Family

Pictures are very important to me.  I love taking pictures of family members, friends and especially my kids.  It is also important to me to have family pictures, and thankfully we have a very talented friend that takes our pictures :)

People pick on me sometimes b/c I always have my big camera with me and always take a lot of pictures!  But I like to record memories, I always look through pictures hundreds of times and reminisce on days past.  

I am guilty of not enjoying the moment b/c I'm always busy trying to capture it on camera.  So I am working on putting the camera down more often and just enjoying time together.  But with 3 super cute kiddos, it's hard sometimes to not take pictures ;) 

I'm so thankful God chose me to be their mama.  And they are so used to me having a camera that they are constantly asking me to take pictures. lol  

my time

Since baby boy's birth, I've had to readjust our days.  He's 6 weeks old now, and I've struggled finding the balance between schooling big sis, cleaning, laundry, cooking, spending time with the girls and taking care of the baby.  Up till about a week ago I had 1 goal: SURVIVE.  But hubby and I had a discussion and we both felt it was time to get things back on track.  Hubby's 1 request was to work on big sis' schooling.  My goal was to get that done as well as taking control of the house.  Easier said than done. lol

Baby boy has been very demanding.  He's gotten a lot easier though, but still trying to manage 3 kids has been hard to learn.  I am taking it one day at a time otherwise I just get over stressed and the migraines start.

One thing that has really hit me was that I wanted to spend time with the girls more.  They're really struggled not having mommy's full attention.  So last Friday I took the girls to a Krispy Kreme date :)  They were so happy, big sis said "it's nice to leave the boys home and just have girl time" lol  It made me realize that I really need to make more time to spend with just them, baby free.  Then on Saturday I had to run some errands.  Now baby sis had been asking me to play with her all week and I was never able to b/t trying to clean and take care of the baby (it never fails, anytime I feel like I have free time to spend with the girls, he cries!).  So she begged me to come with me to run errands.  I won't lie, I was dying for some kid free time.  I haven't had any alone time in I don't know how long... But when your 2 year old "middle" child flashes her beautiful smile, you can't say no. :)  So off we went to target, Ross and costco.  She held onto me with a smile the entire time.  She asked me to hold her, which I happily did.  It was so precious.  I loved my time with her, and I know she did too.

So I'm trying to make a point to spend more 1 on 1 time with each kid and focus more of my time on the kids in general instead of worrying so much about how perfect the house looks.

So thankful for my family! 

sibling love

There's a little boy that we met 6 weeks ago that has captured all of our hearts.  From his black hair, to his gray blue eyes, to his tiny sweet toes...He is LOVED so much.  

I worried a lot about how the girls would react to his arrival.  Big sister didn't worry me as much, she was so excited and anxious to have a brother.  But baby sis is such a mama's girl that she worried me.  I worried she'd be jealous.  But she had so much love for her brother, we've never had an issue.  She immediately fell in love with him.  The girls constantly want to hold him and kiss him.  It's just the sweetest. 

Lately though I have noticed that being the middle child is starting to affect baby sis.  Not in a bad way per se, but she is constantly asking me to play with her, and when daddy comes home it's the same.  She never used to before.  She really misses her mama.  So we're trying to find time to spend with each kid.  Last Friday I left baby boy home with daddy in between feedings and took the girls to Krispy Kreme.  They got to see donuts being made and then we sat and talked for a bit.  It was nice to be with them again.  Then on Saturday I had to run errands, which I REALLY wanted to do alone, but baby sister begged to go with me.  So I took her.  That girl was grinning from ear to ear and was so happy to have alone time with mommy.  It was such a sweet time with my girl.  It made me realize that #1 we dont' necessarily have to do anything special, kids just want to be with you and you can make running errands fun.  #2 I need to make a point to spend alone time with each kid.  Having a newborn is hard, especially one that I'm nursing.  But I've come to the conclusion that if need be, daddy can give him a pumped bottle if it means my girls get some alone mommy time.  It's important to me that the girls still get time with me.

I'm so thankful for my 3 children and thankful they've all adjusted pretty well.  The girls have been so helpful and so understanding with mommy being busy with brother.  Sometimes they're a little too helpful but they mean well and are just eager to make baby brother happy :)

1 month old!

On July 6th my beautiful baby boy turned 1 month old.  It's definitely bittersweet how fast they grow.  He's 6 weeks old today!

He has been such a wonderful and easy baby.  He just eats and sleeps.  The only "problem" we have is that he likes to be held a bit too much, but hey, I love holding and cuddling him :)  He's also been having problems being really gassy to the point that his tummy bothers him and he can't sleep.  I cut out coffee from my diet, as well as anything with red sauce.  It helps a bit.  We've been giving him mylocon and I'm trying to slow him down when he nurses and burp him more often.  Some days it helps, others it doesn't.  I just feel so helpless when he gets all scrunched up and wakes himself up.

At 1 month he:
-wears 0-3 month clothes
-wears size 1 diapers
-eats every 2-3 hours
-weighs 12.2 pounds
-measures 22.5 inches
-is starting to like his playmat more and more
-dislikes his swing
-loves being with his sisters :)
-likes to sleep on mommy and daddy's chests

There are times when I am nursing him and staring into his eyes that I just sit in awe of my son.  He's just so awesome and I'm so thankful we were blessed with him.  I could never have imagined just how in love I would be with my son!

 We have many photoshoots in this house.  I love taking his pictures, and it gives me a chance to play with my camera.  If his tummy is full, he cooperates pretty well ;) Speaking of full tummy's, that boy LOVES his milk.  It's amazing how much he eats.  Which is why at 6 weeks he's 12 lbs.  He is beautiful and perfect and I can't get enough of him!

 I mean seriously, look at this face!  Those cheeks!  I kiss him nonstop!  He's just the best :)

mommy of 3

On July 6th little man turned 1 month.  This month FLEW by! He has already changed so much from birth.  

After baby sis was born, I was so overwhelmed and exhausted, I wasn't sure I wanted any more children b/c I didn't think I could handle it.  Alas, God had other plans, and surprised us with this beautiful gift.  Throughout my pregnancy I worried about having 3 kids.  My main concern was the lack of sleep, I don't function well w/ little sleep.  Thankfully God has given me the energy I need to take care of the 3 kids.  I am tired, and constantly have headaches due to lack of sleep.  Baby boy wakes me up 3x a night or more, but somehow, God gives me the strength I need to get through my days.  I keep reminding myself that this is all temporary and before I know baby boy will be grown.  And I just love this sweet stage.  He's such a sweet and cuddly baby.  He loves cosleeping w/ mommy and daddy.  Though we're starting to wean him from that one ;) 

Life as a mom of 3 has been super busy.  My days are spent catering to their every needs, somedays I barely have time to eat.  But it's all worth it.  The girls have been wonderful and so understanding, beyond their age!  They let me sleep in in the mornings, big sis sits quietly with me in the afternoon and allows me to nap while the littles nap.  So it's been going ok.  We've relied on a lot of sandwiches for dinners, but it's just a season.  Baby boy is slowly getting used to sleeping in his crib instead of on mommy's chest.  So I'm getting more time during the day to get things done.  Though I do enjoy cuddling my son. 

I am so thankful God blessed our family with this sweet baby boy.  He is just amazing and we can't get enough of him.  The girls love holding him and constantly ask to do so.  

My husband has been absolutely amazing, he is always willing to jump in and help with anything.  He even handles all the diaper changes at nighttime and then hands him to me so I can nurse.  Speaking of nursing, baby boy eats like a champ.  He's HUGE at 5 weeks! lol  I love it!  He's beautiful and perfect and I'm still in awe that I have a son! 

BTW I just love this picture :)  Taken by the professional photographer at the hospital when he was 3 days old.