First Photo Shoot

Just 4 days old. I have to admit it was fun to have a sleepy and totally cooperative subject for a change.

Hold it?

Is it obvious how much he loves her? He's constantly asking us, "Hold it?" when she's around (meaning he wants to hold her). He's gotten really good about being very gentle when holding her. This was totally an impromptu shot, but I think it was just so sweet how he's holding her head, just like I asked him to.

Wish you could have been there

Having someone photographically document your labor and delivery probably isn't an offer most people would jump at, but my overwhelming love of photography got the best of me when our friend Lyndsay made the offer. The images she captured are spectacular. We will forever cherish them. Thank you, Lynsday!

We hope you enjoy being able to share a tiny bit of this experience with us: http://www.lifeinmotionphotography.com/slideshows/calla

Chomp

Uncle Jamey was never very fond of us dressing Brick in Longhorn gear. So, this year, he sent Brick a little something to show off his Florida side.

Special Delivery

So, in the end, all the whining, complaining and cramping was very much worthwhile. Calla Mae Tucker made her way into our world at 2:36 PM on Sunday, December 16th. She weighed 7lbs and 6oz and is 20 inches long.



As I'd said, I'd been experiencing really mild contractions and had been dilated all week. When I woke up on Sunday with actual sharp-shooting contractions, I couldn't have been more excited. I told Bryan to get ready and started timing. My contractions were about 5 minutes apart. It's recommended that you head to the hospital when they are 5 minutes apart for at least an hour. We may have been jumping the gun a little, but we headed to the hospital almost exactly an hour later.

Wouldn't you know it, as soon as we got in the car, my contractions stopped, and I didn't feel another one until about 15 minutes later. We decided to head to the hospital anyway and let the professionals decide if I needed to stay home. When we got to the hospital, I think the nurses had their doubts about me actually being in labor. I explained that I'd been having contractions, but their regularity had suddenly stopped. The nurse offered us an exam room, and explained that she would check me and phone the doctor. They would then monitor me for an hour and if I made no progress, it was likely we would head home. As soon as the nurse did my initial check she stated "Well, I don't think we'll be sending you home." Turns out I was 4-5cm dilated and about 90% effaced - pretty much in active labor.

Knowing this, I opted to get my epidural right away, before the labor pains really set in. When the doctor arrived, she broke my water and started pitocin in an attempt to get my contractions moving. Apparently it worked because about two hours later, they checked me again and Calla was more than ready to be delivered. After very little pushing, there she was.

We were released from the hospital today, and everyone's doing really well. I feel fantastic. My recovery was MUCH quicker this time around. Brick ADORES his new baby sister. He's constantly shouting out "Baby Calla!" or asking "Hold it?" (guess he hasn't quite grasped the use of pronouns yet). It's pretty wild how mature he suddenly seems. Throughout my pregnancy we were sure how much he'd understand, but now it seems he is definitely fully aware of our newest family member.

I promised to take loads of pictures just as soon as we're a little more settled. We were again fortunate enough to share this very special experience with our good friend and photgrapher, Lyndsay. She's posted a sneak peek of Calla to her blog.

So-Called Early Labor

It all started Saturday night. I started feeling contractions, but they were particularly mild, so I didn't think a whole lot of it. They more or less subsided throughout the remainder of the weekend. Fast forward to Tuesday, I went to my 39-week doctor's appointment to find that I was "a good 3cm dilated" For those of you who don't know, you have to make it to 10cm before you can deliver a baby. That means, I'm a good third of the way there. I was pretty excited to hear this news since (1) it confirmed that what I was feeling were indeed contractions and (2) it seemed to indicate that the baby's arrival was eminent.

Jump to today, I've been experiencing the same mild contractions for a few days now. They're stronger at night, subsiding by the time I wake up. Last night, they felt more intense and regular, so I decided to time them. They were consistently between 6 and 10 minutes apart. Nothing to get excited about unless they intensified, which I was convinced they would. Obviously, they didn't. I'm still here. Baby's still there.

Decorating

Well, the extent of our Christmas decorations are up. I think I have 6 plastic storage bins full of decor, and only used the contents of half of one this year. I keep reminding myself that anything I put up will have to be taken down. Only when it comes time to take down the decorations, I'll have both a toddler and a newborn on my hands. So, while the decor may be less festive than years past, it's enough to keep us in the spirit.

Our living room. Notice the new Black Friday early Christmas present to ourselves over the mantle? It was just installed yesterday.



An overhead view of the living room. Gives you a little bit of a better perspective on just how large that tree really is.


Our newest stocking addition. Baby Girl's not quite here yet, but we've got a spot all ready for her very first Christmas.


Our Christmas card banister. It seems like people are on the ball this year. We have significantly more cards to display already than we did last year.

Seasons Greetings

We Tuckers have been busy! With the baby due to arrive in about a week, we took advantage of our "free" time to get caught in the holiday spirit. On Saturday, we visited Santa's Workshop, where Brick got to have his picture taken with Santa yet again. Brick really doesn't have any fears about Jolly Old Saint Nick. In fact, Brick gave Mrs. Claus, the elves and everyone in line a good laugh when he let out a great big "Ho ho ho!"



On Sunday, we were off to the Elgin Tree Farm to find this year's Christmas tree. I'm not really sure which farm activity was most fun for Brick. He got the biggest kick out of the hay ride. He even learned two new words in the process: "farmer" and "tractor".



He did a great job helping Bryan pick out and cut down the tree. We laughed politely when some of the farmhands commented on how big the tree was, but boy did we have a good time giggling at the enormity of it when we finally got it unwrapped and set up in our living room. With the high ceilings and the general openness of the room, it honestly doesn't seem all that big, but the thing is honestly 9 or 10 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet in diameter at the base of the branches. I promise to have some pictures soon, but I'm not sure I'll do it justice.





After the tree farm, we headed out to the Zilker Park Trail of Lights. Each year, they construct a 155 feet tall tree out of lights around one of Austin's original moonlight towers.



It's an Austin tradition to spin around under the tree, looking up at the lights. This is what it looks like when you take a nice steady shot with a tripod-mounted camera.



Of course, this is probably a more accurate depiction of what it looks like to spin around under the tree. It's one of my all-time favorite Austin experiences. There are little things quite as joyful than watching all these people spinning around and laughing like 6-year-olds.

Little Man

Sweet Mommy Moment

Brick has blossomed into quite the opinionated toddler this past month. He's substantially more verbal and has started putting together phrases and speaking his mind. The other day, I was going to get him out of his carseat when he said to me "No, Mommy. Daddies." With my big belly, it's increasingly difficult for me to lift him out of the car anyway, so I happily stepped aside to let Daddy get him out of the car. It was bittersweet for me when Daddy came to get him, and Brick said "I wuv vu." to his daddy.

Well, today, I had my moment. I put Brick down for bed. He's gotten sneaky about asking for extra bedtime stories (he even refers to several books by name). So, tonight after I read him a story, it didn't surprise me when he requested I read "Hop Pop" (Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss). I explained to him that it was time for bed and told him I loved him. I asked for a kiss and a hug, but he didn't want to give one to me. So, I said I was going to leave the room. Said goodnight and I love you again.

He started crying, but typically settles down quickly, so I try not to disturb him in those brief moments. It wasn't until I got to our bedroom and realized through the monitor that Brick was crying "I wuv vu." over and over. Apparently, he was disappointed that he hadn't taken the opportunity to say goodnight properly because when I returned to his room, he gave me a kiss and a hug, said "I wuv vu" and "night night." and went right to sleep. So sweet.