And then there were 3...

It's been a while since I blogged. Things have been really hectic around here. We are officially the proud parents of a brand new baby girl. As soon as she came out and they put her on me, I knew. I said, "This is Ella." Her birth was quick. Maybe not for others, but compared to the births of Charlie and Katelyn, 5 hours is a piece of cake for me. The morning of the 30th, at 7am, the contractions started. It was almost surreal. I had been waiting so long and wanted so badly to go into labor that it surprised me that my body did it all on it's own. I was proud that I didn't need an induction. From that moment on I was in such a fog of pain that I dont really remember much. I just remember thinking I was crazy to have ever wanted to have a natural birth. The epidural sounded really good to me at that point. But I knew in my heart that I could do it and that I would regret it immensely if I didn't follow my birth plan. She was born at 12:59 pm and my little chub weighed in at 8 lbs. 8 oz. and was 20 inches long. After her brief stay in the NICU, our little one came home with us on the 4th of July. I was a little nervous to have a newborn in the house again. It's always a shock to the system, the not sleeping. It's a good thing that she smells so amazing. She is so beautiful. She snuggles up in my neck and even at 4 am when I just want to cry because I am so tired, I fall more in love with her with every little cry. She looks just like I did when I was a baby. She even has mine and Charlie's little dimples. Im so incredibly in love with all 3 of them. Charlie and Kate are doing wonderfully. The sibling rivalry hasn't really reared it's ugly head yet. They dote on her and fight over who will hold her next. Even my little Kate! I was so worried she wouldn't do well. I felt really sad and heartsick when Kate wouldn't come see me in the hospital. I kept thinking, "What have I done? My little Kate is still a baby and she's been 'replaced'!" It's such a relief that she doesn't feel threatened. She calls Ella her baby. She puts the boppy around her waist and likes to lay Ella's head on her arm and look for her feet. She's so sweet and tender that it's almost too good to be true. Anyway, without further ado... here are my reasons for being.