Who would've thought that three kids would be so much more work than two? Not me. I had envisioned blogging while I was still in the hospital, but what a lofty goal that was. Nonetheless, let me introduce our newest Schuurman baby.
Sweet Stella Ruth Schuurman was born on Monday, July 6th, 2015 at 8:07am via c-section by the loving and ever-amazing Dr. Cobb. While they were prepping me for surgery he said, "I hope you have a girl, but I bet you have another boy." We have always thought we'd have three boys and THEN a girl, but the closer the day approached, the more we thought it really was possible for us to have a girl this time. When I laid down on the operating table, I looked up at the florescent light above me. The brand was "Stellar," but the A was smaller than the R (just how it was written) so it looked like Stella R, which inevitably showed us that Stella R(uth) was on her way.
Dr. Cobb struggled a bit to get Stella out. While we weren't sure why at the time, it was later revealed to us. Her head was enormous and she was quite the big ol' gal! She weighed in at 9 pounds 12 ounces, her head was 15 inches in circumference (2 inches bigger than the average baby), and she was 22 inches in length. Just to compare, Marcus was 8lbs 8oz, Titus was 8lbs 11oz, and Stella was 9lbs 12oz. Marcus was 22in, Titus was 21.5in, & Stella was 22in. And I know they all had big heads, but can't remember those stats exactly.
Once she was out, Dr. Cobb showed her to us so Mark could tell me the gender. I think he was stunned because I saw for myself before he could actually say, "It's a girl!" We both were in shock and I cried sweet happy tears (like I'm doing right now as I type and re-live this great memory). She bellowed great big loud cries as they cleaned her off, then the nurses put her on my chest and she calmed immediately. What a glorious and miraculous thing this gift of life is. God is awesome!
Mark held and bonded with our new baby girl while I was being closed up and then we had a good hour and a half in the recovery room to just take it all in. Her sounds, her smells, her shape...everything. We called Canadian family to let them know, took pictures, and then told our local family that it was a good time to come on over.
Once out of recovery and in our own room, things are a blur...for the next week. Recovery was more difficult this time around, for a few different reasons, but none of which matter now. We're home, she's healthy, I'm feeling better each day, and all four of us are in love with this little (not really little, but still...) baby girl.
Today, she's been out of my womb for two whole weeks. She is more alert each day, smiles occasionally in her sleep, and loves being held. Marcus and Titus fight over who gets to hold her first each day. Marcus could hold her for hours, while Titus lasts for less than five minutes. If you're not prepared, he'll throw her when he's done, so we stay close by when he decides he's finished. But they are already protective of their little sister and have definitely welcomed her into our family with open arms (literally). When Titus wakes up in the morning, if he doesn't immediately see her, he'll say, "Where Deh-wah go?" If she cries, they want us to get her immediately. And both boys are precious about wanting to give her kisses. Titus kisses her feet while I feed her. Oh, what a blessing these babies are!
So there ya have it! We are now a family of five and couldn't be more tickled about it. Is it more work? Yes. More chaos? Yes. But more joy? Yes. More love? Yes. More proof of God's grace? Most definitely. So until the next blog (and who knows when that will be...) enjoy these pictures of Stella's first two weeks of life.
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| In pre-op, right before going back. |
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| In recovery with Dr. Cobb |
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| Marcus meeting and holding Stella for the first time. |
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| One proud Papa and his three children! |
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| Sweet Stella |
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| I brought one pink outfit to the hospital just in case. I'm glad I did! |
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| Aunt Liv was smitten with Stella. So was Marcus. Titus was interested in the helicopter landing pad right outside my window. |
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| Titus meeting Stella. |
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| She was very red and puffy the first few days. |
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| He wanted (and still wants) to hold her all the time. |
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| Granddad and his first ever GRANDDAUGHTER. |
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| My whole heart, wrapped up in one picture. |
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| Sweet sleeping baby. Her pajamas say, "Let's snuggle." |
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| Someone gave my mom this ceramic baby buggy with flowers in it when she had me. This time around, she filled it with flowers and gave it to me on the birth of our first daughter. |
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| Grandma B was pretty happy about having a granddaughter, too. |
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| Aunt Liv was beyond excited when she found out our new baby was a girl. She immediately went out and bought her two dresses. |
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| Our family of five, headed home in our traditional Braves shirts. Stella wore the same one that Marcus and Titus wore home, only she had a customized, "Stella" bow that a friend made us. |
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| Aunt Liv was introducing Tyson to his new cousin, Stella. |
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| Granny was pretty excited about having a girl in the family after five grandsons. |
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| I love these pictures. Such a good daddy he is. |
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| My sister made this onesie. How great is that? |
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| Pretty girl. |
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| Marcus held Stella. Titus held/threw Lamby. |
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| Grandma Schuurman meeting Stella. |
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| Grandma Schuurman meeting Stella. |
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| Having an 8 day old definitely slowed me down this year, but we didn't miss Chick-Fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day. |
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| The back of her shirt said, "Moo Moo" and she had a little white tail. |
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| Grandma and her little calves. |
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| It's a hard job to look this cute. |
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| We also went to Chick-Fil-A at the mall for supper. |
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| Trade in your kids meal toy for ice cream? Titus said yes, please! |
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| Two big bulls. |
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| I'm so thankful for a man who would humble himself and be silly with me. It's fun doing life with him. |
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| Daddy/Daughter bonding. |
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| "Can I hode Deh-wah?" |
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| The boys enjoyed playing in the pool at Grandma and Grandpa's motel. |
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| The boys thought it was hysterical pushing Grandpa in. |
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| Titus had a big time with Daddy throwing him up. |
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| Look how high he got! |
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| Stella and I stayed in the shade while the boys were in the water. |
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| Smiling in her sleep. |
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| Big blue eyes. |
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| Big smiles for everyone! |
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| Sharing ice cream with Grandpa. |
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| Grandpa and Grandma with their sixth grandchild. |
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| Titus sporting his Blue Jays jersey and his Braves cap. |
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| Despite having a new sister, the boys still are avid baseball players inside and out. |
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| All clean and ready for bed. |
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| Stella Ruth - all ready for her first day at church. My sister bought her this dress and a friend gave us the bow. It just worked out that they matched so well. How adorable is this? |
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| Big brothers kissing little sister. |
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| All three Schuurman kids - dressed up and ready for church. The boys were wearing their new shirts from Grandma Schuurman. |
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| Stella wasn't as impressed with her outfit as I was. For a mom of two boys, I thought this was a pretty girly ensemble. :) |
