She loves, my love

This is her lovey. She doesn't take a binky, but oh how she loves this small satin-y red blanket.

When she was just a few months old I noticed how she loved to caress blankets, especially to soothe herself.

Just to feed my obsession of all things red for this little girl, my recent prize included this lovey. The perfect size to make this mama feel safe with it in the bed, and for toting in the diaper bag and car.

When sleepy-time comes, as soon as this blanket is close to her face, her fingers go in her mouth and her body begins to relax.

I probably should look into purchasing a few more, in case this one gets lost.

I do hope this remains her soothing mechanism of choice. Because if she refuses the binky, she needs SOMETHING.

It's just another sweet thing, that makes her my Lily. Determined to be a little different, yet the same.

She's my lovey. Adding her to our lives has been a bit different, yet the same.
She brings me comfort and security. She fills parts of my soul.
She's the perfect size for toting everywhere. I can't stand to be without her.
She's one of a kind and I will never lose her.

She loves and she's my love.

Not Me! Monday

Ready to 'fess up to the not so perfect things we do every day as parents? I find it particularly refreshing and quite amusing to think back on my week and what I didn't do. Click on the photo above to visit MckMama's site to read her list this week and everyone who is linking up.

Last week I did not finish a Diet Coke at 9:30pm at night, because I'm giving it up (again) tomorrow. Not me! And I will not be the one having difficulty sleeping tonight either. I also did not just eat several cookies for the same reason.

I do not check my in my rear-view mirror at least once a week to be sure I didn't forget the baby. There's no way the thought would even cross my mind, that I might have forgotten to load her in.

I am not currently salivating over a few baby carriers that are uber-expensive. Not me. I'm a thrifty mama. Not this one. Or this one.

I certainly don't alternate between calling Gracie one of the "big girls" and one of the "babies." That would contribute to some sort of middle child syndrome.

I definately did not nurse Lily post-mud run with stubborn flecks of dirt still stuck to me and certain parts important to her.

I did not pour the pee from the potty chair into the sink because I was so tired at the end of the day. Not me!

Pass the Butter

I love these rolls. Can't get enough of them.
Pass the butter, because I just want to eat them up.

My other girls weren't so roly-poly.
I'm proud to say every ounce and inch is curteous yours truly.
It's amazing that God gave me the ability
to completely nourish another individual.
Astonishing in fact.
Sure, I have complaints about my post-baby (x3) body,
especially the baby-feeding parts.
But the superficial sacrifices are worth it.

What a blessing it is, to be the mom of three beautiful daughters.

Weekly Blog...

That seems to be what this has turned into. I do enjoy blogging, so I will take what I can get.

Life is going on...the girls are growing...every day is organized chaos. Chaos that I love and thrive on!

Miss Rose is finishing up her EAK class. Last week her class read Teddy Bear Picnic and we were invited to join them on Friday for a picnic. I brought a picnic lunch for all of us and we enjoyed a good time. My sister happened to be visiting, so it was nice to not have to wrangle all three plus lunch by myself!

Gracie is a character as usual. Last Thursday she was especially making me laugh. She was still in her jammies (a nightgown with non-matching pants underneath). I went to the car to get something and next thing I know, she's walking out to me with a bright green mesh laundry basket in one hand and an oven mitt on the other. Why? Why not of course!! She also tried to stuff the same basket in the bottom part of our armoire. I'm not sure what her plan was there.

The same day Gracie came to me in the kitchen and said "I need scissors." Really? You are barely two. It scares me that you know enough about scissors to ask for them. Of course I did not comply. I did some interrogation and she had a plastic toy that she thought looked like a sandwich and needed to be cut. Oh yeah, and I also found her pushing Lily in the swing saying "swing up higher." This one, she keeps me on my toes!

Lily has mellowed some, but she still makes her opinion known. We still swaddle for naps and nighttime, which I hope she won't need much longer. She wakes one time at night to nurse and I'm still waiting for that one night she just sleeps through.

Here are some recent photos from a family baby shower and Lily's dedication.

Warning: Photo Overload Ahead



Have you seen a cuter little girl??


Sister love



This photo is blurry...but it's a great representation of our family. Notice Miss Rose hiding her face in me because she was embarrasssed to be on the platform. Gracie is being energetic. Do notice though that Miss Rose is wearing a SKIRT!


I love this photo! I love my baby girl.



A pretty decent family photo if you ask me.



These are my two sisters. Notice how DIFFERENT we all look. I think my girls are going to be like this too. Some familial resemblances but individual looks.


Can't you just get lost in those blue eyes? I'm still hoping her eyes remain blue!

Tidbits

It's difficult to blog as much as I would like to. The evenings after the girls are in bed is usually my blogging time...but lately that's also when Lily is most fussy and I'm holding, nursing, shushing, rocking, swaying, bouncing, burping and doing whatever else it takes to make her happy. I'm up later than I should be tonight and Bean is holding her (she's asleep!) so here are some tidbits.

Yes...I've decided to just call the baby Lily on my blog. The other girls go by nicknames--partially for anonymity, partially because they have somewhat uncommon names and I am rather possessive of them! But Lily is just Lily...

Miss Rose is on round 2 of antibiotics for a nasty sinus infection. When the girls had sinus infections at Christmas time, Gracie needed two rounds--this time it's Miss Rose's turn. The first antibiotic she was on seems to have caused an allergic reaction and we've been fighting hives for over a week now.

And the sickness just never ends! Lily has had a cold for at least 3 weeks. Last week I took her in and the dr. felt like it would probably work itself through but gave me some guidelines for monitoring her. She developed a fever this afternoon--so into Urgent Care we went. The diagnosis is an ear infection and antibiotics. I feel terrible that my 9-week old is having her first introduction to antibiotics, but I guess that's what happens when you have two older sisters. Unfortunately I know a few families who are fighting illness after illness like we are.

The 30-Day Shred starts tomorrow! I'm scared and excited. I think it's majorly going to kick my behind...but I thrive on being sore from exercise. I just hope my pregnancy-weakened back holds up. Of course I would choose a Wednesday--my busiest day--to start. Which means I must drag myself out of bed at 5:30am to make sure I fit it in.

Life with three kids still continues to challenge us. Nights are a whirlwind. When I got home from Urgent Care tonight Bean said "I got a taste of your life tonight, and it's hard!" Our top priority is being good parents--which means some of the other things slide, and that's what we are having to get used to. Bean and I are typical oldest children who like our ducks in a row. But we're lucky if all the ducks (the children and other things of life) are just in our line of vision.

I can't believe Lily is already two months old. And Gracie turns 2 on Sunday. Next week I'll make sure to share some new photos.

Life is zooming by.

Things I'm Learning

Here's some stuff I'm learning in my life right now, which will also serve to catch you up with the No Crying Mama.

~Three is a lot different than two. I'm sure once we're in more of a routine and the baby is a few months old it will get a bit easier. But three is a whole new world. (However, if money, space and jobs weren't an issue, I secretly would still want 4!)

~Third babies spend a lot of time in the carseat and swing.

~Third babies also start to protest how much time they spend in these seats by dinnertime and demand to be held. I don't blame her and I wish I had more time to hold her. Once big sisters are in bed, Lily gets a lot of cuddling from mom and dad.

~Drive-thru Starbucks are a mom's best friend. I know where all of them are in a 10 mile vincinty and am often found organizing my errands so that I can drive thru. I'm drinking decaf, but it still perks me up.

~I can easily see how people get in a Starbucks a day habit. Although I limit mine to 2 a week or so.

~All of the exercise during pregnancy was worth it, no matter how exhausted it made me sometimes. I'm bouncing back from my c-section much better and will hopefully have 10lbs or less to work at losing.

~Lily must still miss my womb because she sleeps best at night curled up right next to me

~This sleeping position usually causes me a stiff neck and other various aches and pains.

~Bean is an amazing dad and husband, no matter how high the bar gets raised, he sails over it.

~A full and busy life means a full heart and it's totally worth it.

Little Miss Piggy

That's Lily's new nickname! She had a weight check today to make sure she had regained her birthweight. Little Miss Piggy was 6lbs, 10oz --- a 10oz gain in one week! I think the typical weight gain for a newborn is about an ounce a day, so she definately caught up.

She was 6lbs 5oz at birth (well, 6.59 technically, but I guess they never round up) so she's up 4-5oz from her birth weight.

Lily is starting to be awake a little bit more. What's funny is she sounds like a little pig several times a day! She grunts and groans when she's dealing with gas or digestion. It's kind of cute. Except not in the middle of the night!

Baby certainly loves mama. Her favorite place to sleep at night is in the crook of my arm. She spends her days sleeping in the swing, and is resisting sleeping in the co-sleeper. I need to start putting her in the co-sleeper during the day so she gets used to it.

But really, I'm not complaining. She's probably my last baby, so I want to eat all of this up. All my babies have slept with me quite a bit during their first few months and I don't have much problem transitioning them out as they get older.

Little Miss Piggy is turning red in the face and grunting, so I must go rescue her from her gas or whatever issue is going on!

Finally, a down day

The last week has been a whirlwind! With the exception of Saturday, our first full day at home, I've had to leave the house each day. Lily had a bit of jaundice which required 2 dr. appointments and 2 blood tests at the hospital. I developed a major case of stiff neck--I think from stress and hunching over a lot helping the baby nurse and also favoring my incision. So it was off to the chiropractor for me on Wednesday. I am IN LOVE with my chiropractor. In a medical sense. I still have some soreness and when I wake up in the morning it's very stiff, but hopefully a few more days and I'll be back to normal.

Yesterday we spent 4 hours trading in our CRV for a used Odyssey. The auto loan had been in my name, so I needed to go and sign paperwork. We were very sad to bid farewell to the CRV. We have LOVED that car. It was my first brand new car and only had it for 2.5 years. But, the minivan is the way to go for the automatic doors and space for the kids. And the carseats will fit! I'm excited that I'll get to have Miss Rose harnessed until she's 6 now. We were blessed to have them pay off the loan for the CRV and get us the minivan for just slightly more than what we were paying for the CRV for the same terms we had left on the CRV. Miss Rose is thrilled because the Odyssey has a DVD player--although we're making it clear that it's for long trips, not daily driving.

Today is a down day. My goal is to stay in my jammies and spend as much time on the couch as possible. Poor Bean is still running around doing so many errands and "honey-do's" that I want to be a part of. But I know the more I rest now, the faster my recovery will be.

My pain really has been minimal. Not that I haven't used the Vicodin I was sent home with, but mostly I need it after I've moved around a lot. It's almost gone though, so I'm definately rationing it! I just get fatigued quickly. After the long day yesterday I went to bed at 8:30 even though I had to get up at 10pm to feed Lily. I needed it though!

Finally, here are some pictures!

Today...8 days old.