1 Month

8 pounds 15 oz.

Thinning beautiful black hair

Perfect little Cabbage Patch doll outie belly button

Completely adorable!

Love her!

Wordless Wednesday

Week: 4

I can't believe it's been almost a month already. Time is flying, as usual. At times it feels like we've always been a family of six and then other times it feels so new.

Last week was....difficult.

Shoshannah would not sleep or be happy at all during the day unless I (and only me) was holding her. Thank goodness Marc was still on leave or my poor house/other children/self confidence would have really gone to shambles. So far this week has been better already. I figured out a little trick for her that is frowned upon now days (belly sleeping *gasp*), but we're in survival mode right now. I NEED to be able to do a few things, like eat and shower, without a baby in my arms.

I'm anxious for Thursday to see how big Sho is getting. She has started out-growing a couple things and can almost fill out 0-3 months stuff now. She also will smile when daddy kisses her with his beard or makes funny noises at her! I can't wait for when she really starts responding to people around her (2 more weeks?).

The other kids are still learning about having a newborn around. They can't help themselves but to touch or kiss her if she is within their general vicinity. There was also a rather scary moment yesterday when Gaius decided he was going to pick her up by himself. It ended with me coming to the rescue and tears being shed by all. No one was hurt and a lesson was learned (I hope).

I'm going caffeine free. Which was absolute torture this morning!!! Also, Diet Coke just isn't the same without caffeine. I'm looking forward to going back on South Beach and fitting back into my favorite jeans. I have all my maternity stuff in a pile ready to be photographed and listed on ebay...now I just need the motivation.

And that is all.

The Name Game: The Finale

Hannah is not a nickname for Shoshannah.

I mean come on! If you're going to exert the energy to pronounce Hannah you might as well say the whole name! ****Whew! Okay I just had to get that off my chest****

Remember my list of criteria for naming our child? Let's see how Shoshannah adds up?

1. Blends with my other kids' names

Check

2. Fits with our last name

Check

3. Not in the top 100 baby names in the US

Check Check

4. Not too "out there"

Check (or at least in my book)

5. Pretty/ Strong (pretty for a girl, strong for a boy)

Check

6. Works for a child or adult

Check

7. Starts with a different letter than my other kids

Check

8. Has a nice meaning ( I guess that omits Jezebel) :-)

Check

9. No common nicknames

Hm...yes and no.

10. No weird initials

Check

11. Easy to pronounce (spelled phonetically)

Kind of, WE pronounce it phonetically. But some don't

12. No weird spellings

Check

In case you wanted to know the story of Sho's name. Here it is:

Marc wanted to name her Shoshannah and I wanted to name her either Esme or Charis (pronounced KAR-is). But because of stupid pop culture and Twilight I decided that I couldn't saddle my child with the name Esme. So the Thursday before Sho's birth we decided it was either going to be Shoshannah Charis or Charis Shoshannah. However, on our way to the hospital Marc brought up that he really wanted to name her Shoshannah Korleen. So for about a hour or so after Sho was born we couldn't decide which middle name. I finally made the final decision to give her my name since I think it'll be the last chance i have to pass my name on. And that's how Shoshannah Korleen came to be! Oh and if she happened to be a boy her name would've been Zion Thomas. Although the boy's name was MY choice I'm still really glad she ended up being a girl! :-)

The End.

Sunday Snipets

When I look at Sho-sho my heart literally aches. She is so darn cute!

• Things are finally starting to mellow out around here! Just in time for Shoshannah's first growth spurt.
• Marc is starting his final week of vacation, and I'm feeling confident that I'll be able to pick up where he leaves off!
• I had Sushi for the first time since being pregnant, it was AMAZING! Also Leia found out she likes sushi too!
• Netflix Instant Play is my new favorite nursing buddy. No late night infomercials for this Mama!
• Things are getting awfully Autumn-ey around here! I guess it time to pack away the shorts and tanks and pull out the jeans and sweaters. *sigh* It was a good summer.

"The Project"

I'm trying to figure out how to get all 4 of my children into a frame. Let me tell you! IT IS NOT EASY! I'm not sure if my kids are extra wiggly or what. So far this is what I've gotten.

Attempt 1:

Attempt 2:

As you can see I'm still working on it. :-)

Picture Overload

Such sweet baby cuteness

My niece with 2 of her biggest fans!

I'm a Bad Blogger.

Once again here I am apologizing for neglecting my bloggy friends.

Life has been a little crazy with a demanding, nursing, non-sleeping newborn. I've been able to keep up with facebook (sort of) only because of my Blackberry. I'm still learning what works for Shoshannah.

Our kitchen looks AMAZING! Not only did my family do the floor they painted my cabinets! It looks like a totally different space!

Our other kids seem to be adjusting well to having a baby and starting school back up!

Marc still has 2 more weeks off, which is surreal!

...And that's all I have time for.

"Just because he does things differently than me doesn't mean it's wrong. Just because he does things differently than me doesn't mean it's wrong."

It's hard to sit back and let someone do all your normal chores for you...I'm working on it. :-)

BTW: He IS doing an AMAZING job! Love you Marc!

Wordless Wednesday...almost

Shoshannah was *thrilled* to have her face squished by her brother's. At least Gaius looks happy!

1 Week

First few shots of our baby girl!

Xavier wanted to compare her with this stuffed toy he got for her. It's head is bigger than Shoshannah's!

This is my favorite picture of her!

Ready to come home from the hospital. (BTW these little socks are AMAZING, they stay on!)

I love my new little baby daughter! And my big baby daughter is completely adorable with her! All Shoshannah's days are spent being passed from family member to family member. Gaius likes to hold her for 30 second intervals throughout the day while the older 2 are content to hold her for as long as she's content. Sho is my first baby that will settle with just the sound of my voice. In fact she was screaming and screaming upon arriving in the O.R. but when they finally brought her over to me and I spoke she quieted right down. It makes me feel a little bit powerful and a lot bit

loved!

I'd also like to thank anyone who prayed or thought of me last Monday. I could honestly feel it! I went in and was perfectly calm the whole time, which completely surprised me. The recovery hasn't been too awful, except for some water retention.

She's Here!

Yes! I was right!

It's a girl!!!!!

Shoshannah Korleen arrived kicking and screaming on August 30th at 11:23am!

She was 8lbs 5oz, 21 inches long and absolutely adorable!

I don't have many pictures of her on my computer yet. But here's one to hold you over until I get all of the pictures uploaded from various electronic devices.

FYI: This name was chosen by Marc. I wasn't completely sold on it, but when a Dad loves a name this much, you just have to give in.

I also now think it suits her!

She's a sweetheart, and the other kids are completely enamored with her!