Trip to Maryland

As always, we had a wonderful trip to visit my family in Maryland. The drives seemed to take forever, but did eventually end and we all survived. The way up I was the only adult so that was particularly grueling. 

Once there, we didn't actually go anywhere or do anything, but that's the way we like it! Cousins Ella and Jack were able to visit lots and both of them adored Emma. 

What's better than pushing a baby stroller? Pushing a double baby stroller!! 

Brett's sisters, Allison and Melissa, came with me too. 

For some reason, if we left these three alone here in the back yard for a second, they would all instantly strip naked and run around laughing. 

My parents know how much I love crabs, so they always try to get some for me when I come up in the summer. Yum!! They were delicious!

Dad loving on the resident bear, who wanted to eat crabs too. 

So glad my babies were able to snuggle and laugh and play soccer with all our family. Brett flew up at the end of the week and drove back with us, so the drive back was better, though still nothing dreamy. Next time we are stopping halfway for the night. Twelve hours (plus the many stops) is too much driving in one day with three small children! 

We had so much fun hanging out, watching children, cooking together, and talking. I miss all of you!! 

Our daily flow

Whether due to my personality or a simple lack of self discipline, strict schedules don't seem to work around here. I'm always a bit jealous of the moms who seem to have everything wonderfully planned, starting at 5 am sharp. Is being super organized truly the best way, something that everyone should strive to achieve? Or does it just sound better and in reality only work for people who are actually wired that way? Maybe when I'm older and wiser I will have the answer to that one:) 

Currently at our home, every day looks a little different and I modify things greatly based on my energy level, the fact that we were out late the night before, the fact that everyone is grumpier and needier for no apparent reason, etc. Also, children younger than one seem to have constantly evolving sleeping and eating patterns, so trying to write that down takes more time than it's worth (at least for me:). 

However, that being said, we do have a flow or rhythm to our day and I have found that having it posted on the fridge helps ground me when I'm wandering around, wondering which pressing need should be attended to first. It also helps remind me to fit in a couple events, like circle time and art time, that I would, in theory, consider highly important and yet seem difficult to make actually happen on a daily basis. Having each day of the week assigned to a particular household task has also helped me greatly. I'll try to write about that sometime soon. 

Without further ado, here is our current daily flow: 

Breakfast by 9: clear table, take vitamins and water, get dressed, make beds, wash faces

(Usually I'm up by 7 but I'd rather leave this wide open on the off chance that everyone sleeps in)

Morning housework time: 9:30-10:30 : housework focus of day; children help and free play

Circle time: 10:30-10:50: scripture memory, songs, catechism, abc's, etc. 

Art or outdoors play: 10:50-11:30

Make lunch, eat, clean kitchen: 11:30-12:30

Nap time: 12:30-3 : living room toy pickup, read stories, nap or quiet time in room

Wake up/snack time: 3-4 wake up, have snack, free play

Open time: 4:00-5:30 : play outside, make dinner, dad home

Dinner: 5:30-6

Fun with dad: 6-7:30: walk, play outside, work on project, clean kitchen

Bedtime: 7:30-8:30: baths, brush teeth, read stories, bedtime 

We have tons of open time in this plan because that is how our life is. One day we may be at the grocery store all morning and then circle and art time happens in the afternoon (or not at all:). If someone isn't feeling well or is just needy, then we spend lots of time sitting on the floor reading together and/or watching netflix. If we are having company and everyone is playing happily I may spend more time cleaning than the allotted one hour in the morning. I don't plan any screen time into our day because that seems to happen enough without having any time reserved for it. I try to save it for whenever I really need it. That means that days may go by without watching anything or one day we may watch several shows. I believe strongly in the importance of free play and outdoors play, so we have lots of time for that. 

I love reading what other moms do so thought others may enjoy seeing what we do. And I'll enjoy reading this in a couple years when I've totally forgotten the details of these years:) 

Life as five

Life has been very sweet here since Emma's arrival. I am stretched thinner than I ever have been but it's a good kind of stretch...most of the time:) Despite the moments in which I have wondered what I got myself into, in some fundamental way I feel that this is what I was made to do and I'm loving it. 

Because I'm a bear of very little brain I need to record the little doings of our lives right now or they will all be forgotten. 

Brett is adjusting to his new job at the CDC. The regular hours are wonderful and have allowed him to complete some projects around the house. He has time to relax and just enjoy being with us. Recently he finished building a beautiful kitchen table with benches. We can now provide seating for guests other than the sofas! The wood for built in bookshelves around the fireplace is already in the garage. We have big plans for this summer including remodeling the kitchen and some painting too. I've recently requested that a fort/swing set be moved near the top of the to do list because I'm tired of rescuing children out of the upper branches of small trees. 

When I am not caring for immediate needs, I'm trying to get my horse (and myself) back into a bit of shape. I'm focusing on eating healthy (THM:) to lose this baby weight! Along with that, I've been experimenting with baking with sourdough and coconut flour, and other ways of cooking that are new to me. Aforementioned house projects, with a little gardening thrown in, are also on my mind. We have 5 new chicks because sadly we are down to 3 hens after a hawk discovered us. 

Nate is growing by leaps and bounds!! He still loves to snuggle though, especially when he has just woken up. He recently learned how to climb trees (yikes!!) and pedal his tricycle. He still loves any vehicle, especially emergency vehicles. We have been reading a book series based on the alphabet and he knows all of the letter names and most of the sounds. He and Evelyn play together fairly well but he loves to play by himself too, lining up cars, building with Legos, doing puzzles, and recently playing more imaginary games too. Since Emma's arrival he has begun to drop his afternoon nap (mourn with me) but we still have a quiet time and he is very good about playing quietly in his room (after a little instruction). 

Evelyn has suddenly developed a huge vocabulary and is trying new words daily. She loves to sing and dance, play with her dolls, "read" books to herself, and try to climb trees as high as Nate (even though she can't get down). She calls Emma "Em-Em" and alerts me if her Em-Em needs anything. Her blonde bouncy curls are precious and she prefers for them to be floating freely. Any attempt to tie or bow them is ripped out as soon as I'm not looking. 

Emma is 9 weeks old! She is such a sweet easy baby, for which I am immensely grateful. I probably have just forgotten how intensely I loved my other soft squishy newborn bundles, but it feels like I've never enjoyed babyhood as much as I have this time around. Maybe it gets better and more precious each time? Of course, the enjoyment factor is greatly enhanced by the fact that Emma is a great sleeper and generous giver of smiles. She prefers to be carried or worn, but will sit in her bouncy seat for short periods. Just this week she has noticed the toys hanging over said seat and has started reaching for them. She is quite strong and holds her head up with ease. She especially loves daddy singing to her. 

the first few weeks

Some pictures of this crazy, sweet, exhausting, exhilarating newborn time.

Keeping it real. This is what happens when we have a couple rainy days and mom is spending many hours nursing. 


"Hold?!"

Emma is here!!

Actually, she's three weeks old yesterday! She arrived at 12:15 pm on Friday, February 28th weighing 8 lbs, 11 ozs and measuring 21 inches long. 

God graciously specifically answered all of my prayers regarding the labor. I remember, rather bash fully, praying, "I know that labor is painful, but could it please not be very painful, somehow?" I felt almost like I was asking the sun not to shine for my own convenience, but He saw fit to answer me anyway. 

I went into labor at 7 am, right as I woke up from a good nights sleep. Labor was very short and uneventful, lasting just 5 hours from start to finish, Her heartbeat never faltered on the monitor, her cord was not around her neck, and I never felt worried that something was wrong. I progressed so quickly that I did not have time for an epidural and actually felt so euphoric in between contractions that I didn't want any kind of pain meds, even when they were offered. The only time I felt overwhelmed was when I had to push, but that stage only lasted for 9 minutes. She was turned OP so the doctor had to turn her head while I pushed before she was delivered. Not fun...but at least the end was in sight! For the first time, I was able to hold my baby immediately after delivery, before the cord was even cut. I was not totally exhausted and therefore felt bonded much more quickly. 

Recovery  and nursing have also been easy so far. Emma is a pretty chill baby, though when she does decide that she has an opinion she makes it known loud and clear. Her favorite place to be is in my arms(of course!!), though she is now sleeping fairly well in her bassinet. I don't mind because I love holding her and kissing her soft head. I know that before too long she won't be a snugly newborn anymore so I'm trying to drink it in deeply. 

Nate and Evelyn love her dearly and are sweet and gentle with her. Evelyn must always know where Emma is, and if she's sleeping wants to wake her up. She must be present at every diaper change, sits beside me while I nurse, and frequently asks, "Hold?" If Emma cries both Nate and Evelyn are anxious to help calm her. It's adorable to hear Nate say, "It's ok Emma!" 

All in all, we have had a wonderful first few weeks with our Emma Wren and I'm excited about figuring out life as a family of five! 

waiting

We are still waiting for Emma to decide she is ready to make her appearance. I think we are all getting a bit impatient. Most of the time I don't believe that I am actually going to have a baby at some point in the near future. No, pregnancy is now my permanent lot in life. Which really would be far from the worst lot, but the anticipation and false alarms/hopes are wearing at times. 

I've walked miles, ran up and down stairs, ate eggplant parmesan and pineapple, drank lots of red raspberry leaf tea, and even tried strange teas like cumin (gah!) and cinnamon (tasted fine, but gave me heartburn all day). I've played soccer with the children and bounced on my exercise ball and done squats. The result has been good "progress" and lots of contractions, but nothing "real"....yet. At least I'll be in shape when she finally comes!

My mom and four youngest siblings arrived late Friday night, and they have been doing a wonderful job distracting me. I am glad to have my mom here for the birth!

Emma's sweater is finished. I really enjoyed knitting this pattern and the result is precious. Now all I need is a cute baby to put in it!! 

snow and ice and everything nice

I love snow! And having Brett home and projects being completed and baking yummy warming foods and watching chickens try to navigate on ice and knitting adorable baby sweaters and sledding and reading Winnie the Pooh while wrapped in "snuggle blankies". 

So I really enjoyed being iced into our cozy house last week. We didn't lost power and I didn't go into labor, both of which made the time much more enjoyable. I took some videos of Brett "sledding" with the children on a piece of plastic roofing, but somehow they aren't in my phone now. Sad=( I thought Evelyn might be a little unsure, but no she laughed the whole way down!! She is not often scared. 

Knitting on Emma's little sweater is coming along. I've made a couple mistakes and feel that if I knit this pattern again, I could do it much better next time. It is an adorable little cardigan, so I may indeed knit it again. I can think of a couple coming babies who could use a little sweater!! The pattern is Baby Vertebrae, which is free on ravelry, and yarn is Madeline Tosh sock yarn, colorway Opaline. The lighting in that picture is terrible and the color is actually much darker pink/purple. I'll try to get some accurate pictures when it's all finished. 

We also finished painting Evelyn's room...grey of course...and hung some little bookshelves in Nate's room. I did some cleaning and freezer cooking too! Almost all of the projects on my "to do be Emma come list" are completed!! You are welcome to come any time little girl!