Happy Halloween!

Tonight, Claire Hailey went trick-or-treating for the first time. Her Aunt Hannah and Ethan came over to take her up and down the block. Daddy was in charge of going along and getting lots of pictures. Claire had a nice long nap today, so she was in excellent spirits and couldn't wait to get her Minnie Mouse costume on and head out to collect her candy. She even let me draw on her face with eyeliner! She was so good and said "Happy Halloween," "Trick-or-Treat," and "Thank You" at every house. Meanwhile, Carter and I sat on the porch and handed out candy to all the other little trick-or-treaters. He was so comfy in his Little Monster costume that Aunt Heather found for him, and he stayed awake for the entire time. After all the trick-or-treating was done, Claire snuggled up in her bed with her baby brother and insisted on more pictures being taken. Hope you enjoy these pics of our Halloween cuties! I am so proud of them both.

Carter in his Halloween owl outfit.

Miss Minnie Mouse

Getting ready to head out for trick-or-treating

Me and the kiddos

The first house

Both kids trick-or-treating with Mommy

Claire and Carter snuggling

Carter's Two Week Checkup

Yesterday was Carter's two week checkup. In just two weeks he has gone from 6.7 lbs. to 8.2 lbs. and from 19.75 inches to 20.25 inches. I was so surprised...I kept thinking he was at least 7 lbs., but over 8 lbs. was shocking! Overall, the doctor was very pleased with him. She put him on his stomach and he held his head up so well and almost rolled over right there on the exam table. She recommended starting tummy time at home for 5-10 minutes a couple times a day. Later in the afternoon, Carter was wide awake, and I decided to take our first try at tummy time. Within 30 seconds, my two and half week old baby rolled over from his tummy to his back! I couldn't believe it! His big sister didn't roll over until she was more than three months old. I made him do it over and over and even caught it on video because I thought for sure no one would believe me.

Carter Douglas Has Arrived

Sorry it's taken me so long to post on my delivery, but as you can probably imagine, things have been rather hectic around here. Carter Douglas arrived at 12:07pm on Tuesday, October 14 via an impromptu c-section. He weighed 6lbs. 7oz. and measured 19.75 inches long. So far it looks like he's going to have blond hair and blue eyes just like his big sister. He's so tiny and perfect. I can't get over how beautiful he is. So I'm sure you're wondering how someone who had such a perfect vaginal delivery her first time around could end up with a c-section, well here are the details...

We planned an induction for Tuesday, October 14 because my doctor was going to be out of town on his due date. I was already dilated to 5cm and 80% effaced when I arrived at the hospital that morning. He was still not fully engaged in the birth canal though. My doctor predicted we would have a vaginal delivery by lunch time. She broke my water and everything was going fine on the Petocin. My contractions were coming 2 minutes apart and his heart rate was staying steady...until the epidural. Once we kicked my mother-in-law and friend out of the room for the epidural, they were never allowed back in because my L&D nurse said that Carter wasn't staying stable with the epidural. His heart rate was dropping every time I would have a contraction - sometimes as low as 50. When my doctor came in, they turned off the Petocin and decided to see how he did with me contracting naturally a couple times. She said if there was only one thing going wrong, she wouldn't do a c-section but there were several things not going well at once. She thought he would have come by this time as it was already lunch time. I was dilated to 8cm and fully effaced, but he refused to engage in the birth canal. His heart rate continued to drop and stay low through the contractions even though they had turned off the Petocin. She thought he could have the cord around his neck. Basically, the nurse told me that my doctor likes to play it safe and would rather have a c-section than risk any other complications. My doctor called it "not an emergency c-section" but an "asap c-section." It was certainly scary as I was expecting to have an easy labor like I did with Claire. I had prepared myself for anything, but you never expect it to happen. Derek was amazing and calmed me down pretty quickly in the OR. Having a c-section is just the strangest feeling, and the recovery has been drastically different. In the end, Carter's cord was wrapped all around his body, and he was "sunny side up." Guess he was smart enough to know that wasn't the right way to come out.

Things are crazy at home adjusting to a newborn and a two year old, but I'm loving every minute of it. Claire is so sweet with her brother - giving him tons of kisses and telling him she loves him all the time. So far, both kids seem to be adjusting well - now if mommy and daddy could just catch up!

Just Arrived

All bundled up

Meeting big sister for the first time

Four Generations of Crabtree Men

Proud Mommy

Just finished feeding

See his beauty mark on his right temple?

Smiling

Big blue eyes

So tiny next to Daddy

Claire holding her little brother

Claire loved her big sister present from her "Aunt" Heather

Opening her presents

Our wonderful family

Doctor Appointments - Updates on Baby Carter and Claire

Yesterday was my 38 week exam at the OB. I am currently dilated to almost 4cm and am 75% effaced. The doctor went ahead and stretched my cervix manually (OUCH!!), but she says that Carter is still so high up in my uterus that I probably won't go into labor on my own this week. Looks like we will be making it to Tuesday, October 14 for my induction. It will be nice to have the weekend to make sure everything is ready for his arrival. I am so excited! I can't believe he will be here in less than a week! I can't wait to see his little face and hold him in my arms.

Today was Claire's 2 year checkup. She was such a good girl at the doctor. Her weight, height and head circumference were all in the 50-75% percentile range. Looks like she'll end up being just above average - just as long as she's taller than her 5'3" mommy. She let the doctor listen quietly to her heart and lungs, held her eye open for the light, and turned her head to the side to check her ears. The doctor said that Claire was the most cooperative patient she's ever had. She even sat still for them to spray the flu mist into both of her nostrils. I'm so proud of my big girl!

Happy Birthday Claire!

I can't believe it's been two years since our little angel entered our lives and changed us forever. She amazes me as she grows and changes every day. I can actually carry on full conversations with her, she can tell me when she's happy or sad, she already bosses me around, and she gives the best hugs and kisses in the whole world!

Today she celebrated her second birthday with an early breakfast out with Mommy, Daddy and Pops. After our tummies were full, we headed to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch where Claire picked out 8 pumpkins ranging in size from itty bitty to 20 pounds! She had a blast carrying around her pumpkins and climbing on the hay bales.

We spent the afternoon at home getting ready for Claire's family birthday party. She was so excited when she woke up from her nap and found the house decked out in all Backyardigans, including two huge balloons of Uniqua and Tyrone. Claire had so much fun opening her presents, chowing down on pizza, cake and icecream, and going for a ride on her new tricycle. She really enjoyed having her whole family around and was still bouncing off the walls at bedtime.

Here are some pics of our happy birthday girl!