What an Education!

Pregnancy . . . Delivery . . . New Baby . . . What an education, experience, amazing journey, life changing event (I could go on)!!!

I have loved watching the girls at all stages of this journey. I've learned new things about them, and some things I've known were reaffirmed. They all experience it differently, and it has been fun to experience it with them.

Kenadee didn't want anything to do with the "pregnancy" part. She did not enjoy one part of that experience. I don't know if it was because it didn't seem real until he got here, or she didn't know if she would love him, or she just didn't want another sibling. I never could get it out of her. She is not my open book.

She wouldn't touch my belly, didn't want to feel him kick, didn't even want to talk about it.

Then he got here, and everything changed. She has been Mini Me from day one. I watch how she holds him, and takes care of him, and am in awe. She is already so much better at this mom thing then I ever was. She is a natural. It makes me jump for joy. I didn't want her to feel as awkward as I ALWAYS did around newborns. And they love her too.

Through out this whole thing, she has been my right hand man. On nights when I was too sick, or hurt too bad to be much good, she would take care of the house and her little sisters. She would cook dinner, bathe Avrie, clean up the dishes, and get the dishwasher going - just to name a few. She was a HUGE help. I couldn't have made it through without her :)

Ashtyn has not had one awkward moment - not one. She has loved the whole experience.

She has always been so excited. Before she left for school when she gave me a hug and kiss, she always had to hug and kiss baby brother (my belly) too.

She would sit with her hand on my belly for hours trying to feel him kick.

Then he got here, and nothing has changed. She loves him just as much now. She has come a long way since Avrie was a baby. With Avrie, I couldn't leave her side while she held her, because she would forget she was holding her and stand up to go do something else. She now remembers she is holding him :)

She is always hugging and kissing, but not in an overbearing, I have to keep telling her to leave him alone way - it's in a completely in love, adoration way. That I can handle.

Oh wait - I just remembered one slightly awkward moment. She is obsessed with trying to figure everything out. She asks question after question until she has it worked out in her head. So after I had baby, she wanted to see the stitches in my belly (I think she got this off of Jon and Kate plus 8). So when I told her that I didn't have any stitches on my belly, she could not get her head wrapped around how he got out. She kept asking question after question about how he got out. I was trying to be as vague as possible, because even thought she thinks she wants to know every detail, I know she won't really want to know every detail.

Finally I realized that my vague answers weren't going to appease her, so I finally said "Ash, he had to come out down here (waving my hand in the general direction)." And . . . just as I figured, even that was more info then she wanted. The look on her face was priceless. She instantly got this grossed out - horrified look on her face and went into a full body shudder. Thank goodness that was all she needed. She hasn't asked anymore questions :)

Avrie - what can you say about the baby of the family? That you know how bent her nose is going to be? That you hope she knows you still love her just as much as always? I knew that no matter what I did to prepare her, she was never going to be ready for this.

She understood the "baby in the belly" about as well as any three year old could. She thought the baby got there just like anything else gets in your belly: "Mom, did you EAT the baby!?!" Then she decided that she had a baby in her belly too. She thought it was a good excuse to get more food. "Mom, I need another snack. My baby ate my other one." That she came up with that all on her own. She didn't hear that come out of my mouth, because food is not my friend when I am pregnant.

Luckily when he got here, she hasn't had a problem with him. She was just mad at Kyle and I.

To my mom "Grandma, I'm your girl now."

My mom, "What about your mom and dad, aren't you their girl?"

"Nope, I'm yours"

Later that week I said, "Avrie, I love ya, come give me a hug."

She said, "I've lost my loves for you." :(

UGH - talk about a knife straight through the heart.

I held out some hope, "Well, can we go look for your loves? Maybe we can find them again."

"Nope - their gone."

She didn't even want to look.

I am glad to say that she did find them about a week later.

We also found out that boys have 11 fingers, not 10. "Mom, why does he have a finger on his bum?" That one I haven't heard before :)

On to what I have learned. . .

I don't know if there is enough room to write it all, and there are still so many questions I didn't get answers to. So to cut down on the novel length, b o r i n g post, I think I will continue this later.