The New Normal

Although I would like to spend my time doing nothing but hold Guinevere and stare at her perfection in what Avram likes to call the Madonna complex, life here in the Shannon household currently looks a lot more like this.

Elisheva likes the baby - she just isn't sure what to make of this baby coming and never seeming to leave. Not to mention that sometimes, no matter what - ie, when I'm nursing , I won't put down Guinevere to hold just Elisheva, no matter how desperate she is (and she thinks it's a desperate situation all of the time). Notice the state of the living room - classy joint I live in, huh?

Meanwhile Lydia is in danger of loving this child too much. I'm sure if Guinevere does have any conscious thoughts, they revolve around why I keep letting this small blond monster maul her.
Guinevere herself spends her time growing. Every day amazes me with how much bigger she's looking. I wish that the precious newborn stage didn't also have to happen at the same time as the crazy adjusting-to-another-child-in-the-family-stage. With Lydia I just spent hours watching her sweet little face while my Mom took care of everything else. For the last week that my Mom has been here, I've spent some time staring lovingly at Guinevere, but I've spent a lot more time juggling the two other children and their sudden, yet understandable, neediness.

Here's Guinevere throughout her first week (she's 11 days old now, but I'm a little slow on catching up):

Day One

Guinevere at a week old.

Lydia and Elisheva have loved having my mom here. Well, let me qualify that - Elisheva loves doing activities with her Nana, but she does not accept her for comfortings or holdings, to replace her recalcitrant Mama who won't stopping holding that needy baby.
Nana cooked with them.And had a tea party
Not to mention played all sorts of games to introduce Lydia to her distant Stallick cousins, via pictures and maps and such. Now Nana has gone home, and I think we're beginning to get the hang of this whole five person family thing. Ask me again in two days, when Avram goes on a two and a half day campout for scouting, leaving me at home with three girls. Pre-made freezer dinners, here we come.

Guinevere Rebekah Has Arrived

Guinevere Rebekah was born on Friday, June 18th at 6:42 in the morning. She was 7 lbs and 11 oz, and 19.5 inches long. I was waiting to blog until her arrival, because I tired even myself with my one track "I'm pregnant. Really pregnant. I wonder when this baby will come?" and I didn't want to dwell in my inner thoughts as written down in blog form any more than necessary until the baby came out.

But, lo and behold, like every baby throughout history, Guinevere did make her appearance - Hallelujah! Up until she was born, I still held a faint hope it would be a boy, but once she was here, it was eminently apparent that a third girl was what was absolutely perfect for our family. She is perfect to my (highly biased) mind. She sleeps well, and has a darling button nose, like all our girls, and she has a full head of brunette hair. She also has a small wrinkle to better furrow her brow by, just like her mother, as well as having my lack of a defining chin (which ends up looking like a double chin, which on her is darling).

Just as further proof of how great Rebekah (and hence her name as Guinever's middle name) was in the bible, as I previously discussed on here, Sister Julie B. Beck said recently at the BYU Women's Conference (as quoted in the Church News), "Each of us in our day is as important to our generation and our time as Rebekah was in her time. We each are pivotal in our families. The success of the House of Isreal is now dependent on millions of Rebekahs who understand what their place and mission is on the earth." See - Rebekah is the pivotal women that Sister Beck chose, because it's true, Rebekah really is that Awesome.

Lydia and Elisheva both love her - they love holding her, and kissing her, and even getting diapers out for me for changing her. They are also both more needy than normal, but that we expected. Elisheva loves being held like a baby, and being sung to - and needs me to hold her more than normal.

My mom arrived yesterday, and it's heaven having her here to help with the girls, and gush over Guinevere, since nobody but Grandparents gush better than parents do, but the best part is having someone wash dishes and vacuum, so I can sit on the couch and recover, and not feel like my house is falling down around me.

I feel so out of practice writing, but I do plan to pick up the pieces of my fallen life, blogging included, and gradually de-lamify myself. Things like we're getting rid of buying cold cereal a month after Guinevere is born, and moving back to breakfasts that are actually filling. Or as well making homemade bread again, instead of only having store-bought bread. But...that's in the near future. For now, I'm just excited that I can bend over again, and that today I pulled out my non-maternity Summer clothing. I've missed my predominantly skirt-filled wardrobe. (Just to clarify - no I did not lose my maternity weight that quickly - I just find that skirts are much more forgiving to figures than pants are, and so more easily and quickly switched to).