Lily's Baby Blessing

On Sunday we blessed our sweet baby Lily at church.  Jon gave the blessing and it was beautiful.  It was a very special day.  

The After Party

After church we had family over to our home for dinner.  Elle stayed up late the night before to help me cook.  She felt very grown-up.  We had homemade chicken tortilla soup, a big salad with cilantro dressing, fruit and texas sheet cake with vanilla bean ice cream for dessert.  The perfect ending to a very special day. 

I Tried

Elle has been begging me to decorate for Halloween. While she was at school I tried to get things a little more festive around here. I thought I had done a pretty good job. Orange door mat and berry wreath, orange flowers and a tin ghost in the kitchen and pumpkins on the mantel. Well, when she came home her little face did not look too excited. She just look confused.

Apparently nothing is very scary and "white pumpkins do not count as real pumpkins they are just a vegetable". That comment made me laugh out loud. Little does she know how hard I searched to find real white and blue pumpkins. I love them. I think she was invisioning the Lowe's halloween isle that we had recently been to when she asked me to decorate for this holiday. Nothing mechanical or screaming in sight around here...I am a total disappointment. I have a sneaky feeling however that someday when she is a mommy she too will go on the hunt for white and blue pumpkins.

The Three Amigos

I love these little girls.  Elle had Jane and Brinley over to play yesterday.  As you can see our dress-up box is a big hit.  Elle is a lucky little girl to have such good friends.  

Yep...it's permanent

Gwen came upstairs looking just like this.  The worst part was that she was holding a permanent marker instead of one of our washable ones.  Jon started telling her that markers are only for paper etc etc when I started thinking... Gwen's markings looked awfully like cat whiskers. 

 Gwen could never have done that on her own.  I quickly called for Elle to join us.  I looked right at Elle and said, "I know you did this". Without Gwen being able to speak as fluently as she would like to, she was unable to place the blame on her sister.  Elle was stunned that I had figured this out.  Jon took Gwen into the bathroom and started trying to get the permanent marker off of her.  We were both trying not to laugh.  Jon whispered to me, "get the camera". Elle saw me taking pictures and immediately started crying.  She kept saying, "please, please do not take pictures and show the whole city that I was naughty" (I love that she used the word city).  Well, I couldn't resist.  So all of you out there in our city...don't tell Elle you saw this.  

My Daughter

Yesterday morning I said good bye to my Elle before kindergarten and told her to have a fun day and that I would miss her while she was gone.  She looked at me and said, "mama, just get your camera and take a picture of me and then if you get sad you can look at my picture and you won't be sad anymore".  How could I pass that up?  

Elle has been a roller coaster of emotions lately.  I am sure it has to do with having a new member of our family combined with starting kindergarten.  Lots of changes around here.  I have just been trying to take it in stride.  The other day she was upset with me because I did one pony tail in her hair instead of two.  She had a complete and total melt down.  We were running too late for me to redo her hair.  The whole drive to kindergarten she sat in the backseat sobbing.  I told her that this was a little crazy and that as soon as she settled down we could talk about it. So there she sat...with a wet, puffy face in her booster seat in the back of our car.  All she kept repeating through her sobs was, "mama, do you not love your daughter?  your daughter is crying and you don't care?  how come you don't care about your crying daughter"?  My "daughter"???  Leave it to Elle to add that little extra dramatic touch.  It was all I could do to not laugh.  Straight faced I responded back to her in 3rd person.  I told her that I love "my daughter" very much and that "my daughter" was being a little bit dramatic considering this whole scene was all about a pony tail.  Before she got out of the car I pulled over and had her come and sit on my lap up in the driver seat.  How could I send her out the door like that?  We talked about some different ways she could have handled her disappointment in her hairdo.  I told her that I would do two pony tails in her hair the next day and that either way, she looked beautiful. She calmed down, I gave her a kiss and out the door she went.  

I think things are settling down for her now.  She is in more of a routine and is loving kindergarten.  I am sure I have many years of these occasional emotional outbursts ahead of me.  I just hope that "my daughter" will always know that "her mom" loves and adores her.  

Playdate

Gwen had her little friend Malia over to play.  They are so cute together.  All they wanted to do was play dress-up and dance.  The costume changes were endless but the song remained the same.  Miley Cyrus', "Party in the USA" was on repeat...and very loud.  Here they are putting on a show for me on our "stage".  How funny is Gwen's microphone...I love this age.  

Heaven

Lily fell asleep in my arms early this morning. Before Jon left for work I asked him to grab the camera. I have so few pictures of me with my girls. Lily was so peaceful and I loved it so much I didn't put her back in her basinette. I held her like this until Elle and Gwen woke up. I heard them tip-toeing down the stairs trying not to wake me. They were so quiet I knew they were up to something. I found them in the garage with popsicles. Before I know it Lily will be joining them in their escapades. But for now, I am enjoying her just like this.

Lily

My Lily.  I have had this sweet little girl for 7 weeks now.  I still look at her and can't believe she really is mine.  Having Lily here makes things feel more complete.  That may sound funny but it is very true.  Even right after I had Gwen I always knew there was one more little person missing from our family.  I had that feeling often.  Jon and I both knew we wanted another child.  It wasn't a matter of  "if" it was just "when".  It is so nice to have our 3rd little girl here with us.  I look at our 3 girls and I can't believe we did it!  All of those sick pregnant days were more than worth it.  Such a small, small price to pay.  Lily is a sweet little girl.  She is as easy as a baby can be.  She loves to be swaddled tightly and she LOVES that huge hospital pacifier.  No matter how upset she may get, if I swaddle her and hold her in my arms she calms right down.  She is my little sidekick.  I keep her close to me all day and all night.  She smiled at me the other night and it was a little glimpse into her personality.  I loved it.  Lily is a pretty good sleeper too.  We have her in a basinette in our room.  She loves it. She is waking up just once or twice a night for a feeding.  I don't mind it because it is so nice to hold her without anyone else around.  I took these photos of her this morning after Jon gave her a bath. I wish you could package 'clean baby smell'.  There is nothing sweeter.    

Musical Rooms

It happened.  Gwen finally learned how to jump out of her crib.  I know we are lucky that we have made it this long but I was still so sad!  Trying to contain this busy body is not an easy task.  And I think I need her nap time more than she does.  The look on her face when she ran into our bedroom was priceless.  A look of, "FREEDOM"!  There was no way she was going to sleep in that crib again.  We tried letting her sleep with Elle and that just was not working. Until we could order her a bed we had to think of a way to get her to sleep.  We told Elle that just for a few nights she could do something really fun.  She could sleep in Gwen's crib!!  Elle went for it.  She thinks it is hilarious.  We put Gwen into Elle's bed and I am thankful to report that she has slept there 3 nights and 3 naps (yeah!) without getting out.  Yesterday we all went out and bought two twin beds.  Elle and Gwen will share a room and Lily will take over Gwen's crib.  I knew that we would eventually do this but I just kept putting it off.  Tomorrow the twin beds will arrive and I can't wait to set up their room.  

Bzzz

Gwen is like a little cartoon character to me.  She is so expressive with her face and her voice is just to die for.  I love it.  This girl loves to dress up and is in numerous outfits/costumes a day. Today she was a bumble bee and was flying around the house.  I went out to get the mail and she followed me while flapping her arms and making buzzing sounds.  She is a lot of work and into absolutely everything but with her cuteness level off the charts it somehow makes it so enjoyable at the same time.  It's not forever that I will be accompanied to the mailbox and around our house by bumble bees and fairies.  I need to soak it all up now.  

Princess Gwendolyn

Here's my Gwenners, straight out of the tubbies this morning.  Gwen loves anything and everything related to princesses.  As you can imagine, this is her very favorite bath towel.  Elle has sadly moved on from this phase and has passed the torch to Gwen.  I am sure as soon as Gwen is on to something new, Lily will be full swing into it.  It is so fun having little girls.   

First Day, Hooray!

Elle had her first day of Kindergarten today.  I can not believe it!  We have been preparing for this day for weeks.  The backpack and lunch box were crucial.  She looked online with me for the perfect one and finally settled on this cute pink and white polk-a-dot one with a matching lunch box.  I think the tipping point was when she found out we could have her name embroidered on it in green.  Sold!  I walked her to the door this morning with Lily and Gwen in tow.  We all stood at her door as the kids lined up.  Her teacher, Miss B., came out and said, "O.K. kindergartners, blow your moms a big kiss".  It was so cute to see.  Gwen couldn't stop waving to her and kept yelling, "bye, Elle" and in they went.  I picked her up today and asked how her first day went and how she liked her teacher.  She said, "16 thumbs up, mama".  So I guess today was a success.   

Gwen also had a first day.  She goes to a one day a week preschool.  She feels very grown-up and just like Elle, her lunch box is a big deal.  Hello Kitty is all the rage with this one.  They also get little red buckets to use instead of backpacks.  Gwen's teacher is Miss Carla and she loves her.  I dropped her off and she found that 3 of her favorite little friends are in her class.  Off to the craft table she went and yelled a big, "bye mom"!!  

I am so happy that they are happy.  That's all you really want as a mom.  Such a simple thing but it's amazing how great it is to see your kids with smiles.  So, here's to a great school year! 

Saturday Morning

Our last Saturday before school starts. The girls woke up early and went out to jump on our trampoline in their jammies.  I love Elle's wrist full of bracelets.  She has even been including rubber bands as part of "the look".  I asked her why and she said, "mom, that is what the big girls do".  Not sure who she saw doing that but it is pretty cute.  Gwen asked if she could take Lily on the trampoline with them.  Um...that's not such a good idea, Gwen. 

Our Time

Can you tell...I can't get enough of this one.  Looks like Lily got her mama's long legs.  They remind me of frog legs.  Love it.  I really could just stare at her all day long and be perfectly content.  Sadly, with two other little ones that need me the only time I really get to do that is in the middle of the night when I am feeding her.  Last night she was a little fussy.  When I first hear the cry that she is hungry in the middle of the night it is a little bit of a dread.  All I think about is how tired I am and just wish (beg, pray) that she will go back to sleep.  Once I am up however, and get her into my arms, all of that dread just melts away.  There we are, just the two of us and no one else is needing me.  I can play with her fingers and toes and kiss her little cheeks.  I feed her, change her and snuggle her back to sleep.  Morning comes pretty quickly but I just have to remember how short this time is.  Before I blink, she will be out of this stage and on to a new one.  I am trying to cherish every minute with her now.

One Month

Lily is just 4 weeks old today but I feel like I have had this sweet litle girl in my arms (and heart) forever.  

Besties

Yesterday these two sisters really got into it.  There was hitting, kicking and even some naughty words yelled.  Elle's line was, "you're the stupidest, Gwen" and Gwen yelled her signature angry line, "you're wude, Elle".  It was all over a silly wind-up toy fish.  We only have one and they both wanted it.  To them, their worlds were ending.  I pried them apart (literally) and put them both in time-out.  After they mellowed out a bit we had "the talk".  You know, the follow-up talk after you get in trouble.  I remember this dreaded talk growing up.  I knew it well.  I talked to them about how lucky they were to have eachother.  That they were being mean to their best friend...the friend they would have forever. We talked about taking turns and then it happened, I pulled the most dreaded mom-maneuver EVER.  Their eyes were wandering while I was giving my speech and I said, "look at me".  Oh, how I hated that when I was getting in trouble!  Wow. Who am I? I may have given birth 3 times but when that line came out of my mouth, I officially became a mom.  I am still laughing about it.  I must admit however, it did seem to work.  They hugged and l even got them laughing. As I was getting the girls to bed later last night I heard Elle say to Gwen, "I love being your sister" and Gwen repeated that back to her in her mumbled 2 year old speech.  I melted.  

(another) Daddy's Girl

Lily doesn't know it yet but she won the daddy lottery.  It's true...just ask her sisters.

Lily Love

We love our Lily.  I think we all agree that she is a 'keeper', for sure.  And even though I have a headache from lack of sleep lately, I still just adore her.  She is awake a lot more and I love to look at her pretty blue eyes.  All 3 of my girls have their dad's eyes.  I love that.  I am still figuring out the ins-and-outs of being a mom of 3.  Jon and I started laughing last night as we FINALLY got everyone tucked into their beds.  It was craziness.   We made the rounds turning off the hall lights and closing their doors once they were asleep and the house was just so peaceful.  The only sounds were from Lily...she still sleeps in our room.  She makes what sounds like to me, puppy dog noises while she sleeps.  It really is cute.  This is a lot of work, this whole 'mom business' but boy is it worth it.  

Elle

Elle.  I sure love this girl.  She is so sweet and so sensitive.  A true 'mama's girl'.  She begged and begged to be at Lily's birth.  I thought long and hard about it and talked with her about exactly what was going to happen.  I decided to let her join us.  After I had my epidural and was not in anymore pain I had a friend bring her to the hospital.  She was sooo excited.  She came just in time and stayed through the entire birth.  She told me that since she was the first person Lily saw (true) that Lily thinks she is her mom.  She was standing on a chair next to the doctor holding Jon's hand during the delivery.  I remember her with a big smile on her face saying, "mama, I see Lily"!  The nurse was also very sweet with Elle and let her help give Lily her first bath.  Needless to say, Elle is in LOVE with Lily.  I mean, true love.  I think it will be a day she will never forget and one that will bond her to Lily forever.  

Gwen

Gwen.  This little girl makes me happy every single day.  I have been feeling bad the last few days because I feel like every other sentence out of my mouth is, "no, gwen!  be soft"!  She loves her new little sister and wants to carry her and feed her and make sure her binky is firmly in her mouth.  Needless to say she is (innocently) a little rough.  This morning I heard, "catch, lily" and saw a ball going straight for Lily's face in her basinette.  Wow.  Gwen has also aged a few  years to me in the last week.  I used to think of her as my baby and now I realize just how big she is getting.  I love these pictures of her.  I came downstairs and found her just like this...standing on a chair washing her apple in the sink.  I keep apples in the bottom drawer of our fridge and Gwen loves to help herself multiple times a day.  Each night as I rock her before I put her down to bed she says, "apple tree" which means she wants me to sing her that song. She sings along with me and we have hand motions and I just melt over how cute she is.  I love you Gwen and I love that I get to be your mama.    

Beautiful

This morning I was still in my pajamas and had baby Lily in the baby bjorn on my chest.  Elle was wanting me to watch her amazing ballet moves and Gwen was insistant on trying to fashion my hair in a ponytail without any help (ouch).  As I sat on the couch with all of this going on around me, I thought back to an article I had read the night before, 'What Makes Me Feel Beautiful' by Kathryn Harrison.  It resonated so much with me. If I took even a quick glance in the mirror, I would have realized that I was not looking my most glamorous but I did think, "yes, I do feel beautiful".

 Click here to read.  

Love

I love this little girl.  But even as I type that, the word 'love' just does not do justice to how I feel inside.  My heart feels like it has doubled in size.  Life already is unimaginable without her. She is calm and sweet.  I have had it both ways with babies which makes me even more grateful now to have a mellow one. As a newborn, Elle cried (and I did too) 21 hours a day for 4 months straight...for real.  I did survive (and I loved her just as much) but this is much more enjoyable.  

Last night Gwen was at Grandma's house and Jon took Elle to the Angels game.  The house was quiet and I just held my Lily.  I know 'real life' is going to have to start here soon with school and laundry and 3 little ones that need me constantly.  I will have to get out of my sweatsuits and think about how my jeans still don't fit.  But not yet.  Not today.  I am basking in the love I have for this new little one straight from heaven...nothing sweeter.