21 Days

 

Little Miss C has been in our lives for 21 days now. Those 3 weeks have gone faster than I have wanted them to. She is growing and getting bigger everyday, and I'm not really liking it, to be honest with you. I just want to keep her a little snuggly baby and mug on her as much as possible.

 

 

At her 2 week appointment, Colbie weighed in at 8 lbs. 8 oz (51%) and measured 21.5 inches (85%). Since she had dropped down to 6 lbs 13 oz, I was impressed with how much weight she's gained.... almost 2 lbs in 2 weeks!

 

 

Colbie is such a joy to have around... we all just want to hug her and kiss her and smell her... she is definitely getting lots of lovin' around here... but who can blame us?

 

I was talking to Nate the other day about how much we've changed as parents over the past 5 years. With Ava, I was constantly stressed about what all the books said, and if I was doing everything I was supposed to.... and I was always anticipating the next stage. When she was crawling, I looked forward to when she was walking... and I feel like I missed out on just letting her be a baby.

 

Then Halle came along, and turned our world upside down. I struggled adjusting to 2 kids... partly because it took me a long time to recover, and partly because balancing time between kids is a lot different than just soley focusing on one kid. Ava was at a difficult age, and between working and school and life, I was just frazzled 110% of the time.

 

 

Now that Colbie is here, I feel like I am more mature as a parent. Things that would have stressed me out with Ava no longer stress me out. For instance, I have a load of laundry that needs to folded, bathrooms that haven't been cleaned, my children were in their pajamas (and didn't have their hair combed) until 3:30 this afternoon, and that's only because our neighbor asked if they could go over to his house and play, and my hair has been pulled into a ponytail for the 4th straight day...

but I don't really care. Why? Because today I cuddled with Colbie in my bed after her morning feeding, and then Ava came in and we just chit chatted. I did more cuddling with Colbie while listening to Ava and Halle play Barbies in their room... and then I watched them play "Pouty Lip" on the couch. (Pouty Lip is a game they made up where they basically stand on the arms of the couch and jump onto the cushions while screaming "Pouty Lip!".... and I don't even care that they are jumping on the couch that way. Why? Because it's not the couch we are going to have forever, and because they are giggling and not fighting and because they aren't watching TV.) We also made snowmen out of milk jugs and sorted through their scissors, markers, and crayons...

 

I have cleared our schedule of everything so that we can have these days to just do whatever we want to. Ava isn't in preschool, and I haven't enrolled the girls in any classes because I just want to enjoy this time in our lives before life gets crazy when Ava goes to school next year. I want to be able to wake up when we want to and to lounge around if we want to, or we can go to the library, or to Target, or wherever. Basically, I just want to be free and enjoy time with my kids. We come and go as we please, and I think that's helped me to enjoy Miss Colbie and has made the transition to 3 kids a lot easier.

 

Another thing that has been less stressful is nursing Colbie. With my other 2 girls, I was working, and so I was constantly on a feeding schedule. I had to nurse them right before work, and then worry about pumping, and then nurse her on my lunch break, worry about pumping again, and then nurse her right after work... and when we went out into public I was always worried about what other people would say, so I would go nurse in a bathroom or in my car....

and guess what?

I don't care what people think anymore. Partly because it's against the law up here to say anything to a nursing mother, and partly because everyone nurses in public. Some even nurse without covering themselves. So, if I have to nurse when I'm out and about, I just do it. And it has made a world of difference. I am actually enjoying nursing... somewhat. :)

 

 

Time is such a precious thing. Each moment that passes is another moment closer to the time that my girls will be going out into the wprld and I will no longer be their main influence... and that's a scary thought for me. Our three little girlies are gifts from God, and He has entrusted Nate and I to teach them right from wrong, and to teach them the gospel... and all I want is for them to realize just how precious they are to Nate and I and to our Heavenly Father.