Big word for a 2-year-old

Sweet girl in her warmies

Is she smiling or in pain?

Ella has new (new to her) warmies that she wore last night for the first time and proudly announced, "Mommy, I have hippomapotamuses on my warmies!!" Oh my.......that word is bigger than she is! I tried to take nice pictures of her in her warmies but whenever a camera appears, she breaks out her "Cheese!!" face. She's really quite the ham.

I think Ella is coming around

Sisters

Ella loving her sister

Ella was really unsure at first about the whole hospital scene and Mommy in a weird (ugly) hospital gown with tubes hooked up to her. She really didn't even want Daddy to hold her in the hospital and it took her until the end of her 2nd visit to the hospital to decide that she would hold Mae. She was excited about Mae from jump but she was content to show her toys and look at her.....no holding, thanks. In fact, when we'd ask her if she wanted to hold Mae, she'd say "Nah". Funny.


Well, the apprehension and fear is all in the past. Now it's "Mommy, can I hold our baby?" "Mommy, can I hold our baby?" Many times throughout the day, Ella asks to hold Mae. And Mae's getting to be a good sport about it. She fusses about it much of the time but she's learning to be patient with her in-your-face siblings. They love her to pieces and the newness has definitely not worn off yet.

What is life all about?

Nicholas calls her "Sweet Mae Pie"

Today's thought-provoking question is brought to you by Nicholas. We were sitting together having lunch today and he said, "Daddy, what is life all about?" Not knowing where to begin to answer this question, we responded as any good parent would......we asked him a question. "Well, why do you ask?" He replied, "Well, Baby Mae is going to want to know what life is all about....." Could he be any sweeter? I LOVE these little people. We asked him what he thinks life is all about and he said "FUN!!!" That's exactly the right answer for a 5-year-old.

I can get really emotional as I reflect on the events of the last week. I can't get my head around just how good God is. Our lives have been forever changed and blessed by this little pink squeaky bundle in my lap that I didn't even really know a week ago. I truly felt the prayer support as I headed into my c-section and recovery. Praise God that Mae is here and she's healthy and her mommy is healthy. What a busy, crazy, wonderful life.

Another Day with Mae

Mee-Mee and Paw-Paw Don inspecting and approving of Mae
Nicholas is excited to be a Big Brother again

Mee-Maw and Paw-Paw Carl meeting Mae

Niko: Excitement; Ella: Cautious Optimism?

Day two as a family of five! It's hard to believe--I'm certain reality will become crystal clear once we're all under one roof. That day should come on Thursday.

Nicholas and Ella did get to meet Mae for the first time yesterday. Mee-Maw and Paw-Paw Carl brought them and the gifts they each picked out for Mae. Nicholas was excited to meet his new little sister. Ella was a little more cautious about the meeting. I think she's beginning to understand that this new baby business is a game-changer...

We also had a visit yesterday from Val's brother Tim and his girlfriend Stephanie. They drove up from Louisville to surprise us. Nicholas and Ella got to spend some time with Uncle Tim too. It never takes Niko and Tim long to again try to pick themselves up by their hair... Niko's convinced he'll figure it out one of these days--once he's strong enough!

Val continues to recover well from her big day yesterday. She and Mae are working hard together to get Mae eating well and they are making great strides.

Mee-Mee and Paw-Paw Don came by for a visit early this afternoon. They brought Mae a sweet sleeper that I'm sure we'll get a lot of use out of. But Mee-Mee wasn't done...on their way back upstairs after lunch she ducked into the gift shop and snagged anther outfit for Mae. Grandmas love to shop--especially for little girls. Mae and Mee-Mee had a long visit and Paw-Paw Don thinks we should keep her (we weren't too worried...).

We're looking forward to seeing our big kids later today and maybe some other folks--don't know who or what the rest of the day may bring. But we're enjoying getting to know Miss Mae and sharing her with our friends and family.

It's a Birthday!!

Little Miss Mae with her Mama

Our Latest "Little Bit"

Mae with her incredibly proud parents

Mae Pauline Detwiler entered the Big World this morning at 8:25. She weighs 8 pounds, 10 ounces and she's 21 inches long. She is doing great. She's been content hanging out with Mom and Dad and getting passed around.

Mae surprised Dr. Wright, 'cause she was breech--no one was expecting that! Praise the Lord that this was going to be a c-section all along. Trying to deliver this big girl "the traditional way" with her upside down could have been a challenging situation.

Valerie is doing great. She's been a real trooper and her recovery has been boring this time around--just what we prayed for.

Mee-Maw and Paw-Paw Detwiler brought Nicholas and Ella by this afternoon for a visit. I'll try to get some of those pictures posted soon too.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support. We feel so fortunate to again be blessed with another healthy child.

First day of Pretty School!!!!

Ella is ready for her first day of preschool!!

For some reason, Nicholas decided to stand on his toes??

Ella with her "Fairies" backpack

Today was Ella's first day of preschool, which she affectionately calls "Pretty School." She was all dolled up in her little jumper and backpack. Once we got to preschool, she was sitting on the floor in the hall, just taking it all in. Then Miss Paula opened the door and I walked Ella to the door and kissed her good-bye and I'm pretty sure Ella didn't even know I was there at that point. She was totally fixated on her preschool room and just marched on in there and got busy!! So cute. Thankfully, Nicholas had a similar reaction when he first started preschool so I was prepared for a total lack of care and concern for Mommy's feelings. Nope, no sappy good-byes here. I was very proud of her......she looked like such a biggie girl. What a big day!!

It's Labor Day! But not for me......

Big brother Nicholas loving on our baby

Sweet big sister kissing our baby

Ella hugging our baby

I'm sure someone somewhere is in labor but that would not be me. I'm really o.k. with that because I'd like this little person to stay camped out until Sept 21. We are 37 weeks today.......wow! It still feels surreal to me to be carrying this little person inside me. God is so good. We feel so blessed. The kids are getting very excited about baby's pending arrival. Nicholas has a yucky cold right now and he was very concerned that he would be sick when the baby comes. He was worried that the new baby would think that's how everyone is supposed to act......as in, coughing and sneezing all the time. Funny.


Speaking of funny......that boy's gears are going all the time. Today we were playing outside and Ella was being a little pistol. I put her in time out while Niko was playing in the sandbox. She was fighting staying in time out (imagine) and I was having to get a little grumpy with her. Suddenly, Niko pops up and says,"Mommy, if a lion were coming to eat Ella, would you let her out of time out?" Yes, son, I would allow Ella out of time out to avoid being eaten by a lion.....good question.