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Sunday, June 8, 2014

2014 - Week 23

After a rough, long, fairly sleepless night, Eliza was a perfect little angel on Monday. It was so refreshing…I got to spend some time outside with the big girls, I got some cleaning done around the house and I regained a little bit of my sanity. Oh man, you definitely forget what these newborn days are like, that’s for sure! The big girls were on pretty good behavior today, which also helps with the sanity level. After some lunch and a late nap, we were all off to meet Christian at baseball. I love seeing Olivia grow from week to week, getting more confidence and getting more into the game. I hope she sticks with it over the years. After baseball, we took some baths, I trimmed Amelia’s bangs and they were off to bed.

Tuesday was a VERY big day. Christian was off to work and the big girls were off to school. Eliza and I had some breakfast, cleaned up and were off…by biggest baby was graduating from Pre-K today and I could not believe it! All the kids got to wear little caps and gowns, the teachers gave a little speech and handed out little diplomas and I’m not ashamed to admit that I got a bit emotional. I can’t believe in just a few short months she’ll be off to kindergarten and how fast these last 5½ years have gone. She was so proud of herself, and SO excited to see little Eliza in the crowd with me. After the ceremony, we took some pictures, had some cake and I hung out with her to play for a little bit. The directors and teachers were excited to meet Eliza, and of course, I had to visit Amelia so she could show off her little sister too. I was nervous, but thankful that Eliza was on her best little baby behavior so that I could be in the moment with Olivia. It was such a great morning. We made our way home and settled in for the rest of the day. I ended up having to pick the girls up from school today because Olivia had her baseball pictures, and Christian wouldn’t be off work in time. So, I loaded Eliza back up this evening and we picked them up. On our way out the door I noticed something strange about Olivia that I had not noticed earlier with her cap on…apparently, she decided to cut herself some bangs. I tried restraining myself while I asked her what happened…of course, she had NO idea what I was talking about. As if I wasn’t staring at a huge chunk of freshly cut hair. She finally told me that after I cut Amelia’s bangs before bed last night, Amelia told her she should cut some too. So, in the middle of the night, when she went to the bathroom, she took it upon herself to do just that. I could have died. I know it’s basically a right of passage for most kids, especially little girls, but it was seriously hard to contain my frustration with her over this. Ugh, kids! Thankfully, she has her hat for her baseball pictures! Pictures were chaotic, but went pretty fast and we were quickly on our way home. The rest of the night was pretty quiet after that…the girls watched some videos, we had some dinner, and they were off to bed.

Happy Graduation, Baby Girl










Baseball Pictures


The Haircut...

Well, after a couple of quiet, sleepy days, Wednesday was a rough one…with a capital “R”. Eliza just would not nap, at all, and spent pretty much the entire day nursing. These days just exhaust me beyond belief. Another reason I will not question our decision that she is our last! I just don’t have the energy that I used to have. After a long day, I was off to pick the big girls up from school, and to meet Christian at baseball. He works too late to pick them up on baseball nights…it’s kind of pain to drag Eliza in and out of school to pick them up, which is why he’s been on school duty, but I guess that’s just the price you pay, LOL. After baseball, we were home for a quick dinner, some baths and bed. The evenings just fly by on baseball nights.

Thursday was probably the toughest day that I’ve had yet, and I was left feeling extremely grateful for Christian tonight. Eliza was just not a happy camper at all today. Anytime I tried to lay her down, or put her down at all really, she just screamed bloody murder. If she wasn’t nursing, she wasn’t happy, and I was getting very overwhelmed. Christian definitely came to my rescue tonight though. After getting the big girls, ready and off to school, working 10+ hours, picking the big girls up from school, making us dinner and mowing the grass, he got Eliza to sleep and took her into the living room so that I could finally get some rest. And man did I need it. I think sometimes she just needs to be away from me…like she can just sense my presence and by doing so she decides she’s starving and she needs to eat. Anyway, I’m feeling pretty lucky, that’s for sure. The bright spot of the day was receiving the photos from the session I had won on facebook today. Even though she didn’t cooperate, we still got a few really great shots, and I love the. But, it makes me even more sad that she wasn’t able to get more…they turned out so great and I just LOVE her style, I would have loved to get a whole shoot from her. It did put a big smile on my exhausted face though, and was perfect timing for a little reminder of how fast they grow!










On Friday, my Mom took the big girls out and about for the day. The way this week has been going, it was probably a good thing. And, I ended up having to run some errands anyway, so it was good timing. Eliza’s medical bills aren’t going through because she hasn’t been added to my insurance yet. I finally got a notice from my insurance that they won’t add her until they have a copy of her birth certificate. Seriously, that can’t be handled at a later date? So, we were off to the Department of Public Health to purchase her certificate. Then, since it’s right down the road, we stopped into my work so that I could fax the paperwork in to the insurance company. It was fun popping in and surprising my coworkers though, and was a nice little bright spot for them to visit with little Eliza for a bit. After a little visit and everybody getting in their baby cuddles, we made our way back home for the day. It was a pretty quiet night at home…Christian worked pretty late, the girls got home about the same time as him. We had some dinner and settled in for the night. Definitely no late nights around here with the new babe!

On Saturday, little Eliza turned 1 MONTH! Can you believe it?!? It’s already been a month since this little wonder joined our family. Time is just going way too fast! According to my scale and measurements, she is now 10lbs 2ozs (up from 7lbs 14ozs at birth) and 22.5” (up from 20” at birth). She’s just growing like a weed! She still wears mostly newborn clothes, but the jammies are getting tight, lengthwise, and she’s on her last package of newborn diaper. Her sleep, day and night, is very inconsistent and all over the place still. I’ve gotten a few smiles from her, but they are quick and few and far between. She does not like to be alone, and so far, if she’s awake, she’s likely eating. We did experience a new little first with her today though, which I hope continues…I put her in her swing and she fell asleep all on her own. Not once, but TWICE! I couldn’t believe it. While I spent most of the day inside with Eliza, the big girls bounced between inside and playing outside and Christian did some cleaning in the garage and built a trellis for the garden. After picking up some dinner for the girls and I, and finishing up his project, he and a friend were off for dinner and a beer while all us girls settled in for the night. While I’m cherishing these moments, I’ll be excited for the day that I can actually hang out on a weekend night like a grown up again, LOL.



LOL, caught a goofy smile during a nap

She fell asleep, all on her own!

Sunday was a busy day. I put Christian on dad duty for the day (other than baby feedings), and I got to work on our disaster of a basement. I got the living room picked up and organized, I got the spare bedroom (aka, storage room) cleaned through and organized, and I got the playroom all put back together. All that I have let to do…at some point…is get the “princess area” out in the common area put back together. I think the day our kids outgrow the playroom and all those toys I will be JUMPING for joy! While I cleaned, I finished up Season 2 of “Orange is the New Black”…which was just released on Friday. Ugh, now it’s going to be a loooooong way for Season 3! Christian ended up taking the big girls to meet Olivia’s BFF Bella, and her dad, at the splash pad for a while. They had a blast running through the water, playing on the playground and eating some ice cream from the ice cream man who conveniently parks himself right outside the park every day. Bella mom, Sara, arrived home about the same time they did, so we ended up having a BBQ with them and hanging out. Sara and I stayed inside with Eliza, chatting and catching up, while the guys grilled and played with the big girls. It was pretty much bed time when they left for the night, and with that, another week came to an end.

She likes to pretend she's asleep, then wake up furious when I put her down. It's awesome. And don't let the picture fool you, she still hates the pacifier.

Until Next Week XOXO

Sunday, June 1, 2014

2014 - Week 22

Monday was Memorial Day and the weather was absolutely gorgeous! Not too hot, a little breeze, lots of sun. Perfect! We were supposed to stop by my in-laws’ for a little informal BBQ, but my sister in-law and her kids wanted to go as well, and their apartment just is not big enough for all of us. So, they brought all their food over and grilled at our house instead. I really didn’t want anybody over, but at least it was nice enough to stay outside, and I didn’t actually have to do or prepare anything. While I hung out with Eliza most of the day (I gave the moby wrap a whirl today and she LOVED it, so I got to bring her outside, which she also loved!), Christian and his dad grilled, his mom prepared everything else and all of the girls ran around like crazy…playing in the sprinkler, on the swing-set, having the time of their lives. A couple of Christians’ friends stopped over for a quick beer and burger and we called it a night. Not only was today Memorial Day, but it was the last day of all of us being home! The girls head back to school tomorrow and Christian goes back to work. Boy did those two weeks fly by! With that, it was a pretty early night for all.

Playing outside


Playing with their cousins










Taking the moby wrap for a spin!

Got my Grandpa's flag set up, just in time for Memorial Day

Tuesday was the big day…Christian and the girls were up bright and early. He off to work, the girls off to school. In reality, I think they were all pretty excited. Christian gets pretty bored and antsy around the house…he can never just relax, always has to be doing something. Not that it’s a bad quality or anything, it just doesn’t mix well with an extended leave from work, and not having unlimited funds to do whatever you want. The girls were excited to see their friends and teachers again, get out of the house and get the stimulation they get from school. They’ll only be going to school Tuesday-Thursday while I’m on leave, to save a little money. I debated it for a while…I like having them in that environment, and want my time to bond with baby, so we had to find a balance that worked all around. Hopefully they don’t miss too many fun things on the days they aren’t there. Meanwhile, I spent the day relaxing, cuddling with Eliza, catching up on some shows and settling in for the new reality of my maternity leave. This time is going to go so fast, I’m just trying to take it all in. Christian picked the girls up after school and the usual chaos ensued around the house. Man those girls are loud! They were pretty excited to see baby when they got home though.

The "after" of our garden, finally ready to grow

Wednesday was a pretty good day. I woke up before Eliza, took a shower AND ate breakfast. Felt like quite the rockstar, that’s for sure! The rest of the day was pretty much the new standard…hanging out with Eliza, watching some TV and getting our rest. I’m feeling better and better every day, just about feeling back to normal, physically. Nursing is still going pretty well…still some pain to work through, some days are more exhausting than others, and she’s latched on for a good majority for the day still, but I’m determined to stick with it and avoid formula again. My goal right now is just to hit that 6 week mark…I know with Amelia, things really did change around there and become a lot easier, so I’m hoping that’s the case this time. Other than that, we were off to baseball as soon as Christian arrived home with the girls. We gave all the girls a quick bath when we got home from baseball and that was about it.

Happy 2 Weeks! And still very serious.

Finally got her uniform. So cute!







Thursday was my first really, truly productive day in a long time. Eliza actually cooperated and took some good naps today, giving me lots of time to get stuff done around the house. I did our mound of dishes, cleaned up around the upstairs, did a couple loads of laundry, and finished writing out and addressing my baby shower thank you cards (finally!). It felt good to be able to take advantage of the day and actually get some things done. I could definitely get used to getting things done during the week, being able to do things on my own schedule, rather than jamming everything into the weekends. That will be hard to adjust to once I head back to work. The evening was pretty quiet. Christian picked the big girls up, we had some dinner and hung out around the house. Olivia was VERY upset with me when I told her they weren’t going to school tomorrow, on “show and share” day. Worst Mom!

Friday was my first day home with all three girls, all day. Not gonna lie, I was a bit nervous. It’s not just the fact of three kids to take care of, it’s now knowing how things are going to go, or how everybody will adjust to a new setting. Thankfully, today actually went pretty well. The big girls were able to play outside in the yard most of the day, and they took super long naps, which helps. Other than the big girls’ constant fighting, things went pretty smoothly. I do have to say, I can see a special relationship forming between Olivia and Eliza. Olivia just LOVES her to pieces, and always wants to help her…and, she actually seems to soother her. Today, I was helping Amelia put on the 10th bandaid of the day, when Eliza started crying out in the living room. She suddenly stopped, and when I went out to check on her, Olivia was sitting with her, stroking her head and talking to her. It was so sweet! The evening was pretty quiet around the house…Christian brought some dinner home with him and we all settled in for the night. No more late nights around here!

Working on some tummy time!

Sweating it up on a hot day!

Cooling off in the sprinkler




Saturday started off pretty busy. Because of the Holiday earlier this week, Christian had to work all day today. So, it was just me and the girls again. Only, this time, we also had swim class. It was my first time taking all three to swim class on my own, so I was pretty nervous. Luckily, Eliza still slept through the whole class, so I was able to watch the girls, get them out after class and dried off with no problem. Hallelujah! I grabbed us some lunch on the way home and it was time for some naps and relaxing. Some storms rolled in later in the afternoon, so it was a pretty quiet night around the house. I just relished in my little mom-success of the day.

Our lilies are coming in fast and furious

The lilacs are also coming in, WAY better than any other year

These are the cute stepping stones in the garden that the girls made with my mom for Mother's Day


She makes the funniest faces, always so focused!

Rico is never far away

We may have a thumb sucker on our hands...she loves it when she finds it!


Sunday marked the first day of June. I can’t believe it’s already June, this year is just flying by…almost half over already! Christian spent much of the day doing some yard work and cleaning up outside while I spent the day with a pretty crabby Eliza. Well, honestly, she’s not really crabby, it was just one of those cat nap and nurse ALL.DAY.LONG kind of days, and it just exhausts me beyond belief. Even though the actual nursing itself is going well, and FINALLY the pain is going away, I’m still struggling with nursing this time around. I don’t know why, but I just honestly don’t want to. No real, legitimate excuse, it’s just purely selfish, but it’s hard to battle away those thoughts every day. So, that’s the new demon I’m battling! Hopefully it will pass. Meanwhile, the big girls bounced between playing outside and driving daddy crazy, and playing inside and driving mommy crazy! Really, even though they drive each other crazy, I’m glad they have each other to play with and keep the other busy. I think it really saves us a ton of stress, actually being able to focus on other things and not feel like we’re neglecting them.

One of her many cat naps, even though she looks so peacefully passed out.

Sister fun


Until Next Week XOXO