Three

I wanted to share this from an email I sent to a friend who asked how things were going in our neck of the woods:

We've been finding our balance times we can go out (between feedings) and times I need the privacy of our home to avoid meltdowns (of the children, of course. LOL). [She says while bouncing the newborn, typing with one hand and juggling the pacifier the baby keeps spitting out.] I've also been mastering the art of nursing the baby while: making lunch, folding laundry, problem-solving, cleaning, and mediating. I tell ya what, that Hannah sure has a good latch. Most of our nursing sessions are not done with aerobics at the same time, but at least once daily requires some "skill".

I have found that three kids keeps me more homebound with great value in everything being here w/o requiring me to have brushed teeth. ;) I have been keeping up on the laundry (doing 1-2 loads per day and nearly getting them all folded and put away as well). This makes me feel great accomplishment. =D Funny how accomplishing a load of dishes, laundry or a shower before noon makes you think about writing in to the Noble Peace Prize for a nomination.

I, like you, have been focusing not on how to get a large amount of things done, but on how to get things done well. It's more than just listing off desired behaviors louder than the frustrated screams, but making the time to explain why we should want to serve our family over ourselves in two and three year old lingo. It's finding that extra special way to show each one of them love daily in the way they understand love. It's strategizing your day so you're nearby to listen in and encourage respectful play amongst sisters, ready to model kindness and clear communication. It's nursing the baby while making lunch sometimes, but it's also sitting down and having an extra rocking session without concern for the washer's transfer needs. It's settling into the balance of productivity mixed with the reality of a pajama day. It's dancing in the accomplishment of timeliness being defined as only 5 minutes late when two poopy diapers announced themselves at the exit door. It's saying "no" to extras and "yes" to help without falling into the trap of feeling useless in motherhood. It's seeking opportunities to serve others from your living room or drop off some encouragement when the kids are already strapped into the car. It's letting go of nap-teased hair and laughing at the new shapes hair takes as it dances in the afternoon breeze on the family walk. And it's engaging the girls in dollhouse play while vacuuming the living room with the baby strapped to your chest.

It's a whirlwind, a challenge and an utter, laughable joy that both keeps me going and knocks me off my feet. It's three. And I love it!

I was born for this. =)

Hannah's now 3 weeks old as of yesterday, sleeping 4-5.5 hours at a time at night (thanks be to God) with an occasional odd 3hr shift in there every few nights, and gives us eyes for about a total of 2 hours daily. She continues to be a peaceful, predictable, and patient baby that I'm praying she doesn't "grow out of" next week. She has her moments of "help me fall asleep" exhaustion 1-2x per day, but with a little bouncing and extra snuggling she knocks out within 10 minutes. She has never returned to that crazy shrieking scream that was unable to find a solution (referring to day 3 and 4 of life). And grateful cannot resound any more from my lips.

I can't tell you how many times I have heard that we're nuts to have had three so close together. Makes me want to pull out a picture of your family. ;) But, honestly, it doesn't feel like too much to handle. It's just like a fun Tetris puzzle - figuring out which piece goes where to get everyone's needs met today. I'm thankful for no hormonal weirdness leftovers. I'm thankful for calm, quiet Jesus music setting the background for patience and peace in our household. And I'm thankful for the hope of good seeds producing good fruit when I sit down and take the time to teach life lessons, over behavior avoidance.

So thanks for asking. And for caring.

And for loving us.

Wordless Wednesday: Becoming Theirs

The following things were initiated by sisters:

 "Mommy, can we have a picnic with Hannah?"

"Here, Hannah, here's a bottle for you... just pretend!"

"I read Hannah a book," 

she said after getting Hannah a doll to hold.

Another victim of sharing

"Mommy, can I rock Hannah?"

"My turn, my turn!!!"  

After she got settled, "Now Mommy take a picture."

(And yes, Hannah's smiling.)

- yep, my heart melted. =)

Our Goga

So we were blessed by my mom staying with us for the week after Hannah's birthday. While the first few days after returning from the hospital were a bit busier and less "camera-friendly", I did manage to return to the living and bust out my camera to capture a few pictures. =)

Making "Chicken Toes" (Chicken Nuggets) 

 Explanation.

 Flour. 

Egg.

Crunchy Stuff.

Hannah's participation. 

Mom also made this cute "welcome home" sign with the girls as a surprise to Hannah, Matt and I.

I honestly can tell you, readers, that my Mom's friendship and help that week is beyond thank you words. I really am speechless at her patience, willingness to simply serve, and joy in sharing that special transition time with us in the good and the ugly moments of it all. It is through the grace of her loving help that the transition from two to three girls was gentle on all. Matt and I enjoyed the opportunity to just focus on Rachael and Abi while studying and caring for Hannah's needs. With Mom there to tag-team the girls it gave each of us the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with each little girl to reassure them of the continued love and support they will be getting amidst the new sister. It really just touched my heart beyond explanation to know that Rachael and Abi were getting special love and still keeping up "the normals" amidst Mommy learning to juggle it all. 

I am so blessed to have received the gracious gift to ease into the balance and the joy of three little girls. Matt was also able to return to work and school without abandonment fears. ;)  

And when mom returned to her life on the road with Daddy, the freshness of Hannah had worn off some and the reality of her living with us permanently had soaked in enough to allow for less chaos in the balance equation. =)

I really am beyond thankful at this indescribable gift of my Mother's to our family. And while it's taken me a little while to get to post about it (something about having 3 small kids), I did want to be sure to include a post about my awesome Mom in thanks for her love. 

- See my great example to work with in my own parenting? ;)

Caught One.

Not the most phenomenal picture, 

but I finally caught a smile on film. =)

(16 days old.)

Our Little Joy

Our little Hannah Joy is now 2 weeks old as of yesterday. She is a wonderful nurser, good sleeper, and kind little thing that has fit right in amongst the joy of her sisters. Funny to admit, but our lifestyle is really quite conducive for the addition of a newborn and thanks to the grace of God that Hannah's so mild-tempered and such a good nurser, it's been less of an overwhelming transition than I expected in moving from a household of two dependents to three.There are certainly moments of "Mommy only has two hands, my dear children" that creep into our world, but I have found life to be quite kinder on me and the girls than I had anticipated.

Abi has also done very well with the transition despite my previous concern regarding Abi's "Mommy only" moments. We have done our best to ease the transition by not making our family "all about the baby". We don't constantly emphasize Rachael and Abi in the context of their relationship to their newest sister. We're not constantly asking them for help with Hannah or trying to push a relationship that has yet to form with Hannah. Their sisterhood will grow on it's own and we take delight in Rachael and Abi's initiative in their relationship with Hannah, like when they ask to hold her or help pick out her clothes, but really are working hard to carry on life as "usual". And due to Hannah's "sleeping around the clock" habits, it has been a gentler transition of shared time as moments of needing balance come and go.

I am not anticipating Hannah's addition to our family to be easy and carefree, but as has been the case with Rachael and Abi's various life stages, we are all adjusting to each other in an effort to learn how to love. Sometimes the adjustment feels one-sided: just ask Hannah when she has to wait to be fed because Abi needs a new diaper, or ask Abi when she needs to settle for Mommy reading her a book on the couch because it's time for Hannah to eat, or ask Rachael when Abi needs a Mommy-snuggle time and Rachael has to wait to show me her new baby doll set-up in the playroom. But I am thankful that the efforts to teach Rachael and Abi to love each other through serving each other and taking care of each other (which means sharing Mommy and Daddy too) has naturally and comfortably transitioned into a new normal with Hannah as well. They all have their moments of not wanting to share (so do I, I must confess), but it's nothing that Matt and I feel incapable or unequipped to parent through. It's a life lesson we all learn together.

So I'll share some Hannah pictures for those that we are not blessed to live close enough to and for those that are enjoying soaking up our Hannah too. =)

 Those studying eyes. - Love 'em.

 A little personality, no? ;)

 I never want to forget these moments...

 First experience in her crib (and the subsequent short nap).

 Meeting Aunt Sarah for the first time at her soccer game.

[Hannah's first date-night with Mommy/Daddy at 8 days old.]

2 weeks old

Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement and support as our family moves into our new world of three, age three and under. =)

- We're adoring it.

- Thank you, Jesus.

Wordless Wednesday: Blessed

And thankful.

- Celebrate the extraordinary ordinary.

The Projected Normal

* This is a sample of my current schedule mashed with our old schedule. And therefore the reason for the blogging silence. ;)

Thanks to my Mom staying for over a week, we have not run this schedule but for two days thus far. That being said, we are grateful and yet have found that this schedule is now in full swing with some obvious adjustments should Hannah add in an extra growth-spurt feeding and should there not arise any additional snuggle/teaching needs for the older two.

We just play each day by ear, but at least in this household this is what we've found to be most affective for this current phase of having a 3.5 year old, 2 year old and a newborn. Tweaking, obviously, occurs daily. ;)



Between 12:30 and 1:30a - Hannah wake-up feeding #1 (feeding takes 50 minutes to an hour and fifteen minutes depending on her level of sleepiness). Change diaper and reswaddle before putting her back in her bassinet.

Between 4:30a and 5:30a - Hannah wake-up feeding #2 (see above). Change the laundry to the dryer (if applicable).

Between 6:30 and 7:10a - Depending on Hannah's level of sleeping from previous feeding depends on when I, Ms. Roadkill, drag myself out of bed. Hannah feeding #3 (feeding only takes about 30-45 minutes this time). Change Hananh's diaper.

Between 7 and 7:30a - Rachael and Abi awake. Mommy's morning devotion time. (If I don't get in my devotion at that point then I add it to a Hannah feeding somewhere else in the day).

Between 7a and 7:15a - Matt awakes, sets coffee pot, and showers. 

7:30a - Retrieve Rachael and Abi (or send Matt to do likewise). Abi's diaper change. Encourage girls to go to the table for breakfast or go play while breakfast is being made (depending on our level of breakfast involvement). Put soiled Hannah/Abi diapers in hamper. Take laundry out of dryer. Start folding previous day's diaper laundry that I never got around to yesterday.

8a - Breakfast for girls (Matt usually makes it). Then Matt's devotion time while they eat.

8:30a - Remind girls that breakfast is for eating, start girls' bathwater, settle Hannah into swing or bouncer. Think about showering. Check facebook, email, pinterest (optional).

8:40a - Aid girls in getting into bath. Scrub a dub children. (On the non-bath days, aid the girls in picking out play from the magnet board and getting them on task.) Prep Hannah's bath. Pick out Rachael/Abi/Hannah's clothes/lay them out.

8:50a - Hannah's bath.

9a - Dress and rediaper Hannah. Say goodbye to Matt (maybe asking him to feed the cats or bring out the trash on the way out if he can).

9:10a - Settle Hannah into swing or bouncer. Get Rachael/Abi dryed off/dressed. "Hair and teeth" for Rachael and Abi. Set out diapers to sun (if needed).

9:40a - Think about a shower again and try to strategize how to get one.

9:50a - Hannah feeding #4. Read 400 books to Rachael/Abi during Hannah feeding via their initiative.

10:40a - Encourage independent play or cooperative play or (mood-pending) watching a movie so I can get a shower.

10:50a - After gathering clothes, change Abi's now poopy diaper, change Hannah's diaper and settle everyone in so I can take a shower.

11a - I get my shower (victory!) and get dressed for the day while Hannah hangs out in the bouncer.

11:30a - Lunch prep while encouraging the girls to clean up.

11:40a - Rachael/Abi sit down to lunch and I attempt to tidy the house a bit.

Noon - Check facebook, email, or pinterest (optional) or do something for a few seconds "away" while the girls finish their lunch. Turn on nursery fan to aid Abi in transition to nap time. notice that Hannah's starting to squirm a little. Snuggle time with Hannah. Bring in diapers from sunning (if applicable).

12:05 - 12:10p - Matt comes home for lunch. I usher Abi to say her "hi's" and "goodnight's" to everyone while encouraging Rachael to finish eating (she's slow) and then go to the bathroom in prep for nap. Put Abi down for nap (diaper change and story reading).

12:15p - Hannah diaper change. Hannah feeding #5. Matt helps to usher Rachael to her bed if Hannah won't wait for me to do it first. Matt makes "Mommy and Daddy lunch".

12:20 - 1:05p - Lunch/feeding Hannah.

1:05p - Clean up from lunch. Bathroom break. Tidy up a bit (there always seems to be something on the "to do" list). Then settle Hannah in for her nap (usually not hard since the child sleeps constantly).

1:30p - Mommy nap (optional). Otherwise, make wipes, clean something, fix something, laundry needs, etc. as needed. Begin typing or just thinking about possible blog post (may or may not complete it in this 24 hour time period).

2:30p - Notice Abi is starting to stir a bit. Conclude what I am doing or continue to sleep because she's yet to wake me up on the baby monitor.

3p - Abi awakes and stealthily climbs into Rachael's bed. Rachael moans and groans. I either wake up (if I was napping) or realize that my productive time is drawing to a close. Hannah feeding #6.

3:10p - Both girls are now fully awake and no longer in the groggy wake-up phase. Listen for their cue to come let them out (they knock on the nursery door) when they've decided bed playing is done. Hannah diaper change.

3:30p - Girls are up and out of their rooms. Abi diaper change. Read books to girls while continue to feed Hannah.

4p - "Daddy's home from work!!!" Participate in celebration and take opportunity to settle Hannah into the swing or the bouncer and "get some things done" tidying, cleaning, decluttering, or whatever that I didn't get done b/c I was napping or because I ran out of time.

4:30p - 5p - Try to entertain two hungry children and keep them from driving Daddy crazy while he cooks. Change Abi's diaper. Check Hannah's diaper and change as needed.

5p - Set table with girls and help them clean up from anything they got out to play with.

5:15p - Dinner

6p - Hannah begins to get uncomfortable for her dinner. Scramble to get dinner cleaned up and prepped for another 50 minute round of Hannah feeding.

6:15p - Hannah diaper change. Hannah feeding #7.

7p - Last leg of play/family activity before bedtime routine.

7:30p - Start bedtime routine. Cleaning up any left-over toys. Pajamas for girls. Brushing teeth. Two books.

8p - Lights out for the girls.

8:10p - Breathe. ;) Hannah diaper change. Moment to talk to Hannah while her eyes are temporarily opened.

8:30p - Begin bulk-feeding Hannah, getting comfortable because I'll be here on the couch for a while.

8:30 - 10:30p - Matt/I hang-out time while I'm bulk feeding Hannah. Hannah diaper changes and bedtime prep. Somewhere during this time I pass out cold on the couch. It's uncontrollable. I have just hit empty. A 20-30 minute nap gets me through the rest of the evening.

10:30p - Hannah bedtime. Kisses, swaddling, fans on, and "goodnight" small baby.

10:45p - Gather all necessary items to make it through the night (diapers -if not refilled, wipes, diaper rash creme, flannel inserts, extra cover, nursing pillow, etc) and make sure they're bedside since I don't want to be wandering the house all night long with a crying baby when I could be sleeping. Update blog (setting completed post, if applicable, to a scheduled date). Start cloth diapers in wash.

11p -  Brush teeth, think through scheduling needs of next day, start laundry if needed, feed cats - especially if they were previously forgotten to be fed (my bad), last minute tidy-up. Transfer diapers to dryer or finish wash cycle.

11:30p - Fall over dead into bed... or a few minutes after 11:30p cause something else needed my attention.

*** Scroll to top of the post and repeat tomorrow. =D

Wordless Wednesday: Daddy

I fall in love with him more and more each day.

"Daddy".

Final Goodbye

From an email sent to my Sunday School class about Grandpa Stauffer:

"Grandpa Stauffer began heavenly walking with Jesus this morning at 6am. He shed this world and stepped into the second chapter of his life without pain or distress, but peacefully in his sleep. We're all taking comfort in the hope that he is now standing on two legs [he previously had one amputated] and meeting his Savior face to face. We're also hopeful that he'll get to dance with his earthly bride again.

While the transition hurts for those of us left behind, the hope in Christ is more than enough to grant a supernatural peace about the whole situation. Barb and Rodger both woke up this morning around 5am feeling that something was different. Rodger later shared that he had a dream that he and Barb were standing in the house with Grandpa and everyone was at peace.

Please, if you do not mind, pray that the Hope we have in Christ is able to bring family members into a stronger desire for Jesus as memorial service plans, phone calls, and travels to Michigan naturally bring up conversations about eternity. Grandpa Stauffer's wishes to be cremated and buried next to his beautiful bride will be carried out at the small grave-side service in early October.

Thank you again for your love and prayers.

And again, it cannot be stressed enough, that the hope of Christ makes this whole situation saturate our faith in a new level of New Jerusalem focus.

One day every knee shall bow... just some get the privilege to kneel before the rest of us."



- We know you are resting in peace, Grandpa Stauffer. And we're also so thankful that you are resting in true Joy. You are so loved and already are missed.



- To God be the glory. 

Her Voice

The phone rang at another inopportune moment: the baby crying and ready for a fresh diaper, two little girls needing encouragement at the table to choose eating over playing. I heard the familiar family answer machine message inviting the general public into a sample of Rachael's cuteness before leaving the necessary essentials for correspondence. Then came the almost unrecognizable voice, it sounded important but I knew I wouldn't be able to hear over the baby's needs. Freshly diapered and reswaddled, my tag-along and I returned to the answer machine, figuring I had a call to direct to Pastor through my husband. I couldn't place what small portions of the voice I was able to distinguish before, my mind filing through names and faces. Replay and a now quiet room revealed her voice. A voice of deep hurt mixed with desperation. A voice needing a friend.

I wasn't used to hearing her this way. She always holds herself so strong. Her years of experience carry such confidence and assurance. When someone like that takes on such a broken tone, it doesn't matter that you just conversed the other day. All of a sudden they become masked until something in their speech is revealed. "Son, I have been trying to get a hold of you and I just can't," her semi-whisper broke through. "I need to talk to pastor and I don't have his number," her voice unmasked her tears. I was frozen. The rest became a routine. My husband, the assistant pastor was needed, but far more than that, my husband, a son... a friend, was needed.



He wasn't responding how we thought he would. We all had high hopes. The statistics felt manageable. The promise of a distance from pain coming. The promise of mobility, healing and hope being on the horizon. The family came in as support, encouraging and praying. They got to visit and send their well-wishes in person, face to face - a rarity for such distant travelers, though close in their hearts. Then it took an unexpected turn. Health being a funny friend... or foe.



I'm going to miss him. His quirky wit. His stubborn tone. I'm going to miss the way his face lit up while watching his great grandkids. His funny remarks and commentary leaving some confused as to his sincerity. Hehe. Great Grandpa was just great grandpa - grouchy, stubborn and lovable all wrapped up in one. And he will be missed. He is missed as we say goodbye.



It just hit me all the more,

when it came through her voice.



- praying.

The Five of Us

I'm going to take this quiet moment to post another update on our little family before what I presume to be a bit of a silence as we settle in to our life of being a family of five.

On Hannah's birthday (Wednesday), we had the girls come up to meet their sister after their naps. When after their naps turned into post-dinner, Matt and I were anxious to see our two little girls and then usher them on to their slumbers (so we could get ours). While the girls were running on the last fumes of an out of the ordinary day of excitement, they were very curious about Hannah.

The Reactions:

Rachael, when coming into the hospital room, immediately ran to me with a hug and then instantly realized someone was holding a baby. She instinctively went to investigate as "this is Hannah, your sister" was resounded from family in the room. Rachael's nurturing kicked into full gear naturally and she began snuggling and kissing Hannah's little head. She stroked the baby's head, staking her place firmly as her guardian. ;)

 Aww, look at her loving on Hannah.

Abi when coming into the hospital room immediately ran to Mommy and stayed there hugging me for about five minutes. I missed you too, my little Abi. When Abi realized there was a baby in Goga's (My Mom's) lap, Abi was concerned at first, announcing Hannah's little baby noises to be "baby's crying". It took her a moment to really absorb that Hannah was alive and more than just a bundled doll. Of course the prospect of holding a baby delighted our dear, independent toddler who threw herself onto the couch and stuck her arms out as if we planned on just handing her the weightless Hannah. ;) And her joy? Oh it was contagious.

My little, holding my littlest. =)

And then she initiated her own affections for her little sister.

Hannah's reaction? Well as you can see, she just slept the whole time, clueless of their presence or even being passed around. It was her first solid nap on this side of the womb so the poor baby was knocked out cold.


It was cool to witness the next day during the girls' visit, the normalcy that seemed to be taking hold as the reality crept in. Rachael and Abi were well rested and full of energy, but in many ways they were back to their old ways with less of the bottled nervous excitement. Without a real schedule and no pressing dinner needs, we were able to visit with more relaxation.  The girls brought their hospital bags (my dear friend, Darlene, mailed them goody bags for entertainment during their hospital trips) and happily colored, ate snacks and shared.

Hannah's routine check occurred while the girls were there and there was instant fascination. I was so grateful for the nursing staff's desire to answer kid questions and help build the bridge between Ms. crying Hannah and her concerned sisters. During the check-up I think is one of the firs times Abi really realized Hannah was real. She was very concerned about Hannah's well-being and it was really the first time Abi took on a "big sister" roll in her concern. My mom and the nurses were fantastic in reassuring Abi that they were not hurting Hannah and helping to normalize the "new to Abi" cries of a newborn.

We also got the opportunity to take Hannah for a walk through the Mother/Baby Unit hallways. Rachael and Abi helped push Hannah along in her rolling crib-cart as we all enjoyed the delights of hallway art, windows outside, a scale (we all needed to be weighed), and peeking into the nursery from the outside glass. We were happy to discover a Daddy in there caring for his newborn girl which brought up all kinds of conversation about babies. It was also the first time I realized that while Hannah is a deceptive 10lb baby (she's primarily just seriously long, but has a small head and small feet and is well-balanced weight-wise) she is certainly big in comparison to little scrawny newborns. hehe.

After an animal cracker snack, Daddy escorted Rachael and Abi downstairs to the exit and grabbed himself something to eat on the way back up. The departure this time was a little more difficult for the girls since they weren't quite as keen on us staying at the hospital a second night, but the hope of us all coming home the following day added to Daddy's escort seemed to help in the equation.

Hannah and I had a quiet few moments alone while Daddy was transitioning with the girls and enjoyed some special snuggle time.

Then came a harder night with latching problems, Hannah discovering her pterodactyl scream (ouch!) and a general discontentment presiding over our once-gentler daughter. While it was a rough night, not going to lie, it was reassuring to discover in the morning that those behaviors are normal for a newborn (especially a breastfed one) on day two and day three due to them trying to figure out the balance of fussiness/feeding in the context of encouraging Mom's milk to come in. 

This morning (Friday) we "slept in" til almost 9am (I called it napping since I had only gotten about an hour of consistent sleep from 11p - 7a). Hannah's jaundice count was taken again, for some reason someone chose 6am as a good morning wake-up time. And we found ourselves doing "the lasts" to prepare for our hospital discharge. 

Hannah's thrilled to go home.... really. ;)

Doctors visited, paperwork was drawn up, and the girls and my mom arrived to bring us home. 

After loading up the car with three children, 1/2 a country's worth of luggage, and two tired parents, we circled round to pull out of the parking lot when we saw a familiar woman waving down our car. It was my mom. Puzzled we wondered why she wasn't in her car. She then explained that her car would not start. So since Mom's car was blocked in on all sides by various other vehicles, we popped up our second stow-away captain's chair in the van, loaded in more luggage to the car, and added my Mom to our van-load with promises to return to the hospital at less "visiting hours" time to jump her car and bring it back. So it was a funny little spin on our "uneventful" discharge from the hospital. 

Back at home the girls went down for their much-needed naps, Matt and I ate lunch, Hannah was fed/rediapered, Mat started and I transferred laundry, and we proceeded to settle in. After caring for Hannah's needs, I started to nod off on the couch (something about having slept a total of 7 hours over the past 3 nights) and found my refuge snuggling Ms. Hannah in my own bed. I awoke groggily to a confusing scene of people coming in to visit, later streaming it all together to being various instances of my girls and Matt beckoning me to dinner. Homemade pizza, thanks for the expert cooking of my Mom and the girls' topping distribution, hit the spot in more ways than one. 

With bedtime around the corner, the girls played, cleaned up (reluctantly) and were ushered back into a variation of their normal routine (extra cuddling was needed for the toddler and extra attention for the preschooler to reassure them without words that they are still "our girls" and are not being replaced). Hannah was gracious to snuggle my mom with minimal vocalizing. ;)

After the girls were tucked into bed, Matt and Mom left to go retrieve Mom's car and enjoy the fun of night-time grocery shopping. That left Hannah and I and a quiet house. Hannah HIGHLY reluctantly received her first bath at home 

 Sponge bath = no good.

and then found her comfort in the swaddling wrap. 

 Swaddling wrap = good.

And then I got to sit down here in the quiet and record the blessings of the first few days of "the five of us" while yawning. =)

So thus far on out there will probably be a little lull of "long" blog posts. You can only do a "new family" the right way once so I'd like to turn my attention from the blog/electronic communications to communicating love, trust, and full attention (or as much as can be given between naps) to this wonderful family in which God has graced us.


Thank you for your love and support and encouragement. 

We are so excited and delight to get the opportunity to settle in to 

"the five of us". =)

A Wonderful Birthday Celebration.

*written yesterday but didn't have time to post til today.

We started out yesterday morning coming in to be induced at 5am. While 5am was an early start to the day (since the day really started at 3:30a for me), we were excited at the surreal joy of finally getting to meet our Hannah. One last photo of the bump before suiting up in the gorgeous hospital gown ;) and starting the IV.

They began the induction with a very small dose of Pitocin at 6am. It was a little slow going from the 3cm I started at to 4cm that we finally accomplished five hours later. They slowly inched the Pitocin up during the first five hours. And then after 12mL of pitocin per minute, my body took over and ran the rest of the labor without need for further induction.

The labor was primarily a lot of back labor and tailbone pain added to the laboring contractions. So I happily received an epidural at 4cm dilation and 75% effacement. Unfortunately the first epidural was a "dud", but once it was removed and reapplied, my joy and smile returned. =)

I went from 5cm to 6 and almost 7cm in an hour and a half. Then I moved to 8, almost 9cm in twenty five minutes and landed at 10cm five minutes later. Yeah... the second half of labor went fast. And here's the funny, quirkiness of my daughter. I was dilated to 10cm and fully effaced... and Hannah still had not dropped. hehe. No sooner had the nurse told me to notify her of any pressure I may have that the pressure of Hannah slowly descending into the birth canal was felt. Dr. K was still in transit from the office when I felt the first desire to push. I ignored that desire, waiting out Dr. K's arrival.

I felt relieved when the nurses asked me to take a couple of preparatory pushes and then Dr. K walked into the room shortly thereafter. When I first started delivery pushes I felt immediately that Hannah was big. And after six or seven rounds of three/four pushes a piece, Hannah was out and under the lights. Physically Hannah's delivery affects on my body were the gentlest to date via delivery. For that I was grateful for no additional drama and am currently blessed to be healing well and mobile.

Hannah was born at 2:12pm on September 5th, 2012 at a whopping 10lbs, 10 ounces and 24 inches long.

Yes, I birthed a 3 month old. ;) And she couldn't be healthier.

Hannah blessed me by immediately taking to nursing with a kind latch and has been a valiant learner since. I am thankful for the leeway of her ten pound self to teach her to get her suck organized without the urgency of jaundice or a low birth weight.

Still under twenty-four hours old, Hannah has been kind to Matt and I with her sweet little personality desiring uninterrupted close snuggling. She prefers to listen to Matt and my heartbeat and breathing while nuzzling her little face into our necks. She has a wonderful set of mature lungs that find their power when poked and prodded by nursing staff, but otherwise just complains in bird-like pathetic squawks when she feels that Mommy and Daddy are too far away.

Rachael and Abi came up to meet our newest family member the evening of the 5th, delighting in Hannah's little bundle amongst to excitements of the hospital room, cupcakes to celebrate Hannah's birthday (thanks Aunt Jes) and the energy of a day of play away from Mommy and Daddy that refused to let them sit still for long. Unfortunately I was awaiting the affects of my pain medication while they were visiting, but Rachael and Abi gave me grace and tried to hug very gently.

The first night Hannah napped in the evening, her first real nap on this side of the womb, and happily nursed for at least 15 minutes per side three times before settling in for the night at 1am. She slept until Mommy encouraged her feeding at 3am and had her first dirty diaper since delivery. Hannah decided to excel in her pottying habits coming in with her daily requirement of dirty diapers not during the regular 24 hours, but at just a few minutes over 12 hours. The nurse was very happy at the fruit of a good nurser.

So as we continue to nap, study, and delight over our newest daughter, we are enjoying her little grunts, snuggling habits, and excited visitors later today who will come to celebrate with us the blessing and miraculous gift of Hannah Joy.

She's currently sleeping with her Daddy, inching over to be closer to his face so I am going to get off the computer and take advantage of another napping window before Hannah;s next feeding session.

We are blessed beyond belief and thankful for all the prayers, encouragement and support we have and will continue to receive from all our friends and family. It really has been an utter pleasure to share in these moments with you all. And best of all, it has and will continue to be our complete pleasure to share with you our dear little Hannah Joy. Thank you all again.


Happy birthday, little Hannah. Welcome to our world. =)

Goodmorning Hannah

Goodmorning cricketed darkness,

Today my youngest daughter will be joining this side of the womb. in anticipation she shared some strong contractions with me last night, which were happily masked a bit by tylennol and a hearty snack. Despite the normal series of naps termed sleep for the past few months, today is a day filled with excitement and adrenalin that's already staking it's claim in my alert eyes and smile. Today's the day, sweet Hannah. Today's the day! We've waited for a long time for you. We'd hoped for a long time for you. And so many things about today still feels so surreal.

We made it! We made it to 39 weeks, putting the most meat on your bones and giving you the best chance without utterly torturing your Mommy.

We made it to our induction date so Dr. K can claim the rights to having delivered all three of my girls.

We made it through first trimester nausea, pinched nerves, lower back pain, sickness, being breached, hip blows, and so many more things that seem to now be on the back burner of "over".

We made it through wonderful family moments watching "the blob" rearrange Mommy's stomach.

We made it through sisterly love resulting in elbow pokes and your next closes sister in line sitting directly on your bump for months while Mommy carried her.

We made it!

And now all that's left is your final debut. The revealing of God's miracle that He has been stitching together in you.

Hannah Joy, you are beyond loved, prayed for and hoped for. Today we get to meet your wonderful character and begin to study your personality. Today!


Anticipated baby girl, we love you so and while the world will be blurry, cold and frustrating in many new demands and sensations, we look forward to you learning to feel our love not in the pats, kisses and words from the outside of your protection layer, but through the snuggles, rockings, and songs we sing over you as we embrace you as our own.


For whenever you choose to come today, for whatever happens in your delivery,

I just want to say:

Happy birthday, Hannah Joy!

Precious little girl, happy birthday indeed!

The Last Few

So over these last few days I've found projects to keep me busy and distracted.

After being given the first letters of Rachael and Abi's names a good while back that I hung above their beds on the wall, I decided it would be cool to have one for Hannah as well. Before we got a second glimpse at Hannah's gender (when we found out that she was breached) I was debating leaving the letter off the wall until we were certain of gender come delivery day. Even though they get a good look at her gender at 21 weeks, you never know. After we discovered she was breached we were certain of her femininity with a clear, unmoving picture. At 37 weeks she would have had VERY obvious boy parts should she have been an Elijah Joel. ;)

So the letter on the wall was now an option.

I started off to the craft store with the girls to buy an H in the same letter series that the girls' letters came from. Unfortunately in the past two years the craft store had stopped selling that line of letters. So I became more creative. Still wanting things to be reasonably priced, I opted for the simpler letters for $1.50 a piece instead of the $3 ones since I'd now be purchasing three letters, one for each of the girls, so they matched. With the $1.50 letters I was also able to give Rachael and Abi a choice from a few decals to put on their letters. Hannah got the default one after Rachael and Abi picked.

When we got home and the girls were down comfortably for their nap, I used some nearby paint left over from painting the nursery "back in the day". I painted all three letters the same so they'd match and then attached their decals to the letters with sticky tac so they could exchange decals later if they wanted or the decals could be used to decorate other things in the future.

Thus I give you their letters: It was a few hour project due to allowing paint to dry.

I also decided to label the girls' drawers and put up words/pictures to help them in putting away the laundry. Rachael has her drawers memorized as to what should go where, but Abi often will forget between the couch and her squealing run down the hallway just what drawer you asked her to put her clothing into. So in an effort to reinforce literacy for Rachael and encourage Abi's independence, I found these labels online. I printed them off and slapped their beautiful black/white selves on the drawers.

And that happy little project also extended to the closet where the organization is a happy perk in easy communication of hang-up items.

Then I saw a pinterest post of a do-it-yourself butterfly mobile and thought instantly "I'd like to do that..... some day" well some day came over the last few days. While I chose not to use the above tutorial, I did print off a basic outline of a butterfly from searching "clipart butterfly" on google images. Then I printed off 10 pages of black/white butterflies. Since I wasn't worried about rushing the project, but instead about filling time with a fun craft, I wasn't concerned that I planned to color each of the 60 butterflies' front and back (120 total) and then cut each one out. I used a cross-stitching wooden ring as my circular base. I then painted it white as a primer and a light pink (mixed from the old nursery colors). I used some clear fishing line found in the bracelet section of the craft store ($2). Thanks to borrowing a friend's glue gun (I don't have one), I tied and glued the fishing line to four spots on the top of the circle, attaching a small washer to the top as a "hanging hook." I then glued nine butterflies around the upper circle. Then I attached the various lengths of fishing line hanging down from the circle. After each butterfly was colored and cut out, I hot glued each at various places to each of the eight hanging strings. I did some basic math to use the remaining butterflies to attach at least six butterflies per string.

Now I did have some battle scars from gluing the butterflies on: burnt fingers, two thumbs, a spot on my wrist, and, sadly, the pad of my  right foot from dripping glue. But honestly I really enjoyed the project without the time commitment feeling too laborious. And thus the product that hangs above the changing table in the nursery:

Fun projects. More simple home improvement. And time well spent. =D