Pictures

Anabelle, dictating "who knows what" to Declan

I made these cute little pants for Declan. They don't fit him anymore but it was fun while they lasted.

 Chillin' in the swing

 Tummy time

Hi :)

These two are so crazy!  Gotta love 'em.

Grandma (Mike's mom) came to visit after Declan was born.  She was soooo helpful and Anabelle had a really hard time saying goodbye to her.

Our kids are both growing so much, and far too quickly if you ask me.  We love them to pieces.

Little videos & more

Watching these videos has made me realize how much Declan has changed already.  They are so cute I just had to post both of them

I realize these pics are all now over a week old, so I'd better hurry up and post so I can keep up with the ones coming later.  These were taken the day we came home (Thursday afternoon).

 Notice how enormous his pants are.  He's still swimming in all of the newborn pants.

 Mike is one happy Daddy!

 He was trying to mimic Declan's face, but didn't quite catch it ;)  I still had to post it, because it makes me laugh

Declan Michael

Declan Michael Lewis was born Tuesday, November 29, at 11:45 p.m., weighing in at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 21 in. long.

 All throughout this pregnancy, I have been hoping to have a VBAC.  I did not want to have another c-section. I had been experiencing symptoms of early labor for several weeks (none of which I had with Anabelle's pregnancy). Then, on Tuesday afternoon, around 4:30, my water broke!  We were so excited and loaded up, dropped Anabelle off at a friend's, and headed to the hospital. The contractions picked up with major intensity and frequency once my water broke, and were about 3-4 minutes apart. I was able to get my epidural around 6:30, giving me some much needed relief. The contractions were 2-3 min. apart, but not all of them had a break to rest in between. I was dilated to a 4-5 at this point. An hour later they checked me again and I was still the same, so they gave me a little pitocin. Within another hour and a half, I was an 8!  About 2 hours after that I was a 10 and almost ready to push. They got everything ready and called the Dr. in. I pushed for about a half hour before he made his way into the world. Mike was so wonderful the entire time, rooting me on and telling me how well I was doing, informing me of the progress. He made it all so much easier.  I also had an amazing nurse, who took such wonderful care of me and helped coach me through everything. Then, Declan was here. He was so perfect.  I did it!  I was so relieved, and so filled with joy. What a beautiful experience.

Happy Daddy!  I neglected to mention previously that Mike began feeling sick Tuesday.  While I was in labor, he was running a 101.4 degree fever and had contracted the flu.  He had to wear a mask when Declan was born and the whole time he was at the hospital with us (although he took it off for a few pictures).  Poor guy.  Horrible timing.  Mike has been such an amazing help though, taking care of Anabelle, Declan, me, and everything around the house since Declan was born.  He's finally feeling all better :)

He is such a sweet boy.

And he loves to cuddle :)

Anabelle LOVES her baby brother and is very sweet to him.  She is a very helpful big sister

and she loves to give him kisses

and his toy

Such cute kiddos

Oh, how we love our sweet Declan boy :)

I have been recovering.  It's nice to be home.  All in all, we were at the hospital less than 48 hours.  I could finally get some (almost) uninterrupted rest. I have been very sore, but it is getting better daily.  I tore a bit (which I was really hoping to avoid) and am recovering from a small hematoma , but what can ya do?  I am on the mend and will hopefully be able to be up and moving around like normal in a few days. But I am a very happy Mama :)

Savannah, GA

We have been wanting to make a trip to Savannah, Georgia, for quite a while (especially considering it's only 2 hours away). Well, we finally did, on our way home from our Florida trip.  We had a lot of fun, got to see some cool sites, ate lunch at a delicious Southern buffet, and stopped at Bass Pro Shops (one of Mike's favorite places).
We stopped to look at this amazing cathedral.

 The inside was so intricate and beautiful

 Along the Riverwalk

 In front of the Capital Building

War Memorial

 "Occupy Wall Street" protesters

 At the restaurant, called "The Pirates' House"

 Making our Pirate faces

 This is the buffet, though you can't see much.  They had, as Mike put it, the MOST AMAZING FRIED CHICKEN EVER!!  It was pretty darn good.  Their mashed potatoes were awesome, as well as their biscuits, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, etc.  There was so much food I can't remember it all.  But it was well worth the stop.

 They had some pretty sweet decor

 More along the riverwalk

 Go Navy!

 And, amazingly, Anabelle slept the entire way home :)

 So cute

We had a fun vacation and really enjoyed seeing Savannah and its history.  We have been able to tour a lot of cities along the east coast this past year, and it has been so neat.  Each place is different and has its own unique feel and history.  We sure do live in an amazing country.