People have been asking...

 Well Emma Jean is 2 months old, I had my 6 week appointment a little while ago and the Doctor informed me that everything is back to normal and I can go onto my normal life.  I beg to differ... my body is totally void of muscle, mainly stomach, and I am 10 pounds over my pre birth weight and my complexion is reminiscent to that of my Junior year in high school.  So not sure what the Dr. means by normal, but I don't think I am "back to it" yet.

So I have to give the people what they want and that is the details on life with three kids.  The truth is....it's not too different from life with 2.  I have heard that the adjustment from 2 to 3 is harder than any other, but then I have also heard that if you had a hard time adjusting to 2 kids then three is a breeze.  My take is it totally depends what your other 2 are like and how close in age they are.  Thomas and Grace really keep each other busy while I am busy with Emma, for the most part.  So really it's just the normal stuff with a baby that I deal with.  Lots of nursing, lots of holding, and laundry.  We have our moments like when Emma has a blow out, Thomas is apologizing for spilling crumbs all over the car, and Grace is asking me to put on her princess dress.  But at home 3 isn't too bad.  Traveling with three, or going shopping is another story, and I am lucky I don't have to do that too often since Nolans mom takes the older two quite a bit while I run to the store or Emma's Dr.'s appointment.  Having family near is so nice!

But we all feel Emma's sweet spirit and love having a baby in our home again.  She's a very normal baby I would say.  Not super fussy and hard like Thomas, but not the easiest like Grace either.  The biggest thing with her is she loves being held.  I can't complain too bad because it feels like such a long time since I held a baby.

The only way for me to get her to sleep is to hold her, so needless to say I am getting quite the strong left arm while my right could stand to hold her a little more.  I am learning to do much with just one hand.  It is hard for me to get much done around the house, but I tell myself she's not going to only sleep in my arms forever and I should enjoy it while she does.  Nolan's mom told me this poem the other day and it's so perfect for this stage of life.

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.


by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton