I've spent much of today making a To-Do list and very little time doing anything on said list. By nature, I just feel more at peace when life is in order; and by life, I mean everything from closets to schedules to correspondence. Lately, though, nothing is actually in order, so my list is mostly composed of ways to organize the things to do. (Is anyone following what I'm saying?) In other words, my To-Do list doesn't say 'Exercise'; it says 'Make a Schedule for Exercising.' And instead of  'Cook Dinner'; it says 'Create a Weekly Meal Plan' and so on... Nowhere on this list is blogging mentioned, but because writing also makes me feel at peace, I decided to forgo the list entirely and opt for the quick fix.
Speaking of meal planning... curious as to what's cooking at my house? You'll find a boiling pot of this on my stove at some point most every day:

Once the meal planning-plan is complete, this pot will contain food.

Until then, Baby Wright will have the most sterile pacies in town.

Murphy often steals my phone and uses the voice dictation feature for typing. Today she sent my mom a text that simply read: 

Hello. I'm black.

Carter is learning to read; this both excites me and tries my patience. After correctly reading the site word 'has' at least ten times, she came to it and began sounding it out phonetically:

H-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-s-s-s-s-s-s
only to look up at me and emphatically conclude, Dog! 

A cousin by relation and a dear friend by choice hopped on a plane with her four month old little love in tow and visited over the holiday weekend. I did actually use my stove for something other than paci cooking, and we enjoying noshing and wine-ing together while loving on the babes. We opined on important topics such as choosing between bangs or Botox and whether or not the consumption of non-organic meat will cause our girlies to sprout boobies in Pre-K. She did not arrive empty-handed and gifted Wright with my absolute most favorite baby gift. Ever.

Precious, right?

Now, take a close look at that right bootie...

It's inscribed with Wright in MY handwriting!

And, the left, with her middle name, Genevieve,

again in Mommy's handwriting. 

What a precious keepsake, and I've never seen those feet look so darn adorable. A thousand thank yous to you, Kyndal, (and to you, too, Kacia!) 

Remember that time our Mommies had a little vino

and wanted to take our picture? Yea, we rocked that pose.

Back to my list... which, now that I think about it, is really more of a 'How-To-Do List' than a 'To-Do-List.'

Monday Musings

Baby Wright is two and a half months old and is consistently sleeping a minimum of 8 hours straight each night. (She actually pulled a crazy-long 12 hour shift one night!) This coupled with bright, sunny days (current day excluded), school being back in session, and an overall 'good' feeling has been just the combination to lead to this exuberant declaration... the fog is lifting! And, in honor of this significant milestone here in Newbornland, I've decided a little random, stream of consciousness blog is in order.
A new Disney princess, Princess Sophia, has come on the kid scene. We have the inaugural movie on our DVR list, and the girls have watched it several times since it premiered in early November. Like most kid shows, I tend let it fade into the background and generally tune it out as much as possible whenever it's on. Yesterday, though, I caught a scene in which Cinderella, the mentor princess, was giving Sophia a little advice on all things princess. She relayed to Sophia that she made a big mistake by not befriending her own step-sisters, suggesting that they could have been 'best friends' and 'forever sisters.'

If you need a little princess refresher, she was referring to the evil gals who taunted her mercilessly, forced her to perform manual labor, and tried to keep her from her prince charming!
As I heard her little spiel (in the form of a cheesy song), I was reminded of how ridiculously rose-colored we try to paint life for children these days. I see Cinderella's point and, of course, I encourage our girls to get along with everyone. But my word, Cinderella! have some respect for yourself! Those witches didn't deserve your friendship and certainly not your sisterhood!
In a society where bullying (sadly I've even seen it with preschoolers) seems to be evermore prominent, I'd prefer a princess with a message of self-worth and dignity. I also think that a little (soft) dose of reality can't hurt even at a young age. The earlier we can get our own little princess(es) to realize that not everybody is going to like her and not everybody is going to be nice to her and not everybody will want to be her friend, the better.
Last night Lindsay and I left all three girlies with our sitter for the first time went to see Silver Linings Playbook. The movie was fantastic (Lindsay placed it in the top two of all movies he's seen in the past couple years), and I'd highly recommend seeing it while it's still in theaters. I was a bit distracted during the film, though, as Lindsay and I had a continuing, whispered argument as to the hotness quotient of Jennifer Lawrence. In short: his tongue was basically wagging, and I just don't see it. We did not engage in a similar discuss surrounding Bradley Cooper's level of attractiveness (as if an argument could even be made...)

Hot.

Not. 

(My blog. My opinion.)

As for tangible signs that the fog actually IS lifting, last week I BOUGHT A BOOK, an actual book that has nothing to do with babies or breast-feeding or strong-willed children or site words. I plan to read this book (Atonement) in my free-time (not a typo) after all three girls are tucked-in in the evenings. I also threw my hat back into the Words With Friends ring. Not only do I have a little time to play, but I am also finally feeling like my brain may actually be able to function on a level beyond that of pure survival. 

Better skedaddle... the biggest sister's show is wrapping up; Murphy in the Middle is ready to get up from her nap; and Baby Girl is ready to eat again. The evening will consist of goulash and corn on the cob for Monday family dinner, and a Honey Boo Boo special after the girlies are in bed for the night. 

Ahhh, I'm rejoining the land of the living...

The Sweetest Things, Q4

A couple points to get out before beginning... {1} I've never been totally happy with the title (The Non-Thing Things) of this recurring post, so I've been toying with a few ideas. You may or may not see this one again. And, {2} the last time I stepped foot into this Starbucks, I walked out in labor and gave birth four hours later. Feels pretty, pretty weird to be here.
And speaking of the little one who began to show signs in this very place of her impending appearance, I have to give her a great big Whoopie! for giving Mommy a 10 hour stretch of sleep on Sunday night followed by an 8 1/2 hour stretch last night (and I realize that by simply typing that, I'm pretty much guaranteed to be feeding her every three hours tonight.) I'm sitting here on this Tuesday afternoon having showered, dried (and flat-ironed!) my hair, applied make-up, and crossed five items off my to-do list (no need to mention how many items it contains.) Better get to bloggin' before I crash from the largest burst I've energy I've felt in six months!

The Sweetest Things in the Final Quarter of 2012...

1. Just Wright... how can the birth of our latest (and last barring some supernatural intervention) little love not top the list this quarter? It's hard to believe, really, that we've only known Baby Wright for ten weeks as it feels like I've been in love with her forever. As babies go, she really is the cream of the crop. She cries so infrequently, that I can barely conjure a mental sound of her cry, and just thinking of her precious smile can bring tears to my eyes. It's not just me who feels this amazing love for our itty-bitty, both her Daddy and Sister Bears are equally smitten. It blows my mind that we were a family before she came into our lives as her addition has truly felt as if we've located a missing piece to the puzzle. 
2. Miss Congeniality...Carter has always been a bit of a social butterfly, but that butterfly has seriously spread her wings over these past few months. It's been such a joy watching her integrate into a new city and a new school with such ease, and she quickly acquired a much busier social calendar than I. At times I actually worry about her being so friendly since she thinks nothing of rolling down her window at stoplights to say a quick 'hello' to neighboring drivers or of standing on the front porch and shouting pleasantries to passersby. As of late, her manners have also made this Mommy quite proud. 'Yes Ma'am' flies frequently from her mouth as does 'Excuse me' and 'May I please...' By no means is she perfect - current challenges include incessant, nails on a chalkboard-style whining and tattle-telling - but she's pretty darn terrific to this Mommy (and it goes without saying that she's the apple of Daddy's eye.) 
3. Southern Hospitality...prior to our move back to Charlotte, I'd been excited about returning to the culture of the South. As the move became more imminent, though, I wondered if I was idealizing the reality: would little girls really show up to preschool in darling smocked dresses? I'm happy to report that it's all I imagined and more (the first day of school was a sea of smocking!) I was so touched when the moms from Murphy's class put together a calendar for bringing meals to our family after Wright was born. These ladies didn't even know me or our family, yet they took the time to bring us tasty dinners (each complete with dessert) during a hectic season of life. Other moms have offered advice on everything from elementary schools to pediatricians to summer camps and welcomed Carter into their homes for playdates. And the kind gestures haven't been limited to just the Southern ladies. Though Lindsay has less time for socializing, two of his professional contacts have used business meetings as an opportunity to invite us to social events. Over the holiday season, we were added to Christmas card lists and fresh baked goodies were delivered to our door. Despite being the new folks in town, we've felt a warm, Southern welcome everywhere we've been. 
4. Quite the Character... I'm not sure there's a better word to describe the gal who, when asked, insists her name is 'Jelly Samich!'; Murphy is really, something. She turned two during the final quarter of 2012, and with that increase in age came an explosion of new language. She went from saying demanding screeching 'milky' when she wanted a cup of the white stuff, to sweetly voicing the entire phrase 'May I please have milky?' for the same request. (I so wish this post had audio because the way she dictates each word so precisely is just plain adorable.) The equally screeched 'UPY!' when she desired to be held (pretty much during any time that a normal person would be walking) has become 'May I have upy, please?' One of her longest sentence to-date came as she expressed her desire to drink from the sweet springs of Mommy-milk: 'Mur-Mur drinkin' Baby Wright's milky? Booby?' Her stubborn nature continues to be mind-boggling; a favorite new phrase is, 'My turn! I do it all myself! And, as eager as Carter is to please, Murphy is equally eager to portray an I-don't-give-a rat's-fanny-what-you-think attitude. Girlfriend spent over twenty minutes sitting and thinking (our version of time out) about getting her left shoe (she was already wearing the right one) out of the basket so that we could go to lunch. Once the entire family was loaded up in the car, ready to pull out of the garage, she hopped up, found the shoe, and put it on while muttering 'Silly me!' to herself. As I said, a character. 
5. Fallin' in Love...here's the thing, and I know you moms will get this, there's just something about watching your husband love fall in love with your children that makes you fall even more in love with him. As a Mommy to three darling daughters, I get to experience this triple-fold. Lindsay and Carter are kindred spirits in so many ways, and watching them bond over Batman or work on a drawing projects together makes me feel all fuzzy inside. I never see that little girl's face more gleeful then when her Daddy pulls in the drive-way after a work week. He is equally smitten with our Murphy in the Middle and has even admitted that her pretty face hides a multitude of sins in his eyes. And, now, our sweet little Wright has taken another piece of Daddy's heart. Like me, he can't get enough of her and has been soaking-in each sweet newborn snuggle. Additionally, he has been superbly playing the role of Superdad! by doubling up on diaper and burping and swaddling duty since the feeding duty is falling solely on Mommy's shoulders. His willingness to help where needed and to recognize when I've needed rest, especially during Wright's first few weeks, has been such a help. I'm not trying to say that our relationship while in the trenches of Newbornland has been all cupids and rainbows, but I can say that this variety of fallin in love infinitely surpasses the flutters that first appeared nearly ten years ago. 

When Lindsay and I were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. at our wedding reception almost seven years ago,  we chose U2's The Sweetest Thing as our entry song. On that day, I had no idea what the years would bring or how that magical day was just a precursor to years and years of even Sweeter Things. As always, writing this particular post reminds me of just how wonderful life is in Lewellen house.

Favorite Things, Q4

It's kind of ironic that I'm composing this blog about Things during a time in which I am completely sick of stuff. If I find one more tiny plastic horse in my bed or baby doll shoe under our kitchen table or speck of glitter A-NY-WHERE, I may just explode. Yet, for the first time in quite awhile, I've actually had a hard time narrowing down my list of My Favorite Things this quarter. So, before I get too distracted and resume my rampage of stuff collection throughout the house, here goes...

My Favorite Things of the Final Quarter of 2012...

1. Ring Holder...I know lots of ladies never, ever slip off their wedding rings, but I find that I remove mine constantly. Whether I'm bathing the girls or washing rinsing dishes (who was I trying to kid? I hand wash a dish, I don't know, once every few months?), I was always laying my rings down somewhere and then having no clue where that somewhere was! I remembered that my Grandma Sumner always had a darling little dish that said 'Rings and Things' sitting by her kitchen sink and wished that I had something like that, too. I can't remember when I'd last seen one in a store before I found a selection of adorable novelty ring holders at Paper Skyscraper. I chose the kitty (though that mouse is pretty darn cute, too) and have loved having a spot for such a valued possession. Fun Silver Ring Holders by Umbra
2. The Ally McBeal TV Series... when Baby Wright was a fresh itty-bitty, I found myself up for 2-3 times a night at 45 minutes a pop. (Nursing in those early weeks takes tiiiiiime.) Now, not that I didn't enjoy simply gazing at her sweet face during these sessions, but Mommy was tired and a tad (dare I admit?) bored. Couple that with the fact that my experience with newborn nursing is a touch, how shall I say, uncomfortable unpleasant excruciatingly painful, I needed a distraction. So, on our first day home from the hospital, I rummaged around our DVD collection for something to watch to help take my mind off the pain and limit the mental screaming of the F word (I wasn't kidding when I said EXCRUCIATINGLY), I selected Ally McBeal, season one. I flew through those episodes in less than a week and was dying for more. So, I hit up Amazon, ordered the entire series with a couple clicks of the mouse, selected overnight delivery, and continued on through the series. The show totally takes me back to college days when folks used to comment on how I reminded them-both in looks and expressions-of Ally. I found myself so engrossed in the lives of each character that I didn't mind the middle of the night feedings so much. Truly, I could go on and on here: love the show. Love Ally (the character.) Love the music. Love the story lines. Ally McBeal: The Complete Series
3. The Music of Robert Downey Jr... this favorite piggy-backs the one above. Most people are familiar with RDJ as an actor or even RDJ as a criminal or, now, RDJ as a redeemed superhero (Hello, he's IRON MAN!), but few are aware that he is quite the musician. Several years back, I fell in love with his album, The Futurist, and the song Details from that album was one of the 'must play' songs from our wedding reception. As I was watching Ally, I was reintroduced to his amazing version of Joni Mitchell's beautiful song, River. Over the holiday season, I'd often find myself playing it over and over on either my phone or on my laptop. Now as I'm blogging, I'm looping the soothing song over and over as I type. RDJ: River
4. Ugg Slippers... just before Wrighty Pie was born, I decided that I could use some comfy slippers to have both at the hospital and at home afterwards. Since I've been using up a fairly large Bloomingdale's store credit for well over a year now, I decided to check out their website for some options.  Though I initially wondered if these would be too hot, I love my selection and where them almost every day! They couldn't be cozier and have a nice, solid sole for the times when I run outside in them to take out trash (or forget that I'm wearing them until I look down at my feet at Target.) Ugg Dakota Slippers
5. Long and Comfy Tanks... as I've mentioned before on the blog, I managed to get through my entire pregnancy without sporting a single piece of maternity wear. This isn't to say that I didn't gain weight (I did) or that my belly wasn't ginormous (it was), I just found pieces of clothes made of just the right material to grow right along with me yet not stretch-out too much to be unwearable post-pregnancy. One of my most-worn pieces was a long, black tank that I picked up at a favorite shop in Denver last summer. It's the only tank I had that was long enough to cover my belly right up until the end of the pregnancy. Then, after Wright was born, I found myself wearing it just as often as it is a great layering piece. After growing tired of digging through the hamper for it and washing and drying it at least twice a week, I did an internet search by the style number, found the websites with the best prices, and added several more to my wardrobe. I now have the tank in five colors (white, black, blue, hot pink, and purple) and cleaned out my closet of several so-so tanks. (I look forward to the day when my tummy is flat enough for me to wear the form-fitting tanks solo!) Did I mention these are made of the softest material imaginable? How I love feeling like I'm wearing my jammers all day!Three Dots Viscose Tanks
6. Hanky-Panky Modal Undies... while I'm on the topic of cozy/comfy-wear, I cannot leave out my new favorite unmentionables. I've been a wearer of Hanky Pankies for several years now. In fact, I was pretty sold from the first pair I ever wore, and now my undie drawer is full of them. The company claims to make the 'world's most comfortable thong' and that tag-line is no exaggeration. It never occurred to me that they could be improved until, accidentally, I picked up a pair of the new modal version during Nordstrom's semi-annual sale. After wearing them, I headed right back to the store (still taking advantage of the sale) and picked them up in every color they came in (which isn't too many at this point.) Hanky Panky Modal Low-Rise
7. Our Nativity... I love the house when it's decorated for Christmas and actually feel like it turns from a house to a home in some ways. In addition to our tree, we decorate with nutcrackers and snowmen and Santas. But, for me, the crown jewel of our holiday decor is our Nativity set. I realized that a tasteful Nativity was hard to find but fell in love with this one when I was out shopping with my mom several years ago. She noticed how much I liked it and gifted up with the first few pieces the first Christmas Lindsay and I were married. She added more pieces to it as gifts for several occasions thereafter, and it's now a complete set. It always seems to draw compliments of those who are in our house around the holidays, and I feel a tinge of sadness as I box it up each year. It's such a perfectly beautiful depiction of the true meaning of Christmas. WillowTree Nativity Set

Reading back over my list, it's funny how several Favorites were triggered by the life change of having a newborn in the house again and others were focused on my love for all things cozy. 

(Keeping in tradition of the Favorites list consisting of strictly seven items per quarter, I'll just have to give an honorable mention to Bolthouse Holiday Nog: tasty stuff + low calories = a new favorite holiday beverage in our house.)

The Who's-Its and What's-Its of Our Holiday

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.