And then there were THREE

These three are such a joy to have but three kids has been and still is an adjustment. My days fly by and are filled with school, soccer, feeding Soffie, playing, homework, reading books, endless laundry, grocery shopping, running errands, cleaning, dishes, and much more but at the end of the day I feel like I didn't get anything done and there is still so much to do. Its amazing how much laundry a tiny little person can add to the pile. Really, this little girl has been great so far, which I am very grateful for. She is a pretty good eater, is happy, and sleeps great at night.

Babies are so Lucky

Over the past several weeks Ella has said some pretty funny things about Soffie. I'm pretty sure Ella thinks that Soffie is one lucky baby. The other night Ella came down after she had gone to bed and when she saw that Soffie was still up she wanted to know why she got to stay up late. I informed her that if she wanted to sleep all day then I would let her stay up late too.
After dinner one night I sat down on the couch to feed Soffie her bottle, Ella asked me why Soffie got to eat on the couch. I informed her that if she wanted to eat from a bottle that she could eat on the couch as well.
One day I was talking to Ella about how Soffie needed to eat in the middle of the night because she is little and can't go the whole night without eating. She then asked me if I would wake her up so she could help me feed her and change her. I told her that she couldn't because she needed her sleep. She was not happy with my answer; she asked me why I was the one who got to feed her. I told her that someday she would get her turn to get up with a baby.
One more story, Ella was over playing with Soffie and suddenly she announced that Soffie said bus. I asked how, she said that she told her to say bus and she did. Apparently my one month old is a genius.

Two Weeks

I can't believe Soffie is over two weeks old, it has gone by fast. She is a very sweet baby so far and we are excited for her to start waking up a bit so we can get to know her better. So far we've learned that she is quite loud, she is always grunting and making funny noises. She is bottle fed and I will probably have to leave the room at church to feed her because she is so loud. She sleeps on her back. So far she doesn't cry much, she just grunts and moans when she wants something. If we let her groan too long then she does let out a scream to let us know she is done being patient. I can already tell that she is pretty wiggly and she has a strong neck. Seconds after she was born she was trying to hold her head up. I usually wash her head everyday, to help prevent cradle-cap, she loves it. 

The kids, especially Ella, love her but it has been an adjustment for everyone. The kids have been fighting a lot more, they have been more emotional, and have not been quite as obedient. I know its'll get better and we are all just trying to fit a new person into our lives. Ella tells me at least a few times a day that she is so glad we got a baby girl. She is always kissing her cheeks. Both are so willing to help burp her, help change her diaper, get diapers, throw away dirty diapers and whatever else the baby may need.

I myself am enjoying her a lot. The more kids we have the more I enjoy them as babies and try to take in the moments because they grow so fast. I know I am biased but I think she is adorable and I love her cheeks. 

All wrapped up after her first bath at home, she liked her bath but you can't tell by her facial expression.

Six Years

On August 30 Ella turned six. She has been talking about her birthday for a long time, I think she was more excited about her birthday then starting school. We had a birthday party for her a couple of weeks early so that she had a party before Soffie came. I'm glad we did because we had Ella's party on Friday and Soffie came that Monday. She had a My Little Pony party, it was cute and very simple. The girls swam, we had a pinata, cupcakes and ice cream, and pillowcase races. 

I asked Ella a few questions: 
1.  What is your favorite color? Pink
2. What is your favorite toy? My Little Ponies
3. What is your favorite fruit? Raspberries
4. What is your favorite tv show? My Little Ponies
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Cheese sandwich
6. What is your favorite outfit? Grey dress with sparkles
7. What is your favorite game? Wii Princess
8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit Roll-up
9. What is your favorite animal? Bunny
10. What is your favorite song? My Little Ponies, Friendship is Magic
11. What is your favorite book? Barbie and A Mermaid Tale
12. Who is your best friend? Lexi
13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Jump on the trampoline
15. What is your favorite drink? Water, the girl loves her water.
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Rainbow Dash stuffed animal
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pancakes with sprinkles
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Hawaiian Haystacks 

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Gymnastics teacher 

Kindergarten

Ella started kindergarten and it is a bitter sweet moment for me. I am excited for her and this new stage in her life but its sad to think that my sweet little girl is growing up. We started the morning off with sprinkle pancakes covered in whipped cream. Luckily, she is in PM kindergarten so we can take our time in the morning. After lunch she was gearing to go. She did great, she didn't seem nervous and I think it helped that she has several kids in her class that are from church. Mom did great too, I didn't even cry.

 Standing in line with her friend Jaycey.

More from the hospital

Our sweet Soffie came Monday, August 20, 2012 @ 11:02 pm. She weighed 8 lbs 4 oz and was two weeks early. 

Its funny because I don't think that the labor and delivery could have been anymore perfect. I went to the doctor late that afternoon. When he checked to see how far a long I was he asked if I was having contractions, I said that I didn't think so. He thought that he should hook me up to the monitors to see. Well he was right, I was having contractions and they were pretty close. As I was sitting there I did start to feel them, he decided that I should go to the hospital. I was fine with that as long as I didn't get sent home, I didn't want my hopes up and then get sent home. The hosptial decided to keep me. 5 hours after getting to the hospital she came. 

It also worked out great because Dave was home with the kids and I called my mom to let her know that she might need to come get the kids but she happened to be in town at my aunt's house. When we got the go ahead that I was staying, Dave loaded up the kids and took the kids to my mom and came to the hospital. I did feel funny driving myself to the hospital and walking into the birth center by myself.

I feel very blessed how things worked out, I had been stressing about it for a few weeks so I was grateful that it all worked out. 

A very happy sister. She was so excited to see her and hold her, it was so sweet. My mom said that after they came to visit she talked about Soffie the whole way home, which is an hour drive. She kept saying she loved her, she was beautiful and that she was real. It was cute because she has been telling me for weeks that she was going to help wipe her bum when she pooped. Today she lived up to what she said, she did wipe her bum a bit when it was poopy. She wanted to, I thought it was so cute.

I wasn't sure what Tanner would think but he asked to hold her. When we brought her home he wanted to hold her again. He has given her many kisses. So far so good.

This is Soffie spent part of her time at the hospital. Nice shades, huh. The morning we were supposed to go home her bilirubin test came back and it wasn't good. They wanted her to stay, I was not excited. They moved us to the pediatric unit though and we still had our own room, which was nice. The first 18 hours of her being in it were a little rough, she did not like being naked. The next 12 hours were much better, I think she accepted her fate. It was hard for me because they said to not take her out unless it was to eat. But she did great and we are grateful to be home. I think this little girl will be very loved.

Soffie Anne Kemp