All signs point to a great day.

When I opened my eyes this morning and saw 4:57 on the clock, I knew it was going to be a good day.  I had laid sweet Mara down last night around 11:00, and this was the first time she stirred.  She had eaten well around 9 and then snacked a bit around 10, but this marked her longest stretch of sleep yet.  Do I dare to hope that this might be the start of something wonderful? 

So it is now 8:04.  I am showered, dressed, hair and makeup done (the latter being a miracle, as it is usually a scramble around 10:00 to get it done while feeding Mara while rushing out the door to school).  Joshua was off to school after eating all of his breakfast and getting his teeth brushed without me having to coax him.  Lauren is up, dressed and eating her pancake.  The laundry is started.  There are no dishes in my sink.

It's like Christmas around here.

This is not to say that the wheels won't fall off later today, but for now, I'm feeling pretty grateful for a good morning. 

 I am absolutely in love with this picture.  Lauren is always leaning over Mara's seat talking to her or  kissing her or loving her in some way.  Yesterday, Mara really seemed to get a kick out of her big sister and kept smiling at Lauren.  Lauren couldn't get enough!

And just moments ago, getting a bit more beauty sleep.  Don't tell her, but she doesn't need it.



It worked!!

 Our first real smiling picture from Mara!  Melts my heart.

 Meeting Great Pappy Ray for the first time. 

 Grandma Shirley, Aunt Pat and Aunt Karen got to come and visit with us for a while. I didn't get a picture of Aunt Karen and Aunt Pat, but Mara loved them both. Here she is with Great Grandma Shirley and Pap. 

 Great Pappy Fred and Freda (who needs a name for the kids to call her other than Freda, I've just determined) came over in the evening.  Even during her "I want to eat all the time" hours, she let them get to know her a little bit.  Pappy Fred stole plenty of kisses on her cheeks and forehead, just like he has always done with us growing up.

The social activity of the evening was a walk down memory lane when Dad set up the slide projector and got out the old carousels of slides from when we were babies.  We had quite a few good laughs, just the same way our kids will one day as they make fun of our outfits, hairstyles and how young we looked.  And it's official.  None of the kids look ANYTHING like me when I was a baby.  Like not even at all.  The State Farm photo circa 1978 was me.  Need to frame that one for my office!

My war with the blog.

My frustration with Blogger continues, as none of the children are the color they appear in these photos.  And no combination of camera, cord and computer seems to make a difference.  I honestly have no earthly idea what to do about this.  But I wanted to post because I've been so lacking lately.

Truth be told, although we haven't been doing anything wild, the days fly by in a flash around here.  It  literally takes all morning to get the girls up and dressed, Mara fed and the van packed to pick Joshua up at 11.  Add in there starting a load of wash (that I have determined must be done daily or else I drown in it) and the morning is shot.  From 11:30-12:30 is a good window of time since Mara usually falls asleep in her  carseat on the way home from school.  But it is quickly filled with getting the big kids their lunch, doing one thing on my to do list and changing the clothes to the dryer and she's awake and hungry again.  The afternoons consist of refereeing Josh and Lauren as they fight their way through the transition to playing more independently with each other instead of a grown up since Mara wants to eat at least every 2 hrs through the afternoon and evening, and that may be generous. Sometimes it's more like....constantly.  And then it's dinner time, followed by the rush of feeding the baby, tubbing/showering the big kids, feeding the baby and feeding the baby.

We made our first trip to Lewistown this past weekend and Mara got to meet lots of her family there.  I have pictures, but I'll keep working on figuring out this photo issue and try again soon.

More soon, I hope.

Where did that month go?

Blogger and I are still not getting along.  See how  it uploads my pictures?  

Scary huh?

So we remain picture-less.  Which is a shame because I have some good stuff.  But what is a girl to do?

I thought I had better reflect on Mara's first month before the second one comes and goes.  But let me say, for the record, that I'm not sure where a whole month went.  I can't even blame it on sleep deprivation because all in all, that hasn't been so bad so far.  But it does seem that time is flying by.  I certainly don't want to take even a second of it for granted because I have never felt so much joy in my entire life.

At one month, Mara is by far the easiest going baby we have had.  She is OK with some alone time in her seat.  She is approximately 7 1/2 pounds based on a very unscientific measurement on the bathroom scale, but that's an increase of around a pound in just over 2 weeks.  It will remain to be seen whether her pediatricians find that acceptable.  Newborn clothes are still fitting VERY comfortably and probably will for another few months.  Good thing I stocked up on a whole bunch of small cute things!  We are obviously still in newborn diapers, and I don't see that changing for another month at a minimum.

Mara is a good eater, although I would not have classified her as such when we came home from the hospital.  After 2 weeks of bottle feedings of pumped milk and some formula supplementation (usually one bottle at night to give me a break from the pumping), she decided that she was willing to nurse.  So, with some patience and persistence on both of our parts, I believe we have it down now.  She is usually eating every 2.5-4 hrs during the day, and around every 3-4 at night.  She is a faster eater than her older sister, but the more I nurse Mara, the more I realize that I was Lauren's pacifier.  Mara takes a bink and seems to like it.  And when I get the sense that she's dozing and using me as her bink, I'm comfortable switching me for the pacifier and putting her down.  So far so good there.  We are seeing longer periods of alert/awake time between naps, and she seems (usually) to be quite a content baby whether she is held, laying on a blanket on the floor, or sitting in her seat.  There is certainly plenty of entertainment to see with the other kids running about.

I have done things with Mara that I have never done with the others, but for whatever reason it feels right to me this time.  Joshua and Lauren  spent their first night at home in their crib and never NEVER NEVER were in our bed.  Mara has been in her Rock & Play or Pack & Play in our bedroom, and despite Daddy's jokes about that expensive nursery we put together, I'm just not ready to put her there yet.  We also have developed a little habit of snuggling in bed while she falls asleep.  I absolutely love it, and so does she.  She especially likes it when my cheek is resting on the top of her sweet little head. Normally she drifts right to  sleep.

She has smiled at us more than a few times already, which melts my heart immediately.  She is beginning to coo a bit, and loves her big sister and brother to play with her and talk to her.  What a gift to see them all interact together, and I'm sure that only gets better from here.

Joshua and Lauren continue to surprise me with how well they are adjusting to life with another baby.  They both declare their love for her daily and think  she's "so cute". Lauren insists on holding her no less than 10 times a day, and Joshua has even asked to do so a few times.  Lauren is a champion burper and loves to rub/pat Mara's back when I'm burping her.  She loves to help at tub time and changing time, and has a step stool stationed at Mara's changing table so that she can see exactly what is going on.  It is beyond sweet, and I love so  much that we  have given Lauren a sister to love. 

Mara, you are so loved.  And a complete joy to us.  My heart is full to overflowing.