picking berries

We decided that during my maternity leave Elia would continue on her normal schedule. We did this to provide with as much normalcy as possible while she gets used to having our attention split between her and her new brother, and also to help me out while I recover from having the babes. This means that on Monday through Thursday, Elia is either at school or with her grandma and on Fridays, both kids are home with me.

I have to admit, I get nervous about Fridays every week so far. Wells' schedule is unpredictable, Elia is a very busy toddler, and a full night's sleep seems like, well, a dream. To make things easier, I've had a play date and special day with Aunt Emily lined up on our last two Fridays but today our plans didn't work out. Since we had the morning free, I decided that it would be fun to get out of the house and go strawberry picking. 

A quick Google search later, we were headed to Krupps Farms, just north of the city. We started our berry picking adventure at the farm's petting zoo. 

Elia was excited to see the animals but a little intimidated. When I asked her if she wanted to pet them, she responded by saying, "I too busy. I too busy, Mom." Busy being chicken.

Good thing that rocking horse was friendly.

We headed to the you-pick strawberry fields next. After a car trunk diaper change for Wells, we were ready to pick some berries.

We grabbed a small container and went to work.

After picking as many berries as we thought we needed, Elia played taste tester.

Mmm, delicious! Elia approved.

since we've been home

We came home from the hospital and Friday and since then, have been adjusting to life as a family of four. Elia has been doing a great job with her little brother and it's been fun to see her interact with him.

On Saturday, we decided to take our first family outing and attend the Local First Street Party in the afternoon. We enjoyed some food, people watching, and an art project and it went better than expected. The weather was perfect and after several days in the hospital, it was so nice to be out and about.

Yesterday we had a quiet day at home, just settling into our routine. Todd and Elia went to church while Wells and I stayed home and then Grandpa and Grandma N stopped by to visit for a few minutes after church. We all rested in the afternoon - having a being a newborn is exhausting!

Today was a big day for Mr. Wells. We had his newborn photo shoot in the morning and his first doctor's appointment this afternoon. I couldn't wait to see how much our little guy weighed. He's been eating like a champ and I was sure he'd be near his birth weight.

The Stats:

Weight - Birth: 7 lbs. 12 oz.     5 Days: 7 lbs. 11 oz.

Length - Birth: 19 inches    5 Days: 20.5 inches

Head Circumference - Birth: 14 inches     5 Days: 14.25 inches

Suspicion confirmed - this kid is an eating champ! Everything else looked good as well, always good to hear.

We took a nice after dinner walk to the park and, obviously, Elia had to bring the sled along to pull her doll in. Once we got close, Todd took over the pulling.

I'm looking forward to introducing Wells to some friends this week and of course, getting in lots of snuggles while he lets me.

Thank you for all of the well wishes, we're having a great time so far!

meet wells

Todd and I are thrilled to announce the arrival of our son, Wells Robert Neckers. Born on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 10:04 am, he came into the world weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 19 inches long.

More to share soon, we are so blessed by his arrival.

With love, the Neckers Family.

memorial day weekend

We spent this Memorial Day weekend as we've spent the past several years, at my in-laws' lake house, ringing in the official start of summer. We have been blessed with great weather this May and were excited to kick back at the lake before baby two comes along to shake things up.

I've been trying to spend time doing special things with Elia over the last few weeks since my attention will be divided soon so we went up to Rockford after I worked for a few hours on Frida morning and shopped, checked out the dam and river, played in the park, and then enjoyed lunch outside together. I swear, she's the best lunch date and, if not always the most patient or well-behaved, certainly the cutest. I'd take her to lunch every day if it were an option.

We spent the rest of the day napping, playing in the sand, and then I headed out for my sprinkle.

Saturday marked our first trip of the season to the farmer's market, something I always enjoy. Though the selection at Michigan farmer's markets are limited in the early season, there's still plenty to see and buy. We settled on asparagus, cinnamon bread, and fresh flowers.

After naps (for both Elia and I), we spent the afternoon and evening boating and enjoying the beautiful day with friends who were visiting us at the lake.

On Sunday we spent a leisurely morning on a walk and then decided to give the paddleboard its first spin on the lake. Elia loved riding along with her dad.

More friends came to visit before lunch and Elia had a great timing playing with her friend on the beach. I wish I had taken pictures of the girls holding hands as they walked down the dock together but alas, some sweet moments are just meant to be experienced, not documented.

We headed home before lunch today to regroup after so many days away and get ready for a busy week. Afternoon rainstorms also set the stage for some great naps again. Summer is definitely here and we are so ready for it. Happy Memorial Day to all!

sprinkle

On Friday, I was lucky enough to be honored with a baby sprinkle for Baby Boy Neckers. My sweet friend, Sarah, agreed to host the sprinkle when she herself has a four-week-old at home. She's incredible. We talked about the possibility of a sprinkle a few months back and I told her that all I really wanted was to get together for dinner with some girlfriends before the baby comes, to have some girl time. She took things a step further and made the cutest centerpiece and favors and it really made the dinner feel special.

I realized that everyone who was there is a mother, all of whom I've known since before any of us had children. The group that gathered that night included women who I have been friends with since I was twelve years old, women I met in college, and women I met later on. We have seen each other through high school drama, bad boyfriends, worse breakups, the establishment of our professional lives, our weddings, and now motherhood and each of them provides such a beautifully unique perspective on the joys and struggles of it all. Each of them is a wonderful mother and has such love for their family. We all do things a bit differently and we are all raising great kids. We have all had our own challenges and I love that I can ask any of them about how they've tackled different parenting issues, if they had a feeling that labor was going to start before it did, which foods they introduced first, how they're dealing with limit-testing toddlers, how to navigate the challenges that parenting adds to marriage, and really everything and anything that has become part of our realities since becoming moms.

 

Sitting around that table, it struck me that it is such a special thing to be able to share the adventure of parenthood with such a great group of friends. I am so grateful to be experiencing all of this with them and can't wait to see what unfolds as we continue to watch all of our children grown up together. You are all great moms and I learn from you every time we're together. Thank you, girls, for being willing to share this adventure with me, to celebrate the exciting moments and empathize with the tough ones. 

And thank you, Sarah, for getting everyone together and helping make this pregnancy feel just as special as the first one.