I have so many little matters to tell you of, that I cannot wait any longer before I begin to put them down.
Apr 11th, 2013 by ECM
Derek and Elizabeth are on their way to West Virginia. I’m alone with the other three until Sunday night. Please pray that Janie sleeps well the next three nights! I cried twice yesterday evening before Derek came home from work, and that was after seven hours of sleep the night before. Overwhelmed doesn’t even begin to describe it…
Apr 10th, 2013 by ECM
All three girls got matching Easter dresses from Grandma Muller, so I finally got them all reasonably clean and wearing them at the same time for a quick little backyard photo shoot. Daddy and Tommy obliged by finding props in the yard.
Apr 8th, 2013 by ECM
I just love to snuggle a freshly cleaned baby in a hooded towel!
Apr 6th, 2013 by ECM
I admit that I struggled with disappointment for a few minutes when Jane was born–I knew how badly Tommy wanted a brother. But he is such a sweet big brother to his little sisters.
I love that even in her sleep, Janie wanted to hold his hand.
Apr 3rd, 2013 by ECM
Janie and I visited the doctor today for her two-week check-up. It is SO EASY to take just ONE kid to the doctor’s office! I’ve spent so much of the past year bringing three to countless appointments for me or one of them…and sitting in a waiting room with one child who is strapped into a carseat feels like vacation or something.
Anyway, Janie is doing well. Her birth height must have been wrong, as she measured 21 inches at her two-day jaundice check and 21 1/2 inches today. She was 8 lbs 1/2 oz, so easily back over her birth weight. Her head was 14 1/4 inches, so she’s growing well in every way. We’ve noticed a minor head tilt (like Tommy had), so the doctor reminded me about the stretches we need to do to even her neck muscles out. Because her cord stump fell off so soon, she’s still having a bit of belly button bleeding. Over the weekend, the nurse said on the phone that we might have to cauterize, but it was looking good enough today that the doctor didn’t think it was necessary. Thank goodness! I know it’s not a huge deal, but I’m glad we can just dab her with alcohol and call it good. Her skin still looks oranger than normal, but she doesn’t have any other symptoms of jaundice, so we don’t have to re-test her or anything. We’re just watching. The last thing we checked out was her cephalohematoma (basically, a blood clot on top of her scalp, probably from her eventful delivery). It’s a squishy bump over an inch in diameter, and it should hopefully break up on its own by a month or six weeks. It hasn’t yet, but the doctor didn’t seem worried at all.
I know this is a dreaded up-the-nose picture, but doesn’t it look like she’s smiling in her sleep?
Apr 2nd, 2013 by ECM
I’ve realized that in some ways, my dad has set an impossibly high standard by which I judge all other men. I grew up taking for granted that Daddy could make anything, and it was honestly an adjustment for me to realize that Derek isn’t as comfortable with tools! Whenever my dad comes to visit, he finds construction projects aplenty (see: Tommy’s playhouse, our kitchen here, etc), and in my pre-Janie nesting, I became obsessed with the need to organize the black hole that was our hallway closet. With four or five pairs of shoes apiece for each of the five of us, it was constant chaos. So last week I vaguely described shoe cubbies to my dad and was pleased (but not at all surprised) when my dad made me exactly what I wanted (among other fix-it projects)! I don’t have a before picture of the closet, because really, who wants to look at a black hole of shoes, but here is my satisfying after picture!
Apr 1st, 2013 by ECM
Hot Cross Buns for breakfast…the things you can bake when you’re up at 3 am with a newborn…
All three big kids got really excited about the Easter Egg Hunt!
Meanwhile, Janie got in some last snuggles with Grandpa and Grandma.
Mar 31st, 2013 by ECM
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed.
four kiddos…
with Grandma and Grandpa…
Mar 30th, 2013 by ECM
After a frustrating first attempt at taking my own newborn pictures, I broke down and ordered a reflector with some Amazon credits I’d been saving. Wow–the light difference was amazing! My pictures still aren’t professional quality by far, but I think some are decent enough for birth announcements.
