Ahhh Motherhood

This moment in motherhood is brought to you by the letter S for sleepy, the letter F for foggy and the letter G for Groggy.  (Extra points that those rhymed.)
Hearing something at 3...er 4-ish a.m. ( The clock contained both of those numbers so it's any ones guess) Rising from bed much like a zombie only to shuffle and stumble down the hall bouncing off the walls, in an again, zombie like fashion, toward the room where the crying one lies, somehow managing to notice along the way that the toilet paper roll needs to be replenished in the event that a certain 3 or 5 year old make their way to the bathroom in the next several hours. (And extra points for somehow remembering in this stupor to keep the roll rolling on top of and not under the roll for the little ones) Shuffling the rest of the way down the hall and managing to change a very messy diaper in the dark, also managing to throw some butt cream on the little mans booty because it seemed a little red. (or were those just the spots in my eyes that hadn't cleared yet?) Oh well, a little butt paste never hurt anyone.  Snapping up the jammies with those confounded snaps...never mind that only half really got snapped, shuffling back down the hallway while soothing a screaming baby, easing into bed (okay it was really more like a seal hitting land) and managing to feed and soothe little man with eyelids halfway open then 5...4....3....2-nope.  Little man has not in fact fallen asleep.  He has rolled over and is blowing raspberries and smiling widely at your one eye half open and has decided to try perfecting his new inchworm like scooch-crawl he's been learning lately.  Closing eyes...just ignore the cutest face ever...it's too early and in 5...4...3...2..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  Sleep for both of us.  Ahhhh.

3 years, 4 months and a new chapter

I started this post awhile ago and didn't get a chance to finish it....so I'll add to it now. :)...
I don't care who you are, or how awesome and perfect, lovely and compliant your baby is or was...those first few months are a doozy.  They are HARD!  You don't really see how hard until you start to come out of it on the other side and you look back at your last few months and....WOAH! 
We have now had two colicky babies and now that Cooper has become MUCH better I look back at my last 3-4 months and realize I was like a mama bear in hibernation....on sabatical for months!  Lots of changes have occurred in life in general, but I stopped attending small group due to a screaming baby, Adam and I tread more ground in this house over the last few months than maybe the entire time we've lived here and possibly burned more after dinner calories in bouncing and swaying than running a marathon...and yet, the other night I realized...for the last few weeks at 7:30pm (give or take) Adam and I are sitting on the couch...together!  One of us isn't up bouncing or swaying or shushing a screaming baby!  And we are holding actual conversations....and not over the top of a screaming baby!  And he's down for the night! Say it with me...ahhhhh.  And oh my he is a beautiful, and perfect and happy little man, but figuring out life was just a lot harder for this little guy than some.  Seriously though, one can't complain too much!  I think there have been maybe one or two nights where I've been up longer than necessary with him...but other than that he has slept next to us in the sleeper or in bed with me and he has known it's night time from day one. 

We are now 4 months in and life without little man would not be near as good.  He is so smiley and chatty and happy and he's trying so hard to laugh!  He has the best and most handsome ear to ear grin!  He lights up when he sees any one of the four of us (although I think Abby is still his favorite) and he is rolling every which way and working hard at scooting and getting his bummy up under him and working on at least one tooth from what I can tell, and he's getting life figured out.  He is such a sweetheart.  Man I love him!  And so these last 4 months have of course been worth it.

Abby had her three year well check today...and like anyone who meets Abby, the doctor found her charming, adorable, and quite hilarious.  Also, very tall and advanced for her age.  She couldn't believe the little conversation they were able to have.  :)  She is 35 lbs and 38 inches tall.  :)  She told the doctor she was growing and growing and just couldn't stop.  Abby is seriously one of the most joyful little things I have ever had the pleasure of being around.  You seriously can't help but love her!

I am looking forward to spring.  To being able to be out! to letting all the windows open to letting the girls dig in the dirt for worms while Cooper hangs out with us and to me getting to play in the dirt.  I was outside the other day on a rare and lovely warm February day, with all three kids and my heart was so full!!  I sat there and watched all three of them and it felt perfect.  For the last couple spring/summer seasons I have sat outside and felt so heavily that a little person was missing.  And as I sat out there with the three of them and we played and hung out I got this overwhelming sense of perfection and completeness.  It felt right.  :)  I am looking forward to starting a new chapter.  To focusing on making and keeping traditions and to being a complete family and getting to do things as a complete family.

Hannah starts school this fall and I am at a complete loss as to where the time has gone.  She's awful nervous, but also excited...and I'm excited for her and awful nervous, but I know she's going to love it.  She's going to come flying home the first day telling me all about what she did and how cool it was and all the new friends she made, but each day a little piece of me will walk out of the house down the street to school, and won't come back until she walks back through the door all excited about the days events.  School will be great for her.  ...After much debate and pondering and back and forth, it seems best for her to go to public school for now.  It may change and it may not.  If it does I'll be ready.  But I think for Hannah and I to be at our finest with each other and to really have the best relationship, her having the outside opportunity to learn is her best bet right now.  Oh how I love her...she's so very ready.  She is awful close to reading and knows so many things!  She catches on so quickly!  She absorbs so many facts about things and life and she loves words...so she will be awesome. I'm excited to start a tradition with my own kids that my mom did with us...the summer date we always had to take a whole day just mom and one of us kids, and go shopping for school clothes and supplies and eat lunch and just hang out and get excited for the next year.  I am looking forward to starting this with Hannah.  I am looking forward to focusing on working together as a family and to having our time with each other. 
I am so blessed.  I have these three, very different, very amazing kids that I've been gifted and this husband that loves me as much as I so very much love him...I am indeed blessed.  I hope I never forget to thank God for these four very specific gifts and blessings every single day...

Oh Hannah :)

 

Random conversations with Hannah Love tonight:
Mama: What a great picture!
Hannah: Thanks I'm coloring it for you. But I really think Gram Cracker would love it.
M: Well then save it and give it to her or we can mail it to her.
H: Nah. I really like to hand it to an actual person and hear them tell me how great and awesome it looks. :)
 

Not much later...
 

H: Mama when can we grow a sewage plant?
M...: A what now?
H: a sewage plant! Ya know a plant that grows sewage leaves...I want to put one in our garden.
M: I think you are thinking of something else. (Explaining what a sewage plant is)
H: *disgusted* Well then what the heck did we have for dinner the other night that I loved so much?!
M: Ahhh! You mean a SPINACH plant.
H: Yes! That!

 A little later....
Hannah singing a song to Cooper: I am Hannah Banana and I am so goooood.

I can poop and pee by myself and everyone says I am so gooood.

But no one knows where Hannah lives she lives outside the village and the whole village goes looking for her because she's been gone so long, but she is not lost, no she is not lost she is simply superwoman in disguise. In DISGUISE!! (Big finish)
And those were just the few I remembered!