Slow Realizations

Well, I was doing really well with keeping up with this. Then my body decided to attack itself and I have been sitting in the hospital for about 1 1/2 weeks. Long story short I have had gallbladder surgury and now they can't seem to figure out why I am not getting better. I am trying to take this time and focus on some deep thinking but sometimes that is really hard. This is what I have come up with so far: be thankful for your health, enjoy and cherish every moment that you can spend with your children because you never know when that time will not be there, rely on God that there is a plan and a reason as to why things are happening the way that they are, be thankful that your family and friends are so willing to drop their lives to help take care of your little family. I will never be able to express the gratitiude I have for my family at this point. My parents have dropped their lives and have taken control of my choldren and made sure that they are well taken care of. This is no small feat considering the ages of my girls. I have also realized how many people are out there that truely care for me and my family and when they say they will do anything to help they really mean it. I just hope that some day I will be able to help these people out in the same way that they have helped me. I haev realized what a blessed church family I am in. I have had reservatons for a while about us switching churches and I now know that we are right where we are supposed to be. The outreach from the church staff has been amazing and always seems to come right when it was needed most. I am also very grateful for the school that I teach in and send Skylar too. These people have become some of my closest friends and they have taken care of my baby at school when I can't be there to make sure she is ok. I will never forget what people have done for us. I have ralized how blessed I am. Maybe that is what this is all about, taking the time to realize all my blessings and not to focus on what we don't have. I got the message God, now can I go home? (my attempt at humor) I know that God will send me home when I am able to be home and be well. Here is my advice to you; take the time to realize your blessings and thank those around you that are always there for you!!!!!

2 1/2 weeks

Jenna is now 2 1/2 weeks old and seems to be hitting a growth spurt! All she wants to do is eat! She was sleeping for about 5-6 hours at night and now she is only going about 3. That doesn't do much for our sleep!
Lizzy is such a great big sister! She loves to help and she loves to try and hold Jenna. The holding only lasts for about 3 minutes then she tells us "too heavy, too heavy!" She is growing and talking so much it is crazy.
Skylar is still loving school! She loves the fact that Grandma is taking her to school in the mornings. She gets very concerned when Jenna is upset and loves to help. She has grown up so much in the last 2 1/2 weeks that I am not sure who she is anymore. It makes me a little sad that she is grwoing up and seems to need me less and less!

Bath

Lizzy and Skylar both love to help give Jenna her bath! Lizzy knows that she can only wash and lotion her back. Skylar gets to help do a lot more. They are both such great helpers! I am blassed to have such great kids!

Jenna is becoming more alert as time goes by. She likes to just stare at things and responds to our voices.

Three Girls

As most of you know we now have three girls!! Jenna Kate was added to the family on October 29th. She is doing very well!!! She sleeps about 5-6 hour stretches at night. Now if we could just get them so she doesn't wake up at 2:45. I guess I can't ask too much considering she isn't even 2 weeks old. Chris was home all of last week and now it is just Lizzy, Jenna and I at home during the day. It will be an adjustment but one that I am very happy to be making. I now feel that our family is complete and we can move on from here to see what else the world has for us. I am in one of hte best places, mentally, that I have been in in a really long time. There are moments of feeling completely overwhelmed but those are getting fewer and fewer as the days go on. We are truely blessed and I am greatly thankful for that!
Jenna was 7lbs 14 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. Surgery for me went very smoothly and without any complecations. I am feeling as close to normal as I am goign to for a while. Lizzy has finally adjusted to having someone else in the house and Skylar can't hold Jenna enough. They have adjusted very well and with very little trouble!
I will try to update more often than I have been!!! Have a blessed day and remember what you have to be thankful for and not what you are lacking!
Check out the photos of Jenna and her sisters!

2 days left

There are now only two days left until our new one arrives. I am done with school until January. THe house is clean and everything seems to be in order. I think everyone is getting anxious for this one to arrive. Skylar can't wait and can tell you that in 2 days the baby is coming. Our house is getting smaller as we add the baby stuff back in. I forgot how much such a little one needs. I am trying to tie up loose ends here at the house and make sure that Chris will be ok doing the daily duties while I am in the hospital. I go in Wednesday morning at 5:30 am and should be in surgury by 7:30 am. I should be home sometime Saturday afternoon as long as everything goes well! We will get pictures up as fast as we can. I am not sure how quick since I am the one that usually does all that! Keep checking abck for the pictures and information on the baby.

We took the girls trick-or-treating this weekend at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum so I could go with them. They will also get to go on Friday but at least I got to see them dressed up and help with that. Check out our pictures!

One Month Left

There is only one month left until the arrival of our little one. The anticipation and nervousness is mounting. We are now frantically trying to get the house in order to add one more little body and a lot of stuff to it. Skylar is excited and ready and Lizzy finally realizes that there is a baby in mommy's tummy. I am sure that she has no clue what that means though. There is a lot to do before we are ready and I am sure that it will not all be done before he/she comes!
Chris has now been working out of town so we spend time with grandma!! Our weekends become jammed with things to get the house ready and still have the girls do some fun stuff!!! I now start going to the doctor every week starting tomorrow!

Little One

We now have a date for our newest arrival. It will be October 29th. I am excited and ready. There has been a lot going on lately and no time to write about it.

Skylar has started kindergarten and has finally settled into it. She had a little bit of a rough start but now she is in the routine of it and seems to be getting along with everyone and making new friends. This is the most that I have ever heard her talk about friends at school or anywhere. She sings us songs and is working on sight words and knowing the letters and sounds out of order! She seems to be doing really well. She is really excited about the baby! She told me last night that she loves the baby and it already loves her too.

Lizzy went back to daycare and seems a little lost without Skylar with her. This is the first that she has really been anywhere without Skylar for a long period of time. She, also, seems to be doing well. We are starting to cut back her nap time. She would still sleep for 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon if she could! Then she is up late at night with Daddy!!! We are trying to fix that before the baby comes. She has no clue that there is going to be anything different in her world anytime soon. It will be interesting to see how she reacts!

Chris finally got the bathroom finished. He had to rip up part of the floor and redo it because the toilet was leaking. Everything is fixed and in working order. I love it!!!! He is trying to finish up all the little projects around the house before he has no time and the weather is not cooperating.

As for me, I am feeling good. I am tired by the end of a day of teaching but everything is going well. I am ready to have this little one here! School is all settled and it seems like we have been in for months not weeks. This year is actually going better than any other year I have and it is my hardest workload year. Strange how things work.

I will try and do better with posting. Things got busy and I am sure you all know how that goes!!! Keep in touch and watch at the end of October for pictures and details about our new one!!!!