This & That

I had a box of fine chocolates on my doorstep the other day!  There was no slip inside the shipping box to identify the Chocolate Fairy who absolutely made my day....So BLESS YOU Chocolate Fairy for your incredible gift!  Not only have you provided me with a reward for getting through the tough parts of my day, but you saved me a trip to the grocery store!  Which makes it a doubly appreciated gift!!  THANK YOU!!!

I had to "break up" with my OB at my six week Post Partum check-up last week.  I've spent an awful lot of time at the doctor's office over the last 10 months, it's hard to believe that I'm off the hook for awhile.  I informed Dr. Anderson that he and his nurse Emily are on my "pro" list for staying in the military and coming back to Fort Campbell (I'm obviously having to dig deep...) He gave Hannah a bib that he calls it his shameless plug...

Emmy has one too... :)

Emmy modeling the BEAUTIFUL dress that Ashley Gustafson made by hand...It is a masterpiece!!!

 She is highly cooperative when Caillou is on the T.V.

Prayer Request

We have spent many months weighing the options for Nick's looming career move; but one or both of us doesn't have peace with any of the options thus far.  Yesterday, Nick was offered a very coveted position in the Special Operation Aviation Regiment, that he would be expected to assume in the summer of 2013, after we spend a year at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas for training.  We are getting down to the wire when it comes to committing to this opportunity and continuing on with the military.  We are trying hard to determine which path is best for our family, and have decided that only God knows what that is.  We are submitting ourselves to Him and His will, and we are praying that He unveils those plans to us through some sign.  If you might include us in your prayers, we would be so very grateful.

Life with our 6 week old

Nearly 6 weeks old! First documented smile!!

It's incredible how Hannah has just fallen into her place in our family.  She is such a mellow little sweetheart, and for the most part, just goes with the flow.  She has adopted our routine, with her most wakeful time of the day being in the afternoon into the late evening.  She and Emmy have coordinated their witching hours as well, which makes for good fun during dinner prep and bathtime.  She's been cluster feeding from around 5pm until 11pm (or so) and is usually ready to go down for the night between 11pm-midnight.  She'll sleep for two solid 3 to 4 hour stretches (we're usually up in the two o'clock and six o'clock hours to nurse.)  If only Emmy slept past 9 each morning, I could piece together a full night of sleep!  I've been attempting to grab some shut-eye with Hannah during Emmy's nap, but it's kind of hit or miss.  I have chosen to embrace my exhaustion and reward my hard work with chocolate.  I'm certain my chocolate habit is not going to bode well for my 6 week post partum weigh-in on Thursday. (FYI, I call my doctor's appointments weigh-ins.)

On a baby feeding note: Hannah's has been eating well!  We finally turned a corner last week with nursing!  PRAISE JESUS!!! I am healed, and, for the most part, pain-free (without pain meds!)  I had to take Hannah back to the pediatrician's office for her second newborn screen blood redraw (due to two insufficient samples grrr :-/) when she was three weeks old.  The only positive of having to take her in was that we got to weigh her, and she was 8 pounds 5 ounces!  She gained a whole pound in the week following her two week well baby check-up!  HALLEJUAH!!! So, I can only guess her weight at six weeks! (Which is God's honest truth, because I refuse to step on the bathroom scale with her to find out.)  She is definitely filling out, but still has the most adorable little chicken legs. :) 

Hannah has been infinitely patient with Emmy, whose love can border on the smothering side.  There is no leaving the two of them alone in a room together.  I am usually carrying Hannah while Emmy is present so that Hannah is protected from Emmy's whole body hugs.  I can see how younger children could get tough from early on.  (And how my own personal productivity has drastically plummeted from an already abysmal state-it's hard to fold laundry with an infant in your arms and a two year old playing dress up with the clean clothes.)  Emmy definitely gets frustrated with my inability to jump up and play with her because of my having to feed or hold Hannah much of the time.  Luckily, she is easily appeased with an episode of Caillou (which buys me 11 glorious minutes of peace!)  

Older sibling jealousy aide, Emmy could not be more proud of her baby sister.  We don't get far when walking to her classroom on school days without Emmy throwing back the carseat cover to introduce Hannah to whomever is passing by.  It's really, really sweet.  She's also very much tuned-in to Hannah's cries.  She is quick to offer Hannah her "bobby" and pats her gently while saying "Ok, Baby Hannah" in a soft voice.  I can sense that Emmy takes her role as big sister and nurturer very seriously (when I'm not holding or feeding Hannah that is.)

I have ventured out on a few errands with both of the girls by myself.  The logistics of getting all of us from A to B is no joke and usually takes a bunch of forethought.  We pretty much fill up a whole grocery cart with just Emmy, Hannah in her carseat, and my purse/diaper bag before we even begin shopping.  I've found the key is to load up the girls into a cart at the car before we go in, to avoid Emmy running off, or worse yet, pitching a tantrum and going limp noodle when I attempt to hoist her into the cart inside the store. (Daddy's way more fun than Mommy because he lets her walk :-P.)  This newfound complication to weekday shopping has undoubtedly helped to minimize my non-internet spending, because there's not much besides milk, toilet paper or chocolate that will motivate me to do it.  Instead, I've probably broken records by the number of errands that Hannah and I have run during Emmy's Mom's Day Out mornings and during naptime on weekends while Nick is home.  I'm sure that, in due time, my little teammates will become wonderful helpers, but we're not quite there yet....  

All my girls in eachother's hair...This is my day in one photo.

She looks so angelic here...:-P

Valentine's Day 2012

Emmy and I had a bunch of fun working on some sweet treats for our Valentines last week.  Emmy kept saying "cookies for friends" as she helped me stir and form the sugar cookies for our sugar cookie truffles.  We tried our hand at marshmallow pops as well--yum-o!  I love watching Emmy take on our projects with so much focus and enthusiasm.  I also love how excited she is to give to others.  Now, each time we bake anything she lets me know to whom we should give it.  This shouldn't come as much of  surprise, considering my eldest daughter thinks it's a holiday everyday.  Each time we lay her down to sleep--for nap and bedtime-- her parting words are: "Merry Kismus" and "Happy NewNear."  I always leave her room with a giant grin on my face.

In the spirit of sharing sweet things, Emmy has been warming my heart with some of the phrases that she has been saying lately:

One of Emmy's most-used phrases in a day is "I'llberihbac," ("I'll be right back.)  Proof that the kid is always on the run.

Each time I goof up on something, I always say "Silly Mommy" aloud, which Emmy has since borrowed.  It sounds more like "Si-me Emmy!"

Another one of my favorite Emmy phrases happens when one of us coughs, trips, or harms ourselves in any way.  Emmy immediately follows up with "Mama, ok?" or "Dada, ok?"  Empathy is one of my top parenting priorities, and I am so grateful that she is starting to get it.

My sweetest Emmy gift came this last Sunday as we dropped her off with the babysitters at the kid's house for church group.  As Nick was pulling her out of her carseat, she excitedly said "Bye Mama, I La You!"  It was the first time she's said she loves me without prompting.  It was the most wonderful feeling in the world.                
                                                           

Emmy, very seriously, added teaspoon imprints onto our cookies, as if it was a necessary part of the recipe.                                                       

Emmy spent the duration of the marshmallow pop making working on her own...It was a masterpiece!

"Cookies for friends!"

Emmy's Valentines for her friends at school!

My littlest Valentine :)

Making red jello jigglers for snack on Valentine's Day, Hannah is flirting with her dragon fly friend.

Painting Daddy's Valentine...

Emmy opted to use the heart stamp between her eyes rather than on the paper.

Emmy sharing her toys with Hannah.  This was after she fed Hannah applesauce while Nick and I weren't looking.  She fessed up and told us "Baby Hannah applesauce," we ran over to find Hannah licking her lips. :-/

I am savoring Hannah's newborn stage, it passes all too quickly.

This was the end result of many attempts to snap a photo of the two of them.  It doesn't quite look like either of them, but I will take it!!

Fly By

We live near one of the biggest military bases in the country and get tons of air traffic in a day.  I love it when my hubby texts me to "meet him outside in 5."

Three Weeks Old

Our littlest girl turned three weeks old this past Thursday!  Her stats from her two week appointment: weight 7 pounds 5 ounces, 20 inches tall, and head circumference 35.5cm. (Percentiles are:19%,38% and 40%, respectively.)

In her third week of life, she also knocked out her first photo shoot with my girlfriend, Stacy.  Here are a few photos from our "sneak peak"...

Hannah's First Bath!

On The Job Training

I am trying to catch up on blog posts during Hannah's middle-of the night feedings.  The only trouble is it takes way longer to type one handed and to form coherent thought at such hours.  But, I know that these are the times that I will want to re-live through journaling as the specific details fade from my memory.  So, here goes...

My job description has permanently been altered from mommy of one to mommy of two (or rather mommy of four since our furbabies are so very high maintenance.)  Come last Monday, Nick's first day back at work, I was thrown into advanced mommy boot camp.  In spite of my experience with long hours in understaffed conditions, I still had a whopping case of first-day jitters.

Fortunately, I chose to go back to sleep after Hannah's early morning feeding rather than hit the shower before clocking in for day one; which was a wise choice in hindsight because, between Hannah, Molly, Darla and Emmy I handled more bodily waste in the first half hour after Nick departed for the day than I care to remember.  It was clearly a coordinated effort.  Once everyone (and everything) was cleaned up, I decided to restart our day with some fun in the playroom.  It was there that I found myself to be Emmy, Molly and Darla's chosen target in their high-speed game of keep-away.  Emmy swooped in, while I was most vulnerable, nursing Hannah, and confiscated my fancy new nursing accessories to use them to "clean" her toys (and her face.)  My stern commands, from my helpless seat, to "bring them back to Mama," only fueled her game and exacerbated her case of the giggles.  The dogs were hot on her trail and proceeded to play tug-of-war with them as soon as they hit the ground.  At that moment, I decided to throw our daytime TV ban out the window and induce Emmy into a daze via her beloved Caillou when nursing Hannah; seeing as how she has quickly learned that she can get away with murder so long as I am feeding her baby sister.  It was one of those days that I was stalking the clock waiting for Nick to walk in the door.  He couldn't get home soon enough.

Fortunately, Emmy had Mom's Day Out on Tuesday.  Unfortunately, not all good things come easily.  It is remarkable how much has to be done last minute when leaving the house with a toddler and a newborn: Re-stock the diaper bag, feed the baby, secure the newborn in carseat, chase down the two year old to put shoes on, replace socks and shoes once they have been removed in favor of dress-up footware, do and re-do big sister's hair after she puts her swim diaper "hat" onto her head, convince the toddler it's not time for sidewalk chalk when attempting to get into the car, dissipate unavoidable tantrum that follows, pack and repack the two year old's lunch bag after she selects a snack to consume in the car, wrestle toddler into carseat and wait patiently while she snaps herself in, etc.) After beginning preparations to leave the house more than two hours before "school" started, we still showed up twenty minutes late; and part of Hannah's next meal had soaked through my shirt.  My girlfriends (Emmy's teachers) sensed my bewilderment and gave me the pep talk I needed; reassuring me that every day from here on out will get easier than the one before it as I determine and employ my new bag of tricks.

The rest of the week did get progressively better, but not without plenty of hiccups along the way.  Of course, I haven't even ventured out on errands by myself with both girls yet.  That's going to require a whole other bag of tricks.  For now, I am grateful to my pregnant self for stocking the house for Armageddon, which will buy me a little more time to dream up that game plan and get brave enough to go for it.

My Prize

Knowing that my family would be descending upon our home this past weekend was the carrot I needed to get through my first week flying solo.  All of the sleep deprivation and tantrums that I powered through were well worth my big prize.  I recall now why I relished in my sick days growing up, because there is nothing quite like getting loved on by Mom and Dad; and Kris (and her kiddos) just make everything so much more fun.

Within half an hour on Saturday evening, we multiplied from our little family of four to five adults and five children (and two very noisy dogs.)  To say that our humble abode was busting at the seams would be putting it mildly.  In all of the madness, though, was so much love.  It sometimes feels as though it takes divine intervention to get so many of us in the same place at once (we were still missing Jamie and JP :(); how I wish it didn't have to be that way.

We kept the agenda simple on Sunday with church and lots of playtime at home.  Mom and Dad dove in, head first, to their one full day spent with their five grandbabies.   They played a hilarious game of hide and seek, Dad and Andy built a wooden toy car together, Mom and the kids made some play dough and did a jello science experiment for snack.  While Mom prepared a feast for dinner, the rest of us got a kick out of watching the kiddos play together; they are pretty much like a litter of puppy dogs, climbing all over one another, and giggling non-stop.  They will do nearly anything to get a rise out of eachother.  Kris and I couldn't help but chuckle when we later found ourselves attempting to discipline the older three, while simultaneously nursing our younger two.  Andy, Claire and Emmy took full advantage of our immobility; each time one was sent to time out (or "tie-me-out" as Emmy calls it), the other two would promptly join them in solidarity.  So, they just continued their play, sitting side-by-side in tie-me-out, and there was very little we could do about it.  Stinkers.

After Kris and the kids left Monday morning, Mom and Dad got to work stocking my pantry and fridge, preparing all of our meals, repairing and cleaning my house, and covering Emmy duty.  What an incredible gift it was not only to have their wonderful company, and my load decreased to little more than feeding and cuddling Hannah, but to be set up for success as I work towards proficiency at juggling the needs of my newly expanded family.  I am so grateful; and missing them terribly already.

Jacob Ryan, nearly 4 months old, Hannah, two and a half weeks old.  Hannah has some catching up to do!

Five little monkeys sitting on the couch!

They were not pleased to have their play time interrupted for a picture.

Mimi and Papa reading bedtime stories!

Enjoying the (almost) 60 degree winter weather!

Mimi cooking play dough with Andy, Claire and Emmy.

Emmy might be a politician some day because she LOVES to kiss the babies.  Poor Jacob's startle reflex was tested with her show of affection.

Jacob paying it forward'.

Jacob and Hannah breaking in our new play mat from Aunt Clare and Uncle Harry!

One of several photos that I stole from Kris' camera.  She's a far better photographer than me. :)

Is that a smile?!?!

Emmy, the baby kisser, back at work!

Papa "colorin' pitures" with the girls.

This broke my heart: Emmy climbed into Kris' car and sat on the seat between Andy and Clairey's carseats as they prepared to leave.  She, tearfully, surrendered after we bribed her with a treat.  Saying goodbye just keeps getting harder and harder on all of us, big and small. :(

A place that I, too, have found great comfort over the years...Leaning on Papa.