musical beds

We're not usually a family of bed-switchers. In general, everyone goes to sleep in their own bed...and wakes up there in the morning.

However, last night, *everyone* was on the move.

• C went to bed in her crib
  
• A fell asleep in our bed watching a movie
  
• E couldn't fall asleep in our bed, so she came down to hang out with us. We both fell asleep on the couch.
  
• John carried her up to bed.
  
• I moved A into her bed.
  
• I went to sleep in my bed.
  
• John fell asleep on the couch watching the World Series celebrations.
  
• John came up to bed.
  
• At 4:30AM, E came into our bed claiming she had a nightmare.
  
• At 5AM, I heard C. I rocked her back to sleep and then carried her into C's room where we both slept.
  
• When C woke up at a more reasonable hour, I handed her off to John and crawled back into bed for a little nap.
  

Confused yet? I drew a litte diagram so you could follow along:

Man, I'm getting tired just looking at that.

seven, seven and under

Last weekend, the O family came to visit. It was so great for all the girls to get together. This time 6 of 7 joined the big slumber party in the basement. It won't be long before C joins in I'm sure.

 

On Saturday, we headed down to Charlottesville for the NC State game. We tailgated in a random driveway near the stadium. It was not nearly the prime spot like we had last time we went down, but it was fun nonetheless. The guys' whose house it was were so patient with the girls...running down their soccer and lacrosse balls in the street so our girls wouldn't get run over.

 

On the way to the stadium, we had the girls walk in "duckling formation" from oldest to youngest. It caused quite a stir. People were even taking pictures of them. We made it a full half before heading on home.

It's always great to see the O's...can't wait to do it again soon!

a day in the life

Ever wonder what my life is like? Well, then...it's your lucky day! Here's a typical day in my life!

5:26 AM - Get up and work out

Okay, so this doesn't happen everyday, but I am trying to get up in the morning to work out. Right now, I'm doing The 30 Day Shred...it's short and effective. I just try not to get too depressed about how much harder it is than it used to be because I'm soooo out of shape.

6:03 AM - Rise and shine, sleepyhead

By the time I'm done working out, C is up and hanging out in her crib. She was getting up at 5:30-ish...but hopefully we've turned the corner. So, I get her up and she hangs out in a bouncy chair playing with toys while we get ready.

6:56 AM - Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go

John and I try to take turns doing waiting for the nanny to come or getting home in the afternoon. (And, don't worry, I was at a full and complete stop when I took this picture. Ah, traffic.)

8:15 AM - Cube Sweet Cube

 

It usually takes me about an hour to get to work, sometimes more with traffic. I get in, log on and grab a cup of coffee. And then, I start my day.


3:32 PM - Coffee break

 

Sometimes, a little latte is all you need as an afternoon pick me up. Luckily, there's a Starbucks across the street from our office.


4:32 - On the road again

 

On the days that I relieve the nanny, I'm out the door at 4:30. And stuck in traffic, again.


5:34 PM - Home again
When I walk through the door, it's crazy. Hence, no pictures. In the next two hours, I have to:

• Get dinner ready (in general, we eat at home Sunday through Thursday).
• Eat dinner.
• Clean up.
• Pack my lunch and the girls' lunches.
• Relax with the fam.

7:45 PM - Good night, sweethearts
The bedtime routine starts at 7:45. C is first. She gets a bottle and some songs. Sometimes, she can't wait until she's in her jammies to start in on the bottle.

 

Up next is A. Sometimes, I read her stories. Sometimes, she reads them to me. Sometimes, she just wants a good night song.

 

Finally, it's E's turn. Most nights, she reads by herself after I kiss her good night. But, we'll also read together. We're currently reading Ralph S. Mouse.

 

8:33 PM - A little R&R

 

Once the girls are in bed, I come downstairs. Usually, I get online and watch a little TV. Sometimes, I prep dinner for the next day. Or finish up some laundry. It's a glamorous life, yo.

But, before too long, it's time for bed. Where I'm headed now, in fact.

the week in photos

Mmmmmm....carrots!

 

Reason #2,348 to have children...
your own personal bartender

 

Interims came home...
A is *so* smart, she knows 11 more letters than I do!

 

At the Fall Festival

 

Someone's a stomach sleeper now

 

check (her) out

Grocery shopping with C (and A & E) - June 25

 

Grocery shopping with C - October 10

 

It won't be long before she starts begging for candy in the checkout line, just like her sisters.

i'd say i'm going to start posting more...but i'm sure you won't believe me

So...it's been 32 days since I last posted here. There's so much that's been going on!

I've been meaning to recap E's 7th Birthday, and the maiden voyage to the American Girl store she and A took with Nonna and Pop-pop...

I wanted to tell you all about the first day of school and how E and A are doing in 2nd grade and Kindergarten, respectively.

Then there was A's birthday and the story of how you should never let your husband order the birthday cake because he will order a cake that feeds 30 to 36 people, on the off chance that the neighborhood kids will come over and eat cake. Luckily, some kids did come over, including the 5th grader that A has a crush on.

A's boy craziness is a post on it's own.

And our little caboose baby just had a (half) birthday, too. She turned 6 months yesterday!

She's been doing great! She's sitting up these days. She's also an eating machine. She's a very adventerous eater...here she is trying octopus!

Okay, really she's only up to Stage 2 foods...I think Octopus is Stage 3.

But the point is, I got so far behind with all the stuff I wanted to post that I was too just overwhelmed to post anything. And, quite frankly, I haven't found much free time to post. So I figure that I'm going to pretend like I wrote much longer, wittier, and heartful posts on each of these subjects and then move on. Hopefully, that will cure my "blog paralysis" and I can write something a bit more frequently.

I've got some good stuff I want to tell you:

• what "a day in the life" looks like around these parts
• pictures of E and A at their ballet class
• stories of how C would be the world's most perfect baby if she would stop waking herself up from pooping at 5:30 in the morning
• and riveting updates on my hair (two words that changed my life: dry shampoo) and whether or not I fit in any pants (Spoiler Alert! Not really.)

And, of course, gratuitous shots of all three girls.

But, before all that can happen, I must sleep.

back when it was fun to have a big belly...

Five months ago today, it was my due date. Tomorrow, C turns 5 months old. Crazy how time flies.

 

 

 

rest, relaxation...and an evacuation

When I got the job offer for my new job, I lobbied hard for a September start date. Ideally, I wanted C to be 5 months old, A and E to be at school, and, well, August was already crazy because of Camp Grandmom, E's birthday, and a planned vacation with my fam. Unfortunately, the negotiations (with my new boss...who was also my old boss) went something like this:

Me: I'd like to start in September.
Boss: Let me think about that...no...August 1st.

So...though it was a little stressful...I highly recommend working for three weeks and then taking a vacation. You get a little break from the job, and it's not like you are so busy that you worry about work while on vacation. Which was good, because we had to worry about earthquakes and hurricanes instead. You see, my parents and my sister's family met up in Sandbridge for the week. It was tons of fun...except that we had an earthquake and then had to cut our vacation short a day because of a mandatory evacation for Irene. Luckily, we managed to have tons of fun in between the natural disasters. Unfortunately, I have only these iPhone pictures to document the event:

 

So, tomorrow, it's back to reality. Let's hope that after a week six days of fun in the sun...it's not too rough of a re-entry for me or John or the girls...or the new nanny.

crazy is the new normal

This morning, I called my mom on the way into the office to tell her about the previous 15 hours of my life. How an argument over a bracelet turned into E giving A nursemaid's elbow, leading to a dinnertime trip to UrgentCare trip for A and daddy, leading to a full-on meltdown from E when she saw A got a Happy Meal on the way from the Urgent Care because A was soooooo lucky. How, for the fifth morning in a row, C has decided that the 5 o'clock hour would be an awesome time to start the day...and E thought she'd just finish up the rest of the morning in our bed. How I discovered that A and E have been taking baths but neglecting to wash their hair or use soap when doing so (though, in her defense, A said she did soap "a leg" on Monday).

When I finished my recap, my mom said, "It's always something over there, isn't it?" And, it's true. Life with three kids has definitely gotten crazy. Getting the stars to align where everything is running smoothly seems pretty impossible.

Since I haven't printed out/framed any pictures of all three kiddos together yet, I made a quick collage of my favorite Instagram pics taken on my iPhone and printed it out for my desk at work. Every time I look at it, I have to smile.

Life might be crazy...but it sure is a lot of fun.

alive and kickin'

So, it's been pointed out to me that it's been quite some time since I last posted. And, sure, I said in the last post I wrote (which was over a month ago) "Alas, I am going to make an effort to post more regularly." I think we can all agree that was a big fat FAIL.

In my defense, we were busy! We spent a week at the beach, which was no small feat since John insisted on going to Kiawah Island...9 hours from us. Then the big girls had Vacation Bible School and I found myself having songs about the 10 Commandments stuck in my head for days on end. The big girls then headed to Camp Grandmom for a week of fun, including swim lessons, tennis lessons, watching the Smurfs movie and numerous trips to Chick-fil-A.

And, C did a lot of growing. And being cute.


The big news round these parts is that I started a new job on August 1st. The job is with my old boss...but the position is quite different (and a lot more technical) than I'm used to. It's also a much bigger company than I've worked for. On the bright side the benefits are *amazing*, and while the commute is crappy, the office is located in a really awesome area. In theory, I could shop at some of my favorite stores or eat lunch at some of my favorite restuarants any time I wanted!

Rather than put the girls back at the daycare, we've got a nanny (who happened to be a teacher at the daycare). So far the transition has been a bit rough. C has gone on a sleep strike, making my otherwise happy-go-lucky babe a bit cranky. And the older girls are "testing boundaries" by hazing the nanny...the Von Trapp children would be proud.

Each day that passes is getting a little bit better...so hopefully I will post a little more. And, if I'm feeling a bit crazy, I'll start back over at Operation: Fit in my Pants, too. Because, unfortunately, I'm in need of a kick in the pants (heh) in that department as well!

what we've been up to...

Jeez...I can't believe that I haven't posted anything since Baby C turned two months old! We've been busy 'round these parts, and add to that there's a certain member of our house who refuses to nap for longer than 30 minutes at a time...and there's not much time for blogging. Alas, I am going to make an effort to post more regularly.

So here's the Instagram version what we've been up to!

 

A learned how to ride a two-wheeler. She basically taught herself while she was at home and E was in school. She's crashed a couple of times, including one pretty bad fall where she busted her lip and gums...but gets right back on the bike. She stopped going to daycare in early June (we had kept her going a few days a week) and is super psyched for K next year.

 

E finished up first grade in high style. She ended up getting awards for Top Wildcat of the Quarter and for the Year as well. So, she was 4 for 4 at awards assembly this year! Quite impressive!

 

C turned 12 weeks on Friday! She is so awesome...just a happy, adorable baby. Well, except for the lack of napping. The whole family adores her. Last night, I got her to giggle by zerberting her belly and giggling at her. Soon all four of us were standing around her changing table listening to her giggle. It was so cute. We haven't recreated the giggles again...but not for lack of trying.

 

As for me, I'm officially a stay at home mom. No, really. I got laid off from my job in early June. Over the phone. While on maternity leave. Yeah, it kind of sucks...but I was unhappy there anyway. I've been sending out some resumes and had an interview or two...so hopefully I'll have news to report soon. But, until then, I'm hanging out with these three cuties. Not too shabby.

two months!

 

Baby C turned 2 months old yesterday! She is such a fantastic baby. You know how they say that God will give you what you can handle? Well, he obviously knew that I can't handle much and gave me a dream baby. She is such a smiler...and the cooing! So cute. We had a couple of fantastic nights of sleeping (9PM to 4AM and then to 7AM)...but of course, I *told* people about it last night...and so she got up twice because I had jinxed it.

My friend, Autumn, sent these awesome stickers that you are supposed to put on the baby's onesie each month. However, we don't have plain white onesies...so A and I decided to use the chair. They are so cute...I'm bummed we didn't get a chance to do 1 month with them.

Speaking of one month...here's a side-by-side shot of the first two months. The difference is mind boggling.

 

And, just for kicks...here are pictures of the girls at about 7 weeks.

E...C...A

I think she definitely has E's nose, but A's eyes (except for the color). And, it cracks me up because compared to the other two, she's so bald!

eight weeks

Baby C turned 8 weeks old yesterday. She really is a great, easy baby. If you are friends with me on Facebook, then you probably already saw this picture of her smiling.

 

I remember being kind of disappointed when E started smiling...because really? The smiles weren't so big. But, Baby C is a big smiler already. She's also a coo-er which is really cute.

The girls also wanted to get a picture with C. It would have been better if E decided not to go horizontal.

 

Then the girls tried to get her to smile. I got a bunch of those..but this is my favorite.

 

You see, A is a bit rough with C. She loves her soooooo much, so there are a lot of reminders to be gentle and stop touching her head. So, this picture cracks me up because the expression on C's face is like, "OH NO! IT'S THE BLONDE ONE! SOMEONE SAVE ME!"

what we've been up to...

A, Pop Pop, Baby M, Kiki, AJ, Nonna, Baby C, Me, E, John
Not pictured: Uncle Steve

The last week and a half have been so much fun...but so busy. My sister and her family were in town for 10 days or so, so we spent half our time at our house and the other half going down to my parents house (about 40 minutes away). I have discovered that, while Baby C is not an all out hater of the car seat, she is also not the kind of baby that conks out and stays conked out in the car seat. There is some crying and pacifier cramming that must go on before she will sleep...and 90% of the time, her eyes will pop open once we have reached our destination.

So, now we try to get into some sort of routine. Hopefully that routine will involve Baby C napping while not in my arms for more than 20 minutes. Ah, a girl can dream...

one month

It's hard to believe, but yesterday Baby C turned one month old! On the one hand, I can't believe it's already been a month. On the other hand, I can't believe it's only been a month. But such is life with a newborn.

 

For me, at least, parenting a newborn is just not fun. The sleepless nights...the fussiness and crying...the fact that they can't just tell you what the hell they want or need...the lack of smiles despite your best efforts. Add to that I've been hit with PPD again (I had it with A and E, as well...but this time it is worse). Luckily, I got help early, so things are definitely better for me (after a rough week or two), which is great.

All in all, we're hanging in there. The whole family just adores her. As you can see, it'd be hard not to. So I think we'll keep her!

 

I can see a bit of both A and E in her face...I think her nose is very much E's, while her eyes are remniscent of A's (except in color...I think we have another brown-eyed girl on our hands). But there are parts of her that are uniquely and distinctly hers.

I can't wait to find out more about what she is going to be like!

three sisters

my own little squeaky toy

While she snoozed on my lap yesterday, Baby C got the hiccups. So.damn.cute. She's a week old today. Crazy how time flies.

holding out for diamonds

The March birthstone is aquamarine. April's is diamond. SlackerBaby decided to stick around for one more day so she would have the better birthstone. Even if that means being called an April's Fool forever.

Baby C
Arrived 4/1/2011 at 11:42 AM
9 lb 2 oz
21 1/4 inches

We're all so in love with her. Especially her two big sisters.

an open letter to my unborn child

Your nursery is done. Your clothes are washed and put away. The brand new car seat is installed in the brand new minivan purchased to accommodate you. My hospital bag is pretty much packed. Swings and bouncy seats are cleaned, new batteried and stand at the ready.

In a nutshell? We're ready for you.

So, I mean this in the nicest possible way...

GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BELLY!

Love,
Mommy

love letters

One of the biggest things that are so different with this preganancy is how I think the girls are going to handle a new baby sister. When A was born, E was a smidge over 2 years old. She was the only grandchild on both sides of the family, and therefore the star of the show. I remember worrying how she was going to react to a new brother or sister. Would she understand? Would she want to share the spotlight? Are we somehow doing something wrong by giving her a sibling?

But this time? Those thoughts have never crossed my mind. The girls have been begging for a sibling for a while, which helps. They've been excited every step of the way. There's not a doubt in my mind that these two are going to love their baby sister with all of their hearts and souls.

 

Of course, stumbling upon letters like these in E's backpack certainly makes me feel good, too.

To: New baby
From: E
I love you so much. I wish you would come out. I can't wait to come out.

Dear A,
I love you so much. You are so cute. Congragulations on being a big sister.