Anna Kate's Birth Story - Part 4

On Friday morning, 5.24, my doctor came to see me and immediately I asked him if I could go home and surprisingly he said yes. I was so overjoyed and could not wait to get back home to my big girls! And the pediatrician came and said the same, Anna was perfectly fine to go home with us. All was good. Praise Jesus!

My dad stopped by on his lunch break to finally get to hold Anna, since he didn't get to on the day of her birth.

All ready to go! Get me out of this hospital! Tim and I joked about having a summer baby this time and not having to go outside when it was freezing with our little baby but this day, the start of Memorial Day Weekend, it was freezing! Tim had to put the heat on in the car before we went down to get in. I didn't bring anything but shorts and one long sleeve shirt for myself, thank goodness.

Because of Friday afternoon, holiday weekend traffic, it took us much longer to get home then we thought. Anna didn't make a peep and I slept most of the way.

When we got home, the girls were asleep but when they woke up, I was so happy to see them and they were so happy to see me! 

I didn't get photos of them meeting Anna for the first time but the next day we took some photos of them holding her. Melted my heart. It was a few moments I will never forget. All my girls together. All five. FIVE! They each gave Anna kisses and took turns hold her. Even Emily loved it. She had a fit when her turn was over. Each of the girls did so good. I loved seeing them react to Anna and it's been so cute so see them as the days have gone on with a new baby in the house.

Precious kisses from Natalee to Anna!

As of the recovery this time around, it's been much easier than with the triplets. I can breath so much easier. I'm not falling over fainting walking up the stairs. I can sleep, when Anna allows me to! My scar seems much longer this time, but maybe that is just the bandages, so we'll see when that starts to come off. The pain has been very manageable. I took vicoden and motrin 600's for about a week, and that was it. I've just been taking tylenol or advil now, mostly just for nursing pain still.

Our scale is messed up right now, but I go to the doctor next week and I can't wait to see how much weight I have lost. My tummy is shrinking more as each day passes, but that tummy tuck is still in the back of my mind for one day! When I'm able, I will be starting to exercise to get back into shape from these five babies in 2.5 years!

And nursing, it's going great. I'm breastfeeding her and pumping. I already have quite the supply built up in the freezer and each time I pump I'm getting about 8-10 ounces in about 12-16 minutes. Yeah...crazy, I am a milk maid for sure! I'm sure as Anna eats more on her own, I won't be getting as much pumped milk so I am glad that I have the supply built up. Anna is eating great. She's already looking bigger to me. 

Next up: How it's been with 5 Under 2.5: The first Week, How much the girls Look Alike and My first day alone with all Five (which was TODAY!).

A Letter to my Sister

Dear Megan, 

Today you leave to go back home to New Mexico. You've been here since the end of August, and gosh, did the time just fly by. I remember when you said you would be here until April, and I thought that would be so long and I was so happy. However, it wasn't that long. The time honestly flew by. And I am really sad you're leaving.

You left the week after we got married in May 2009. We said good-by to you the day before we left for our honeymoon in Aruba. And although you've been back a few times a year for a week or so, it's not the same as having you actually live and work here. So in the four years we've been married and had children, this is the longest that I have spent with you, while married to your brother, and the girls have spent with you, as their Auntie.

You've made it such a priority to spend a lot of time with us and it's nice that we are only five minutes away from you. You have come over on nights after you've worked all day and helped out with the girls and it is so appreciated. Thank you for watching them so many times so I could do stuff and run errands, that was always so appreciated. Thank you so much for all the help. Thank you for taking the girls each on little trips with you. There are only a handful of people I trust with them, and you are one of them. Thank you for making them feel special. Thank you for buying them stuff and spoiling them. You are a wonderful Aunt and they are so lucky to have you. 

I love hearing you and Tim talk about your childhood and I even love listening to you guys bicker back and forth as loving brother and sister. I know you love your brother and he sure loves you. He would do anything for you or I, no matter what, but still he will always give the both of us a hard time. It's just those little things that I am surely going to miss.

I am going to miss just hanging out with you. Going places. Shopping. Eating out. Staying up late talking about pregnancies and babies, and all those things the books don't tell you! We both love to cook, and I loved our meal planning during football season each Sunday, and each holiday that has come while you have been here. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it all. Thanks for all the Starbucks coffees too! I loved the time we spent with Mom, just the three of us, or all of us with the little girls too. I loved our trip to PA in December and even though we stayed up waaay too late talking, it was fun...but 5am came way to quick for cookie making! I'll cherish those times we've had just the two of us. I hope we can have many more times together, and with our families. 

I have really enjoyed my time with you; my sister. I don't consider you my sister-in-law, we are sisters. Hands down, no matter what. After all, if it wasn't for you, I would have never met Tim. You are the reason I have my happily ever after, and gosh am I thankful.

I loved having you here. And now that you are half way through your pregnancy with my first niece, I am going to miss you even more. I hate that we live so far away from each other, but I understand the reasons. I can't wait to spoil your sweet little one, just has you have done with all of mine. I will always be here for you, my sister, even if it's just over the phone.

Oh, Megs, I am surely going to miss you so much. We love you, we love you, we love you.

Have a safe trip home!

Lots of hugs and kisses from us all!

Pretty In Heels!

For Christmas, one of the girls presents were play-high-heel-shoes and they LOVE wearing them. They are constantly bringing them to us asking to wear their "shoes". They prance around with their bracelets, cell phones, shopping bags while pushing their strollers. I can barely contain myself, they are so darn cute!

They are so girly and I just LOVE it!

Twinsie Trouble

"The twinsies" are two peas in a pod. They do everything together, side by side. Rarely do I eve need to yell at one without yelling at the other. They are too funny and getting too smart for their own good! I swear they are going to be trouble!!!!

They have really been testing their luck at things. They are so brave and so curios! We have had to rearrange the furniture so they don't climb it just to pull things down off the half wall shelf where all the good stuff is. They have repeatedly done this to get things they aren't supposed to have, so finally I had enough and moved around the furniture. Soon enough they will be tall enough to reach on their own, but not quite yet.

I peeked in on them from the kitchen and found this...

Their problem solving skills are maxed out for their age, I'm sure. Or maybe it's because there are more than one of them, and multiple brains working together to figure out things. I swear, what ever it is, they are figuring things out and how to get what they want so easily and quickly. Not to mention, they are so strong and love to climb.

I then started pointing my finger and saying "no, no, no" and so Claire started saying and doing the same thing. Too smart, these kids.

"It was all Madelynn's fault, Mommy!!!!"

"See, I am a princess!"

And today, I caught them both standing on the yellow chairs throwing every toy and bins around and hitting Natalee on the head with them. Needless to say, the yellow chairs are in the basement in "time out" for an undisclosed time.

Thank you Lord for the wonderful personalities that you have given my children. I love love love each of them and they continue to make me laugh more and more! Amen!

Madelynn, Claire and Natalee: 17 Months!

You all are so much fun! 

You all loved to be chased and love to play outside!

You love love love your pool on our deck and love the one at Nana's house too!

Your favorite place to be in in the swings anywhere. You can swing for over an hour and still scream when it's time to get out.

You love to slide down the slides at the parks by yourselves! You all have no fear! I so love that about each of you!

You are great eaters and sleepers.

You love chicken nuggets, every vegetable and fruit there is and pretty much anything we give you. You all don't care for red meat too much but we keep trying.

You all are talking so much and are very good at following simple directions, like, bring that to Momma or let's go to the kitchen for lunch. Oh how that makes life so much easier.

You all take one nap from 1-4pm.

Finally about 20lbs!

Size 4 shoe

Size 4 diaper

12-18 Month Clothing

Obsessed with her wooden bead toy, loves her lovie and being ticked.

Says "baby", "bye-bye", "hi", "go, go, go", "pretty", "good girl", "ba ba" and "no no no".

When Momma says "share with Mommy?" you will hand me whatever you have and then shake your head and say "good girl"! LOVE IT!

Our strong, brutish, silly girl!

Finally about 20lbs!

Size 4 shoe

Size 4 diaper

12-18 Month Clothing

Loves her lovie, her daddy and to swing!

Says "baby", "bye-bye", "hi", "go, go, go", "ba ba", "beep beep" and "no no no".

Our sweet, sensitive "Lola Mae"

Still about 17lbs!

Size 3 shoe

Size 4 diaper

12-18 Month Clothing

Loves to be chased, tickled, climb things, slide down by herself and her "glowy".

Says "go, go, go", "bye bye", "hi", "gowy" for glowy.

Our little "shrimpy" "peanut" "stringbean" and "Na-Na".

Momma and Daddy love you three more than you could ever know!

...I know I kept this a little short this month...next month I will update more. I rather just play in the moment with my girls than sit here and write about it all the time!

We LOVE our baby sister!

We love to look at her.

We love to poke at touch her eyes.

We love to try and steal her hair bows.

We love to steal her socks and chew on them.

We love to try to sit and climb on play with her.

We love to wave at her.

We love to try to give her high-fives. MELT.MY.HEART!

We love to scream at talk to her.

Madelynn loves to call her "baby".

And we love to steal play with her toys, that used to be ours.

Baby sisters are fun.

Who is This, Mommy?

Claire: "Someone is my swing, Mommy!"

Touching her fingers! So sweet!

Madelynn, Claire and Natalee: You are NINE Months Old!

Ummm...who are these NINE month olds I have CRAWLING around my house and terrorizing each other!?! I'm speechless!

Randoms to Start:

You all know your names so well. I just call you and instantly you look at me and smile! My heart always melts, I can't believe you know your names.
You all raise your arms to be picked up when you want to be picked up or you see me coming to get you. Of course kicking your legs and jumping up and down, if your in the exersaucer is always a must, when you see Momma.
You all still love Baby Einstein and we watch it many times a day, but not as much as we used to, you all rather just play now! We have switched to some of the Baby Signing Times and Sesame Street, You all LOVE Sesame Street!!!!!!!
You love to play peek-a-boo, have me sing you songs, read to you, and you love your doggy (and any other doggy) and will laugh at her all day long!

You are all most content in the mornings, after breakfast and in the evening, after dinner.

You all always wake up smiling and I put you all in one crib and get you dressed, singing "Good Morning to you..." You all love it and love seeing each other in the morning!
By far, you all love bath time with Daddy the most or shower-time with Momma.

Natalee:

 

You have made such progress this past month! I can barely believe at the big girl I see before my eyes! You can sit up now. Your by far favorite thing to do these days is to eat your toes and you HATE when Momma put socks on your feet! You are fascinated with them! (and so are your sisters, because they still eat your feet like crazy!!)
And one day, I just gave you a pacifier since we have like a million and you took it and haven't let go of it since! You can't sleep without it and you absolutely just LOVE it! It has made you whine less and all around much happier. I am sorry it took me so long to offer it to you after I thought you were done with it.

You love cheerios and any people food for that matter! You have tried so many things....bread sticks, olives, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, pasta, rice, apple juice, water...and so much more, but I just can't remember, please excuse my pregnancy brain, Natalee, when you read this one day!

Madelynn:

You are crawling everywhere and getting into trouble all day long! You are such a determined child, I swear! Your favorite thing to do is pull up the floor mat, even though I have a blanket over it and another floor rug on top of it, you always pull up all the pieces and managed to pull it apart (since I wrote that, we have changed the whole area, mainly because I was tired of putting it all back together all of the time!!). You are slowly learning the word "no, no" but you have began to throw fits when I move you and then as soon as you are over it, you crawl right back over to the edges of the mat and go at it again....allllllll day loooooong!

You have started arching your back and throwing mad fits when you don't get your way, which is interesting because you are a "quieter" and a little more reserved than your sisters.
You love to smile at ANYONE and everyone always asks if you are always this happy!

You still have the most hair of your sisters.

You are the bully of the bunch, still. You beat up on your sisters alllll day long and I have to save them constantly!

What Mommy? I'm just trying to get over her, she is in my way!!!

You visited the hospital for the first time on Sunday, 9/11/11 for a bladder infection, with a very high fever. Momma and Daddy were very scared but you did great and smiled the whole time!

You are almost holding your bottle, you do it by yourself most of the time, only sometimes needing assistance! You hold your own juice cup just fine.

You sit up and go from sitting to crawling and crawling to sitting, very easily!

Claire:

You said "dada" for the first time while we were at the beach. You say, "dadadadadadadadadada" a million times over. It's so cute.  You babble constantly and are so loud!

You also went through a phase while we were at the beach where you stuck your tongue out consistently. It was so funny and only lasted about a week.

You love taking your socks off and chewing on them.

You hold your bottle all of the time and your juice cup! You are such a big girl!

Growing:

You have grown sooo much! You are all in size 3 diapers and honestly, I don't think it will be long before we are already in size 4 diapers, in fact I have already ordered some via Diapers For Divas!

You size 1 shoes do not fit anymore, so for fall we are moving to size 2-3. You wear shoes every time we leave the house now, unless we are just going to Grandma and Grandpa's across the street!

You are in size 6 month (Natalee) and 9 month (Madelynn and Claire) sleepers.
Your daily outfits are between 6 and 9 months but all of the stuff I am buying for fall is all 9 months and fit all of you fine, but for after your birthday, I'm sure you'll be in 12 months. I am so happy that you girls are finally catching up to your age in your growth! Most of the 6 month stuff is getting too small but since most of it is summer stuff, I am just trying to stretch it through the warmer fall days.

Stats:

At the doctors on Friday for our 9 Month check-up:

Madelynn:

Birth: 3 lbs. 14oz.

9 Months: 15 lbs. 12 oz. (7th percentile)

Birth: 16 1/4 inches

9 Months: 27 inches (25th percentile)

Claire:

Birth: 3 lbs. 14 oz.

9 Months: 16 lbs. 3 oz. (15th percentile)

Birth: 17 inches

9 Months: 27 inches (30th percentile)

Natalee:

Birth: 2 lbs. 13 oz.

9 Months: 13 lbs. 14 oz. (just barely off of the "normal" curve)

Birth: 15 3/4 inches

9 Months: 25 1/2 inches (5th percentile)

Sleeping:

We haven't had to use the "time-out" crib at all this month! Amen! In fact, we have even put it back in the attic, for now, until Little Miss gets closer to arriving!
Natalee, you have been sleeping in your crib, on your belly for naps and have been doing wonderful! You sleep great for at least 2.5 hours! At night, you are still the first, normally to go to bed (or want to go to bed) and you go down great, on your belly and with your paci, it has helped soooo much.

You all go to bed around 7:00pm and sleep until somewhere between 7:00am and 10:00am, it just depends on how many times you wake up during the night. Normally, you each don't wake up more than once, but sometimes twice.

You all love your lovies and will not sleep without them!
We also lowered your cribs to the bottom level since you are all sitting up and were starting to pull on your mobiles.

Eating:

You all eat great! Madelynn, you get 4 ounces of fruit and cereal and a yogurt in the morning, normally between 8:00am-9:00am. Claire and Natalee, you get about 1/2 of a cup of banana oatmeal cereal with about 1/4 cup of fruit mixed in. Madelynn, you still refuse to eat the baby cereal. Natalee, you LOVE your cereal in the morning and scream bloody murder for it each and every day! You open your mouth and grunt like a bird, and it's literally gone within minutes! You are so funny! Madelynn, you are the least interested in breakfast, just like your Momma!
Natalee- you had cheerios for the first time on 9.12.11, and you love love love them, along with any other people food you've had so far! Madelynn, you love cheerios too! Claire, you gag on them in two seconds.
You all LOVE your juice/water! Claire, you will lay on the floor and drink your juice for like 30 minutes. It's so darn cute!!!!!!!

For lunch, around 11:30-12:30pm, you each get about 4 ounces of a veggie and a bottle of about 8 ounces.

Bottle, 8 ounces, around 3:30pm-4:00pm.

Dinner, around 5:00pm-6:00pm, you each get 4 ounces of a veggie w/ some sort of meat, and then a fruit, about 4 ounces of that. Sometimes, if I run out of fruit, I will give you cereal, but normally I just give you cereal in the morning.
Bottle, 8 ounces around 7:00pm, or sometime you go to bed not wanting a bottle and then wake up around 10:00pm to have it, which is fine because I am normally still up then.

Natalee, you love the Baby Mum-Mum Rice Vegetable Rusks. I gave you each one on 09.08.11 and you ate the whole thing in five minutes and your sisters couldn't even get one bite down before gagging. You on the other hand, have no problem! You love them! You do so much better with textured food or real people food than your sisters do. Claire, when you get something on your tongue that has a texture, you stick your tongue out right away and let it fall off. You are so funny!

You all want anything Daddy or I have. Whether it's food or our phones, the remote, a napkin, anything...you want it. You watch us eat and stare at us like you want it all for yourself! I can't wait until we can give you people food all of the time!

I have started also giving you shredded chicken, for the first time this past weekend. It was a rotisserie chicken from Costco and of course Natalee loved it and Madelynn ate it and Claire wanted no parts of it. I shredded the whole chicken and divided it up in bags and froze it for later use.

More Randoms:

This month we did so many fun things!
We went to the beach for the first time! You all LOVED it!
You went to the zoo for the first time on 09.16.11 for the Lockheed Martin Picnic with Momma, Daddy, Gammy, Grandpa, Aunt Christine and Uncle Nate!

You went to your first Poolesville Day on 09.17.11 and everyone was so happy to see you!! You loved watching the parade and all the people walking by all day!!

You went to Smokey Glen Farm to the Shady Grove Fertility Clinic Family Picnic on 09.18.11.
Nana made you fresh applesauce with apples from our favorite market.
We bought your Halloween outfits! :)

You were featured in a Hyundai commercial!

You went to your first Poolesville High School Homecoming Football Game on 09.24.11.

We officially know if you have a brother or a sister coming in January...and, it's a sister!
Mommy has ordered all of your birthday stuff! It's all handmade and going to be gorgeous!!! I am so excited to share details soon!