Meet Emmie.
Just a few days after coming home
She has fuzzy dark hair that sticks up in the back and is increasingly disappearing in the front. She now closely resembles an elderly, balding man. (But a very cute elderly, balding man.)
Waving her arm and it disappeared!
She has the sweetest little fingers and the cutest little toes.
One month
She grunts in her sleep. Meaning, almost constantly in her sleep. Meaning, this Mama is getting very, very tired.
Ok, that is a lot of stripes.
She smiles at her Daddy, and at her sisters, and at Mommy. Even just the hint of a smile sends us all into fits of joy and brings everyone running to crowd around and see if she’ll do it again.
She loves bathtime, aside from getting her neck washed, which happens to be the most important part of her bath because she also spits up constantly (and with impressive force!), leading to the harboring of crusty milkiness in all those sweet, chubby neck rolls.
She absolutely completes our family and we sure do love her so.
Can I just say how much I love Lucy's outfit here?! Also, the look on her face. And her sisters' faces. So all of it.
I’m not going to lie, this past month has been hard. Everyone has been sick. Baby has gotten sick (no one wants to see a fever in a 4 week old). Sleep deprivation can wreak serious emotional and mental havoc. I don’t even remember how to talk to my husband in more than 2 sentences at a time. At times, I struggle with how to care for this precious little bundle as well as the hearts and minds of my big girls, who are good at doing things for themselves but still need their Mama to see them and hear them and love on them.
But. The weather forecast this week has been multiple days in the 70s. (Hallelujah!) These children of mine are doing just fine, in spite of me and all my worries. Emmie gets a little stronger each day. And each day is one day closer to the end of the grunting, whenever that may be. (Please, God, soon!) With each breath in, I accept what this day brings. And with each breath out, I give thanks for what it holds.
It holds so much sweetness.