The 4th of July!

My only photo with Rosalie. Leaving the hospital.

1 week old with her very own bear.

Our sweet Rosalie is now 2 weeks old. She is a good baby and doesn't fuss much. We do struggle a bit with trying to get her to stay asleep, a problem that is aggravated by overly attentive siblings who always want to hug an kiss her. The sound control is a major problem in our house.

Leo has coined her active alert state as "wonder eyes," which has become a bit of a nick name.

Somerset loves to brush Rosalie's hair, which is very sweet.

Rosalie is a great eater  At her 12 day mark, she weighed 6 pounds, 7.5 ounces )7%) and was 22 inches long (60%). She is long and lanky and is not at all chubby.

Joe thinks she will keep her light eyes. I think she looks a lot like him and I see both her brother and sister in her. She really is her own unique little person and is very beautiful. We really adore her.

I started using the Baby Ergo to carry her and this might just save me. If I can have her nap in the Ergo, then I can attend to the other kids......amen!

The big test will be Monday, when Joe goes back to work. I am terrified!!! Wish me luck!

Rosalie Makes Five!

Right Before the c-section

Oh my goodness! What a relief! I always worried that loving the 3rd as much as my first boy and girl would be tough. But Rosalie came into our world and we were all in love right from the start. What a perfect angel she is and although her birth has come with challenges, I feel so blessed to have her in our lives.

Our sweet Rosalie Jane was born at 8:05 a.m., weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces and was a lanky 20 inches. My c-section went smoothly, but I as nervous as heck. The anesthesiologist was so sweet and talked with me and Joe the whole procedure. I felt very cold and shaky, which ws a new experience for me, but I was just so excited to meet Rosalie. Dr. Krishna and Dr. Davis were very comforting as well. They spoke to me through the procedure and assured me that all was well.

When Rosalie was born, she cried for a few minutes and then quieted down...was this really my kid!!! Joe said she was so beautiful and I cried. He also said she looked just like Somerset, which made me so happy too. Rosalie was able to hang with me for a few minutes before Joe and her went to recovery, and I was so thrilled for that.

Rosalie breast fed like a champ. She was so calm and sweet and I already sensed her temperament was unique from her brother and sister....calmer and more easy going, a sweet soul. I loved her instantly!

My time at the hospital was rough. The care I received was amazing. The nurses were the best and loved the basket of handmade soap I brought as gifts. Nurse Emily said that Rosalie was the type of baby that made her want more babies and a few of the nurses admitted that she was especially cute.

Unfortunately, I had a 2 day headache and quite a bit of pain this time. It makes me happy that I will not miss the chance to do this again. A sour taste in my mouth about this recovery is probably the best thing for me. I got mastitis on day 6 as well and the nipple soreness is off the charts painful when she latches.

The kids adore her, but Somerset is having sibling rivalry issues. She has also been acting out, where as Leo has been  stepping it up. Summy is so sweet to Rosalie, always wanting to brush her hair, kiss her and pick out her clothes, but to us, she has been very disagreeable. We are working on it though. The kids also overstimulate the baby. They always want to touch her, kiss her, wave toys at her. It is crazy how in her face they are, but it's because they love her.

All in all, I feel so blessed. To have this beautiful, perfect child at 40 is amazing.I think everyday will get a bit easier as we all adjust to being a family of five. I like how that sounds!

The Day Before you were Born

  The day before you were born was gorgeous! The weather was as perfect as can be. Your Mommy kept as busy as possible the whole week. Today, I went to the gym...crazy, I know! I worked out until the day before you were born because I felt so good being pregnant with you. I also painted my nails bright pink at Kristen's house (Mommy's good friend), you will meet her soon. I had one last appointment with Dr. Krishna and she is so excited to meet you too! We brought your sister and brother to Aunt Tiffy and Uncle Martin's house while we went out for a delicious Indian dinner (Mommy's favorite!). I am still stuffed as I am writing this

Your older brother kept saying all day, "I cant believe that Rosalie will be here tomorrow." He always says that you will be the cutest baby ever. He already loves you and considers you part of the family. He is an amzaing brother and you are so lucky!

Your big sister is excited to meet you too. She tells everyone she meets that she will be a big sister soon and s very proud of this distinction. She is a bit jealous that she will no longer be the only girl and has been very clingy and needy wanting Mommy to hold her and stay in bed with her. She will be a fantastic big sister and you will love her very much.

Your Mommy and Daddy are so anxious to meet you! We dream about what you will look like and what type of person you are. We can't believe tomorrow is almost here.We have so much love in our hearts and already love you more than you can ever imagine Rosalie Jane. Welcome to the family...we love you!

Leo's Graduation and 38 weeks Pregnant

Last Day of Kindergarten (left) and 1st Day of Kindergarten!

This is a very Leo centric post....so much to for us to feel proud about! Leo graduated Kindergarten ans got his brown belt!

We could not be more proud of Leo for all that he accomplished this year. He had such an amazing Kindergarten year. He learned to read, became of TAG (Talented and Gifted) student, learned multiplication (in his head), and had lots of fun!

We were so blessed to have Mrs. Ramey as his Kindergarten teacher. She is everything I would have wanted for Leo and more. She is sweet. compassionate, patient, and best of all, she understands and appreciates Leo! I hope that Leo will have many fond memories of Mrs. Ramy, his classmaes and the Kindergarten year.

As a mom, I am having conflicting feelings about this transition. I have a baby due next week, Leo is moving on to full-day school and Somerset is entering preschool. I will never be pregnant again and my babies are growing and progressing. I love it, but time is slipping by. I am trying to cherish every moment I have with them. I am so fortunate for ll I have. I need to live in this moment and soak it all in.Big things are in store for us!

36 Weeks

Today I had another ultrasound. I have been consistently measuring small this pregnancy, which is cause for concern because Leo was born small and I am advanced maternal age (yuck!). Anyway, I have been nervous all week. I had the ultrasound today, and the baby measured much smaller than she had at her 30 week ultrasound. She had measured 72% and today she measured 32%, which is a significant drop. Ultrasounds can be off by 15%, which means, she might just be smaller, average, or very small. It is cause for concern, so I will be going in for 2 non-stress tests twice a week and have ultrasounds every week until she is born. If it appears that her growth is decreasing, they will have the c-section moved to an earlier date. Apparently, keeping her inside, if my placenta is failing, does her no good, and could harm her. I am a bit sad that we are going through this with our sweet girl, but I am thankful that they are keeping such a close eye on me and the baby and will pray for the best outcome.

35 Weeks

I need to take some pregnancy photos. I promise to make a full report on Rosalie Jane. She is moving a ton. Not kicking so much, but shifting weight and moving as she can. Unfortunately, I measured small again! Despite my best efforts at eating icre cream and chocolate chip cookies, I can not will my stomach to get bigger. Rosalie moves often, so I know she is alive and I hope she is well, but I have another 6 days until the ultrasound to hope that all is well. The big scare is that if she is measuring small, I would have to have her early, which I don;t want to do.

The kids are well. Somerset was kissed by a boy at the gym yesterday....uggg! Joe and I explained to her that she is too young and it is not ok for boys to kiss her yet. I can't believe I am having this conversation with my three year old.

Leo was having a rough behavioral spell,but he seems back on track. We are so grateful. He is doing so well in Karate and tee-ball and seems to be quite the athlete.

We are all so excited to meet Rosalie. She is such a mystery to us. The kids both adore her and love her and consider her part of the family already. Somerset tells everyone that she is going to be a big sister and Leo always talks to my stomach and coos over how cute she is.

I have been participating in farmer's markets every week. It has kept me busy with soap making...almost daily. I am getting very consistent and hardly ever have mishaps. I am really in business now.

Joe continues to brew....a lot! He still loves his "hobby."

32 weeks Pregnant...Everything's Growing!

32 weeks pregnant with Rosalie Jane.

Belle, our people loving tadpole staring at Leo.

Our budding fashion designer!

First Sleepover!

Everything's growing! Rosalie is growing, the garden is growing, the kids are growing up, the tadpoles are growing legs, my soap business is growing. Spring must be here!

Our new and exciting arrival to the family this week are 2 new tadpoles named Toby and Belle. We acquired them at Camille Park and they have become family pets ever since. Toby is more active and seems to have more survival instincts. His legs are growing faster and he is more likely to try new developmental things first. Our sweet Belle is in love with Joe. She follows his voice and is very curious about humans. We just love these guys.

Somerset is still out budding fashion designer. Her Play-Doh dress creations are amazing. She is still Play-Doh crazy and will play with it forever. It is super messy, but it is worth it.

Leo's math abilities continue to amaze us. Here is a math question I asked him the other day:

Me: Leo, I made 6 batches of soap, and each batch is 8 bars, how many bars of soap?
Leo:48
Me: If I make $5 a bar, how much money will I make?
Leo: After a few minutes, he answered, $240

He is AMAZING!!!

Rosalie is my little roller. Leo was my kicker, Somerset was my stretcher and Rosalie is my roller. She is moving so much now! I can't wait to meet her. I am really nesting over her arrival. The kids switched rooms and are very happy. I am thrilled to have this move complete. I am also buying Rosalie little cloth diapers. They are the cutest thing ecer, and I really hope we can make cloth diapers work for us.

Leo had his first sleepover ever!!! Donovan came over and the kids all had a blast. Everyone was relatively well behaved and I was so thrilled that Leo got to spend time with his best pal.

I also started my first week at the Sherwood Farmer's Market.  The market was small, but easy to set up. It is only a 4 hour commitment. I didn't make as much money as I would have liked, but I think things will pick up. I had fun!

Joe has planted a vegetable garden. He has gotten the kids involved and everyone is enjoying the process. Both Somerset and Leo have been god helpers and are excited to eat the harvest.