Since our journey into the abyss of Newbornland coincided with this season of Advent, being intentional in our holiday festivities was a must. Also, since Lindsay travels during the week, any activities as a family of five (yikes! still getting used to the sound of that!) were limited to the weekends. With some careful planning, I think that we squeezed in the perfect combination of fun and rest (well, enough rest for everyone, that is, who is not nursing a newborn through the night.)
Through a few pictures and a few words are the highlights...
Our season began on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when, for the seventh (yikes! again.) year in a row, we watched Charlie Brown Christmas and trimmed our tree. We chose a beautiful Fraser fur for our main tree, and the girls decorated an artificial tree upstairs with a fun collection of Disney ornaments and ornaments from my childhood.

Our Tree.

Eventually, the trash bag tree skirt was replace by a lovely red one,

but those stocking holders never did hold stockings.

The following weekend, on December 1, our beloved Elf on a Shelf, Dolly, made her appearance in the Lewellen home. Both of the girls woke up each morning excited to find Dolly and see if she was up to any silly antics. Several mornings, I'd hear Murphy waking up in the mornings saying, 'Dowee is?!?!?' Carter was quite aware of both Dolly's presence in our house and her power with Santa.

Dolly got wind of the Hostess bankruptcy 

and dug into our Twinkie stash.

The first pic of me and my three minis, taken at the Southpark Tree Lighting.

Baby Wright was so tiny that she couldn't even be seen above the Beco.

An interesting observation over the month was Murphy's fear/dislike/skepticism towards anything/anyone in costume. This feeling, of course, extended to Santa upon whose lap she had no desire to sit.

Cousins together with a non-red-nosed Rudolph.

Notice Murphy Girl's expression.

Here's 2/5 of us at Mistletoe Magic.

Murphy dared not even glance in the direction of the stilted soldier

whose picture was only taken because of his striking resemblance to George W. Bush. 

Not quite sure how a baby kangaroo (or the unphotographed baby tiger)

related to Christmas/Mistletoe Magic, but we'll take it. 

Our little elf.

I, of course, enjoyed dressing the girls in the season's most festive attire.

Even the presence of the elf and the joyous spirit of the season did not make for perfect children. The picture above was taken when I had Carter sit beside Murphy was sitting in time out (prior to 8:45 AM) for screeching the word 'Nooooo!' at my every request.

And here's an example of how quickly IPad sharing can go awry.

Both of the big girls participated in a Christmas program at school. Loved seeing them on stage celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

Nothing more sweet than this precious little face singing

'Jesus is our different daddy.' 

Carter spent most of her performance time preoccupied with the ribbon on her shirt.

The little girl beside her is not in her class;

Carter told me her name is 'Mitten Girl.' 

The Christmas program marked the last day of school for over two and a half weeks. I began to feel shaky even thinking of how we'd fill our time! I signed Carter up for a few fun 'camps' and lined up some special holiday playdates. 

All set up for our gingerbread house party!

Four happy kiddos with tummies full of sugar.

Carter triple-adores little David and it's easy to see why!

After a trip to see the Bear Orchestra at Founders Hall,

we enjoyed an uptown Chickfila date with our favorite fellas.

Love this pic of our crew walking hand in hand.

Christmas Eve!

Matchy-Match to the third power.

We joined family and friends for a special lunch.

Love any chance to get a pic of all five!

After naps, feedings, tootsie-nail painting, and general recharging, we headed to a lovely Christmas Eve service at church.

If you think these expressions are interesting, 

you should see the outtakes.

After church, we quickly got the girls fed, wrote notes to Santa, and prepared his cookies, milk, and fruit snacks (a Rudolph favorite, we hear). The girls were sad to realize this was their last night with Dolly and wanted to say goodbye.

Carter giving Dolly a 'Skype-hug'

And Murphy Girl blowing her a kiss.

Luckily, Dolly stopped by each girl's room for one last goodbye.

She even snuggled in with Carter.

Once the Christmas story was read, and the children were nestled, 

Mommy and Daddy got our Santa-on. 

Each year we love that role even more.  

The little fridge, to complete the girls' kitchen playset, 

came stocked with Murphy's one consistent wish from Santa:

fries and ketchup.

Presents from Mommy and Daddy: Matching Mini Coopers!

(And we unashamedly admit they are just as much for our pleasure as the kids.)

Carter woke up a touch earlier than normal on Christmas morning, and we finally woke Murphy Girl at around 8:30. They were thrilled with Santa's offerings.

Murphy Girl got just what she wanted and dug right in!

After Santa's surprises had been explored, we sat down to enjoy blueberry French toast that I'd prepared the prior evening. We then headed outside to show the girlies their new rides! 

Carter almost immediately asked for some wipes to make her car 'nice and shiny'

and was so proud that she could drive it all by herself in no time!

Murphy took a little while to check hers out

and loved being big sis's passenger.

Our Christmas Day was low-key and fun yet not documented with photographs. Lindsay and I shared cooking duty for what was my first time cooking a real Christmas meal. On the menu: beef tenderloin with a red pepper and olive spread, potatoes au gratin (the only not homemade item, but oh-so-tasty), tomato-basil mozzarella skewers, corn casserole, broccoli with hollandaise, and sour cream biscuits. (I was happy to have my parents join us for our feast!) 

For me, the lovely day was completed

with bedtime snuggles with my tiny elf.

Intermixed with all this was Christmas movie watching (Murphy Girl LOVED the 'Ginch'), book reading, light viewing, song singing as we counted down the days of Advent (with the help of two special Advent calendars: one from Dolly with trinkets inside and one from Great Grandma Margie with a moving Santa.) 

As is often the case with these sorts of posts, this one was written much more with me and our family in mind. With a month that seemed to be full of tragedy and sadness on both personal and national levels, I do hope that you and yours created equally special memories this season. 

At Least I'm Not Pregnant

I'm coming to you today from deep in the realms of Newbornland: a place that is certainly not for the faint of heart. Here, sleep is attained in maximum increments of four to five hours but more often in just three. Daily scheduling revolves around breastfeeding sessions that can range in length from fifteen to forty-five minutes and must be conducted by yours truly every three hours. Laundry amounts have tripled as the princess of Newbornland prefers to wear several outfits in a single day; if her wish isn't granted, she'll be sure to soil her clothing to such a degree that not just a clothing change but also a bath is necessary. The elder princesses are vying for attention of their own in this altered kingdom and reminding me of the need to maintain normalcy for them, particularly during this holiday season. Fortunately, our friendly Elf on a Shelf, Dolly, has been appeared to aid in curtailing the constant whining and promoting good behaviors.
While awaiting the arrival of Santa and his crew and remembering the real meaning of Christmas, we are all adjusting to Newbornland. As the Mommy, who's on round three of this adventure, I recognize that our time spent here will be relatively short. I know I'll look up and my itty bitty will be running circles around her bigs. But on long, weary nights, that thought is not always at the forefront of my mind.

One thought, though, does keep me focused, motivated, and sane: 

in a simple phrase, 

at least I'm not pregnant! 

Below is a list, though certainly not comprehensive, of ten of the reasons this phrase provides comfort:

1. I can stand-up from the floor or get out of bed without moaning, groaning, or using a crawling stance as my transition position.
2. I have complete control of my bladder at all times.
3. I can enjoy an evening a glass (or two) of Malbec.
4. I no longer stare at my clothing choices and think, 'OK, now how am I going to keep this belly covered today?'
5. I can snuggle with my big girls and give them great, big, squeezable hugs.
6. I can roll over in bed at night without having to wake up, adjust all my pillows, and manually lift and move my tummy.
7. I am not awakened by leg cramps that lead to the need for jumping out of bed. (See #1 to realize the challenge this posed.)
8. I am no longer subjected to the unwanted touches of strangers or their speculation that, because of my tummy size, a) I am wrong about my due date or b) I must be carrying twins. 
9. I am no longer plagued by hip pain, tummy contractions, and irregularity.
10. Rather than being awakened by her sharp kicks and jabs, I can hold my little belly dancer in my arms.

I'd say I'm actually enjoying this visit to Newbornland more than any other previous trip. Having been here before, I know that an end is in sight: sleep durations will lengthen and schedules will become more predictable. The little itty bitty who sometimes prefers to sleep on her tummy on Mommy's chest will soon be a crawling little monkey with a mind of her own. I'm taking in her smell, her snuggles, her smiles. And, when all these realizations aren't enough, and the reality of this place becomes overwhelming and exhausting, all I have to do is remind myself...

At least I'm not pregnant.

PS... for those readers who have never before been pregnant, yet hope to be one day, I assure you, it's a beautiful, magical thing...

It's All Wright

As October was drawing to a close, our family was eagerly awaiting the birth of our third little love. Since the birth was to be my third c-section, the date was set for November 1 (11/1/12... loved the sound of that!) at 7:00 AM. I'd been to the doctor twice the week of October 22 and there were no physical indications that the babe would be arriving any earlier than that, so I felt pretty confident with all the plans and arrangements I'd made for the big day. Ha. Ha. Ha.
I'd thought it would be fun to get in some fall family activities during what I knew would be our last weekend as a family of four. On Saturday, October 27, we went out for breakfast at a favorite local spot. Since Lindsay and I were planning to go to a grown-up's Halloween party that evening, we chatted about possible costume ideas throughout the morning. Despite having felt quite uncomfortable during the previous week, I felt great that day, so after breakfast we took the girls to a pumpkin patch.

Pookie loved being 'as high as the moon!'

 on the hay maze.

Murphy Girl preferred to keep her feet on the ground.

Two happy girls.

(I posted this pic to FaceBook 

noting that it was our last weekend as a family of four. Ha. Ha. Ha.)

That evening, our sitter arrived at around 5:00 and took the girls across the street to the park. I helped my friend, Byers, with a paper and then chatted with Leslie, Byers' mom, about the impending arrival later in the week. I was telling her how different it would be to have a baby in the morning since Carter and Murphy had both come later in the day. Once they left, Lindsay and I headed out to dinner; the girls were still at the park, so I didn't tell them goodbye. Lindsay and I enjoyed a soul-food FEAST (not kidding; stuffed myself) at Mert's Heart and Soul where one of the servers kidded me that the cornbread I was eating would put me into labor. Ha. Ha. Ha.

We'd decided against going to the Halloween party, and instead went to Starbucks for a little more adult time before heading home. Lindsay was happily occupied playing a game with his new Nintendo 3DS, and I played around online. About ten minutes before we left (8:45 PM), I had a contraction. A real humdinger. Though I'd been having contractions all week, I took notice of this one because it hit me as I was sitting down. All the previous ones had been movement induced and had easily ceased when I would sit down. I motioned for Lindsay to take off his headphones, and I told him about it. He sort of nodded and resumed his game play. I had one more as we were leaving Starbucks, one in the car on the way home, and one-which took my breath away-as soon as I got out of the car at home. (For anyone who's counting, that's four in 15 minutes.)

We walked in the kitchen and I jokingly told my sitter, Ashley, that I may be in labor. Ha. Ha. Ha. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she watched Lindsay and I debating the 'what ifs' of the situation. Meanwhile, the contractions kept coming. I called my cousin Amanda to see if she could come sleep at our house with the girls just in case this was the real deal. When I knew she was free, I sent Ashley on her way. At this point, it was becoming hard to tell when one contraction ended and another began, yet I was in major denial mode. The scenario looked a little something like this:

Contraction. No! I am not ready!

Contraction. No! I am not having this baby tonight.

Contraction. No! I didn't even get to tuck the girls in bed or kiss them.

Contraction. No! My mom won't be able to get here in time.

Contraction. No! Your (Lindsay's) parents and sister aren't coming till Wednesday.

Contraction. No! I'm just imagining it.

Contraction. No! I probably just need some water.

Contraction. No! I wanted to get a spray tan!

Contraction. No! I haven't packed a thing.

Contraction. No! Murphy needs sprinkles for her class party Tuesday.

Contraction. No! I wanted to get a new camera.

Contraction. No! I was going to have a blow-out so I'd be camera ready.

Contraction. No! 10/28/12 is a terrible, all even birthday.

This went on and on and on and was combined with both tears and laughs. In midst of all this, I called my mom, Lindsay texted his parents (whose reaction was 'Holy Crap!' Love that.), we threw together our things, and I called the doctor who, of course, told us to come on to the hospital. Once Aunt Mandy and her hubby arrived, things began moving much more quickly than I would have liked. She's a mommy by nature, so I really didn't have to give her any instructions about the girls, but I could feel myself stalling. 

We got to the hospital by 10:45, and I was immediately hooked up to the monitors. The baby looked great, and I was most definitely in labor. The contractions were never any greater than three minutes apart but more often one and a half to two. Once I was monitored for thirty minutes, we got the news that, ready or not, baby was coming! Things then moved very, very quickly, and I felt overwhelmed and a bit scared. This was the only time Lindsay and I had ever been 'alone' during this process, and I was in a new hospital which seemed to have many policies that were quite different from my previous birth experiences in Denver. I tried to remain calm but the rush of forms to complete and IV's to start and the introduction to a not-so-kind nurse (who, incidentally, would become less and less kind as the evening progressed) got the best of me. When I learned from the anesthesiologist that Lindsay would not be able to be present during the placement of my spinal, I pretty much lost it. Throughout all of this, though, my amazing OB was with me providing a calming voice and words of comfort. She actually let me lean on her, literally, during the spinal and provided a peace that I so desperately needed. I know I must sound like a novice at this C-section business despite it being my third, but I think I became overwhelmed at both the surprising timing of the event as well as all of the newness in the procedure. Once the spinal was inserted, I became calm and so, so excited. I realized that we were minutes away from a meeting our little angel. Lindsay was let into the OR once I was all prepped, and he took over the role of chief hand holder. We chatted during the surgery itself, both of us getting more and more excited about the coming moment. I felt the pressure and pulling and tugging and knew that any second we would be hearing those first cries. At 12:51 AM the doctor pulled out the babe, and the anesthesiologist looked over the curtain and said, 'Oh BOY!' to which the OB followed up with 'It's a GIRL!' Tears poured down both of our faces. My first words were, 'Our family is perfect.' When we got our first glimpse of Wright Genevieve Lewellen, Lindsay and I immediately noticed that she looked just like Carter as a newborn. As I knew we would be, boy or girl, we were smitten with our newest little love.

I spent the next six hours in the recovery room (this part of the story is not pretty, so I'll just leave it at that.) 

After the pumpkin patch pictures above,

this was the very next picture taken on my phone.

Daddy got in some sweet newborn snuggles

while mommy was 'recovering.'

Our new, precious, perfect gift.

After pulling an all-nighter, I was happy to get settled into my room and get my hands on my sweet baby girl.

When I wanted her to nurse her,

she had other things in mind.

We got as much rest as we could during the day on Sunday as I knew there were some big sisters who couldn't wait to meet their newest little. Late in the afternoon, my parents, who'd arrived sometime in the middle of the night, showed up with some very excited visitors.

Murphy Girl was obsessed with her eyes. 

Carter couldn't believe how tiny her tootsies were.

Getting a closer look.

Baby Wright did not arrive empty handed.

She brought Murphy a Winnie the Pooh set.

And Carter was super excited about her Jake set.

(She'd been verbally making her request known

 to my belly for weeks... as if Santa lived inside.)

Proud Pa and Nanny holding their fifth granddaughter. 

Over the next couple days, Wright and I got to know each other, and I took advantage of texting and emailing to arrange logistics for the care of the big girls. (If baby girl had kept cooking till our planned c-section, Lindsay's parents would have been on big girl duty.) We were excited to have several special friends pay us a visit. 

Sweet Byers. 

It had been less than 48 hours since I'd been helping her write a paper!

Lilly giving me an easy hospital hair style!

Carter popped by for an after-school visit.

My biggest and my littlest.

Leslie and her baby.

Lilly kept our baby name top secret until the big day!

Aunt Mandy couldn't wait to get her hands on our newbie.

Aunt LaLa showed up with sweet treats

and sweet Baby Emerson who is just four weeks older than Wright.

On Wednesday morning, Halloween!, we were getting all packed up to head home when a nurse practitioner came in and informed us that Wright's bilirubin levels had doubled overnight, and she's need to spend the next 24 hours under the lights. Grrrr. I was so very sad that I'd be missing Halloween night with my big girls, but I knew that we needed to do whatever necessary to be sure we were taking a healthy baby home. 

Nestled warmly in her home for 24 hours.

Sweet sunglasses.

Itty bitty feet.

Knowing that I was sad to miss the trick or treat night, Lindsay brought the gang to me...

Scooby Doo and Crew! 

(Can't get enough of Pops as Shaggy!)

'Daphne' took off her wig for some goofing-off 

in Mommy's hospital room.

'Scooby' getting a peek at baby sister.

Aunt Kiki! 

I was still sad to miss celebrating the actual holiday with the big girls but was kept in the loop with pictures and videos throughout the night. 

2:00 AM and bright eyed...

Nanny returned to spend the night with Wright and me 

so that Lindsay could visit with his parents and lead the trick or treating.

We were thrilled to get word early the next morning that the lights had done their job, and we could take our sweet girl home. After five nights in the hospital, I was more than a little anxious to sleep in my own bed. We packed up, dressed our littlest beauty, and hit the road!

Obligatory pic by the elevator of Daddy and baby in seat.

Misha finally able to get her hands on the sleeping angel.

Another girlie to melt Pops' heart.

How much do we love having family close by!

It's been just shy of two weeks since we brought Baby Wright home. Life is being lived in three hour increments, and Mommy's cute pj's have been traded for nursing bras and a belly binder.  We're all loving watching Baby Wright's integration into our family. I couldn't ask for better, more helpful big sisters, and we're all melting in newborn snuggles.