Spring is here

So what do we do? Green Lake of course.  We made it a quarter of the way around before Deven decided it was time to go back to the play ground.  That was fine by me as my stomach is still pretty sensitive after the surgery.  A successful outing including our first public feeding for Tova.  She is not distracted by anything including a playground full of screaming children.  Good girl!!
Note I said a successful outing...the trip home was a different story and does not include pictures.  Picture in your mind a crying hungry and sleepy toddler, a sometimes crying and hungry infant and two grown up size head aches.  Remind me to bring snacks for the toddler next time.  I still think the trip was worth it but I think we paid for the fun!  ; )

Brother and sister

A lot of people have been asking how Deven has been handling the transition from only child to having to have Tova around 24/7. I can honestly say, he LOVES Tova.  So much so that we have to remind him that she isn't has old as him and can't walk, eat solid food, or play in the mud with him.  We need to remind him not to squeeze her too tight when he hugs and not to smoosh her face when he gives her kisses.  The transition is going great specifically with Tova.
The challenge seems to be in that Deven has begun a new round of tests to see what we will let him get away with now that baby sister is here.  I'm not sure if this is merely because he is almost three, because there is a new dynamic in the house or more likely a little bit of both!  Regardless we are trying hard to hold strong to our routine at least.  So far so good, just a little bit more tired momma and daddo to make it happen.  Cross your fingers.

Bath time

Expect a lot of 'first' blogs for a while. This one is for Tova's first bath! Her cord fell off last night so we thought it would be fun to give her a bath tonight. Deven is an excellent big brother and was a big help!

Tova's first wellness check up

She's looking good folks!  90th percentile in both height and weight but she has an itty bitty head at the 45th percentile. 

When we left the hospital she was 8.03lbs coming down from her birth weight of 8.12lbs.  'They' say that babies should gain their birth weight back within two weeks so being 3oz away on day five makes this momma happy...and obviously the little lady is happy too!

Fashion rights

Whether you are a momma, a daddo, or some other care taker of a child who can't dress themselves and you have stayed up with them all night with 45 minutes between feedings, 3 poopie diapers and at least 2 peepee diapers you have earned the right to dress them in what ever you want!  I'm hoping Tova will approve in years to come but frankly this morning I have earned fashion rights for a long time and I just don't care.  I think she is just gorgeous, don't you?

Impromptu sleep over

I didn't think twice about the hospital letting me stay by myself with Tova on our first night and frankly was a little miffed when they said I couldn't.  Not without her being taken to the nursery except when she was hungry. Given that she had been nursing almost as much as Deven did, this didn't seem like the best way to go.  I had expertly planned for Deven to come visit us at the hospital and then Nick and Deven would go home and have a normal night with Sam.  Well thank goodness for professional nursing and hospital rules because really who was I kidding??
Tova was great, ate almost every hour (seems like she is a day time sleeper / cluster feeder right now) but this did not bode well for my exhaustion or level of pain around the incision.  Which was exactly why rational nursing staff put their foot down...albeit gently...to the irrational momma. 
So what to do with Deven at 7:30pm on a work day??  Call in reinforcements from the Burgess family and the Wright family.  Our good friend is one of the most popular teachers in town and just happens to be on spring break this week so an sudden 2 year old guest was a okay with her.  Words cannot express our gratitude! 
Of course there was Sam to think of as well...I'd already sent my sister home to tacoma thinking we didn't need her so making her drive up to LS on a work night just seemed cruel!!  Nick stopped in to check on him and we had our good friends the Wright's check in on him first thing in the morning to make sure he had not started some sort of revenge on us for our complete neglect!!
By the time nick made it back to Swedish it was after 11pm but super daddo that he is, he was able to continue to help Tova and me through the night and morning before taking off again to collect Deven.
Somehow I feel like this is just a preview of the chaos our new lives will be filled with but we did it so I guess all I can say is bring it on, we are ready...we think...

Tova Rae Johnston's birth day!

Our little girl was born this morning at 10:03am.  She weighs 8 lbs and 12 oz and has a height of 20.5 inches.  By all accounts, I'm told, a larger than average baby but Deven still had her beat by 2 pounds! 
She is a great eater and so far a great sleeper!  No worries I know this will not last but I'll take it for now. 
She has dark brown hair and dark blue eyes for now.  A looker if you will!
Here are a few pics...a lot more to follow in the coming days as we get settled.