First Bath

Lucy had her first (well. first at home) bath. It went well. I think I always get the kids' water temperatures wrong, but I must have gotten it right this time because she didn't seem to mind it. All the girls wanted to help. It is nice to always have so many willing and helping hands with Lucy.

Sisters, Sisters

 Karmin loves every minute that she gets to hold Lucy. She is so calm with her. It doesn't upset her when she starts to fuss. She just calmly helps her and deals with it lovingly. She has so much patience with her.
And speaking of patience....Lucy has a lot of it with Piper :) Pipes likes to play with her--like playing peek-a-boo. Already. I'm sure Lucy loves it!

Candyland

Pipes has a new way of playing games. She is going through a phase of enjoying Candyland. And you all know how much I LOVE that game. She has decided that we only can draw the color of card of the next square. So we go One. Square. At. A. Time. Painful.
However, she usually decides that it is time to do something else by the time we get to Gummy Hills--so that is nice. But the competitor inside me is dying to know--who wins???

The Sandwich Man

Our kids love our hometeachers. Steve, one of them, came and taught a lesson about how prayers are like sandwiches. We build our prayers just like our sandwiches. Since then the girls have called him the sandwich man. This month he came and taught us about how we each need to pull our weight in our families to keep them running smoothly (a perfect lesson for this time in our lives). He played tug-of-war with the kids to help them to understand. We have great hometeachers!

Blue & Gold

Trev had his Blue & Gold banquet tonight. They asked the boys to decorate a cake that explained their personalities. Trevor wanted to decorate a cake that looked like books because he loves to read. He came up with this stack of books written by Dr. Seuss. They are pretty cute. He had fun decorating them. He had even more fun knowing that Grandma got to come too since she is in town this week. Trevor got 5 pins and a few belt loops. He's been working hard and is on his way to getting all 20 pins before he turns 11.

Ode to the Shoes

My sister, Gretchen bought me these shoes at least 20 years ago. She bought herself matching shoes. She still has hers. I still have mine. They are the most amazingly comfortable shoes ever. They are easy and functional. They are like slippers that you can wear out in public. They were the only shoes that fit me when I was pregnant. I love these shoes and fully intend to pass them down to one of my daughters. Because who cares if they are in style or not? They are perfect to run kids down to the bus stop. They are perfect for just going out to the garden to grab something. They are easy to slip on to chase kids. They are practical. They can be worn just about anywhere. I mean look at these--they are beautiful. They remind me of my sister.

They are comfortable and what else matters?

2 weeks

Alright. Lucy is our last baby. Add that with the fact that it has been 3 1/2 years since we had a baby in the house, the result is a lot of pictures. So you have been forewarned--we will have a lot of pictures of this sweet girl.

Tradition

Grant and I have a tradition of taking a picture of each child in the bouncy seat when they are still very young. We have had the same bouncy seat for all of the kids. Here is Lucy:

Our World

Lucy has always been a part of our family. Having her in our home--I finally feel complete.

One Week Older and Wiser Too

Little Miss Lucy is one week old. We all adore her and can't get enough of her!

Music to My Ears

Somehow we started a tradition after Ben was born, that we would take a picture the first time Grant would play the piano with the new baby. Lucy's turn didn't take too long.

No Need For Modern Conveniences

Who needs things like bouncy seats and swings when you have 5 siblings all wanting to hold you? It is always a race to see who gets to hold her first. Good thing I at least get to feed her so I can hold her sometimes too.
This morning, all the girls were sitting together so I thought what a perfect opportunity to get their first picture of the 4 together. And this, my friends, is what resulted:

Uh-Oh

I think someone is worried that he might have been replaced.

Meeting Her Siblings

These kids adore their new baby Lucy. They can't get enough of her, and all wish they had more time to hold her. And the most coveted time is when her eyes are open.

Welcome Little One

Figuring how the last pregnancies have gone, our doctor had sympathy for us and so he set up an induction date---he really is the best doctor I have ever had. So today was the day! Grant and I got checked into the hospital at 6:00. They started the induction at about 8:00. I got an epidural a short time later, and have never felt so blissful--not a care in the world. At 10:45 that peacefulness went away! The doctor was called at 11:15, and he was to our room about 10 minutes later. After the most painful 10 minutes of my life, our little girl was here! Lucy Rachel Ely was born at 11:37 am weighing in at 8 lbs. 8 oz. and 19 inches long. We are head-over-heals in love with her. Her cheeks are to die for, her little lips are perfect, and she is as calm as can be. She is simply perfect.

About to Pop

This is my last night being pregnant. Ever. The last six weeks have been pretty uncomfortable, so I am ready. Even though it will be the last time I'll feel a little baby poking my tummy or feet kicking inside me, I'm okay with it. There is a bit of sadness that comes with it. Babies are a joy. However this pregnancy seemed like everything in me was saying that this is the last one. Grant and I have always wanted to have 6, but it is like my body is agreeing. Physically, mentally, and spiritually my body is saying that it is done. Each baby has been worth the sacrifice, and I am so glad that we have Ben, Trevor, Karmin, Lydia, Piper, and this new baby to join our family tomorrow. So worth every minute. Every discomfort, every day of nausea (etc), every sleepless night, every cramp and stretching feeling, every leg pain, every time it was hard for the doctor to find a heart beat, every varicose vein, the feeling of not being able to breath because a baby was pushing on my lungs--everything. Everything was worth each one of these kids.