Party Shots

Last night was our “Welcome Clara” party! Georgia Anne enjoyed all 3 of her servings of the Eggplant Parmesan dinner Kim brought over. It was so very delish!! What a great way to start the party!

From Generation to Generation…

Clara is two weeks old today. We’ll have our “Welcome Clara Allison” party tonight… we’ve had fun doing that with each of the kiddos. We’ll record the children’s height on their growth chart, play some games (the Penguin Race is a staple), eat a sweet treat and dote on the new baby. I love making family memories!

Speaking of memories… this picture is of Clara’s first Sunday heading to church. I dressed her in an outfit I wore when I was a baby!! I’m *so* not a packrat, so it’s impressive that I not only still have it (thanks, Mom!) but that I remembered to put it on her while if fits!

I’m more concerned with passing on our godly heritage than passing on cute clothes- and we try to accomplish that in many ways. Some fun (welcoming babies with a family party!) and some more challenging (consisitently doing family devotions).

What special memories do you have & what do you strive to pass on to your own children? How?

Meet Georgia Anne!

Short version for the guys: Last Friday, we welcomed a new little one into our family. All in all, I was in “active labor” for 44 minutes as Chris recalls. I was in “labor land” where time stands still.

Georgia Anne Olsen was born at 5:28 pm. She weighed 9 pounds 6 ounces, is 21 1/2″ long, she has lots of hair though we’re undecided on the color (dark brown or auburn? give it a day or two!). She has blue eyes and is a precious part of the Olsen fam already!

For all the girls, here’s the longer version, though the full thing (with emotions and all) will have to wait for another time, when life slows down (ha!): My labor started with my water breaking at 1:30 in the afternoon. Chris rubbed my back and shoulders while I sat on the birth ball. They weren’t too sore- but labor is one of the few times I get as much back rubbing as I’d like, so I wasn’t turning down a backrub! I was 5 cm dilated. The rest of the birth team arrived, Katie and Kristin, and got set up- we were ready to have a baby!

Well, they were ready but my little one wasn’t quite ready yet! (That’s a good order, by the way. Birth team ready and waiting for the little one, not vice versa!) The wonderful thing about a homebirth is the relaxed atmosphere while we all wait for my body to do what it was created to do. So we talked, I walked around the house, sat on the birth ball some more, my sweet sister rubbed my back and then Sharon checked me again- I was 8+ cm and though the contractions were still around 3 min apart, they were getting much more intense.

I decided to get into the tub to help ease the intensity of the contractions. Andrew came in to check on me. He loves taking baths and really wanted to join me in the tub! But I had to turn my little buddy down because they were really getting strong and it was almost time. Granny took him out to play with Ben, Lauren and Timbo upstairs and the birth team came in.

This is where the relationship with my midwife is such a blessing. Sharon is so steady, soothing and encouraging. I know I can trust her and that she isn’t only relying on her own strength, but on that of the Lord. When I started to push, she helped me get in a position that both felt good to me and was productive in pushing out our baby! Katie, a student midwife, was a huge blessing there as well- she was encouraging and super helpful. (Thanks, Katie!) I pushed for about 10 min (according to Chris, time was standing still to me). I couldn’t feel this baby move down the birth canal as obviously as I did with Andrew, but when I looked in Sharon’s eyes, I knew things were going just as they should. Perseverence!

Chris offered to sit behind me so I could brace myself on him, but I decided no since I was almost done. Sharon told me to reach down and feel my baby’s head- that is so encouraging! Another push and her head was out. (That felt much better!) Then she told me to reach down and get my baby. Sweet relief! I reached down and lifted my little one up and onto my chest. My baby!

Smiles and thanks to the Lord abounded- my new baby was here. The children came in and Lauren was the one to nervously look and then gleefully announce, “It’s a sister!” GeGe, Daddy & Lauren were right! She is named after my GeGe, her great-grandmother. Georgia Anne Olsen. Timbo cut his new sister’s umbilical cord. What a big boy!

There is so much more that I love about birth- the excitement of sharing birth with my hubby, Mom and sister (who is due in February with her first!)… A nice warm shower and then snuggling down into clean sheets on my own comfy bed afterwards… The children being the ones to do the newborn exam with Mrs. Sharon- what a privilege! The Lord was kind to us and birth was, once again, a sweet time of waiting, trusting, working and welcoming new life into our family.

Not too long ago…

I was thinking about babies and what a miracle they are. I’ve been reading some childbirth books in preparation for the labor I’ll go through in a few weeks. It’s so interesting that I can learn new things about birth even though I’ve already been through it 4 times- I’m sure this labor will be different from the others and so I want to be as prepared as possible so it will be an exciting time, not one I’m fearful of.

I’ve also looked through photos of our previous births and marvelled at how sweet the children are and how you can see a bit of their personalities even at birth! Andrew was happy, calm, and snuggly from the get-go. One photo taken immediately after his birth is of him resting in my arms with one hand in his mouth and the other on his head. He did that a lot in the womb as well and it was fascinating to see him doing what I had felt him doing while he was still inside!

I’ll post a different picture, though, (for decency!) of him being sweet and smiley when he was getting his first checkup a few hours after birth. I am so blessed to have experienced the miracle of birth and am excited to welcome a new little one into our family soon(ish). As you think of us, please pray for the new Olsen to be born healthily, without complications, and quickly but not too quickly. *grin* And for Chris & me to always recognize him as a gift from the Lord.

I’ve got my hands full

This article was originally published in The Creekline.

Benjamin is 8, Lauren is 5, Timothy is 2 and Andrew is 6 months.  Since we homeschool our children, they accompany me everywhere I go.  And whether they’re perfectly pleasant at Publix or distracted and devilish at the dry cleaners, I hear the same refrain, “Wow!  Are all four yours?  You’ve got your hands full!”

The funny thing about that comment is I heard the same thing seven years ago when it was just baby Ben and me.  Onlookers recognize that all parents- whether we have one child or seven- do have a lot to juggle.

Over the years, I have become much more proficient at “juggling” as I’ve gleaned from other moms.  It amazes me how the smallest change can make our family run so much smoother!  So this month I thought I’d share some of my favorite “tricks of the trade” with you!

Orderliness

• Teach the children to help.  There is some way for a child to help in every room of your house- even if it’s carrying a tied-off bag of trash to the back door or dusting the baseboards with a paintbrush.  A great mantra is, “The family all works together so the family can all play together!”
• We have always installed chair-rail height hooks so the children can reach their towels.  Periwinkle polka-dots graced the hall in our last home and nautical “rope” hooks are in the children’s bathroom now with a large photo above each.  Even 2 year old Timothy knows where his towel goes and Momma knows who left their towel on the floor!
• After making their beds in the morning, each kiddo places their PJs under their pillow.  This keeps pajamas handy but out of sight until bedtime that evening.
• Two or three times a day, I announce that it’s time for a Quick Clean Up!  We start at the front door and quickly tidy up the house together.  We do this between school and lunch, before Daddy comes down from work and before bed, as needed.  Sometimes we set the timer as a challenge with the reward of cookies ready on the counter.  This is a great habit to be in for general tidiness but it really pays when friends call before dropping by.  The house will already be salvageable and everyone knows how to do a quick tidy so you can enjoy visiting without tripping over toys.
• Along those same lines… it’s helpful to have “A place for everything and everything in its place!”  Baskets or bins corral toys so children can take out one thing at a time- not dump the entire toy box on the floor trying to find Mr. Potato Head’s shoes!  Little ones can learn to clean up 1 basket before taking out another.

Laundry

• Oh, the joys of parenthood!  It seems that stains multiply exponentially with the addition of children.  My mother-in-law is the Stain Master; her technique holds me over until she can come work her magic!  ① Apply stain out and toss aside until you’re ready to wash.  ② Put stained laundry in a soak cycle with hot water, 2x the suggested amount of Oxyclean and your regular detergent.  ③Run through a regular wash cycle.
• You may recall how much I hate ironing.  Well, my friend Michelle taught me this no-iron trick.  ① Place tricky garments in the dryer and set to permanent press heat.  Turn on.  ② Go kiss all your children or have a five minute tickle war.  Set the timer if necessary, but you must come back in 5 minutes!  ③ At 5 minutes start taking out clothes, 1 item at a time, turning dryer back on between garments.  Hang and smooth out any wrinkles, button collars, etc.  If space allows, lay knits flat.  Continue 1 item at a time, until all your challenge pieces are hanging up neatly.  Allow to fully dry before putting in the closet!

Kitchen

• Dishes are never a favorite chore.  A small tool called a scraper really will save you time!  Buy one from the kitchen stores at the outlet mall for around $1 or order one through Pampered Chef.  Scrape hardened food; wash in half the time and save your nails!
• We have one spot on the kitchen counter for cups.  Knowing where to find their drink helps to keep the children hydrated and cuts down on lost drinks, extra dishes and keeps the countertops from being strewn with extra glasses.

Most days, I stay very busy.  There are meals to cook, laundry to wash (but not iron!) and school to teach.  But through delegation, teamwork and an outlook of enjoying life every step of the way (by the Grace of God!) we accomplish what is needful- what isn’t urgent will still be there tomorrow. 

And when strangers tell me I have both hands full with my four children… I can grin and say,”Not ‘till we have 6 more!”

Copyright Allie Olsen *  www.gracefullmom.com