Newborn Chronicles

Well, they say that the third time is a charm. And I have to admit that so far that seems true. Don't get me wrong, we are still facing the typical newborn dose of sleep deprivation, erratic schedule, and general lack of routine, but somehow I have been much calmer this go around. It helps to be in a house that has plenty of room for all 5 of us, and I think I am generally less anxious about things. Between Jackson and Charlotte, I have seen/experienced much of what babies can throw at their parents.

And little Kendall is already 2 weeks old. A little snap shot into our world since March 26th...

Jackson has been acting up quite a bit. Little man just had his routine, mommy time, and world in general turned upside down. But slowly he is returning to his normal self...thank goodness.

Charlotte adjusted within 2 days. I think she has been so excited to have visitors and most of all more time with Daddy, that she is seeing this older sibling gig to be advantageous after all. :)

B is crazy busy with work but has graciously stayed home several mornings so that I can snag a couple more hours of sleep before tackling all 3 kiddos. Life saver.

Kendall is growing and being adorable. Poor thing has been congested and therefore had some rough nights, but she is so calm overall that I can forgive her for those. :)

And me... I am really soaking up Kendall being tiny while I can, so those quiet early mornings I have with her are precious. Of course unless Jackson hears her crying and comes out to chat it up and ask for candy...crazy boy. I definitly have had a bit of a foggy brain lately though: pouring juice for J and giving it to C, buying seeded grapes when I could have sworn the sign said seedless, and walking into rooms quite a lot only to forget what I was doing. Alas. How is having 3 kids you ask? Well, so far so good, but it is a little harder for me to get the basics done, i.e. eat, sleep, stay hydrated. Praise the Lord for all the sweet families that have brought us meals because I am pretty sure we would all be starved if it weren't for them. Either that or living on smoothies, eggs, and PB and J. These munchkins sure keep life interesting, and I sure love them for it.

Kendall Wynn

Kendall Wynn was born March 26th at 1:02am, weighing 8 pounds. So glad she is finally here!

Our biggest baby...8 pounds!

Love at first sight

The Crew

3 generations of ladies

Daddy's girl from day 1

Uncle Stephen, our first visitor

"Mommy, your belly is smaller" :)

First meeting

Cannot wait to get her hands on baby sister

Big brother, you can tell he has done this before

Charlotte watched for a while

Our new family of 5!

Daddy and his babies

And the feet obsession begins

Charlotte's turn to hold her

Protective older brother

sweet face

Love those feet

Hello Kendall Wynn

So precious

Our sweet Kendall Wynn is finally here!
Here is the labor/delivery story if you are interested...I had contractions for most of the week, and was wondering when things were going to really kick into gear as we passed my due date on the 23rd. Jackson and Charlotte were both 3 days early, so this was a new experience for me. Uncle Stephen drove in from College Station on Friday and about an hour after he arrived to watch the kids, I started legit contractions. We went into the hospital about 2 hours later and were checked into my room by 8pm. I was 4cm when we got there and 2 1/2 hours later, I was 5cm. The midwife broke my water at 10:45pm and Kendall was born 2 hours later! It was a very intense two hours, but just like with Charlotte, I recovered quickly. As soon as she was born, I started crying and all I could say was "I love you" over and over. And I do. She is a sweet baby girl...very calm and yet alert. We just think she is perfect. :)

So, life at home so far...We got home on Sunday evening, and the kids were beyond excited. Charlotte initially was wanting me to hold her and seemed upset about this major change in her world. But within a couple days, she and Jackson settled in (as much as they can) and have realized that they will not be slighted in the love department with the arrival of Kendall. Brandon has stepped up big time with Jacks and Chars, as well as with cleaning, cooking, and grocery shopping. He has this place running like a well-oiled machine and has continued to work on top of that. Such a stud. I am trying to ease back into mothering all three kiddos, although sleep deprivation is the name of my game at the moment. My cup of coffee gets me through the morning, a short nap gets me through the afternoon, and a lot of prayer gets me through the nights. :) But I know Kendall will only be tiny for a short time, so I am soaking it up. It is amazing how relaxed I feel with her. I think after having done this a couple times and being in a relatively peaceful stage of life helps though.
As for the other kiddos...Jackson has been kinda crazy since his routine is way off and we have visitors in and out a lot. He has been begging me to go to school, so I am going today to sign him up for next year. I think we will start with 2 days a week for him and 1 day a week for Charlotte and see how that goes. The two of them just need some activity and they will be very happy. Charlotte has turned a corner in the last few weeks and is asking lots of questions and in general becoming quite inquisitive. She speaks very well, but doesn't just constantly talk like Jackson did. It is always funny to hear her pronounce something perfectly out of the blue. I think she will take after Brandon in that way...slow to speak and extremely inquisitive/observant. Well, better wrap this up. Having 3 kids will be an adventure, but so far I love it.

Charlotte's 2nd birthday and random pics

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Birthday Girl on her new bike

Playing with her balloons

Reading with Emmy

Getting ready for the party!

Chowing down

Cooper eating his favorite...blueberries!

Looking for Easter Eggs...a little practice round.

Found one!

Down the slide

Birthday girl with rosy cheeks.

The cake...tres leches! Yummy.

Happy Birthday to Charlotte!

Enjoying her cake

Mom is always taking pictures

Jackson recreated the cake so he could blow out candles. :)

presents

Charlotte and Mommy...cannot believe she is 2!


Random pictures I just found...

he falls asleep everywhere

pumpkin patch from the fall

hilarious face from Jacks

reading with grandmommie


Well, we celebrated Charlotte's 2nd birthday a week early so we wouldn't be trying to party while I am having her baby sister! It was so fun to have family here and she enjoyed all the company. This will be the last year that she has a party all to herself most likely! :) We sure love our little lady with all of her independence and yet sweet demeanor. Cannot imagine our family without her...our little angel. Happy Birthday Char Char!!

Waiting.

I am 39 weeks as of yesterday, and now we are just waiting for our baby girl to arrive. It is always difficult at this point in pregnancy to imagine how much our life will change as soon as she comes. I have once again found a rhythm in our little life with Jackson and Charlotte, and I know we will find a new one with baby #3, but who knows what that will look like. I do feel peaceful this week, knowing that so many things have changed since I had Charlotte. We get to bring a baby home to a house for the first time (that is reason to celebrate)! And Jackson and Charlotte are best friends, so they entertain each other and are very helpful to me. So hopefully this will be a pleasant transition for me.

We had Charlotte's birthday party last weekend (one week early) and she will be 2 on Monday. It has been a quick two years, but I have enjoyed every minute of Chars as a baby. She just seems to have turned into a little girl overnight, talking up a storm and having definite opinions about things. :) We moved her into a toddler bed on Sunday, so for the first time in 3 years, our little travel bed is not being used...at least for 5 months that is. I think once she potty trains, I will not be able to deny how much my little ones are growing up.

So we are soaking up that last few days as a family of four and getting as much sleep as possible! She will be here any day now!!