back when I was pregnant...

We did actually get out of the house some in February...I just did a lousy job of keeping up with everything. But now that I'm not pregnant anymore life seems to be much more manageable and easy. 

So here is a little of what we did:

Silly Safari with lots of friends--kids loved petting uncommon animals.

Went to a birthday party at Gymboree. Selah could climb on anything and be safe! She loved it!

We always say Evangeline is our little gymnast so this was right up her ally. She didn't stop tumbling, dancing, or running the whole time.

Ari was almost too big but still had fun.

On one unusually warmer day we ventured out to a playground even though it was misting and soggy. We didn't care though because we were ready to get out!

Then we went to my favorite for breakfast one morning--Patachou.

And even though we keep it sunny and 75 in our house all year long, the kids would huddle over our vents to get warm. Maybe because they insist on wearing summer clothes all year long?

And then there was a significant amount of snow. So much for the warmer weather with a playground. But AJ took the kids over to church to sled and they had lots of fun- it was Selah's first time.

It was pretty deep so she had a hard time staying up. But she didn't care one bit, she loved being out in the snow.

The kids kept busy for a few days with these paper airplanes, thanks AJ!

And Ari had fun building this fort with his friend.

Then there was more snow and stayed cold for so long that we had snow to play in for a few weeks. Selah wanted to go out all the time.

All the snow in our cul-de-sac gets pushed to one area so there was a giant mound the kids built a fort in.

They also managed to make the largest snowballs I have ever seen. 

The snow was fun while it lasted but hopefully we are on to spring now.

Lincoln Alan

I don't even know where to begin except by saying "HE'S HERE!"

We had some long, stressful weeks leading up to his arrival. He was head down up until 36 weeks, then decided to move transverse. Then he went back to being head down, then at week 38 he was breech. To say we were stressed is an understatement. I had to meet with another doctor to talk about the "what if's" and I was determined to not let this end in surgery. I know it wouldn't have been the end of the world but it never occurred to me that having a c-section was an option since my previous births did not come with complications. We spent every evening doing different things to get him to turn again, I even drove up north several times to see a chiropractor who specializes in turning babies. Thankfully he turned just in time before making his appearance on March 10th.

I did not expect to have him early and especially on that Tuesday. I felt normal all day and around 5:15 pm I started to feel weird. AJ was just getting off work and by the time he got home (30 min later), I went from no contractions to having strong ones every 4-5 minutes. We got busy packing up our kids stuff and also our stuff. By the time the kids were picked up and we were packed, I called the midwife at 7 and she suggested me going right away to the hospital since Selah was born so quickly. The car ride over seemed long and I know AJ was anxious to get us there in time.

We got there around 7:30 and by the time they checked me I was still only 3-4 cm dilated but having even stronger contractions. After informing the nurses my last baby came quick they sent me off to our room after monitoring baby and getting iv antibiotics started. We had a student nurse taking us to the room and she didn't know where it was. If we were delayed for any more time getting there, I would have had another baby in the hallway! But we made it just in time. I was so exhausted by the time we got to the room I just wanted to lay down. (It just so happened that my room was the one I delivered in front of with Selah...so walking down that hall was bringing flashback memories of delivering right there.)

But AJ thought I should sit on the ball (oh wise husband) so I stood up and as soon as I did I needed to push. I pushed a few times standing up and the midwife kept telling me I needed to get on the bed. I remember saying "I can't!" but somehow mustered up enough energy to do so. Good thing cause he came after a few more pushes! At 8:35 Lincoln was born and we were so relieved everything turned out so well. It's always  a relief to hold your baby for the first time and know that he is healthy. Lincoln was 8 lbs and 21 1/4 inches long--bigger than I expected since he was 4 days early. After a long, hard 9 months we couldn't believe this moment was finally here.

We have always celebrated our kids 0th birthday with an ice cream cake. YUM!

The kids were so excited to meet him the next morning. They couldn't get enough of him. We had to get our first family photo.

I think they are all equally excited about him. Even Selah is super interested in holding him all the time. She will request "Hold baby Lincoln?"

And Evangeline does not surprise us with her mothering skills...she is a natural!

Ari seems so mature. It's kind of strange seeing him hold his brother wearing the same clothes he wore when he was a baby. I can't believe it's been 6 years since then!

Lincoln has been such an easy baby so far. He's a great sleeper and I normally only get up with him once a night. (I'm spoiled!)

We couldn't be happier. I spend every waking chance snuggling this little man because I know it won't last long.

Thank you Jesus for this precious gift.

two {Selah}

And just like that she is no longer a baby. *sigh*

These last few months we have seen such a transformation from a baby I had to do everything for to a toddler who can keep up with the big kids. No more crib. No more babble. Just pure independence.  She speaks in sentences. Everything is "Me do it!" or "My turn now!"

She loves to sit and read books. But I think her most favorite thing to do is draw. This girl  has some killer fine motor skills!

She gets excited for birthdays. The past few months we have been singing "Happy Birthday" while brushing her teeth and she usually wants to sing it for her cousins or Aunt Molly or even their dog. :)

We splurged for birthday donuts and she had no problem finishing her own one.

She loves Ari and "Line" (Evangeline). They play really well together. The Bigs are learning how to treat her more like a toddler than a baby these days. 

She is in to everything Evangeline is in to. She loves to dance. Loves to dress up. Loves to wear accessories. Loves to love on babies. It will be fun to see her in action with baby brother!

The hat was her own idea. Um....cute?!

She went through a hard phase of terrorizing everyone...but she seems to be out of that now. Trust me when I say it was HARD. She was defiant, would get in to EVERYTHING, would tear down her siblings toys, etc. The list could go on and on...and those days were hard. But we are past that and she is so pleasant. I no longer have to watch her 24/7. She will go play with her siblings and I will find them giggling about the silliest things. As soon as she wakes up in the morning or from naps the first thing she asks about is Ari and "Line".

Going to the playground is less daunting these days. She is very independent and likes to do everything the big kids are doing,

Did I mention she likes to dress up? She will find random things to put on...like that sunglasses case which she uses for a glove.

She is a very good eater. Still doesn't drink milk or eat eggs or many meats, but she does really like pork. She is fairly average for weight (26 lbs bw 25-50%) but is a shorty like her momma (10 percentile). She had to get one shot at her well check-up and she was a trooper. Normally she starts crying the minute she gets sat on the crinkly paper (even if  no shots), but this time there were no tears...not even when she got a shot!! She didn't even want a band-aid. BIG. GIRL.

She was so happy to be able to play out in the snow with the big kids. Look at that smile and all the joy it brings. 

We are so grateful for this little ray of sunshine. We are praising God for her health and we don't ever want to take for grant it what having a healthy child means. We love you baby girl!