Cousins come to play

We had family come to visit this weekend. It was short but lots of fun. We went into the city for a bit, went out to eat, and then played in their hotel's pool. My niece, Hailey, really wanted to see a lighthouse so after church we went to Point Bonita with friends. It was SUCH a nice day! After some more visiting, they had to go home but it sure was fun to have them. Thanks Waltons! Come see us in NC too. :)

House Hunting

On Tuesday we sent Jason out to North Carolina for 5 days to look at houses and meet with people at Fort Bragg. It was also a dry run for when he leaves us for 6 weeks this summer. It wasn't so bad being home alone with the kids but we did have to stay inside a lot due to rain, which kind of made things easier. Its going out with 3 kids is a major feat! Jason looked at few houses but the one that we are going to rent (that's perfect for us) kind of fell into our laps. Jason wen to one of the realtor's offices to get a key for one of the listed houses. They asked him what kind of home he was looking for. When he told them, they said they had one that was coming available but wasn't listed yet. So Jason was the first and only person to see it. We snapped it up and are waiting on paperwork. It is one story (except for one bedroom over the garage which will be Bubbs' room). It has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a fenced backyard with swing set, covered porch, huge garage, lots of storage, great neighborhood and schools and is a very good price. We are SO excited! The only downside is that the current tenants won't be out until the end of July so we'll have to stay in a hotel for a week while they fix it up. Oh well, a small price to pay for a house that really works for us. I'll post pictures when we move in.

Mommy's Little Helper

In our complex one of the laundry rooms is down a flight of stairs and around the corner from our apartment. Instead of bringing the kids with me I often just step out for the minute or two it takes to switch a load from washer to dryer by myself. It has never been an issue. They usually don't notice I am gone. Today I went downstairs to do some laundry. I was gone only a minute or two but when I opened the door, there was my darling 2 year old "helper" waiting for me. "I go with you," she announced proudly. The funny thing was, she was just in a diaper but since she knew that she was not allowed outside without shoes on, she had put her boots on (on the wrong feet of course). She was so cute and determined that I let her come with me to put a load in the dryer in the other laundry room (across the complex) since all of ours were occupied. I felt somewhat like a bad mom for letting her walk around with no clothes on, but she had followed the rules (kind of) so I just couldn't tell her she had to go back upstairs. She thought she was hot stuff being such a big helper.

Horsing around

My sister owns a horse and she said she'd take the nieces and nephews out for a ride. I wasn't sure how my kids would react to a horse. Brendan liked it . . .

but Eva LOVED it! She cried mournfully every time her turn was over. Aunt Amanda even gave her an extra turn because she loved it so much. Amanda would bring the horse to a run and Eva would just laugh and laugh. It was so cute! I think horses may have surpassed dogs as Eva's favorite animal now.

Bubbs loved the tractor most and he cried when we had to leave it. Silly kids!

Paci proof

Brendan was a thumb sucker. He discovered his thumb around 9 months and that was it. Eva, on the other hand, took to a pacifier very easily. It looks like Darby will follow her brother's lead. When we try to give her a paci she gets a disgusted look on her face and spits it out, like we have insulted her. I have tried many different kinds but no luck. She sucks on her hand all the time. I think once she can get her thumb in there she'll be hooked.
Tummy time is tough too. She either cries or just lays there and sucks her hand. We'll keep trying.

Bikes

When we were at my mother's house this weekend, both kids showed just how grown up they are getting. Brendan was able to pedal a big kid bike with training wheels and Eva jumped on the tricycle.


They had a blast. Oh how grateful I will be for a backyard!
My sister and her family came to Mom's while we were there. It is always fun to see family. I can't believe how big the kids are getting, especially the twins.


Hailey insisted on riding a bike with the princess dress on, complete with fairy wings and high heels. She cracks me up!

Last year

It was about this time last year that I found out I was pregnant with Darby. The miscarriage happened in the middle of March and I longed for another baby. We kept things secret for the most part until I was in my second trimester. I felt the sickest I have ever felt with any pregnancy but I was glad of that. I read somewhere that having morning sickness is somehow related to miscarriage (being sick lessens the chance since it is supposedly linked to pregnancy hormones). I don't know if I believe that or not but it gave me comfort. I didn't want to get too attached but yet I really wanted to hold on tight. I had learned to not be so cavalier about my easy conceptions, problem-free pregnancies and healthy babies. None of that made me immune. This kind of thing can happen to anyone; I was so naive as to think it couldn't happen to me that I hadn't even entertained it before.
Once I reached 10 weeks I was cautiously relieved. I had carried baby #3 to 9 weeks and so making it to 10 weeks seemed that we'd passed a major milestone. I knew things could still go wrong but I was able to relax a bit. I was still very protective of this pregnancy and counted down the days until she was full term. In the back of my mind there was always this fear that I'd receive bad news from a prenatal test or that I'd start bleeding again. I honestly don't know how women carry on when they have lost multiple pregnancies. My heart goes out to them, with an understanding I never had before.
When she reached full term then I was just antsy. I kept reminding myself that I wanted her to be healthy and that "cooking longer" would be best. But I wanted to hold her and protect her from the outside since I felt so helpless to do so from the inside. Even during delivery there was a piece of me that feared I'd lose her. Now she is here and healthy and beautiful and I kiss her every day.

Something like a miscarriage forever changes you. It sticks with you and comes to your mind at various times. The moment I knew I'd lost the baby is still very vivid in my mind, like I am watching a movie of myself at that moment. And the knot in my stomach still returns. I don't think about that baby as often now but he or she will be forever in my heart, if not in my arms.

Saturdays

This is a Saturday morning at my house.

The menfolk are on their selected forms of media.

Eva is making a mess somewhere.

Darby is in her bouncer or swing or napping.

What am I doing? Trying to find something to do on the one totally free day we have as a family. Some days it happens, some days it doesn't.

This past Saturday we did go to the May Madness car parade downtown.

Jason also took the older two to get donuts and play at the park. And I got two hours child-free to shop for an evening gown for the alumni ball. While the shopping wasn't as pleasant as I remember buying clothes for myself being, I did enjoy being able to operate on only my time schedule. :)

The Kindness of Strangers

So I had to make a trip to Costco today and there was no easy way around the fact that I had to take all 3 kids with me. I strategically planned and waited until the baby had just awakened from her nap, tanked her up and tried to leave. Well, that was postponed when my 4 year old had to go to time out for directly disobeying me. And my 2 year old freaked out in the car because her snack cup was empty. All this did not bode well for a good trip. But we plowed on.
So, with Darby in the front carrier, my purse on my shoulder, the diaper backpack on my back and a kid in each seat of the shopping cart, we set out to conquer Costco in the shortest time possible. Thank goodness that store has samples. That kept the older two entertained somewhat (Eva screamed unless I let her hold the paper sample cup - I decided that her food-smeared clothes were the price I was going to have to pay for achieving my goal). Brendan kept asking for everything he saw. I mostly ignored it and continued at mach speed, making a beeline to the places we needed to go. Thankfully, Darby fell asleep and remained so as long as I was moving. Eva decided to use the spork from the last sample to stab her brother and I struggled to remain calm as I ripped the plastic weapon from her fingers.
This was not a pleasant trip and I wanted desperately to get it over with. Then a mom with a toddler in her cart comes up to me. "I just wanted to say that you are amazing," she says. "I have three kids myself and I know what you are doing. It's not easy." I sigh and smile, a bit baffled but grateful for the pep talk. "You make it look good," she finishes, smiles genuinely and moves on.
I paused for a bit. It felt SO good to be recognized for what I was doing. It IS hard to be a mom. Wonderful but hard. So the bright part of my morning was made possible by one kindred spirit who took a few seconds to talk to me. I should do that. Why don't I notice and compliment other struggling moms? I mean, we all need it. We all can relate on some level and it really takes so little to make someone feel appreciated. I am going to try it. Thanks, Costco mom of 3.

3 Months

Darby is now 3 months old. She coos and smiles and loves to be held. She is showing an interest in toys and is just beginning to swipe at them, though she isn't very good at it. She laughs if you tickle her neck. We are having some napping issues because the poor thing is dragged everywhere we have to go with the other two, interfering with her sleepy times. But she sleeps at night like a champ, waking only once for a feeding and going right back down. She hates the hiccups but gets them all the time. Tummy time is a bust but she can hold her head up easily now. She is over 13 lbs now and over 24 inches long, and is getting fat rolls (LOVE it!). Her hair still sticks up in the back and I think its cute. As her cheeks get chubbier, I can't help but kiss them. She's a joy to our family.