And baby makes four!

Yes Taryn Anne was born. She made her way into this world Friday June 26th 2009 at 8:17 AM. She was delivered by c-section after mom spent the night in the hospital while they watched my contractions and determined that they were not going to stop. I could have told them that.... I had been woken from a sound sleep on Thursday morning with contractions and contracted all through the day. But when that fact became clear to them also they decided to take me into surgery and I emerged on the other side a little lighter physically and a little overwhelmed emotionally.
Taryn (pronounced like Tair- In or Karen with a T if that helps you) made her way into this world at 7lbs 8 ounces. And if you recall from an earlier post two days before she was born our ultrasound measured her at 7 lbs and 8 ounces. She hit that on the nose. Pretty amazing if you ask me. She was 19 inches long and beautiful. She had none of the problems that we could have seen as she was only 36 weeks along. She was early enough that she had to undergo the car seat test before they would send her home. Meaning they put her in the car seat for 90 minutes hooked up to all different kinds of machines to be sure that she didn't stop breathing or have heart issues while in the car seat. She passed that with flying colors and on Monday June 29th Dave picked me and her up and took us home. And that quickly we were a family of four!
Ash is still working on adjusting to the new sister. She is at times crazy about baby and wants to hold her and love on her... and she is at times a handful of temper. So it is a work in progress. Which was to be expected.
We spent the first two weeks of Taryn's life back and forth to the docs due to high bilirubin and weight checks. We went through it with Ashlynn also. Taryn came at 6lbs 10 ounces and by the first weight check ( three days later) she was up to 7lbs 2 ounces. And by the second she was 8 lbs flat ( a week after the first). She has gotten so big in the last couple of weeks and her cheeks have filled out and she is no longer the tiny looking little thing.
We had a few sketchy days while my milk was coming in. In fact on day two of her life she was kicked out of the nursery due to what I would call a healthy temper. That night she would only quiet if she was in my arms... and so I had my first sleepless night while I walked the floor the second night in the hospital ( and only the first that I was allowed out of bed.) The child does know what she wants though... and it is food cuddling and more food and cuddling. She was made for co-sleeping... and has a really tough time if she is not being held. My mother purchased a baby carrier for me before we even left the hospital. ( The one that I had with Ash the clasp to hold the baby broke while she was in it. Gave me a heart attack... Thank God I had only just started out on the walk that we were planning on taking... and THANK GOD that I never fully trusted it anyways and always kept one arm around her anyways. ) Taryn has earned several nicknames in her short life... most of them due to her temper. She is currently Taryn the terrorist ( Daddy and Gramps) and Taryn the Tiger ( Mommy). Gran has started calling her Taryn the angel... she feels that it is important to balance out the other names that she has been given. In the hospital they called her the barracuda due to her single minded pursuit of the food she wanted so badly. They also called her the little bird due to her constant calling for mommy when she was away from mommy.
Do not take this to mean that we have a child who is tough to deal with. To the contrary we actually have a baby who is really easy to please due to the fact that she has so few actual wants. She doesn't cry for a butt change ( until you are actually changing her) so if she is crying she either wants to be held or fed. As a breast feeding mother I am in high demand, and I am in PAIN! I find myself wishing to GOD that Taryn would take a damn pacifier. She does not however want anything to do with a pacifier as she really like nursing. So mommy has become the pacifier. And for the record I have tried the tip of my pinky finger and that works for like ten seconds. The kid has a clear preference, and as her temper goes from zero to a billion in seconds flat I am at her mercy. But in a few weeks it will be better. Oh and anyone who tells you that it won't hurt the second time around never had a second time around ( and I nursed Ash through most of the pregnancy I was hoping that would help). The one really good thing is that mommy has experience so I am not so deathly afraid that I am going to do something wrong. I also know that the soreness is temporary and will go on its merry way. The baby still has some learning to do and we still have to correct latch fairly frequently, but we are getting there. Ash has asked to nurse a few times. I do not refuse I let her try... but she has forgotten how to latch on, so it doesn't last long and she is ready to move on.
Dave has been home with me for the two weeks that I have had to recover. He will be returning to work on Monday. A part of me is terrified because I will be out numbered. But we need him to return so that we can get back on our feet financially. Taryn was a little impatient and so we were not able to prepare in any way. We do not have a crib or the co-sleeper that I wanted or the stroller and didn't even have clothes or a blanket for her. Dave had to go out and get diapers before we came home. My parents got us the car seat base that we needed to be able to put the car seat in the car. There were many things that were not fully planned out the way they should have been. And I guess being as she wasn't shy about letting us know she was going to be early we should have gotten things ready sooner. So that means that Taryn is sleeping IN our bed not next to it like I wanted and we don't have any way to take both girls out with out both parents. That is just the way of it and we will slowly but surely be able to get the things that we want and need. So we are taking it a day at a time around here.
Thank God for a good support system, as we have one and are grateful for it. My parents have taken Ash for at least a little bit of time ( if not entire days) every weekend since Taryn and I have been home. She's gone swimming and has gone shopping and any number of trips with her Gramps and Granny. They also have gotten us diapers and clothes for the baby. They have been an extra set of hands when we have felt like ours were cut off. They have been there with the extra pennies when we needed them. They have been moral support when we needed it and an ear to listen to us when we have needed. On the days when Taryn has not stopped crying they have been an extra set of arms to hold her. Truly we have been blessed in many ways.
We are learning how to be a family of four day by day and it is starting to settle down. I heard it said once that one is one and three is three but two is four. And how true it is.