keeping it real.

So my little miss who was sleeping so well at night... isn't doing so well anymore.
The first 8 days she went down for the night around 10:00. I would get up around 1:00 and 4:00, then she would sleep until after 7:00. It was great.

Then, for some reason, on day 8, she didn't settle down and fall into a deep sleep until 1:00 am. Not so fun. She was tired, closing her eyes, falling asleep, but so, so restless. She would sleep for a bit, then start fussing and wrestling around. Day 9 was pretty much the same, except Grandma came to spend the night and kept her downstairs with her. Good nights sleep for mommy!

Last night was her worst night yet. No crying, really, just so restless and moving all around. Wanting to sleep, but not able to for some reason. Tummy? Formula? We don't know. Her 2 week doctors appointment is Tuesday, I'm hoping he will have some ideas.

So mommy didn't get much sleep last night. Our arrangment is that I get up with the baby at night and Corey does all the cooking. Works for me. But last night, he offered to help. (Sweet guy, huh?) The two of them slept together on the couch until 11:00, I fed her and put her down around 11:45. She got all restless again about 12:30. Then Corey rocked her until around 2:00, maybe? (But he was in a recliner, so don't feel too bad for him.) I was up with her starting at 3:00... rocking, feeding, patting, swaddling. Around 5:00 I asked Corey to do a bottle. He said he would... but then he rolled over and went back to sleep. And when I got up, he rolled in the other direction, grabbed my pillow and went back to sleep again. So my turn again. Which lasted for quite awhile... feeding, rocking, patting, swaddling. Up and down, up and down.

He did offer to get up with her (and Lawson... who crawled in bed with us about 7:00 and was laying on our pillows above our heads) when she woke up around 7:45. Sophie was up before too long (because Lawson was playing with the light switches downstairs and turned on the upstairs hallway light so that it was shining right in her bedroom).

Mommy did get to sleep for another hour after this, but between the kids coming and crawling on me a few times and Lawson making laps around the house, riding his stick horse and wearing his cowboy boots (did I mention our house is all hardwood floors downstairs?), it wasn't a very restful sleep. I got up when I heard Corey start cussing at the dog. He was trying hard to get a little girl to fall back asleep and was searching for her pacifier (the only pacifier we have). Guess who had it??

So I come downstairs, he gives me the baby (who promptly snuggled up and fell asleep on my shoulder... which was a nice mommy moment for me, frustrating for daddy!) while he starts boiling water to sanitize the pacifier. (Pacis have been added to our Wal-mart list, by the way.)

I then gave him the snuggly, sleeping baby to go lay on his chest and take a nap on the couch. Bundled up the other two in hats and coats and forced them outside to jump on the trampoline for awhile. Then let them inside, but sent Sophie to her room to play (not a punishment... she could play up there for hours by herself) and got Lawson settled at the dining room table with Legos. Quiet.

Corey has said a few times that with all the sickness right now, swine flu, etc., this was pretty much the worst time we could have had a baby. I agreed for awhile, but have changed my mind. I think summer would have been the worst time. Everyone would be home... no school, no pre-school, no daycare a few days a week, no ballet, no Awanas = Mommy would be losing her mind.

Love these kids to pieces. All 3 of them. But the bigger two are rapidly going back and forth between being super sweet and helpful and really whiny and annoying... playing nicely together and getting along great or fighting, pinching and hitting... quietly entertaining themselves with blocks or books or something quiet or running around the house chasing each other, singing and hollering.

Mommy may still lose her mind.

painting.

Our first few days at home were spent trying to keep these two happy and entertained while mommy spent time resting on the couch and loving on a new baby. (Luckily, Grandma was here to help!)

Thanks for the painting supplies, Ang! We ended up going to get Lawson some, too. They both had so much fun!

See me in the background? Resting and loving on that new baby!

leaves.

I'm not sure who had more fun jumping in the leaves...
the kids... or Marley.

Look... she's like a rescue dog, trying to find the missing child.

And even though it was the middle of the afternoon... we went straight to the bathtub after this. They were so muddy and dirty. Lawson had leaves in his ears.

pumpkin patch.

Lawson's pre-school went on their field trip to the pumpkin patch on the 21st. Since I was a little busy at the hospital... Corey got to go this year!

Can you say ornery??

birth announcements.

I've been working on Gretchen's birth annoucements. Today I ran across this helpful tip about what to put on a birth annoucement:


"This is our baby. We're so freaking tired." is not an acceptable message. Be sure to include one or all of the following words "joy," "blessing," and "miracle."


Just made me laugh. :)

new sister.

Sophie and Lawson were so excited to finally meet their baby sister! She was thoroughly smothered within minutes. Luckily, she is proving to be a fairly tolerant, easy-going little thing.

Sophie is going to be such a big help!

Love this one...

Our new family of five!

Thanks again for the pictures, Megan!

more.

Going home...

first meeting.

So it wasn't quite the moment I imagined... but having Sophie and Lawson see Gretchen for the first time was definitely memorable!





It felt a bit like I was in prison... talking on phones, behind a glass window, hands and noses pressed up against the glass.

I was able to walk to the front lobby later on and spend a little snuggle time with them, but they didn't actually get to see her until we came home on Thursday. Those pictures are coming...

gretchen jane.

Gretchen's middle name is from her Grandma Janie.

Thank you so much, Megan, for being a part of this moment with us. You captured so many perfect memories that we will treasure forever!