Sleepy Babes

Joe's favorite time of the day now is when he gets to snuggle with Piper on his chest. Beau and Baine are always close to Piper and where she naps, they like to be! Whether if it's on Daddy's chest, mommy's lap, or on our friends Holly's legs, our kiddos like to be near one another 24/7. Please stay this way forever :)

The Circle of Life

Shari's mom, Ruth, passed away Friday from her 10 year battle with Alzheimer's. While funerals are never easy, it does seem to be the time to see friends and family that you haven't seen in awhile. Great-grandma Betty met Piper for the first time and was able to get her snuggles in with her. When Mel, Dennis's dad, passed away last month, my mom kept saying that me being pregnant was a sign of the circle of life (since we were due right when he passed). I truly felt that at the funeral service for Ruth today. Time passes too fast, and life is too short to take what we have for granted. I am so blessed to have had three, healthy children. That is truly the best gift I could have ever received. While it can be easy to question God and be mad at him when we hurt or lose loved ones, at the end of the day, God is good and His plan is far greater than ours.

Library Play Time

I had all three kids by myself, full time, for the first time during spring break last week. I was a little nervous to have all 3 this early on, especially still not 100% with my leg yet, however it was great and so much fun! We tried to make the best of the week but were limited on our activities since I either need to nurse or pump every 2-3 hours. We did manage to make it to the library and the boys just love it there. The play groups are so good for them and they love craft time there!

Papa and His Girls

Papa and She-She watched all 5 kids so we could celebrate Brook's birthday (thank you Dad and Shari)! At the end of the night, Papa was in Heaven as he was snuggled with his two granddaughters on the couch. Bankers was out like a light and Piper was content as could be since she as being cuddled by the fireplace. 

St. Patrick's Day

Now that we have 3 kids, St Patty's Day looked a little differently for us this year. Normally we would probably get a sitter and go out to celebrate. However, I am not ready to leave Piper yet, and honestly, now that we have three kids those days are no longer going to happen for quite some time. So instead of going out, we stayed in and "celebrated" at our house with our family. I wouldn't have it any other way right now :)

Spoiled With Cuddles

Piper is definitely loved, and a tad spoiled already. Between friends and family, Piper is constantly being cuddled or swooned over :) Daddy is already wrapped around her little finger.

I love how "Aunt" Dena always wants to be over here to help out. While we went to eat with Joe's family Friday night, she ASKED to watch Beau and Baine so we could have a relaxing dinner. What friend does that on a Friday night?! I am so blessed to have her :) But honestly, I think she liked watching Moana as much as the boys did with their time together.

Beauty and the Beast Movie Night

Last week, Brook, Banx, Beau, Piper and I went to see Beauty and the Beast. While Beau quickly became tired and little irritable, the girls absolutely loved the movie. It was so fun to get out of the house and have a date night with my family.

Fun With Babysitters

While I was at the spa with my mom and sister, Beau and Baine had Aubrey babysit. It was a great day for them to spend time with her since we haven't seen her in so long. They were able to be outside all day by playing at the park, feeding the ducks, and playing on the trampoline.

During spring break, Kaylee and Abby (our other babysitters) wanted to come over to meet Piper and play with the boys for the day. These girls are so amazing to our boys and we just adore them as much as they adore our kids! :)

Banx and Baine Riding Down the Stairs

Cheeser Baine

Baine Joseph, your personality is growing more and more every day. I love how spunky and happy you are. You are talking so much now, and it still makes me tear up. I didn't know how long it would take to finally hear you talk and now that we can, it is the best sound in the world :) This top picture describes you perfectly right now. You LOVE to wear your bathrobe all of the time, and you are always asking to eat cereal. 

When you are not going a mile a minute, you are such a hard sleeper and you snore just like your daddy! You are so loud it wakes mommy up :) Once in awhile you like to sneak into mommy and daddy's bed and while I used to not let this happen, I now cherish it because I realize someday you won't want to snuggle with us in bed anymore. I want these snuggles for as long as I can have them!

I always tease that you are my favorite Baine (don't worry Beau and Piper, you are my favorites too). But Baine, you have needed my direct attention for so long now while we worked on your hearing and speech therapy that I have developed a special attachment to you. I love that I see you growing in your development and cognitive skills. You have worked so hard and it makes me so proud of you to see the progress you have made. If you can make such great progress as a 1-2 year old, I can't even imagine what you will do as an adult. You can definitely do anything you put your mind to!

Proud Brother, Beau

It is no secret that Beau loves being a big brother. He is incredibly patient and good to Baine, and is always helping take care of him. Now that he has a baby sister, he never wants to leave her side. When it's time to go to bed, he begs to have her sleep with him. Or if we are laying on the couch watch TV, he always wants to lay by Piper and hold her hand. If I am in the other room doing something and Piper starts crying, Beau is the first to go soothe her, put her paci in and turn on her music. He is definitely protective of her already and it is so precious.

Beau I do not give you enough credit already as my grown up 5 year old son. You are always going to be my special one since you are our first born. You help me be a better mom everyday and teach me what true patience is. You are such a good boy. Your passion for learning and school makes me so proud of you. You are so eager for soccer to start next week and your love for sports is quickly taking off. Now that March Madness is going on, you LOVE to watch the games and always pick your favorite team (usually based on the colors). You act too mature for your age most of the time and I'm not sure I like how fast you are growing up! You have Kindergarten Round Up next week and I haven't decided if I will let you go or not ;). I am so proud of you Beau and what a good little boy you are--most of the time. 

Brook's Birthday Celebrations

We celebrated Brook's birthday last weekend and it was such a great weekend! To kick things off, mom, Brook, Piper and I went to the spa for the day to get pampered and do a little shopping. It was so relaxing and Piper was perfect for her first trip to the spa :) We had everyone over to grill at our house that night and the kids were crazy, fun as always. Then Saturday it was the adults turn to go out to eat and celebrate the birthday girl. This was literally my first time being away from Piper---I hadn't even gone to the store without her yet! We didn't venture far to eat, but it was a great dinner and fun night with Brook and Austin. I hope you had an amazing birthday, Brookie. You deserved it! 

Piper 1 Month Video

Piper: 1 Month

Last Monday, Piper was one month old. How is that possible?! Wasn't I just pregnant with her yesterday (or so it seems!). She is growing and changing daily and I am so incredibly in love with her :)

At 1 month:
-starting to smile
-weighs 10.6 pounds
-size 1 diapers
-size 3 month clothes
-her hair is falling out and turning blonde (just like Beau's did)
-eyes are still changing and not sure what color they will be yet
-LOVES to be swaddled in her white swaddle bag
-nursing like a champ! Really doesn't want anything to do with a bottle
-prefers to sleep on her side and be snuggled
-the past two weeks has been sleeping 6-9 hours off and on (however I think I jinxed it because the past two nights she was up every 4 hours)

Feeling Grateful

Having three kids has been so incredibly amazing so far. I have always wanted a big family, and I have been feeling overwhelmed with love and gratitude for my family! Since I am finally starting to feel better and recovering from having Piper, I have needed quite a bit of help. Dena has been a godsend (as have my parents and Brook). Dena has been coming over on weekends and even a couple week nights to just help me out and watch the kids so I can do simple things like take a bath, eat, or just lay down and relax. I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THAT!!!!

Getting adjusted to 3 kids is not as chaotic as people told me it would be (at least not yet). I know that once Piper is older, our schedules will be crazy. However, I wouldn't have it any other way. I am so excited to watch Beau, Baine and Piper grow up and let the craziness begin! :)

Joe's 31st Birthday

Since we JUST had a baby, we didn't do anything extravagant for Joe's birthday this year. We stayed at home and our "roommates" celebrated with Joe the whole weekend. On Joe's actual birthday, we went to eat at our favorite sushi restaurant, Wasabi Tao. It was nice night with Shawn and Caleb, and even Piper was great at dinner :) 

The next night, Brook and Austin had us over for dinner. Brook had cooked an amazing meal for Joe's special day, and it was DELICIOUS! Happy birthday, Joe! 

Piper at 3 Weeks Old

So far, Piper has been the easiest baby ever! She is such a good sleeper (last night she slept 9 hours!), she only fusses when she is wet or hungry, and she is just so easy going...for now :)  Things at home are going really well. The boys seem to be adjusting just fine to having a new baby, and nothing has really changed a lot. Things are going well all around, almost too well. I keep saying "when will reality set in? Probably when I go back to work!!"

Piper eats every 2-3 hours and is nursing like a champ! She has latched on right from the minute she was born. She never has needed me to help her latch on or use a nipple guard. She wants absolutely nothing to do with a bottle (which will make me going back to work interesting) and she LOVES to be snuggled in her "snow white" blanket. Her hair is starting to turn light, and her eyes are still changing colors. So who knows what her coloring will end up like :)

At Piper's one week appointment, she has surpassed her birth weight and was at 9 lbs 1 oz! She is a good eater! She was never able to fit in Newborn clothing, and right now is in 3 month clothing...some 0-3 month. She mainly needs 3 month due to her length. She was our biggest and longest baby, and she is holding to that so far! She has been healthy and content so far and I truly hope things keep going this well! :)