Lovely Lehigh University

Lehigh University was so impressive. Throughout the campus were various large scale sculptures. I insisted that Soren stand under the re-bar sculpture because it was so beautiful and surprising. There were so many stunning buildings and walkways to this campus. I'm so happy we visited.

PA Trip

Jamie's mom had told me about this place so I insisted that we stop on our way to Allentown. It is located in Shartlesville, PA and for a small fee you can check out the mini scenes that have been on display for decades.

Jamie went in first with the kids while I nursed Sloane. Fortunately I was able to go in later with Maeve and Asher. It was amusing! Turns out this was Jamie's THIRD trip to Roadside America because he went twice as a wee lad.

I was most entertained by the various signs pointing out details that were clearly VERY important to the owners of this place. NOTICE! Fallen tree from storm! NOTICE! Rocks fallen from avalanche, etc. Okay, WE GET IT.

Jamie and I had been talking about taking a trip to the Lehigh Valley for a while, especially after we blew threw the area last year on our way home from the Hudson River Valley and on our way to Dutch Wonderland. We knew our joint maternity/paternity leave was the perfect time for this adventure. There were several points we wanted to achieve on this trip--see Jamie's first house, visit Lehigh University and check out the Bethlehem Steel Stacks. 

Our first night in town we drove around Bethlehem and it was quite lovely. A Moravian community settled there in the 1700s so images of the Moravian star are found all over the town, which I absolutely loved. The downtown was quaint and vibrant and full of restaurants and interesting shops. The neighborhood surrounding downtown was filled with gorgeous, sophisticated older homes.

We decided to get take-out and eat at the hotel to avoid finding a restaurant for the whole family. Turns out, we picked the slowest Thai restaurant in town and ended up waiting FOREVER for our food and it was massively expensive. Next time we'll just eat at the Waffle House and call it a night.

The next morning we explored Lehigh University, which is  where Jamie's father earned a master's degree in Engineering while he was working at Bethlehem Steel. We enjoyed driving around the gorgeous campus--it is located on a hill overlooking the valley and is filled with gorgeous old buildings built in stately bricks. We found the engineering wing on campus and stopped to take a few photos for Jamie to send to his dad.

Colonial Beach, VA

While Jamie was on paternity leave we took a few fun trips. One day we drove south through Maryland and crossed the Potomac back into Virginia. This part of the state is called the Northern Neck, referring to the location on the Potomac and also the Rappahannock rivers. We had been told there was a long sandy beach to the Potomac river that was suitable for swimming. The kids were excited to get in the water and I was grateful for my c-section post partum excuse for not swimming. I've lived next to the Potomac for 12 years now and I'm just not interested in getting in--even in a place meant for swimming. The kids were cute and had a great time. More than anything I enjoyed the drive and the views and the time with my family. Baby Sloane was a doll and hardly stirred the entire trip. Probably my absolute favorite part of the day was hiking around Caledon State Park. We had never been before and they had a nice nature center and an easy walking path through the forest. Its famous as a 'summer resort' for bald Eagles. It's location on the river makes it ideal for the birds of prey. We learned a lot about snakes, frogs and toads from the ranger there. Walking through the quite woods was great fun and we enjoyed spotting massive spiderwebs in the forest canopy.

It's hard not to dream about the potential for adventure and family outings if Jamie and I didn't have to work. The ill of having a maternity leave is realizing just how much I love being at home and how much easier it is to manage a family and household when one doesn't have to spend 40 plus hours a week working. As much as I tried to suffocate those thoughts they always managed to haunt me. Nevertheless, we made the most of that sacred time together and this adventure was a great result of that time.

Litte but Enormously Cute

At 16 weeks Sloane is deliciously chubby and covered in impressive rolls. I'm already nostalgic for these tiny, tender days when she was so sinewy and tiny. They grow up so fast! I get it but I don't like it. I love her though.

Soft Face

Jamie shaved his beard after Sloane was born so he could kiss her without irritating her tender skin!

Fan club!

Asher demonstrates a game he invented that involved three cups and crumpled pieces of paper and some serious matching. He's SUCH A CREATIVE CHILD.

Sloane and her Brothers

I took a photo of Maeve as a baby with her brothers like this and it was so fun to recreate!

I could not have imagined how much Asher and Soren would love their baby sister! They barely tolerate Maeve so I just wan't sure what to expect. Seeing their devotion to Sloane and the joy they have in her tiny existence has been such a rewarding experience as a mother. I can only hope and pray that my children love each other and are good to each other so when that actually happens--cue the choirs of heaven! I hope that the boys continue to adore her as she gets older and her baby features fade. I think the age difference is enough that she will always be a novelty to them--the adorable baby sister. Poor Maeve. She'll alway be the annoying little sister. Although I don't want to rush even ONE second of Sloane's growing up--I recognize how much this family needs her to grow up so that Maeve can have a much needed friend and ally!

Ongoings

Just the kids sharing a bubble moment. I wanted to capture this moment just to remember Asher, Soren and Maeve having a happy, carefree summer in the midst of so much change at home.

It's these small moments that make life feel PERFECT.

I went for a walk with Sloane in the Beco and when I took her out and laid her on the couch she remained asleep! She didn't stir at all! It was just too cute! Especially the way she was holding on to the carrier. 

 

 

 

 

weeklies

It has been my goal to take a weekly photograph of Sloane in the same place for a year to watch her grow before my eyes! I put her next to Maeve's fox doll as a size point of reference. Already it has been so much fun to see how much she grows from week to week. It's also hard on my heart to have a visual reminder of how quickly this baby stage of life passes. I wish I could freeze life as it is and always have a baby on my shoulder or hip. I'm serious.

My Mom and her Grandbabies

My mom loves her some baby babes! She is so great with babies and children. Sure, she loves to hold them and snuggle them like any normal grandma but she also takes joy in the middle of the night rocking and the effort to get a fussy baby to sleep. She gladly gets up to give me a rest and I can go to bed knowing that she's not just 'doing me a favor' but she's grateful for that special time with her grandbabies. She's such an active, loving presence in their lives and I'm so grateful for her. 

It has been such a privilege to welcome all of my children into the world with my mom there to add her love and wisdom into that sacred experience. I just can't imaging surviving the physical and emotional wreckage of childbirth without my mom. My children love her because she loves them so much!

I know it was difficult for my mom to leave us (read: Sloane). I don't know how we live without babies or live so far from the babies we love. It seems so unfair. I guess that helps us cling to the moments we do have together.

Love and Struggles

It is astonishing how quickly and fiercely one can fall in love with a baby babe! I could die over baby Sloane's cuteness and my love for her grows by the second! Seriously! She's just so sweet. I love having a baby again.

We got off to a rough start--nursing just did not click with us. I had an obscene amount of milk early on--like it comes in the DAY I deliver. Yet, she wouldn't latch well and eventually refused to eat on my left side altogether. It was a crisis. I went from having an excess of milk to having my supply shrivel and nearly disappear. I had never in my experience with a newborn had milk issues before. Sure, nursing hurt with Maeve for 13 straight weeks but at least there was no shortage of milk. I remember one warm summer evening sitting on the porch and trying to spoon feed Sloane drops of my milk. I knew she needed it and I also never could have imagined such an experience. My heart ached for all the women who have nursing struggles or milk supply issues. It's heartbreaking to hold a scrawny, hungry baby and feel like you can do little to sustain that life!

After Sloane's second weekend at home and all of my time spent feeding her night and I day I lost it at the doctor's office when I learned that she had LOST weight since the last visit. I cried and wept for my tiny, sweet baby babe. The lactation consultant was very kind and patient with me. She gave me a plan--nurse on one side and pump the other side EVERY time she eats until she gets the hang of both sides. I did this for THREE weeks. Let me tell you how agonizing it is to pull out the pump EVERY time Sloane ate. I gained an even greater appreciation for the perfection of nursing. 

I remember my friend Sarah saying that I would look back on those days and laugh when Sloane was a chubby six-month-old! Well, she's almost four months and I can already look back and not really laugh but appreciate how much she has grown and how robust is her health. We are a good team that baby Sloane and me!

Blessing Our Babies

Look at those waving baby hands! Also, look at the lack of gray hairs!

Jamie looks like a teenager!!!

What a joy to reflect on the blessings of Asher, Soren and Maeve as we conclude this sacred tradition through Sloane. Now that I have two seven-year-olds and a four-year-old and I recognize the delicate challenges of raising older children, I am more grateful that life begins with a priesthood blessing and endowment of love from God. Babies need to start life with a circle of loving family and friends to make easier the blows ahead--those caused by the fumblings of parents and family and of course those outside the home. It's a reminder that life begins with a hope and celebration that can be sustained throughout life by a loving God.

My parents and Jamie's sister Lori were present for the blessings of all our children. I'm grateful for their constant support and devotion to our family and babies! I'm also overjoyed that our last baby blessing would be attended by my parents and all of Jamie's siblings and his mother. My heart could have burst with happiness to see so many pews at church filled with our family. Just one more way Sloane has blessed us--by bringing family together.