2 wks w/ 4

Like my abbreviated title? That's how life is running these days! But let me take some time to share how things are going if you can't be here to see all the fun!

Little Diana is such a sweet and mild baby! She eats well, sleeps through the night in 5-7 hour stretches, and doesn't protest tummy time. She is the most relaxed sleeper I've ever seen. She'll often be totally stretched out instead of the more curled up pose of most newborns. I still swaddle her at night, but she doesn't mind to be sprawled all over the crib the rest of the day. She is, in every way, a blessing to our family!

At the doctor's office today (yes, you can imagine the hilarious wild and crazy visit) she weighed in at 7lbs 5oz, already 6oz above birth weigh (hooray!). She measured 21in long (70th %) and 14in for head circumference (33rd %). My grand plan of telling them they wouldn't get shots if they stayed under the exam table didn't work because they saw a spider under there. I let them play with my purse and they loved taking out the cards and coupons and strewing them all over the room. Well, you win some and you lose some.

Her fun siblings have been so good to her. Nicole is always worried that Diana will spit up on her, Michael will tell me she needs milk if she makes even a small cry, and Jacob likes to "pet" her. But she'll turn out okay :-)

Jacob is adjusting to not being the baby anymore. He's more jealous if Jim holds Diana- with me he kind of knows it's a lost cause to get me all to himself. However he doesn't get mad at Diana for any of this- just sad at us. Once I let Diana rest on his blanket and all he did was crumple to the floor and cry, poor guy! It's gotten a lot easier for him now that I'm on my feet again and can give him more lovin and hugs.

They've have had the best two weeks of their life- one whole week with grandma and then another whole week with Jim! They were collecting worms, swimming every day, going fishing with daddy (Nicole learned how to cast!) and all sorts of wonderful things that mommy has been way too tired/huge to do with them. Nicole and Michael have been super best friends through all this and it's fun to see them be best buddies and goof around together.

Jake Jake has decided to potty train himself. He goes into the bathroom, takes off all of his clothing and tries to make it onto the toilet. Of the several dozen tries, I can count on one hand the times he's succeeded. I won't give you all the details. But we can confirm that hearing his little voice squeak in excitement "potty!" "poopy!" or the quiet shutting of the bathroom door all strike terror in my heart. Jim bought 9 month onesies to snap him up in. Only when he is wearing one can I relax my guard. I'd LOVE to potty train him now, but I simply don't have the energy yet. And I don't want to do a half-hearted job. So the poor guy who wants to be a big boy will just have to wait a little longer. And I'll just have to stay on guard for the bathroom door closing or his squeaks of excitement. One of Nicole's favorite movies is the short clip on Incredibles called "Jack Jack Attack!" If you've seen it, you can liken it to Jake Jake pretty much to a T. And that exhausted babysitter at the end... I can relate! (have you seen the chairs on the table in our kitchen so he can't move them and the metal chairs blockading the fridge, dishwasher, and other drawers? the safety locks on every cupboard and the child locks on almost every door in the house?) Love this little guy!

Michael has been the most tender of all the kids with Diana. He constantly wants to hold her, and when he does his face is so sweet and loving. His big hands will hold her little foot and he'll say sweet things like "she's so teeny, mom!" Once he's holding her, he'll go back to watching tv or something but keep holding her securely and responsibly in his arms. These precious times help me see the wonderful father he will be some day. He has a very soft, dear heart along with his bounds of energy.

First days

This sweet girl has been wonderful from day one- she is a great sleeper and although things can change at any time, I sure appreciate it!

Nicole had an apple the other night and within an hour had pulled out two more teeth! I could not believe how fast she lost them! She was thrilled to lose a top one and her other lower middle tooth. The first thing I heard in the morning from her was cries of "money! money!"

Grandma arrived Saturday with Caleb and has been running nonstop ever since!

Nicole adores her sister.

Caleb is Michael's new best friend. He takes Caleb's hand and drags him around to the toys he wants to play with.

Nicole my sweet girl.

Michael with his gift from Diana- a stuffed doggy. They've been carrying their doggies around everywhere!

Michael loves to hold Diana and has slowly become accustomed to her cry. Now he tells me that she is hungry whenever he hears her cry.

Jake loves "baby a-nana" and likes to look at her. She is like a curious exhibit at a museum to him, he's still trying to figure out just what a baby is like.

A neighbor lent Michael this lawn mower and every single time he goes outside he mows the whole lawn. Looks like I know what chores to hand over to him when he gets bigger!

Diana Kay

Diana Kay joined our family on Friday, June 15th at 6:49pm. She weighed 6 lbs 15oz and is 20 inches long. Her name has special meaning to us. When I was 18, I went to Ecuador and volunteered at orphanages there. The main orphanage had 20-30 babies and toddlers that I took care of 24-7. Being with those loving, precious, beautiful children took the seed of desire for motherhood and nourished it to where I knew that one of my greatest desires was to be a mother and give my love and heart to such precious little ones. I was completely overwhelmed with their needs, but one of the greatest lessons I learned was that as I served these children and prayed for help, my heart and abilities expanded to give more and more. The Lord truly loves each of those children with an overwhelming love and I felt so blessed to be a part of showing that love. One of the first big experiences I had in Ecuador was the adoption of one of the little girls. She was our best walker and had big brown eyes and dark hair that curled just above her shoulders. Her stomach was big because of the poor nutrition provided and she had this beautiful and innocent sweetness to her. I can remember how overwhelmingly happy I felt when she was adopted- that she would have a family to love her with an individuality we couldn't provide for her. The memory of the Ecuadorian girl Diana and the other children reminds me of how loved we are by our Heavenly Father and how precious each child is in His sight. My own little Diana- whose name means 'divine, perfect or luminous'- is a sweet and beautiful daughter of God and we treasure her.  Her middle name, Kay, is shared by her sweet and loving great grandmother Marilyn Kay Davies. a woman of faith and service whose life is a blessing to all around her. I look forward to sharing with her my tender experiences and what a special heritage her name has.

Diana was induced and everything went just fine! Interestingly, I had Diana in the same L&D room as I had Michael and Jacob in. Crazy! It was a busy day at the hospital so we ended up having 7 nurses by the time we were done. I also had to be on antibiotics for 4 hrs before they'd start the induction since I have quick labors, so we didn't get started really until 2pm. Fortunately, everything progressed plenty fast. The doctor did barely get ready for when she was born, but hey, I'd warned him! :-) One push and voila- the amazing miracle of birth! Diana had the cord around her neck once, but the doctor took care of things quickly and she was totally fine. Seeing her for the first time after such a LONG wait was beyond words- such joy and love for the darling curious bundle in my arms.

The kids came to visit the next morning and it was quite the experience. As they walked in the door, Michael burst through asking me "Did it hatch mom? It hatched?" I was a little speechless at how to answer since I was trying to imagine how in the world he thought the hospital process worked (a room full of nests for expecting moms to sit on their eggs?). Jacob said 'baby baby' a few times and then went straight for buttons, emergency cords, etc. Nicole couldn't wait to hold Diana and although she was half terrified that Diana might cry (which is a full out girly scream- none of that little mewling cry), she rocked and patted Diana and told us to be quiet and then said "Mom, look I rocked her to sleep!" Her face was lighted with joy, it was really special to share that love for Diana with her. Although I had told the kids my tummy would slowly get smaller, Michael still asked the age old question asked by toddlers, "Are there more babies in there?" And Nicole, who wasn't quite sure what to think of the hospital nursing gown, told me she didn't think my dress was modest. Again I had to giggle thinking of her imagining me going to church in the billowing blue cloth. I assured her it was just for the hospital and not a Sunday dress. The kids have all kept asking to hold her and although they're still figuring out just what a baby is like, they've all been sweet and accepting. Although personality takes time to develop, there is a definite difference in Diana in her lung capacity. I have never heard a newborn with such volume or such girly crying and shrieking. The pediatrician says she is a fourth child that will certainly not be ignored :-) Welcome to the world our little angel Diana Kay!