Isabelle Marie

Yesterday morning (May 22, 2016), at 10:16am, we welcomed our second beautiful daughter into the world!

Everyone meet Isabelle Marie Winterstein :)

She's already filled our lives with more joy and love than we could have imagined. Abigail is a phenomenal big sister and we can't wait to go home tomorrow and get our new normal figured out :).

 

I will post more later with many more photos, details, etc :). For now, I'm going to try and squeeze in little bitty naps when possible... It's been a few days since I've slept! 

 

Relaxing while waiting...

Ahh....I'm currently relaxing in a nice warm bath while Abby naps. This is so beyond needed for me. The past few days I've really let myself be my own worst enemy. I've been way too focused on trying to induce this labor naturally that it's pretty much taken over my mind. I was in such a funk yesterday, which I blame myself for. Sure, I've been pretty miserable. My back pain at night is keeping me from getting any sleep. My tailbone pain is stopping me from even wanting to sit down, and definitely making standing up dreadful. And I've had some of the worst crotch pain of my life...but I won't go into that! Haha. On top of it all, the past week has been filled with nausea and a total lack of appetite. So yeah, none of that is fun. But I'm still trying to remind myself that this could be the last time I'm ever pregnant. And that's pretty crazy to think. Despite the pain, I want to treasure these last moments of feeling a baby moving inside me. I want to embrace how amazing my body is for being capable of carrying and growing a life inside of it. It might not be comfortable, but it's more than worth it!

 

I'm also a little thankful that I've gotten to this point of misery. It's made the whole "Abby not being my only baby" thing a little easier on me lately. I was initially feeling guilt over it - thinking the transition would be difficult for her and that I needed to soak up these last moments with just her. I still want to soak them up, but I'm in so much pain that it's taking away from my time with her. I'm not able to chase her around the house as easily. I can't bounce her on the yoga ball like she wants because my belly gets in the way. And the most simple of all, I'm not able to comfortably snuggle her on the couch because we don't both fit very well and can't get comfy. Once baby Isabelle is here, I can snuggle my little girl again! Sure, I might be exhausted at times...but at least I'll feel good enough to sit on the floor and play with my beautiful two-year-old.

 

So for now we wait! My body is progressing and telling us that it's ready for Izzy's arrival. It's just up to her when she decides to make her grand debut! We are ready and excited. :) Until she arrives, I will continue to pray for patience and peace while trying to relax and enjoy these last moments as a family of three! 

 

Still pregnant!

Here I am, laying in bed, 37 1/2 weeks pregnant! As of Wednesday, I was 3 1/2cm dilated and 80% effaced. The doctor said I could go into labor any day. If I'm still pregnant by my next appointment on Wednesday, she is going to sweep my membranes in hopes to jump start something. I know I technically still have almost three weeks until my due date, but the baby is a good size and my body seems to be getting itself plenty ready. My tailbone, pelvic region, and back can't handle being pregnant much longer! So here's to hoping we get to meet this little girl soon. 

 

Abigail had a bit of a tough week this week. She was pretty emotional and a little irritable for several days. We all thought she was just sensing that things were going to change soon with Isabelle coming and whatnot. She was also refusing to eat most things we'd offer her. After waking up from her nap one day, she told me she was hurting. A little while later, when taking her potty, she began to cry and told me it hurt. It was so sad! I got her into the doctor that day and sure enough - my baby had a UTI. We had to catheterize her at the doctors. It was awful. But she's now had three doses of her antibiotics and is seeming much more like her normal and happy self. I'm so glad I trusted my instincts and got her in to the doctor so quickly! My poor little girl.

 

Good news! Our neighborhood added another park down the road from us. It's probably about a 3/4 mile walk, which is perfect for some exercise while I'm trying to induce this labor ;). Abigail got to go twice today, which she loved! 

 

She's just the sweetest, silliest, and most adorable little girl. I can't believe we are Blessed enough to be getting another wonderful little gal!! I'm feeling so many emotions with this being so close to reality now.

I love my little family so much. 

So in love

Today is one of those days where I feel emotional thinking about how much I love Abigail. It's a strange feeling when you love someone so much that it is almost painful. Painful in a good way, of course. 

 

This little girl has completed my life in so many ways and I'm filled with so much joy just by looking at her. Thinking about how much I love her almost brings me to tears. She is so amazing. I can't believe that my heart is going to feel this way for two kids soon! How crazy is that?!

 

Days like these are wonderful.