Paige’s First Week

I know she’s only a week old, and she is still going to change, but so far, Paige is really the sweetest and most laid-back baby we’ve had. She’s also the only baby that has actually nursed (and nursed well) right after birth. She doesn’t cry much, and only if she’s hungry (and sometimes tired). She is very snuggly and sleeps well at night. I am now seeing why some people enjoy newborns so much!

Paige’s first time in the swing:

We had lots of family at our house the weekend we came home from the hospital.  Meeting 2 out of 3 great-grandmothers:

Precious face!

Russell is doing so well with this transition. Meredith is a little unsure about everything. She is a big mommy’s girl and is definitely missing some of that attention. But she always loves having Bogie around : )

Oh Mimi, how we love you!! She is THE BEST to me after having a baby: she makes all the meals, grocery shops, stays up with the baby when she’s fussy at 2 am (but hasn’t had to do that much with Paige), plays with the kids – in short, does absolutely everything anyone needs. I always have a meltdown when she leaves because she’s so good to us!

We (mostly Mimi) gave Paige her first sponge bath. Again, she was hungry and unhappy – but the timing worked for us – sorry Paige!

Russell wanted to help – he basically had to just watch since Paige was so upset.

Clean and in her Paige nightgown!

First time on her activity mat! She loved it and really watched all of the toys while I shook them at her : )

And one picture of my mom and Russell:

It has been such an awesome (and of course crazy) week.  We’ll see how things go tomorrow with just our family of 5!

In the hospital

Time is precious over here! Just a quick post while Jason has the kids out at the pool and the baby is sleeping…

Here’s Paige freshly born:

She did pass some meconium in the womb so Jason and the doctor were calling her our “little green baby” (obviously she turned out fine, although I forgot to ask the apgar scores):

A photo with our pediatrician:

Being weighed and measured:

First bath! She was very unhappy because she was hungry.

All clean (and fed)!

Meeting big bro and big sis:

“cheese!”

We left the hospital after 24 hours, which was wonderful. Actually, our whole experience was much more pleasant this time. I think they may have left us alone more because it’s our third child and we weren’t having any issues. But we were still glad to get back home – nothing like your own bed to sleep in!

Welcome, Paige Emily!

Little Miss Paige is finally here!

I was induced on Thursday morning, 7/18. We got to the hospital right at 7 am and started pitocin and my antibiotic for GBS (which I had with Russell also). The doctor broke my water around 8:45, and I decided to get the epidural around noon. I had the urge to push around 4 pm, and Paige was born at 4:16!

8 lbs 5 oz, 21.25 in long, 13.25 in head circumference. She has some blonde/brown hair (plus a dark tuft in the back just like Meredith had) and dark blue eyes that are sure to turn brown.

Russell and Meredith came to the hospital on Friday to meet her! They were so excited and so sweet and loving with her. Meredith’s frequent words are, “Can I take care of her?” – meaning, hold her/talk to her/rub her hair, etc.

Our first photo as a family of 5:

Two of our friends from church delivered babies the day before Paige was born! We did not get to meet miss Mary Mae in the hospital, but she is also a third child, with an older brother Russell’s age and an older sister who’s 14 (?) months. But we did get to meet little Keane, pictured below with his dad Lee:

So far, Paige is a very sweet baby! She looks JUST like Meredith did. She does not like getting her diaper changed, but we have also noticed that she’s having a reaction to Pampers, so maybe switching brands will help. She is a champion nurser and a good sleeper, although she’s waking up a bit more and therefore is a bit harder to put to sleep now. She did drop too much weight before my milk came in (down to 7 lbs 13 oz), but now she’s gaining it all back.

Precious Paige, you are so loved!

Russell’s 4 year photos

I love my sweet 4-year old. It was so easy to take photos of him tonight. He was so cooperative and sweet, and he has the best smile! Here are my favorites:

Love that boy!

Last days before Family of 5

My induction is scheduled for tomorrow morning! So much for third babies coming faster – all my babies seem to really like it in there! My due date was Saturday. Here’s a picture from Monday evening (40w 2d):

I have crossed everything off my list to get ready for baby! Car seat, bouncy seat, swing, crib have been cleaned; 10 dinners and 4 breakfasts are in the freezer (on top of the amazingly helpful meals we get from our church and our parents); hospital bag is packed; the nursery has Paige’s initials and places for her pictures instead of Meredith:

Also, Russell and Meredith have been sharing a bedroom for a few weeks now. I was so nervous about it, but it was such a smooth transition! We put them to bed at the same time, after our normal bath/PJ/brush teeth/read book/pray routine. They might talk for a few minutes, but that’s it. They know not to get out of bed (after they tested it out a couple times), and they have not had any problems sleeping all night. Russell used to wake up crying from nightmares sometimes, but that has not happened at all since they’ve been sharing a room! I think he’s comforted just knowing someone is in there with him. Meredith is doing wonderfully sleeping in a big girl (toddler) bed. She did fall out of bed one night, but otherwise, no problems. I do think she misses her crib and her room a little – sometimes she asks to get in the crib, and when I tell her to look for something in her room, she still goes to the baby’s room - but she has done well with the changes.

We’ve also been trying to have lots of fun as we wait for Paige!

We had false labor this past weekend, so Kacki and Paw Paw came up and stayed close by. Kacki and I made cow costumes for Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A:

Today, we went to a bounce house! We haven’t been in a couple months or longer, and the kids were so excited! I wanted to do something they would love before everyone’s lives go haywire for a while I got a picture when they stopped to eat a snack – besides that, they were in constant motion!

I guess for Type A people like Jason and me, a scheduled induction is not such a bad thing – but I am definitely DONE being pregnant – especially in July! My wedding rings came off a long time ago (but not long enough, because I had to use ice water and butter to get them off!) and I have pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel like I did with Russell, which is driving me crazy. But all in all, I do know how blessed I am to have relatively easy pregnancies. We’re ready to meet you tomorrow, little girl!

4th of July

We had a busy and fun 4th today. Look at these two patriotic cuties!

In the morning, we went to the parade downtown. The kids really enjoyed it. I think that was due in no small part to the amount of candy the parade performers gave to them ; )

Russell said his favorite part was seeing a little daschund dressed as a hotdog. Mine and Jason’s favorite were definitely the 3 small bands that played along the parade route. Meredith just agreed with what the rest of us said : )

After the parade, we had a couple hours of down time at home. Then I let Russell skip his nap to go to Grandmother’s house, where Pops and Mimi, and Uncle Jon, Aunt Meghan and Ella had driven for a short visit! Russell got to hold his baby cousin and meet her for the first time!

Melt. My. Heart. When did he get so big?! Fastest (and slowest) 4 years ever.

And  for the rest of the afternoon/evening, we met at a friend’s house for a cookout!

Mmmmm…hot dogs, chips, watermelon, corn on the cob, baked beans, and cake – perfect 4th of July meal!

Like last year, we let the kids try some sparklers! I was quite happy with how careful they were.

What a great 4th of July! We’re so thankful for all the freedoms we enjoy!