Ivy has really started to become such a joy and is a super sweet baby. Our entire family thoroughly enjoys her and she adds an extra element of spice to our little village. We still have our moments and things still are very difficult (this may be the case for many years just because there are 4 babies), but overall we are starting to get into a groove. That being said, a new wrench is about to be thrown into our current routine when I return to work this coming week. Start praying for me now, please!! I honestly don't know how we are going to do it; I feel like, as it is, I am struggling to keep my head above water with the housework/meals/kids schedules/life. Our poor landscape has weeds taller than the existing bushes, and I have a permanent load of laundry to be folded and/or put away that is growing on my couch. Dishes are never ending. And homework/soccer/church activities have begin. But, as with everything in life, we will learn to manage. Thank God for his grace in the crazy seasons of life!
Ivy is unofficially weighing in at 12 pounds even. I say unofficial because I had the boys hold her and step on the scale and then compared that to their individual weights, and both came up with 12 pounds. I have no idea how long she is. But she is a dainty little thing and absolutely the cutest. Her skin is flawless and she has had no infant acne at all! She still has the prettiest frosted-tip hair and we occasionally adorn her head with a bow. She is starting to lose her neck and gain a few chins and she is getting roly-poly in her arms and legs, too. The boys call these rolls her baby muscles and they love to squeeze them! She has dimples when she cracks a smile but that right dimple is the predominant one!
Ivy is a super social and talkative little girl. She smiles at herself in the mirror, she smiles at her big sister and her brothers, and she especially loves to smile at her Mommy. She loves to coo and talk to everyone who gives her a few seconds of attention. And sometimes she will squeal and laugh and her entire body wiggles when she does this! And her eyes disappear when she smiles big. Sometimes her joyous mood causes eating times to take longer because she smiles and bats her eyes at me while she is nursing, and so I talk to her which causes her to stop and chat back.
As sweet and social as Ivy is, she hates to be left alone or put down. So she gets carried a lot. I have to put her in the bouncy seat or swing or lay her down on the bed quite often to tend to the needs of the other kids, and she gets fighting mad. She will scream and her little fists shake. But the second I pick her up she is fine. It is a little frustrating. Ivy still does not like tummy time. We cheat and do some tummy time on the boppy pillow, and look at the mirror or watch something on the phone. But even this is short-lived. Sometimes I will turn her on her back to play on the activity mat, but she typically screams. She would prefer to be held and snuggled. Because of this she also likes to be "worn" in the baby carrier. So we do this a lot, especially at her brother's soccer practices and games. She typically naps when she is in the baby carrier and lately it has been crazy hot so when she wakes up we are both drenched from me sweating!
Ivy still will not take a pacifier, but I try several times a day. She will chew it which quiets her and then this calms her enough to fall asleep, but she does not suck it as a typical baby would. I have not given up though!! While Ivy has been taking a bottle since she was 2 weeks old, she recently started to refuse. Ya know, because I am going back to work. Every.child.does.this.to.me. So the past several days we have been in Bottle Bootcamp to get her ready for MeeMee. And each day has gotten easier and less of a fight. Even though she has decided she doesn't love the bottle, she has not been nearly as rude about it as her siblings. So I think her stubborn streak is not as strong (PRAISE THE LORD).
Ivy's typical schedule is pretty good. She wakes up around 7 or 730 and nurses. She is up for a bit then catnaps before nursing again. After eating mid-morning, she stays awake for a little bit then she is down for a "big" nap (generally 2-3 hours). Then she nurses every 2-2.5 hours until bedtime, which is generally 9:30/10:00. She does snooze a little too, but I haven't gotten her to consolidate her afternoon catnaps into one solid sleep yet. Once she is asleep she generally wakes one time, around 3/4 in the morning, nurses and then sleeps until the kids are all up. I cannot complain. However, she did sleep THROUGH THE NIGHT (10:30-6:30) the other night! I thought that maybe we had hit the sweet spot, but then last night was back to normal! Honestly, though, I cannot complain. It isn't bad because she goes right back to sleep after nursing in the middle of the night. (The two reflux meds have made a HUGE difference in this baby).
Here are her Official 3-month pictures (the morning after she slept all night! and, it was a fluke. Ha!)
This past month, my Uncle Steve and Aunt Lynn and cousins Dallas and Paige came to visit us! The kids thoroughly enjoyed their visit and they enjoyed the kids (and Ivy!). And they even came and watched Keagan's first soccer game! (more on that in another post) This first picture of Dallas holding Ivy and Uncle Steve holding one of Maclyn's baby dolls is hilarious!
Ivy is finally in 3-month clothes, and even these are still a tad big on her. But we have been able to wear some adorable sister-sets that Grandma (my mom) made the girls! Here are some of the cutie-patootie pictures!
As you can see, Ivy is simply adored by her big sister. Mac has started asking for Ivy to play with her ("babay pway me!!") and so I will hold Ivy and sit by Maclyn while she plays with her dollhouse or makeup. As hard as it was for me to believe that I was having another baby, I am so thankful that God chose us to have another baby girl so Maclyn would grow up with a sister. I am so glad these girls have each other!!
And Josh is pretty smitten with his baby girls too. (Though he is still trying to figure out Ivy.)
I think she is pretty fantastic! I am trying to soak up every little thing about this baby since she is my last. It is very bittersweet to me knowing this is my last baby. The sounds, the smells, the snuggles...I wish I could bottle it all up because time is taking the newbornness away too fast!! And there really is nothing like it.
This sweet little girl completes our family well. Even if she screams every.single.time we get in the car to go somewhere or if I put her down for a minute, she is pretty amazing. Even though our summer has been devoid of boating and vacation and our typical summer adventures, we have enjoyed our new family member. God really knew what He was doing when He gave us this surprise baby!!
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