Thanksgiving!

I don't think I could ever take enough pictures. Especially of this girl. Especially when she is sleeping. ;-)

Tomorrow is the season finale of DWTS. Will you be watching? I will! :-) I am so excited to have Mr. M at home for awhile. Looking forward to the holidays this year and celebrating together as a family.

I know what I am most thankful for this year! So thankful to have this little girl home with us. It is a dream come true.

I think I am over my "two weeks of crying" almost. I have been pregnant enough now to know all my "stages" of postpartum. First, there are the problems with nursing (that lasts about one week, usually). I think I can't do it, then cry about how I am failing, then eventually get the hang of it after lots of tears, drama, and self-loathing passes.

Then there's the incessant crying and "baby blues" phase - although maybe not really baby blues because I cry over everything those first few weeks after I have a baby, even how incredibly happy I am and how I don't feel at all deserving to have such a beautiful child in my life. (Now maybe I can see why Mr. M went back to work two days after the baby was born! Ha!)

And, of course, the lingering physical stuff. Ann (mother of three boys) says that pregnancy for her is one big fraternity party in her body, and when it's over...well, you know what the aftermath of a frat party looks like. So, she says that I've had a big sorority party and I'm left to clean up! Haha! After carrying five babies (6 if you count the baby I miscarried)- I can say that she's right. But I am slowly starting to feel more physically like myself.

But...there's one last thing I am not doing this time around. I am not stepping on a scale until my 6 week postpartum visit. It's just too cruel and won't change anything. Seriously. I just did throw out the rest of the Halloween candy yesterday. I broke up with Reese's Pieces, and oh, do I miss them!!!

We're not doing a traditional Thanksgiving this year...just hanging out as a family. For one, our stove is broken (I haven't been in a hurry to fix that, in case you are wondering! Ha!) Also, two week old baby equals best excuse ever to have a lazy Thanksgiving! And third, Paprika cannot stand Thanksgiving. At all. She doesn't like the smells or the food, and the whole reason we would do a Thanksgiving dinner would be for the kids and their memories. So, if Paprika and Ginger would be happier without it this year (not saying every year, but this year is special), then who am I to stand in the way of their happiness?

So, there ya go. I told Paprika we could have cheeseburgers for Thanksgiving this year (maybe Turkey burgers) and she was soooo happy about that. Ginger is happy about it, too. So, even if we end up eating cheeseburgers and fries this year for Thanksgiving, we'll be together- which makes it the best Thanksgiving of all. A new tradition is born, perhaps? Most importantly, we'll all get the chance to tell one another what we're thankful for. I have a long list this year...

Lately...

I have been having so much fun loving on this sweet baby. I am soaking up all her newborn-ness, because as I have learned, it really does go by so very quickly.

She is starting to "wake up" to the world and become more alert. Here she is at 5 days old (on Monday). I can't believe how much she changes day to day.



My dad and Nancy left on Tuesday morning. That was really hard on all of us. It was just really so wonderful having them here. I told them they could move in! (And I meant it!)



We made some good memories, though, and I am grateful for the time we did have.



And for the few pictures of them I managed to take! Ha! ;-)



Grandma Pat (Mr. M's mom) is here now, and she is also a tremedous help and a blessing. I am still pretty much house-bound with my hip problem and some other postpartum stuff. I seriously feel about 96 years old...but every day I feel a little stronger. I am enjoying just having time to relax and enjoy the baby, and so that's the bright side of it. Slowing down is allowing me to stop and enjoy these very precious moments.

The girls are being GREAT big sisters! It's so wonderful to watch them in action. Paprika loves making cards and drawings for Pavenzia. Here is one she did yesterday:



And Ginger is just smitten with her baby sister, too...especially her "piggy toes" which she always wants to kiss.



I think Ginger's face pretty much says it all in this picture. :-) Happy weekend!

One Week Old!

I can't believe this was us just a week ago. At 5:07pm today, Pavenzia will turn one week old! I took her this morning to her first visit with our new pediatrician (she saw a pediatrician twice in the hospital also). I am happy to say she is almost back at her birth weight now. She is 7 pounds 14 oz, and at birth was 8 lbs. even (I know I said she was 8 lbs. 1 oz, but I read the scale wrong- whoops!) She got a clean bill of health and we don't have to go back until her one month check-up. Yay!

It seems like she has always been in our lives. I cannot imagine a sweeter, more perfect baby. We are adjusting to the change from two kids to three, that is for sure! Ginger has a cold, so I am keeping her separate from Pavenzia. The dog is driving me nuts (like I knew she would- ha!) I am getting almost no sleep...but just loving life at the moment. :-)

Von Trapps or Summer Camp?

My dad and Nancy are leaving tomorrow morning. My dad has been here since November 1st, and Nancy arrived on November 9th (the baby's birthday!)

I have hardly taken any pictures of them with the girls. Mostly because they have been out and about so much, I haven't had the chance!

This morning I sat them down (while the baby was sleeping) and said, "I have got to get a photo!" So they obliged. But Ginger would not and I mean would not have her picture taken. I even bribed her with chocolate. But nope. So, this is the best we could do! Haha! That's real life for ya.



These girls have been soooo spoiled having my dad and Nancy here. Just thinking about everything they do in a day wears me out. Here is a typical day:

Wake up
Take the girls, walk to Trader Joe's (about 1 mile away)
Walk to the park
Feed the ducks
Go the beach
Go out for ice cream
Go to the Aquarium
Go to Target, play in the toy aisle
Put on a circus show at home

Not to mention, they've been walking Paprika to and from school and taking her to swimming (with Ginger tagging along, of course)! Just when I think they can't do more in a day, they are off on another adventure.



I feel like Paprika and Ginger are living The Sound of Music with their own personal Maria, or maybe it's been more like summer camp. Any way you slice it, the girls are having the time of their lives!

I still have to get a picture of my dad and Nancy with the baby before they leave. I would say that I want to get a picture of them with all three girls, but I think that might be aiming too high! Ha!

Now We Are Five!

We got home from the hospital on Friday afternoon. Paprika and Ginger were at the beach with my dad and Nancy. They all stopped home before Paprika's swim lesson and the girls got to meet their new baby sister. They were covered with sand, and hopped right into the bed. Oh well!



Seeing the three of these girls together was probably the most special moment of my life. We had been worried Ginger would take awhile to warm up to the baby (since she's been the baby of the family for two years), but those worries melted away the second they were together. Ginger was so excited and happy to see Pavenzia and has just been the sweetest and most loving big sister ever (well, since Paprika)!



We knew Paprika would be so in love with her sister straight from the start. Paprika does not understand what it means to be jealous, and she is so smitten with her sister, it is unreal.

Paprika kept saying how much she loves her new baby sister...can we keep her forever and ever? Then she said, "We used to be four. Now we are five. I love you, baby sister." That kinda broke my heart in a million pieces.



Ginger kept wanting to give the baby kisses, and kept saying things like, "I used to be the baby. But now I am a big girl. Now I am a big sister and this is my beautiful baby sister. I love you, Pavenzia, so much. So much. So much. I love you. Let me kiss you!"



Needless to say, I have been an emotional mess over it all. I just love all my girls and having these three under one roof is a dream come true...one I've been waiting on for a long time.



Recovery-wise I am doing okayyyyyy. Haha. I dislocated my pelvis (something called Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction...here is a link) - something that also happened prior to Ginger's birth. It happened a few weeks ago and I thought delivery would help, but delivery made it worse! So, I am hoping it gets better on its own. Otherwise, I am going to have to do something about it because it is painful to move and walk. Not a great combination! ;-)



My dad and Nancy have been so helpful with Ginger and Paprika - it is making life with three kids seem manageable. :-)

Mr. M went back to work on Saturday morning - he has two weeks left until DWTS is finished. Then, I am hoping he gets at least a month off work to be home. In the meantime, we are making the most of our evenings together. Last night, he read a story to all three and put the two big girls to bed. That's pretty awesome in my book!



Pavenzia (yes, she needs a new name!) is doing great. We are just settling in and getting to know each other. She is now almost four days old! I have four hours left until she is really four days old- so I am not rushing that!



Just taking in every moment. It doesn't get any better than this!