cheeks turns the big fat five

it's obvious how devan got the nickname cheeks.

she's got squishy ones.

both types.

well, this little thang finally crossed the threshold into 

full-blown, true blue, no turning back, little girl-hood.

she's five.

FIVE!!

why is five so much older than four?

so much bigger, and smarter, and spunkier, and totally not a baby anymore-er?

why?

really.  why?

i dont' know, but it is.

devan had been counting down the days until she'd turn five.

and then she did.

cheeks and turtle man keepin it real.

turtle man looks a little possessive with cheeks' present.

i'm not sure exactly what she is smiling at, but that smile cracks me up.

it looks a little pyromaniacish to me.

or maybe she was thinking about her wish.

this one says, "i love you, number five candle.  i've waited so long for you."

leave it to nik to bunnyear-bomb a photo

or two

devan's self "portrait" bares a striking resemblance...

especially in the hair department.

this girl is kooky.

the most random and dramatic things come flying out of her mouth on a daily basis.

on an hourly basis.

and she is so so sweet and loving,

even if she does throw a mean eye roll or "duh" face around every once in a while. (or more)

her first day of preschool was another much anticipated day.

and it did NOT disappoint.

what a sweetheart.

happy birthday, devan. we love you!

you've made the past five years amazing.

yes, we had a baby

well, we have some introductions to take care of.

we had a baby!

elle (pronounced el) is almost three weeks old.

that's crazy.

she was born august 31st at 7:44 pm,

weighing in at a whopping 6 lb 8 oz.

that's pretty much the perfects size as far as i'm concerned.

so here's how it all went down:

on our way in to the hospital.

i felt like i was being chased by the paparazzi.

these are pretty much some of the only belly pictures i've got from this pregnancy.

most likely this face is in response to wade's attempt at being funny... at the expense of my rear-end.

it's okay, i can take a joke.

here we go!

let's get this party started!

he-yah!!!

this was the easiest of all my deliveries.

i don't know why, but i was a little shocked when all of a sudden she was here and with so little effort.

and she was healthy and beautiful and perfect.

i'm really good at stuffing my worries about the baby and the delivery out of mind while i'm pregnant because it doesn't do me any good to worry. 

so i was suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that everything went well and that elle was all right. 

she is perfect.

and wade was awesome.

thank you, babe.

i love him.

the first glimpse of her eyes.

and then we didn't see much of them for the next two weeks.

elle's first morning.

she's got a good case of morning face going on here.

wade and my parents brought all the kids in the morning.

i warned the nurses ahead of time.

not quite enough, i'm afraid.

every two minutes someone would hit the nurse call button without me knowing it and the nurse would poke her head in to see what we needed.

again.

good thing my room was right across from the nurse desk.

HA!

gwen is checking on baby sis.

every time we asked her what the baby's name was she'd say,

"her name is baby"

now she calls her baby elle.

and she's so amazed by her toes.

she's always lifting up her blankets to check on them and then announces,

"look-a-duh teensy tinsey toes, mom! der so so teensy!"

thank heavens my parents came.

i didn't do a thing the whole week they were here besides take care of baby, hang out and nap.

i love them for that.

i love watching my dad hold my babies.  he always rubs their feet and hands.  he knows the way to a woman's heart is through a good foot rub.

elle has been the perfect baby.  she rarely cries and when she does it's for food or a new diaper, and that's easy to fix.

she's been waking up only once a night almost every night since she was born, going six hour stretches between feedings at night.

she decided to wake up for more than five minutes the other day and this is what she looked like.

everyone in our house is completely in love with this little dab and adjusting really well.

i feel amazing. not at all like i just had a baby and this good natured baby is making it easy for me to get all the rest i need.

thank you, lovey.

we're so glad you were sent to our family.