Random thoughts on New Years Eve

As I get ready for bed on this last night of 2012, I wanted to write down a few random thoughts that popped into my head today.  It has been a whirlwind of a year.  As I posted on facebook yesterday, it was one year ago (yesterday) that I had a thought that maybe my stomach bug was not actually a stomach bug after all.  After asking my husband if he would run to the store to buy a pregnancy test (and watching ALL the color drain from his face when I said it), we learned that there would be a #4!!  Speechless is what we were.  It was a tad bit overwhelming at the time with two 2 year olds and a 7 month old.  We announced to our family over the next couple of days.  They were pretty much speechless, too.  Little did we know last Christmas that by this Christmas we would have this little blue eyed angel.

So as the year winds down, I cannot help but to look back and smile.  I smile because I survived a very sick pregnancy while taking care of three wee ones.  I smile because it was THE hottest summer in history (or at least felt like it) leading up to his August birth.  I smile because I recovered (finally) from another csection and my kiddos made it through a couple of months with a mommy who couldn't pick them up.  I smile because God gave us a #4 who was our most challenging baby, but he is now smiling back at me with a huge grin.  I smile when I cannot even finish sentences because I am a bit sleep deprived.  I smile because baby Elliot has made it through his first four months without any injury caused by his very loving (and often overly affectionate) brother and sisters.  I smile because he now SLEEPS through the night!  And sometimes I smile because it is either that or cry.  ha!  But as crazy and chaotic as it is, I could not imagine our life without these four kiddos.  2012 has been a great year.

One thing that popped in my head today is how Madeline will say things like "I'm not a silly goose ... I'm Madeline Jane Gramling."  Her name was the one name of all four for which there was no debate.  We talked once when we were dating about our favorite names, and both of us said we loved the name Madeline.  And Jane is for my mother and grandmother.  It is actually name I've loved probably since college or before.  I had it all picked out.  Just glad her daddy liked it too.  So after all those years of being unable to have a baby and wondering if we ever would, there IS now a Madeline Jane Gramling.  The name I always said in my head and doodled on paper (c'mon, everyone does that) came to life.  It was like I always knew there would be ... just not sure when or how.  And wow, is she something.  My little princess sassy pants.

As for Annabel, she is something too.  She is either going to keep me young or make me totally gray in the next few years.  My random thought today with her was when I was scratching her back while watching a movie, and as soon as I stopped, she begged me to keep scratching her  back.  I'm certain I did the exact same thing with my mom.  And I always said whenever I have kids, I hope they like to have their  backs scratched, hair played with, etc.  She's it!!  She loves a mommy back scratching.

And little James ... who, at our New Years Eve gathering at my mother-in-law's house, would NOT keep his pants up.  That's his thing lately ... pulling his pants and diaper down.  And of course when he got laughs from everyone, he decided he was the star of the show and would keep on doing it.  I was part of the laughing (and picture taking) though, so I can't say much about that.  He is my first baby boy.  I wish that every mommy could experience having a son.  I thought we hit the jackpot with the twins and was so happy and at peace with our family of four.  But I cannot imagine not being a mom to a little boy.  He stole my heart instantly.  Now if I could just figure out how to keep his pants on!

(That is one of my favorite pictures of him that I happened to take with my phone!)

And sweet Elliot.  Just today someone asked what my kids' names were.  I told her, and she said "Oh, Elliot, what a great name."  And it is.  That is probably the name of my children that gets the most responses like that.  It is so funny because it took us SO long to decide on that name.  It wasn't my favorite, and we went to the hospital with it barely being in my top 3-4 name choices.  But the minute they handed that little black haired baby to me, I honestly thought "he looks like an Elliot."  It took us until he was 2 days old to make it official (because I was still on the fence), but I'm so glad we picked it.  My little Elliot is perfect.  I call him my little chia pet sometimes.

So there are a few random thoughts to end the year.  Now I'm going to go rock by littlest baby boy to sleep now...

... and while he holds my hand, I will smile at our successes of 2012 and sigh with relief that we SURVIVED it.  Bring on 2013!  

P.S.  I could not have made it without the help of an awesome husband and daddy.  We make a good baby-raising team.