Annika has done the cutest things lately! I know, like that's different from normal how? Anyway, yesterday Annika was sitting on the stool at the kitchen counter playing with stickers when Kris said something to her. Her response? "Awesome!" It was the perfect context, inflection, etc. It was so cute that Kris and I both cracked up laughing at her. Because she got the response she wanted, she kept saying it yesterday afternoon. Kris asked her who taught her that word and she said Auntie Krystle. I don't doubt her one bit!

She's also started doing this little dance routine. First she sways her arms to the left, then the right then she marches in place a few times then jumps once and then claps her hands. Then she repeats the sequence over and over again. Kris and I can't figure out where she learned this little four step routine (Doodlebops? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? Wiggles?) or if she made it up herself but it sure is cute. This is the routine Kris tried to get on videotape the other day. We'll have to keep trying since she keeps doing it.

James continues on his excellent baby ways. He's having more and longer alert periods each day. He usually has one in the morning when he wakes up for the day and another in the evenings before going to bed for the night. Each usually last 45 minutes to an hour. I try to talk to him and hold him close to my face during these times. His vision isn't very good yet so by holding him close to me, he can actually see me. He's changing so much each day too. At first Kris and I thought he looked like Kris's Dad and uncle but he doesn't so much anymore. We can't figure out who he looks like now. He does have Kris's eyes and my fingernails, that much we know for sure. Oh, and he has Kris's (messed up!) toes. Poor guy! Hee!

And now for James' birth story. Monday, February 5th was eviction day for Sweet Baby James. He was officially full term, by one day, and both the midwife and Kris and I didn't want him to get much bigger, not with his sister being over nine pounds and all. I woke up early that morning to shower and get all the last minute things ready before Annika woke up. I wanted a little bit of time with her that morning before leaving. Auntie Krystle came over around 7am and helped with Annika too. Kris and I left around 7:25am or so to make our 5 minute drive to the hospital. We checked in to labor and delivery at 7:30am and were shown immediately to room #307. I note this because with Annika we were also in room #7! Anyway, shortly thereafter a nurse came in to take my health history and shortly after that a different nurse came in to start my IV of fluids. A little bit later the midwife came in to check in on me and confirm that we were a go for the induction. After that the nurse came back with the IV of antibiotics and got that started. By this time it was 9am already. The antibiotics had to be in for four hours before she could break my water and get things really rolling so Kris and I thought we had a while to relax. We got out the computer and I posted here and played online for a while and Kris read his book. About an hour and a half later, my midwife, Lisa, came by again. She was worried that just breaking my water wouldn't get labor going like we'd like and suggested we start on a low dose of pitocin before breaking my water so I was at least having some contractions. To that point I was only having them periodically, like usual. I agreed to the pitocin and at 11am, the nurse started it on the lowest dose, 3mL/hr. A half hour later I was still only having tiny contractions so they upped it to 2 doses. An hour later, I was having frequent but painless contractions so they upped it to 4 doses. Kris and I continued to relax. 45 minutes later, around 1:15pm, they upped the dose to 6. Lisa wanted the contractions to be stronger (i.e. HURT MORE!). And the contractions were a little stronger but still tolerable. At 2:40pm, they upped the dose again to 8. The contractions were more intense at this point but I was up and walking around through them still. At 3:30pm I climbed back in bed. Lisa checked me and I was still only 6 cm dilated, 70% effaced and the baby was around 0 to +1 station. All those hours of contractions and I only went from 5 to 6! Argh! Lisa broke my water and then waited to see how I would respond. My contractions became steady and strong and I had to breathe through them. At 5:10pm the pitocin was reduced to 6 since I seemed to be in active labor and they didn't think I need the pitocin to keep me going. At 5:30pm, I was checked again and at 7cm, 80% effaced and +1 station. Two hours and 1 cm! By this time the contractions were getting harder and harder to breathe through. I asked for some pain relief and at 5:50, I was given nubain in my IV and a hip injection. As with Annika's labor, the nubain made me loopy. Thankfully though it also took the edge off the contractions. They still hurt but not as badly and I could once again breathe through them. However, between contractions I would totally be out of it. I think I fell asleep a couple times. I didn't really like how it made me feel. At 7:20pm I was checked again and at 8cm and 80% effaced. Even with the nubain, I wasn't making much progress. And the nubain wears off after two hours and a second shot isn't as effective as the first. I didn't think I wanted to go from 8 to 10 without pain relief so I opted for an epidural instead. At 8pm I was given the epidural. I relaxed in bed and figured it would be a while to finish up dilating. Around 8:20pm Kris went home to get some dinner and say good night to Annika. At 8:30pm, James' heart rate dropped and a nurse came in to the room and had me roll on to my side a bit. His heart rate came right back up. She checked me and found me at 10cm! Turns out I just needed to relax and my body cooperated and dilated. Even though I was breathing through and handling the contractions on my own and then with the nubain, I couldn't relax enough and was hindering my progress. Anyway, the nurse called Lisa and then I called Kris. He had just gotten home and had to turn around and come right back. Lisa came in a few minutes later and checked me. I was, indeed, at 10cm but I had a small lip of cervix still in the way. Lisa decided to let me labor with the epidural a bit longer to get rid of that lip. A little after 9pm she checked me again and not only was the lip gone but James had moved himself down the birth canal. I was at -3 station and Lisa, the nurse and Kris could all see James' head already! I was given the OK to start pushing and pushed through two contractions. Everybody was telling me how well I was doing and that James was moving down with each push. I didn't believe them though and told them that with the epidural, I couldn't feel anything down there and didn't know if I was pushing correctly or not. The nurse went and got a big mirror on wheels. Now I could see exactly what was going on down there! I could see his head too and it was moving down with each push! I pushed through 2 or 3 more contractions and then his head popped out! (It was at this time that I looked at Kris. He wasn't crying, but he did have big tears in his eyes. I almost lost it, seeing him emotional like that but knew that my job wasn't done yet.) Lisa helped turn his shoulders and with one more contraction, James was out! He was born at 9:34pm and was immediately put on my belly and Kris cut his umbilical cord. While on my belly, after having his mouth suctioned out, he gave the biggest yell! It was music to my ears. Annika never yelled because she had so much gunk in her lungs and had to have a tube down her throat to get all of out it. Anyway, James was brought to the warmer,. which was right beside my bed, and Kris took some pictures. Lisa delivered the placenta and then told me that I hadn't torn at all! Yay! James was weighed and we were all surprised to hear the 9 pounds 8 ounces measurement! Thank goodness we didn't wait any longer to induce! Imagine how big he would have grew! Finally I was given my baby back and I got to snuggle and love him and try breastfeeding for the first time. He, like his sister, knew exactly what to do and was latched on perfectly right from the start. Lisa and the nurses asked his name. I looked at Kris and asked him one last time if he was okay with the name. He shook his head and said that he was. And then I announced "This is James Daniel." And then after Lisa and the nurses left Kris gave me a big kiss, told me how well I had done and we snuggled with our new son.

Everyone has asked where James Daniel came from. James is Kris's middle name and Daniel is after my father so he's named after his Daddy and his Grandpa. James is not an unusal name, as Kris tends to like, but I wanted it and had suggested it early in the pregnancy. It wasn't until near the end though that Kris agreed to it. Daniel is also my brother's middle name so while Annika's middle name is the same as Nana's and Auntie Carrie's middle name, James' middle name is the same as Grandpa's first name and Uncle Mathias' middle name. Nice symmetry, isn't it? Kris and I have decided that we are not going to call him Jim, Jimmy, Jimbo or any of those variations. We are going to call him James or J.D. If, in the future, he decides that he wants a different nickname, that is his perogative, but until then, James or J.D. it is.