Not nearly enough time

This Wednesday is Nadia's 8-week birthday. She still seems so new. And yet, at the same time, it's sort of hard to believe our family ever felt complete without her.

My sister's baby Johnathan was 8 weeks old when he passed away. I've been thinking about this a lot the past couple of days. There is so much more to discover about little Nadia. Eight weeks goes by in a flash. My heart hurts for my sister, and for the rest of us, that only had those eight short weeks to get to know him.

Say a prayer for her. Eight weeks is not nearly enough.

(the picture above is of me holding baby Johnathan at 2 1/2 weeks)

No cavities!

I always have six months to prepare myself for the big day and I still fear it just a bit when it gets here. Today, all kids (except baby Nadia, of course) had their dental cleanings. Aside from Avery freaking out and demanding that the hygenist hold her while the doctor checked her teeth, all went well.
I will definitely take advantage of rest time today.

Showers optional

A couple of weekends ago, we braved camping with a newborn. We went with good friends to a nearby lake. It was a quick, one night stay, but it was great. Not nearly as scary as I thought it might be. Nadia slept most of the time, the kids got along great, and Levi only wandered to another family's campsite once. (Okay, that was a little scary!) So great to grow closer to the kids and spend time with friends we love. Good times.

No idea

Okay, so let's review...
I have been married for 10.5 years. Greg and I had every intention of being child-free for the first 4-5 years. During our first year of marriage, we found out that we were pregnant with Emily. Two years later, we had Kaleb. You wouldn't believe how many people said, "Oh, you have a girl and a boy...you're all set!"
But we were pretty sure we wanted another one. It took eight months of trying to get pregnant with Avery. (Weird, when you consider how easily I've gotten pregnant with the other four...but it was definitely God's timing...we wouldn't have moved to Richmond if I got pregnant when I wanted to...)
...Anyway, we figured we'd eventually, not right away, have another baby that could be close in age to Avery (she and Kaleb are over four years apart). However, when she was nine months old, I found out I was pregnant with Levi. I had major anxiety before I gave birth to him. How was I going to manage two children that were 17 months apart? He was definitely to be my last baby.
It was just as scary as I thought it would be. Homeschooling still happened, but barely. Then, when he was five months old, SURPRISE! Another baby...a good surprise, but still, HOLY COW!

So here we are, Nadia is six weeks old (as of tomorrow), Levi is fifteen months old, Avery will be three in a few months, and we've got Kaleb (almost 7) and Emily (9).

Life is an absolute whirlwind...probably exactly what you'd imagine it is.
I have had several moms of 1-2 kids ask, "How do you do it?"

My answer..."I have no idea..."

It's definitely the grace of God. It is a miracle that I get any sleep at all, that my floors have been mopped in the past week, and that my kids are all fed. But thankfully, that's all (sort of) happening.

I never even liked babysitting as a teenager.

But can you imagine the transfer of love that I get to experience on a daily basis?
From the peace of nursing a newborn and her brand-new smiles, to my "big kids" hugging me and thanking me for some surprise, I am blessed. And, at the end of a crazy day, I also get to share life with an amazing husband.

We are in survival mode. It will fly by for that reason. And even though it's nuts and I have no idea how we're doing it, I hope I can embrace as many moments as I can.

I love my babies. ALL of them.

EEEEK!!!!!

Oh, my sweet Avery...
She's keeping me on my toes.
Today, Nadia was fast asleep in her bassinet and I was in the kitchen doing dishes. I heard Nadia fussing and didn't think much of it. Hmmm...where's Avery?
Panic set in and I flew up the stairs. There was Avery. There was Nadia. Avery had her arms wrapped around Nadia's shoulders, with Nadia's arms down at her sides. Avery was tripping over her own feet, next to the wooden bedframe. I can only imagine my face and my voice as I moved in what seemed like slow motion to the other side of the bed, yelling, "Hold on to her, hold on to her!" I grabbed Nadia, held her close for a moment, and then held onto Avery, who was in tears by now.

Am I going to survive having three under 3?
Will they????