A Family of Five

We officially became a family of five (plus dog) and were figuring out how to get our routine back in order.  Thankfully Joseph had two weeks off, we had the help of Joseph's parents for two weeks, and then my mother and sister came for a week after that.  That was just enough time for me to recover and get back into the swing of things.  We have been very blessed to have such a loving and supportive family.

While Penelope was asleep and Alex was at school,
I enjoyed a lovely cup of tea with Mr. William.  He's become
such a big boy.

On day 10 of Penelope's life, I was finally able to have enough
energy to walk Oscar around the block while wearing Penelope.
It was nice to not feel so exhausted and to have enough
strength to walk again.

It felt amazing to be out and about.  Fall is my
favorite season and it was so nice to take in all of the
gorgeous foliage and feel the crisp air.

After school, Alex enjoyed holding his swaddled little sister.

I'm in awe of the love that he has for her.  It's so endearing.

He read a Star Wars book to Penelope that afternoon.

Such a peaceful little darling.

Joseph and I were used to our babies being so big
that we were so surprised to see just how bitty Penelope was.

A biiiig stretch from "Lil' Sis."  :-)

Penelope on October 22

Sleepy Penelope on October 23

It was a really nice, fall day, so after one of Penelope's feedings, Joseph and I took the kiddos out to kick the soccer ball around for a bit.  It felt sooooo nice to be outside and feel the sun on my face.  I definitely couldn't run around with the boys, but I did walk briskly.  :-p  I tried going after the soccer ball and my body quickly reminded me that I was not yet ready to physically exert myself.

Joseph and Alex passing the ball to each other.

William got in on the fun.

Our cheeky little guy.

Our big boy Alex is growing up too fast.

Action shot of Alex throwing the frisbee.

The top of Penelope's darling little head as viewed from
the baby carrier.

Alex has really taken off with reading and reads
anything and everything he can get his hands on.
He received some books from Penelope, so here he is,
reading one of the books to William.

Joseph looking lovingly at Penelope from the carrier.

Bitty Penelope

Alex doting on Penelope.

Penelope was a hairy little baby when she came out.
Here's some hair that was on her ears and she had some
side burns as well.  She was rockin' some lanugo out of the womb.

She loves the changing table.

On October 25, Elias (Joseph's father), left after helping us out for two weeks.  Big thanks to Elias and Linda for all of the delicious cooking and help with the kids.  We couldn't have done it without you guys and we really appreciated all of your help.  It most definitely took a village while I was recovering.  Thanks so much!

Joseph, Elias, Penelope, and Alex at our home.

Elias, Penelope, Alex, me, and William saying good bye
to Elias.

Penelope on October 25

Time to carve some pumpkins!  On October 25, we decided to carve our pumpkins to get ready for Halloween.  The boys helped out (a little bit), but the carving and scooping was primarily done by Joseph.  Kudos darling, for all of your hard work.  The pumpkins turned out really well.

Alex, Joseph, and William, carving the pumpkins.

This goofy guy, playing around.

Joseph and William hard at work.

The boys loving all over their little sister while I
made the guest room bed.

William loves watching his little sister.

My view while I was reading books to the kids before
nap time.

Joseph is sooooo smitten with our little girl.  :-)

In the blink of an eye, it was already time for Penelope's two week check up!

She gained weight beautifully and was beginning to track things with her eyes.  Penelope hit her milestones like a champ! 
A funny story was that Penelope still hadn't lost her belly button stump by the time of the appointment.  But, while I was holding her and answering the doctor's questions about her feeding, etc., Penelope's belly button stump fell on the floor!  HA!  She finally lost her belly button stump and Dr. Gwon cleaned it up at the appointment.

Penelope getting examined by Dr. Gwon once again.

Our little darling, sound asleep.

Can you tell that I thoroughly enjoy dressing our little girl??!  :-)

William holding his little sister and looking at her with pure love.
After two weeks, he finally accepted her completely.

After a feeding, she loves to sit in my lap and look at my face
or the lights.

Alex holding his sister and being so protective of her.
All of our children have the cutest dimples.

Smiley girl Penelope :-)

Here's William at his school when the Mass Audobon Society
visited to teach the toddlers about nature.
William is playing with feathers in this picture.

He got to have a hands-on experience with various animal
pelts, too.

I started to feel a little bit better and began to walk a little bit further each day to get some exercise and fresh air.  On one of Alex's short days of school, my mom and I took the kids out on a walk around the neighborhood.  I was so happy to get out and take in some beautiful fall weather.

Our little hikers

The boys walking amongst the leaves.

On October 30, Alex's school had a fun Halloween party in the evening.  The kids put on their costumes and we made our way over to Alex's school to run around the gym with the rest of the kids.  It was a crazy and sweaty get-together, but the kids had fun until they got overwhelmed and asked to leave after an hour. 
Joseph and I took the boys while my mom stayed at home with Penelope.  Thankfully it worked out that way, because there was a DJ at the party that was blasting super loud music.  That would have freaked Penelope out.  Thanks so much Mom, for watching Penelope so we could take the boys out!

William the ninja and Alex the Storm Trooper.

Don't mess with these two tough guys!  :-)

The kids at Alex's school's Halloween party.

Crazy party time

Our little ballerina

I looooove snuggling with our little snuggle bug.

This little girl brings so much joy to our family.

Penelope in her Halloween outfit.  Too adorable, right??!

Slowly and steadily I began to get back into the swing of things and it felt so good to not be in pain all of the time.  Two weeks flew by so quickly and we began to get back into our routine. 
I'm so grateful for all of our family members who helped out.  Without them, my recovery would undoubtedly have taken much longer than it did.  Plus, the kids loved being around so many people that love them unconditionally.  We are very, very blessed.
Until next time...

Love and kisses,
Nikki