Seeing the World at Sea World - Day 1

Last week, our family went on a vacation. It didn't start out as planned, but we had a great time as a family anyway. We planned to go to San Antonio on Wednesday, and stay until Saturday. But, Dave's grandfather passed away, so we went to Arkansas first. It was a sobering trip, but I was glad to pay respect to Dave's family by being there. The trip to Arkansas before driving to San Antonio definitely made for a lot of time in the car, but our girls were real troopers, all in all.

Saige "found her thumb" the day before our trip started. So cute!

 

 In Arkansas, we stopped to eat a little hamburger joint in a town called Hope. It was a great little place to eat and the downtown ambiance was really neat.

Dave and the girls were grooving to the music.

I wish we could have toured the home.

I thought it was really neat to have stumbled upon the home of a former president.

 

What trip would be complete without Lydia hurting herself?

 This goose egg turned into a black eye that is still not completely gone. She got this little bump after Julia and her were playing in a rotating chair. Lydia was evidently spun too long, and came out of the chair dizzy. She ran into a piece of furniture....

Sweet Thumb Sucking Baby

 Day 1 at Sea World:

The front of the park

We were so excited to spend time as a family in San Antonio. The first thing we did was visit the dolphin pool. Julia wanted to touch them so bad!

 

Shamu Show

 

Saige watched too.

We went to 2 shows on Day 1. The Shamu Show was good, and we definitely got splashed. The water was freezing cold! It helped us cool off though. We protected Saige with a blanket when the whale tale popped up to splash us. She still got wet, but we didn't want her face to get directly splashed.

Lydia loved seeing baby Shamu, and Julia wanted to be as close to the whales as possible. She decided that she wants to be a trainer, and work with the whales when she grows up. But, she's also been stuck on being a "hair styler" for a while. Before that, Julia wanted to a rock star. Whatever Julia ends up doing with her life, I know that her life will be interesting!

Second show of the day: Azul Show

It was a great show! I actually liked it even more than the Shamu show. There were synchronized swimmers, women riding beluga whales, extremely high high-divers, flips by people and other animals, trained parrot flights, and amazing dolphin tricks. I think the girls were too tired to truly enjoy the show. They kept begging for miniture bags of popcorn and bottled water that cost $3 each.

See the Beluga?

The whole time we watched these shows, I couldn't help but think about a show that Dave and I recently watched about captured animals attacking their trainers. Thankfully, we didn't witness this happening at any of the shows, but seriously, can you imagine? These people work with humongous, strong, wild animals. Those trainers are really brave.

Sea World has a fun place called "Bay of Play" where Sesame street characters hang out and take pictures and have shows. Lydia was so excited to see Elmo. We saw big bird right before heading out on the first day. What fun!

Word to the Bird

Please stay tuned for pictures and fun from Day 2! Blessings to you, Amber

Kindergarten

Well, I believe Julia's first day of kindergarten was an overall success. She said she had a good day and that she liked it, but she was pretty stressed to report that she was going to have to be in kindergarten for 100 days! I didn't have the heart to tell her it's actually longer than that. Besides, I don't really want to think about how many mornings I'm going to have do this either.
So proud of my little lady. (She might even ride the bus tomorrow.)
Love, Amber

30

Well, tomorrow is the day. It is the day that I kiss my 20's goodbye forever, and start my (gulp) 30's. Woah. I'll be 30. It's a little bittersweet, as I'm sure all of you know. But instead of focusing on the bitter, I'll try and focus on the sweet.
So, here goes nothing:

Maybe in my 30's, I'll...

...stop looking like a teenager, and start getting mistaken for a twenty-something,
...be more confident in who I am in Christ, and less ashamed of so many things about me,
...run a 10K, and then, hopefully, a half marathon. (Goal: I want to run a half marathon in Disney World someday.)
...Be an excellent realtor,
...make enough money to afford to take my family on several fabulous vacations,
...get out of school debt,
...dream bigger dreams and think bigger thoughts,
...be a more patient momma and wife,
...get on the Agent Leadership Council for Keller Williams Realty,
...go out on a few limbs to make a friend, or be a friend,
...spend more time with the Lord,
...have another daughter or a son,
...get my hair and nails done on a regular basis,
...surprise others with thoughtful gifts,
...learn to be more content,
...memorize more scripture,
...get up the courage to try sushimi,
...be more generous,
...read more books,
...remember to listen to my daughters as I watch them grow,
...go on a vacation with my husband, and without little's,
...fall more in love with my husband,
...be a better daughter, grand daughter, sister, and in-law,
...look more like a "Proverbs 31" woman than ever,
...re-visit Disney Orlando,
...take unimportant things less seriously,
...buy a lovely house that my family and I can live in for more than 2 years...

Wouldn't it be nice if I could do those things?

Some things I know will happen in my 30's:

-Julia and Lydia will become teenagers.
-I will change and grow a ton- just like I did in my 20's.
-God will surprise me and love me, just like He always has.
-Dave and I will continue to be learners.
-Julia and Lydia will finish elementary school and move on to Junior high. Saige will be finished with elementary as well.
-I'll keep writing my blog.
-My husband will turn 40.
-My parents will begin their 60's.
-I'll keep the goal that my girls know their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins even though we live far away from most of them.
-I'll enjoy as many moments in the next 10 years as I possibly can.

So, here's to 30 years lived, and many, many more to come. Happy Birthday to me.
Love, Amber

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Lydia on our bed in our last home

I downloaded my pictures from my iPhone yesterday, and I realized I had a bunch of pictures that I wanted to share. I felt like taking you all on a trip down our 2012 memory lane.

The girlies before school at Cornerstone Christian Academy. I miss CCA.

Dave and Julia fixing the pipes at the Sienna house. This was after we switched out the faucet- before we updated the flooring.

Dave trimmed the trees at the Sienna house a little.

Dancing at Sonic

 We had a fender bender several months ago on my to take the girls to school. When I took the van in to get an estimate, we decided to walk to sonic instead of waiting around at the car shop. The girls were chilly, so they danced until our lunch came.

Bowling at a Birthday Party

Ready to Go

 The older girls are natural little mothers. They play with all of their billions of dolls, mothering and undressing all of them.

Julia's church performance

 This performance took place days before I delivered Saige. I was worried I'd go into labor during the performance. For some reason, when Julia caught sight of us (Dave and I were there with Lydia, Dave's Mom and my Mom), she started making faces at us.

Next to last day of Pre-K

Goofy Lydia

Monkeyin' around

 Julia was climbing on the chick-fil-a playground inappropriately. Before I asked her to stop, I clicked some pics.

May 10th- the Day we went home from the hospital

Summertime fun

When my sister came down, we all headed down to our neighborhood pool on the Sunday afternoon that she was here. Saige and I weren't ready for swimming, so she napped and I watched.

Saige started fussing at Aubrey

 I may have put some of these on my blog before, but I love all these life happenings so much, that I wanted to put them on again. :)
Blessings, Amber

Up in Flames

Well, the good news is I didn't set the house on fire. The bad news is that I almost did....let me explain.

So, our kitchen in this townhouse is small, tiny and undersized. I'm almost positive most master bedroom closets are bigger. And, I'm not even exaggerating. Because it's so small, I often use the electric stove as additional counter space. This is quite hazardous because I also can not seem to pay attention to which burner I'm turning on. I turn on the wrong burner about 50% of the time....

Anyway, I started dinner this evening, and then Dave took over for the last part of it because I was feeding the baby. He did a great job. When I was finished nursing, I came out and Dave was getting all the plates prepped, including one for our little neighbor-girl who was over playing. I started to help him, but decided to turn on my tea kettle to have some hot tea with dinner. When I went back into the kitchen, I realized that I'd turned on the wrong burner, that my one and only oven mitt was partially on fire and that I was about to burn the house down. I grabbed a spatula and scooped the mitt off of the burner and that's when the smoke started billowing. Dave came in, thinking of the girls and closed the door to the kitchen so that they wouldn't breathe the smoke. But, our tiny kitchen filled up with nasty, chemical, worse than usual smoke super quick, and I said, "Why'd you shut that door, the smoke is going to kill us!" I had to get out of that kitchen because my lungs were really hurting in just that short amount of time. We turned on the kitchen vent, opened both garage doors, reclosed the kitchen door and I opened the front door. I felt awful when our neighbor-girl, Gwen, started coughing because of the smoke and fumes. But, the smoke started to dissipate, and Dave and I sat down to dinner like nothing happened. Of course, the girls couldn't be so polite...

Lydia kept saying, "Are we going to die because of the smoke? Will it kill us?" Then Gwen looked at me, looked at Dave and got up to "whisper" into Julia's ear, "Does your mom always switch on the wrong burner and almost start a fire like that?" Julia looked at her and said "No!" with some sass to back it up. Dave and I couldn't help but laugh. We all coughed a few times and then changed the subject to school and what not.

My slightly singed oven mitt



And, speaking of school, kindergarten registration for Julia is tomorrow. I'm stll in disbelief. Julia is very excited, but I'm overwhelmed. Lord, help us. On Tuesday, we will bring food to new parents, and on Thursday we will have friends over for dinner. This Saturday, we will make a daytrip to Galveston because we haven't been to the beach yet this summer. Plus, our regular crazy lives. It should be exciting times. 

On a side note, I'd like to let my readers know that I've stopped watching Felicity. The show started out with a fun story line about an innocent, nerdy girl who was starting college and beginning new relationships. Somewhere in the last few episodes I watched, the story line dissapeared, and the plot became extinct. The show was reduced to scenes that take place in the bedroom. I don't appreciate that. So, while feeding the baby, I'm back to checking my social media apps repeatedly and twiddling my thumbs. I really need to just grab myself a good book.

Anyway, I am so thankful that I didn't actually burn my house down, or injure anyone with my mishap this evening. (Just think what would happen if I did start a fire--there are so many townhouses connected. That would be terrible.) I'm also thankful for a husband who takes my mistakes in stride and just helps me instead of yelling at me for the stupid stuff I do. Thanks, Babe!  Also, thanks to you for reading about our craziness, once again. I appreciate it. -Amber

Confessions of a Drama Mama

I just watched a man with no feet qualify to run in the semi-finals at the 2012 olympics.That is so amazing! We've been watching a lot of t.v. ever since the olympics started. I try not to feel guilty that we end up in front of the tube every night, but I'm a mom, and I'm pretty sure that feeling guilty is part of the job description.

We went for a walk to a park near our house this morning, and Dave and I took turns jogging a little while the girls played. It was so hot outside though! The heat has made it really hard for me to want to go for jogs lately. But, I know I need to if I'm ever going to get into my pre-pregnancy clothes. I also need to keep the calories down. Usually, I'm a vegetables and chicken kind of a girl, but for some reason I've been craving things more like a cheeseburger with fries and a large coke. Um, wait...maybe a milkshake instead of a coke. Well since I'm day dreaming, I guess I'll have both. :) So, tomorrow, I've got grilled turkey burgers on whole wheat buns on the menu. Maybe that'll do the trick?

Anyway, I've always loved going on family walks because of the exercise and the opportunity Dave and I have to talk. But these days the big girls are old enough that they need to walk, and that makes things more complicated. The girls were complaining about the heat, and the walking, and I was really working hard to keep their "hearts happy" and their attitudes sweet. But, now, I'm the one who feels like complaining, and need to work on having a sweet attitude. I have a headache, and I'm ready for the peace and quiet that comes with evening. (Sorry to say, I really enjoy the time when my kids are in bed.) --That peace and quiet is one major reason why I go to bed too late on a regular basis. Unfortunately, though, it's not the only thing that keeps me up.

The other reason I don't sleep enough, besides watching the Olympics, is that I've also become addicted to a show on netflix. I started watching the show on my phone because I was bored while nursing, but now I'm all involved and I can't stop wondering what will happen next. --I usually only get this wrapped up in the lives of characters when I am reading a good fiction book, but this time it's a show that I want to stay up watching until 1:00 a.m. Usually, when I read, I NEED to know what will happen next. I always struggle with this dichotomy of wanting to be done with the book so that I can stop obsessing about fictional lives, and get back on track with my own, but I'm also always sad when the story ends. This time, like I said, it's worse because I'm obsessed with a show that lasts 4 whole seasons. Did any of you ever watch the show Felicity back in the 90's? That would be the show.

Also, I've been thinking lately, fanny packs should totally come back. I know they  look lame and everything, but I can't stop thinking how incredibly handy they would be. And by handy, I mean hands-free! How many times have I reached down to grab something with my huge purse over my shoulder just to have it fall to the floor and nearly knock me off balance? Sometimes it even knocks into one of my kids and narrowly sends the little one tumbling. I mean, I just need something that I can throw my wallet, keys and phone into that doesn't become one more thing to carry. (Aren't diaper bags, children, car seats, purses, and everything else enough to hold?) There's gotta be a way to bling out and rename the good ole' "fanny pack" and make them trendy again. I just don't know how.

Well, there you go, there's a few of my confessions. I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of any right now. Probably because I am tired, headachy and don't get enough sleep. -- Besides I wouldn't want to spill all of my juicy confessions right now. I'd love for you to come back and read the rest at another time. :)
Thanks for tuning in, Amber

Baby Babbles

Build-a-Birthday

Last weekend, we had a small (somewhat affordable) party for Lydia's 4th Birthday. --We can't have parties at our townhome because of the lack of parking. So, Build-a-bear Workshop ended up being the perfect pick. I didn't have to worry about party favors or cleaning house, and the party actually kept the girls involved and busy for a little over an hour. Since the Build-a-bear Workshops in Houston don't have designated party rooms, we couldn't have birthday dessert at Build-a-Bear, but we did celebrate with ice cream cake in the food court after the party. The girls love their personally stuffed animals, and I loved the heart ceremony and other fun party stuff the store had for the girls. (In other words, if you're looking for an easy, fun party, I definitely recommend this place.)

Silly Face!



After the heart ceremony, stuffing, naming, "bathing", and putting clothes on the stuffed toys, the lady hosting Lydia's party took pictures of the girls and printed out three of them for us to have. That was so nice because I'm so bad about actually printing out pictures. So now, Lydia already has a framed picture of her birthday party on the shelf in her room. --Something that probably never would have happened otherwise. 

Ice cream cake in the food court. YUM!

Lydia's 4th time to blow out candles for her 4th birthday.

So, who says that second child doesn't get birthday celebrations? For this particular birthday, Lydia got celebrated a number of times. I hope that she'll always remember this birthday and the fun memories we made as a family. Love you, Lyd! -Mom

Vacation Overload

The week before last, we took one long drive from Houston to Bartlesville to Branson, back to Bartlesville. We had a great time with family (and hope to see more friends the next time). We arrived in Bartlesville late Friday night, and spent time with my parents, my brother and his girlfriend, Autumn, and his girlfriend's son, Jaden on Saturday. It was a whirlwind of a day, and we enjoyed it immensely. We ate lunch, hung out, the kiddos took naps, we made a run to QT (please come to Houston), we went for a swim at a friends, ate a grilled dinner, and then went to kiddie park until 10pm. Little did we know that this was a about the time the girls would be making it to bed every night we were on vacation!

Julia, Lydia and Jaden riding the kiddie park boat.



More Kiddie Park fun

Sunday was also a day filled with a lot of fun. We went to First Wesleyan Church, then to lunch with Dave's family.  After lunch we went and put the girls down for a nap at Dave's mom's house. This was followed by a little family get-together/Lydia Birthday party/Daniel (Dave's brother) Birthday Party.  I enjoyed watching Lydia open presents and eat cake, and we also got to introduce Saige to some family members she wasn't able to meet before. Good times were had by all.

On Monday, we ate lunch with my brother, his girlfriend and  her son, and then we headed to Branson. We got to the condo my aunt and uncle rented at about 6:00. We had some dinner with them, went swimming, and then we all went to bed too late.

Watching the dancers at SDC

On Tuesday, we headed to Silver Dollar City where "You've got a great past ahead of you!" We went with my cousins and my aunt and uncle and had a great time! Unfortunately, though, my cousin who is expecting a little one soon had to go back to our condo because she was sick. We later found out that she had overheated, and will need to stay out of the sun until after the baby is born. Thankfully she and the baby are alright.

Train ride with a tired little bumble bee and her daddy

Trevor, Uncle Mike and Julia

Our smiling bumble bee back at the condo. She was happy to be in the a/c!

On Wednesday, the Fourth, we all decided to hang around he condo in the morning. In the afternoon, my aunt and uncle treated our family to The Butterfly Palace. We all loved it! Julia, the controlling little being that she is, decided that a butterfly HAD to land on her. (You are not allowed to touch the butterflies in their sanctuary, but they can choose to land on you.) 

Our little butterfly hunters

Uncle Mike and Aunt Sandy



"Please jump onto my finger!"

Julia found out that if you sit really still, the butterflies have a higher likelihood of landing on you. So, she tried it. But, still, no dice. The butterflies flew very close to her head though, and I got to see something I've never seen before: Julia sitting very still for a whole 2.5 minutes. Luckily we didn't have any breakdowns when what she wanted didn't happen.

Hoping, wishing, waiting...



Monarchs are beautiful

After going to the Butterfly Palace, we headed Branson Landing for a yummy, early dinner and some shopping. Lydia fell asleep in the stroller and slept in it for almost 2 hours that day. The poor thing was exhausted from late nights and no naps. I felt her pain!

Saige and Dave hanging out at the Landing

After we went to the Landing, some of us walked down to the dock and hung around for a little while. Trevor fished a little, the girls played and asked people questions, and I watched Lydia like a hawk. I could just see her toppling into the water! 

Tablerock Lake

Dave helped the girls fish a little with Trevor's pole

Happy Fourth!

Happy Fourth!

Trevor and Saige

On Thursday, my family packed up to go back to Illinois, and Dave and I packed up to go back to Silver Dollar City. I was ready to just sleep all day, but we had paid for two-day-passes, and we aren't good at letting things go to waste. So, we went back and had a great time!

Later that afternoon, Christie (Dave's step-mom) and Tucker (our step-nephew) got to come with us and enjoy the rides. Also, Saige stayed with Dave's step-sister, Aimie for the afternoon. It was so super sweet of Aimie to offer to watch our littlest one so that we could run around faster and enjoy more of the park. I was really glad that she stayed at Dave's parents house out of the heat, and with such a reliable sitter to watch her. (But I did miss her.)

Butterfly ride at SDC

Lydia was very spoiled/blessed with another little birthday celebration on Friday.

Lydia blowing out candles on the cute little princess cake that Aimie made.

On Saturday, we headed home. We decided to stay at a hotel in Texarkana, and I am so glad that we did. It took us almost all day to get ther, even though it wasn't suppossed to take us more than 5.5 hours. Maybe we can rent an RV the next time we go. Built in bathrooms are a definite must.

Our beautiful view!

If you couldn't tell, that picture caption is totally saracstic! We didn't open the curtains the night we got there because it was so late. But, as we were getting ready to leave, I decided to let some sunlight in. I cracked up when this is what I saw. Good thing we weren't staying there for a week. That would have been depressing.

All in all, our vacation was wonderful and exhausting. Hopefully our next getaway will be much more relaxing! But, I think I would have been just as tired if I had stayed at home all week with my rambunctious preschoolers and new baby. At least we were having fun while I stayed exhausted!

Thanks for checkin in, Amber

Lydia is 4!

Our sweet and ornery 2nd born is turning four today! I feel like it was just yesterday that I was lamenting over Julia turning four. But, now it's already Lydia's turn. Watching kids grow up is so wonderfully bittersweet.

I interviewed Lydia this morning. (Julia couldn't help but but in a little.)

Lydia is one of the funniest and spunkiest kids I know. About once a week she says, "When is Jesus going to come back down and give me my super powers so I can fly again?" It puts me at a loss for words every time. I have no idea what to tell her. Where she heard this or how she got this idea I'll probably never know.

Lydia LOVES her sisters. She somehow becomes a little buzzy bee every time I bring Saige around her. It's as if she buzzes around both my and Saige's heads, while planting little kisses all over the baby. I often have to ask her to back up and settle down. But, when it comes to holding the baby, a few seconds is all it takes for Lydia to be happy. So, I have to watch carefully to see if I need to catch the baby.

Today, we had a little family celebration for Lydia. Dave and I put balloons in the girls' room last night, and then we had mac and cheese, cake and ice cream for dinner-- Lydia's favorites. (We also had salad and sauteed veggies. I can't stomach just cheesy noodles and cake for dinner.) Then she received a card and a movie from Dave and I. We will celebrate her birth with a few of her friends next week. We decided to keep it small, so we've invited just a few girls to meet us at Build-a-Bear, to be followed by dessert. Our sweet girl has sure been celebrated already! Unbeknownst to us, we already had two other family celebrations while we were visiting family in Bartlesville and Branson. More details on our wonderful vacation are to follow...But for now, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYDIA! Mom, Dad and your sisters love you to the moon and back!

-Amber

Two Months Old

Saige turns two months old today! Happy birthday, Saige!

Add it to the List!

Every weekend starts with a laundry list of things I'd like to get done. But, at the end of every weekend, our house just looks crazier and messier instead of fresh, clean, and ready for a new week. Inevitably "life" happens, and I end up cleaning the house from the weekend, not during the weekend. Of course, we always strive to have quality family time on the weekends...I just also always hope that some of the boxes in the dining room get unpacked, that some of our pictures get hung, and that Saige's room gets closer to getting put together....but it doesn't happen. Instead, we have half the laundry done, piles of folded clothes on the couch, dishes in the sink, and toys strewn all over the house. Please tell me this happens to other people too!
On Friday, I got the okay from my doctor to lift and workout again. (So, hopefully I will be able to get some of the things on my laundry list done without my sweet hubby's help.) I am gradually starting to run again, and it feels great. My legs are already soar from the last two evenings. I can also lift my two big girlies up again, and that is such a blessing. Tonight, my girls played at a neighbors house for a few minutes, and when I went to get them, I picked Lydia up and swung her onto my hip. Lydia sat there for a few minutes, and then said, "Mommy, you can hold me again?" Our neighbor got a real kick out of Lydia's concern for me. (Julia asked me a similar question at church this morning.) -- My girls can be so sweet.
Speaking of sweet, Saige is totally in love with her sisters. I have never seen a baby smile so much. This afternoon, Julia woke up from her nap and came downstairs to check in with us. I was nursing the baby and Dave was laying down for a catnap.(The poor guy has had to work from home again this weekend.) We were all in our bed, so Julia came and got in bed with us. I laid Saige down on our bed, so that she could see me and Julia and so we could talk to her. Julia immediately started being silly. While Julia made wierd noises, accompanied by weird hand gestures, Saige looked at her, wide eyed and very confused. The look Saige gave Julia cracked Julia up, which cracked Saige up. Saige was smiling and cooing with such sweetness, Julia was laughing hysterically, and I was completely on cloud 9. I desperately felt the need to wake Dave from his beauty rest to enjoy the moment with us. (He beamed proudly and then went right back into slumber-mode.) I just can't get enough of a smiling 6 week old. But, 5-year-olds with a belly laugh are quite a hoot as well. What can I say, I'm enthralled with my daughters! I thank God for my amazing blessings!
So, I guess this weekend, we pretty much got nothing done but make some great memories, and enjoy each other's company. I would say that that makes for the best kind of weekend-- the list can wait....
Blessings to you and yours, Amber

Summer Lovin'

Life is still buzzing along happily for us Stewarts. Saige is doing great and has gained 2 lbs in the last month! Woohoo! The bigger girls are having a great summer and have enjoyed looking grungy and dirty 75% of the time. Today and yesterday, the clouds over Houston finally opened up and let the rain come down. So, the big girls stomped around in muddy puddles while being eaten by mosquitos in their mismatched "outfits". Saige and I watched and enjoyed their glee.

Our fun summer plans include: spending time with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and parents. We plan to visit Bartlesville, Branson, Galveston and San Antonio. In these cities we'll include trips to Silver Dollar City and Sea World. I am sooooo excited! Silver Dollar City is one of my all time favorite amusement parks! (Only one that I know of beats it. -- The highest on the list has the initials of DW.) We will also be celebrating Lyd's Birthday and mine this summer. Fun, fun! Lydia will turn 4, and I will turn...30.

As much as it makes my heart palpitate, we are actually gearing up for Julia to start kindergarten in August. *gulp. I am so excited for her because she is excited, but I almost can't stand the thought of sending her away for several hours a day, 5 days a week. Then, just next year, it'll be my little Lydia! :(

After Julia starts Kindergarten, I will more forcefully start my real estate career. I have recieved a lot of positive comments, as well as a few negative ones about this next step in my life. But, I am determined to do my best, while caring for my family first and foremost, and see where this exciting road takes us. I am absolutely certain that God has led me to this path; I wholeheartedly believe it will be more of a blessing than a curse.

So, that's an update on us. I hope to get back to writing more regularly soon. So, please stay tuned, and if you read, keep reading. And, if you will, refer my blog to friend. Joyfully, Amber

Bonding

Sweet Saige is one month old today! I can hardly believe it. It feels like time is inching by, but it's already been one whole month since I was in the hospital, being pumped with tons of fluid, asking the Lord for strength and grace in the delivery of my third daughter. Crazy.

Since the day I had Saige, I've been wanting to get on here and blog about it. But, with a broken laptop, blogging has been a lot harder. Thankfully I have a loaner I'm typing on now. Anyway...

When my older girlies were born, I had really great experiences with a great doctor and wonderful nurses. Delivering in Texas is good too, but it is definitely a different experience. I loved my obgyn here in Houston, and I loved the doctors she worked with. Most things with the hospital was very similar to delivering in Bartlesville. The hospital required pre-registration, the nurses asked tons of questions, and the experience was overall very nice. The biggest difference I found with delivering in Texas (Sugar Land to be exact) was that immediately after delivering Saige, the nurses plopped her on my chest with all of her goo and stuff all over her. With Julia and Lydia, the nurses held the baby up for me to see them, and then whisked them away to clean them up and get their footprints and shots. I finally got to see both of my older girls about 15-20 minutes after they were born. I loved meeting them for the first time, and I was glad to see them with all their goo gone.

However, this time, when they plopped Saige on me, I looked directly at her. Our eyes met and I felt such extraordinary love for her. We bonded immediately and I was surprised by the emotion and excitement of it all. (First I gasped with emotion, and then I thought, "She looks like Julia. Wait, she's bluish. That's normal right?") Then the nurses took Saige, and I was amazed by the experience. As they cleaned her up, and did their regular nurse stuff, I realized why it took me a few days to bond with my older daughters. Although I always loved my other girls, I didn't feel an immediate connection with them. But, with Saige, I FELT that she was mine, and it made me feel great. So, now I'm all for having my recently delivered baby's plopped on me, goo and all. What a sweet experience!

I'll never forget the day that any of my girls were born, but I'll especially remember the sweet connection I had with baby Saige on the day of her birth. And, I will always thank the Lord for it.

Here are the pictures of my sweet girls on Saige's 1 month birthday:

Lydia and Saige-- Lyd has some brownie and little booboo around her mouth. :)

Saigie and Julia

Baby in her bassinet

Sweet girl enjoying her boppy while her sisters watched a movie and ate popcorn

Life is definitely busy as Dave and I raise our three girls. But we are enjoying the moments that will hopefully become forever memories immensely. Tonight, the girls, and Dave and I watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory after eating a meal from some friends from church. It's been a sweet evening, and a great opportunity for me to finally get some blogging done. Thanks for reading. Blessings, Amber

Reason # 158 to live in colder climates

I just had a baby a little over 3 weeks ago. All I want to wear is sweat pants and sweat shirts. (I'm not exactly pre-maternity size yet.) The problem is that it is a balmy 90-some degrees outside. Sigh.

Sometimes I wish I still lived in Alaska. -Amber