7 weeks

Hadleigh is 7 weeks old today. I have enjoyed 7 weeks of maternity leave with the easiest baby God could have given me. She is pretty close to perfect.

I go back to work tomorrow. I am not going to lie. I am nervous, anxious and sad. BUT I counted last night and I only have 45 days left until the summer. 44 with students. That's nothing!! Plus, Mom and Dad will have Hadleigh and she will be WELL taken care of (aka spoiled beyond belief!!). Jillian and Rocco's routine has not changed. They are still going to school MWF and Mom and Dad's TTh. Probably the ones that should be nervous and anxious are Mom and Dad having all 3 on TTh!!!!!! I am so so so so grateful to them!

Here are 7 things I learned during 7 weeks of maternity leave:

1. Things are busy with 3!!! (Isn't that an understatement???) And with 3, NOBODY cares about you. This is the only picture I have of me and Hadleigh. Seriously!!!!! I am behind the camera most of the time trying to record this precious time because I KNOW I cannot count on my brain!!

2. Bryan and I need a bigger bed. Things are getting very crowded.

3. 3 Kids in matching clothes are just plain cuter than others.

4. Hadleigh looks exactly the same as Jillian except a darker version. These are not the best comparison shots. I am going to work on some good comparison shots.

5. Dinners are the hardest part of this whole thing. I cannot think of anything to cook, I can't shop for the supplies, and I can't actually do the cooking because I have two crawling around my legs and one in my arms. It is definitely the HARDEST part of the whole day!! AND it is going to get a lot harder when I go back to work.

6. Great things happen to great people. Today Hadleigh and I went down to the Bexar County Courthouse to see Amelia's official adoption. It was so fun!!!! The Judge granted every motion and Amelia is Rob and Erica's forever!! What a perfect way to end my maternity leave!

7. No matter how many time people say the cliche "Time flies!!" It just couldn't be more true. This is the best trio a girl could ask for!! They are so much fun!!! Don't you love the $4 deals at Target??? Why don't they have those same deals in the ladies' section???

Say a prayer for me tomorrow althougth I am sure it will all be fine with only a few tears shed!!!

Outtakes

As we moms often do, I had a plan. No really, it was a vision of how I wanted Hadleigh's baby announcement to look. I wanted one picture of her by herself and another picture with all of 3 of the kids. I wanted the pictures to look very natural, simple, organic with not a lot of fuss. With no clothes or bows, I wanted the attention on their beautiful faces. I have been trying for weeks to get the 3 kids to cooperate with me. WHAT WAS I THINKING?????? Everyone smile, please???? Rocco, please take off your sister's sunglasses!!!!! Ok, I got two smiles and two kids looking at the camera. Rocco, please put down your phone!!!! Ok, someone (anyone???) please look at the camera!!!!

One great cheesy smile, one mediocre smile and one where we can completely see up her nose!!! (Insert Charlie Sheen's sarcastic "Winning!!")

Maybe if I put clothes on them, this will work better?????

Yeah, NOPE!!!!!

Note of self: THIS IS NOT WORKING!!!!!!!!

Don't Question His Manhood!!

My Rocco likes to do everything Mommy and Jillian like to do. Who doesn't, right? We are fabulous!

He even likes to hold a purse just like Mommy and Jillian. (Do not call it a man bag. He prefers the term purse.)

Here he is.....ready to start his day!

The boy has style. Look the bag is even monogrammed with his name!!

What does a 2 year old boy keep in his purse?

The most cherished things are his pens (these are his writing utensils of choice)

Next are his scissors WITH some of the things he has cut (please do not get into safety issues that I am letting him carry around a weapon)

The man needs his keys.

And finally he needs his talking Thomas the train!

Perfect!

God Answered Me

Ever since Daon posted a rant against the fertility gods, I have been meaning to respond (however my three kids kept getting in the way.) I am finally getting a chance to post my response.

It wasn't so long ago that Daon's post would have been my own. After several years of trying for Baby #1, after seeing multiple doctors that gave us no answers, after being referred to a RE and going through two unsuccessful rounds of IUI, I was at my all time low. I was sad and I was angry and I made the same rant at God, "Why is this so hard for us? Why are you giving a baby to that 15 year old? Why did you 8 babies to Kate?"

However, you know 5 years down the line, God has blessed me with 3 little miracles which was His plan all along. I just needed to be patient (easy to say now!!) and listen to Him.

Well, Bryan and I have some good friends Rob and Erica. Rob and Erica are both fantastic people - sweet, funny, Christian. I (very famously or should I say infamously??) threw up at their wedding and they are still my friend!!! Rob and Erica have been trying for years to have a baby. This is a girl who has clearly said from the beginning that she wants a BIG family with at least six kids!! But Rob was married before and has a daughter but then decided to have a vasectomy. When he met Erica, they knew they wanted to have children together so he had a reversal. Doc gave them green light and told them to start "trying." Then two years ago, Erica got very sic and sadly during surgery, doc had to remove both her fallopian tubes. They will never be able to conceive naturally.

Last year, they saw the same RE we did. I had really good feelings about it. I was praying for them every night. In June, IVF #1 was unsuccessful. Erica joked that the baby feelings I was having was for myself and not for her. In December, IVF #2 was unsuccessful.

So in February (actually February 20th to be precise), Rob and Erica told everyone in our Sunday School class that they had submitted the first round of paperwork to start the adoption process. I was so excited for them but at the same time, a little sad because I know how long the adoption process can take. Literally, I left church and called my Mom and told her all about Rob and Erica and how much I was praying for them and questioning, "What can I do for them?"

So Monday, Feb 21st came. My phone rang and it was Erica. This is unusual because we usually talk through email. She is a NICU nurse and is always on a weird schedule. She says, "Ashley, there is a baby in the hospital. Her mother has already signed away her parental rights to the baby and has agreed to a private adoption. It is President's Day and I have already called several attorneys but their offices are closed. Do you know an attorney that can help us?"

THIS IS IT!!!! I had prayed to God, "How can I help them get a baby?" and God had dropped this opportunity in my lap. I was freaking out!!! The pressure was on. I had not been an attorney in 5 years. I never did family law. BUT out of my brain popped a name. I called Summer immediately because she exercised with this lawyer and she could get a hold of her on a holiday. Summer called the lawyer who referred us to her best friend that is an attorney that specializes in adoptions. I called Erica back and gave her the information and waited...and waited...and waited. I did not hear from her all day.

Finally, at 8:00 that night, I texted her to see how things were going. She said that the lawyer took their case and they were spending the night with the baby at the hospital AND THEY WERE GETTING TO TAKE THE BABY HOME THE NEXT DAY!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???

This is a pic of the happy family. Erica, Rob and Amelia Rose (after their grandmothers)

This is Hadleigh (on the right) with her new BFF!! They are 8 days apart.

Since then, they have also tracked down the birth father who has also signed away his parental rights. All that is left to do is file all the paperwork with the courts and Amelia is theirs forever!! Isn't that amazing??

Erica can't stop talking about the timing. If the IVF#1 in June had been successful, the baby would have been due in February. God had it planned all along. God is good!

A Welcome Surprise

Just yesterday, Shanna and I were talking about our 2 year olds. Specifically, we were talking about the lack of interest our children have showed in using the potty.

Well Rocco must have heard me talking and decided (as all children do) that he was going to show his Mommy!!!!

This morning, while I was taking a shower, Rocco marched in, took off his diaper, sat on his potty and USED IT!!!!! Isn't that crazy?? Without any prompting from me!!! Probably a total fluke but it was still very exciting!!!

What kind of prize does my 2 year old ask for?? Tator tots!!! So Rocco was served a cold waffle and cold tator tots for breakfast!!! He was very pleased with himself.

Here he is posing with his potty!

He likes to dress up his potty with beads. Go figure!!

One Month Old

In one word, this girl is easy! Thank God! She has to be to survive in this house!

She sleeps all of the time, she eats like a champ, she does not cry during her baths, she does not complain about the bows I put in her hair, so unlike all of the other children in this house! Ha ha! She really is the sweetest thing! In comparison to my last baby (you remember Mr. Chunk don't you??), she is so dainty. She is very long in length and it makes her look really skinny with long skinny fingers and toes. (See pic to see those lonnnng fingers.)

I think she looks very much like Jillian but darker hair and complexion. I think her eyes will stay blue. Rocco's eyes were already turning by this time but we will see.

I do get a lot of comments about her bows! My answer is "This is Texas. The bigger the better!"

Speaking of Jilly-poo, here is an adorable sister shot. When I say they look alike, I am not kidding. Look at their jawlines!!! Ha ha!!

Pretty girl

This is my new fav pic of Hadleigh!

Delicious!!