Cambria & Jonathan ... plus Two

I feel so happy this Christmas season to be sharing the story of Christ's birth with our 3-year-old James! He is finally old enough to understand the story, and we have been trying to take advantage of that to start to build an understanding that Christ's birth is really what Christmas is all about. He is, of course, noticing and being exposed to all of the secular aspects of the season, but I'm trying really hard to make sure that our focus on Christ's birth is outnumbering the focus on Santa, presents, etc. I love seeing the story again through a child's eyes, and it has allowed me to renew my own testimony and love for the Savior and His birth and be reminded that He is the reason for this joyous season! I discovered this video today that I found so beautiful and touching, so I thought I'd share a little of the Christmas spirit that we've been feeling in our home.

Well, we survived the first 6 weeks with our cute little girl. We've kind of been looking forward to this milestone, because they say from now she will be cuter, less fussy, and sleep better ... and what parent of a newborn doesn't hope day and night for that!

Along with the sleepless nights and the complete chaos that a baby brings, we decided to throw in a couple of curve balls into the past 6 weeks. First, I got shingles just 8 days after delivery - really random and kind of un-fun. But, apparently a healthy dose of valtrex was just the ticket and we got through that without much fuss. Then, last week, after deciding I better get that stomach pain that wouldn't go away looked at, I found out I had an appendicitis and had to have immediate surgery before it ruptured! Yeah, nice. But, a week later, I'm happy to report that I'm not too much worse for wear, and we are back on track to looking forward to enjoying a happier baby, sleepier nights, and just all around more normal!

So, lest anyone feel too sorry for me I've decided to post my top 10 reasons why every new mom should have surgery 5 weeks postpartum:

10. It makes for a great story!

9. I can now empathize better with women who have had to have a c-section and then have to figure out how to nurse a baby with a stomach wound.

8. It's a good way to use up any money that might have been left in our flex spending account (as if there was any after having a baby!)

7. As long as I'm already out on maternity leave, why not?

6. Now I have one more reason to blame for the fact that my abdominal muscles have absolutely no tone.

5. My toddler has something besides his baby sister to blame for the fact that his mom can't pick him up or play on the ground with his trains.

4. I hate to admit it, but it's surprisingly satisfying, after 5 weeks of devoting myself to taking care of a baby, toddler, and occasionally a husband, to spend the night in the hospital and having everyone devoted to taking care of me for 24 hours.

3. If I wasn't good at asking for help before, I'm much better now ... and I've gained a true and much deeper appreciation for the quick willingness of people to help out when asked.

2. My increased recognition and gratitude for the tender mercies that the Lord provides us in moments such as these (e.g. my in-laws arriving just in time to help, having just enough stored breastmilk to get my baby through when I couldn't feed her, that it happened just after Jon's big deadline rather than before...)

And the #1 reason to have surgery 5 weeks after having a baby ...
My increased appreciation and love for a husband who is available, willing, and incredibly capable of stepping in and taking over the care of two children and a household (without making it look like a piece of cake so that I don't feel like a wimp when I am worn out by the same job!)

Happy 6 weeks, Lucy!

We welcomed a new baby girl into our family last Thursday. Weighing in at a whopping 8 lbs. 13 oz., Little Lucy has quickly won all our hearts!

Plenty of driving ... including through trees!

Early mornings (only if there was a really good reason to get up, though!)

Plenty of family time!

New adventures - like flying on noisy airplanes (it's okay if you hold hands)

Tractors (orange ones!) with birthday Papa

More crazy family time!

And a chance to see this gorgeous building for the first time ever!

... not to mention a few moments of wondering what a pregnant woman was doing exhausting herself by gallivanting about so much during her summer break (that would be me wondering)! But now we're home, and I'm fully committed to spending the next 4 weeks resting and prepping for a new baby (in between going back to work and taking care of a toddler, that is).

Ummm, did I mention that we're having a baby girl come about September 20? Sorry, news reporting sometimes gets behind around here!

sorry the pics are upside down - technical trouble that I don't want to spend any more time on :)

James is thrilled he's getting a "baby sisser" - he's already allocated one of his blankets for her, and he tells me regularly that's why mommy's "tummy getting bigger" (I'm glad he doesn't say I'm just getting fat :)

Around our house, we're pretty in love with a certain little boy's freckles. They sure are cute ... and the rest of him is quite a bit of fun also!

Here's a snapshot into a bit of what those freckles have been up to lately:

Popcorn and face-painting at the neighborhood carnival

Exploring spring - caterpillars, cocoons, and moths

His first overnight camping trip with Daddy!

I'm nearing the end of that marathon again - the one that comes at the end of every school year. This one has been a doozy, I tell you, with all sorts of uphill climbs that I wasn't planning on (those elementary school kids sure do keep you on your toes). But, two weeks left, and summer can't come soon enough.

I've put up a new quote on my chalkboard wall that's helping me get through. It's one I came across from Pres. Uchtdorf recently, and even though it's simple, every day it's helping me keep things in perspective, remember what really matters, and feel reassured that it's all going to work out.