More over here!

So... I've kind of let my blog fall off (if you hadn't noticed).  While I do want to write posts, it seems my priorities have been rearranged for now.  But, I did start an Instagram account!  It's much easier for me to post a snapshot with a quick caption right now.  Hopefully I'll be back.

Two Months

I've been mother to three for two months!
I have to say Charlize has slipped right on in.  There have been a couple difficult days, but by and large, this transition has been smooth!  I wear her a lot and while it does free up my hands, there are lots of things I still don't like to do while I have her in the wrap.  So when I've got her napping in the pack-and-play, it's a crap shoot on whether I'll be super productive and work out or go into a cleaning frenzy or do meal prep, OR just veg on my sofa enjoying the freedom of posture provided by not having a baby strapped to me.  Also, for some unknown reason, I envisioned it being cool for longer into her infancy.  It's hot already.  So between the demands of nursing and wearing a wrap all day (with out without baby in it), I rarely venture away from leggings and a tank with a shelf bra (to secure nursing pads).
I went back to work, albeit part time, two weeks ago and even that has been smooth.  I still hate pumping, but Charlize is more quickly accepting of the bottle than Bauer was when he started daycare at 4mo, so that is a relief!
It's also neat to see Damon as a third time dad.  His confidence and responsiveness have at least quadrupled since Emberly was a baby.
She is such a joy and I already have a hard time remembering what our life was like before she got here!  Seriously, what was I doing all day?

Collector

Bauer loves ties, hats, glasses and blazers.  More than the average 3yo, I think.  So when a girlfriend (Leah, a gorgeous girl with whom I used to model) opened up an Etsy shop selling her handmade custom bow ties, I knew Bauer would love one (or many) to add to his tie collection.  She had several bold and interesting fabrics, but to my surprise, Bauer picked out a more simple polka dot pattern.  I'm probably creating a monster (since it'll be quite a while before he can fund his own accessory collection), but he's just so handsome!

Vintage Fox Market

wonder week

Today, Charlize is happy about nothing.  Nothing, I tell you.

psst, I knit those little knickers!

crutch

The other day someone mentioned "third baby syndrome," as the reason behind the lack of pictures they had.
There are a few things where the third time around, I just can't be bothered.  But pictures is not one of them.  In fact, the opposite.  I feel like every part of this experience needs thorough documentation because it's the last time!  A gazillion photographs are my crutch.  I briefly lost my camera shortly after she was born and I'm certain that panic attacks were around the corner if I hadn't found it when I did.
This past weekend Sarah (of Sarah Goodsell Photography) brought me a thumb drive of the images from Charlize's birth.
Oh. My. God.  I wept!  I'm beyond thrilled with them and so glad that we decided to hire her to share this talent with us.  I wish I could have hired her when Emberly and Bauer were born!
Below are some of the images.

Obsessed

It's hard to sit down at my computer and really write something.  I've had lots of lovely visitors and it's kind of rude to type when they're trying to make eye contact and talk to you.  So there's that.
But also, I'm obsessed.  Obsessed with my last little cherub.  Obsessed with knitting.
With that said, here's my little cherub in a little smock I knit her to wear today :)

Precipitous

I was drafting a cheeky "still pregnant" post with this picture:

But then, wouldn't you know, at 38wks and 6 days, I went into labor.
At 5:30 Wednesday morning, I woke up to an intense contraction. I laid there and nothing else happened, so I dismissed it as my uterus again being irritated by my full bladder. I got up a quarter after 6 and due to spicy Thai for dinner last night, had an unpleasant trip to the bathroom. As I tried to wash up and get ready for the day, I kept feeling like I needed to get back on the toilet but it felt like upset stomach cramps, not birthing waves.  I finished dressing and went downstairs to try to make Emberly's lunch and breakfast, and the cramps started to form a pattern. At 6:50, when it was time to be getting Bauer in the car to head to daycare, I was pretty sure I was having contractions and was afraid to drive. So instead I shot a text to my photographer and midwife's apprentice. I undressed and hopped in the shower. It felt great, but did not make them stop, in fact, they started lasting over a minute. My midwife arrived and listened to her heart tones through a contraction and got set up. I went for my go-to seat on the toilet and the waves seemed to lose their "peak" and spread apart and I got a little worried that we'd be here a while and I'd called everyone too early. But every time I tried to stand, I'd get hit with a more intense wave that sat me back down. I decided to just not worry about how while seated it felt more like menstrual cramps than contractions. And sure enough, I started feeling like I had to go #2 again and when I tried to breathe through the urge, my body forced me to push. I reached down and felt the bulging bag of waters.  What?  Was it really already time to push?! I waited for one more wave to confirm the need to push and I moved out to our bed. I kneeled on the floor and draped myself over the edge of the bed. Damon and the kids were downstairs eating and my midwife thought she'd let them until birth was imminent. Well, next contraction, during which I was still trying to "breathe baby down" without actively pushing, she was crowning. So everyone came in the room and took a seat. Next wave, waters broke, I took a breath and my body forced me to push and out she came at 9:37 (at under 3hrs from the onset of regular contractions, labor with her was over 30min shorter than with Bauer and 2.5hrs shorter than with Emberly; if I were to have another baby {I'm not!}, I'm afraid of how fast it'd be)!  Welcome to the world, Charlize Athena (who nearly *everyone* was convinced was a boy for the last month!).
She weighed in at 6lbs, 10.5oz and 20" long. So despite coming over a week early, she's bigger than Bauer! And longer than Emberly was too!  Her siblings are so in love and want to hold her all the time.  She's nursing like a champ and so far, sleeping like a champ too!