a long, but remarkably smooth day began with Beckie waiting on inducement appointments starting at 7am, until 4 when they finally had a room.

She got processed and ensconsed in a suite larger than my college dorm room,and I left about 7 to hit a branch of our gym conveniently located across the street from the hospital. About 11pm they gave her the epidural, and pumped full of numbness and hormones and a general easiness over having done this before, out shot Alana at 3:18, February 13, 2009.   She really did shoot out – blood and ickiness spraying the staff.   I too benefited from having done this before, opting for the family-friendly seating by Beckie’s head, and politely telling the pushy nurse who kept wanting to involve me “Thank you, but I’d rather stay out of your way.” Doctor Stevens was very cool, very calming and sympathetic to both genders and funny and authoritative all at once, right up until she said “the painkillers are incredible, these stitches are going right near the clitoris.”   To which I replied “eeeeeew! doctor, we were doing so well up til now.” When she asked me if I wanted to cut the cord, I replied (and this is absolutely 100% dead-on truth) “I don’t ask you to program a website…” That last vignette bought me at least 2 days of coasting at work.

Does this belong to a doctor forced to show up at 3am?

So here I am with 2 tinyHumans born exactly 3 years apart; May 13 must be my lucky day for booty calls.   At least I will not have to change my pin at work.

Alana immediately seemed more chill than G; easier to deliver, easier to calm, easier to start eating.   In sharp contrast to my first few weeks with G, i was feeling so not-revulsed by Alana that i picked her up to burp her while Beckie was in the bathroom, and she let one rip that Beckie heard through the door.   I forgot about the towel on the shoulder, or the sludge in a newborn’s stomach.   Too bad, I liked this shirt.

I’m still disgusted, but not so creeped out by the Alana. I feel much more connected to her already, though its more dutiful than hormonal, or maybe due to knowing her potential.   I thought I might be totally bored with everything she did having been through it already.   But I was very ignorant and scared and hands-off for G’s first few weeks, and didn’t start writing about her til she was 1.   The things I forgot and the things I never knew are popping up like mushrooms.   G rocked through phases one after another so fast, I’ve emptied my mental baby-buffer as fast as its been filled.   Alana seems so very very very small.   Later that afternoon I took G outside to a little playground and threw her around, Alana I am worried about propping up her tiny head or twisting her tiny limbs.

When G and Bette showed up around 4, i immediately noticed myself for the first time not totally focusing on G, but splitting my focus between them.   Weird.   G was very excited to meet her sister, and be gentle around her, but G moves at warp speeds, and involves so much engagement, and Alana is so fragile.     I think dealing with two children in two vastly different stages may make my head explode.

We bought G a stuffed monkey and a swing that plays music, and its her little baby to take care of.   We’re trying to get her involved in taking care of Alana, and give her projects when we are busy with the baby.

Already we’ve seen samples of G not liking having to share attention, or having her style curtailed.   Her attitude is actually very good, but she’s 3…we can only expect so much.   I’m trying to focus on one upside: 2 birthday parties for the price of one bouncy castle.