Somehow, our June Bug is three weeks old tomorrow.

Through the haze of round the clock feedings, and too early wake up times from toddlers that don't have a snooze button, bedtime cuddles where I think I'm her favorite place and I know she's mine, time spent gazing into her deep blue eyes wondering who she'll be, trying to memorize her newborn smell and the softness of her newborn fuzz on her shoulders and face and ears and back, it both equally feels as if June has been here all along, yet only mere days.  

I snapped these shots of her snoozing on our bed on Saturday, wanting to preserve this fleeting time.  I want to remember how small is, how snuggly, how content, how precious.  After I was done, I could have stared at her sleeping there for another hour, breathing her in, feeling thankful and content and blessed.  

Instead, I scooped her up, and we went and napped together on the couch.

It was a great nap.  

It was a great day.

Our little June Bug is here, and she needs to be properly introduced to the blog, but for now, tonight, I had to write because our oldest had his first day of school this morning.  

 

I've heard my dad say so many times in conversation to people that he felt like the years just flew by once we started school, but especially middle school.  That's when everything starts occupying your every weekday night - practices, games, church classes, piano lessons.  Somehow my parents kept up.  Always making it to every game, always getting dinner on the table with everyone sitting together every night.  

I held it together during preschool drop off this morning.  We were all a little bleary eyed after another night with a newborn, and of course my big kids that never sleep in actually both had to be woken up at 7:30 to eat breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed and out the door on time.  (How I'll do that without Andrew's help on Friday morning 

is a mystery to me.)

Henry was SO excited.  After dropping off his supplies and checking out his classroom on Monday night, he asked me several times yesterday if he could go to school.  Thankfully, the enthusiasm lasted through this morning.  

He ran ahead of us trying to pull the big heavy school doors open by himself

...the way he wants to do everything these days.  

 

We hung his bag on his hook.  Signed him in.  And found a tub full of matchbox cars to keep him occupied after we said our goodbyes, I love you's, I'm proud of you's, 

and see you in just a bit.  

I held it together until we were halfway home, and it just sunk in how BIG he is now.  Especially since having baby June.  He's such a helper and grown so much since we brought Nelle home.  I know it's just preschool and there are years and years ahead of us of first days and practices and games, and homework, and weeknight dinners together, but today and tonight I'm feeling all the feels because we just brought home our third baby in three years, and it already feels like the days, weeks, months, years are flying.  (Except for the last hour of the day before Andrew gets home.  Then it seems like the clock moves at a snail's pace and it's surely plotting against me, as well as Andrew's car because it never seems to pull into the driveway soon enough.)

Nelle talked my ear off and followed me around during the three hours Henry was gone this morning, mostly asking for her "Henny" at least 50 times.  She cried when I hopped out of the car to go grab Henry from pick-up line because she wanted to come too.

Henry told me his favorite part of preschool this morning was playing outside, 

and his teacher talked to him about Jesus today.  

Nelle brought me book after book to read when I nursed June this morning when it was just us girls, and she was so proud to go and do it herself, choosing just what she wanted without input from her brother, just like Henry brought me books to read when I nursed June this afternoon once we all woke up from naps, and wouldn't you know, both times, both kids brought me Love You Forever.

Feeling all the feels.

Love you forever.  As long as I'm living my baby you'll be.

The tots are napping, and I'm downstairs chomping away on ice because that bad pregnancy habit is back.  Not as badly as I craved it when I was pregnant with Henry, but still.  Sorry to my dentist.

Andrew and I both thought we'd have a baby by the end of July, yet here we are, still parents to just two, nearing my Saturday, August 8th due date, and I've got to say, I feel like we've been given all of this extra time, and it's kind of been awesome.

No shoots right now so we've enjoyed getting to start weekends off a bit slower, trading turns to sleep in while the other makes breakfast with the kiddos before they drop a dozen eggs on the kitchen floor.  Again.  

 

Church, pooltime, an extra date night, some nesting-induced cleaning I've wanted to tackle and didn't know if I'd get to...you know, the fun stuff like dusting blinds and baseboards, as well as patching holes in walls from when a certain toddler ripped his curtain rods straight out of the wall.  Bleh.  You know, the usual. 

Walks around the neighborhood, another pedi, more trips to the gym and runs that I think will surely get things going for #3 to come out, but they don't.  

And that's okay.

All in good time.

 

I even cooked an extra meal yesterday to have stored in my freezer.  

Who am I?  Is that what free time is like?  

 

We told Henry months ago the baby would come out when it was summer time, 

and he was bigger so every day he asks if he's big, and when I answer yes, 

he responds with "so our baby can come now?"  

 

Pretty soon, Henry.  

Really soon.