Baby! Finnula Alma Catherine

Arrival at the hospital 6:15pm. Waiting for things to get started (and for R to get back to the hospital with the camera battery that we forgot! oops!)

Working through a contraction on the birthing balls -- this was a huge novelty for the hospital. They had never seen birthing balls before, or apparently had someone bring their own soundtrack to listen to, or use the shower for getting through contractions... in fact with the 98% C-section rate, one of the nurses had never seen natural birth before.

Just born!

And latched on immediately!

Proud Papa

After we both got cleaned up

Later that same day -- since Finnula was born at 1am and we live around the corner from the hospital, we were back at home by 4pm the same day

G not quite sure what to think....

After her first bath

G playing with "Mom" (that's what he calls his grandma) making the silly face

Sleepy girl (with her new earrings)

Finnula Alma Catherine was born October 19th at 1:12 am. A healthy 8.5 lbs and 22 inches long! G was a little skeptical at first but now he is sharing his blankie with his "Mana" (hermana) or "Seeester". We are having so much fun with her!

Successful event!

Our event was covered by local press!

One more report and I'm ready to give birth :-)

Lots of pictures! 39 weeks!

39.5 weeks! I'm officially due on Wednesday, but hoping that baby F will hold on until after that since I have a major work event that day (the graduation of our first round of caregivers - complete with press coverage and distinguished guests - from their training program as well as visits from our home office and board of directors).

In the meantime baby F is kicking up a storm (including in the middle of the night). Pictures from earlier this week follow. G loves being in pictures so many of them have him on the side or straight in front of the camera...

G popping up in the picture

39 weeks

G is not sure what we are doing but it seems pretty fun

We recently also had some good friends visit and help out with work in the orphanages. Before we got married there was about 6 months (?) where we all lived in a group house together in Baltimore, so having them here with us was (sort of) like old times ... plus Luna and G and my pregnant belly...

Mirador Catarina

Biking in Grenada

Vulcan Masaya

Also the week they were here I had two lovely baby showers -- one from my staff and the other from our friends here in Nicaragua.

Again G loves being in pictures

With our good friend and her lovely children (right around the same age as ours!)

decorations

Complete with games -- I may look big but not quite THAT big

We have a name :-)

All of the lovely people who were there to share the baby shower with us -- very thankful for good friends here and for sharing our excitement in waiting for baby F!

Hopefully the next post will have some baby pictures!

Almost, almost.... (and some updates)

37 weeks pregnant and the doctor says that any day now we can expect to meet our little girl! We are so excited! He also thinks that she will not be as big as G (10lbs) which I am also pretty excited about...

G (or Ya-YO as he has named himself) in the meantime has become very cuddly.. partially as a ploy to avoid bedtime, but it is a very sweet and successful ploy! After we read his current favorite books ("Nand" Ferdinand, "Wild" Where the wild things are, "Heeeelllo" May I bring a friend) he requests "cuddle". Ya-YO has become very definitive about his likes and dislikes as we approach the 2 year mark. We're not sure if he has the idea that the new baby is coming though we talk to him about it and he does like to give kisses to his sister in "Ama's" (that's me) belly.

Who can resist this face?

Cuddling around my big belly

A month ago we did  a 5K with good friends of ours from Leon -- R ran and I walked while pushing G is the stroller. It was a good workout (40lbs of G + 20lbs of jogging stroller), but luckily I had good company walking with me and it was at 6am in the morning so it wasn't too hot yet.

After the 5K

8mo pregnant

With our dear friends from Leon

The next three weeks are very very busy at work -- we are beginning the development of our Early Childhood Development course for professionals with a local University (a course on evidenced based best practices for care for children in institutionalized settings -- this has been 8 months in the works), graduating our first group of caregivers from the caregiver training program, implementing material improvements in 2 of 5 centers (including soft spaces, books, toys, dress up outfits, and  "lofts"  to be built by a group that supports skill building for people with special needs) and receiving visits from board members and donors.

So I'm hoping that as G was nice enough to stay put in utero so I could finish my clinical hours for my Masters as a Nurse Practitioner, that F will be nice enough to stay put to get through Oct 12th!

We shall see.....

Cathching up on Photos....

Up Up Up!

Me: 31 weeks pregnant (almost 8 mo), G almost 21 months

R, G & I getting ready to go out to dinner

Dad, R & G -- G is ready to escape out the gate

At a wonderful Sushi dinner ... before G started his interpretive dance & yoga routine beginning with some downward dog followed by rolling around on the floor. He even put himself in time out -- Me: G do you want to sit? G: Yes (and then sits).

My two handsome boys after bathtime

At the beach in Leon after G had a dinner of sand

R & G

A gorgeous sunset at the beach in Leon

Just taking the opportunity to catch up on posting some of our more recent pictures!

Growing Boy (and girl and puppy)!

While G is growing and coming up with all new tricks right before our eyes (naked dancing time every night is a favorite), baby girl is growing and growing inside of me (almost 8 months pregnant!) and little Luna our puppy is getting bigger and bigger as well.

R & I at a friend's Birthday party

With the birthday girl!

G likes for us to wear bucket hats in the pool

G, despite apparently having told R for months that we needed to get a dog (according to R...), is still getting used to Luna. He has however mastered his first sentence courtesy of Luna "No Dog!"

G's favorite hiding spot behind the flowers, with Luna in hot pursuit

Where is G?

There he is!

A little bit behind but this is our baby girl at 25 weeks!

 Hope all is well with you all! Besos!