Sunday, June 24, 2012

Add it to the List!

Every weekend starts with a laundry list of things I'd like to get done. But, at the end of every weekend, our house just looks crazier and messier instead of fresh, clean, and ready for a new week. Inevitably "life" happens, and I end up cleaning the house from the weekend, not during the weekend. Of course, we always strive to have quality family time on the weekends...I just also always hope that some of the boxes in the dining room get unpacked, that some of our pictures get hung, and that Saige's room gets closer to getting put together....but it doesn't happen. Instead, we have half the laundry done, piles of folded clothes on the couch, dishes in the sink, and toys strewn all over the house. Please tell me this happens to other people too!
On Friday, I got the okay from my doctor to lift and workout again. (So, hopefully I will be able to get some of the things on my laundry list done without my sweet hubby's help.) I am gradually starting to run again, and it feels great. My legs are already soar from the last two evenings. I can also lift my two big girlies up again, and that is such a blessing. Tonight, my girls played at a neighbors house for a few minutes, and when I went to get them, I picked Lydia up and swung her onto my hip. Lydia sat there for a few minutes, and then said, "Mommy, you can hold me again?" Our neighbor got a real kick out of Lydia's concern for me. (Julia asked me a similar question at church this morning.) -- My girls can be so sweet.
Speaking of sweet, Saige is totally in love with her sisters. I have never seen a baby smile so much. This afternoon, Julia woke up from her nap and came downstairs to check in with us. I was nursing the baby and Dave was laying down for a catnap.(The poor guy has had to work from home again this weekend.) We were all in our bed, so Julia came and got in bed with us. I laid Saige down on our bed, so that she could see me and Julia and so we could talk to her. Julia immediately started being silly. While Julia made wierd noises, accompanied by weird hand gestures, Saige looked at her, wide eyed and very confused. The look Saige gave Julia cracked Julia up, which cracked Saige up. Saige was smiling and cooing with such sweetness, Julia was laughing hysterically, and I was completely on cloud 9. I desperately felt the need to wake Dave from his beauty rest to enjoy the moment with us. (He beamed proudly and then went right back into slumber-mode.) I just can't get enough of a smiling 6 week old. But, 5-year-olds with a belly laugh are quite a hoot as well. What can I say, I'm enthralled with my daughters! I thank God for my amazing blessings!
So, I guess this weekend, we pretty much got nothing done but make some great memories, and enjoy each other's company. I would say that that makes for the best kind of weekend-- the list can wait....
Blessings to you and yours, Amber

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Summer Lovin'

Life is still buzzing along happily for us Stewarts. Saige is doing great and has gained 2 lbs in the last month! Woohoo! The bigger girls are having a great summer and have enjoyed looking grungy and dirty 75% of the time. Today and yesterday, the clouds over Houston finally opened up and let the rain come down. So, the big girls stomped around in muddy puddles while being eaten by mosquitos in their mismatched "outfits". Saige and I watched and enjoyed their glee.

Our fun summer plans include: spending time with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and parents. We plan to visit Bartlesville, Branson, Galveston and San Antonio. In these cities we'll include trips to Silver Dollar City and Sea World. I am sooooo excited! Silver Dollar City is one of my all time favorite amusement parks! (Only one that I know of beats it. -- The highest on the list has the initials of DW.) We will also be celebrating Lyd's Birthday and mine this summer. Fun, fun! Lydia will turn 4, and I will turn...30.

As much as it makes my heart palpitate, we are actually gearing up for Julia to start kindergarten in August. *gulp. I am so excited for her because she is excited, but I almost can't stand the thought of sending her away for several hours a day, 5 days a week. Then, just next year, it'll be my little Lydia! :(

After Julia starts Kindergarten, I will more forcefully start my real estate career. I have recieved a lot of positive comments, as well as a few negative ones about this next step in my life. But, I am determined to do my best, while caring for my family first and foremost, and see where this exciting road takes us. I am absolutely certain that God has led me to this path; I wholeheartedly believe it will be more of a blessing than a curse.

So, that's an update on us. I hope to get back to writing more regularly soon. So, please stay tuned, and if you read, keep reading. And, if you will, refer my blog to friend. Joyfully, Amber

Friday, June 8, 2012

Bonding

Sweet Saige is one month old today! I can hardly believe it. It feels like time is inching by, but it's already been one whole month since I was in the hospital, being pumped with tons of fluid, asking the Lord for strength and grace in the delivery of my third daughter. Crazy.

Since the day I had Saige, I've been wanting to get on here and blog about it. But, with a broken laptop, blogging has been a lot harder. Thankfully I have a loaner I'm typing on now. Anyway...

When my older girlies were born, I had really great experiences with a great doctor and wonderful nurses. Delivering in Texas is good too, but it is definitely a different experience. I loved my obgyn here in Houston, and I loved the doctors she worked with. Most things with the hospital was very similar to delivering in Bartlesville. The hospital required pre-registration, the nurses asked tons of questions, and the experience was overall very nice. The biggest difference I found with delivering in Texas (Sugar Land to be exact) was that immediately after delivering Saige, the nurses plopped her on my chest with all of her goo and stuff all over her. With Julia and Lydia, the nurses held the baby up for me to see them, and then whisked them away to clean them up and get their footprints and shots. I finally got to see both of my older girls about 15-20 minutes after they were born. I loved meeting them for the first time, and I was glad to see them with all their goo gone.
However, this time, when they plopped Saige on me, I looked directly at her. Our eyes met and I felt such extraordinary love for her. We bonded immediately and I was surprised by the emotion and excitement of it all. (First I gasped with emotion, and then I thought, "She looks like Julia. Wait, she's bluish. That's normal right?") Then the nurses took Saige, and I was amazed by the experience. As they cleaned her up, and did their regular nurse stuff, I realized why it took me a few days to bond with my older daughters. Although I always loved my other girls, I didn't feel an immediate connection with them. But, with Saige, I FELT that she was mine, and it made me feel great. So, now I'm all for having my recently delivered baby's plopped on me, goo and all. What a sweet experience!
I'll never forget the day that any of my girls were born, but I'll especially remember the sweet connection I had with baby Saige on the day of her birth. And, I will always thank the Lord for it.

Here are the pictures of my sweet girls on Saige's 1 month birthday:
Lydia and Saige-- Lyd has some brownie and little booboo around her mouth. :)
Saigie and Julia
Baby in her bassinet
Sweet girl enjoying her boppy while her sisters watched a movie and ate popcorn
Life is definitely busy as Dave and I raise our three girls. But we are enjoying the moments that will hopefully become forever memories immensely. Tonight, the girls, and Dave and I watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory after eating a meal from some friends from church. It's been a sweet evening, and a great opportunity for me to finally get some blogging done. Thanks for reading. Blessings, Amber

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Reason # 158 to live in colder climates

I just had a baby a little over 3 weeks ago. All I want to wear is sweat pants and sweat shirts. (I'm not exactly pre-maternity size yet.) The problem is that it is a balmy 90-some degrees outside. Sigh.

Sometimes I wish I still lived in Alaska. -Amber