Alinya sleeps most of the time still. Unless something changes, I think we have a pretty good little baby on our hands. I put her down to snooze on these pillows today. She has some baby acne coming out and her face looks kind of rough up close but she doesn't seem to be bothered by it. She went to sleep around 9:30 last night and woke up at 2:00 then 7:30 for a feed. I felt pretty good in the morning too! We are enjoying some spring weather today. Ralph and the boys are at Kim and Aschi's helping dig out some things for the renovation project. Liam is at Maria's and will come home tonight. So yesterday and today have been girls' days!

Dylan's favorite gal

Ok, here are the latest little shots of our family and goings on...Ralph is not home tonight so it was my first whole day with all FOUR of my rugrats. They were pretty good and are all in bed asleep. It makes me feel like I should be in bed too but I wanted to post. Alinya is doing really well, sleeping a lot and looks a lot less yellow these days. The boys have adjusted to grandma being gone and have fallen back into their school routine. In short, life is good. We are enjoying some spring weather and feels wonderful on the old face and of course on the psyche. Do LOVE spring. Miss you all and wish we could sit down and chat. Thank you Boise for the great box with entertainment for the boys plus adorable clothes for Alinya! I should have been sending you a present for YOUR birthday! The torso in plaster was done by Kim just before Alinya was born. It is fun to look at it and see how big the old belly was. I am enjoying her on the outside of the belly now! It's more comfortable like this.

Alinya's first Sunday at home..all went well and she was adored by all who met her! As you can see, she is nice and tan. I will call a midwife tomorrow to come and measure a bilirubin level on her and see if she is not too jaundiced. She is sleeping well, only woke up once last night but hasn't really established a pattern yet so I can't get too excited! It feels good to wake up rested though. Mom leaves on Tuesday and she is trying to get in all of the cuddling she can. How we will cope after she leaves is a mystery to us all but......

Here are a few shots of our first day at home and the way home from the hospital...A really cute little minnie mouse sign was waiting for us, announcing the name of this little girl to the surrounding neighbors. Alinya slept pretty well her first night and so did I once I finally stopped listening for every little peep. Hope tonight goes just as well. She woke up three times last night but went right back to sleep after feeding. The boys love her and I have to keep a pretty good eye on their involvement with her at this point. I forgot to turn this first one, sorry and now I am too tired to turn it! nighty night! I tried to upload a video and it was taking forever and I am too tired to mess with it so maybe tomorrow.

The new baby

The new member of our family is finally here. And we couldn't believe it--a baby girl! We named her Alinya Bryn. Alinya almost arrived on valentines day, just with a 1.5 hour delay. You probably don't want to read blablabla, so we'll make it short. A few facts and a few photos, just a few minutes after the birth:

Date of birth: February 15, 2009

Weight: 3480 grams (approx. 7.6 lbs)

Length: 50cm (19.69 in.)

Is no news really good news?

I keep hoping that next time you check this blog, there will be baby pix on here. Alas, this kid is not too anxious to get out of it's cozy spot so we are waiting for it to decide what's going to happen. Today is my official due date but we have never gotten even a week within the due date without having the baby so it is a new experience for us. I was at the Dr.'s on Monday and all seems to be in order, baby's heartbeat, amniotic fluid, lots of movement, my blood pressure etc. I needed a light at the end of the tunnel to focus on so we have decided that we will go in on Saturday morning at 9am to start talking about inducing and what options there are. I would so rather it come on it's own but am just sick of waiting too. So I feel good about having a plan of action and maybe the thought will just make this baby come out! Meanwhile, mom is entertaining the kids, yesterday was a baking day that saw sourdough bread, cinnamon bread and doughnut holes produced in my kitchen while I took a power nap...really tough to take! I am enjoying being taken care of and it's fun to see the kids loving on grandma. I love all of your comments and love to hear that you're thinking about us....

39 weeks and holding

Kim and co came over today to provide us with some entertainment...photogenic little Tiana

The family of 5 and three quarters

Ralph enjoying his OUTBACK mag and dreaming about being far away from grey Switzerland...

Is this my old lady smile Lisa?

Grandma is here!

Here is Grandma getting some loving from Tiana. Kim and the kids were here today and I got a very long luxurious back rub from Kim, it felt wonderful! She brought us some food for the freezer, flowers and of course the unavoidable, delicious and traditional afternoon tea!

Thanks so much Amy for the adorable care package that arrived today...burp cloths, nursing cover, toothbrushes and it looks like someone still believes that this might just be pink and not blue! We are anxious to find out too! I have a Dr.'s appt on Mon so we hope we can cancel that on account of the birth having already taken place!

Liam getting a foot massage from Grandma...I was next! Boy, all of this spoiling is easy to get used to.

A round of UNO or two.

Midnight hospital visit!

As we have been hoping, we got to visit the hospital last night around midnight. Alas, it was for a three year old boy with an ear infection and not to have a baby. Pediatrics is on the same floor as labor and delivery, which I saw from a distance. There are big white letters over the automatic doors that say 'Salle d'accouchement'(delivery room). Maybe it will be just what we needed to get this show on the road. The boy is feeling better and now surely the next trip to the hospital in the middle of the night will be to have a baby?! Stay tuned! Meanwhile, my house countinues to be run with swiss precision and is sparkling and orderly. How long can this last!? Mom gets here tomorrow so the big question is....should I go to the airport and get her or is is too risky? I tend to have babies about 30 seconds after reaching the hospital if that is a deciding factor. Hmmmm....