Letters from Pemberley

Two and a Half Week Stats

May 6th, 2011 by ECM

Took Susanna in for her 2 week check-up today.

Height: 21 inches
Weight: 8 lbs 4 oz
Head: 36 cm

Everything looked good, and she’s gained about an ounce a day so far.

In general, the people who said the transition from 2-3 is easier than 1-2 kids were right. Having three kids in the house has not really been a shock. My big kids play together really well, and Tommy especially loves helping (even cleaning up the floor so Susie can have tummy time!). Everything from nursing to scheduling (not that she’s on a schedule at all yet) is much less daunting because I really feel like I know what I’m doing with this mom thing. Susanna doesn’t sleep as long at night yet as the other two did right away, but I’m less worried about it than I would have been otherwise. She’s also pretty mellow so far, tolerant of the tremendous noise going on around her!

Where this transition has been the hardest so far is just finding the time to catch up on sleep. My level of sleep deprivation (and the emotional instability accompanying it) has been the biggest shock so far. As Susanna gives me longer stretches at night and as I get a bit more help in the afternoons with the end of the semester, I think I’ll be more sane. On Wednesday night, she actually did a five hour stretch, and I felt well enough to take all three kids out to play group on Thursday morning! Fresh air, sunshine, and seeing our friends did wonders for us yesterday. She did five hours again last night, and the doctor said at this weight/growth rate, she could be doing 6-8 hours for me. Hopefully we’re moving in that direction.

Posted in Susanna | Comments Off

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

May 5th, 2011 by ECM

If you said, “There’s no Mommy sleeping in that bed of hers,” then you’re right. I think the kids get together when I’m not looking and plot out their naptime strategy:

Elizabeth: Well, Mommy’s used to me going down at 1, so I’ll start begging for a nap at 12:30 just to throw her off.

Susanna: That’s perfect! I’ll plan to sleep from 11-1 so that just after she gets you down, she’ll have to deal with me.

Tommy: And I’ll insist on doing preschool while Mommy is already worn out and trying to nurse Susie.

S: I’ll stay awake for a good hour before falling back asleep…

E: And I’ll wake up at 2 instead of 3…

T: And I’ll fall asleep at 2, totally throwing Mommy for a loop and forcing her to entertain Lizzie herself without my help instead of napping.

S: And then I’ll wake up and demand food as soon as Tommy gets up so that Mommy really has no break whatsoever.

So far, the naptime score has been something like Mommy: 0, Kids: 10. I think I need some back-up. Thank goodness my mom has forgiven me for similar behavior in my childhood and is coming out to help, because I think I can hang on until she comes next week, but not an hour longer…

Posted in Elizabeth, Susanna, Tommy | 3 Comments »

Girls’ Morning In

May 4th, 2011 by ECM

On Monday, a friend took Tommy for a morning play date, so it was just us girls at home all morning. Elizabeth loved the extra attention, especially since I decided to paint her toenails to match mine. That, combined with new “slip-slops,” made her day!

And we had some good sisterly bonding:

And here’s proof that Susanna does not always just sleep (she also poops, hence her third outfit of the day, and occasionally opens her eyes):

Posted in Elizabeth, Susanna | Comments Off

Tummy Time

May 3rd, 2011 by ECM

The big kids love reminding me that Susanna needs Tummy Time…and they love having it with her!

Posted in Elizabeth, Susanna, Tommy | 3 Comments »

Hymn Singing

May 2nd, 2011 by ECM

Elizabeth is really into hymn singing lately–all day long, I’ll find her sitting somewhere with one of our hymnals, singing her own version of one of the hymns we’ve learned during family worship time. (A Fanny Crosby in the making?) Tommy never did this at her age, so it’s really fun for us to watch.

Posted in Elizabeth, Tommy | 2 Comments »

What’s in a Name, 2011 edition

Apr 30th, 2011 by ECM

We’re big on the importance of names, and Susanna Helen is named after three specific people, with several additional good associations.

Susanna was the name of my Great-Grandma Churchill, who went by Susie. My first doll (given to me by Peter when he was born) was named Susie, so I guess I’ve been fond of the name for a long time! I find that I’m mostly calling her Susanna, but Derek and Tommy prefer Susie, and Elizabeth can say Susie or Zana, so she’ll probably end up mostly being a Susie like Elizabeth is mostly Lizzie to all but me and a few family and friends. (As you can tell, Derek really likes nicknames ending in a long E sound.) Susanna is one of the women mentioned in Luke 8 who followed Jesus and His disciples and “provided for them out of their means.” I like to think that Susanna will embrace hospitality and generosity as she grows up. The kids have also grown to love the name this past year because of Tommy’s little friend Susannah Hoskins.=)

Helen is the name of both of Derek’s grandmas–better known to the kids as Nona and Great-Grandma Tony! Helen means “bright one,” and all of the Helens I’ve known have been wonderful, Godly women. It’s rare that a name has only positive associations for both Derek and me. We’re looking forward to introducing Susanna Helen to all of the Helens in her life this summer as we move across the country.

Posted in Susanna | 1 Comment »

Reading to Susie

Apr 29th, 2011 by ECM

Posted in Elizabeth, Susanna, Tommy | Comments Off

Homemade Ravioli

Apr 28th, 2011 by ECM

Derek’s been itching to make homemade ravioli like Grandma and Grandpa Tata used to, and Dad M brought down their old ravioli tray so they could try it together! On Saturday, they spent the whole afternoon making us a delicious dinner…with enough leftovers for two more full meals (Nona had given us the recipe they used for the whole fam at Christmas)! Yum.

And after helping Daddy roll out the dough, Tommy decided to do a little cooking of his own…

Posted in Family, Homemaking, Tommy | 1 Comment »

Big Brother/Big Sister Gifts

Apr 27th, 2011 by ECM

Susanna thoughtfully predicted that Tommy and Elizabeth might have a bit of trouble adjusting to sharing Mommy and Daddy with another sibling. So she gave them puppy sleeping bags when they came to meet her in the hospital. Chester and Cherry were a big hit, and they’ll get a lot of use this summer as we are homeless for several weeks moving to California!

Meanwhile, Susanna just sleeps through all the noise produced by the Banshee and the Hoyden…

Posted in Elizabeth, Susanna, Tommy | 4 Comments »

Elizabeth’s Second Birthday, Take One

Apr 26th, 2011 by ECM

Since Grandma and Grandpa Muller won’t be here for Elizabeth’s actual birthday, we started the celebrations early. Tommy helped Grandma make banana cupcakes in the teacup molds, and they were a big hit! This year Elizabeth actually got that they were teacups…unlike last year, when the whole cupcake thing confused her. Stay tuned for another birth-tea party next month!