BACK TO SCHOOL

It’s that time again. SCHOOL TIME!! I can honestly say I have been looking to this because it has a meaning. This time means stability, consistency, and regularity. All of which is something we haven’t had in months. I need this… we ALL need this. A little stability is a good thing. So back to school is a 3 part series. Thursday was Kalea’s first day but because Kindergarten has “staggered entry” Mia was not able to ride the bus with her big sister. She was a little bummed by this but she was okay the rest of the day.

Elementary School around here starts E.A.R.L.Y. We had to be out at the bus stop at 6:55am. Not an easy task when you’re up all night nursing a baby. However, it is nice that Landen is still asleep because I can take the girls to the bus stop and Landen and the baby can sleep (while Christian studies and gets ready for class at 8am). It’ll be a little bit of a challenge until the baby starts to sleep better, but I’m not holding my breath on that. And on the plus side, they get out of school at 2:30 which I love. Kalea has a good friend, Paulina, who lives 3 doors down and is also in her class this year. I have a feeling they are going to be GREAT friends.

Mia had her first day of school on Friday. It was a short day (mostly an orientation) and Mia was excited, then nervous, then excited again when I picked her up. She even showed me a cute little banana dance that the class learned. It was adorable and relieving to see her be such a big girl. She’s come a long way from that little girl who grabs my leg and screams anytime anyone came near her. She still can be a bit weary until she’s comfortable… baby steps.

Mia will go the full day on Monday with Kalea on the bus. She’s really excited about that part. I told Kalea she needed to sit with her sister (I think it kind of bummed her out, but that’s what siblings are for). Anyways, thus the 3 part series.

Can you tell Landen was rearin to go (he’s the one with the red hat)? He really wants to be big like his sisters and go to school. He REALLY wants to ride the bus. I have a feeling it’s going to be a challenge keeping him entertained while they’re gone. They are SO good with him and help me a ton. It’ll be lonely without them but I’m excited to hear about their day when they come home. And while they’re gone I have a feeling we’ll be HERE a lot.  It’s the playground in our apartment complex. It’s geared more towards littler kids so it’s perfect for him.

WHERE WE ARE…

THIS is Baity Hill, our new home. I haven’t taken pictures of the inside yet. Mostly because I either have A) a baby in my arms or B) it isn’t ever tidy enough for me to take a picture yet. It will come, be patient with me.

Most of life has slowed down significantly which I am VERY VERY grateful for. June-August has been such a tornado of chaos that I’m ready for boring nothingness to take over. We’ve been enjoying the last few days of summer and spending some time with my grandparents who were in town for Uncle Lane’s wedding reception. We weren’t able to visit quite as much as I would have liked because of the move and having a newborn, but I think they understood. I was able to take a few pictures while they were over. They really do enjoy the time with the kids and you can tell they cherish every second.

My mom took this picture of me and the kids while they were over. I didn’t realize how exhausted I look.

We’ve had some good friends come and visit us since the move. They are so awesome to think of me all the way out here. it’s not a short drive, that’s for sure. Suzanne came with her girls and I was in awe of her sweet little Abby who was content just laying in the Boppy or swinging in the swing. I can’t wait for that time when I have a few minutes to accomplish something… anything. Lisa came by with Katy and hung out with me on my birthday. I have to mention that these girls know me SO well because they both brought me fast food for lunch. Yes, I know I’m disgusting but I LOVE IT. I miss my friends so much, it’s been hard not having some of my best friends a quick drive away. *sigh*. But it’s still been a good adjustment and am really happy where we are.

ADJUSTING

We’ve now been living in Chapel Hill for a little over a week. It has been a bit of an adjustment, but not really as much as I originally thought. The day we moved in the girls found little friends to play with in the hall way. All I have to do is prop the door open and peak out to keep an eye on them. It started off as 2-3 friends. Now when I peak out there can be up to 8-10 kids all running and playing. They take their scooters and ride their bikes. It’s pretty funny. Kalea has actually learned to ride a two-wheeler (without training wheels) in the hall. There are certain rules they have to obey and if they break those rules then they aren’t allowed out the next day. It’s been pretty awesome for them.

Christian has started Medical School and has dived in face first. I think it’s a bit overwhelming at times. He has class from 8am until 3pm or 5pm, depending on the day. It’s a lot like having a full time job except when he’s home he locks himself away to read, study, and watch lectures. At least he’s home. I ask for help when I absolutely need it, but for the most part we try and leave him alone. He seems a tad bit stressed but he likes to be challenged. Ask… and ye shall receive.

I’ve just been trying to balance 4 kids, keeping a tidy home (much easier with such little space), keeping up with laundry (not as easy with 6 people in the family). It hasn’t been too bad. Baby Alana LOVES to be held. The minute I put her down she’s wide awake and not happy. She is such a little snuggler. Her nights have gotten much better where she doesn’t have long stretches of fussiness. I’m, of course, not getting much sleep but certainly happy to have a happier baby. However, dinner time is he her new fussy time. This basically forces Christian to take a break while I make dinner. It’s just one big balancing act.

The girls start school this week! Mia got to meet her new teacher and see her school as a big Kindergartener. She’s excited but was a bit shy when she met her teacher. I’m sure she’ll come out of her shell in a week or so. Kalea met her teacher too (both teachers are SUPER young and new). Kalea looked like an old pro and felt totally in her element. Kalea goes for the first day on Thursday. Mia follows on Friday with a half day and then a full schedule on Monday. The only rough part is that their school starts SO EARLY. Oh well, I’m up anyways.

Landen is doing well. He loves to run the halls with his sisters. He’s become a little more impatient with everyone, which probably just comes with the territory of being 3. He’s a handful at times, but is still my sweet little man. He got all 3 Toy Story movies and guess what we’ve been watching non-stop since. It’ll be interesting to see how he does when his sisters are gone all day. He may really love having the one on one time with me. I know I’m looking forward to it (minus the help. the girls are a HUGE help).

Well, that pretty much sums it up. Nothing earth shattering but exciting and new.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LANDEN!!

I didn’t get a chance to blog about Landen’s 3rd Birthday yesterday. Life has been a bit crazy trying to balance everything. We of course did not neglect our little man and his special day. He had such a fun time on Thursday. It started with him picking out a special cereal for breakfast (we have no time for fancy breakfasts’ nowadays). Then for lunch his Aunt Celeste picked the kids up and took them all to the park (along with her 7 kids… what a brave woman!) They had a picnic and played all afternoon and came home with Frosties and bubbles in tow. The kids had a blast. That afternoon, we took a walk, blew some bubbles, and spent time together until Daddy came home. When Christian got home we celebrated with cake (chocolate of course) and sang Happy Birthday to our special guy. Christian was a bit nervous about the candles (we’ve heard horror stories about the fire alarms in this place). That didn’t deter us because if you know Landen you KNOW he loves to blow out some candles! We opened up presents and it was all about Lightning McQueen this year! He got 8 new cars and a little car port with a slide attached. He was in HEAVEN! We didn’t take pictures but Christian got it all on video. We have been a little slack in the photo area, I’ll have to get better at that.

Happy Birthday Landen!! We love you so much… You bring so much laughter and fun into our lives. You are our little prince and are so happy you are in our family.

SAY CHEESE BABY!

So after day 2 of Baby Alana being home Christian asked me if I was going to take any pictures of her. It had kind of slipped my mind. Here is my attempt at baby pictures of little Alana. She looks like a perfect little angel to me.

SHE’S HERE!

I figure I should blog about Alana’s birth story before I forget all of the details. Our newest little princess was born on Tuesday, July 26th at 1:41pm. She was 7lbs 2 oz. My biggest baby by one ounce! I was only in labor for 5 1/2 hours and delivery took 7 minutes! And here’s how it went…

I had informed my OB practice that Christian would be starting Medical School on August 8th. We wanted to make sure this little girl was born before school started and insurance ran out. So we scheduled my induction for Tuesday. I was REALLY hoping to go into labor before then but it didn’t happen. Which turned out to be kind of a blessing because everyone ended up getting a stomach bug and we didn’t want a new baby around all that. Feeling weak from the stomach bug, I ended up getting a really good night’s sleep Monday night for my induction early Tuesday. Christian and I showed up at the hospital around 7:30. I filled out paperwork and headed up stairs after 8am sometime. I don’t think my labor actually started until after 9am sometime. And I don’t really count it because they hooked me up to Pitocin and my contractions were every 10 min or so. Obviously nothing exciting. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me my epidural and then Dr. Bernstein broke my water. That’s when the REALLY FUN stuff starting happening. Apparently my epidural only worked on my left side because I could feel EVERYTHING on my right side. I’m a liar, not fun at all. They called the anesthesiologist back in and he upped my dosage a bunch of times and they rolled me to my right side which worked… and just in time. Within minutes I knew it was time and boy was I ready. The doctor barely had time to get his gloves on before she came. What’s even better is that Christian was REALLY involved this time. He saw EVERYTHING. Everything that he’s hidden from behind my bed during the other 3 previous deliveries with the kids. He even cut the umbilical cord. Dr. Bernstein is a “teaching doctor” and did his residency at UNC so he and Christian had lots to chat about. I can safely say this is one of the easiest deliveries I’ve had and to see our little angel was amazing.

            

She’s a squirmy little thing. When people would ask me if she kicked a lot… it’s was more like full on gymnastics. She’s definitely a Simpson/Alo mix. I can tell with her little personality that she wants what she wants… and she wants it NOW. A few people have said she favors Mia the most. It should be interesting to see how much she changes and really get to know her. The kids adore her already… as do her parents.                                         

Some of the highlights:

• I was asked on 3 different occasions if I was Hispanic or Cuban.
• Christian talked with my OB for an hour or so about medical school and gave him different tips or advice. As did my Anesthesiologist. Through Christian’s perspective I’m pretty sure this labor was much more “productive” than just waiting around for me to pop the bay out.
• Our nurse thought we were the funniest and cutest couple. She was right.
• Everyone thought this was our first baby. When we said it was our 4th jaws dropped. I think it really confuses people.
• Favorite phrase: “Most moms want the slime.” (In reference to when the baby comes out. I like them to be wrapped up first before I hold them.)

The kids came to visit me at the hospital. They absolutely adored their sister at first sight. They also like the free graham crackers and apple juice they got from the nurse. They played and hung out with me for a little while and then headed back home with daddy. Being at the hospital was like a vacation to me, because I knew as soon as I got home the real work would begin.
                  

                  

                 

We’ll have to do a family picture soon when we get a chance. Our little family isn’t so little anymore. We’re a big family of SIX! What a great number.