Welcome to the World Madelyn Joy!

Madelyn Joy Megel entered the world on August 23rd at 10:40am weighing 9lbs 4oz and 21.5in long. She is healthy, beautiful and totally precious. The entire labor and delivery process was a lot easier overall compared to her sister. We got to the hospital at 8am and less than three hours later Adam was holding her! She must have enjoyed the home I had made for her though because she didn't enter the world easily. Dr. Reed and the nurses were literally sweating and out of breath trying to get her out! I believe Dr. Reed's exact words were, "This kid is a monster!" She was way up in my ribs and not even close to dropping. Dr. Reed said she didn't think she had ever worked so hard to get a baby out. And I have to say, that makes me a little nervous about the next one! Madelyn was 4 oz heavier and an inch longer than her sister. And Abi was a week late! When I was holding her afterwards all I could think was, 'I can't believe this huge baby was inside me!" No wonder I felt so bad...sheesh! The doctors and nurses couldn't stop talking about her size our entire time at the hospital. She skipped newborn diapers and went straight to size ones.

We stayed in the hospital just over 48 hours and were blessed with wonderful nurses and lots of visitors. I really enjoyed our stay in the hospital. I got to eat sooner, move around sooner and felt better in general. We were anxious to go home of course, but I always dread leaving the cacoon of that little hospital room. It's quiet, relaxing, the nurses bring you whatever you want at the touch of a button and are there in 5 seconds if you have any questions. Not to mention there's no dishes, laundry or toys to pick up.



Loretta brought Abi up to meet her new sister a couple hours after she was born. She hadn't had her nap yet so she wasn't quite herself when she got there. At first she was pretty freaked out by mommy being in that weird bed with all those cords hooked up everywhere. And she didn't want to sit next to me at first. But she warmed up after awhile. She loved Madelyn right away and wanted to hold her and kiss her and inspect her. "Where is Baby Sister's paci? Where are Baby Sister's ears? Where is Baby Sister's hat?" and on and on.



first family photo



While Abi was at the hospital Adam walked her down to the gift shop and bought her a balloon. I'm pretty sure she was more excited about the balloon than she was her new sister! She spent the rest of her visit bouncing around the room with her balloon...hence the blurry pictures.

Here are some of Madelyn's visitors:

Aunt Kristen and Mamaw



Papaw Megel



Uncle David, and Madelyn's Godfather



Great-Grandma Nelson and Grandma Loretta





Great-Grandma and Grandpa Smith



So far Madelyn is super chill and really easy. She sleeps all the time! The only two things that make her cry are if she's hungry or cold. And then she goes right back to sleep. We've only seen her with her eyes open a few times. I feel like I'm nervously watching a Jack-in-the-Box. I'm just waiting for it to pop open and scare me. We can't be so lucky as to have a kid this easy and laid back can we!? We haven't even attempted a paci yet because she's never cried longer than 15 seconds!

Since we came home on Saturday afternoon we've had some more visitors. But other than that we've just been taking it easy and enjoying our time as a family.

"Madelyn" got Abi this new kitchen as a Big Sister present and it was waiting for her when she got home.
It has served as a wonderful distraction and is something for her to show off to our visitors.



sisters



Marci and Boogie



Kristi and Dan



Ella



Ava



Uncle Aaron (and naked Eli in the background)



water soccer?



Abi playing kitchen with Madelyn

  

Home Sweet Home

Adam goes back to work Thursday and I love having him home. I hate to jinx ourselves, but things are going really great so far. Our neighbors, family and friends have blessed us with delicious food and it has been a huge help. I thought it would seem strange having two kids, but it feels totally normal. Like she's been here forever. For the next month we will have two kids under two years old, which is kind of crazy. I heard a quote a few weeks ago that describes exactly how I feel: 'If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart!' My heart is just bursting with appreciation for all our sweet family and friends that love us so much. And I could not have imagined a more perfect addition to our family than Madelyn. God is so good and I feel so undeserving for all the blessings he has given us!

Ready as We'll Ever Be...

My floors are vaccumed and swept, the bathrooms are clean, our bags are packed, the car seat is in the car and I think we've narrowed down the name list to a top two. Soo.....I think we're ready. We took Abi down to Dad and Loretta's tonight, where, I am sure she will be spoiled rotten for the next three days. The c-section is scheduled for 10am tomorrow and I can't eat after midnight. (sidenote: the surgery was originally scheduled for noon, but they were able to bump us up to 10am! How sweet is that!?) So my dear sweet husband has offered to take me to Steak 'n Shake tonight at 11pm for a frisco melt and a chocolate milkshake. A last date and last meal all in one.

Over the last three days it really started sinking in that we are about to have a new baby. Organizing diapers and folding teeny-tiny onesies can't help but make me excited. It's hard to believe Abigail was ever that small. On one hand I feel like I have been pregnant forever. But the big day seems like it kind of snuck up on us. If I was going to write a book about this pregnancy the title would be, "40 Weeks as a Sweaty Pincushion." I've had enough injections and had enough blood drawn to last a lifetime. And, well, it has been the hottest summer since 1936. But as I sit here thinking this is my last day being pregnant (for a few years hopefully!) I can't help but be a little sad. It truly is a miracle. Feeling a baby kick and swirl is one of the greatest feelings ever. Oh, wait, I just got a glance of my elevated cankles over the computer screen and I have to pee...again. Nevermind, come on out Baby Girl!

I had my last doctor's appointment this morning to go over final surgery details and have my platelet levels checked for tomorrow. They have been hovering in the high 80's to low 90's so I was a little nervous. The nurse called this afternoon to say they were 136!! My platelet levels haven't been that high my entire pregnancy. I am overwhelmed to the point of tears by God's goodness and the power of prayer. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. In other news, my total weight gain this time was 35 lbs. Baby Girl measured great and her heart beat sounded beautiful. I would also like to add for the record that almost every single appointment it takes Dr. Reed a few min to get a good listen because she doesn't lay still long enough! A sign of things to come?? After my appointment Abi and I met Adam for lunch at Fazoli's for a last little bit of Abi-Mommy-Daddy time.



This time tomorrow we'll be a family of four. There's nothing left to do but wait and try to enjoy my last night of uninterrupted sleep for a loooong time.

40 weeks

Short Report

This post will be short and sweet because last week was pretty much a wash at the Megel House. Monday night I came down with a bad case of the flu. Achey, headache and a high fever. I couldn't get off the couch for three days. Talk about fabulous timing....but I would much rather have the flu 39 weeks pregnant than with a newborn. I don't remember the last time I felt that bad. I couldn't even take care of Abi. Thank God for the blessings known as Mom and Kristen who rearranged their schedules to take care of her for me! Once again, Adam had to play "Mom" and I'm so thankful for his help too. Although he did inform me he thinks he used up all his "niceness" he was saving for after the baby is here. Huh. We'll see how that works out for him.

Luckily, I am feeling much better and have been able to enjoy the weekend and this beautiful weather! Saturday morning was a frenzy of errands and playing catch-up. Then we headed down to watch Drew's soccer game and visit with Adam's mom and dad for the rest of the day. Aaron, Sarah and Eli decided to come down for the day too, so the kiddos had a chance to play.

Mr. Cool



doing what they do best...making a giant mess



I put Abi's hair in french braids today and when I took them  out before bed
this is what her hair looked like! Just thought I would share because it looked hilarious.

It's starting to sink in that I'm having a baby in three days. I'm just a jumble of emotions - nervous, anxious, excited, stressed, happy and on and on. The to-do list seems never ending and I know the next three days will be really busy. But the excitement is definitely building around here!!

Summer Break Detox

This week Adam had to go back to school. It was kind of a rough adjustment back for all of us. We really missed him not being around. Every morning when I went to get Abi up she would sigh and say, "Daddy go work today?" And then, Abi got a stomach virus and spent most of the week having diarrea and throwing up. Having a sick kid is the worst. Especially when it involves cleaning puke out of your carpet, couch and bedsheets. The only good thing I can say about her being sick is that it's the only time she actually wants to snuggle. All she wanted for three days was for me to sit with her on the couch and watch Nick Jr. So, that's exactly what I did. I kept thinking I should soak up this time while I can and the dishes can wait till later.

poor little thing

Because school started that means Lennox is back too. He grew from a baby to a toddler over the summer and it's working out great for me so far! He and Abi played together pretty well and actually made my life easier! On Friday we took a little field trip to Donner to play and enjoy this beautiful weather.

finally feeling better

little cheeser!

This afternoon we decided to take a little family trip to Millrace. We wanted to make sure we spent some "quality" time with Abi before the baby comes and this nice weather was the perfect excuse to be outside. It is always surprising to me that she seems so absolutely happy when she has the undivided attention of both Mommy and Daddy at the same time. I'm starting to feel a little guilty about how that's going to happen less and less soon. She's excited about Baby Sister coming, but she really has no idea how much her world is about to change. I know she will be a great big sister, but I'm worried about how she will adjust to not being the center of our world. Then I remind my horomones that she will be fine and will love having someone to play with.

When I saw this picture of myself, I thought wowwy, wow, wow, my belly is huge! And hello swelling, I haven't missed you. The countdown is officially on, and we only have 11 days left. Unless of course she decides to be kind to her mother and come early. As a matter of record for comparison for the next one, the last two days I was pretty sure I was in labor. Lots of backache, pressure, contractions and feeling rotten in general. But I guess it's just Braxton Hicks, false labor, whatever you want to call it. Had it with Abi too but I don't remember it being this bad.  And let me just take this opportunity to give Adam his props for being so helpful while I was laying on the couch with various ice packs, heating pads and pillows. I'm afraid the fun will only continue for both of us. But I can do 11 days of anything.....right?? 

Diaper Party

On Saturday Marci and Kristi threw us a Diaper Party in honor of Baby Girl. The basic idea: everyone brings a case of diapers in exchange for food and fun. Since this is our second girl we don't really need much. But you can never have enough diapers! We are so blessed to have such wonderful and generous friends. It was of course another scorcher day in the '90s, but everyone braved the heat as best they good. I tried to get pictures of everyone, but it was hard enough to get to visit with everyone without playing photographer.

Abi, Claire and Evan



Abi, Harper, Hadley, Ella and Ava in the big pool



I could not get these silly girls to cooperate and all smile at the same time. ha!

Abi swimming with the big kids at heart

Uncle David and Liz got Abi some new sidewalk chalk, always a hit!

Kristi, Daniel, Marci, Me and Adam hovering in the 4 ft of shade

Justin showed up wearing a diaper to the diaper party! Too funny!
I just hope all our neighbors got to see...

cheese!





CUPCAKE!!

The awesome hostesses!

success!