Coming Home from the Hospital

May 26, 2007:

Today we brought Emma home from the hospital. She had her 72 hour check up with a German Pediatrician and then we were on our way. The day was very hot and humid. It felt more like a mid July day than May 26th. Jeff and I were excited to get home and spend time with Lily and April. Although the hospital staff was great, we were ready to be home and sleep in our own bed. Emma was quiet as a mouse the entire time we checked out and drove home. When we arrived home we were greeted by Auntie April and Lily. They were so excited to see us. Lily was so anxious to see "baby Emma" and have Mommy and Daddy home. Here are some pics....

Leaving the Maternity Ward....

Home at last.... even our neighbors, the goat and the horse wanted to meet Emma!

Lily was so excited to welcome her little sister home!

Hanging at the Hospital

After Emma's birth we stayed three nights in the hospital. My sister April stayed at our house and took care of Lily so we were able to spend some quality time rooming in with Emma. It was nice to get a few days of rest and bond with our new baby girl. Unfortunately the hospital was doing construction so it wasn't as quiet as we would have hoped, but we have no complaints. Kim brought us a fan so we received relief from the heat and the constructions workers took long lunches and left early. Over all the staff was AMAZING and we are thankful for such a positive experience.

While in the hospitals we received lots of visitors, food, gifts, cards, flowers, balloons.... the showering of love we received was over whelming. Jeff, Lily, Emma and I feel truly blessed to have so many friends that care about us. Thanks to all of you for being so kind and showing your support.

Emma's first visitors were her Auntie April, her Godmother, Kim and her big sister, Lily. Other visitors included, Beth, Karen, Bernie and Mike, Larry, Chris Enger and Carolyn and Gavin. It was great to see so many friendly faces welcome our new baby girl. Here are some pictures during our stay in the hospital.

Emma's Birth Story

I woke up at five a.m. Wednesday morning because I was too anxious to sleep. We had scheduled the induction with Dr. Weiss for today, May 23, 2007. We would be delivering at Böblingen Krankenhaus, which is approximately 15 minutes from our house in Weil im Schönbuch. I was too nervous to fall back to sleep, although Jeff and I had only been sleeping for about five hours. I decided to ease my nerves I would give my Dad a call. It was only 11 p.m. on the east coast and when I called him he said he was just getting ready to call me. We chatted about 40 minutes and then I decided to get my life changing day started.

Jeff came down at six a.m. and I attempted to eat some cereal with him. Again, I was way too nervous and anxious to eat. I showered, finished packing my bag and then I heard Lily moving around in her room. When I went in to get her she greeted me with a big smile and said, “good morning Mama…..are you tired?” I guess I looked beat from my lack of sleep and nerves. I got her dressed and ready for Kim. She would be spending the morning at home with Kim and then the rest of the day at Beth’s playing with her best bud, Gabi.

Kim arrived at 7 a.m. and Jeff and I left shortly after. We had to be at the hospital by 7:30 and as usual we were running a little late. The plan of the day was this: Kim watches Lily until 12:30 and then drops her off at Beth’s house for the day. My friend Karen picks up my sister at the Stuttgart Airport at 11:50 and brings her back to our house for a quick shower and some lunch. Kim returns to our house and picks up April and they come to the hospital to be in the delivery room with Jeff and I. Larry picks Lily up at Beth’s house in the evening, brings her home and puts her to bed. It was truly a team effort to get the day organized. We can’t thank everyone enough for helping us with Lily.

Back at the hospital, Jeff and I got checked in and they hooked me up to the CTG machine to monitor Emma’s heartbeat and my contractions. Dr. Weiss came in around 8:15 and began the induction by placing a gel on my cervix. We were told to relax and give the gel time to work. They would check in with us over the next two hours to monitor my status and determine if labor was progressing. Over the two hours I had a few contractions and started to worry that it wasn't going to happen. The Germans incorporate a very natural child birth philosophy and would only give me more gel in six hours. After that, if nothing happened I would have to wait until the next day.

After two hours had passed (around 10:15 a.m.), our midwife Esther came in and said that we could walk around the hospital grounds for the next hour and a half and hope that the walking would jump start my contractions. Jeff and I walked around the hospital, visited the café for some yogurt and cappuccino and then walked around outside for over an hour. The hospital has beautiful flowers planted every where and the sun was shining, so it was a nice day to be outside. The weather was going to hit 80 degrees; it was an absolutely gorgeous spring day. The only negative...no air conditioning in German hospitals...yikes!

At about 11:00 a.m. while we were walking around outside, the contractions came and came quickly. Just like with Lily’s induction, I just needed a little jump start to labor. We went back upstairs to Labor and Delivery around noon and told Esther that the contractions were coming regularly. She suggested I take a relaxing bath to keep calm and help me breathe through the contractions. It was a perfect suggestion and I appreciated the relaxed atmosphere.

After the bath the contractions were coming regularly and I was in pain. Dr. Weiss said I had dilated a few centimeters and could have an epidural if I wanted. I of course said yes and they called the Anesthesiologist up to get me started. Unfortunately during the first try the catheter bent when it entered so they had to insert it twice….ouch! At this juncture, Jeff became light headed (he passed out while I was getting my IV with Lily) due to seeing me in so much pain. The midwife and Anesthesiologist quickly made him lie down and within minutes he was fine. Jeff truly hates to see me in pain; it actually makes him light headed. However, minutes after the second epidural I was virtually pain free. At this time it was two p.m. and my sister and Kim had arrived at the hospital. Our afternoon midwife, Heike, brought April and Kim straight back to the delivery room. It was so wonderful to see Kim and my sister. April had been traveling for two days to get to Germany and was so excited to finally be with us. Jeff and I were thrilled that Dr. Weiss and Heike (our midwife) let them both stay in the room during the entire labor and delivery.

So, from two p.m. until about seven p.m., I received regular shots of epidural and was able to sit comfortably with Jeff, April and Kim. Dr. Weiss checked me one more time at about 4 p.m. and told me that my water had broken. This was quite a relief because now we knew for sure that the baby would come that day. The actual labor was quite benign with the epidural. We all talked and joked and wished I would dilate quicker. I couldn’t believe how comfortable I was considering with Lily’s labor I was in constant pain (with out an epidural of course). My two cents if anyone is interested….get the epidural. It is such a better experience. Dr. Weiss went home for the evening, but told the midwife to call him as soon as I was ready to deliver.
At around 7:15 p.m. I started to feel a lot of pressure and the epidural was not relieving any of the pain. The midwife said that I was at 8 centimeters and progressing quickly when Dr. Weiss returned to the room. Dr. Weiss seemed to arrive right on time because at about 7:45 p.m. I was just about ten centimeters and began pushing. We soon realized that we didn’t have to worry about having too many people in the room because Dr. Weiss gave everyone their own job; it was a true team effort. After 30 minutes of intense pushing, Emma Rose Prager made her appearance into the world at 8:15 p.m. CET. She weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 22 inches long. Everyone in the room was crying and overwhelmed with joy. She was beautiful, an absolute angel. Jeff and I were so happy to be holding another healthy, baby girl in our arms. We were officially a family of four. Having Jeff, April and Kim in the room was an amazing experience. I felt so loved and happy to share such a miraculous experience with three people I love dearly. It is a day, I will never forget. Emma, we are so blessed to have you in our lives. You add such a special dynamic to our family already. Your sister Lily loves you so much and is thrilled to be your “big sister.” She can’t wait show you the ropes and play with you. You’re Daddy and I love you and are so happy to be your parents. We can’t wait to share you with the world and watch you grow into a beautiful, young woman. You have so many people who love you and want to meet you. You are a blessing, another miracle from above. Thank you for being our daughter and making us all so happy.

She's Here

Well she's finally here. Emma Rose Prager was born in Böblingen Hospital in Germany on May 23 at 8:15 PM. The 9 hours of labor went well (go Epidural!) and after about 35 minutes of some pretty intense pushing....she was finally here. We were so blessed to have April and Kim in the room with us, helping out each step of the way. Mom and baby are both doing very well. We will post more later but wanted to get some pictures up. For those of you who count stats: 7lbs 15 oz.; 22 inches.

My Baby Shower!

On Saturday, May 12th my good friends Kim and Beth hosted the most beautiful baby shower for me. I was so overwhelmed with the amount of love that was visible in every pink, little detail. The ladies made so much yummy food, sandwiches, fruit and meat platters, dips, breads, salads and much more. They also had a beautiful cake made. The house was decorated to absolute perfection, if you need professional hosting/decorating call Beth and Kim. They also made me a diaper cake and had pink flowers and candles everywhere. It was very elegant and oh so girly!! I truly loved it!! We played several games, including "Name the Baby" game with guests baby pictures, the "Poopy Diaper" game and several others. I received so many wonderful presents for baby P2 and myself. Thank you ladies for being so generous, but mostly thank you for sharing such a special day with me. I felt like a princess. You're all such wonderful friends! Now on to having this baby....

A special thanks to the hosts, Kim and Beth!! You out did yourselves! Thank you so much for making me feel so loved and helping me welcome my new little flower into the world. You're the best!!

Congratulations Jeff!

Jeff finished his scuba certification class on May 12th. He is officially a certified scuba diver. The class was a little hectic, with multiple date changes, but he made through and is ready to take a dive trip to Egypt this summer. Congratulations Hon, we're so happy for you!

Happy 4th Birthday Veronica!

Happy (early) 4th birthday Veronica! Our niece turns four on May24th and we wanted to send her a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISH! We're glad you had fun at your My Gym Party this weekend. We're sorry we had to miss the celebration. We love you sweetie!

Baby P2 Update

Here she is up close and personal...
We found out yesterday that I will be induced on Wednesday May 23rd!! The wait is finally over and we will get to meet our sweet little girl in just five days. Dr. Weiss, my delivering OB, said that she was already 7.5 pounds and my amniotic fluid was getting low. I have already dilated to one centimeter as well. So....at 7:45 a.m. (CET) we will be checking in to Boeblingen Krankenhaus for our induction.
My sister also arrives on Wednesday for two weeks....talk about perfect timing. She will be here to watch Lily and help take care of us once we are home from the hospital. She will also get the chance to see her niece come into the world. We are SO excited to see her!
We will be sending out pictures and updates on the blog, so be sure to check back with us next week. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Lily's Dora Luau Birthday Party

(Click the (+) in the bottom left to speed up the slide show)

I can hardly believe that our little girl is two years old. It is very shocking to think we will soon have a newborn and a two year old. Oh how time does fly! Lily had a great birthday week. Jeff had to work and then attend a scuba dive (he's getting certified) on her actual birthday so we celebrated as a family a day early, April 18th.

On April 18th, Jeff arrived home from work and we ate Lily's favorite dinner, macaroni and cheese and hot dogs. After dinner we sang happy birthday to her and enjoyed some strawberry cupcakes I made for Kindermusik the next morning. She LOVES cupcakes and was so excited to sing the birthday song. After dinner we let her open all her presents from family. She loved ripping into each package and saying "open it, open it!" She received lots of fun things, clothes, books, an aqua doodle, MP3 player (fisher price model for toddlers), blocks, lots of stuff for her kitchen, spud buds and coloring books. She was so excited to play with all her new toys.

On April 19th we woke up and headed out for Kindermusik class. As it was her actual birthday, I baked cupcakes for the class. She enjoyed singing and dancing with all her friends as usual and then at the end of class they all sang Happy Birthday to her. She loved singing the birthday song again (and had been singing it all week). After Kindermusik we drove over to Jeff's work and met him for lunch. We enjoyed some cupcakes with Daddy and Jeff was so happy to see his little girl on her birthday. That evening Lily and I relaxed at home and she went to bed pretty easily. She was wiped from two days of celebrating.

Sunday, April 22nd was the big party. We hosted a Dora the Explorer Luau Party and it was a big success. We had 23 adults, 12 children and 4 babies. It was a little crazy to say the least. Jeff and I worked really hard on the food and decorations. We ordered some fun items from Birthday in a Box and Oriental Trading Company. We had leis for everyone, tiki lamps, Hibiscus garland and Jimmy Buffet Music. For food we did lots of salads (fruit, potato and vegetable pasta), a pineapple and strawberry arrangement, a sandwich bar, cheese and crackers, chicken nuggets, goldfish and pretzels and of course cake and ice cream. I also did a big bowl of strawberry lemon punch and we had a bunch of cold beverages. The kids had a ball playing and running around the house and the food and cake were a big hit. It was a little crowded, but we still had a great time. We opened presents after eating and Lily was blessed with so many wonderful gifts. She was in heaven opening everything. Our good friends Kim and Larry bought her a Dora bike and she was so happy. After presents we sang Happy Birthday once again. She was so excited to eat her cake (it was chocolate, her favorite) she couldn't muster up enough energy to blow out her candle. It was so cute... all the other Mom's had to hold their little ones back, as they all wanted to blow Lily's candle out. It was so funny! Overall the party was a blast. Lily and her friends had a great time and we felt lucky to be sharing our little girl's second birthday with so many wonderful friends.

Snapshot of Lily at 2

April 19, 2007....Happy Birthday Lily!
Here is a snapshot of Lily at two years old:
-At her 2 year doctor's appointment she weighed 26 pounds, was 33.5 inches tall with a 18 3/4 head circumference. She is healthy and on target with her peers developmentally.
-She has been sleeping in a twin "big girl bed" and doing great. She will get out and play a little, but always climbs back in bed and sleeps through the night as usual. She does not nap in her big girl bed yet.
- She can count to 14 unassisted and does it very often
-She can sing her ABC's and most of it is understandable
-She wears size 2T clothes, 5.5 to 6 shoes and just moved into size 5 diapers
-She can tell us when she "pooped" and needs a "diaper change", but is not potty trained
-She speaks in complete sentences
-She know most of her colors, but it depends on her mood if she wants to tell you the right ones
-She loves to sing , dance and attend Kindermusik. She can sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star from beginning to end and she is working on some others. Her favorite songs include, Get Ready to Wiggle, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Itsy Bitsy Spider and The Wheels on the Bus.
-She loves Dora, Diego, The Wiggles and Elmo
-Her favorite movies are Monster's Inc. and Finding Nemo
-She still naps (thank God) for at least 1.5 hours.
-She loves arts and crafts projects, especially coloring
-She is very active and has a very small attention span. She likes to do lots of different things in a short amount of time
-She loves going "bye bye's" any where, any time and often asks to go
-She is polite and says please, thank you, no thank you, welcome and bless you
-She has tons of brown ringlet curls
-Her favorite foods are mac and cheese, hotdogs, fruit, cupcakes, yogurt, noodles and spaghetti. She recently started eating pizza and loves that too.
-Her friends include: Gabi, Jacob, Anika, Solden, Wyatt, Emily, Jon, Grace, Truman, Amelia
-She loves walking her dog to the park and doesn't sit in the stroller any more. She loves her "chuck it jr." so she can throw balls for her doggy
-She LIVES to slide! She also enjoys the swings and sandbox
-She is very independent and doesn't always listen. She also says "no" to Mommy and Daddy and when we give her the look she say in a sweet voice, "no thank you"
-She thinks "please" will get her what ever she wants
-She can point out and name all her cousins, aunts and uncles in pictures
-She's excited about being a big sister and says 'big sister' and 'baby sister" when we talk to her about the new baby
-She likes playing in the dirt and picking up rocks and sticks. She really hasn't come into the doll stage yet. We may have a little tom boy on our hands. However, she does love to play dress up and cook in her kitchen.
-She loves to play with any kind of athletic ball, cars and animals in her farm
-She LOVES reading books!!! Her favorites right now are The Potty Book for Girls, Panda Bear Panda Bear, Fox in Sox, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Counting Kisses and Doggies
-She loves her cat, but he doesn't always love her back. She likes to comb him with her baby doll brush and he gets upset.
-She can jump by herself and is quite the little monkey
-She loves taking a bath and asks every night after dinner if she can take one
-She has beautiful teeth and a smile that can light up the room
-She often walks up to me and hugs me and says "nice hugs mama, nice hugs"
-She loves being a "pink elephant' with Daddy after her bath (it's her towel and she and Daddy make elephant noises)
-She loves eating muffins in bed in the morning with Mommy and Daddy

That is our Lily. She is very busy and keeps us on our toes all day long. We love you so much sweetheart!!