
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Apple & Pumpkin Picking

Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Adjusting to Three
After (only recently) having welcomed three babies, I have had a bit of time to reflect on it all. On each beginning, with each new babe. And while each transition has been relatively easy, number three has been the easiest! With the first, we were just learning how to be a parents. How to become selfless. How to love unconditionally. How to function with barely any sleep. With the second, we were learning how to take care of more than one life. All of sudden everything is double. Double the wants. Double the needs. Double the love. Double the sleep loss. But with the third, you've already mastered those skills. You have already figured out how to keep two kids alive, thriving, & happy, so one more just isn't a big deal.
It has helped tremendously that I have had easy babies, and for that I am ever so grateful. I also personally believe that the newborn stage is the easiest one. Thanks to breastfeeding & baby wearing, I feel like life continues on just as it had been. Already, I'm back to doing all the things I did before Kane arrived. Sure I shower less often, and it takes me far longer to get out of the house (and everyone in & out of the car); yet, I'm still out hiking (at hitting up Target). It's once the baby needs toys & entertainment & is mobile that the big changes come, but by then you are already used to that extra little being.
I've also been so thankful that my older boys have adjusted well to becoming big brothers. I truly believe that a sibling is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. Seeing them love on each other is so heart warming and rewarding. There is plenty of love & affection in our house right now, heavy on the affection. We do often have to talk about giving baby some space. No, you can't give him 15 kisses while he's sleeping. No, don't touch his face while he's eating. No, don't pick him up. But all of it is well intended. Liam has been such a help to me with both boys, having matured so much in the recent months. Finn on the other hand is quite the pistol right now. He's testing boundaries, pushing limits, & really just doing whatever he wants. He's been a handful always, but especially since turning two. And while he can be a challenge at times, he's been so wonderful as far as Kane is concerned. I have no doubt they will all be buddies! I often find myself picturing them in high school & college together. Grown men that still share such a strong bond. I cannot wait to watch them all grow together!
And while it has all gone smoothly, some things have been noticeably more challenging... First up, the carseat situation. In my Audi, we had to put all three seats next to each other, and that was an absolute disaster. Having them all be able to touch one another with no escape was just not working. For many reasons, but that factor definitely playing in, we decided to trade in my ride for a minivan! And while I hated on them for years, I am fully on team minivan now and am completely in love! Car rides are once again peaceful! Also tough, bedtime! This is when we truly feel outnumbered. We value bedtime with the boys, always capitalizing on that one-on-one time for books and then laying with them until they fall asleep. With there now being three, one-on-one time is harder to come by. Often I'm nursing Kane while reading to one of the other boys and then hoping his squirmy little body and his coos won't keep the older one awake. More often that not right now, the two older ones get put to sleep together, which can be easier or harder, depending on how tired everyone is. And almost every single night, both Conor & I fall asleep while laying with them. Another challenge: Kindergarten drop off. We have to leave the house by 7:30am (at the latest!) to get Liam to school on time. And he doesn't get to just jump out of my car; I have to walk him to the doors. So getting three little sleepy or manic (depending on the morning) boys all dressed, fed, & in the car by 7:30am can be a real challenge. Especially since all summer long, we were often sleeping in until 9am! And Liam being in school all day long, has its pros & cons as well. Sure, I only have two kids to care for most of the day; but also, Finn's playmate is gone! Finn misses him horribly & tells me daily that he too will go to school when he is three years old. We all miss Liam while he is away! Pick-up time is our favorite time!

Monday, October 16, 2017
Postpartum (Baby #3)
All of my postpartum experiences have been quite different. With Liam, I had a lot of birth trauma, both physically & mentally. I shed many many tears over the experience & the pain. But in a short amount of time, I began to let all those feelings go. It felt like a text book experience, at least from a hormonal standpoint.
With Finn, I definitely experienced more of the baby blues. His birth was flawless, yet my emotions were all over the map. I had a hard time delegating tasks after he was born, still wanting to do it all. I hated missing out on adventures with Liam, especially in the early days. I would get upset over the littlest things. And even though I knew many of my feelings were irrational, I could not change them. I still had those feelings. I always touched base with and talked through all the emotions with my close friends & family. They checked in with me often, making sure I was doing okay. And eventually those baby blues faded as well. But that experience left me a tad worried about how my emotions would play out after our third baby...
I am happy to say, that this postpartum time has been my best! I bounced back to normal far more quickly and never really experienced the baby blues this time around. I keep thinking that surely all those heavy emotions will hit me eventually, but here at 6 weeks postpartum, I'm still doing great! I feel amazing both physically & mentally!
I think one of the big differences this time, is that I truly allowed myself time to heal & time to adjust to a new baby. With my two previous births, I felt the need to be out & about immediately. To be doing everything that I did before my baby was born. For some (crazy) reason, I felt the need to prove (to no one) that childbirth nor a newborn would slow me down. Why I did all this I am quite unsure. This third time was different. I accepted all the help that was offered. I laid in bed snuggling my newborn as much as possible. I delegated everything. I allowed myself to be lazy. It was the best decision ever! I truly gave myself time to recover & time to bond with Kane. Those days (weeks?) are time I will never get back. He will never be that small again. I'm so frustrated at myself for not allowing that time of grace with the first two.
During all those early relaxing, nursing, sleeping days, I decided to start a new series on Netflix. I told myself it would something with a single season. Nothing to binge on or get hooked on... But instead I started Gossip Girl! First, how did I never watch this when it was on in college?! It's about the best thing ever! I am now obsessed with Penn Badgley; as in, I'm googling Penn Badly during a 4am feeding wondering what he looks like now, if he's married, has kids, etc. Because I'm crazy! Gossip Girl has taken over my life. At 6 weeks postpartum, I'm in the beginning of Season 5. That's quite impressive. Hopefully once I finish the series, I'll get back to reading books, blogs, the news, etc. But for now, it has taken over. But hey, thanks Gossip Girl for entertaining me enough to allow me to stay in bed and heal properly! And thanks for making those late night feedings a bit more tolerable.

Saturday, October 14, 2017
Recent Finds (A Holiday Edition)
(This would be gorgeous as part of a table scape,
but I have mine on my mantel so that the boys don't ruin it)

Sunday, October 8, 2017
The Official Announcement
And then the template! I had waaaay too much fun playing around on Shutterfly's website. Initially, I had wanted to do a multiple photo template, but after sorting through different images, I found myself drawn to the simplicity and cleanness of a single photo more. And then the foil is always the perfect touch to finish off any of their cards! You can find the specific design I used here. After personalizing the announcement, I added our return address to the envelope to make life easier on me. Love that option as well!
I simply love how it came together. I added a little silver glitter washi tape to the back of the envelopes which tied in the silver foil perfectly. I wish I could have sent an announcement to literally everyone I know, but unfortunately I can only lick so many envelopes! And because it's always hard to choose just one photo, here's a few that I still love but that didn't make the cut!

Thursday, October 5, 2017
Kane: 1 Month Old
Right now he really makes us work for those smiles, and they often come at the most unexpected times. But I can already tell that he is such a happy guy. I'm also pretty sure that he has one dimple on his left cheek. My midwife noticed it right at birth while he was nursing. I'm hoping that we will notice it more and more as those smiles come more freely. He definitely has blue eyes, just like Liam. And while he completely resembles a Keenan brother in general, he looks just like Liam's twin at this age. It's quite remarkable.
He loves being worn in the ring sling and typically falls asleep immediately after being put in. If he's awake, he wants out so that he can adequately look around. Trees blowing in the breeze being a particular favorite. He doesn't like to be left alone, in the swing or anywhere. He's our people person, although he rarely ever gets a solo minute because his brothers are obsessed with him. Well, everyone is!
He's still nursing like a pro, as am I. I have my oversupply under control way earlier than ever did with the older boys. Plus, we've already got the side lying nursing while sleeping thing down which has made cosleeping a breeze. We can get a good 4-5 hour stretch of sleep out of him right now. Hoping he becomes the amazing sleeper that his brothers did from 2-4 months old. Then it's always downhill from there. He's not really a fan of being swaddled, but he also startles very easily, so we need to change that. Kane is currently still rocking his darker locks, but I see a touch of auburn coming in. Perhaps he will be strawberry blonde for a few months, before going totally blonde. I also think he is going to have wavy hair like Liam, but Conor thinks I'm crazy for already knowing this. It sure is fuzzy right now, and I love it!
