Party of 5

First off, let's just say that 3 kids 3 and under is a lot harder than I imagined! We're continuing to adjust and that's why I haven't visited the blog for a while.

Joshua Caleb was born on July 22at 5:47pm! (I know I know, he's almost 3 weeks old, but I feel Like I'm only now getting my brain back). He weighed 7 lbs 7oz and 20" long. He is the sweetest thing ever! He's been a pretty good sleeper so far and he caught on to nursing really well from the moment he was born.

As for a labor story, thankfully there was nothing too dramatic. On the 22nd (Sunday morning) the real contractions began around 9:30 am but I was able to labor at home until 1:30pm, when the contractions got to be about 5 mins apart. We all went to the hospital (Grandma Iris was there to watch the kids) and Tim was able to stay with me for the whole thing- I'm so thankful. I had an epidural, but , boy having an epidural certainly does not mean a pain-free birth! When I arrived at the hospital I was about 6 cms and it took about 4 hours and a little bit of pitocin to get me complete. I pushed for 11 minutes (so said the nurse) but I could have sworn it was an hour and a half. 11 minutes of torture~ I thought I would rip in half! Funny though, as soon as I heard that little fella's cry, I was completely better. I couldn't believe how great I felt! He's so sweet and soft. Living in Colorado, I think I forgot how soft skin can be. My favorite thing to do these days is to lay on the couch with him on my chest and watch a movie while the bigger kids are napping.

The coolest thing is that he has blue eyes (still~ and they're getting lighter!!!) and BLOND peach fuzz! As you all know, my side of the family is relatively dark and Tim is 100% German, but I never thought we'd actually get a fair child! I'm so excited! The other kids were born with more hair than Josh and their eyes turned brown pretty quickly after they were born, so I love to wake up and see that his eyes are still blue~ and I'm praying they stay blue!

The other kids are doing well, too. They love him to death- literally! They are constantly touching him and wanting to hug him and kiss him. David is now a middle child, poor thing. He's looking for any attention he can get- positive or negative. So, Tim and I have been trying to dish out the positive as much as possible. The other thing we are struggling with is getting out of the house. Ok, not Tim so much as me. A couple nights ago, I went shopping, but I only took Joshua with me. I have a feeling I won't be attempting to leave the house with the three of them for quite a while.

We had a fabulous time with Gwamma Lloyd and we're so thankful she was able to fly halfway around the planet to be with us and help out. And help she did! She was able to keep me sane and give me lots of great advice for dealing with 3 kids 3 years old and under. She gave the kids baths and read stories to them and helped with dinner and made the best cheese grits for breakfast! (And yes we stayed up late talking, but hey, as the motto for Caribou Coffee says, "Life is short~ stay awake for it!") I think just her presence brought a normal-ness to our house. She was also here for Joshua's baptism and everyone at church was so happy to see her again. We only wish she could have stayed longer, but it makes us realize how much her family must have missed her while she was here.