LOTS of snow and ice

 

 

 

 

How to Grow a Girlie Girl

Monograms, Bows, and Ballet Socks. I'm loving this!

Thanks for the shirt Amie!

 

Thanks for the socks Legend and Brandy!

 

Audrey is not so impressed!

 

Bragging on my Baby Boy (who thinks he's 5)

Carson the Great Sleeper
You may recall my desperate blog posts near the end of my pregnancy detailing the horrible sleep habits that I had let Carson fall into. We were going to be in BIG trouble if this did not improve before the baby was born. Thanks to Todd's "hard-nosed" approach (he wouldn't let me rush in every time the little guy cried), Carson is now a perfect sleeper. He lets us lay him down in his bed between 7-7:30pm (usually without a peep) and we don't hear from him again until between 6-6:30am. This has been going on since right before Audrey was born. What a blessing!!!

Carson the Big Brother
Carson is really adjusting well to having a new baby sister. He loves her so much and is always giving her sloppy wet kisses (he's teething) on the top of her head. Afterwards he is disturbed that her hair is all wet. *He's a bit of a perfectionist.*

Carson and the Elmo Potty
Carson has been showing an interest in using the potty so I figured since we are pretty much home-bound right now (dead of winter and new baby) I'd start trying to potty train. On Friday I introduced Carson to his new Elmo potty. Within minutes of taking it out of the box he had peed in it. I started letting him wear pull-ups (he's very proud of the Lightning McQueen on them) during the day while we are at home. He's told me a few times that he has to go. By this I mean he starts saying LaLa (Elmo) and pointing to the bathroom door. What a smart boy!

Carson and Kindermusik
Last Thursday Carson started his new Kindermusik semester. He moved up to the next age group so he is now one of the youngest in the class. The age range is 18 months to 3.3 years. He did so great and showed all the leadership qualities that he demonstrated in the previous classes. Basically he was running the show and keeping those 3 year olds in line! At one point they were all supposed to sit on a blanket and listen to a story. He was the only one that stayed on there the whole time and anytime another child would "stray" he would point and say "uh oh!". This is hilarious when you consider we can't even keep our dining chairs at the table because I can't keep him from climbing on the table. How is that for selective obedience?

Teaching Moment?

I tried to have a teaching moment with the boys yesterday during the inauguration, but Luke was more interested in taking pictures of the tv and Carson just wanted to wrestle his brother (so much for a peaceful transfer of power). Luke did teach Carson how to chant "Obama, Obama, Obama..." like the crowd was doing on tv. The little guy won't say his name, but he will say Obama at the drop of a hat. It did, however, come out sounding more like "Oh Mama". I would post the video that Luke took of Carson saying it but there are some not so discreet shots of OhMama feeding Audrey her lunch!

 

 

 

Thank Goodness

She likes the sling!

 

All Three

Today is my first full day home alone with all three children and it's going great so far. We have yet to reach the 'witching hour' (4-5pm) when we are ALWAYS ready for Daddy to be home! Here are some pictures I took this afternoon of all three. They are wearing the adorable shirts that Amie Willgruber made for them. In case you can't read them in the photos: Carson=Big Brother, Luke=Bigger Brother, and Audrey=Little Sister. Enjoy!

Swinging Carson

Carson likes Audrey's swing more than she does. Scary! It was not turned on by the way...that's just momentum!

From Carson Swings

Getting to know baby sister

Here are some moments we captured with the boys and Audrey. As I was going through deciding what pictures to post, I realized that there were lots of Carson and Audrey, but only a couple of Luke and Audrey. Carson is all about loving on her (maybe too much) and Luke is more standoffish with her.

 

 

 

 

Home Sweet Home

 

I am finally home from the hospital. I was released yesterday (Saturday) after being there since 4am on Tuesday. We have been busy trying to get into a routine and re-introducing Audrey to her brothers. All of the children seem to be adjusting very well. Thanks to everyone for all of their kind thoughts and prayers.

Silver Lining

Looks like I am going to be in the hospital for a few more days. This morning the doctor told me I should "get comfortable". I am feeling good most of the time, but when there is any kind of lapse in pain medication I get miserable FAST. Mom came in this afternoon to relieve Todd at the hospital and we had fun giving Audrey a bath and taking lots of pictures of the little angel! The silver lining to this hospital stay is the priceless bonding time that we have gotten to spend with our new pink bundle. Every time I look at her my heart just feels like it's going to burst. She's just that special! Here are some of the pictures we took this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

The worst part of the stay is being away from my boys though. I miss them so much!

A Baby's Prayer

 

O God, you watch me and you know me...
You created my innermost self,
and put me together in my mother's womb.
For these mysteries I thank you,
for the wonders of myself,
for the wonderful work of your hands.
You know me through and through
from having watched
my bones take shape
when I was being formed
in secret...
Now watch me, protect me
and lead me in your ways.
Psalm 139 (adapted)

This scripture was given to me by Sister Helen, one of the chaplains at the hospital.

As Carson would say...Uh Oh

Hi friends. Just wanted to let you know that I am back in the hospital with what appears to be a kidney infection. I got a fever early Tuesday morning and was admitted for IV antibiotics. The doctor says I can expect to be here for 24-36 hours. Audrey has been with me and Todd's here helping take care of both of us. I am starting to feel better. Please pray that I will get better soon so I can go home to my boys!

Welcome Audrey!

Audrey Grace Jenkins was born today at 2:17pm. She weighed in at 7lbs .05oz and 19.5 inches long. She's just precious. Great labor and delivery experience once again!

 

 

 

We're all ready for her!

After much asking from Stacey and Ronda, I'm finally posting a few pictures of the baby's room. Thanks to Granni for painting and GiGi for helping me pull it all together! You may notice in the closet picture that she already has lots of clothes thanks to my generous friends and family!

I'm being induced in the morning so stay tuned! Baby by lunchtime??? Let's hope so!