her second birthday at the beginning of August. Her day began with a trip to the zoo with Grandma, Grandpa, and Norah, and ended with presents and cake at home with Daddy, Mommy, Norah, and Nelle. Favorite presents included a sleeping bag and tent for "camping" with Daddy, a suitcase of her very own, two types of scooters, and a rubber snake. (Grandpa helped her pick out the snake from the gift shop at the zoo. In contrast, her sister came home with a pink stuffed penguin.) She has become quite the big girl - not just because she's a big sister now - but because she's ready to be an independent, "I can do it myself" kind of kid. She is incredibly verbal, both in the amount she talks (a lot, all the time!) and in the things she says, and she has an adventurous streak (perhaps from trying to keep up with Norah, or maybe just because she's always been our more rough and tumble kid - reference snake comment above). At the same time, she loves to cuddle and is constantly giving Baby Nelle sweet kisses on the head. It has been fun to watch Maddie become her own person, even during her most two-year-old moments.

As the beginning of school approached, Norah had a couple last-minute items to check off her summer to-do list. First was taking the training wheels off her bike. After a couple days of hard work (disrupted by a somewhat traumatic fall at the end of day one, which included a cracked helmet and skinned elbow - but thankfully not a cracked head!), she is now a two-wheel bike rider! Maddie also took the opportunity to practice her bike-riding skills, and give or take a little focus on minor issues like steering and obstacles in her path, she, too, is quite the rider. (Click on the "Full Screen" button on the videos below for a better view.)

Nelle was impressed with her sisters' efforts.

Next on the list was camping - backyard-style - with Daddy. Last year, Maddie was too little to spend a night under the stars, but this year, armed with her new birthday tent and sleeping bag, she was ready to join the fun. All three campers made it all night outside - so fun! (Nelle and I headed inside, though I'm not sure who got more sleep: Dan sleeping on the ground with Maddie and Norah poking each other all night, or me with a hungry newborn. Next year, Dan gets all three girls while I take a vacation! [jk, lol])

Shortly after the camping adventure, it was time for Norah to start kindergarten. She goes to St. Anthony's, and Mrs. Landon and Mrs. Renner are her teachers. She has a great year ahead of her: new friends to make, new things to learn, and a whole lot of fun to be had. She is still adjusting to the all-day schedule (luckily they have a short rest time in the afternoon to let her recharge a bit), but otherwise she has made a very smooth transition. Her preschool teachers did an amazing job of preparing her academically and socially, and Dan and I are so comfortable with the school and her teachers, that there were no tears, either from her or from us, on her first day. Her first day was a visit day - meaning no uniform and we stayed with her while she dropped in to meet her teachers and check out her classroom - but her second day went equally well.

Next up was Maddie's first day of school. Because I haven't worked since Maddie was born, she hasn't had a lot of opportunities to be away from me. (We've never even left her with a sitter outside the family - the advantages of having grandparents and aunts who are willing babysitters!). I wanted to give her the chance to have her own big girl activity and let her socialize with some other kiddos her own age... hence the pre-preschool program she's now doing once a week. Dan and I both dropped her off for her first day. We were expecting some tears - or at least some apprehension - but she was happy to stay and play, and she apparently was quite the little chatterbox with her teachers once we were gone. Her second day was equally successful - again, no tears - making me realize that I may have overestimated her mommy attachment. (Getting ready for her second day, she grabbed her backpack and lunchbox and stood by the garage door saying, "I ready, I ready. Open door for me.") I'm so excited that she is enjoying herself, and we're looking forward to a great year for her, too.

Maddie came home from day two with her "listening ears"

Nelle has been busy learning and growing, too. We're starting to see some occasional real smiles and she's interacting more with us at home. (At her age, that means she follows faces with her eyes and is more content to observe what is going on around her without being fussy.) We've just started to take her out into the world a bit more, so I can do my grocery shopping and other errand-running without having to wait for Dan or my mom to hang out with Nelle. The freedom is quite nice, even if the outings are less than exciting.

Okay, so this one probably wasn't "real," but it was still cute!

Nelle took her first mini road trip to help Aunt Maggie and Uncle Jake move into their new house a couple of weeks ago, and then a longer road trip to the beach for Labor Day weekend. She did very well in the car and loved the cool weather at the coast. Because of said cool weather we were able to dress her more warmly, which made her snuggle into a nice sleep all the way through the night. (My standards for "all the way through the night" have lessened a bit, but she did sleep from midnight until almost six, which gave me six hours of gloriously uninterrupted sleep. We briefly considered moving to the coast until fall arrives in Fresno, but Norah reminded us that it was important for her to get back for school.) The big girls had a great visit, too, especially since they got to spend lots of time at the beach and park.

With Aunt Laura at Maggie and Jake's house... congrats to the new homeowners!

Sammy the Snake made the trip to the beach with us

And finally - because I'm trying to take just as many pictures of the third baby as I did of the first - I have a few pictures of a growing Nelle to share. I had a hard time picking (since they're all so cute!), so indulge me a bit here.