Life with three daughters

Wow - I never realized how much free time I had with twins! Life with our little Evelyn Grace has been wonderful. I just can't believe how busy and hectic our lives are these days. I have friends that have three children and they all seem to constantly run in circles. We are finally beginning to settle into a routine. We try to keep Margaret and Madeline's routine as normal as possible. Both of my big girls are handling having a new baby sister beautifully. We have had difficult moments adjusting, however things seem to improve daily. Evelyn is the sweetest baby and we hold her constantly. None of us can get enough of her sweet baby scent! She eats frequently throughout the day but only wakes twice a night to feed. When the twins were infants I had to feed them on average 10 - 15 times each night until they were 10 weeks old. So far, one baby is a breeze! However, it has been challenging trying to keep my big girls entertained while I attend to baby duties. I'm very proud of Margaret and Madeline and love to see them kiss their baby sister. We love to listen to her grunts - she is a very vocal baby! We can't imagine life without all three of our girls. I've included pics of Evelyn with her buddies Baby Liam and Baby Nate!

She's here!!!

Our sweet little Evelyn Grace was born on her due date, June 23rd (also our 7th wedding anniversary!) She is just beautiful and we can't get enough of her. Margaret and Madeline are super big sisters and help me out alot. They have had a few difficult moments adjusting to a new baby in the house, but all in all, they are doing just great. So far Evelyn has been an excellent baby. We are so delighted to have her here with us! My labor was FAST, especially considering this was my first labor since I had a c-section with Margaret and Madeline. After my water broke Evelyn was born within about five hours. She is healthy and gorgeous. I will post more pictures soon - life has been pretty busy the last week!

Just too cute

Here are some too cute pictures of the girls. Margaret and Madeline love playing "baby" and climbing into the baby's crib for "night-night". Bryan and I have been telling them for months that the baby will be here in June. Madeline says everyday "Mom, it's already June - Where's the baby?". Thank goodness there have been no inquiries from them about the actual birth. They did however get an up close and personal view of my friend Sara's baby today during a diaper change. They have been inquiring about baby Nate's "stuff" all day. The more mature and sophisticated they become, the more complex their questions are. Sometimes I have appropriate answers on the tip of my tongue, and occasionally I resort to saying "go ask your Daddy". I have tried to prepare Margaret and Madeline for the baby in regards to such things as the belly button, poopy diapers and spit up. Margaret is my squeamish child and literally lost all color in her face when I explained to them about the cord stump and belly button. Maybe I'm giving them too much information? It will be interesting to see how they react to their baby sister. We are all anxious for her arrival and can't wait to meet her!

A little tired of being pregnant...

We finally have the nursery put together and are ready to welcome our new little girl into our family. We still need some artwork on the nursery walls, but have everything else done. I have 3 1/2 more weeks before she is due - hopefully she will arrive a little sooner than that! This has been a great pregnancy, uncomplicated and easy. Aside from horrendous acid reflux, I still feel great and have lots of energy. It feels tremendously different from carrying twins. I'm trying to cherish each moment of this pregnancy. I know that I will miss her kicking and having Margaret and Madeline kissing my belly everyday. However, I'm looking forward to bending over again and sleeping comfortably. I wonder if I will still need my pregnancy Boppy when the baby is born?? We have compiled a list of names (and no, we are not telling what they are!). We will name her when she is born. We have received some wonderful gifts from friends. A HUGE thank you to Jill, Sara and Jessica for planning a super fun day for me! Latane - we missed you! My very best friends planned a relaxing day at the spa for all of us. It's a long story, but spa day didn't happen. We had to make last minute alternate plans when Skin Sense screwed up our day of R&R! However, it turned out to be the most perfect day and I loved every minute of it! Thanks girls!! Thank you to Jessica and Jill for traveling so far to spend the day with me. It was so much more fun than a baby shower. My only regret is that I brought my camera and didn't take any pictures. We were laughing too much for me to even think about taking pictures.

A Day at the Zoo

On Thursday, Bryan and I took M & M to the NC Zoo. We didn't tell them where we were going until we were almost there. We all had a great time! I was prepared for lots of walking, but not the steep inclines! I received many sympathetic glances from people when they saw my belly and swollen ankles. I hung in there, but I soon realized that pushing a stroller up a hill isn't as effortless for me as it was a few months ago. Madeline and Margaret both loved the lions the best. However, Margaret asked us when we left where the doggies were at the zoo. I think she would have been just as content spending a day at the SPCA looking at puppies! They also enjoyed seeing "Willy" the polar bear, but he never would turn around for us to see his face very well. Bryan and I were so impressed at how super they were. They walked (and rode strollers) all day without the first complaint. It was such a wonderful treat to spend an entire day with my family.

Margaret and Madeline's 1st Dance Recital

We survived our first dance recital! After a very long week last week of dress rehearsal, the girls had their first recital on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. They were fabulous! Madeline was a little timid on stage but did a great job. Margaret seemed to love performing. We were so proud of them! I don't have any pictures from the actual recital because we were prohibited from taking any. They danced to "Candyman" from Willy Wonka for their ballet, and "You're Never Fully Dressed" from Annie for their tap. It was a wonderful weekend but exhausting! It was a little challenging to be 8 1/2 months pregnant and run at top speed at the Kirby to make it to the balcony in time to see them perform. Margaret and Madeline are looking forward to taking dance again in the Fall.

Princess Party

Margaret and Madeline went to a birthday party on Saturday. Their friend Mary Margaret is turning 4 and hosted a Princess Party. All of the guests were asked to wear their princess attire. Madeline dressed as Cinderella and Margaret dressed as Ariel from "The Little Mermaid". Margaret was very anxious to sample the castle cake! The photographer took pictures of each "princess" on a throne. There was even an appearance made by Cinderella's fairy godmother. All of the girls had a wonderful time!