The greatness of EIGHT!

 ...
Oh, that greatness of eight.

It's a magical number.

Or wait... maybe it is just YOU that is magical.

Every day, I see tiny little glimpses of the beautiful woman that you are growing in to. It is a such a present for your Mom. Furrowed brow when concentrating, guarded smile when nervously happy, insanely high pitched giggle when amoungst your siblings in your safest space... it is all so beautifully and wonderfully you. Your intensity in life is matched equally in your concerns for the world and the love that you pour in to those you care about. While small and carefully selected, the people you choose to love arealways in the very best of care. You are such a warrior for those you love. 

I don't know what this next year is going to bring us. You see, that is joy we get to experience with you being our first baby. Every year is so new, so unknown and so full of such beautiful potential. I can't wait to see it all unfold. If last nights big girl date is any indication of the year to come, I cannot wait for it all. 

I love you so much, Molly. The light that exists in your heart is such a treasured gift for those you choose to share it with. How lucky am I to stand in that daily glow. You make my heart sing, kid.

Here's to a celebration of your next year of you. 

Love love love,

Mom

Molly's Eight! from Julie May on Vimeo.

A Very Annie Day.

...

For all the preparation that went in to Beluga's sweet arrival...

Our sweet GIRL, surprised us in so many ways, and came a day later than expected. 

My goodness, she was so very worth the wait. 

Annabel Jane May (Annie!) was born on August 3, 2014 weighing in at 7 lb and 1 oz. and 18 inches long.

 Smallest by a long shot. Such a little love bug. My Mays sure are smitten.

Annie has such a gentle little spirit. In fact, aside from opening her eyes only just a handful of times a day... this is what we live with...

Much like her siblings, she had her own little bout of jaundice which required additional phototherapy at home. Poor Annie, we all had a really good laugh at her expense.

Being cute is just so very exhausting.

For all of us!

So, now we are easing in to life with a new tiny in our lives. The phone calls, meals, playdates for big kids and visitors have been such a beautiful blessing to our family. Our hearts are just bursting with love.

 More Annie updates to come!!

A birthday.

...
I woke up this morning to the realization that today is going to be the last full day as a May family of five.

Tomorrow, it would seem is a certain special's very big birthday.

It is a weird thing to know the day that you are going to have your baby. Ultimately, the decision for induction was sealed by my gestational diabetes status, current early labor/dilation and some key out of town grandparents that are currently en route to Austin now. While I wasn't so sure that I would make it today before greeting our newest May... here we are. I couldn't be more thrilled.

The love texts and calls from family, friends and co-workers have been so incredibly comforting today and yet another reminder of the awesome community we have. Seriously, I cry every time I think about it... and it isn't just because of baby hormones. We couldn't be more thankful for you all.

So here's to soaking up the last few hours of normalcy with swimming, family and Chinese food... only to replace it tomorrow with something all new and way more wonderful.

Stay tuned!!

Pregnant Lady Insanity

...
So I completely recognize that it has been almost an entire pregnancy since my last post, but this morning's crazy pregnant lady dream was too much of a gem to not archive in the ole' blog. I'm all about random, non-sequential, interrupting thoughts on the blog. I mean... isn't that pretty much every day with kids?

So... the dream. I think it is important to note that while Kelly swears he seldom has dreams (not possible), I am an incredibly avid dreamer at night. Yes,  I am known to occasionally dabble in Ambien but honestly... my weirdy dreams date waaaaaay back to the eternity of my existence. The only issue is that I'm never able to remember them because two seconds after waking, I am greeted for the day by very loud and persistent little people. This morning though, I jotted it down before even getting out of bed. You're welcome.

The dream (which occurred sometime between 6:45-7:53am this morning):

It was just an entire May family trip to the good ole' HEB. (For those non-central Texas folk... HEB = Mecca of grocery stores. I mean, Texas shaped cheese and beers on tap??? It just doesn't get more Texas than that.) Whilest cruising the aisles with Lucy--- Kelly and the rest of the crew were off on another aisle---I began to feel contractions. I stopped an employee and asked them if I could have a chair that I wasn't feeling so well. Instead, he led Lucy and me down the aisle and very Harry Potteresque, opened up this space in the shelf between aisle 3 and 4 for me to push the basket through. Who knew HEB had a makeshift hospital in the middle of the store? So. I parked the cart in the corner of the room, climbed on the bed and in walked my HEB gynecologist... no other than Stacey Tookey, contemporary choreographer on "So You Think You Can Dance". Let's not get carried away... she was in scrubs.

Good ole' Stacey took a look at my insides and informed me that she would just deliver the baby here in HEB. No need to call in EMS. "HEB is about family." She then spent the next several minutes convincing me that 35 weeks is not considered an early baby and there will be NO possible needs for NICU support, etc. Apparently, Stacey reached in for a cervical check, felt my daughter's hand and knew that she was a big enough to deliver. Um... okay. All the while...please keep in mind... that the cart is in room, Lucy is fidgeting with the door handle the entire time I am pushing (I think I'm scarred by all the public restroom experiences with Lucy in the stall) and Kelly and co. are just perusing the aisles looking for baked goods. Not. Normal.

Baby boy pops out looking just like the Gerber baby. (Clearly, Stacey knows nothing about gender prediction... and clearly this baby is not anything like the baby gorillas I normally birth.) So. Instead of finding my husband, HEB just announces overhead "Congrats to the newest May little boy born today in Aisle 3.5". My husband has another son... in which he found out just like he would a special on lunch-meat at the deli. So, I am attempting to nurse and in walks a parade of RANDOM PEOPLE from my entire life to congratulate me in my "birthing suite". To help draw attention away from the fact that I am nursing this random wife of a past friend, begins using her lactating self as a squirt gun and shooting her milk across the room at people all the while spewing prose about why nursing needs to be less taboo in society. It felt so incredibly normal in the moment. Kelly walked in and all forlornly sat in the corner of the room. I told him to come by me and he just sighed and said, he'd wait by the cart because after all... he had missed the whole dang thing.

Pretty immediately, we load up to go. I inquire about a Hep B vaccine for the baby and instead am informed that "we don't do that here but we have some delicious cheese samples from the deli, a jug of spring water and a pack of diapers for you to take home".

Whhhhhaaaaaaaattttt?????

I think I will leave the grocery shopping to Kelly for the remainder of my pregnancy. This is clearly what the dream is advising me to do. Clearly.

Surprises

 ...

I will not pretend that the addition to our family was initially greeted with the happiest of feelings by yours truly. That's the thing with surprises... sometimes, it can really knock you off your feet. Lucky for us, life is chalk full of them.

It is funny the reactions we have received when we people learn that we are choosing to not know the gender of our newest babe until birth day. I think the responses have typically ranged somewhere between "You're crazy and Man, I would NEVER do that." It makes me smile. You see, we actually did find out the gender with Lucy... a little late in the game, but we knew about our little lady several full weeks before her big debut. And you know what? It was wonderful.

We completely understand the excitement and planning that can come in to play with knowing a little bit about the tiny wonder you are about to meet face to face. The funny thing is though--- that same excitement and planning---it is was there with Molly and Gabriel too--- even though we didn't know the genders.

Here's my take on it. Life really is full of surprises... and unfortunately, there just aren't enough of them that evoke magic and laughter. A job loss, unbalanced bank account, unplanned illness... we've all experienced something of the sort. While, there are some beautiful new changes that often emerge through these hard surprises, it really isn't something one goes looking for. But if presented with the moment...why not seek one of the few opportunities to enjoy one of the best kinds of life surprises? Give up that control and just take some time to soak up the most exciting part--- you are growing this tiny special that will forever be yours. There's so much magical in that one little concept for me.

All  that extra anticipation that comes with the unknown...

30 week baby face

 Why... that's just icing on the cake. Here's to the homestretch.

Seizing sunshine.

...

I have come to realize that life has too much noise. 

Perhaps it is the daily grind, balancing of the school assignments, field trip dues, managing work schedules, doctor checkups and the incessant to-do list constantly compiling in my overcrowded brain.Too much sound and structure that keeps our calendars so busy and our bodies in constant motion. All of it... for whatever the reasons... it makes me tired.

And it is not just me. It is everywhere. This is a busy season of living, no? 

So, when granted the opportunity to step away, unplug, and just open your calendar to boundless adventures. You don't just casually accept it but rather you seize it for all the beautiful freedom that it can be.

Because... it is in the silly

overly-handsy...

dirtiest day of play... 

That you discover your ability to fly...

Way up, up, up in the trees...

Or just underneath...

that the wind moves you.

 For whatever aches your soul and makes you weary in the world...

 it is in this place that you are not alone.

There is always someone beside you... to help teach you the way.

 Big and small... we all need a little time to cool down...

rest our bodies...

and surround ourselves in people we love.

If there is anything of pride that I will take away from parenting, it will be that my children were allowed to just play. It is my hope that through this, they come to know that life is adventurous, magical and messy and always best when surrounded by people that love you for the beautiful person that you are inside.

Give love and let life live. Sounds about right to me...

Lucy's Three

...

Lucy,

Man. That might be the best cheezy face on the planet. No surprise at all that it belongs to you. You are a comedy genius, kid. Your siblings offer unique gifts that build our family... the calm, tender hugs, big thoughts on the world. But YOU. You make us laugh more than anyone else. Your silly, playful, spirit is such a joyful part of my everyday. 

Lucy for such a peanut, you sure are carving out one fearless and adventuresome path for yourself. Every day, you remind us that it is possible to experience EVERY range of emotion within 30 minutes, that conversation is best if conveyed only in song and that you are capable of doing absolutely way more than we give you credit for. Thank you, for reminding me of your independence all the time. Oh, to just have an ounce of your confidence...

You are such a beautiful light in our family. Despite being our youngest, you are the one that most helps Molly feel brave and Gabriel find his silliness. Tiniest body, loudest voice. It figures.

There are so many days that I really believe you possess some form of fairy magic. The love that you show towards "Beluga"  with daily tummy rubs and belly story time have helped my heart in more ways than you will ever know. You are my old soul with so many great ways to express yourself. Your endless vocabulary continues to astound me.

It has been such a present to have just Mommy and Lucy time this year. What an adventure we will have next year with you as the big sister at home. Honestly, I can't wait. 

Happy Birthday, Lulu! We sure do love you.

Mommy

Lucy is THREE! from Julie May on Vimeo.