Newborn Portrait Session

A newborn portrait session was gifted to us at my baby shower, and I could not have been more excited! In fact, when I received it I was in tears because I simply LOVE photographs (especially of my cute kiddos)!

We had the honor of meeting Krista and her family on the day of the shoot, and our time with her was like hanging out with an old friend. Isn't it awesome when God sets people like that in your path?! Seriously, I left there thinking, "When I grow up, I want to be just like Krista Albright"! Haha And who wouldn't? Besides being a generally awesome human, she's also magnificently gifted...see for yourself with this sneak peek, more soon:
(p.s. For the record, this is our daughter's first and final nude photo shoot!)

Our 7th Anniversary

Wow, 7 years!

It doesn't seem we've been married that long!


Having a 10 day old baby means not going out on our anniversary, for we wouldn't have a babysitter nor would we take Addison out and about wherever we might celebrate (dinner/movie, etc). Instead, on our anniversary (yesterday) we continued to enjoy family time, and Chris and I dined on Chili's To Go that my sweet hubby picked up after work...yummy!

Seven years, really? Just doesn't seem that long. I guess because we've been busy with job changes, relocating, and purchasing/selling a house. Oh, and growing our family of course! LOL Yes, we've welcomed 3 kids in 7 years...but more than that, we've actually welcomed 3 kids in just 3.5 years! We've had our challenges for sure, as the dynamic of our relationship changes with each different situation we face (work schedules, locations, raising children), and through all the Lord has been generous and patient with us and has blessed our commitments!

I'm incredibly honored to be Chris's wife and the mother of our children, and I look forward to many more years of adventures together!

First Week As A Family Of 5

Addison Olivia was born Friday afternoon, and we were home by Saturday afternoon. We didn't announce the news to the world via Facebook until nearly midnight Saturday, as we wanted to just enjoy some personal family bonding time. My parents & little sister entertained Kyleigh & Josiah while we were at the hospital. Before my parents went back home Saturday evening, our dear friends the Wilkersons popped in to meet our little girl so we all hung out and visited for a few minutes.

Sunday was a beautiful day of just hanging out as a family of five, letting the kids get acquainted, and taking turns napping. Basically we just recuperated, though I totally felt 100%! After a pregnancy with such sickness, the intense back pain, and then baby resting on a nerve that prevented me from even walking without crying, I was thankful to have my basic abilities back and to enjoy playing with my kids and even enjoyed helping with housework again!











On Monday Kyleigh and I took Addison to her first pediatric checkup. Baby girl checked out perfectly well! Since I'm nursing her, of course she lost a few ounces of weight like all breastfed babies do, so we had a weight check scheduled for Wednesday.Kyleigh got sick Monday after dinner, and ended up camped out on a pallet of blankets on the living room floor (so Josiah could sleep in their bedroom undisturbed by her yacking!). The vomiting continued Tuesday, so there was no trace of establishing a family routine...we were just surviving and trying to contain the illness to only one child. Kyleigh saw a doctor on Tuesday, was not dehydrated, but was also instructed not to eat/drink for hours as we waited out the severity of the virus. It was so hard to watch our child writhing in pain and feeling like we were doing nothing to help, but thankfully she woke the next day feeling like herself again (finally, after 2 long nights!) and was able to eat/drink again!So on Wednesday Chris took Addison back to the pediatrician for her weight check...she was at the same weight as Monday, probably because my milk had just come in that week! She wasn't gaining, but wasn't losing either, so we were asked to do another weight check on Friday. Great...Thursday was the day we were most excited and nervous about as a family--it was Chris's last day at home & because of the illness we'd not become as settled as we expected! Also, that morning we toured and enrolled Kyleigh in a preschool! So glad she was feeling better, as we all ventured out to see what was in store for our eldest daughter this Fall!

And on Friday I was flying solo as a mommy of 3 kids ages 3 and under! It was an interesting day as I balanced all feedings, diaper changes for 2, providing lunch, playing, and trying to maintain my sanity on very little sleep all week. Oh, and that weight check up for Addison...still the same, LOL, but she'll pack on the lbs soon enough! Chris also had a long day back to work, as he felt off rhythm and tired from our big week as well. But it was good that he worked that day, as our plan was for me to experiment on my own Friday, then have the weekend together to tweak our routine.

♥Over all, so far so good ♥

Baby Is Born!

BEFORE:

*The News *4 wks *8wks













*12 wks *16 wks *20 wks













*24 wks *28 wks *32 wks














*36 wks *38 wks *39 wks

AFTER:

Addison Olivia was born August 13, 2010 at 2:20pm,
weighing 7lbs 11oz & 20.5" tall.

Addison's birth day was a fabulous experience, one I truly enjoyed and will always cherish. First, it started very early, as Josiah had a nightmare and woke us at 3:45am! OY! Having intense contractions on my own and already scheduled for induction, we left for the hospital at 5:45am. Once settled in, I got to spend the day one-on-one with my husband--that never happens! Chris kept me laughing as I labored for a few hours. It was great to just be together and anticipate meeting our baby girl.

In the morning I'd been 1-2 cm dilated, as I had been for a week, so we didn't know how long it would be before Addison was born...possibly late in the evening. My progress wasn't checked for hours, then around 2pm the nurse discovered I had magically reached 8 cm! Awesome! She began prepping the room with materials needed for delivery, and approximately 2:15pm my doctor entered the room. Then I pushed. Then Addison was born at 2:20pm. Yes, that's right---5 minutes! As always, Chris was the first to hold our baby (I carry our kids for a few months, so he gets a special few minutes with each when they're born!), and of course he got teary-eyed!

Addison is both a great eater and great sleeper, and so incredibly beautiful, too! Kyleigh and Josiah are both thrilled to know their baby sister, and each is amazingly helpful with getting blankets or diapers or whatever may be needed to make sweet Addison happy. While I'm feeding the baby, Josiah even places toys in her empty bassinet so that she'll have something to play with whenever she returns---exactly what Kyleigh used to do for him! We are so blessed to see this joy and excitement in our children, thankful there's lots of kisses for baby sis and no jealousy in sight. Each child is a treasure!

Here are pics from our awesome experience: