Well, it's February already and we're finally starting to get back into our routines. Bella made her entrance a little earlier than expected and was born on December 5, 2009. She weighed in at 7 pounds and 7 ounces and was 19 inches long. My amazing in-laws were with us for over a week and did all the work around the house and took care of the other kids while I was able to recover from the surgery. Thank you Mom! They went back to Michigan on the 15th and Bill was able to take much of the rest of December off from work. But January brought us all back to reality. Bill had to go back to work and the girls had to go back to school. It was a little rough for me for a few weeks. Bella didn't sleep much and she has had some ongoing tummy problems that have made things difficult for me to juggle. But now her tummy is doing better. She is sleeping pretty well at night. And I'm learning to add in the 4th kid into my juggling routine. The girls have really stepped up and started to help out a lot more around the house and that has been a big help!
Right now Bill is working long hours and has even worked through the last 2 weekends. But this weekend we are taking some much needed time off and heading to Leavenworth for a weekend retreat with friends. After we get back Bill will be starting a new position at Boeing, which will still include the long hours, but at least he'll be well rested!
Sometime this spring we will be moving again! The house that we are renting will be going up for sale, as our landlords will be moving out of state. So we are already looking for our new location, possibly closer to Bill's work. (A long day is made so much longer by a long drive!)
The kids are doing well. Bella is now 2 months old and already starting to smile! Allyssa just turned 10 and is enjoying 4th grade, making friends, Girl Scouts and Basketball. Emma is 6, loving Kindergarten and also joined Girl Scouts as a Daisy. Jake will already be turning 3 in a couple of months (although he's already starting to act it... he's spunky and testing me!) We're still involved with the MOMS Club. Actually, as of last July, I am the President of our local chapter. Both the kids and I have made some great friends and the club has been a good resource for me.
