Biggest Sister Love

Maggie and Anna had some time alone together the other day while Claire was napping. Maggie was singing little made-up songs to Anna and enjoying all her movements and squeaks. Anna rarely took her eyes off Maggie. I was lucky enough to catch some of these precious moments.

Claire Turns 2!

On April 12th, my beautiful middle daughter turned two! These two years have flown by and I am amazed at how big she has become. Claire's vocabulary continues to explode every day. I marvel at the sentences she forms and delight in eavesdropping on the conversations she and Maggie have together. She can count to ten and loves to sing. Claire loves all things princess, especially her miniature "Rella" which is technically a Sleeping Beauty doll, but we're not correcting her. I think she may become a little fashionista as she very excited by new dresses and loves to pick out her own clothes. Claire is bright, funny, caring and easy-going (except when cutting 2 year molars). She is a joy to have as a daughter and I am so proud of all that she has learned and the little girl she is becoming.

Easter 2010

It was a beautiful Easter Sunday in Cincinnati this year and we were busy! The morning started with the finding of Easter baskets, followed by breakfast, then getting little girls into dresses, snapping a few pictures and then off to church. After church, a quick change into play clothes for the egg hunt in the back yard. Lunch and naps were followed by a trip to my aunt's house in Dayton for dinner, bounce house fun, and an early birthday celebration for Claire.


Mmm, jelly beans!

The egg hunt begins

Spring has Sprung

The big girls have been enjoying lots of outside play thanks to the gorgeous spring weather we've been having. Jim takes them out most often for various adventures which have included digging in the mulch, watering flowers, washing the cars, and walking to the neighborhood pond to see the ducks. Maggie and Claire have even been playing outside by themselves occasionally, leaving us most grateful the previous owners put in a fence around the yard. We're looking forward to more of that independent play to come!

Heading out to dinner after a long day's work washing cars

Anna's first four weeks

It has been awhile since I've updated the blog and there are two reasons. The first being that time is a precious commodity as I try and figure out how to raise 3 kids under 4. The second being that poor baby Anna just doesn't have nearly as many photos of her early days as her big sisters do.

It has been four short weeks since Anna joined our family. The big girls are adjusting wonderfully! Anna was introduced to a bottle and that was successful, which means I might get to leave the house again soon. Jim and I would certainly like to be getting more sleep, but we know that will come. Here is a sampling of the few pictures I have found time to take:

Right On Time

Our newest addition, Anna Mary Farwig, was born on her due date, March 6, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs, 15 oz and is 20 inches long. Labor, which was slow to start, kicked into gear around 3:00 pm. We left for the hospital at 4:00 and she was born at 6:53 p.m., healthy, pink and perfect!

Maggie and Claire, who spent two nights with Grandma and Grandpa in Dayton, were thrilled to come home Monday morning and meet their new sister! Claire was the doting big sister, holding Anna and cooing softly to her. Maggie's enthusiasm could not be contained and soon after meeting Anna, began nursing her baby doll.

We are so very blessed!

They call it "estimated" for a reason

As my "Estimated Day of Delivery" is within striking distance, I'm finding patience extremely hard to come by. I am beginning to understand how some women agree to medical induction at 40 weeks and 1 day, especially those with older siblings. The physical demands of caring for two little ones tends to compound all pregnancy related discomfort, I've found. Plus all the false starts, hours of contractions that don't lead to active labor, are emotionally exhausting.

In fact, I was fairly confident that labor would begin last night, I even mentioned it to Maggie when putting her to bed. Every night she loves to hear what's going to happen tomorrow. So I told her what our plans were, and then clarified that if the baby came overnight, Grandma would be here in the morning. This started a barrage of questions, including Maggie asking when Daddy would pick her up and take her to the hospital to see me and meet the new baby. When I told her about the visitor restrictions that don't allow children, Maggie's eyes grew big and round and swelled with tears. She began sobbing and said, "But I wanted to come to the hospital like Rose!" Rose is a character in this beautiful book we read several weeks ago to prepare for baby. I hugged her tight and shared the disappointment that she couldn't come.

I called the hospital today to ask when they expected the visitor restrictions to be lifted since flu season is almost over. Their answer - March 15th. While I'd love Maggie to have the chance to experience the arrival of her newest sibling in the same manner Rose did, I don't think I can wait that long!