HE is here!

We're a family of five!  

Welcome baby William John Meek!

October 23, 2014

6:47am

7 lbs. 4 oz.

20.5 in.

Dad & Will shortly after birth

Mom & Will

Biggest sister is a pro this time around.

(OMG, we have three kids!)

Nothing like seeing your baby brother for the first time.  As much as Annabelle knew what to expect, Emeline was able to experience the new baby through entirely fresh eyes.  Amazing moment.

Our threesome.

Smitten

This set up never gets old (for mom)...

Baby Will - rare alone photo.

Will's birth was a wild ride, starting with an unassuming stroll through Cantigny while Grandma Meek was visiting.  I had experienced false labor with Emeline, so any signs that started that day, I tried to ignore.  But of course, as all our little Meeklet's arrivals, by the middle of the night, it was clear there was a baby on the way.  We made it to the hospital by 5:30am after a long night of laboring naturally.  Despite arriving at the hospital at 8cm, and progressing to 10cm in minutes, hopes and plans of a natural labor were dashed when baby was discovered breech.  (I entirely believe I could have had this baby breech, just as God had intended, but that's another blog post...and probably some therapy, so I'll keep this simple.)  It's all a blur once I was told I wouldn't be allowed to deliver as I had planned, but our baby BOY Meek was removed via cesarean at 6:47am.

He didn't have a name right away.  We ALWAYS go into our gender surprise births with names ready, but we had struggled with the boy name.  In the last few weeks of pregnancy, I had decided to stop stressing , we had narrowed it down to two boy names, and we had our girl name.  If by some crazy chance, we actually had a boy, we'd figure it out.  (Should have know that theory would guarantee a boy.)

So, this wasn't to be Rosemary Jenny.  (This IS last baby, so I can officially spill all name plans ;)

After getting to a recovery room, we quickly tried out our two names and William John it was.  (I was still loopy from the cesarean ordeal, so luckily Dad was feeling pretty confident about the name.)

Grandma Meek brought the big sister's to the hospital to visit as soon as possible.   We also had visits from Grandpa Meek, our lovely neighbors, Paul & Cecilia, our dear friend Mary, with Molly & Maggie, Aunt Shannon & Uncle Scott and Aunt Colleen, Miss Janine, and Carolyn, Lucy & Norah

And because I know everyone wants to know, but doesn't want to ask, Will is galactosemic, just like Annie.  

We've had "the" galactosemia call three times now.  These three calls have proven to me just how much we adapt, and how fear is almost always just the unknown.

In 2009 we got the call for Annie, introducing us to the world of galactosemia.  We scribbled down g-a-l-a-c-t-o-s-e-m-i-a, immediately googled and cried.  I spent the next year secretly crying more days than not, terrified of our daughter's future.

In 2012, we had a handle on galactosemia.  Our lives as parents, WAS galactosemia.  I was fully prepared (and assuming) our next baby would also be galactosemic.  When we received the call that Emeline was merely a carrier, I cried again.  I quickly mourned the fact that the sisters would not share this genetic rollercoaster, and moved on.  All that I worried about was soon washed away in the every day, and I immediately saw the girls definitely didn't see each other as galactosemic or not, but merely as sisters.

And here we are in 2014.  I hadn't really given much thought to whether a third baby would be galactosemic or not.  So when we got the call that Will was galactosemic, I felt bad, our genetics team was trying to break it to me so gently.  But they may as well have called to tell me he had two eyes and a nose, it was not an issue to me.

Third time parenting is awesome.  If only we had the confidence and knowledge the first time, when we only had one to care for.  But of course, we don't realize how easy one kid is...until we have a small heard ;)

Will has been loved on since the moment he arrived.  His sisters are smitten with him as are his parents.  He sleeps well, cuddles well, wiggles well and even seems to smile already in these first couple of weeks.  I'm trying to take in every little breath in my ear, and the feeling of his squirmy little body nestling into ours as we hold him.  I know all too well we will blink, and it will be hard to even imagine those first few weeks.  Making people....truly is a miracle.  

Annabelle June turns five!

Whew!  This was a tough one for mom!  What is it about five that seems so huge?  Probably the beginning of "real school"?  Leaving the toddler years well behind?  No matter how hard I scrutinize her little face, I can't bring back all the baby fat or her tiny little voice that was just learning language.  Now our "baby" is full of ideas, stories, hopes and dreams of her own.  I couldn't be happier with the baby, turned toddler, turned little girl that we've raised so far.  So rather than mourn how quickly time is passing, I'll roll around in our happy present.  

Annie spent her fifth birthday at Santa's Village, where she rode all the rides until they closed the doors for the day.  We took off after swim lessons, not telling her where she was going.

The following weekend we celebrated with friends and family, enjoying a perfect summer day.

Happy Birthday big sister!

Embracing the chaos, happily!

It's true!  We're expecting another mini Meeklet around here!

It's nearly impossible to conceal a pregnancy the more kids you have, between my eager to expand belly and Annie's sheer joy in announcing to everyone that "we need new beds and a mini van", any attempt at waiting to share the news is futile. 

However, today we heard little 3's heartbeat for the second time and saw that sweet jelly bean looking ultrasound change to a tiny little baby with two arms and two legs.  So, we're happy to share the news officially, and frankly, I'm more than happy to buy myself a public pass for my recent weight gain. 

Newest Meeklet - 12 weeks

We're thrilled :)  

No, it wasn't an accident.  

No, we're not necessarily "trying for a boy" (although the girls think a little "variety" would be good).

No, we're not finding out gender before the birth, again!

We're just excited to add to the love and joy (and sleeplessness, diapers, dishes, laundry, etc) around here with another little giggle in the house.  

Due Date: November 6, 2014

(I have never come within a week of a due date so far.  Momma's guess is that we have an October baby on the way :)

Meeklet 3

After Emeline was born, I clapped my hands together and felt complete.  We had each other, the girls had each other...we all had each other...done, right? 

Then I watched the way the girls have grown together, their giggles down the hall, the mischief they get into because they have each other as partners in crime.  Slowly, I started hearing another giggle, and seeing another smiling face at our table (which is ironic, because we have a table with four chairs) begging for another drink, or a napkin, or something else that requires me to hop out of my seat just before my rear ever hits it in the first place.

I started packing away Emeline's clothes as she outgrew them.  Many were donated to new families with babies in need.  I gave away the big space hogs like baby swings and bouncy chairs.  But there were a few favorite onesies and specialty items I placed in a box and mentally labeled "just in case".

I  planted the idea that maybe we had a little extra love to share around here...Mr. Meek looked at me as if I hit my head (and I'm still convinced he was hoping I had).  A few months went by, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were missing someone.

A few more months went by, and I'm writing posts about a new baby.

Our little four year old's ears were burning with the idea that there "might be a new baby".  She was quick to drop hints to friends and strangers alike that she was going to need some bunk beds for her and her sister.  After the third  ultrasound, and our chance to hear our new little heart beating, we've let her change her story from "might" to "we're definitely gonna need a new bed set up and a mini van".  She promptly announced this information to her preschool class.  Imagine my surprise to all the "congratulations!" at school pick-up.

So now we're going from the tidy family of four, to a whole new territory: family of five.  That third kid throws a few new logistical challenges, a station wagon is no longer big enough (no kidding), the bedroom:child ratio has been 1:1 so far, time to do some furniture swapping and roommate pairing.  That table with the four chairs?  We're searching for one of those cute benches, so we can squeeze another booty in on one side.  Swimming lessons, eventually will cost triple, same for karate, dance, and whatever other talent the little Meeklets choose to master.

But we have plenty of room for another, the closets will combine, our ride will change, our bank account will shrink, but our hearts are just going to burst with all the joy that is surely on the way...

...along with sleep loss, finishing touches on any maternal stretch marks, and the insurance for a minimum of two more years of bottles and diapers.  When reminding ourselves of this, Mr. Meek said "you really wanna start all over?" 

But honestly, I'm not ready for any of it to end.

I'll start all over, with the sleepless nights, the tiny diapers, the mushy little helpless blob that will melt into our skin and grow right before our eyes.  I'll watch Annie get another baby sibling, but this time her experience will show, and I'll watch Emeline's eyes light up with wonder, a twinge of jealousy mixed with pride, as she realizes she's now a big sister too.

Before we know it, life before our third little Meeklet will seem like a distant memory, and we'll wonder what we ever did without him or her.  One day we'll tell our littlest one about life before the mini van, and the older girls will tell stories of having their own rooms and closets, and then we'll tell them how wished for and loved they were, long before they arrived.

Baby Turns Two

Sweet Emeline Joy turned two on the last day of February.  We celebrated at a state park and lodge with a weekend full of hiking and swimming, family and friends...just the way we like it!  Two years with Emeline has gone by in a blink.  She learns so fast, is such a capable little lady, and always knows exactly what she wants (and when she wants it).  Nobody gives bigger hugs, or runs faster, or climbs higher or gets into more trouble than our pretty little two year old!  Her vocabulary grows by the day and it becomes increasingly obvious there is a lot going on behind those sparkling blue eyes!

Hiking

Hiking break

Breakfast Party in the Cabin

Relaxing with Dad at the Cabin

Birthday Cupcakes, featuring Farmer Jason, Elmo and Emeline herself

Coloring in the cabin with big sister

Another frosty hike!

Shamelessly wedding crashing around the fireplace in the lodge.

Family time at the lodge

Aunt Shannon & Big Sis

Family celebrating Emeline's birthday

Giggling with Great Aunt Bonnie

Grandma M time

Even the birthday girl gets sleepy.  She partied as much as she could, but eventually needed some beauty rest and her Daddy.

We had such a fun turn out for our little getaway, I wish I would have taken more pictures (I know...)  It was so great to have the a Grandpa, the Grandmas and the Aunties, Uncle Scott, a Great Aunt and our super awesome neighbors with us to celebrate.

I want to make sure I remember Emeline as she turns two.  The way she runs through the house, skidding around corners.  Her love of bath time.  Her obsession with  Farmer Jason & Signing Time right now.  The way she insists on standing through dinner, on top of her booster seat, despite every discipline tactic we've tried.  The way she calls her big sister Annie, "Nannie".  Her pacifier is her "money".  Her favorite blankie is her "banky elwee" (elephant blanket).  She adds our names to the beginning and end of every request or statement:  Mom, I want a dink, Mom.  Dad, I want Singing Time, Dad.  Nannie, gimme dat, Nannie.  She never smiles bigger than when she's been hard at work in her play kitchen, she will bring over a stack of food (usually a pizza-ham-pizza sandwich ;) and when we pretend to eat up her concoction and praise her for her cooking skills, she swings her arms around and jumps up and down grinning ear to ear, nodding her head as if she just knew we would love it.  The way she pushes her stool around the kitchen (or just climbs the handles on the shelves to help herself to the counter).  She begs "Mom, I stir Mom!", I'm pretty sure she requests eggs every morning, just so she can whisk them.  One of her favorite songs is "if you're happy and you know it", she can shout "hooray" louder than anyone.  Emeline almost always knows what she wants.  When we started "tumbling tots", she knew she wanted to jump on the trampoline.  She also knew she had no use for stretching, balance beams, bars, obstacle courses, making friends, singing songs (or rather, Emeline had no use for the first 40 minutes of the 45 minute class, visibly so).  She was however, the happiest camper the last five minutes as she blissfully jumped as high as she could on the trampoline.  Emeline endures several hours a week of boring lobby time while we wait for Annie in various activities.  Her favorite is choir night, where she invades the church nursery toys.  Her second favorite must be watching karate, she giggles in the doorway as I say "don't go in, just stay by the door".  She then puts one toe in the room and giggles at me...testing one toe at a time just to see how far she can get.  She can't start karate fast enough.  The same stubbornness that can be so trying during these toddler years, creates the best honesty.  The girls were squabbling over a toy the other day, and I asked Emeline "can't you just share?"  She told me very confidently, and with zero confusion: "Mom, no."  She crawls out of her crib regularly at an unacceptable hour, and comes to our bed, puts her nose up to my sleeping face and says, in anything but a whisper "HI MOM".  She then crawls into the bed, chattering and flopping around.  Each night when I put her to bed, she says "Mom, hold me like a baby, Mom", and of course I hold that giant "baby", like a baby.  We sit in her rocking chair and I always say "you know mommy loves you?" and she nods, "and you know daddy loves you?" and she nods (we go through the heavy hitters in the family before cutting it off).  On nights I'm in a hurry (or exhausted!) and I skip a few people, she calls me out on it, and finishes the routine herself "and mamaw loves me, and papa loves me..."

We all love you Emeline!

Decision 2014

The past few weeks can be summed up best, as they were by Aunt Shannon:

"the great Pre-K debate of 2014".

(very reminiscent of "the great 3 day vs 5 day preschool debate of 2013")

I can't even remember how it began, but somehow amidst the paperwork for kindergarten registration, we (I) had an epiphany or was enlightened to a simple fact:

Kids must be at least five to attend kindergarten.

Kids don't have to attend kindergarten at five.

Woah. How did this not occur to me earlier?

I went on a two week bender of zero sleep, research/article reading, polling the crowd, phone calls to teachers, phone calls to administrators, I listened to stories of families who considered waiting and didn't, I listened to stories of families who did indeed wait to start kindergarten, I tried to imagine what implications we would have with our daughter ultimately as a 2027 graduate or a 2028 graduate. I made pro & con lists folks. I even drew a time line with smiley stick figures to visualize our choice. I will hang my head in shame over this self imposed madness, but I'll be damned if anyone ever accuses me of making a thoughtless decision. ;)

I could share with you the research, the lists and countless conversations. I could explain why we're doing what we're doing, but here's what finally pushed me off the fence:

All of the reasons I would have registered Annie for kindergarten this year came from societal presumptions and pressure from a few peers.

All of the reasons we would do a year of Pre-K before kindergarten, came from what was best for our family and what we feel long term is best for our child.

(I'm embarrassed I gave it thought beyond the second bullet point.)

We have a smart cookie, Annie was anything but oblivious to the ongoing debate this past week. She worked through the timeline with us, and asked me why some of the stick people were named "freshman, sophomore, etc"

I explained.

Then she asked me: "what's college?"

I told her that is when she would pack up her bags, move out, and go learn somewhere else. A long, long time from now.

She told me she never wanted to leave her family, she loves us and wants to live with us forever.

She's four.

I know this sentiment will change.

(Oooh, will it change! And I can't wait to remind her of these innocent thoughts one day!)

The public school system can have their time with her from 6-18.

We're soaking up the full 0-5.