Wow!

Wow! 2015 is right around the corner and I can’t believe it! This year has flown by so quickly and it’s been crazy busy but crazy fun too!

My little girl is eleven-months-old today! Eleven months! She is such a delight and joy in our home and our hearts!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! My oldest came up and I have enjoyed the whole family being together under one roof! Outside of salvation, this really is one of the best gifts a mother can receive…her whole family, healthy, joyful, together! Everything else is just extra!

So the house has exploded with baby stuff: a diaper pail, changing pads, tiny pink clothes, a highchair, a tub, strollers, toys, books, gates, teething rings, spoons, bowls, bibs and bows! Bows…that’s a first for us! It’s crazy as I step over this stuff and I have to laugh as I remind myself this too shall pass! I’ve already passed along the play mat, swing, bouncy seat and all the clothes under six months!

This little girl is a sweetie! She is a very happy girl! She loves her daddy and her brothers! I am like a baby magnet…when she sees me she automatically smiles and crawls towards me! It’s so cute! She is a very strong and determined wee one! I’ve been so fortunate that she has been very healthy, except for the colic (which was gone early on), she has had a couple colds and that’s it! Praise the Lord!

She is holding on to things while walking but hasn’t taken those first solo steps yet! Soon, very, soon! She babbles, smiles, laughs, giggles, dances and loves to play hide and seek! She loves daddy playing the piano, playing with her brothers, reading books and listening to Baby Einstein music! She recently learned how to point and wave bye-bye and loves to show off her new talents!

My two youngest boys have been a HUGE help! They have moved into this big brother role so smoothly! They play with her, help me when she is fussy, or watch her when I need throw in a load of laundry! They are so gentle with her! She looks for them first thing when she gets up in the morning! My oldest comes up as often as he can so they can bond.  And they Facetime as much as they can too! She absolutely loves her oldest brother!

We can’t help but fall in love with her more and more each week! We feel so blessed!

I am excited for what this next year has in store for us!

I hope that this New Year is filled with adventure, joys and blessing for you!!

Blessing to you all!

Inge

I am...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying.

 

Relishing.

 

Savoring.

 

She is here!!!

The Lord blessed us with a healthy baby girl, January 30^th! She came early and quickly too! With a short and uneventful labor she was in my arms so quickly I could hardly believe I was holding my daughter! My husband and I are thrilled as are our three sons! I’ve cried tears of joy over the last month as I gaze at this beautiful gift we were given.  She is a nursing champ and has already gained her birth weight back!

We have been overwhelmed with love by our family, friends, church family and neighbors. Through baby gifts, home-cooked meals, phone calls, play dates for the younger boys, diapers and loaves of bread! Each one has touched our hearts reminding us that we are truly blessed!

My husband has really stepped up to the plate again juggling the household chores, caring for me, entertaining the boys and, yes, changing diapers! He is a great husband and I am so thankful for him and all that he does.

Our little girl has colic most evenings.  Those are long days.  So we take turns rocking her and walking her around the house in the late evening.   She loves the sound of running water so I expect our water bill to be higher this month.  The Baby Book by Dr.William Sears has been a life saver.  I read his book when I had my last two sons and have been re-reading it again! He has such great practical advice…I highly recommend this book!

I have never bought a baby sling before.  But this little girl loves to be held and my back was beginning to get really sore…I finally just ordered one. Dr. Sears recommended the adjustable Balboa Baby Sling.  I love it, she loves it and my back loves it!  

Boy, I forgot how tired one gets in the evening when you have been up and down with night feedings! Each week I have felt a little better!

Everyone is adjusting to this new family member and our new schedule!

 

The boys have been very, very patient and I compliment them often as it has really helped me recover faster.  They keep themselves busy playing computer games, Legos and the Wii and also reading. They are in love with her and ask to hold her often.

 

My oldest son has come up to visit twice and has fallen in love with her too! He is so, so good with her!

 

I am really looking forward to some spring like weather so I can take this little one on walks!

Well, I'm off to take a little nap!

we are waiting...

We had a little excitement last week when one evening contractions started coming closer and harder and it was beginning to look like the real thing! Alas, they slowed and disappeared.

But we are so close and so very excited to meet this little girl! Everything is set up, our hospital bags are packed and the car seat is already in the car!

All we need is our daughter.
Daughter! I still can’t believe it!

After washing all the beautiful clothes that have been given to us as gifts or handed down, I am seeing pink lint for the first time in our dryer’s lint catcher.

I am trying to maximize the free time I have left. I have made several frozen meals, cleaned, organized piles that had been accumulating since summer and threw out stuff that was simply taking up space. The nesting thing is in really high gear!

My right foot is cracking me up! It looks like the Pillsbury Doughboy foot! There is no definition, not even an ankle in sight, just a pudgy little foot! I am walking around in flip flops in January while my husband is trying to stay warm with two pairs of socks.

We got some more snow here so the boys are thrilled! Apparently, we are experiencing our second “Polar Vortex” this month. So the wind chill is -12 below! It is cold here!

If all goes well, tomorrow, I plan on making a spinach quiche to freeze and oatmeal cookies! We’ll see!