Letter to My Hallie: 2 Months

Dear Hallie-baby,

To no one's surprise, your second month of life absolutely flew by. I have no idea where the time went.

This month brought lots of new developments! My favorite is that you started giving me 6-7 hour stretches at night very consistently. That was the very best gift! You continued to battle some tummy disgruntledness and lots of reflux. However, you are very rarely upset by the reflux, so the doctors still label you a "happy spitter." I'll take it. Although...we go through a LOT of bibs, burp cloths, and clothes (yours and mine).

You found your tongue this month, and it is HILARIOUS! Daddy, particularly, likes to get you to stick your tongue out. You are a great sport and play right along. Your sisters also enjoy getting in on the game.

We've packed away the newborn clothes and used up the last of the newborn size diapers. You still fit in newborn clothes around your middle, but you are a long gal and were busting out of your footie jammies! And your newborn size diapers were riding quite low. So, up a size we went!

Speaking of your sisters, they are still totally at your beck and call. If you need anything, they drop what they're doing and run to help you. One day, you were upstairs with me and were crying. Next thing I knew, Brynnie had rushed up the stairs (as much as a 2-year-old can rush) with your paci. It was the sweetest. She also brings me your paci, burp cloth, and blanket every morning when we get downstairs. Lily begs to hold you regularly and smothers you with kisses. Claire is such a helper for me in holding you and keeping an eye on you when I need to do things around the house or for other sisters.

You are smiling- knowingly- now, and we love it! We all will act like total fools to get you to smile (although, it doesn't really take too much work). It is just so much fun! 

It makes me sad that you are a baby of COVID times, as it means that I don't get to share you and the joy that you are with our friends. I desperately wish everyone could know you and your sweet self.

Hallie, we love you to pieces. You are such a bright and happy spot in our world.

XOXO,

Mommy

Dressed up for Daddy's birthday

Learning to like the bath

Just a *few* pictures of you sweetly sleeping:

Some dress-up shots from Sundays at home:

Some awakey pictures! We love seeing you watch the world:

One day you were wide awake and so very happy, so we did an impromptu photo shoot in one of my most favorite outfits (jammies):

We were given several extremely thoughtful and kind gifts from dear friends to celebrate you! Fourth babies (and especially fourth daughters) don't get baby showers in the way that other babies do, but I teared up a little over every single thing that has been given to you, as they are all so thoughtful and full of meaning. 

One morning, I was watching a friend from church's Instagram story and saw that she had screenshot this note from the church weekly email and added her own sweet note.

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

2 Months

August 2020: a recap

August was a surprise of a month for us, for sure (see: Hallie decides to come early). But here, months later, is a recap of our August doings:

I snapped a few more "progress photos." This is not something I did regularly with any of my other pregnancies, but I figured that this is my last one, so I should capture some snippets:

33 weeks

34 weeks

35 weeks

Thought I still had four weeks to go...

We had a big rain one evening, and the girls wanted to go splash around. So out they went.

This is Claire's cost, but Brynn REALLY wishes it was hers.

Much to Lily's frustration, Trumpkin does not have a raincoat. Yet.

We don't actually have boots that properly fit Brynn, but it's fine. We just have a smattering of sizes that we try on the children until we find something that *mostly* fits. Same goes for when it snows.

We had already planned to grill that night, so here's how Brad ended up. My granddaddy used to do this for summer grilling nights, too.

Her raincoat was holding her back.

The aftermath.

We remembered Ukrainian Independence Day with one of our Ukrainian embroidered shirts. I have a couple more, but pregnant me couldn't find them in time.

The girls sleep in a triple bunk (we are all really pleased with this arrangement), and I made Lily a privacy curtain. Of all our girls, Lily needs her space the most. She was THRILLED and loves to use it.

It is occasionally tidier than this.

The girls learned to watch some baseball, too.

Over the summer, we had a babysitter help us in the mornings, as I was so sick and Brad had so much work to do. She was here in the mornings and also came on VERY short notice several times when I was dealing with my kidney stone. The girls were SO SAD when Lydia had to return to college. I was, too. She was a total gem.

There were plenty of squabbles around here, but there were also sweet moments of sisterly affection:

Everybody loves Daddy (always and forever):

Sometimes they love Mommy, too.

I continually found beloved toys in unconventional places:

Uncle Trumpkin

Wearing her tracker as a crown

New ways to offer greetings

Kitty convention

Have turtle, will travel

We had a special night with just Brynnie a couple weeks before Hallie came. The original plan was to have a special date with each girl before Hallie was born, but her early arrival changed that. At least Brynnie got some time.

Watched a movie in Mommy and Daddy's room

And ate breakfast there, too!

And this is the last photo I snapped in August before Hallie arrived. At my routine appointment (at 36 weeks, 6 days on August 27), they did a growth scan and gave me these printouts, wherein she was almost smiling. I took a quick picture and texted Brad and my mom to show them...right before the doctor came in and told me they were moving my c-section up. Which eventually didn't matter, as Hallie changed the plan on all of us.

We had quite an August! Full of ordinary and extraordinary things.  It was my favorite month so far this year.