Toddler Homophones

This morning Emily and I went downstairs to play trains while Sophie "watched" and Sarah got some extra sleep upstairs.  It was a nice quiet morning, and everything was going well.  The trains were chugging, Sophie was cooing contentedly, and Emily was entertained, so I ran upstairs quickly to print something.  I came back after one or two minutes and Emily ran up and announced "Daddy, baby Sophie was crying!  But it's OK, I gave her the fire."  Slightly alarmed, I went into the living room to make sure Sophie wasn't actually engulfed in flames.  "Tada!" Emily proclaimed.  Turns out Emily said "fier", short for pacifier, which she had given to Sophie while she pushed her in the swing.  Not only was she not on fire, but she was happy and quiet.

Sophie's First Visitors

Not long after settling into our hospital room, we began receiving visitors, all eager to meet Sophie.  First of course were Grandpa and Grandma with a very eager Emily, who had been waking up every morning for five days straight asking "baby Sophie come out?".







After some quality time with Grandpa, Grandma, and Emily, and explaining that babies eat milk, not saltines, we welcomed some more visitors.  Andy and Sarah Fox dropped by, and were so adept with Sophie that we thought they might like to have one of their own soon.



Next came Uncle Jeff and Aunt Kara, who rushed over from work, and couldn't have been happier to meet Sophie.  Sophie is already their eighth niece.  With only one nephew, Jeff and Kara began to consider doing their part to even out the gender ratio.



Finally, we welcomed the Kruis family, consisting of Noah, Megan, Jonah, and Eden.  Although they all enjoyed meeting Sophie, as a big brother Jonah seemed especially well versed in how babies work and how to listen to them with a stethoscope.



We loved sharing the joy of Sophie's birth with so many visitors, and will look forward to more over the coming days and weeks.

Sophie Grace Has Arrived!

This morning at 9:01 God blessed us with the birth of a healthy little girl, Sophie Grace!  She has a little head of dark hair, weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and was instantly loved.  Sophie has been making cute little fussing noises, but is very sleepy and not interested in eating yet.  Sarah's c-section went very well, and she is already happily resting in her hospital room. Praise God for the gift of another wonderful little girl!

A New Chapter

As the scheduled c-section date for our new baby approaches, I find myself anticipating how much life is about to change. Before Emily was born, I was so anxious and excited to meet her! Since the last few weeks of pregnancy aren't really enjoyable for any woman, I woke up every morning hoping that it would be the day! This time around, we've had November 17th circled on our calendars for months. Yes, there was always (and still is, I suppose) the chance that this little one would come early, and I had moments where I wondered (due to my insanely busy fall) whether this would be the case. But in my mind, I was always planning on this baby coming on a particular date, so the anticipation this time around has been a little different.

Now that this date is almost here, I'm once again anxious and excited. But this time, I'm not really that anxious about the arrival of a newborn. In fact, it's my hope and plan that I ENJOY our new daughter's infancy more than I did with Emily. I questioned every decision when Emily was a baby, responded to every cry, and was - to be perfectly honest - a little astonished when she hit her first birthday and I had managed to keep her alive that long. There were many times that my family exchanged looks with one another (yes, I saw them) when I demanded that Emily be woken up from a nap exactly on time, or not fed until she was scheduled to be. (Though, to be fair, my rigid schedule had our baby sleeping through the night by eight weeks and never looking back). And, my poor husband more than once had to remind me that our daughter was a baby and not a robot when she wasn't doing what a particular book said that she should be doing. This time around, I'm hoping to be a little more relaxed, and to spend more time cuddling our new daughter even if the books say she needs to learn to fall asleep on her own!

My anxiousness this time around is focused more on the other members of my family. I worry about losing what little free time Eric and I manage to spend with one another when Emily is asleep or in her crib for quiet time. I worry about focusing even more of our energy and time on our children, and not paying enough attention to each other. And, while I think that in the long run, Emily will love having a sister (I know I love my own sister SO much), these are going to be a tough couple of months for her. She is going to have to adjust to a new baby, less attention from me, and a move to Pennsylvania, leaving behind life as she knows it here in Grand Rapids. She's an easy going kid, and I'm sure she'll be fine, but I've been conscious to try and enjoy these last few days of time with her, trying in some way to prepare her for what's ahead, and stock up on our time spent together. To that end, here are a couple of pictures of Emily from this past weekend while she is still an only child!

Fall Photo Update

Even though we have been busy this fall, we have still been able to enjoy some fun and festivities.  Here is photographic evidence!