Life After Baby

first of all, this was our pathetic attempt at a birthday party for shaeya on monday night.
5 candles in a half-eaten cake. and we totally forgot to give her her present (a wooden bead set and a shirt with horses on it) until she was getting ready for bed. so she opened it in her underwear. no picture :)

thankfully my sister had planned a party for her on sunday with her friends and some family-
they all went to the circus, and she had a GREAT time. i heard all about all the different kinds of horses there, and she is now telling people she wants to be in the circus when she grows up instead of being a vetratarian......





wren's first bath- i think she enjoyed it- i got her all nice and clean and then she puked all over herself......she's an angel, but she sure pukes a lot.
she saw the doctor on wednesday and she weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces. so she's getting plenty to eat. maybe a little too much.






and as for the others......we've had our ups and downs. they're all adjusting in their own ways.
if i thought tekoa was wild before, she's times 10 now. trying to get into things to get my attention, and if i don't notice, she'll tell on herself. and she's peeing her pants all the time.
but- she loves wren, and she's trying to fit in more with tyden and shaeya. she seems so grown up, and just really big, and she's talking alot more- really trying to put more sentences together. it's hilarious.







suprisingly, shaeya has handled it all pretty well. now that school's done and we're just home everyday i let her wear whatever she wants. it's a battle i'm choosing not to fight right now (i hope i don't regret this in the future). so she's wearing her new horse shirt. and i'm slightly embarrased to admit that she's been wearing it everyday. okay, she hasn't taken it off yet.
since monday. but she's happy.




and then tyden. usually my easiest, most laid back child. he's having a hard time- he's very emotional about every little thing. he's teasing the girls constantly. he's forgetting everything i tell him.
we're fully aware that we expect a lot out of him because he's the oldest and he's a boy, and we're really trying to make sure he gets one on one time everyday. dave's been throwing frisbees with him every night, and i make sure i hold him for awhile everytime he comes to me crying.
it doesn't help that he's also transitioning from being at school all day to being at home all day. he gets bored. and the girls and i take a nap everyday, and it's pure torture for him to be alone during that time.
but after this week, he and shaeya will have 2 weeks of vacation bible school, so maybe that'll help.




with all that aside, the rest is going great.
wren has been sleeping really good the last few nights, and last night she actually slept 5 hours straight. i feel wonderful today.

and i'm quickly (re)learning how many other things you really can accomplish while you're nursing a baby. answering a phone, wiping a bottom, breaking up a fight, holding a crying 7 yr. old, reading a book to 3 others, putting all the wipes back into the container......




this is wren's first time in the sling. she thinks she's in heaven. i just got it out yesterday, and i already can't imagine life without it :)


i feel so content and blessed and SO THANKFUL for where God has brought us. i think back to all the time we spent trying to get pregnant. i think about the 2 babies we lost. i remember wondering if God was really hearing our prayers, and if i somehow had to "earn" an answer.

but now i'm seeing part of the beautiful picture that He was seeing all along. and i see how he has changed us and is still changing us into the parents that these children need. and he has given us a love for each other that surpasses anything i thought possible.

and i'm trying so hard to hold on to each moment with these little ones because i know how quickly time will steal them away......