Bob wrote this to Charli about a year ago and I think it's just the sweetest. Since he blogged last, I decided to go ahead and post it. So, now he's on a roll. Maybe he should just take over...

Charli,

                Its 5am Saturday morning on May 12, 2012. We just found out Thursday that you are going to be part of our crazy, noisy, family. I’ve been tossing and turning all night and just can’t seem to sleep. Each time I wake up, thoughts of you pop into my head. Your mother has been pregnant with boys (your older brothers….that sounds so weird to say) for basically the past five years, but all that has changed now. Your mother has a different glow about her now…she’s carrying you…my daughter. I’m still trying to get used to the concept of meeting you, taking care of you, laughing with you, telling boys to quit calling, and buying you too many clothes because you are a picky dresser. However, it’s a situation I’ve been longing to be in the midst of for a long time.

                When we first found out we were pregnant with you, your brothers weren’t super excited. In fact Sam’s response was “I told you not to get anymore babies.” Since then he has come more accustomed to the idea of having another sibling. I figure we have a few more months to warm him up to the concept of a girl playing with “his” toys. Which by the way, you need to at least act interested in Thomas the Train and the Cars movies if you want to stand a chance in this house! Don’t worry, we can help you blend in and make friends with the three amigos.

                Most of the time when I think about you I try and envision what our relationship will be like and wonder what you will look like. Sam, Grey, and Bo have all sort of favored looking like me as a baby, so I hope for your sake you look like your mommy. I don’t think me with long hair is gonna make for a cute baby…we’ll see soon enough I guess. Speaking of your mom. You have an amazing role model waiting outside the womb for you. I think she’s scared to have a daughter because all she knows is raising boys, but I have no doubt she’ll do an incredible job caring for you. I only hope for your sake you will realize sooner than later that she is someone you want to be friends with. I think when I picture you in my head, I imagine you with her big brown eyes, some curly brown hair, and maybe some cute chunky baby wrists. The kind of wrists and ankles that look like rubber bands are pinching off your circulation.

                Everyone tells me that you are going to have me wrapped around your little finger. I don’t think I would disagree with that, and actually am looking forward to it. I love my little boys and the posse that we’ve become, but there is something special about a father and daughter’s relationship. I’m going to train those tres amigos to be your little bodyguards. They can be my eyes and ears on the ground when you are in school and boys are chasing after your heart. You’re lucky to have such sweet older brothers. They all have the heart of your mom and for the most part are extremely loving…you’ll see soon enough

                Lastly I want you to know that I’ve prayed for you for a long time. For all logical reasons it would be easier for us if we had another boy, but there is just something inside me that aches to have a daughter.  As we sat there in that ultra sound room, there was a split second where I thought we were having another boy and that we’d never get to meet you. I saw something on that screen that in an instant brought disappointment. However, only moments later and after much debate from several technicians, we got word that you are in fact going to be part of our family. Your mom got teary eyed and so did I. My tears only lasted for a split second though because Sam was with us and kept hitting me with his chair…it was a brief, but sweet moment. I’ve thanked God for you many times since then. I look forward to meeting you and welcoming you into this noisy household. In the months to come I will keep praying for you and cannot wait for 10/10/10 to get here. It can’t come soon enough!

Love, your Daddy

{So far, no curly brown hair, brown eyes, OR chunky baby wrists, ha! But we love that sweet little bald head, bright blue eyes and chunky thighs!

 

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND MOTHER'S DAY GRETA!

 

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:  "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."   Prov 31:28-29

Greta always gets the shaft on Mother's Day and her birthday. They usually fall on the same weekend each year. This year should be no different...so I bought Greta some fancy rain boots that she wanted. The right one was for her birthday and the left one was for Mother's Day. Seemed fair to me! Anways, last year I guest posted here and probably set the bar to high for my future endeavors, but I figured I would give it another shot.

I am continually amazed at how well this woman loves me and my family. Since my last post we have added our 4th child, the 1st girl, Charli. She is awesome! I've wanted a girl since we began building a family...and i love that little lady! Greta does an incredible job being a mom to this family. Greta has handled the transition from 3 to 4 kids effortlessly. Each day I "get" the opportunity to leave the house. I am typically gone from 630am to pm. In that timeframe she somehow manages to shuttle the kids to and from school, play with our kids, nurse an infant, do laundry for 6 people (4 of which soil themselves on a regular basis), and cook a fabulous meal each night. It truly is unbelievable. People on twitter and facebook are probably tired of hearing me rant about her greatness....sorry!

I knew when we got married in 2004 that God had given me the perfect partner, but i think it is only recently that i really have began to appreciate all her qualities. Trust me...having four kids 5 and under...is insane. And by insane, i mean loud, stinky, crazy, etc. I am regularly stressed out by the noise my kids make as they run circles around me in public pooping themselves. Meanwhile Greta is cool as a cucumber. It truly does take two people to make this house a family...and I love my other half.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...Greta has a thankless job. She handles it with great grace and poise and her kids and I are extremely blessed to have her. I feel bad for all the people that dont know her well...because they are truly missing out. Thanks for loving us so well babe! Thanks for being the rock of this house and showing our children the love of Christ on a daily basis.

The School of Hard Knocks (Part 2)

11. If you're wavering about whether or not to take your kid to the doctor on a Friday, do it. In my humble opinion, your peace of mind over the weekend is worth the $35 copay.

12. Repeating yourself, concerning instructions, will only frustrate you. Yes, it's tiring to get up and go through the whole discipline scenario. Yes, it's inconvenient if your kids need a spanking right in the middle of dinner, or while you're at someone else's house, or while you're trying to do something fun for them. The quicker you take action, the less chance you have of becoming angry. Toddlers especially, understand action much more clearly than your lengthy explanation. Take the emotion out of it!

13. If you have a second child, while this child is still an infant and your older child/children need you, help them first. They will remember being neglected for the baby...the baby will not remember it.

14. With each additional child, you probably need to add 10 minutes to your "it'll take this long to get out of the house" estimate. Kids have a propensity for pooping and losing shoes riiiiight as you're trying to walk out the door.

15. On that note, if you are getting frustrated because one kid loses a shoe, then another kid poops, then another kid wants a drink, and all you want to do is get out of the stinkin' house to take them to the playground with enough time so you can unload them and let them play without them whining about not getting to stay long enough, stop and take a breath. To you, they are acting as one big frustrating unit. They're individuals. Typically, typically, they are not conspiring against you, although I promise, it will feel like they are, a lot of the time! Try not to be frustrated by the sheer amount of needs and/or demands. Try not to let them pile up into one big assault on you. Try to take care of one thing at a time. And take a deep breath.

16. Anything you can do to prepare for the next day, the night before, will benefit you greatly. Fill up cups the night before. Make lunches the night before. Lay out clothes the night before. I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, but I can stay up late with the best of them. Why not be proactive!?

17. And speaking of staying up late. Don't. At some point, for me, it was with 3 kids (and its coming around after the 4th starting to sleep through the night), you will realize you need to change your schedule and you can't operate any longer on what comes naturally. Trust me, I've pushed this for as long as possible. Held out much later than I should have. Naturally, I am a night person. Do I still stay up later than I should? Sure. Do I pay for it the next day? Yes! I can most easily change myself by going to sleep earlier. I cannot make the kids sleep later in the morning. (Many days, the only chance I get to work out or read my Bible, is if I get up earlier than the kids to do it.)

18. The first year we had a kid go to preschool, there was so much sickness in our house! They're exposed to all kinds of stuff and will expose other kids in the house to the same. It's OK, it's stuff they'll encounter sooner or later. Be ready for it though. If they don't go to any type of school before kindergarten, it'll come then. Go immune systems, go!

19. Be reminded that so much of childhood is a phase. The good and the bad. Your kid gets out of bed 12 times to go to the bathroom before they go to sleep? It'll end. That sweet little toddler cries and cries when you leave them in the nursery or with a babysitter? That'll end too. Those precious, mispronounced words? They'll be corrected. The crazy? The crazy ebbs and flows, but I think it's like contractions...just when you think you can't handle another second, there is some relief.

20. Accept help. I love to help people but it's really hard for me to accept help. As soon as I realize I'm allowing people to do something they already want to do, it becomes much easier. Also, with so many people to care for, I cannot do it all on my own...that has helped me learn to accept help too. Leave it up to other people. If they offer, take them up on it. If they really didn't want to help, they just won't offer again!

I've got one more point that'll be the start of Part 3. However, if too much time elapses before I can compile some other points, it'll stand alone as the finale :).

The School of Hard Knocks (Part 1)

I'm talking about parenting.
I've only been at this for a little over 5 years and it is hard, y'all. It's hard emotionally, and it can be hard physically, from pregnancy to wrestling and bruises with unknown origins.

I don't have all the answers, I doubt you do either, but here are a few things I've learned through a bunch of trail and error. Heck, I haven't even really learned all of these, a lot of them I am still learning. If you have something to add, please do!

1. Noise is just that...usually. If you can learn to block it out, or listen selectively, you can handle a lot more chaos.

2. A well-fed and well-rested child is a much happier child. Too many times I've been perplexed by cranky, irrational children, only to later realize they're hungry or they didn't nap well and got to bed late. This is a nasty cycle. Once they miss a little sleep, their bodies seem to think they need less the next time too. Override this. You're the boss.

3. Momma's attitude can steer the whole house. Believe it or not, people take their cues from Mom - probably unconsciously. When I'm stressed and freaking out, it affects everyone. If I'm calm and relaxed, other people trust that things are under control and can be calm and relaxed too.

4. Mother's intuition is a real thing. I am with my kids more than anyone else. I am privy to things I don't even consciously pay attention to - runny noses, good/bad attitudes, subtle comments, flippant requests. All of that contributes to mother's intution.

5. Kids can always understand more than they can communicate to you. I've been reminded of this with each child so far. Apparently it's a hard lesson to accept.

6. Children are the best mirror you'll ever have. If you want to hear how your tone of voice sounds, listen to your kids. Want to hear which words you should stop using, listen to your kids. Curious as to which phrases you use frequently, listen to your kids. This doesn't just apply to speech. Do your kids respond in anger immediately? Do they hug a lot? Mirrors don't always show us what we want to see but, man, they are helpful tools!

7. Kids will eat what they need to eat (barring some medical issue). So many times I've worried about how much food and what kinds of food my kids should be eating. They'll eat what they need to, it just might not be at meal times always. And also, offering healthy choices can ease some of that anxiety. There's a reason they're called growth spurts. Some days you'll feel like your kids are eating you out of house and home, then you notice they've grown 2 inches. Other days, you'll wonder what in the heck fuels all their energy since they've only had a 1/2 a banana and 4 animal crackers, oh and they only slept about 7 hours the night before.

8. The sooner you accept that you will not sleep through the night, maybe ever again, the happier you will be. Keeping track of how often you got up during the middle of the night serves no purpose. If you are just curious and can laugh about it, go for it. If you are getting bitter, quit counting! And different kids have different "sleep personalities." Got a deep sleeper? Awesome, they probably wet the bed on occasion. Got a light sleeper? Awesome, they probably love when you come to snuggle after a bad dream (and they will probably never wet the bed ;)).

9. It is ok to choose to spend time playing with your kids instead of picking up toys, emptying the dishwasher, doing laundry, etc. The mess will always come back. Seriously...it always comes back. It's all about time management. Which investment will produce the most reward? Picking up toys that will be pulled back out in 5 minutes, or sitting down to color or run trains on the track with my boys? I promise they will feel more loved when you leave those toys out ;).

10. To follow up with that last point, remember your spouse. Honor your spouse by taking care of things that are important to them. That is your first family priority...not your kids.

Come back for Part 2!

4 Months & 5 Months–Charli

Sigh…
This sweet little one is just over 5 months old, what a fun age! She continues to draw attention and admiration from everyone in the family, especially the boys. She is so cute, smiles freely, and loves to snuggle. She sleeps pretty well and goes with the flow real easily (which often means missing naps…which lends itself to some fussy times but who can blame her? I don’t like missing naps either!)
Some shots from 4 months…

Bo got in on this photo shoot. Such a sweet little guy…


And some from 5…

A little scary, a lot cute…

Charli, you’re a teensy little thing. In fact, I’m banking on you not even being on the charts when we go in for your 6 month check-up. You look and seem totally great though – just tiny. What’s up?! We started solids, namely avocado, peas, squash and sweet potatoes. You eye everything we’re eating, grab at it and have taken to eating just fine! You also make it real easy to know when you’re full…cue the fussing and whipping your head side to side. Clear communication. I like it.

The Girls’ Team

Being in a house full of testosterone, Charli and I have to stick together.
I present to you….The Girls’ Team.
 

Oh, you know how everyone is “showing their real?”
(To the grandparents, and others who have no idea what that means, it’s basically an effort to not sugarcoat your life as you show it through pictures on social media.)
Here we are, unedited. Neither of us have on make-up and Charli has bathed more recently than I have. She also has fancier pajamas. In my opinion, those eyes and a smile cover a multitude of poor hygiene sins.


And yes, we’re just gonna brush on by the fact that I don’t actually blog anymore. You can thank Twitter, Instagram (greta_carter), and our four kids for that.



Whut?

3 Months–Charli

I apologize for the lack of posting.
As I tell Sam allllll…the….time, people before things. In this case, the people are all these children someone left at my house ;) and the blog is the thing.



Little Char, oh how we love you. I think we’re all pretty taken by the tiny female that is you. You’re so, so sweet. You give smiles away like you should, like there is no end to them. You’re ticklish all over. I mean all over. And when babies are 3 months old and they get tickled, the laugh is involuntary and super awkward sounding, but still so wonderful.



You’ll just sit in our laps, still. That’s new to us. Bo has been the most snuggly and still baby yet, but you’re knocking it out of the park. We have high hopes for lots of snuggly times with you.
I remember, with each baby, how magical 3 months is. You want to be around people. You cry SO much less. We’ve gotten into a nice little routine and so far, you are pretty go with the flow with a side of drama.



We love you baby girl! Thanks for staying out of the hospital this month.