My Babies

We have had beautiful, unseasonably cool weather for August lately.  I am so in love with it.  I am a cooler weather kinda gal, so 75-80 degree summer days are amazing.  Of course, I'm still longing for those 50-60 degree fall days...but they will come.  For now, I am praising God for a mild summer.

The past two days I have taken the girls on a morning walk so I can get some exercise.  I have been struggling with hormonal problems lately and basically two weeks out of every month I'm moody, irritable, suffering from low milk supply (which means Grace is cranky and frustrated at every feeding), and just generally a grouchy person.  So I might have 2.5 weeks where I feel "normal," and then 2 weeks where I don't at all.  I really HATE being that way.  I know it affects my relationships with Billy and the girls.  I finally put it all together this week when I realized what was happening and I've been thinking on how I can change this.  So for now, I'm just trying to get outside a little.  I figured some light exercise, getting out of the house, sunshine, and fresh air would do me good.  And I have to say that I have felt so much better the last two days.  I truly hope this will be a long term solution to my problem. 

Bridgewater is a wonderful place to walk.  We happen to live in an area where several neighborhoods are interconnected (and it's all flat!), so it's easy to take as short or as long of a walk as I desire.  I just load Ellie and Piper into the double stroller, Grace in the Ergo, grab some water and we're off.  I am lucky that the girls are great travelers and don't mind being "confined" in the stroller as long as we have things to look at.  I try to make it as enjoyable for them as I can, so we typically have a lot of discussion on our walks about whatever we see.  Piper is content to sit quietly for the entire ride and observe (yesterday she said maybe two words, today nothing!) and Ellie talks non-stop.  So we notice whatever animals are scurrying around, we talk about street signs and cars, identify whatever flowers we can in people's gardens, etc.  

Today we stopped at one of the neighborhood playgrounds so the kids could burn some energy and while I was watching them play, I started reflecting on how very different each of my children are.  I think it's easy for me to tend to lump them all together as "the girls," but they are each so different.  They have many similarities, too, but I think that has more to do with their mannerisms and interests and not so much their personalities.  I thought it might be fun to share a little about each of my precious individuals:

"I'm the king of the castle!"

Ellie is my go-getter.  When I look at her, I see so clearly how God formed her to be everything I ever thought she would be from the time I met her (and even when I prayed for her while I was pregnant).  She has some of our best qualities.  She is confident, independent, assertive, and goofy like Billy, but also polite, a quick learner, laughs easily, and eager to please like me (which can also be a terrible fault, but I think she has the right personality balance to not be a door mat).  She talks almost non-stop from morning to night.  She can be totally alone and will still talk to herself.  She is full of questions and observations and can't keep anything to herself.  She is clearly an extrovert.  She is energized by large groups of people and loves to socialize.  She makes friends easily and trusts people implicitly.  She is opinionated, energetic, and strong.

Piper in her own world

Piper is full of contradictions and her personality comes in extremes.  She is timid and shy around strangers, but wild and uninhibited at home.  She is reckless but observant, overwhelmingly loud but quiet.  Her voice has two levels: yelling and whispering.  She is very soft spoken when she's having a real conversation, but yells at the top of her lungs (with both joy and anger) when she's playing.  She is our introvert who becomes very overwhelmed with large groups of people.  When she's alone, she will sit in comfortable silence and just zone out.  She rides in the stroller and the car in mostly silence and has no use for unnecessary conversation.  She is generous, affectionate, observant, and comical.

My happy-go-lucky Grace

Grace is my easygoing girl.  She is chatty, snuggly, and motivated.  She adores anyone who pays attention to her and is generous with her smiles.  She's a bit stingy with her giggles so it's a great reward to hear one of those (Ellie elicits the majority of Grace's laughs these days).  She is expressive and I rarely have to guess what she's thinking.  She keeps us informed at every moment what her exact mood is.  She has been my most motivated child so far and has hit many of her milestones significantly earlier than her sisters.  She is content, easy to please, and loves one-on-one attention.

I am in awe of how God has created these three children from the same genes and somehow they are each so different.  It overwhelms me to think that these three are mine.  Almost ten years ago Billy and I were dating "just for fun," and now here we are with a life and a legacy of our own.  I know we have many more years of raising to do, with many wonderful and horrible phases in between, but in this moment of quiet reflection I am full of peace and joy.  Isn't that what nap time is for? ;)