Welcoming Katelyn!

So, we have a beautiful baby.... :)

Katelyn Joy Miles, born September 5th at 5:03 AM. 6 pounds, 8 ounces, and 19 inches of perfection!

This was the day after she was born, when Katelyn and I came home from the hospital. The girls have pretty much sat around gazing admiringly at her ever since. :) Their first request in the morning is, "Can I hold Katelyn now?", and even when I'm nursing her, there's always someone stealing up to us to drop a gentle kiss on her babysoft cheek.

As I said -- lots of kisses. :) Katelyn seems to just adore Ashley, and settles into a contented sleep whenever she in on her biggest sister's lap.

Hannah has surprised me by being the most attentive of all the girls, such a little mother! She is not disturbed by Katelyn crying in her arms, but just talks gently to her and never, ever wants me to take Katelyn away. :) 

I thought I was prepared for how big and grown up Bethany would seem after Katelyn arrived. But I really, really wasn't. She is so poised and mature, so careful with her baby sister and so eager to help. I am amazed by this little girl who grew up overnight! It's incredibly bittersweet to know that she will never be my baby again.

And now there are six of us! SIX! Um...excuse me while I stare at this picture in disbelief for a few minutes....

Our sweet baby girl will be two weeks old tomorrow. It's amazing, but at least this time around I know...I know how quickly it all flies past. I know that in the blink of an eye her precious newborn stage will be over, gone forever, and I already ache with knowing how much I will miss her tiny body curled up against me in that helpless and entirely contented way that brand new babies have. So I am cherishing every moment with this beautiful, tiny girl, building the memories of her in my arms forever into my heart.

That's why I haven't even gotten around to putting her birth here on my blog until she's almost two weeks old. :) And I'm not much of a "birth story" writer, but there are a few things about her birth I'd like to have written down, so maybe I'll do that next. Another day. Right now it's time to go make breakfast and start another school day with my three favorite big sisters in the whole world, and snuggle our precious baby!

Heaven's melody!

All the way to church this morning, the girls sang praises to Jesus at top volume in the backseat.

"Come on, come on now -- we've got a new song! Come on, come on now -- a song of liberty! Let the world hear Heaven's melody...this is the shout of the hearts You've set free!"

Clapping, dancing in their seats, and singing their hearts out...I don't know when I last experienced something so beautiful.

"So I'll dance, dance, dance in Your freedom! Oh! Your glorious freedom! Forevermore...forevermore!"

I love how this song just pours out of them, so heartfelt and true to their joy in Jesus. No hang-ups, insecurities, doubts, or disillusionments. Their faith so far is just spontaneous, joyful trust and celebration.

No wonder Jesus said we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of Heaven! It is amazing to find myself learning from my children, wanting to trust Him like they do. What a gift!

"Joy, joy, unspeakable joy! Hope like never before. You came for us, You are our freedom!"

Amen!

While waiting....

We are in waiting mode here. Waiting for school to start next week, and waiting...waiting...waiting for a baby to arrive! I am 37 weeks pregnant now, and our baby girl is doing great. I'm "allowed" to go into labor any time now, and if I'm at all in tune with my body, I think it won't be long. Another week, maybe. (And yes, that does mean she'll most likely get here just in time to delay our start of school!)

I am tired and sore...not sleeping well, and bad sciatic nerve pain. So very ready to hold this little girl in my arms and welcome her into our family. And while I struggle with patience, the girls aren't even pretending to be patient! ;) They ask me multiple times a day if maybe, just maybe, now I might be in labor! They talk to their sister through my tummy when they wake up, and before they go to bed. They've drawn pictures for her and helped me sort her clothes. They've made up songs about her, set aside beloved toys for her, and prayed for her every single day. I can hardly wait to see them finish becoming big sisters to this precious baby girl.

And quick before this waiting period is finished, I should post some of my maternity pictures! My friend Holly took them and I love them to pieces. (I've mentioned her before; she's our amazing family photographer and if you haven't seen her website yet, check it out here!)

Lamont is hoping to take about a week off work when she arrives, and we are all so excited to have some time together as a family to enjoy each other and rest!

Come as soon as you're ready, little girl...we can't wait to love you forever.

Working on catching up....

So, we went to the ocean...a month ago....

I'm really behind with blogging this summer. Really, really behind. Every week, every day, has been packed so full, and it has all been so wonderful but so exhausting. And I've taken pictures...some of them, at least...but have not been doing anything with them or keeping up with blogging.

And that's ok! But soon we will have a newborn around here again, and then all hope of cataloging this summer's pictures and activities will definitely be gone, so I'm going to make an effort to catch up a bit before that happens. Which brings us to the ocean. :)

We went with Lamont's family, just for the weekend, to Cannon Beach, OR. It was a whirlwind of a trip, but both of the days we were there were about 80 degrees and gorgeously sunny -- which does not happen on consecutive days at the Oregon coast! Such a treat, and it meant endless hours of happy beach time. (Plus a few sunburns. Not for the girls -- I do protect my children with sunscreen, really! But one of these years I'll grow up and realize that I need to put sunscreen on myself as well.)

On our way back, the girls and I dropped Lamont off at the Portland airport, and he flew to San Diego to spend five days at a conference. Which would have meant I would be driving all the way home with the girls all by my (at the time) seven months pregnant self, except that it didn't! Because my awesome friend Anja lives in Portland, and it just so happened that she was willing to take some time off and come home with us for the week! We've been friends for 20 years (*whispering* Forget I said that, because it makes me sound really, really old!), and I've missed her terribly since she moved to Portland a couple years ago, so it was a huge treat to have her company not just for the road trip but for multiple coffee filled days. :)

Aaaaaaand, here are a few ocean pictures!

She spent about half her time at the beach happily buried in sand. I...don't really know what to say.

This castle had about seven incarnations and withstood many mighty waves! (Or didn't...which is why it had so many incarnations...lol.)

Sandy bliss!

Pregnant women bonding.... (OR, This is how we do it!)

She was just a few steps behind me as we slowly made our way to the side of the pool to watch our children's swim lessons. We lowered ourselves into the pool chairs, hot white vinyl under the 90 degree sun, with matching weary sighs, and drawn by the sound of the sigh, our heads turned toward each other at the same moment.

There was a pause, then a quiet nod of recognition from each of us. I see you, heavy and tired. Drooping yet also bursting with life, with the new life you're carrying, and with the promise of a time drawing near. I feel your restricted breaths and the nerve pain in your legs and the aching back and the stretching, always stretching, and the tiny fists that punch your bladder so relentlessly. And I feel your heart full of longing and love for the one who has taken over your body so completely, and the waiting...and waiting...and how it is drawing to a close. I see you.

"When?" I ask her.

"End of the month," she replies quietly. And then, "You?"

"Beginning of next."

A pause, then a hollow, plaintive whisper. "It's...hot."

I close my eyes, sun beating on my face, and feel the trickles of perspiration over far too many surfaces of my body. And her statement resonates as something profound to each of us, and eventually I answer her....

"Yes." Sorrowfully, slowly. "Yes."

There is nothing more to say, and for the 29 remaining minutes of the swim lesson, we are content to keep each other silent company. It is easier, sitting in the sizzling heat next to each other. There is a comfortable camaraderie in the discomfort, in the sharing of the heat and the sticky vinyl chairs and the endless, restless shifting of limbs.

The half hour ends and our children climb from the pool and shiver over to us for towels, laughing and dripping and sparkling in the sunshine, claiming to be cold now that they've left the water. And she and I turn to each other again, eyebrows raised in mutual amazement, and shake our heads over the unfairness of the heat distribution.

Finally, a ghost of a smile, as she asks, "Tomorrow?"

And I smile back at her, "See you then."

Endless water!

We've been doing swim lessons every morning for the last two weeks, and graduated from this beginning level class this morning. The girls had a blast! We did them at the pool just a minute from our house, and will definitely do it there again when we do another two week session in August. I loved the pool and loved their instructor. :) The only part they didn't like was jumping off the diving board....

The pep talk....

The completely rigid jump....

The aftermath!

But I promise, most of the time they all looked more like this....

Even the day that the water looked like this, because it was pouring rain and hailing and only 55 degrees!!

And about two minutes after I took that picture, the rain and hail stopped and the sun burst through the clouds. It was like March -- except it was July. Yeah.

So to celebrate them spending two successful weeks in the water...I decided we should spend some more time in the water! I'm creative like that. ;) We beat the heat at Lake Coeur d'Alene this afternoon, where the girls got to play with their out of town cousins and I got to enjoy a towel on the sand in the sunshine. I was also entrusted with the serious task of guarding all the special rocks and sticks and bits of seaweed they could find in the waves...it's what mummies are for!

Such a beautiful, watery, sunshiny Friday!

A perfect moment....

Group activity this evening before bed.... :)

I don't think anything makes those little girls happier than feeling like they are just as cool as their daddy!