Saturday, June 7, 2014

Party of Five: An Update

It's 2pm on a Saturday and I am the only family member not enjoying an afternoon snooze.  There are clothes to wash, dishes to unload, thank you notes to write, paperwork to organize, phone calls to return, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...but I opted to update the blog.  Why?  Because I received the sweetest card from my dear friend, Diane.  In that card, Diane congratulated us on the arrival of Baby Lydia and she told me that she's disappointed that I haven't been feeling well and she hopes I start feeling better so I can update the blog more frequently because she enjoys it so much.  Wow!  She dishes out a Catholic guilt trip that rivals my mom's!  I'm only kidding (insert uncontrollable giggles here).  Her kind words meant the world to me and they reminded me of how much I truly do enjoy blogging so Diane, this update is for you!
So how are we adjusting to life as a family of five? 
 
Quite well thanks to my mom and sister.  You see, they've come to spend the whole month with us to help with the adjustment and that's especially important because I had a C-section and I'm not supposed to be lifting more than 10 lbs.  They make sure I've always got someone around to lift the older girls into their car seats, stroller, toilet, bath tub, etc.  In addition to providing the best childcare available, my mom has also been happily helping with laundry and cooking which means I can focus on recovery and taking care of our sweet bundle of joy.  Words cannot express my gratitude to my mom and Leanne!
How are the girls adjusting to their new baby sister? 
 
Josie is relatively indifferent.  She points and says "Baby Lydia!" and she carefully warns "gentle hands" when reaching out to touch her, but overall, Josie just goes about her business and ignores the baby.
What about Little Mother Hen?
 
As you may have predicted, Merryn relishes in her role as a big sister.  Every morning she asks "Where's Baby Lydia?" and she makes a beeline for the bassinet.  She is constantly talking about how she's going to teach Baby Lydia about letters and numbers and walking and using the potty...which would be easier to do if that darn infant would just stay awake and pay attention!  When Merryn does get a glimpse of Lydia's blue eyes in an open position, she immediately capitalizes on the opportunity to love on her, play with her, and of course, drill her with flash cards...

Are there any issues with jealousy?
 
I'd be lying if I said we hadn't seen an increase of Merryn in "Thelma" mode (Thelma is Merryn's ornery alter ego.  For more details, click HERE).  As much as she dotes on her baby sister, Merryn takes all the necessary steps to ensure that she's receiving adequate amounts of attention throughout the day.  For example, here is my attempt to photograph Baby Lydia for a birth announcement...
Oh Thelma!  You've gotta love her!
 
How's Aunt Leanne?
 
Aunt Leanne is doing great!  She maintains that Baby Lydia is her best birthday gift.  That's right - Aunt Leanne recently celebrated her birthday and in true postpartum, sleep-deprived, frazzled-mother-of-three fashion, I forgot to bring my good camera to her party.  But I captured the moment with some sub-par cell phone shots as we gathered to enjoy some pizza, cake, and ice cream and celebrate the world's best aunt!
 
 Overall, we're doing really well and are so grateful to have another sweet baby girl in the family.  Lydia is doing her best to make sure the transition from family of 4 to family 5 is as smooth as possible with her delightful temperament.  We appreciate all of the well wishes and kind words from our beloved blog followers.  We will do our best to update you again soon!

9 comments:

  1. I am glad you felt guilty enough to write a blog post. LOL That's hilarious about Merryn. By the time Lydia is 5, she will graduating college. :)

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  2. I'm surprise you're updating the blog... as I typed the blog name into google I thought you probably wouldn’t have the time to write! I’m glad you did! ;) I hope you’re starting to feel better, I had a c-section and they’re not fun…. But is good you have the help of mom and aunt Leanne. Love! love! love! to read the stories about Merryn and how sweet she is with Lydia… keeping her title of Mother Hen intact! Ohhh and Baby Lydia is absolutely gorgeous!

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  3. I love Lydia's outfits, they are so cute!!

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  4. I love Lydia's outfits, they are so cute!

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  5. I loved the update. In fact I like this blog post 1,000 times better than the movie with the same name. Or am I thinking of Table for Five? This is better than fiction.

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  6. Congratulations, baby Lydia is beautiful. It is fun to read about how Merryn is adjusting to her. Our new baby girl is 6 weeks old now and My oldest Landon, 3 1/2 is the same way. :) Every time he sees baby Natalie he says let me see her eyes mommy. <3 Now Miss Mya, 1 1/2 and of course sporting her extra chromosome with lots of sass and personality these days, she adores her new baby sister. We are unable to lay that baby on the floor because big sister will pick her up and squeeze the life out of her. :) So glad all is well for your now family of five. I very much so look forward to your next post. :)

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  7. Congratulations and best wishes as you heal from your C-section. So happy for you all that your mom and Leanne could be there for you. Merryn is absolutely killing me - so affectionate, doting, and working hard on Lydia's skills already. Yee-ha! Merryn is a nurturer in need of a recipient of all her mothering tendencies and you just gave her one. Yippee! And a very happy Starbucks birthday to Miss Leanne - Queen of the bunch!
    I feel so selfish when I greedily gobble up your blog posts, accompanied by perfect photos and movies, but please don't stop. Take good care of yourself, for your viewers will survive with infrequent posts, but we are always open to news from the Fab Five. Love and kisses (of course) to Josie...not to be forgotten!

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  8. First, congratulations on sweet Lydia! She is beautiful! Next, I love the picture of Josie touching Lydia so gently....so sweet. Also, I love Merryn "Here is your red coat honey!" hahahhaa. Happy Happy Birthday to Leanne! Hope you heal quickly! Thank you for continuing to share your awesome family with us!!!!

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  9. Gee thanks. These adorable pictures of your girls has my maternal urges all in a tizzy after I had safely decided two was plenty, thank you. Congratulations on your beautiful family!

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