Grace Ivy

She arrived at 8:01 Friday morning.  Grace Ivy has completed our family, and made me the happiest mama.  My heart is overjoyed to finally have her here, healthy, and getting to see her sweet little face.  The nerves Thursday night and on our drive to the hospital were out of control.  Excitement to meet our sweet baby and emotions about our last hospital trip were on Chris and I’s mind Friday morning.

But she has taken away all our fears and replaced them with joy.  Grace has a special place in my heart.  My little gift from God.  I will explain more of that later when I have a moment to reflect, right now she is just perfect…

The meeting of Bradley and Grace was no less than perfect.  He just spent the whole time tracing the outline of her face, inspecting her little hands, and kissing her sweet head.  This is a little boy in love, and will someday make a wonderful father.  I have never seen an almost five year be sweeter and gentler to anything before.

We made the decision to keep Ellie at home.  She just wouldn’t understand the hospital and not being able to climb up on me.  I think it was the right thing to do, she is just so little.  Her homecoming with Grace was just as sweet…

She is really interested in Baby Grace and brings her pacifiers and baby hats.  She has exceeded my expectations and wants to know where “baby” is at all times.  I have the sweetest video to share, once I get things more organized.  She is going to be a great big sister and I know they will be great friends.

Right now we are settling in, adjusting, and trying to catch little cat naps whenever we can.  I am 100% in love with these three babies, and I have never felt more blessed or complete in my life. 

Grace Ivy

7 lbs. 8 oz.

20 inches long

8:01 am Friday, October 21st, 2011

Welcome to the world sweet baby!!  You are very loved!

 

2 More Days and Holding…

I can’t believe our lives are about to completely change in just two days.  I snapped some photos of the nursery the other day, and yes that is Ellie ripping out a piece from her book, and Bradley eating yogurt covered raisins and graham crackers upstairs.  You do what you have to do!!  All for the sake of getting some pictures of the nursery finally finished. 

The bedroom is completed and looking quite cute!!  Using Bradley’s bedding has brought back so many memories and emotions.  I can’t believe that just a little less than five years ago I was getting his room ready.  Ready to welcome our first child into the world.  After bringing him home I vividly remember being more tired that I had ever felt in my life and thinking…. "I will NEVER do this again.  This is so hard.”  How things change, your children grow up and holding a little baby seems like a piece of cake compared to a tantruming toddler or dealing with kids hurting your child’s feelings at school. 

They grow up without us even getting the chance to just soak it all in.  Life just flies by and now I am on the eve of a mothering marathon.  I have no illusions about how difficult the next four to five months will be.  Tired, nursing, postpartum, all wrapped up with a bow, with the addition of taking care of two other children.  One of which still needs her diaper changed, food cut up, and can’t speak more than one word sentences. 

But I also know this, I spent a good part of two years praying and wishing for a second child.  I never in a million years thought we would ever have the chance to even have three kids, let alone two.  More than the difficult days that lie ahead (which I am sure I will blog about!), I feel extremely blessed.  My life hasn’t always taken the easiest turns.  And because of those moments, the eve of the birth of our third child feels like a miracle of all miracles.  Happiness is here in our home.  Life is in our home.  We have made a home, filled with beautiful children, and a strong couple.  There is not much more I would or could ever ask for. 

I have less than 48 hours left of feeling the kicks and jabs of little baby hands and feet inside my belly.  The anticipation of this little person’s life about to begin is overwhelming.  Sleep is hard to come by these days.  Last night I dreamt there were 15 babies in my belly that they pulled out in the OR.  I was extremely worried about how we were going to take care of them all, and pretty sure I only saw one baby in the ultrasound.  I guess that is my mind preparing me for the feeling of taking care of three little birds at home by myself.  Probably the hardest job I will ever have.

 

There is so much more in store for our almost family of five.  I can’t wait to see it all unfold in the upcoming years.  Just seeing the sparkle in Bradley’s eye when he talks about being the OLDEST brother in the house.  How he will sit on the couch next to me with his hands patiently waiting on my belly for the next kick.  Then he will scream out, “I felt the baby!!  I just felt a kick!!” 

 

This is it!! 39 weeks and ready to pop!  Updates coming soon!!

Love, Clare

 

The Littlest Pumpkin

OK, so the title is a bit misleading…still no baby, only 10 days to go!  We are squeezing it all in over here!  This weekend was spent at soccer, an arts and crafts festival with a great friend from my past life as a teacher, and of course the annual pumpkin patch trip.  You think that these moments are going to slip by.  It will only be October for a few more weekends, so you go over the mountain to the AWESOME pumpkin patch.  You know the one with the slide….

And all of the farm animals to pet and feed.  The animals that your little toddler spends hours a day practicing their noises.  She has never seen them up close, until now…

I swear she would have stood by the goats saying, “Baaaa” for hours.

We could hardly peel her away.  But, I told her there were BUNNIES and she came running to say, “Hop, hop, hop, hop” five hundred times.

Yes, that is her reaching into the bunny cage while I snap a photo.  Good parenting, I know! 

Bradley had just as much fun with the animals too.  He spent most of the trip asking to go to the next thing.  Come on MOOOOM there is SO much to do!

Giant game of volleyball anyone? 

I love this pumpkin patch.  We have been going with my sister for years, and each year it gets bigger and bigger.  There was quite a crowd there this year.  I was surprised.  I guess other people have found our little secret! 

What is the pumpkin patch without a pig race?

I always have high hopes for the perfect pumpkin picture.  This is as good as it got with the kiddos….

Tromping through the vines with an 18 month old, a five year old that wants the biggest pumpkin in the patch, at 38 weeks pregnant isn’t the easiest thing to do.  I did get a few of the kids on the hay ride that I am in love with…

Look at those smiles on the right??  They look so much alike it is scary!

These two boys melt my heart, my how they have grown!!

Although I can’t wait to meet the littlest pumpkin, I am so glad I got the chance to have these last few moments as a family of four.  Even if we did look like a three ring circus.  Crazy toddler, pregnant mother, and trying to carry a million pumpkins back to the hay ride.  We were definitely a sight for sore eyes. 

But then you look back and know that it was worth it.  And next year we will do it again, as a family of five.  With an almost six year old, a 2 1/2 year old and a one year old.  Hopefully my sister will come again to help us carry all of our pumpkins back to the tractor.  Love you Lindsay!

Yep, definitely worth it!

Happy fall, love, Clare

Love is in the Details

Life is full right now.  The weather is scrumptious.  It begs for us to go outside.  Go for a bike ride or a long stroller walk.  It puts me in the greatest mood.  It feels so good to not sweat constantly and huff and puff when I step outside.  But, there are the great moments inside too.  The happy little blips inside the house, right after nap time that make being at home 100% worth it.

 

Just when I am feeling worn out, I have this moment.  After a weekend with a tummy bug, and a diaper rash from HELL.  A weekend spent fighting a toddler who kicks you and screams while you change her.  Then we are better and I remember how in love I am with these two. 

What big brother is content to sit on the floor of his sister’s recently moved around room and read Elmo books until the cows come home?  Melt my heart these two….

Oh yeah, and this face is after a three hour nap.  A nap that started at 11:35 because I think I saw the exorcist come out of her at 11:15.  Ellie was spinning on the floor, crying, snotting, and walking around the kitchen slamming cabinet doors.  No, I am not kidding.  Chris happened to witness it because he had just dropped off Bradley from his field trip to the apple orchard.  Chris practically ran from the house, telling me that he had to get to work.  I was left with a ranting 18 month old that was spinning circles on the hard wood floor and had saliva dripping down her dress. 

I guess we missed some sleep in the mist of our tummy issues and diaper problems.  Luckily two VERY long nap days helped us catch up.  Now we are back to normal.

I hope that I don’t forget all the small details of being a mommy to little ones.  All the noses I have wiped, and bums I have cleaned up.  The meltdowns I have witnessed or new words I hear from Ellie that seem to come so easily now.  There seems to be a new one every day.  Paci, Moo, Bowl, Fish, Doggie, the list goes on and on.  They just sprout out of her like magic.

The moments after nap, when the Earth is aligned, babies are happy and big brothers are mellowed out from school.  When spending an hour sorting through books and saying animal sounds seems like the perfect thing to do.  Don’t let me forget these details.  The little things that make our week special and normal at the same time.

 

We are two weeks away from meeting #3.  She is going to be a big sister and she doesn’t even know it yet.  I want to soak up these last few moments of two kiddos.  It is going to be a distant memory in just 14 days.  It will be chaos, I have no illusions.  But, I know with time it will mellow out and we will find our new normal.  We will soak up the details of three children at home.  I don’t want to forget this.  This is love.  All of it, dirty bums, meltdowns, and peaceful moments.