McCoy Family

Let me start this post with huge apologies Nelle's older self, for not carefully documenting your every milestone on our family blog. It's not that we haven't been making amazing memories - and even taking an appropriately equal amount of pictures - it's just that finding the time to sit down and write about them has alluded me. So here I am, trying to catch up on many months worth of growth and life!

When last I blogged, Nelle was getting ready to meet her Grammy, who came to visit from Missouri back in September. Norah and Maddie always love their Grammy time, but they grudgingly shared her for a bit with their (then) new baby sister.

Our fall was filled with school fun... soccer and field trips and lots of learning for Norah in kindergarten. Her teachers are amazing, so loving and patient as they help her and her classmates learn to read and write, navigate new friendships and social situations, and grow in their faith and love of God. Norah's soccer season was very low-key: one game a week, no practices, no score-keeping. She learned some of the fundamentals of the game and got some exercise, and Dan and I got a chance to meet some of the other kindergarten families. As expected, halftime snacks and post-game treats were always the highlight of the week. It was the perfect commitment level for us this year, especially with a newborn and toddler in tow.

Norah's class took field trips to the library and the fire station soon after school started. Kindergarten field trips are quite a productions, with a flotilla of booster seats, SUVs, and almost as many parents as kids. I've had fun going along on them, as they give me a chance to spend time with her and her friends and see some of the things they're learning.

Maddie, too, went through the fall loving school. Her teachers tell us she's quite the good listener and that she always pays attention. While we see our fair share of this at home, too, we've also had some definite two-year-old moments with this one. Maddie is confident and opinionated and determined to keep up with her older sister. This will no doubt set her up for success later in life, but right now it means that if she doesn't want to do something (eat her carefully chosen and meticulously partitioned lunch, put on the shoes that she was begging to have thirty seconds earlier, wear any outfit other than her favorite brown shirt/brown leggings/brown socks combo, etc., etc., etc.), she's not afraid to say no and walk away - with attitude! One day in the car - after I asked her to do something - she told me, "Mommy, I'm hearing you." (As in, Mommy, I heard what you said, but I'm going to tell you right now that I'm not going to do what you're asking.) Another day, when I apparently wasn't giving my full attention to her, she said, "Mommy, I need you to look at me with your eyes and listen." (Where have I heard that before?) She can make us both laugh and want to cry in the same moment, and her excitement for life is infectious.

Nelle, for her part, spent the fall growing and growing. By early fall, we were getting lots of smiles, and she was enjoying the company of her big sisters more and more each day. She started really sleeping through the night around the time she was two months old (nine or ten hours some nights!!!), making for a VERY happy mommy and daddy. We still didn't have much luck with regular naps in her crib, but I think most of that was my fault and not hers. While it may have been feasible to schedule my day around Norah's naps, it is nearly impossible for me to do the same with Nelle. Luckily, Nelle was quick to adapt and was happy to sleep in her car seat or in the Baby Bjorn as we made our rounds of various drop-offs, pick-ups, and older sister activities.

With her namesake, Great Grandma Nell

In October, we made our usual trip to the pumpkin patch. We like to go to a family-run you-pick patch outside of town, where there is also a hay ride, corn maze, and haunted house - in addition to lots and lots of pumpkins. We seem to pick the hottest day in October every year, making the trip seem a little less like a Halloween activity and a little more like a summer trip to the farm. The girls always love running through the fields to find their pumpkins, heat or not.

Nelle's 1st Pumpkin

We did a few other Halloween-related activities at school with Norah and Maddie and at our local children's bookstore...

Halloween Parade at St. Anthony's (Can you count the Elsa costumes? Frozen was big this year!)

Dress-up day at Terrific 2's

...before heading out trick-or-treating on Halloween.

Norah and Maddie ended the night with lots of candy, and Nelle enjoyed going along for the ride.

In November, we celebrated Nelle's baptism. We were very fortunate to have many of our family members with us to welcome Nelle into God's family, including some who made quite the trips to be with us. We know she'll have lots of support in her faith life, since she has so many amazing role models who love her.

With her parents and Godparents

With my Godparents

Also in November, Dan and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. How have ten years gone by so quickly? In that time, we've lived in three states (plus one additional state and a foreign country for Dan, courtesy of the Army), had four apartments/houses together, had five jobs between us, had three beautiful girls, and one amazing love story. Given Nelle's age and our busy lives, a big trip wasn't exactly in the cards this year, but we were able to sneak away for a nice dinner. (I know that this may not seem like the grandest of times, but to me it felt like a slice of heaven. Not that I don't love spending time with my kids, but more than ever, I appreciate a little break and some time with my honey!) I hear the 11th anniversary is the year to take a big trip anyway :)

November fun continued with Dan's birthday and Norah's Thanksgiving celebration at school...

...Then a brief interlude for some four-month-old-cuteness...

Look at her new grasping skills!

...Followed by a trip to the beach for Thanksgiving. Nelle got to meet Great Grandpa Ray and all of us enjoyed some beautiful weather and fun family time. The big girls, as usual, convinced their Grandpa to take them in the water, and Nelle enjoyed watching them run and jump in the waves.

While we were there, we took an outing to the Seymore Center, which is an aquarium affiliated with UC Santa Cruz. It is much smaller than the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but perfect in size for younger kiddos. Maddie loved the touch tanks (Norah was a bit less adventurous than her sister), Norah liked the whale skeletons, and all three girls loved looking at the fish.

Given the already long length of this post and the week it has already taken me to get this far (in five minute starts and stops), I'm going to go ahead and call this part one of catching up. Check back (hopefully) soon for our Christmas and spring adventures!

It's hard to believe that Baby Nelle is already six weeks old! We're having a fun - if a bit sleep-deprived - time with her, especially now that she's starting to recognize her surroundings a bit more and even give us an occasional smile or two. So here's what we've been up to for the last six weeks (this post is long, people, so settle in!)...

Nelle's arrival was a quick affair, just like her sister Maddie's. I had the first indication of labor around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 20, at which point we quickly made our way to the hospital. (After Maddie's one and a half hour labor and my doctor's warning to keep an emergency delivery kit in my car, there was no waiting for the usual 3-5 minute contraction spacing for this girl! Even the half hour drive to the hospital made me a bit anxious.) I don't think the triage nurse took me very seriously when I mentioned that I was nervous about having another fast delivery, but as my contractions quickly increased in frequency and strength, Dan was a bit more forceful about moving from the triage room to labor and delivery. (I'm sure everyone comes to the hospital thinking they're going to have their babies soon, but when I say that my labor seems to be moving quickly again, I'm not joking or wishfully thinking. I mean that baby is on the way, for real, like now.) Once the nurses realized what was going on, we made a fast move to labor and delivery, and Nelle arrived about fifteen minutes later - at 12:45 a.m. on July 21. That was a grand total of two hours and fifteen minutes in labor, with no time to enjoy all the wonderful new amenities in the family birthing center at the hospital and no opportunity for an epidural (frowny face), but a beautiful, healthy baby girl at the end. (Coincidentally, she arrived four days before her due date... just like both of her older sisters.)

On the way to the hospital (10:34 p.m. on 7/20... contractions just started)

Nelle Avery McCoy (12:46 a.m. on 7/21... one minute old)

One hour old

We called big sisters with the news in the morning. Since they were in bed before we left for the hospital - or even had any inkling that anything was going to happen - it was a big surprise! They got to meet their Baby Nelle a little later that day and were so loving and excited... such a blessing to witness. Norah is quite the pro at being a big sister, and Maddie has quickly adapted to her new role. (We've only had a few instances of her wanting to be the "baby;" mostly she is just fascinated by this tiny new creature who wiggles and cries and is happy to be Norah's favorite playmate - now that Mommy is a bit preoccupied with other things.)

We enjoyed having Dan home for Nelle's first week, which gave us some great family time and also allowed the big girls to do some special Daddy activities. Since then, the girls and I have figured out a pretty good rhythm on our own during the days, but we're certainly glad when Daddy gets home at night to help out!

We were lucky to have a few visitors during Nelle's first week... Grandma and Grandpa came to the hospital on Nelle's birth day, followed by Aunt Laura, Aunt Maggie, and Uncle Jake a few days later. Nelle is part of an amazing extended family, and we're looking forward to introducing her to everyone else soon.

Three generations of Klas/Devany/McCoy women

Maddie celebrated her second birthday at the beginning of August. Her day began with a trip to the zoo with Grandma, Grandpa, and Norah, and ended with presents and cake at home with Daddy, Mommy, Norah, and Nelle. Favorite presents included a sleeping bag and tent for "camping" with Daddy, a suitcase of her very own, two types of scooters, and a rubber snake. (Grandpa helped her pick out the snake from the gift shop at the zoo. In contrast, her sister came home with a pink stuffed penguin.) She has become quite the big girl - not just because she's a big sister now - but because she's ready to be an independent, "I can do it myself" kind of kid. She is incredibly verbal, both in the amount she talks (a lot, all the time!) and in the things she says, and she has an adventurous streak (perhaps from trying to keep up with Norah, or maybe just because she's always been our more rough and tumble kid - reference snake comment above). At the same time, she loves to cuddle and is constantly giving Baby Nelle sweet kisses on the head. It has been fun to watch Maddie become her own person, even during her most two-year-old moments.

As the beginning of school approached, Norah had a couple last-minute items to check off her summer to-do list. First was taking the training wheels off her bike. After a couple days of hard work (disrupted by a somewhat traumatic fall at the end of day one, which included a cracked helmet and skinned elbow - but thankfully not a cracked head!), she is now a two-wheel bike rider! Maddie also took the opportunity to practice her bike-riding skills, and give or take a little focus on minor issues like steering and obstacles in her path, she, too, is quite the rider. (Click on the "Full Screen" button on the videos below for a better view.)

Nelle was impressed with her sisters' efforts.

Next on the list was camping - backyard-style - with Daddy. Last year, Maddie was too little to spend a night under the stars, but this year, armed with her new birthday tent and sleeping bag, she was ready to join the fun. All three campers made it all night outside - so fun! (Nelle and I headed inside, though I'm not sure who got more sleep: Dan sleeping on the ground with Maddie and Norah poking each other all night, or me with a hungry newborn. Next year, Dan gets all three girls while I take a vacation! [jk, lol])

Shortly after the camping adventure, it was time for Norah to start kindergarten. She goes to St. Anthony's, and Mrs. Landon and Mrs. Renner are her teachers. She has a great year ahead of her: new friends to make, new things to learn, and a whole lot of fun to be had. She is still adjusting to the all-day schedule (luckily they have a short rest time in the afternoon to let her recharge a bit), but otherwise she has made a very smooth transition. Her preschool teachers did an amazing job of preparing her academically and socially, and Dan and I are so comfortable with the school and her teachers, that there were no tears, either from her or from us, on her first day. Her first day was a visit day - meaning no uniform and we stayed with her while she dropped in to meet her teachers and check out her classroom - but her second day went equally well.

Next up was Maddie's first day of school. Because I haven't worked since Maddie was born, she hasn't had a lot of opportunities to be away from me. (We've never even left her with a sitter outside the family - the advantages of having grandparents and aunts who are willing babysitters!). I wanted to give her the chance to have her own big girl activity and let her socialize with some other kiddos her own age... hence the pre-preschool program she's now doing once a week. Dan and I both dropped her off for her first day. We were expecting some tears - or at least some apprehension - but she was happy to stay and play, and she apparently was quite the little chatterbox with her teachers once we were gone. Her second day was equally successful - again, no tears - making me realize that I may have overestimated her mommy attachment. (Getting ready for her second day, she grabbed her backpack and lunchbox and stood by the garage door saying, "I ready, I ready. Open door for me.") I'm so excited that she is enjoying herself, and we're looking forward to a great year for her, too.

Maddie came home from day two with her "listening ears"

Nelle has been busy learning and growing, too. We're starting to see some occasional real smiles and she's interacting more with us at home. (At her age, that means she follows faces with her eyes and is more content to observe what is going on around her without being fussy.) We've just started to take her out into the world a bit more, so I can do my grocery shopping and other errand-running without having to wait for Dan or my mom to hang out with Nelle. The freedom is quite nice, even if the outings are less than exciting.

Okay, so this one probably wasn't "real," but it was still cute!

Nelle took her first mini road trip to help Aunt Maggie and Uncle Jake move into their new house a couple of weeks ago, and then a longer road trip to the beach for Labor Day weekend. She did very well in the car and loved the cool weather at the coast. Because of said cool weather we were able to dress her more warmly, which made her snuggle into a nice sleep all the way through the night. (My standards for "all the way through the night" have lessened a bit, but she did sleep from midnight until almost six, which gave me six hours of gloriously uninterrupted sleep. We briefly considered moving to the coast until fall arrives in Fresno, but Norah reminded us that it was important for her to get back for school.) The big girls had a great visit, too, especially since they got to spend lots of time at the beach and park.

With Aunt Laura at Maggie and Jake's house... congrats to the new homeowners!

Sammy the Snake made the trip to the beach with us

And finally - because I'm trying to take just as many pictures of the third baby as I did of the first - I have a few pictures of a growing Nelle to share. I had a hard time picking (since they're all so cute!), so indulge me a bit here.