Looking back at the last six weeks...

warning: this is a crazy-long post!!

I can't believe it has already been six weeks. It has flown by so quickly. Last night my friend Dianna asked me how a C-section recovery is as opposed to a vaginal delivery. It was actually really hard for me to answer that. This recovery has been wonderful in so many ways. Of course it has also had its tough moments....feeling like I'm leaking from everywhere, having to get out of bed when my abdominal muscles had been cut, sleepless days and nights, postpartum hormones, etc... But on the other hand it has been easy and wonderful because I have had a baby in my arms, two wonderful mothers who each spent two weeks pampering me and being the superwomen that they are, and having so much family come out for Hailey's blessing. In fact, at the end of my mother in law's two week visit, I decided that I need to have alot more babies because I LOVED having both of my moms come and play with me. :) They are each SO incredible!! I could go on and on about all of the MANY things that they have each taught me. It is funny how the older I get, the more amazing my mommy is. I can only hope and pray that I turn out to be half the mother that my own mom and my mother-in-law are. They will never know how much it meant to me to have them here with me.

On the 14th, was Hailey's baby blessing. My Dad flew from California (that is where he is working these days...my mom and him commute back and forth every week from Texas to California so that they can be home on the weekends since my Dad is serving as the Bishop in his ward). My mom, my sister (Andrea), my neice (Abby), and my nephew (Ethan) drove up from Texas. My father-in-law drove out from North Carolina (he came by himself b/c my mother-in-law was already here) and my brother-in-law (Logan), sister-in-law (Becca), and Roxi (their dog/baby) drove out from Virginia. It was SO MUCH FUN to have everyone here!!!! I was seriously just bursting with excitement to have so much family with us at church because we live in a ward where everyone seems to be related...except for us.

Then this last week my sister and her kids stayed with us for their Spring Break. We had such a great time. The girls couldn't have been more excited to play with their cousins and I couldn't have been more excited to play with my sister. :) The only bad part was Friday morning when they drove away because I knew that it was the end. The end of all of the visitors. Although it is good to be back in the swing of things and to be our own little family again....I am definitely feeling lonely this Monday morning. Can't they just all come back??? Here are some highlights of the last six weeks and if you keep scrolling down you will find tons of pics.

Week 1 and 2
*getting a massage from my mom
*laying awake late at night and into the early morning hours staring into the most angelic face ever
*looking forward to my 1-2 hour afternoon nap that my mom forced me to have everyday (missing that terribly now!!)
*going to Applebees with my mom and ordering our traditional salad that we get every time we're together
*eating some delicious home cooked meals made by my mom
*running out of drugs my second week home and having to wait until the holiday weekend was over to get anymore
*going to Lookout Mountain with my mom and dad
*suffering through some pretty crazy migraines (I think it was from the spinal)
*going to New Beginnings to speak and having to leave Hailey with my mom for the very first time (Cory was out of town)
*going to a couples Valentine party with Cory and leaving all three girls home with my mom and dad
*watching Katelund get so excited when me and my mom showed up to her class Valentine party (she never gets to have a grandma visit her at school).
*My mom helping me organize and rearrange the nursery
*crying as I had to say goodbye to my mommy

Week 3
ALL ALONE and so not ready to be!!! Thank goodness Cory was able to come home a little early on Monday and Tuesday, but it was a difficult week and I was really looking forward to week 4 when I would have some help again.

Week 4 and 5
*going thrift store shopping with Sherrie (one of our favorite things to do together)
*eating more delicious homecooked meals
*staying up late at night with my wonderful mother-in-law and eating our favorite treat (dark chocolate m&ms with gummy bears) and watching past episodes of Chuck and Leverage on Netflix
*taking Hailey to the doctor for her first set of shots outside of the hospital (one of my least favorite motherly duties)
*some major organizational projects (THANKS to my INCREDIBLY awesome mother-in-law)
*going to Target like a hundred times (I was trying to get some cute matching Easter/blessing dresses for the girls)
*taking Hailey to her first Young Women activity
*the stake YW basketball tournament (we got 2nd place...thanks to Coach Mann (Cory) and thanks to his dad and brother for helping out as referees for the tournament)
*having a house FULL of people I love for the whole weekend of Hailey's blessing

Week 6
*the volume level increasing to crazy high numbers as cousins ran and played like crazy!! They had so much fun together!!
*grocery shopping and making meals with my incredible cook of a sister
*planning and starting all sorts of creative projects (if only we had actually finished/started them all)
*staying up way too late and getting up way too early
*dying Andrea's hair while watching another crazy good episode of Chuck (it is one of my favorite shows...can you tell?)
*taking the kids to Chick Fil A for the kids eat free night and enjoying a night WITHOUT dirty dishes!
*going to Target like a hundred more times
*going to Katelund's school and eating lunch with her (Ethan really wanted to go to class with her... he is seriously SO ADORABLE)
*watching the girls be totally mesmorized by their cousin Abby. They wanted whatever she wanted and followed her wherever she went
*taking Hailey to her first ward council and trying to keep her from crying as I stood and bounced her in the back (ward council is on Wednesday nights after YWs...so she was really tired and fussy and I was just trying to keep my eyes open) :)
*taking Andrea and the kids downtown for a fun-filled day (oh wait...everything I had planned was closed...except for the delicious ice cream)
*saying goodbye once again with tears in my eyes
*missing my doctor's appointment since it was their last day in Tennessee, but I am still officially releasing myself!!!!!

And now....I am home alone with Hailey sleeping in her swing, me blogging and wishing I was sleeping, and Cloey begging me to play barbies and get her something to eat....back to real life. :)