Photography at it's BEST! :)

Well, since I'm a slacker on pics I thought I'd post a link to the amazing pics our friend Corie took last night of our sweet girl (and fam). There's no denying Corie's a great photographer...and that our girl is as precious as they come! Thanks, Cor, for capturing the joy of our sweet new girl! You rock! And if anything made me smile this week it was seeing these beautiful pics! (and, yes, Ashley was having a bad hair day thanks to mommy who has no clue how to style baby hair...we don't normally have the mohawkish-crazy-do going on!) :)


http://tellyourstory.typepad.com/corie_communications/2008/10/meet-sweet-little-ashley.html

Doing Better?!

Well, friends...first of all thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words and support (and for all the offers to lend a hand!) I hope I didn't worry any of you with my recent instability and mental breakdown this past weekend. I just had to lay my heart out there and admit defeat...sometimes putting it down in writing helps me feel better (and realize the error of my ways/i.e. that we NEED to slow down!). But, I am on my way back to the land of mental stability and for now I am just physically exhausted. Actually I am blogging today just to stay awake. I know if I took a nap now I'd be a goner for the rest of the day/night and I don't want to leave poor Kev to fend for 4 kids on his own.....

But, honestly, we're ok and I think I've just come to realize that every day is gonna be it's own little "adventure" (both good and bad). Today's adventure was taking the kids to the dentist...always a "good time" and actually it was slightly comical too....and we survived which was my top priority. Yesterday it was taking the kids to the doctor...we also survived that one...whohoo! Ashley has somehow shrunk in stature from her birth, which has me quite baffled...how does a baby go from 22 1/2 inches to 22 1/4 inches in 2 weeks? Is she becoming elderly already?? I just laughed when they told me her height...the nurse acted like she was such a long baby and I just could't break it to her that she was actually longer at birth. So, I'm thinking someone needs a new lesson on how to measure babies...cuz I really don't think our new girl is shrinking yet!? She's almost up to her birth weight again and is now 9lbs, 13oz (greater than 95% in all measurements...not unusual for our tall/big Steg babies). The doc seemed fine with her growth and mumbled something about how big babies generally lose a lot of "water weight" right after delivery. So, I guess that's all good...I certainly have no worries as I know our girl is a ravenous nurser. And I'm proud to say she is still a rare spitter-upper...I almost don't know what to do with myself to not have a baby projectile puking and needing a bib on constantly....though I admit she makes up for it in the poop department...the girls has stained half of her new newborn clothes in just 2 weeks! Anyway....I was hoping they's snip off her dried old cord too yesterday at the peds office, but they didn't...and instead we got lucky and the ugly thing fell off in the middle of the night! Shelby was especially thrilled to discover it was gone this morning and that her sister now had a "belly like hers" :) And of course we had to closely inspect the petrified cord piece which honestly I think looks like a dried up kitty dingleberry :) So, yay, that FINALLY after 2 1/2 weeks our girl can have a REAL bath in her baby tub! Hurray for that cuz the sponge baths were growing old! So, life with Ashley is just one big ball of fun. The girl is really a super sleeper...we haven't had any more 7 hour night sleeps, but we came fairly close last night (5+ hours?) and now she has slept most of the day....truly we feel so lucky...I really thought we were destined for another Shelby-baby (colic/reflux/VERY fussy/not so fun)...but we have been blessed with a good lil' girl which is super for this mama of four! We are just loving this baby girl...she is so sweet lately with her "awake time"...and she just loves to stare at all of us and take her new world in.

Anyway...so that's the exciting life in the Steg household this week. Never a dull moment :) I have tons of new pics to post, but they are still on our camera and I'm not sure if Kev can possibly make room on this old computer to download them...but we'll see. I do want to show off our fun/crazy weekend though! So, we'll see what I can do in the pic-department! Our baby girl has changed so much in just 2 weeks (not to mention she's losing her hair like Big Sis Shelby and Big Bro Dylan did...so maybe we'll have another light-haired girl? And light eyes too....I was thinking she'd finally be our brown-eyed girl, but I'm thinking they are looking very blue right now....I guess the brown eyes will be for the new Candy/Jeff creation :))

Oh...and we had a super wonderful time last night with our super wonderful friends, Chad and Corie and kiddos. I know poor Cor read my last blog post and felt bad that they were coming over in the midst of my mental breakdown. But, I pursuaded them that I was stable enough to hang out with them and I so glad they blessed us with their presence. I knew a good night of friendship and smiles would warm the soul and it sure did. They even were nice enough to look past our filthy, dumpy house and our fussy new girl (who happened to be so famished last night that she gave her own self a welt on her arm from sucking on it so hard!)...but Chad and Corie were wonderful and we so enjoyed seeing them (not to mention our kiddos loved racing a ruckus with theirs!) :) So, thank you, guys, for coming over even in the midst of the insanity :) I am so glad you did! And special thanks to Cor for snapping some pics on her fancy camera...I'm glad Ashley was asleep for part of the phote session! :)

Well, folks...I am off to do some D & L (dishes and laundry...my two least fav. things that seem to never give up with a family of 6)....I would love to just put my feet up and veg, but I think the reality of that life is gone for me...and honestly I knew it would be when we had 4 kids. But, again, I want to thank you all for your wonderful support. I will be calling on you friends who live near...you can count on it! I know I'm bad about asking for help, but I think I am realizing I need it...and since I have friends offering I'm going to bite the bullet and admit I can't do everything on my own....thanks for being so understanding, friends...I appreciate it!

Too Much, Too Soon...Burned Out! :(

Well, I don't have much energy to even write right now...but I just wanted to put my heart out there....I am burned out. I had a feeling this time would come in the post-partum period and sure enough...this weekend I hit a brick wall......just completely worn out....and realizing I have been doing way too much too soon after delivering a baby. I didn't really intend for life to get as crazy as it has, especially "post-baby"...but sure enough life has gone and gotten crazier and I am just not able to handle that right now. I am in need of some serious down-time and some serious napping (have I mentioned I haven't taken ONE nap since I've delivered Ashley....now, for me, that is unheard of!). And even with her 2 power sleeping nights I am still exhausted beyond belief.

So, after weeks of people telling me "you're my hero!" (for being out and about so much after having a 4th baby), I am admitting defeat. I am tired, I am cranky, I am in need of some time to myself (or even just some simple time holding my baby)....I am just in need of help. I'm not one who asks for it much, but I think I am to that point. No more trying to be super mom/wife/woman (not that I was trying to reach that goal before)...but I just want to be a hermit in my house for a few days and I don't want to feel guilty about doing/wanting that. Now, that won't be happening any time soon (both the guilt and the hermit part)....but I still want it! So, there ya' go....my honest feelings. It's been a super crazy weekend. Lots of fun/good times....but I am just not in a position right now to be on-the-go so much (nor is Ashley) and I am definitely feeling that after 3 days of running from one activity to another. It shouldn't feel like I had a baby months ago, but it does and I feel time is going by too quickly and that I'm not able to take it all in...I need to remind myself that it's only been 2 weeks and it's ok to be tired and worn out..........help, I want life to slow down!

Spoiled?!

Ok, so the trend continues...another night of 7-hour uninterrupted sleep with a newborn in the house! Don't envy us, please! :)

Picture Time!

Well, just when most of you were probably giving up all hope that we'd ever provide the long-lost newborn Ashley pics we promised....here they FINALLY are! Just click on the link below and hopefully over 200 pics will appear in our album (all from labor/delivery up until a few days ago). I know good ol' Nina G. had a ton of great pics too, but I honestly have not had time yet to even go through those on the computer....so these will have to tide you over for now.....Enjoy!

http://www.meerasea.com/pics/2008/2008-09-28-ashley/

Lucky Us! :)

Well, I hate to even admit this lest to jinx things...but our newest girl slept from 11pm-6am last night/this morning. Yes, folks, that's 7 HOURS straight! I almost didn't know what to do with myself this morning when I looked at the clock...no wonder I felt so well-rested (well, sorta :)). This is definitely going down in the baby book as "slept through the night for the first time"...YAY, for Ashley and Double YAY YAY for mommy and daddy! Now if only this trend would continue?! I'm not holding my breath. Honestly after two night's of getting up every hour or two I am not too surprised that our sweet girl needed a good night's slumber (and, by the way, she is feeling much better in the "cold department" :)...thank goodness for that!)

So, hurray for Ashley and her first good night's sleep...may it be the first of many!

And the Winner Is....

(drumroll!).....

Laura V. wins the big baby poll!!!! YAY!!!! (see link to the left)

Ok, so it only took me a week and a half to enter in the stats and find this out...but at least I finally did it! Actually...I already knew she had won just by her "girl" guess and the date....

So, hats off to Laura!!! I'm not sure what the big prize will be, but I'll have to come up with something oh-so-exciting to send her in CO!

Coming in a close second was Melissa in MI (who's hubby "Jesus", by they way, came in last...that's what he gets for trying to curse me with an oversized baby boy! :))....and coming in a solid 3rd place is Daddy Kev! You go, daddio!

Here's to all you brave guessers and again, Congrats to Laura, she's one smart baby guesser!