A Glimpse Into Our Life: October & November
Do you ever wish you could get a glimpse in to what life is like for other families? Well, I’ve decided to pop in every couple of months or so to give you A Glimpse Into Our Life. This round of A Glimpse Into Our Life includes a peek into our October and November.
A Glimpse Into Our Life: October & November
Around here these days, we’re…
enjoying our new baby girl. At the end of September, we welcomed our fourth little one, and we are so thankful for this sweet gift. After lots of false labor – weeks of contractions that would rev up and then simmer down – we were most definitely finally ready to meet her when the big day arrived! Weighing in at 8 lbs. 6 oz. she was smaller than her brothers when they were born but bigger than her older sister. Sweet nurses, a smooth delivery, and home the next day – with lots of special little moments woven throughout all of that…moments that have served to remind us that yes, God cares about even the tiniest details of our live.
exploring. A little bit of extra time with daddy has given us the chance to try a few new restaurants, visit a couple of [new to us] parks, and explore a few others nearby spots we’ve been wanting to visit. When we had our first baby, everything pretty much went on hold, and we were all things baby for awhile. Now – with four kids – mommy and daddy have to keep moving – no matter what amount of sleep has or has not been had. During those newborn months, I like to avoid crowds and any chance of strangers touching my baby (because…well, I can’t handle that), but I do like to get my babies outdoors as much as possible. I once read that exposing them to the great outdoors would help in their fight against allergies. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but hey, it sounded good – so I do it. Some would argue the same for people rubbing their start-of-flu-season germs all over my newborn, but seriously – don’t touch my baby. ha!
shopping consignment. Even though I typically like to avoid taking my newborns out into crowds, I recently thought it would be a good idea to hit one of my favorite consignment sales – and take the nursing baby with me. This wasn’t one of those kid’s sales where you fight through the throng of crazy-eyed moms and then wait in line for three-hours to pay for your stuff. This was a pop-up women’s sale that I love to shop – There’s always a great vibe and the checkout process is never an issue. So I made sure the baby was fed, changed, and ready-to-go for the evening and off we went. I entered the building wearing maternity jeans, a non-maternity top, high-heeled shoes, and mascara. The heels and mascara are usually reserved for Sundays-ONLY, but I had primped myself for a little Mama’s Night Out. I had even brought along a cup of coffee to enjoy while I leisurely pushed my stroller through the warehouse for a relaxed shopping experience. Um…let’s just say – things did not go as planned. As I entered the building, I knocked my coffee just-so to where it splashed all over my non-maternity shirt that I had been so proud to wear that night (Thank you, zucchini noodles instead of regular pasta noodles.), and seconds later, the fed and changed baby started to fuss…and that’s when I started to sweat. She continued to fuss…I took her behind the dressing rooms and nursed her – and changed her diaper. She fussed again…I took her behind the dressing rooms and nursed her again – and changed a MESS of another diaper. She fussed again…I took her behind the dressing rooms and nursed her again – and noticed that her recent MESS had left a mess all over her outfit. At this point, I was beginning to fear that the sale owners thought I was going behind the dressing rooms so I could shove stolen merchandise down in my diaper bag and stroller. Something had to give. I glanced back through the tops and accessories I had tossed in my shopping bag in between nursing sessions and diaper changes, and I made my way to the checkout line. As I bounced my fussing little one in my arms, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a nearby window. I was sweating…my baby was sweating. My mascara was streaked under my eyes…my baby’s outfit was streaked with something else. We were a disaster…and that’s when I saw it: friends, the back of my shirt had gotten tucked DOWN INSIDE the maternity panel of my jeans. I paid for my merchandise, made my way to the mini-van, and laughed all the way home.
settling in to life as a family of six. With Daddy heading back into the office, I have felt the most anxious about juggling everyone’s eating needs (For some reason, they all want to eat everyday…multiple times a day…and all at the same time. ha!), but we’ve been doing well so far…I think – except for when I found one kid in the toilet, but that’s another story. While I’ve been a little nervous about settling back in to our norm of not seeing Daddy ’til dinnertime every night, I have been eager to tackle getting back into our regular routine. Following baby, we were fairly consistent with keeping everyone on track, but there were definitely days when things got a little crazy. Baby Girl is still in that easy sleepy stage, so we’re managing well right now – Check in with me again in six months! ha!
living the homeschool life. Homeschooling has been such a great fit for our family, and that has never been more evident than right now. The flexibility that it affords us as we walk through major life changes together is such a gift! Since the beginning of our homeschooling journey, we have embraced a year-round approach to teaching/learning – and this past summer was no different. All throughout the summer months, we continued our lessons – and I told myself that if we need to take a summer break, we could do that in the fall – after the baby came/leading up to the holidays. However, so far, we have been able to comfortably continue with our lessons and activities. Staying in this routine has been good for all of us – and honestly, doing so has made this transition time go pretty smoothly. Are we flexible with the time of day/days of the week we do certain things? Absolutely. Always. Yes. – and that’s what makes it all works so well for us.
enjoying SIMPLE fall activities. A good bit of my nesting time this summer was spent prepping simple fall and winter activities to have within arms reach after the baby arrived, and I’m so glad I did…instead of scrubbing my baseboards yet ANOTHER time. I love celebrating the seasons, and I wanted to be ready to go – knowing I wouldn’t have a lot of extra time to put things together during those first months with a newborn. Seasonal read-alouds and fun holidays snacks are always my go-to’s!
For more seasonal inspiration:
Did you miss the last A Glimpse Into Our Life post? Check it out!
