Here's my beautiful girlie- one month old. Definitely been a challenging and exhausting month. We have our good days though. I think going from 2 to 3 kids is tough-- most people told me it'd be a breeze...

But I'm married to an amazing man who gets up with her in the middle of the night, rocks her to sleep most every night, and still invests in / plays with the other two from the minute he walks in the door to the time they go to bed.

Many things to be thankful for.

Now off to bed ;)

Every time I look at Izzy, I am blown away by how much she looks like Eli when he was a newborn. Identical, really! I realized I haven't taken any pictures of Izzy since the last post a week ago, so I snapped one at the Mall of America today. I am on survival/exhaustion mode... not picture-taking mode.

My mom and I took the kids to do rides at the Mall. They had a blast! Eli rode with his big sis on every ride he was tall enough for. So fun to watch them :)

Halfway through the week now-- I live for the weekends when Brandt is home with us! That's all for now... falling asleep as I type!!

We are doing well. My sweet Isabelle is a pretty easy baby. Sleeps 3-4 hour stretches at night. Sleeps most of the day (I know that will change very soon!!) in the swing, bouncy, on floor, couch, or in our arms. Eli and Addie adore her. They have to know where she is at all times. They check on her during meal times. They ask to hold her constantly.

I am a bit anxious for the week ahead-- our first real week with Brandt back at work full time. I know I can handle three of them, but there are things I can't do. I can't play "choo choos" with Eli all the time. I can't run with Addie while she's riding her bike. I can't take the three of them on a walk by myself. So yes, we feel a little homebound and we do watch a lot of tv. But this will get easier. And I'll become more confident, taking them places, getting out of the house.

I'm also struggling with all of a sudden being a full-time stay-at-home-mom. Now that dance season is over, I truly do nothing except invest in my kiddos... which sometimes can be a pretty demanding and even lonely job. A good friend of mine said something the other day that plays through my mind constantly... Our job as a mom is to make sure our children know how much we love them and to make sure they fall in love with Jesus. So that's my job... my full-time job... to love on my kids and teach them about Jesus. That is actually a fantastic job :)

Isabelle Mae- Born 2/28- 12:59PM

8 lbs. 2 oz. and 20 in. long

The kids were very cute with Izzy at the hospital. I had a much better labor this time around and then only two pushes to get her out! Praise the Lord! We spent two days in the hospital and now we're home. Thanks for prayers and encouragement and hospital visitors :)

Looking forward to the craziness (of having three) to come!!!