Lovin Life

So we are just hanging out and loving life. Ava and Viviann are great friends already. I love having two kids, and I love that I am taking this semester off and being at home full time. We are all moved in...it took about a week, but we are finally done! Here are some cute pictures. I can't believe that Viv is already 3 weeks old! Time is really flying by.

I don't think we could have asked for a better baby. She is so laid back, and loves to observe things when she is awake. She is a super sleeper, and I am very grateful!

Ava has become such a good little momma. She loves to helps "sister" and give her her binkie and lets me know if she is unhappy. Viviann doesn't cry a whole lot, and only really when she is hungry, so whenever she cries Ava says, "Mom Viv is Hungry!" It is pretty funny. She has become a teenager overnight, changing clothes 5 times a day, emotional breakdowns, and thinking that she is the one incharge. She cracks us up!

This is one of Ava's favorite pictures. She says, "It is my friend Grandma and my friend Grandpa!" She really misses having a grandma and grandpa around. Hopefully it won't be long until we are around family again.

Ava loves to "snuggle" Viv. I think most people would refer to it as maul, or annoy, but Ava likes to call it "snuggling."

One thing Ava won't stand for is Viviann using her "Bobby" pillow. I thought this might be the case and bought Viv another one before she was born, just incase. Ava has a very strong attachment to her pillow. They love to just lounge in them together though. It was nice when I was trying to unpack everything.

So that is it for now. We are loving life and our girlies. We couldn't ask for more!

Baby Ballerina

I took these pictures when she was just 4 days old. It is hard to believe she is two weeks old already, but it is also hard to remember a time when she wasn't around. She fits in so well, and is so calm and good. Last night she slept from 12 to 5, which is probably a fluke but I LOVED it! We are in the middle of unpacking everything, and I will post pictures of our new place when it is all in order. We ended up waiting to move until last weekend, cause I wasn't up for a road trip with a three day old baby...so we are slowly getting settled. It tends to take longer to do everything with two kids, but we are getting used to it. We couldn't be happier with our little family.

Here is Ava. She is loving all the toys and things that we are getting out again for Vivi. She wanted to take her turn in the bassinet. She is doing really well for having a baby sister and moving away from grandma and grandpa all in one week. She has had a few meltdowns, and yesterday she told me, "Mom, I want to go back to Grandma and Grandpa's house!" It is good to know she loves them...even if it is more than me :)

And here is the only picture I really take of my pregnancies...My due date picture. I have one with Ava, and now with Viv too. My girls like to take their sweet time.

Sisters!

I am so in love with having two little girls. Ava loves Viviann and I think so far, the feeling is mutual. I know Viv is only a week old, and smiles aren't really suposed to happen for a while, but it seems like when Ava is around she either can feel all the love and lets out a smile, or gets bad gas. Either way, it is really cute.

Vivi is such a great baby. She sleeps great and eats great. What more could I ask for? I am getting used to two kids, it is hard to not be able to give my full attention to Ava and I miss my time with her, but we love Vivi so much and our little family feels a little more complete.

The delivery went well. I had a goal to go natural this time. Everyone, including Riley didn't know why on earth I would want to, and it is hard to explain. I guess it is an experience that not everyone gets to have, and I didn't want to pass it up. I don't know that I was prepared, I didn't take classes or anything, I just figured my body would know what to do. It was very painful, and I felt like giving up a lot, but we made it through. Riley was the best partner I could have asked for. It was a great experience for both of us. I don't know if I will do it again without drugs...still too soon and I haven't forgotten enough of the pain, but it was a good experience.

Contractions started at 4 in the morning on Tuesday. I went to the doctor for my check up and was dilated to a 3. I went back home and finished out the day. Then that night the contractions were stronger and I called my doula, Sara. She came over and hung out that night at the house with me and Riley. I wanted to labor at home as much as possible, cause it is just more comfortable than in a hospital. So after a long night and little sleep she checked me Wednesday morning and I was dilated to a 7. We decided to go to the hospital. Everyone thought the baby would be here in no time. Well 8 hours later I was STILL at a 7!! I was so ready to give up, get some drugs and take a nap until this baby was going to come out, but I didn't and a she was born a few hours later at 4:49 p.m.

Now we are having fun adjusting to our new family and loving every minute of Viv's little life. I have learned with Ava that it goes by WAY too fast.

pictures

Ok So pictures are still not working. My friend just mentioned that the filter they had was what was blocking them from uploading pictures, so maybe I will check into that. For now, her newborn pictures are posted at KMC.org in the virtual nursery. You then are linked over to the photographer's website and have to sign in, so it is a little lame, but there are some cute pictures of little baby Viv.

Hopefully we will get pictures up here soon! Sorry again!

What's in a name?

Ok, so I have been trying to get pictures to post, but it just isn't cooperating, so I will do a quick post about her name, since I have had some questions.

Well her name is Viviann Roan (pronounced just like Vivian, but with an extra 'n') We added the extra 'n' after her grandmas. We really like meanings to names, for instance, in Latin Ava means. "Like a Bird" and Belle is after her Grandma Belle, which means "beautiful" in french. The idea was that Ava was the first born and gave us our "parenthood wings" so to speak. She was like a bird in that she allowed us amazing opportunities that really stretched us both physically and mentally. She is also as beautiful as they come, inside and out, so both names mean something and the middle name is a family name.

So going along with that idea, we liked the name Vivian (sorry Erin P.) It also happens to be the name of the town my grandfather was born in Louisiana. However, we wanted Ann in there somewhere, but Vivian Ann sounds like you are stuttering, so that wouldn't work. Vivian means "Alive" in latin, and since Riley's Grandma Marsha Ann has passed on, we thought it would be appropriate to add a 'n' on the end symbolizing that "Ann" is alive in Viviann. Just representing the amazing ability family has to grow and move on, yet continue to remember who came before us, and how they touched our lives while they were here, and how they continue to now that they are gone. Her middle name, Roan, is my mother's maiden name, and I have always loved it. It means "Little red one" but so far she has brown hair, so Roan is just a tribute to a great family that I love so much and many strong people who influenced my life.

So there it is. I hope it makes since.

I will post pictures when the site will let me again! Sorry to make you wait even longer, but she is so cute it will be worth it I promise :)

Viviann Roan Crebs

SHE'S HERE!!!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome

Viviann Roan Crebs*

to the world.

She was born around 5pm local time and weighed in at 8 lb 3 oz. She is a tall drink of water, 20 3/4 inches long.

If anyone needed proof that Lindsay is the toughest chick in the world, here it is:

She birthed that kid without any drugs. None. Zip. Nada. She's insane. (By the way, Lindsay is letting her most awesome oldest sister, Heather, post this.) I'm sure she's loving the ice packs right now. Linds did have Sarah, an awesome massage therapist-doula-midwife, who helped her through everything.

I don't know any more gory details, and Linds or Riley will post pictures when they are home and have slept for at least 2.3 hours straight.

Congratulations on being a big sister, Ava!! Can't wait to meet you baby Viv!!!

*Erin, dearest, sorry about her getting born the day before your birthday and not ON your birthday. I think Linds would have totally changed her name just in honor of you. Maybe we'll just call her EM (short for Erin Marie) as a pet name, what do you think?