A picture of our latest addition. I think she looks exactly like her sister did when she was born.
Maren at 2 days old.
Maren was so excited to see her new baby sister. I think she might be a good helper for mommy. She keeps asking 'where is baby Robyn' 'does baby Robyn need some milk, yes, OK" Very cute. All is well here, mommy is getting stronger and feeling better by the hour.
It's a girl! Baby has finally arrived. Robyn Kenzie Schalla, born at 2:02 a.m. this morning after a swift, 7-hour labor. Only 6 minutes of pushing! Whew!
Robyn was born in the same birth center, same room and same tub as her big sister. It was nice to be in a familiar setting with lights dimmed and candles burning.
A big girl - 9 lbs, 14 oz, and 22 1/4 inches long. Our midwives weighed her twice - we couldn't believe it! We're back at home resting and enjoying our newest addition, who looks remarkably like her big sister did when she was born. We call her our "Eskimo Baby." She's got lots of black hair, which we fully expect her to lose, now that we know better.
Robyn cried a lot just after being born, but she was so beautiful and rosy pink right away. James announced that we had a girl - I couldn't believe it. Most people thought I was carrying way out front, consistent with a boy.
Maren is at Joli's house playing with Gavin today, giving us some much-needed time to rest, since we were up all night. James woke her up around midnight and we dropped her off at Joli's - she was remarkably calm about the whole thing. She will meet her baby sister for the first time this evening.
Here's a photo of Robyn at home, looking peaceful. Thanks to Chris for editing it for us!
Our due date for Baby #2 (sex to be determined) has come and gone, and now we're at D-day plus 6. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, because Maren was 8 days late, but I thought 2nd babies might arrive sooner. In any case, we've been enjoying our time with Maren and hanging near home lately.
Here's Maren in her car on a sunny day. She calls it her "Subaru."
And in the bubble bath with lots of toys!
It's been hard to plan anything and we've been taking it day-by-day. We haven't even planned what's for dinner each night, and have taken advantage of Baby's late arrival to go out to eat a couple of times. We love Indian food and tried to spice it up to encourage Baby to come out! To our surprise, Maren really liked the food too (we didn't give her the spiciest dish) - she tried different things and ate everything on her plate!
We've talked a lot with Maren about Baby's imminent arrival, and she seems to understand that there's a baby in my belly that will soon come out. She goes back and forth about whether it's a boy or a girl each day that we ask - mostly she says it's a "baby," because that seems to be a different category to her, apart from boys and girls, who are older kids.
We think I'm not quite as big in the belly as I was with Maren, but at the same time, I'm not sure I can get much bigger!
Jennifer and Reese have helped entertain Maren at our house on a couple of play dates, while I try to put my feet up as we wait for baby to make his or her appearance in the world. It's wonderful how the mere presence of another kid encourages Maren to play with her toys, some of which she has ignored for weeks or months!
Maren and Reese also love taking bubble baths together!
Our town's farmers market has started up again, and we've taken Maren a couple of times when the weather permitted. She loves to sit in her red wagon, watch all the people and dogs, and share an ice cream bar or a croissant with us!
James created this video of some moments in Maren's life over the past couple of weeks, showing scenes from her 2nd birthday party, and receiving some much-appreciated presents.
She absolutely doted on Enya when Sheila and her kids visited us, which bodes well for the impending birth of baby #2. To Maren, Enya must've seemed like a live baby doll!
Marga gave Maren a baby doll that makes sounds and moves her face to suck on a bottle, which Maren takes with her everywhere. I'm hopeful that when I need to tend to the real baby, Maren will be content to take care of her doll at the same time. She's a natural little mommy!
Sheila gave Maren a water table, which we've set up on the patio, and it's already a big hit. I think it'll become even more fun as the weather heats up this summer.
Maren's birthday party was a lot of fun. James was as excited as she was, setting up a bubble machine and renting a helium tank to make lots of floating balloons for all of the kids. Maren surprised us by immediately taking to the role of hostess. She brought people plates and encouraged them to get food, and led her little guests into her playroom! I think she looked pleased and maybe a little surprised that the birthday song was for her. We had a nice break in the weather and sunshine for the duration of her party, and it was great that people stayed until dinnertime and we grilled hot dogs and turkey burgers. I learned that chicken nuggets are an essential part of a successful children's party - they were very popular!
For Mother's Day, I received the gift of free time to laze and read in bed, and to go grocery shopping by myself. One week until our due date for Shrimp #2!
Maren had her 2-year checkup appointment today. She is in the 98th percentile for height! We knew she was tall for her age, but the doctor really confirmed that for us today. I was worried that she might be a bit skinny, but she's in the 70th percentile for weight, so that's wonderful news. She's just long and lean, a Schalla for sure.
Our family doctor doesn't schedule checkups very often, so we don't have another one scheduled for Maren until she's 3 1/2 years old. It's a good thing, because by then she'll hopefully forget about getting any blood drawn or any shots, and won't be afraid to visit the doctor.
We'll be visiting the same doctor again very soon when our baby #2 is born. Our due date is less than 3 weeks away!
Maren was so excited to see her new baby sister. I think she might be a good helper for mommy. She keeps asking 'where is baby Robyn' 'does baby Robyn need some milk, yes, OK" Very cute. All is well here, mommy is getting stronger and feeling better by the hour.
Here's Maren in her car on a sunny day. She calls it her "Subaru." 
And in the bubble bath with lots of toys! 
It's been hard to plan anything and we've been taking it day-by-day. We haven't even planned what's for dinner each night, and have taken advantage of Baby's late arrival to go out to eat a couple of times. We love Indian food and tried to spice it up to encourage Baby to come out! To our surprise, Maren really liked the food too (we didn't give her the spiciest dish) - she tried different things and ate everything on her plate! 
We've talked a lot with Maren about Baby's imminent arrival, and she seems to understand that there's a baby in my belly that will soon come out. She goes back and forth about whether it's a boy or a girl each day that we ask - mostly she says it's a "baby," because that seems to be a different category to her, apart from boys and girls, who are older kids. 
Maren and Reese also love taking bubble baths together! 
