Whirlwind.....

Here is a new post, finally, upon request.


It has been a huge whirlwind since Hannah's birth! I can hardly catch my breath! She had her first Sunday at church the weekend after we came home from the hospital and then that afternoon we had family come into town. After they left we spent some family time together since Heath was off of work. We tried our first outings together like short shopping trips, running errands, and a meal or two out. So far so good in that area. We also had a day at the park for Military Appreciation Day and then this past weekend we made a trip home to TN so my dad could see Hannah along with Heath's parents. None of which had seen her yet. Heath's parents had come up here the weekend of Memorial Day and they had hoped to see her birth and all, but she decided to stay put. And my dad is splitting his time between Atlanta and home right now since he started a new job and is having to prepare their house back in TN for the market on the weekends.

Anyway, Hannah is now two and half weeks old and is doing fabulous. She is a great baby! It seems like the past two weeks have gone by very slowly even though we have been so busy. Maybe it's because we've done so much that is seems as though all of those things should have taken up more time than just the span of two weeks. So in some ways it seems a long time ago that I delivered her. But physically I know it isn't true. Been doing a bit too much it seems. Trying to rest up some today. I have, however, survived my first several days at home alone with three kids! And my first outing! They were much less traumatic than I envisioned them, ha! But man, I can work up a sweat with all the ins and outs of my day! But taking a moment or two out of my day to sit back and take it all in helps me put things into perspective. My kids are beautiful and healthy, hilarious and wonderful! And I wouldn't trade my job for a million bucks! Each baby that has been born into this home has awestruck me for sure. Their tiny fingers, delicate ears, striking eyes, fuzzy hair, their smell and softness! It's utterly astounding how they were knit together in my womb by the Almighty! I am just filled with the wonder of it all when I look at them. I carried them each under my heart and they are my precious gifts and three huge reasons as to why I am on this planet. They give me purpose and joy. So stepping back each day and taking a look at them helps me cope when things are crazy, to laugh through the chaos, and enjoy their childhoods.

Which brings me to a story I heard at church last Sunday about Susanna, the mother of John Wesley. She had 19 children and homeschooled them ALL! But a story about her says that when she needed a moment she would sit down in the middle of the floor and throw her skirts up over her head. And when she did this the children would know she was praying and they would leave her alone. I can picture the scenario and it makes me laugh because I can totally relate and I only have three! God bless her for taking on such a huge task. But the story of her life is amazing and she raised amazing children. I am trying to make sure that when the chaos breaks out in this house that I take a moment to take it to the Lord because there is nothing new under the sun to God and I know it will help me regroup to take my impatience and temper and frazzled nerves to Him when the going gets tough. I don't have the long skirts to throw over my head but I certainly have a bathroom with a lock, ha! And that is the ONLY plan I have for now with three kids! Ha! I still really don't think I realize just how crazy it's gonna get around here sometimes.

But as for Hannah, she is beautiful and a very content baby. Praise the Lord! She is already sleeping well. She settles for the night around 11:00 p.m. and doesn't wake until around 4:00 a.m. to eat. She goes back down and doesn't wake until around 7:30 a.m. So other than having couple of interruptions my sleep has been decent. I pray she doesn't hit a colicky phase in a couple of weeks like Lydia did....that def frazzles the nerves. But overall she sleeps, eats, and poops. She is calm and alert when she is awake and so balancing her and the other two has been fairly easy. I just lack time now more than anything. Trying to keep up with the housework is a little nuts too, but even that seems okay at the moment. Right now she is napping and the other two are watching a movie. So it's pretty quiet. I am using my cleaning time to get on here for a bit, so I will probably be behind today, but that's okay.

So this post has been REALLY LONG! I guess I felt the need to catch all of you up on the past couple of weeks and apparently for me, the incessant talker, that means fill up an entire book. Sorry. Hope some of you stuck with it until the end.....which is now.