Happy Birthday...

 

to one of the absolute squishiest, sweetest, happiest girls around!

This last year has been an amazing one.  Avrie slid right into our lives like she was always there, and really is the sweetheart of the family.  The kids adore her, and so do mom and dad :) 

I LOVE you my sunshine girl!!

One Month

One month with our sweet little Avrie, and everyone looks pretty happy about it...don't you think? :)







Now of course, occasionally this is what we are dealing with....

But this is mostly what our newest addition looks like :) Well...except I don't usually keep her on my plate ;)





Photos courtesy of the amazing Cherry Tree Photography

And these photos are courtesy of Marie from Bloom and Grow Photography

She got some fantastic shots of Avrie AND made all those darling accesories herself!!




These were all of Avrie's newborn pics we got taken, but frankly, she is still about the same size :) She is having a tough time gaining weight so I am constantly trying to find ways to keep her awake longer so she will actually finish a bottle. We finally got her up to 2 oz a feeding...now we are shooting for 3.





Avrie is such a joy. Honestly...she makes me feel so content. The girls are absolutely crazy over her, and Britton took a little longer but has definitely warmed up to her. I am lucky that they adjust so well, it has made the transition to 4 children much easier. She is not the best sleeper, but I am sure once she starts eating a little bit more we can get a good schedule going. Frankly, some nights I am glad she wakes up, it is the only time I get to focus all my attention on my little one. Those are precious hours for me. Some times I feed her and she falls right to sleep and I just can't bear to lay her down. I think "I'm going to regret this in the morning..." but I never do :) It goes by too fast, and with each baby I realize that a little bit more, and try to savor these precious moments.

4 is fun! :)

(Yes, I realize this picture really only has 3 kids...but you get the idea!:)

That is what I have decided the last few weeks....4 kids are so fun! :) Is it crazy? YES! Is it loud? YES! Have there been a few pull-my-hair-out moments? YES! Overall though, its been a really great transition. It makes my heart so happy to see my children show so much love to their new baby sister. Britton took a little bit longer coming around, but now he always wants to hold and kiss baby Avrie. Avrie is an angel, loves her sleep, so much in fact that my biggest struggle with her is keeping her awake long enough to eat. She is a teeny one, still is not even back up to her birth weight, weighing in at a whopping 6 pounds so we are trying to get that girl chubby! :)

I think you can find good in almost anything if you are willing to look for it, and this last pregnancy has truly made me see the good in a difficult end to a pregnancy. I am SO grateful for the opportunity that I have to take care of my children the way I want to. I am so grateful for a healthy body that although doesn't look QUITE how I would like it too, lets me do all the things I want to do for my family. I am grateful for 4 children that every single day make me smile, and every single day make me want to better. I am grateful for the Spirit that has come to our home with Avrie, I feel amazingly content and at peace. I am grateful for all the service that was shown to me and my family, and especially grateful that I can now serve others!! Sometimes I need to be reminded how lucky I am to be able to keep up a home, and run my kids to dance class and soccer practice. How lucky I am to be able to cook nutritious meals for my family and spend quality time with my husband. NOT being able to do these things has reminded me what a gift it all is...I hope this is something I can remember for a long time! :)

How I'm spending my time these days

Yep, that's pretty much how I am spending my days :) Avrie is such a little sweetheart, I love the calming effect she has on me. Today Paul went back to work and it was my first day with all 4 of my kids. I couldn't believe how natural it all feels, like we have always had her. The best parts of my day are the quiet moments holding my new daughter, watching my 2 year old son give baby Avrie kisses, and even listen to my girls fight over who gets to hold her first :) She is such a blessing to us all, a little piece of heaven right here in our home.

STILL pregnant!

And quite thrilled about it, I might add! :) I thought for sure the next time I updated this thing it would be with darling pictures of the newest addition to our family. However, as already proven, Avrie seems to have a mind of her own. Last week I went completely off bedrest and my medications. I was prepared to have the baby by AT THE LATEST....Sunday. Here we are the Thursday after and no baby!

What a gift this last week has been! Although the contractions are painful and sometimes limit my activities, it has been so fantastic to be a contributing member of my household again! I have never had the experience of being able to be ready when a baby comes. But I gotta tell you...I am loving it! The house it pretty much spotless, all the laundry is washed and folded, babies room is decorated and ready for the little princess, fridge and pantry are well-stocked once again...now I just have to try and keep it all up til Avrie decides to make her grand entrance.

The best part has been being able to be a mom to my kids again. Today we went to the Dinosaur Museum and I was so grateful to just BE with them. They are each so unique and special to me, and I am so glad to have these last few days (or maybe weeks!!;) to truly treasure them and enjoy this stage in our life.

I hope you stay tuned for some fun things I have planned in the next few weeks! Lots of fun crafts, activities to enjoy and teach our children, family home evenings and more. While I was on bedrest I made a list of things I was going to do as soon as I was off. When my husband saw it he said "Don't forget you are actually going to have a baby to take care of too!" Of course, that is what I am looking forward to the most.

Coming to you live from...

my very own hospital bed! :) This baby, like all her siblings before her, is once again anxious to make an early arrival to our home. Unfortunately for Avrie, its a little TOO early since I am only 30 weeks. I was admitted into the hospital 5 am on Monday morning and will be here til at least Thursday to make sure we have gotten a little bit of control of the situation. Even though we have been through similar situations with each of our children, it is always a scary and unsure time. I have been blessed with much peace at this time and wanted to share a few things today I am truly grateful for! :)



Modern Medicine - what a gift that I am able to bring babies into the world in this day and age. I was able to complete my last round of steroid shots for the babies lungs this morning, and it is absolutely amazing to me the things they can do for preterm babies.

Family - What we do without all your love and support?? As my heart aches for my little unborn baby that needs more time...it also aches for my 3 children I have at home. NOTHING is as hard on me as being away from my kids, but my family takes such good loving care of them. They cried when they left the hospital last night, and that made me cry too, but I know they are in loving capable hands.

There is so much more, but my heart is a little too full right now to write too much of anything that actually makes any sense! We have felt the love and prayers of people that we know, and still others that we don't that are praying for God's will in regards to our little Avrie. It is a challenging time for our family, but also one where we are able to closely feel our Savior's love for us and His involvement in our family. Thank you for all the love and support and we will definitely keep you updated!