Presenting Willa Maureen Wise. Born 8:16 am on Thursday, March 4, @ 7 lbs 14 oz.
And since everyone asks, here is what her sister looked like when she was born...
They are by no means identical, but do look remarkably alike, especially around the eyes and nose. I think if Willa had been smaller they would look more alike, but Willa is proof that my body got better at converting ice cream sundaes into baby cheeks after the first baby.
Their births were also very similar, with some very notable exceptions. Willa's labor (which began around 11 pm) was much, much faster than Winter's was. I went from contractions every 12 minutes to every 3 in less than an hour. I had an epidural, which unfortunately was administered well after transition began, but which fortunately worked this time. A working epidural is WAY better than a non-working one. And both births ended in c-sections after very promising natural starts. While definitely not my preference, this disappoints the midwives way more than it disappoints me. And the fact that Winter's labor was 18+ hours and Willa's was less than 8 hours makes a big difference- while I don't feel good by a long shot, I don't feel like I was run over by a train, either.

Willa seems pretty different from Winter in terms of temperament, but it is very hard to make any defining statements this early in the game- next week she could be a totally different baby. But so far she is a good bit more mellow. She is also very strong- she is already lifting her head, which amazes me, and can grab a fistful of our clothing that is very hard to get back from her little paws. Like her sister, she is cuddly in the extreme, and cute as a button, and likes to nurse a LOT.

Winter has been the best big sister ever. She has been obsessed with babies for several months now, so the fact that she has her very own baby is a source of constant amazement. The hardest parts for her are that mommy cannot pick her up right now because of the c-section- that is very hard for both of us. Sharing is hard, too- Willa was swaddled in one of our swaddling blankets, until we realized Winter very much considered it "hers". The look of shock on her face when she saw that...and she proceeded to dramatically cuddle her blanket the rest of the night just to hit home the point. But she has been very gentle and so good. We are certainly seeing more tears than usual, but she has been a trooper.