Birthday celebration

 We were very happy to have my parents come to celebrate Emma's birthday this past week. It felt like a quick visit but we're glad they could make it, even though the weather here was crazy snowy before they arrived. 

Emma is a reading rockstar and is loving chapter books lately. She loves her school teacher and is having a great time at school. She wants to be a dancer and loves to show people her dance moves. Hopefully we can get her in a couple dance classes over the next year. 

For her birthday I got to pull her out of school during her lunch time to have a Jamba smoothie and homemade quesadilla in the van. She came out wearing a paper birthday crown that her teacher made for her which was so cute. She was so happy and enjoyed having out in the van with me. Henry came out of preschool midway through her lunch time so he was able to hang out with us too. We walked her back up to the school so she could make it to recess. 

My mom made chicken pot pies (and vegan pot pies) - of various sizes since I just have 1 pie pan - for dinner, per Emma's request, and made her a yellow cake with fondant decorations. I made and applied the frosting and added berries, and Emma added rainbow sprinkles and candles. 

First birthday with a sister!

Emma is bright light in our family and we love her a whole lot. 

Plus, pictures of our visitors with the littlest!

Christmas day

Christmas we had a good, relaxed day. In the morning the kids went through their stockings, we made and ate breakfast, and then were able to video with my family while opening presents (which took us a while - we are very blessed over here). It was nice to sort of feel together even though we're many miles apart. 

The kids loved the day. My favorite part may have been the kids coming in our room in the morning and Henry excitedly exclaiming "it's Christmas!!" He had been such a grump on Christmas Eve and it made for a not very fun day, so his happy attitude the next day was great. 

 

The aftermath. 

Gwen lately

She has become more aware of her surroundings the past couple of weeks. It's nice to see her looking at things. She enjoys the bouncer now which is great, although she doesn't like to sit in it for more than about 5 minutes. 

She is also getting better at sleeping in her bassinet and does well through the night, usually just waking once or twice. This past week she's actually been sleeping a 6+ hour stint most nights which has been great. 

She likes baths now and doesn't cry during them which is great. She smiles SO CUTE and just yesterday laughed for the first time - at Henry who was making a snorting sound. Ha. 

Her hair is still dark like it was when she was born but the hair that has been growing in seems lighter. 

We love our little Gwen and look forward to getting to know her more as she grows. 

Baby Blessing for #3

 Last month we got to have a few visitors and many family members come for Gwen's baby blessing. Bry's dad and stepmom were able to stay with us for several great days, and my dad and brother came out for the weekend. It was so nice to have them here with us. We decided to have the baby blessing at home and it was a lovely experience. Allison's family and Tom's family were able to come for it and have some dinner (tacos/burritos) with us. It was a little crazy for the couple hours everyone was here - 23 people total was a lot for our downstairs to handle! It was so nice to get to see family, though. Gwen was so sweet and just listened to her daddy as he said the blessing. It was a special weekend. 

Newest addition

Gwen is two months old now. She smiles at us sometimes which is so fun. She likes to be held all the time, and likes to be swaddled for sleep. She isn't a big fan of pacifiers but takes one sometimes. White noise does wonders to calm her. She is a pretty good sleeper at night. 

Emma and Henry are getting more used to her being around. One of them will usually rush to help Gwen calm down (by shaking a noisy toy) when I have left her alone a minute such as to throw away a diaper. Both are good at helping me by getting a diaper or burp cloth if I ask them to. 

Bry actually had paternity leave this time around and took 4 weeks off which was really great. He made sure to get the kids ready and off to school each day and picked them up, could hold Gwen when I needed a break, and got some things done around the house. My mom was a huge help before baby came, while we were at the hospital and the days after we got back. She took care of food, cleaned up things and helped with all three kids. My sister switched off with my mom (arriving the day mom left) and took care of food, cleared junk/papers from downstairs, took photos (see below), and held Gwen. I am so grateful to both of them for coming out. 

Due Date

 The kids didn't have school this morning which was pretty nice and I was able to stay in bed later which was great, so today I feel rested! But no baby yet, so this will be my first late baby. At yesterday's appointment baby's heartrate was elevated so I was sent to the hospital to be monitored (I picked up Bry on the way) and baby's heartrate was back to normal and checked out, so we came back home after a while. 

Mom and I took the kids to a state park for a bit today, and did some grocery shopping in the afternoon. I was worn out by the time we got home. I've had some contractions that feel like minor cramping and a sore back (which maybe is just a sore back?), but nothing consistent or as convincing as the Braxton Hicks I had a few weeks ago. 

Hoping baby comes soon. For now just waiting. So here's pictures of the kids we can see. 

They're the cutest. They voluntarily positioned themselves and called "Cheez-its!" Ha.

I can't remember what he was saying but it was funny.

Bear-crawling over the rocks.

Pumpkin Patch pictures

 We took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch early this year and went opening weekend (the last weekend of September). It was a nice clear day and we had a great time. 

38-week bump