I thought the first post really should be an introduction to my littles, since they are the reason behind the blog. I think if you get to know each of them a little bit- some of their stories will make more sense. All three are so different I can’t believe they came from me- yet at the same time I see part of myself  and my husband in each of them.

My introduction to motherhood was not what I had ever envisioned (is it for anyone?). My first born was a surprise. In many ways. We had only been married for five months when we found out we were expecting. We had planned on waiting five years. It took me a few days to get used to the idea and then a week after we found out they told me we lost him. I was devastated. The nurse on the phone said I was bleeding too much and therefor it was unrealistic to think anything else. I cried. I went in for a blood draw to check my hormone levels, went home to cry more, and got a call that I needed to hurry to hospital for an ultrasound because they thought maybe just maybe that there was still a baby. The ultrasound tech told me to relax, and then she said, “See mom- the baby is fine. There is a heartbeat.” One week of being a mom and this kid was already causing some serious emotional outbreaks within me that I had never thought possible. The placenta  had attached in two places and one side had burst they suspected, hence the bleeding. A part of me will always wonder if there were two babies because of the huge sense of loss I felt even after seeing his heartbeat. He was born a very healthy 9lbs 7oz baby. I will spare you the horrifying details of getting a kid that large out of your small body. Let’s just say- Sky took care of him all by himself with the exception of nursing for at least the first week. He was lovely. Perfect. Round cheeks, blue eyes, and red hair. People stopped to talk to us everywhere we went because he was a magnet with his looks and personality. He was even an ad for a photography place. Just adorable.

He started talking at six months. “Hi dada” “Bye Bye” and every animal sound we could teach him. We would point to a monkey, he would make the sound. So cute. He was and is very attached to his dad. Andy used to cry when I came home from work because he knew it meant his dad was going to work (ouch). He was a very emotional toddler. Easily frustrated and angry. When he was three he taught himself to read, and it was like pieces of a puzzle falling into place. We suddenly understood where his frustrations and strong emotions came from. He is a very bright kid- which can cause lots of frustrations if you aren’t able to get the words out when you are three as to what is frustrating you. As a ten year old, he has read more books than I have, the Bible at least twice, and every history book he can get his hands on. We home schooled him for awhile to see if his learning curve would slow down a bit so he wouldn’t get bored in school and act out. Thankfully, he has matured enough to not let that happen at school now. He is an amazing leader, compassionate, very black and white, and yearns for people in our world to be treated equally. He has many gifts that will serve him well as an adult if we can help him control them as a child. He refers to his siblings as “the kids” and doesn’t see himself as one of them. He feels he is one of the adults in our family which is a constant struggle. We love him. We can’t wait to see what God has planned for him. I didn’t know what true joy was until Andy was born.

My second son. He is our only planned pregnancy and he was certainly a gift from God. He came quietly into this world with hardly a peep. He started screaming, not crying, minutes later and that’s almost all I heard his whole first year. He just always had an upset tummy and was crying and spitting up. Going anywhere in the car took hours. But we loved him. He was bald with round cheeks and big blue eyes and a smile that melted your heart. He adored me. He taught me a lot about unconditional love. As he grew he became the most creative, artistic child. He would put together puzzles for hours over and over again. When he was three he fixed my broken camera. We joked that if something needed to be fixed to just give it to him. Over the years he has kind of developed into my own personal fix it guy. Our door handle didn’t work so I asked him to take it apart and see if he could figure it out. Who asks their seven year old to take apart a door handle? He is also very sensitive but keeps to himself. Often, because he is an introvert, I don’t know he is sad or upset. He won’t tell us if he really wants a toy or wants a new pair of shoes….he doesn’t want us to feel “put out” by needing or wanting anything. He is overly thoughtful and has a heart of gold. You know how little girls think they will marry a knight in shinning armor? I gave birth to my knight. He will protect me from anything. (He will go to the ends of the earth to stop Sky from kissing me). So…watch yourself. He means business.

My daughter. (Oh my word, I have a daughter!) I don’t even know where to start. I guess I will start with the fact that we were surprised to be having a a third baby and even more surprised that it was a girl. Her birth story I will save for her birthday one year, but for those of you who remember it from the last blog- yes- she really did birth herself much to the surprise of everyone in the room and the doctor. When you enter the world saying, “Tah dah….here I am” I suspect it gives you a natural instinct for creating drama. Just a guess. She was born with a dark auburn mohawk and big blue eyes. She now has curly, long, red hair. Most of you have been following her stories on Facebook so you already know she is a spitfire. The first indication of her independence was at 11 months old when she threw herself backwards off a chair because she didn’t like an outfit I put on her. It was our Wedding Anniversary. Cancel the date, load the car, we are all hanging out in the emergency room. It wasn’t the last time a fit would happen over clothing. I can honestly say that if she is acting up- I could use the words “wear a dress” as a threat to make her behave. Here is the deal, I am raising a mini version of myself. She has sass, humor, a clever way with words, and a stare down that matches mine.  She also has an amazing heart. He dream is to grow up and become my mom so that I have a mom. I don’t have the heart to tell her it doesn’t work that way. She just wants me to have a mom like she does, and she will obviously be the best person for the job. I love her. She gives me peace.

So there it is all three kids described as much as possible in as little words possible. Now when I post the most recent amazingly crazy thing, you will understand a little more because you will know the personality of the kiddo that said it.