Back in action

It's been awhile (and by awhile I'm referring to over 2 years) since I last posted.  What have I been doing you may ask?  Well....life happened, and in all of it's beautiful fullness, the blog took backseat to the everydayness...and as the months grew into years, the overwhelming nature of attempting to write and reflect upon our expanding story caused a significant hiatus.

It is in its absence that I recently realized how significant this piece was for me...a journaling that allowed time to record, celebrate and reflect upon these magical moments we are afforded.  And now, after a move back to Oregon, Andy beginning a new job, moving into a new home, and having a baby, it's time to begin again...a time to find and rediscover a quietness in which to relish in the grace and grit of our life now as five.

Georgia, meet your family

The day of Georgia's birth was spent recovering, cuddling, snoozing, and relishing in our beautiful gift.   

After our first night together, it was time to meet the family!  Harrison and Lucia were so excited to meet their little sister, and very curious about the hospital, especially Mom's super cool hospital bed.  It was a joyous atmosphere surrounded by family.  

Bringing another baby into the family is both magical and challenging in terms of siblings.  I remember feeling this way when Lucia was born...I was so concerned with how Harrison would feel and adjust to the new addition.  Throughout this pregnancy, I spent some nights worrying mainly about our little Lucia and her birth as a big sister.  Whenever I found myself in this state, I would remind myself how  fortunate we are to have the wisdom of our prior experience, and the art of introducing siblings to a new baby while reinforcing how special, unique and loved they are.    

The following photos captured such a moment upon meeting Georgia for the first time. Lucia was enamored with her little sister one moment, and then perhaps realized she wasn't the baby anymore in the second moment.  And while I know this is all part of her journey, it still breaks my heart a little seeing her sweet face with such a concerned look.

My father was our inspiration for Georgia's middle name, James.  We had chosen her middle name months ago, and I was thrilled to reveal it to my father after our little one was born.  

In between visits from family and friends, delicious take out, and plenty of rest, we managed to spend a fair amount of our time at the hospital just taking in our sweet little peach.  

Introducing Georgia James

Georgia James Kunkler

4.2.14

8:43 AM

6lbs, 8 oz

19"

Given both Harrison and Lucia's rather dramatic birth stories, Georgia was scheduled to make her appearance via cesarean on the morning of April 2nd.  While I truly believed this was the best decision for the safety of us both, there was still a piece of me that yearned for my baby and my body to initiate this journey.  I was so lucky to have a friend as an OB who listened to my concerns and allowed me to push back the scheduled date a few days closer to my due date to give our little one more time to be ready for her grand entrance.  

Having a scheduled birth was a rather surreal experience...as the date grew closer, and still no signs of labor, the anticipation of the procedure and meeting our little girl grew larger.  I couldn't sleep the night before as I was flooded with a range of emotions and anxiety.  On the morning of the 2nd, Andy and I awoke early, gave hugs to my Mom who would be staying with Harrison and Lucia, and drove to the hospital, knowing that we would be meeting our baby girl just after 8am.  It was a gorgeous, crisp morning, and after checking in and starting the surgery preparations, we watched the light grow, illuminating a majestic Mt. Adams.  Soaking in the dawn calmed my nerves, as well as discussing what we should call this little wonder child.  We had narrowed our list of names down to just a few over the past week, and although we had anticipated waiting until she was born, this moment presented us with her name.  

And then it was time to head into the operating room, where I said goodbye to Andy for a time while the anesthesiologist performed their magic....which didn't quite feel like magic at the time.  A complication with the epidural made what I'm sure was minutes feel like hours, and I pulled out every mind trick/hypno birthing technique I could think of to get through it.  The initial experience was challenging, but once I was able to touch Andy's hand again and be in the skilled hands of my two favorite OB's, my fears were replaced by the love and calmness surrounding me.  Just as the surgery began, a contraction was a little gift from the divine, signaling that this was the time our baby was meant to be brought into the world.  I was elated.  

Roughly 20 minutes later, our beautiful baby Georgia made her grand appearance, and before I could see her, the sound of her sweet cry resonated in my soul and I was overcome with love.   

Love at first sound, at first sight, at first touch, and first nuzzle.  The overwhelming joy was inexplicable, and seeing the love in Andy's eyes as he held our sweet little Georgia, unforgettable.  Welcome to the world Georgia James, you are so loved.

 

The Pumpkin Patch

The Pumpkin Patch 

One of my favorite times of year, even in San Diego, is after the Fall equinox and before Halloween.  With crisp mornings and warm to hot days, it is a time of year that holds so much energy.  This year again we traveled back to Bates Nut Farm for some pumpkin harvesting and country experience.  Harrison and Lucia delighted in walking through the fields, picking out pumpkins, taking a horse drawn carriage ride, and riding in a wheel barrel.

Take a look...

H's Birthday Celebration

Once again, I'm rather behind on the blog...just shy of 6 months behind schedule.  So here we are, back in October, celebrating our favorite little guy's third birthday!

Harrison was really excited about having a beach party and we found the perfect venue for such a day at Seagrove Park in Del Mar.  We absolutely lucked out on weather (even for San Diego) and found ourselves pleasantly roasting in abundant sunshine with a welcome sea breeze on this early Fall afternoon.

Aside from the great beach and beautiful view, another great aspect of Seagrove is the opportunity to see and hear trains go by every half hour, which of course provided Harrison and others with the opportunity to shout "All Aboard" to passing trains.  Harrison was in heaven!

Beach babes and tots loved their sandy adventures,

                                                                                                                                                                        

and then moved the party to the playground.  Lots of fun was had by all (Harrison, Sophia and Finn on the slide),

and Lucia loved taking it all in from the view of her lounger.  

The littles welcomed a pizza break,

followed by cupcake love after a busy day in the sun.  Here, Sophia, Harrison, Finn and Finn in anticipation of cupcakes.  

The birthday boy relishing in the last bite.

Even Lulu was able to share in the sweet birthday goodness.

It was a lovely celebration with good friends, family, one elated birthday boy 

and a gorgeous sunset.  Truly perfect...

until the last moment at sunset when Harrison fell off the picnic table and landed headfirst directly on the corner of a concrete slab. Lots of tears, one huge bump, and after lots of ice and a call to the doctor, we returned home with one tired, bruised boy who couldn't stop talking about how much fun he had at his birthday.