Getting to know our Ivy, I'm sorry, and a Giveaway!

okay, i haven't blogged in a while. also, i haven't showered or brushed my teeth much either. life's been busy with the new arrival of our new little one, ivy. 


i've missed sharing our life here and i feel badly for not posting more often especially to those who have checked back for updates and for this i have feel badly and i want to say, i'm sorry.  this is a place where i share our life in words and in photos and i am behind and i don't like that feeling but i promised myself i wouldn't beat myself up and perpetuate the emotion i find myself swimming in these days: overwhelmed. 


i am in the same boat as any new mom must find themselves at times...
my eyes have stung with exhaustion;  my emotions behave like a pack of wild coyotes; my laundry is never done and is always at least five loads deep; i feel guilty toward my other babies and the amount of time i can't spend with them right now; nothing fits and my body isn't going back to 'normal' as quickly as i think it should be and my appetite is still on pregnancy time; and i look like death on a saltine cracker most of the time and none of this compares to the overwhelming feeling of gratitude i have for getting the chance to do this all over again. i love every minute of this even when i think i don't.  


i am overwhelmed with nothing but love for my new family of five. 


i am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for the healthy mini-human i am blessed to call my own. 


i am happy and lucky and spending most of my time getting to know my little girl. when i'm not doing that, i'm witnessing my two older kids figure out their new roles as big brother and sister to a baby they both adore and can't get enough of. 


ivy, our little surprise baby. our tagalong: she is perfect. she is everything good in this world. 


she has brought us closer and taught me to learn to relax a bit more and relish each moment in the present. 


the first few months of a babies life is sacred ground and i didn't want to miss a moment and so i haven't.  


i've spent hours inhaling her sweetness and tracing her little bow shaped lips with my finger. i've stared deep into her eyes and analyzed every part and square inch of her perfect little body. 


like a good detective, i have scanned photos and family members faces for glimpses into her physical makeup. 


daddy's eyes, my nose, beckham's sweet baby face, and peyton's mouth. my mom's arms, my grandmas fingers, jeff's mom's skin color...the analysis never ends.


we are completely in love with this little lady and i am sincerely thinking that i may be the luckiest girl in the world. 


i will let the photos speak as i am behind and i want to get them up here...these are from her first few weeks at home when the emotions were raw, tears of gratitude ran freely and mama's heart was moved to capacity. 


we brought our surprise home after naming her only minutes before they forced us out of the hospital and into big sister's arms...
who was ready and waiting to greet us home:





we all just kinda stared at her.









beckham wanted a brother and made that known to anyone who would listen, but his disappointment was soon forgotten...




peyton though, surprised us all. no jealousy. just happiness and one rule:
the rule states that peyton gets to hold the baby over all visitors and friends if she asks because she is the big sister. 


the first days of a babies life are magical. 

i was tired but the little body that weighted my arms a bit kept me excited and invigorated. her cries called for me and i was ready to breathe her in all over again.



and i never wanted to be away from her. ever. not even for one second.


the first week was barely over and we visited dr. foley for ivy's first appt. 



dr. foley said she was perfect, but mama needed to go home and go right to bed! i love her for calling my house ten minutes later to see if i followed orders! i did. 


auntie hi-o rushed to florida to meet ivy and lavish peyton and beckham with extra love. she helped me so much and i hope she knows how amazing i think she is. 


she cooked and played fireman with beckham too.



then, ivy's godmother and my best friend took the most beautiful photos of our little one and i will forever cherish them. 


















thank you, auntie kelle. i love you. 




first bath


ivy's 'oh' face.



















auntie jenn.






she's been the sun and the moon these days and watching peyton and beckham with her is the cherry on top. 


*okay, i have about 1000 more photos to post, but i will stop here tonight and post more in a couple of days as i am trying to catch up!


**for those of you asking for recipes, i will begin posting as soon as i catch up with photos, hopefully within the month!


***on this post and next, there will be a giveaway!
TWO lucky readers will receive a nest necklace as pictured below:


i have worn mine since melody sent me mine. it even went into the delivery room with me. it was a great way to have peyton and beckham with me when they couldn't be.


 mine has three eggs inside the nest, one for each little in my life! i LOVE it and i receive so many compliments on it. i have started giving these away as gifts and even gave my one. hers has six eggs though...holla. 


please leave a comment and i will pull a winner from them in a couple of days. AND if you don't win that one, i will be giving another one away on my next post this week.


the winner will receive one necklace with as many eggs as you need. 


if you would like to see more of melody's items, please visit her etsy store here. she has some really cool stuff but her nest ring and necklaces are my fave.

mama's day. my favorite.

a quick post for mother's day because disclaimer: i'm not used to having three kids and i am about to lose my ever loving mind, but more on that in a few days when i post a lot of pics of my new little family!


when i hear my mommy friends or my sisters ask, "so, what are you going to do for mother's day?" it always startles me. i am a mother and for that reason alone, i get to be  {officially} celebrated one day a year.


when i hear 'mother's day', i think about my own mom and how we kids used to piece together a breakfast made of burnt eggs, toast, and pancakes. proudly we would surround her, eagerly waiting to hear how much she enjoyed her blackened breakfast. 


now, i am the mother and i realize that it is me that will be the honoree of the day and it feels...good and i feel special. and the kids feel special too. for days daddy has been explaining what mother's day is and the kids know that they each have unique jobs to do in order to make the day a proper success. 


i can only imagine that they feel like they are a part of something really important and for that reason alone, i love mother's day. that and the fact that i get to sleep in that morning. 


i have only celebrated 7 of these days, but one thing i remember from each and every one of them...it all starts with early morning cuddles. bed head and all, i get extra hugs and kisses and this year was no different except that i had an extra body in bed with me this year...our little ivy joined her brother and sister and gave extra mama lovins.


i can't resist: i know i am a mess here, but i wanted to remember this exactly as it happened. me...a real mess when they hopped into bed with me before jeff grabbed the cam for our photo shoot!













every year (except maybe last year when mama had a little too much fun the night before mom's day) we go to isle of capri to celebrate mother's day...it's one of my favorite places to be and this year especially, i couldn't wait to pack up our crew and head on over to the familiar beach speckled with friends and other kids i love. 





beckham came down with a fever, so jeff stayed with him so i could go to IOC for sunset. so peyton, ivy and i made the drive to the beach and made it in time to dig in the sand a bit before the sky began darkening with lightening filled clouds.


it was epic as it was ivy's first time on the isle. 











my girls and i were hangin' and it felt good. it was good to be back on this beloved beach. it was good to feel the wind and see the palms swaying in the sky. 


kids were digging and carrying pals. peyton was collecting shells and looking for crabs. i was craving a piece of fried grouper and a cold beer and one of my kids was almost always needing me for something. it. was. perfect. 


i can say that all the work of packing up the car and making the trip to the beach is always worth the effort. always.  


on the way home, the baby was crying, we were tired, bug bitten, sweaty, and full of sand when peyton asked me, "did we have a girls mothers' day, mama?"


i smile as tears sting my tired eyes.


"we sure did, sweetheart. we sure did."


and in that moment, a wave of gratitude washes over me. gratitude for these little beings that i call my own. i feel proud to be the mother to three kids that may one day take their own littles to a darkened beach at the end of a day to dance in the sand, chase lost rainbows, and eat fried fish.  






this was my first time making a trip to the beach with a newbie and it was a little harder than i thought, so friends took turns loving on the little lady. 

















aside from being tired. completely whipped of energy and badly needing a makeover and a live in healthy cooking chef...i am so happy. 


mother's day 2012 was the best mother's day to date. not because of where i was but because of who i have at home, in my bed each and every morning. three monkeys that love their mama. my babies. my life. 


peyton, beckham, and little ivy. 


happy mother's day to all of you wonderful mamas out there. we are doing it ladies. we are doing it. making memories and  building people. there is not a more important job than this. 


feels good to be back
xo


next post, a nest egg necklace giveaway from a very talented jewlery maker.