my growing up baby girl

My daughter Leah is going to be 5 years old this December...quite a milestone birthday! She is so excited to turn 5. Turning 5 to her means so much! It means she is getting bigger, she is going to school, she will then like watermelon and broccoli...who knew so much came with turning 5.

To me, Leah turning 5 means many other things. First, its devastating. My baby is growing up! She seems to have matured so much in the past few months, and I can only imagine how much she is going to grow from now until her birthday. I know that kids have to grow up, obviously, it is part of life. But I'll tell you what, I am not a fan.

My son is going to be 2 next month and my youngest daughter will be 3 weeks old in 2 days...I feel like the time is just slipping away! Since having Lucy, Leah has continued to amaze me with her big sister skills. She helps so much around the house. She asks to do things like sweep, fold clothes, and feed the baby. And while I snuggle with her on the couch I think back to when she was only 3 weeks old. I feel like it was just a few months ago. We were living in North Carolina and it was just her, my husband, and I. Now, we have moved back home and we are a family of 5...5!!! Life sure has changed since Leah was born, but it doesn't make it any easier to watch her grow up and change. Although I am so proud of who she is turning out to be. I love you Leah Michelle, you are such a blessing in my life!

D Day Finally Came!

Being 40 weeks pregnant with my third child was completely frustrating. I never made it that far with the other two, I thought for sure I would go into labor early. Leah, now 4 1/2, was 16 days early, and Jackson, almost 2, was 5 days early...so what's the delay with this one? As each day passed all I could do was think of when this baby would actually decide to come. It was difficult to get anything done, I didnt want to start any projects that would be left unfinished. Everytime I got up to use the bathroom I wondered if my water would break. But no, it never happened. As I passed 40 weeks, the word "induction" krept in. I was due August 2, 2011 and was scheduled to be induced on Aug. 6. That morning I was so anxious to get the ball rolling, but it was delayed until 5pm. Baby was not going to be coming on the 6th. We used to cytotech to get labor started. It worked great! Once labor began, my body just took over, a first for me! I was thrilled. As it got more and more intense I decided to get an epidural, I was able to calm down and focus on the task at hand. Now, we decided not to find out what we were having, so this made delivery even more exciting. As I approached 10 cm I began to get nervous. Even though I had an epidural, delivering a baby is no easy task. Much to my surprise, baby had come down and it was time to push. It was the most calm and controlled event ever. I couldnt believe it! Baby was finally here! I began to cry, my husband did too, and all I heard was my husband saying, "it's a girl!" My baby girl was here! She was so beautiful! She weighed in at 8lbs. 6oz. and was 20 inches long. A full head of black hair and the spitting image of her big sister. What an imediate blessing!

Now, we are home with our day old baby girl, Lucy Joyce. She is such a wonderful addition to our family. We are a family of 5, and it doesnt seem possible. It's so wonderful to see Leah being a big sister, she is such a little mommy. She sings to Lucy and feeds her, she loves to help any way that she can. Jackson likes to give her kisses, but doesnt show too much interest yet. He is pretty busy playing these days. I am a little nervous for when my husband goes back to work. I will be a stay at home mom with 3 kids...and I am not too sure how its going to go. But for now, I am going to soak up this beautiful view of our brand new baby girl sleeping on her daddy's chest. I have a blessed life.

And baby makes 5!

I am 32 weeks pregnant with my third child. I am sure I have mentioned that I have a son and a daughter, so this time around, my husband and I decided to keep the gender a surprise. Nobody, except the good Lord, knows what we are having this time. We are really excited to meet this new little one, and we are surprisingly not anxious at all about "what it will be." Now, just recently we realized just how pregnant I actually am...I am 32 weeks...that means there are only 8 weeks left until my due date. And as we all know, a due date is an estimate. My daughter, who is now 4, was 16 days early. And my son, now 18 months, was 5 days early. So if we follow trend, it will not necessarily be 8 full weeks until this bundle of joy arrives. While realizing this not so new information, we started to panic, just a little bit. We have clothes and blankets for a boy and a girl, so we just thought, we are all set right? We didn't think about the things that we will need to buy or dig out of storage. So, although it was a short list, we started to chip away at it. We are breathing a little easier now that we are getting things organized.

Now, just because we started to get things ready for baby, doesn't mean that reality had hit us full on. Today I had a check up with my OB today. He measures my belly, listens to baby's heart beat, and asks if I have any questions or concerns. I tell him no. He then responds this way. "OK, everything looks great, we will schedule your last 2 week appointment today and then I will see you every week! Have a great day!" Wait a minute, what?! I am going to be seeing you every week...already?! This is real. This is happening. And it is happening so incredibly fast! I have been a stay at home mom of 2 for so long, things have become routine. I am going to have a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a newborn baby at home. We are going to be a family of 5! We are going to have sleepless nights, midnight feedings, emotional siblings, and long days. But how blessed am I that my family is healthy and growing?! There are women that cannot have children of their own. There are families that have children with mild to serious health issues. There are children that have parents that don't want them, or don't care for them. God has blessed my life in ways that I could never have imagined possible. And the best part is, that He blessed me with 3 (almost :)) children to care for and to love, but they are just on loan from Him. Ultimately my children are God's children. He has given them to me as gifts to bring joy to my life. To help me learn and grow with them. What a gift, and what confidence my creator must have in me. So, my growing family of 5, however stressful, however overwhelming, is my joy. Because that is what God intended them to be for me. Thank you Lord for trusting me with your children. I know I fail at times, but you still believe I can do it!

Loss of power is very annoying, mostly for parents. Kids tend to make the best of any situation. Like having a great sleepover with the whole fam at grandmas!

My son Jackson woke up on the emotional side of his crib today. My husband tells him "my boy, my boy" all the to3. Through Jackson's tears he said "o boy o boy"

Today my husband graduated with his associates degree. When my daughter found out we were going, she was so excited! She quickly turned to my husband and said,

"daddy! You're going to get your graduation on!" Haha! She was referring to his cap and gown, she thought his attire was called graduation.

eem to go her way, she says, "aww man!" I know that it is typical for children this age to say funny things, but when its yours, you think they could be on t.v.

nie Mouse, and the cutest little face. She has such enthusiasm about everything! When she receives a gift, she responds with, "oh I love it!" When thing don't s

I realize that every parent feel this way about their kids. But I truly believe my kids are hilarious! My daughter Leah is 4 years old. She has the voice of Min