Our new life as a family of 5

As you can tell by how long it has taken me to update this blog, we are busy! lol. It's a lot harder to have downtime these days. It's crazy, yes but I am enjoying every single passing moment as a Momma to these little angels. It's amazing how much Leia and Nora love their sister. They take care of her like she is their own baby. Their loving maternal side has really shown itself. I am so lucky that welcoming a 3rd baby into our family has brought us nothing but happiness and excitement. We are slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things. Leia has started preschool 3 days a week and we have a nanny come watch the girls while I go to work 3 days a week. It has really been an easy transition. Kira has been so easy-going. She smiles and giggles now and is so happy throughout the days. She nurses and takes a bottle like a champ and her favorite moments are spent snuggling into someone's arms. We are so blessed with her and I am thankful everyday that I get a chance to have a new baby in my arms again. The girls are growing so fast that I want to hold on to every moment. Some of my favorite moments these days are when I get to have one-on-one time with each girl. After I drop off Leia at school Nora, Kira and I go to the fountain on the days I am off and enjoy splashing, laughing, and playing together. Nora is simply a joy to be around. 2 year olds are so fun to be with and I feel so lucky to her Mommy. Nora especially is happy every second of every day. She makes me want to be a better person. At all times throughout the day she will randomly come kiss me and say "I love you so much Mommy". Life doesn't get much sweeter. Each child holds such a special place in our hearts and the challenge these days is to try to fit in as much quality time with each of them as possible.

walking our babies

It's finally cool enough to play outside!

Leia is loving being a soccer player



Learning to babble: 6 weeks

My little red head and I

My sweet girls

Mornings at the Robertsons

Our SD trip to move in Summer into SDSU

The big day

On our way to the birth center to have our baby
8:30am

It was Tuesday night on the 29th of July that I went into labor around 9pm with consistent, yet manageable contractions. For some reason, I have always considered Leia to be my best friend. She seems to have an old soul even at the age of four. So it was with great relief and happiness that I looked up at around 3am and saw my oldest daughter smiling at me. She said in the most confident way "Mommy my baby sissy is coming today. Let's get you comfortable on the couch". I am still in awe when I think back about her intuition. Leia stayed up all night with me rubbing my back, making me toast and coming up with names for the baby while we watched the "Baby Story" on TV. The contractions were very consistent and by 8:30a I called the midwife. I told James to go to work but be "on call" since our baby is on its way. At around 9am my mom, Sandra, Nora, Leia and I left our house for the birthing center. The midwife at the birthing center checked and confirmed baby is indeed coming, at 6.5 cm dilation, she predicted baby will arrive within a few hours. In the most nonchalant way, she recommended I go hang out at Starbucks for a protein meal while they get the birthing center ready. James met us at Starbucks and we enjoyed a coffee beverage while laughing at the fact that the midwife wasn't at all concerned that I would go into labor at Starbucks. The contractions were extremely uncomfortable but not painful by any means and certainly not anything I couldn't laugh through. We arrived back at the birth center at 11am. I spent 1.5 hours laboring in bed with my mom massaging my back, Kristina encouraging me and James and Sandra keeping the kids occupied. Perfect scenario for me to enter my hypnotic sleep state where I lay perfectly still and go into a dream zone. I really wanted to experience a water birth so I entered the bath just before 1pm and that is when the baby dropped. The nurse and the midwife never checked my dilation throughout the labor and instead told me to push whenever I felt ready. Very different experience from a hospital birth. I spent a few minutes pushing and at 1:15pm we welcomed sweet Kira Suzanne into our lives. One of the most incredible experiences ever in my life!! She started nursing immediately and it wasn't but 3 hours later that I left the birth center as a mother of 3 beautiful little girls. Kira Suzanne Robertson Born July 30th 2014 at 1:15pm 7 lbs 13 oz 21 inches of pure JOY

10am: A quick stop at Starbucks 3 hours before baby was born
 



2 minutes before baby Kira was born in the bath

10 minutes after baby was born

3 generations of women

Grandma Sandra holding her granddaughter

Grandma Janice and baby Kira

2 weeks old

The days leading up to the big day

Nothing like having a baby to get the family all together! Mom came out on July 13th to stay with us for a full month. I continued to work while she took the girls to 2 weeks of vacation bible school. The girls had the time of their lives and Mom had so much fun getting them ready in their matching outfits. At my birthing appointment on July 18th, they told me that I was 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced meaning the labor should start any day. At this point I felt great and didn't have any other reason to believe that the delivery would come soon. Nonetheless Dena and Julian rearranged their schedule to fly out to Phoenix in case baby was going to be born. They flew out on Monday the 21st and stayed that week. Summer flew TO Phoenix on Friday and we celebrated her 18th bday at the Marriott. Boy do we know how to make a celebration out of a celebration! On Sunday Dena and her family flew back to SF and Sandra flew into Phoenix on July 27th. It was like the revolving Robertson door. I wouldn't have it any other way!




Mom relaxing in the pool



Leia is my hypnobirth teacher helping me prepare for the water birth

Swimming with cousin Julian!



Enjoying the lazy river

The expecting couple

We're getting close!

I have hit the 38 week mark and am feeling great. I am truly looking forward to meeting our newest addition but appreciating every lasting moment being pregnant. I continue to work but I have made it a priority to dedicate every other minute to having fun with James and the girls. We have been enjoying living in paradise with this beautiful Scottsdale sunshine and 100 plus degree heat that allows us to swim everyday! Who needs Hawaii when all we have to do to escape the desert life is to visit one of the many resorts that have a gorgeous display of palm trees, greenery, water slides, and pools galore (only thing that is missing is the ocean)! My mom is flying into town this weekend and will be staying with us for a month to help out with the new baby. The girls will get to attend bible school for the next couple of weeks with Grandma Janice as the volunteer. We are hoping Grandma Sandra will be here as well for the birth. We are missing our Cuyjet family so much but we plan to be in San Diego August 20th to see everyone while Summer starts her first day of college at San Diego State! So many exciting changes to take place. Here are a few pics from the last few weeks.


Making Smores for the 4th of July celebration at the Marriott

 


On our hike

 


Our silly Nora trying to touch the fish



Leia in her everyday attire

Leia reminds me of myself--I can't keep my lips off of babies

Nothing better in life than the friendship of a sister



Nora contemplating getting in



Leia playing "Daddy" on Father's Day starting with the morning chore of cleaning the pool

Daddy's "mini-me's"

Leia said "Did Daddy look just like me when he was 4 years old?"

Leia's representation of our family (I love how the grandma's are always included)



This is how we sleep in our house



Celebrating the 4th of July at the JW Marriott

Forget about a baby registry--all we purchased so far was this new Nissan Armada
so we can fit 3 car seats--now all we need is to buy the infant carseat

 I gave Leia and Nora $20 to spend at a consignment store to buy new baby outfits (both boy and girl).
Here is their selection. You can see their gender preference. Only one little boy outfit among all these girlie clothes!

Sisters in deep conversation about the important things in life--babies and purses

Daddy-daughter movie date for Fathers Day

Mommy-daughter date night just because!

Nora loves bird watching. She stood there for more than 30 min!



Feeding the ducks at the Fairmont hotel



We could live at the Fairmont resort!



Enjoying the sunset in Sedona where James and I had a special 3 day retreat

Funny quotes from Leia: "I jumped into the cold pool and it did the trick--it got my "crazies" out. Now I will be calm the rest of the night." --While Auntie Gina and Grandma Sandra and I were discussing gender selection during fertilization, Leia screams out without understanding the true context of the conversation "I really did beat out all the boys and swam faster than everyone else to get the prize". You sure did Leia--you were the winner!!