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.