Hi Friends!

I am 6 weeks into this life of 3 kids 3 and under. For those of you that don’t know… My oldest, Adde turned 3 on August 5th and our sweet Preston was born on August 6th! So, we really did have 3 in 3 years almost to the day! I know what you are thinking, we must really love each other and the answer is YES we do! haha

Well life has been crazy busy and full of adjusting so I thought I would give you a quick update and some things I have learned along the way thus far, remind you I am only 6 weeks in!

The first 3-4 weeks were hard. Not going to lie. First off, I went to the hospital expecting to have an all natural birth and ended up having an emergency c-section. Preston was spine down and his heart rate was not in a good place. So my recovering was harder than expected. I had to have someone here at my house with me constantly to help with my older children. In some ways, it was nice but in other ways it was hard. I loved having the company and the help with the girls and the housework, but I hated feeling helpless and having to try and schedule people to be with me because my husband needed to go back to work. I might have had a few melt downs telling Ethan that I just wished I could hold my girls.

I struggled with a ton of guilt, as though the c-section was my fault. But I would feel guilty. I couldn’t help with bedtime or things around the house. I won’t forget how gracious my friends and family were during this time! Always encouraging me! (As you might have picked up, it is hard for me to ask for help… This was a humbling experience to say the least!)

I don’t know if it was the hormones or just that 3 was a big adjustment but I felt as though someone was holding me underwater and I just couldn’t catch my breathe. I was overwhelmed and constantly felt like I was 10 steps behind. Then it was like the cloud lifted at about 5 weeks postpartum. I finally started to feel myself again. I mean I still have days that I feel so behind and that my grace runs thin but we are slowly starting to find our groove! Plus, I am learning my new normal and to give grace not only to myself but to my home, my children, my husband. We are all in this together and some days are long and hard but when we allow grace to rule our home it seems to run much smoother and we enjoy it all the more!

Because of my schedule with traveling and speaking we decided it would be best to put both of our girls in a 2 day preschool. It has really helped me catch my breathe and has helped us get on a routine as a family! It also helped with the guilt knowing my girls are learning and having so much fun there when maybe I haven’t had the energy and strength to play with them like I would like.

Since I am nursing and Kate (18 months) is our quiet sneaky one that seems to get into everything, I usually have to turn on the tv when feeding Preston because if not, I am sure to find her playing in the toilet or the cleaning products or destroying something! haha

The girls are adjusting great to Preston! It took Kate a little longer than Adde. Adde now tries to hold him all the time and loves when she has the opportunity to give him a bottle. She is always checking on him and talking with him, it is so sweet! Kate loves him deeply, just has a different way of showing it! At first she didn't really acknowledge him except that she wanted her mommy back and would try and push him out of the way so her mommy could hold her! But now she tries to give him his pacifier, she motions to hold him and will make sure we know when he is crying and that we come to help him quickly!

Also, Adde and Kate’s friendship has grown as they have had to lean on each other more for a playmate! They are becoming the bests of friends! I love watching the relationships grow between my kids! I have always wanted my kids close in age and all though it is crazy it so much fun and I love it! This mini circus is my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world!

My heart is to keep writing whether about life in ministry, my mini circus, or just something the Lord lays on my heart. I hope you will join me on this journey called life as I share my stories with you! Follow me on social media to see more photos of my mini circus! Also, I would love to hear your stories so please feel free to share your stories with me either on social media, in the comments or through an email!

xoxo

Elaine