December Recap….

Our December, like most everyone else’s, was super busy.

We had a birthday party, a new baby and Christmas festivities to keep us running all month long!

Since the new baby, I’m a little behind on my blogging, so I’m going to try to catch up, for memory’s sake…(and since I will have this year’s blog book printed, I want all of the 2011 stuff together!) :)

Since we knew Maybree was scheduled to arrive on the 15th, we got our Christmas decorations up early (I started mid-November this year!). I was so excited to use all the stuff I got after Christmas clearance last year. It was so fun to open all those bins and find all that brand new stuff. What was even more fun was seeing the price tags and knowing I only paid 10% of that cost! There’s just something about getting some 90% off that makes you feel great! Ha…

Most of the stuff I bought last year was for the dining room and play room. Here’s the dining room:

The Playroom:

It was probably my favorite room in the whole house! I did the garland around the door with mesh and lots of candy ornaments. I also got the elves from Hobby Lobby and thought they turned out so cute!

 

A few living room shots…

     

I did a little decorating in our bedrooms this year… Some garland, mesh and ornaments in our room…

 

AB had a tree in her room this year and LOVED it!

I put up the little “My First Christmas” tree that one of DW’s cousins made for AB the year she was born in Maybree’s room.

I was also excited this year about the garland and ornaments I got last year after Christmas for the outside of the house. The columns got wrapped and I LOVED them. The only thing we need to different for next year, is add more balls to the old garland… it didn’t really match the new that I made, so we’ll fix that next year! :)

The week of AB’s birthday, we went to a “Stay & Play” class at a gym. AB had the BEST time and I can’t wait until we aren’t “homebound” anymore and I can take her back! There were lots of mats, rings, a ball pit and two bounce houses to keep all the kids busy.  

I thought she might be shy around all the different kids, but she ran around the whole time and every time she’d pass me, she would yell, “dis so fun, mommy!”

Totally worth the time and money we spent that morning! Aunt Stephanie, Willie & the triplets went, too! Ms. Danielle, Cori & Finley were also there, so afterward we all went out to lunch.

 

AB’s actual birthday was Friday the 9th. She celebrated by opening some gifts… Aunt Kristy & Uncle Beau mailed a package and it arrived perfectly on her birthday! That night, she wanted to eat at Red Lobster, so we took her there.

Her party was on Sunday afternoon, and I still have to blog about it!

On Monday night (the 12th), we took AB to the mall to pick out our yearly Christmas ornaments. It’s a tradition we started with our Cooper his first Christmas and we’ve done it every year since. This year, AB was old enough to pick the ornaments herself! So fun… She picked a Buzz & Woody for Cooper’s tree, a Mickey Mouse for her tree, and the Sister ornament for Maybree’s tree.

The three little trees are in our foyer and they each hold the kids’ ornaments.

Tuesday we went over to cousin Willie’s house for a cookie decorating party. The kids made crafts and decorated cookies.  

Wednesday I had my last doctor’s visit and afterward we met up with Aunt Carrie, Allie Claire & Whitt to exchange Christmas gifts and have lunch at the mall food court. Carrie got me the funnest gift this year… it’s a subscription to Birchbox. Each month they will send me a box of sample make-up, hair stuff, etc. to try. The first box arrived that afternoon! Carrie couldn’t have planned that any better! :)

Wednesday night was my “last supper” before having Maybree on Thursday! I requested Blue Highway, so we went there for dinner when DW got off work. That night, he also surprised me with a sweet eternity band with Maybree’s birthstone. Although he gave me a piece of jewelry with our first two kids, I really didn’t expect anything this time around and was very surprised. So sweet. I had always planned to give Cooper’s one-day wife the diamond earrings DW gave me when he was born and AB will get the necklace and pendant her Daddy gave me the day she was born when she’s old enough… So I love that Maybree will have something, too. DW said there wasn’t any way to leave her out! :)

Thursday was Baby Day! Such a sweet, sweet day…

The week we came home from the hospital was the week leading up to Christmas. AB had lots of fun that week to keep her busy and make her feel special, too!

She baked cookies TWICE with Grammy. She even made Pop get in on the action the second go around!

She got to spend the day Christmas shopping with her Nie-Nie and her cousins. It was so sweet… My MIL got the kids and took them to town to pick out gifts for their parents and their siblings. They had lunch after and then wrapped all their gifts. AB came home with her three presents and proudly announced to DW that she’d gotten him a keychain. :) Christmas morning, she passed out her gifts and did the same thing and told him what it was before he opened it. It was so cute! Nie-Nie told us that AB picked everything out herself, which made it even that much more special. She did get DW a gator keychain, and got me a cupcake bead for my Pandora bracelet. Maybree got a purple (AB’s favorite color) outfit and a little horse stuffed animal.

Mom & I made a few Christmas goodies on the 22nd. I always do a big baking day, but this year, opted out. I just couldn’t do it, but I also couldn’t have Christmas without some Martha Washingtons. So mom mixed them up and then I dipped them in chocolate. That night, we all packed in DW’s truck and took a ride around town to look at Christmas lights. Of course we took a sack of cookies and some punch. :) I wore my pajamas (which have been my outfit of choice for the past two weeks) and that made it even more glorious. AB loved that we both had our jammies on. :)

We did our yearly picture of AB with the baking-day finished products.. it was so sweet to add Maybree this year, too! The pictures of course didn’t turn out like I wanted, but are pretty funny…

 

DW was off work on Friday, so he took our big girl to see her first movie in the theatre! They saw what AB calls the “Chicken-munks” movie. AB did great and sat through the whole thing! Daddy even took her for a milkshake afterward.

That catches me up through Christmas… so maybe I’ll get that one done tomorrow! :)

~amw~

Meet Maybree…

I can hardly believe she’s a week old today!

Maybree Miriam was born Thursday, December 15th at 8:40 a.m. She weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs 9 oz and measured 19 1/2 inches long. Of the three, she’s our heaviest and shortest baby!

She is precious and perfect and we love her so much already!

Her name... "Maybree" is a name I heard when I was pregnant with AB. It was actually at Carrie's baby shower in Callahan. The girl who made the shower cake was named Maybree and I thought it was such a different and pretty name. "Miriam" was Devin's grandmother's name. She passed away when he was a little boy, so I never had the privilege of knowing her, but I do know the three daughters and son that she (& DW's Granddaddy) raised...I think the world of Devin's aunts and his Daddy, and I know that his grandmother was a wonderful woman just by knowing them. I love that both our girls' middle names are after our precious grandmothers.

Big Sister is adjusting well. Although she’s had a few “show-out” moments, she loves her sister and is so sweet with her!  

Maybree isn’t fussy and the only time we “hear” from her, is to let us know she’s hungry! So far, she’s such a great baby.

She’s so tiny and it’s beyond precious having a newborn around the house again. There isn’t anything like the sounds and smells of a brand new baby!

She’s eating every 2-3 hours, so we’re spending lots of one-on-one time together. :) We had her first dr. apt yesterday and she’s already gained weight! She’s up to 6 lb. 14 oz.

Her delivery went perfectly and we are so thankful for that. We had another scheduled c-section and I don’t think it could have gone better.

We got to the hospital last Thursday morning just after 6:00 a.m.

One last belly pic!

Nie-Nie came and stayed at our house with Annabelle and my parents met us at the hospital. Shortly after our arrival, they started my IV (which I still think is one of the worst parts of the whole deal). They pumped me so full of fluid that my feet and ankles are STILL swollen. :) It felt like it was taking forever for 8:00 to get there (that was our scheduled time), but the closer it got, the more nervous I was. I am a complete sissy when it comes to pain. I don't do shots or blood work and certainly not IV's, so the thought of having my tummy cut wide open REALLY freaks me out. Of course all the waivers you have to sign about anesthesia and surgery help things. I mean what's more reassuring than signing the consent forms that say this may lead to death. I did however, get my refrigerator cleaned out the night before, so that made me feel a little better. DW came into the kitchen around 9:00 that night and asked WHY in the world I was cleaning out the fridge...he didn't understand that if something happened to me in the O.R., I didn't want people bringing him funeral food and us not having a cleaned out fridge.

8:00 rolled around and they wheeled me to the O.R. --  DW was left behind to get dressed. The nurses told him they'd be back for him in 10-15 minutes. He was getting a little worried when they didn't come back for 25 minutes... it took the anesthesiologist a little longer to do my spinal block than usual. But Hallelujah that thing worked. I am always worried it's not and I'm going to feel something! While he was doing it, my left leg went all tingly and numb and I may have freaked out a little and told him I thought it was only working on one side, and I might have told him my mom's epidural story when she delivered my brother and how it only worked on one side...my dr may have laughed a little at my worry and assured me it was just the way I was having to sit that made my leg tingly... they did the pinch test and we were good to go. DW came in and it was time to meet our newest baby!

They started the incision at 8:31 and at 8:40 we heard our girl's first cries. So sweet. She came out louder than both her brother and sister.

Maybree and Daddy headed to the nursery while the doctors finished up my surgery and sent me back to the room for recovery. After an hour of recovery, they finally brought our girl to her momma!

In the past, visitors have been able to go in the nursery with DW and see the babies, but this time was different! They did see her through the nursery window, but no one was allowed in, so everyone was anxious to see our girl up close!

Grammy & Pop

Aunt Nen

DW's Aunt and our pastor had been in the waiting room, but they headed home after the baby came, so I don’t have pictures of them.

We wanted to wait a couple of hours after surgery before having my MIL bring AB up to meet her sister. I know how scary I probably looked right after, and we thought waiting a couple hours would be the best thing for her. Around 10:30, Nie-Nie & Aunt Kels brought her up to meet Maybree!

Nie-Nie & Aunt Kelsey

Annabelle was stand-offish at first, but warmed up fast. She didn't want much to do with me, except to ask me, "What happened to you's clothes, Mommy?" I still had my hospital gown on and she KNEW that didn't look like mommy's jammies. :)

She was excited that the labor & delivery floor had a Christmas tree with PURPLE ornaments (her favorite color), but not nearly as excited as she was to hold her new baby sister! (Thanks, Aunt Stephanie for making her "Big Sister" shirt!) :)

 

Everyone left around lunch time and that afternoon Pappy & Uncle Adam stopped by to meet their newest granddaughter/niece...they'd been in the cow pens all morning, so they didn't hold her, so no pics of them either.

Devin's mom and her husband also arrived from Georgia late that afternoon. No pics of them either...(Grandma had a little cold, so they didn't hold Maybree either)...she did come back the next day though, and got to hold her.

We waited so long to name her, that we ALMOST didn’t have anything with her name on it for the hospital! Aunt Carrie came through though, and brought Maybree a hat with her name on it!

We could have stayed another day in the hospital, but I was ready to come home! Two nights was plenty for me! We came home Saturday at lunch. My Mom bought her going home outfit a couple of months ago when she was in Tampa for a meeting. Oh, it’s so sweet…I plan to have all the kids’ outfits framed in shadow boxes and hang them somewhere??? Maybe a project for 2012! :)

Dressed & ready to go!

Daddy & Maybree getting ready to head home! She IS tiny, but looks even more tiny when DW holds her. :)

All strapped in! (She looks so tiny in that big carseat!

I am healing good and have been well taken care of. My parents have been staying with us to tend to AB and Maybree and the house… my duties have been feeding the baby and napping. I warned everyone I would be taking full advantage of all the extra help this time, and I have! I’ve napped every day and am letting everyone else handle everything else. I think we’ll all be spoiled when Grammy & Pop go home. It's been super nice, though. :)

We are just soaking up the sweetness that comes with a new baby and handling everything else that comes along with it, too. There have been tears as we remember the sweetness of bringing home her big brother and big sister, and as we imagine how things would have/should have been... there have been some "show-out" moments from a big sister who's getting used to sharing the spot light, and even some snaps out of some tired sleep-deprived adults. But that's how it goes. The good with bad. The happy with the sad. Through all of it, though, we know how blessed we are and we are thankful.

~amw~