An Update the Easy Way

What we’ve been up to…..

Wearin’ matching dresses

More matching dresses….and finishing Enrichment (pre-preschool)

Our first gymnastics “meet”

Plantin’ our garden and giving Gracyn her 1st bottle

Hangin’ out with mama (this was literally attempt #354 at a picture on Mother’s Day)

Havin’ tea parties (and reading Fancy Nancy….notice the pinky (or pointer finger) up….that’s fancy!)

Finishin’ Kindermusic

Lovin’ on our baby sister

Goin’ to the zoo

Ridin’ on Daddy’s shoulders

Bein’ ornery…and maybe tormenting our sister

Havin’ pool parties with our cousins

Havin’ fun at the park

Playin’ “boat” (in the cupboard under the sink in the hotel)

Wearin’ our sun hats and lookin’ super cute!

Quick 5

I realized it has been almost a month since I last blogged….probably because things are just a little crazy around here!  Good, but crazy and BUSY!  Here’s a few highlights to let you know what we’ve been up to:

1.  We’ve  determined that Miss Gracyn definitely has MSPI issues (dairy and soy intolerance)….so I’m on a pretty restricted diet and any mishaps result in a very angry baby girl!  It’s easy as long as we’re home but when we have to eat out, it’s nearly impossible…not just because I’m pretty much limited to meat and veggies when we eat out, but also because the risk of cross contamination is so high (i.e. I can order PLAIN veggies but if they cook the veggies in a pan that had butter in it before they cooked my veggies, that’s dairy and crazy as it seems it’s enough to upset Gracyn.)  Pretty much we just eat at home – or if we do go out, it’s either to Subway (sandwiches on Italian bread w/ no cheese are safe) or to Runza (Can I have a hamburger, ketchup only w/o the bun please? )    Qdoba has been a good option too – naked burrito with meat, rice, beans and guac but either the burrito or the coke upset Gracyn last week so they’ve been blacklisted for now.  Oh yeah, and major props to Outback – we ate there while we were in Colorado and they were SO accommodating –steak, baked potato w/ olive oil instead of butter and steamed broccoli (w/o the butter sauce).

2.  I’m headed back to work on Monday –on a very part time basis  and Gracyn gets to go with me, but still it’s enough to make me anxious!  I’m really not sure how we’re going to get everyone out the door by 8 in the mornings –pretty sure we haven’t accomplished that yet (at least not with me having hair fixed and make up on….I might be able to make it if I didn’t have to shower and get ready for the day!) 

3.  Tom, Gracyn and I spent last week in Colorado – it was great to get away and Miss Gracyn got to spend her 1 month birthday at Garden of the Gods.  That’s right – my littlest bug is already 1 month old….where does the time go!! 

4.  I officially hit the BIG 3-0 this month.  It really wasn’t as traumatic as I thought it might be –so far, 30 doesn’t seem to bad!  And my mama totally spoiled me by making dairy and soy free chocolate cake.   A couple days before my birthday I was whining to Tom that I was going to have to celebrate my birthday with strawberries because all the good birthday treats (cake, pie, ice cream etc) would upset Gracyn’s tummy….but my mom searched out an MSPI friendly cake recipe and it was AMAZING!  I don’t even like chocolate cake usually – but this was great!  (If you’re interested go to www.mspimama.blogspot.com, click recipe index and look for wacky cake).

5.  This week we’re finishing up all our spring “activities” – Makenzie had her gymnastics program last week and her last night of class is this week and Micah man has his Kindermusic program this week.  It’s been a fun spring, but I’m not going to lie – I’m looking forward to being done with scheduled activities and reclaiming a little family time this summer! 

A few favorites

We had a friend take newborn pictures of Gracyn (and the rest of the fam) while we were still in the hospital.  Several months before Gracyn was born I saw some hospital pictures Suzie had taken of another family in town and I LOVED them.....and I decided we had to have her take some pictures when our baby got here! 

Here are just a few of my favorites….ps if you live in or near Holdrege, you should definitely check into LifeArt Photography.  Suzie does a GREAT job and she is AMAZING with kiddos—we’ve had her take pictures several times and I’m always thrilled! 

And because I love instagram almost as much as I love Suzie’s pictures:

Quick 5: Answered prayers

All 3 kids are napping AT THE SAME TIME and I’m actually rested enough to blog instead of feeling like I’m going to collapse in a heap….that’s an answered prayer in itself!!  It’s hard to believe my baby girl is a week old today –and to celebrate, here’s a quick 5 answered prayers this week:

1.)  Tom was home for Gracyn's birth….he got home Sunday night before she was born Monday evening.  He was gone Thursday morning-Sunday night and I was nervous that I was going to go into labor while he was gone and he wouldn’t make it home in time. 

2.)  Gracyn is PERFECT!  I can’t tell you what an answered prayer it is to have such a laid back baby girl!  I was more than a little stressed about the idea of adding a 3rd child to our family and was downright terrified that this baby might be as colicky as Micah was….don’t get me wrong, I love Micah man dearly, but he was NOT an easy baby (he got easier once we got the MSPI issues figured out….but it wasn’t a very fun start)!  

We still don’t know if we’re dealing with any MSPI issues—I cut dairy and soy just to be on the safe side and once we’re into a good nursing routine I’ll try adding them back slowly and see how we do.  Whether its due to the diet changes or not, she’s a very content, laid back little girl….and we are very thankful!

3.)  Makenzie and Micah have adjusted very easily!  Another HUGE answer to prayer!  If you know my Micah man, you know he’s a major mama’s boy and I’ve prayed and prayed that he would handle the addition of another baby easily…..and he has!  He dotes over “baby sista” constantly and loves to tell us about her tiny ears and tiny nose.  He kisses on her and hugs her (sometimes a little too roughly but she’s pretty forgiving!)  Makenzie is thrilled to have a baby sister and loves to “share” with her (i.e. give Gracyn all sorts of stuffed animals and blankets….especially when we’re ready to go out the door which means I end up with an armful of gifts to take with us!)  She loves to help me and is pretty sure she could take care of Gracyn without any help.

 

4.)  My own recovery has been easy –I felt like I was slow to recover after Micah’s birth and was slightly terrified at the prospect of trying to manage 3 children (4 and under) by myself when Tom went back to work, but I have actually felt pretty good and Tom’s been back to work since Thursday with no major catastrophes at home (minus Micah going like 6 hours Thursday without a diaper change because his mother never thought of it…..the good news is, he survived and I’ve managed to remember to change his diaper somewhat regularly since then!) 

5.)  My hubby has been amazing!  He has been great about taking Makenzie and Micah outside to run off energy when he gets off work, doing baths in the evening and picking up the slack around the house so I can rest.  Sunday morning he got up with both kiddos and let me sleep for 2 more hours!  I wouldn’t want to do this without him! 

Too cute.

IT’S A……GIRL!!!

Apparently my motherly instincts are totally wrong – I was sure we were having a blonde haired little boy and instead we have a little girl with a whole head of dark hair!  Gracyn Linnea (Linnea is Tom’s mom and grandma’s middle name) was born yesterday, April 16th at 5:32 p.m.  She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.  She is absolutely beautiful –and the “missing link” between Micah and Makenzie!  Gracyn has her sister’s dark hair and bright eyes but her brother’s nose and mouth.  Makenzie and Micah have done great –they’re both pretty thrilled with baby sister, in fact Micah man had a tough time going to sleep tonight because he was sure baby sister should “nuggle” with him. Hopefully I’ll get pictures uploaded soon –for now, we are home and doing well and SO, SO blessed! 

Just what I needed….

It’s been one of those weeks around here – you know, the kind where mama is way to crabby and the 2 year old isn’t sleeping well and is taking great joy in antagonizing his sister and the 4 year old is testing the little tiny bit of patience that mom still has…..and the daddy is gone for 4 days (not to mention the crabby not so patient mom is also nearly 39 weeks pregnant and slightly freaking out at the prospect of the hubby not making it home if she goes into labor). 

BUT, today has been fantastic!  The sun is shining, the weather is warm, the kids can run and play outside while I sit in my favorite red lawn chair soaking up the sun (and occasionally playing referee), we have a play date with friends after naptime….and the icing on the cake, both babes are down for naps and I found this article on a blog I love to read.  Perhaps my favorite part of the article was the quote at the beginning -- “God doesn’t expect us to be instant experts at something we’ve never done before. And he promises to make up the difference.” 

And I’m SO, SO thankful for His help in this adventure called parenting!