Fake Blog Entries: Part One! 🌷

[readingreverie]

This is for gushing about name combos/sibsets! Tell us what imagery the name gives you and all your feels. Along with, fake scenarios you feel match. Basically this is a fake blog for all of us nonparents!

I’ll go first!!

Daphne Fleur, Hyacinth Clover & Ianthe Plum. The flower/plant sisters!!
Little Daph and Hy were swimming today in our pool. Daphne has known to swim fully (deep end and jumping in) for a few months now and loves it and Hyacinth surprised me when she asked if she could take off her floaters and try. Normally, Hy is a bit more reserved and shy when it comes to things like that but, I think seeing her older sister swim on her own was making her jealous.
Crazy to have a swimming two and three year old. Baby Thea stayed in the shallow end with me but would not stop giggling when I showed her how to blow bubbles in the water. Hopefully I will see her start to make progress in the swimming front as we tried out floats (as we adults use) for the first time with Daph and Hy around this age (almost nine months.) Such a water family!

""

Sorry if this is too weird, I just wanted it out of my system! Also, if this thread does go off, don’t be surprised if half of the replies are by me.

Current Families

@/readingreverie has:
Matilda Althea Elaine “Millie” (6)
Edith Penelope Maude “Edie” (4)
Theodore Azriel Reid “Teddy” + Caspian Bernard Rhys “Kit” (4)
Juniper Eleanor Gwyneth “Eleanor” (1)
Blythe + Louis
Agatha

@/lilacelixirxx has:
Eira Foxglove (9)
Talulah Azalea (7)

@/snowmaiden has:
Vision Beulah “Vis” (7)
Clementine Marilla “Clem/Clemma” (4)
Florence Josephine “Birdy” (1)
Alice!

@/prairierose has:
Jett Ellowyn (2)
Indigo ‘indie’ Junia (6 mo)

@/marigold.solstice has:
Flora Melody (8)
Maud Wisteria (6)
Henry Christopher Hyacinth (1 1/2)

@/idyllic has:
phoebe poet & willa peace (infants)
margaux ‘mara’
gwyneth ‘gwen’
isabeau ‘beau’

@smileymiley has…
Kismet May ‘Kitty May’ (7)
Olive Evening (2.5)
Pepper

@/wizardofzoz has:
Twyla November “Twy” (8.5)
Emrys Leopold “Em” & Fern Elspeth (6)
Cleo Lavender (4)
Margo (2)

@/Larryisalittledog has:
Clara Eulalie (4)
Shepherd Mackenzie and Edith Promise (1)
Maude Whimsy (0)
Tadhg

@/amalfi has:
Boaz Shepherd (6)
Galil Palmer (4)
Pascale Amity (3)
Acre

@/KJ1020 has
Jack Edison (15)
Everett Parker (13)
Stella Lennox (11)
Phoebe Wren (4)
Luna
Callie

@/natureobsessed has:
Isabella Ivy (6 months)

@/Chay has…
Carlin Shea (13)
Emeril Jay (9)
Alice Mahogany (6)
Quest Maverick (2)
Lucie November (0)

@/almondmilk has:
margo daphne sonnet (seventeen)
evan august valentine (seven)
audrey isabeau poet (two)

pets

duke - eight year old doberman pinscher
ladybug “lady” - six year old german shepherd
lynx - five year old maine coon
goose - three year old oriental shorthair

@/acajou:
Claude Marianne (8)
Mercedes Aránzazu (6)

@/fiddlesticks has
Seymour ‘Mo’ Kyrie (8)
Margery ‘Madge’ Dinah (6)
Karolyn ‘Kallie’ Iva (3)
Vivian ‘Ian’ Dexter (nb)
Annabel ‘Annie’ Marta (nb)
Emerson ‘Sonny’ Oscar (nb)

@/eternally_tomorrow has:
Cressida ‘Cress, Cressie, Cressa’ Mira Evangeline (14)
Opal ‘Opi’ Mariposa Callalily (12)
August ‘Auggie’ Maximo Cordell (9)
River ‘Riv, Rivi’ Miguel Gabriel (8)
Lilibet ‘Lili’ Maristella Alison (6)
Wesley ‘Wes’ Macario Alijah (3)
Elowen ‘El, Els, Elli’ Maria Lissa (1)
Expecting B/G twins
Juniper
Asia

@/jinxedpeach has
Juliette Clare (16)
– Aurora Odette (nb) with Rome Elian (16)
Henry Brahm (11)
Freya Elenore (4)

@/wandering_willow has
Meadow Boheme (4)

@/cali09 has
josiah jett “jj” (3)
expecting twins!
sunny

@/LeafTree has
Solvi Calypso Rune (4)
Cosima Vespertine Eos (4)
expecting one!

@/CherryBomb50 has (ON HOLD; CURRENTLY WRITING FOR OTHER FAMILY)
Playing As Adoptive Mother

DAS (25): Josko Nikola
DAD (5): Ayu Laras
DAS (3): Artus “ Artie “ Dean
Playing as Granny:
DS (30): Damien Kirby
DD (29): Michele Christina
-DH (29): Paul Declan
-(exp): ???
DS (27): Oscar Dante
-DH (27): Nyle Marlon
-DD (5): Zella Heidi
-DS (4): Taye Corbin
DD (25): Tamara Brooklyn

@/autumn.leaves has
polly juliet (8)
theodore “teddy” jack (6)
cecily “cece” meredith (4)
juniper “junie” elspeth (1)

@AngelicaSchuyler has
clio moss (12)
pip winter (7)
bea daisy (6)
basil juniper (nb)

@/melia22

indiana maisie (1)

@BeeEl has
Rainey May (7)
Windy April (7)
Charlotte July (4)
Alton Ryder (3)
Merrily June (nb)

@/kathweenie has
Beatrice Lillian Claire ‘Bea’ (2)
Emmeline Diana Pearl ‘Emmy’ (1 mo.)

@/ArrowTheMonarch has…
Enya Clemency Dove (5)
Kit Lucian Montgomery (3)
Cleo Rosalind Faye (1 mo.)
Adopted SIL & BIL: Imogen Claudia & Liam McCoy (14)
Eyre
Bronte

@CharlotteLovesVolley has
Camille Taylor (5)
Expeting One!!

[kasatka]

Aw, I just saw this! I would have replied a while ago if I knew this was a thread.

[name_f]My[/name_f] twins are [name_f]Annukka[/name_f] [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] and [name_m]Finnian[/name_m] [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m].

Today, I finally got to take Nuka and [name_m]Ian[/name_m] to the ice rink. When I was young, I always imagined that my children would be figure skaters like me. However, when the time came around to having children, I realised life doesn’t always work out quite as you expect! [name_m]Alas[/name_m], my children are homebodies and prefer to spend time watching movies or gardening. Despite this, they had a great time! [name_m]Ian[/name_m] hung around me for a bit, but Nuka kept trying to speed off on her own. Soon enough, she was helping her brother and he was getting more confident too.

Both [name_m]Ian[/name_m] and Nuka had a great time. They want to go again next weekend – perhaps I’ll sign them up for lessons if they wish.

[name_u]Ever[/name_u] since Nuka started school, she has been a lot more willing to try new things - like ice skating. When she was young, I couldn’t get her to try anything. It’s been absolutely wonderful watching her adapt to a new environment and take it in her stride. [name_m]Ian[/name_m] is a little more cautious - he likes to analyse and fully process a new environment before he can start to feel comfortable in it. I love how different they are. Nuka is much more like her father, and [name_m]Ian[/name_m] is much more like me.

[autumn.leaves]

I love this idea so much!

@readingreverie [name_u]Hyacinth[/name_u] sounds so much like my [name_u]Teddy[/name_u]! It must be a second-child thing! Your kiddos sound lovely!

@A.B.Galaxy Your children sound so sweet!

@kasatka I feel like Nuka and [name_f]Polly[/name_f] would get along nicely! A sweet clan you have there!

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[name_f]My[/name_f] kiddos are [name_f]Polly[/name_f] [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] (6), [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] [name_u]Jack[/name_u] (5), [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] [name_u]Meredith[/name_u] (3), and I’m expecting another girl!

First, I’ll introduce [name_f]Polly[/name_f]. She’s my spunky, sassy little angel. Big blue eyes, two blonde braids. Her interest right now is fashion! Like mother, like daughter. Anyways, she keeps getting into my lipstick and asking my advice – “Do you like pink or grey best with my eyes, Mommy?” [name_f]Every[/name_f] time we go to the store, she begs me to get her high heels. One of these days, I’ll give in, I just know it.
Next in line is [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], the quietest of them all. He’ll spend hours trying to sound out words in Daddy’s dictionary. He amazed me last week when he came running down the stairs shouting “It says ‘consideration’! I got it, I got it!” [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] isn’t known to get excited, so the whole family was on cloud nine.
[name_f]Cece[/name_f] is my giggle-bot, as we like to call her. She has down-syndrome, so she isn’t very good at conversations yet, though she is very much improving! However, she is our cheerleader. She’s always shouting her congratulations and giving the sweetest hugs. [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] is the most excited of all to be getting a new sister.

[kasatka]

@autumn.leaves Too cute! Gave me a little idea for a crossover…

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[name_f]Annukka[/name_f] has finally reached the age where she is the one initiating playdates - rather than me and the other ladies at our church organising them for our little ones. On [name_f]Sunday[/name_f], a new family joined our church. Nuka immediately clicked with one of the lovely little girls of the family - a spunky wee thing, just like my girl! [name_m]Just[/name_m] as we were about to leave, she dragged me over to the new family. “Mumma, this is [name_f]Polly[/name_f]! We’re best friends now! She is moving to my school! [name_m]Can[/name_m] we play?” I was so pleased to see she had made a new friend, but unfortunately we were in a slight rush to get over to grandma’s house, so I promised her they can have a playdate during the week. [name_m]Ian[/name_m] was also intrigued by this new family, albeit far more shy than Nuka.

[autumn.leaves]

@kasatka I’m so glad our girls are getting along nicely!

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On [name_f]April[/name_f] 10, we welcomed a new addition to the family – [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f]! I did a home birth, which I loved as much as one can love giving birth. She’s a beautiful, healthy baby who is now four days old. Big sisters and brother love baby [name_u]June[/name_u] to bits, as do my hubby and I. [name_f]Polly[/name_f] has begged to pick out Junie’s outfit every day now – and I have yet to dislike her taste!

[name_f]Polly[/name_f] had a last-minute birthday party last week a few days before [name_u]June[/name_u] was born, and I overheard her tell Nuka that now her mommy needed two babies for [name_f]Cece[/name_f] and [name_f]Junie[/name_f] to play with. Oh that dear child! She hates for anyone to be left out. Here’s to hoping that she stays just as sweet now that she’s seven.

[name_f]Cece[/name_f] has been anything but left out, though. She absolutely adores her new baby sister and kisses her little pink cheeks every chance she gets. I feel so sorry for her when [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] cries, though. She looks so heartbroken and I have to reassure her that it isn’t her fault.

[name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is also so sweet to [name_u]June[/name_u], although he was a bit worried the first day that I wouldn’t have time for him. [name_m]Alas[/name_m], I’ll admit that it has been exhausting making time for all the children. However, I do my hardest, and [name_m]Alasdair[/name_m], my husband, is a great help when he is home.

[Larryisalittledog]

My kiddos are Sylvie Coraline (8), Atticus Bram “Kit” (6), Juno Lavender (4), Rowan Tadhg (3), and Olive Bernadette (1).

I have to start by introducing my sweet Sylvie. Sylvie is the best big sister to all of her siblings and she acts likea second mother to all of them despite ony being 2 years older than her secong youngest sibling Kit. Sylvie had medium length strawbery blond hair with green eyes. She loves animals and nature. Overall, Sylvie is very loving and snuggly with a strong hint of spunk. She is a third grader who is quite intelligent with straight As.
Next comes my mischievous Atticus. Kit and Rowan are partners in crime. Ever since both of them could walk, they’ve been in trouble. Kit has been caught red handed drawing on the walls, cutting his and Rowan’s hair, putting on my lipstick, and trying to sneak out in the middle of the night once again with Rowan. That being said, Kit has a sweet side. He is very patient which is a necesity when you have 4 siblings. And it appears this naughty behavior disappears when he goes to first grade. His teachers say that he is super helpful and very responsible. Kit has shaggy blond hair and blue eyes.
Then comes Juno. Juno is a little weirdo and I mean that in the best way possible. If it tells you anything, her first word was “broccoli” instead of “mama” or “dada”. When we let her dress herself she always goes all out. Once she had 2 shirts on, shorts and pants, sunglasses, a hat, a pearl necklace, different socks, and different shoes. Juno is very active and she is in soccer. Her coaches say that she is 1 of the best players. She has short red hair and big blue eyes. She is in a preschool class with Rowan. As far as academics go, she isn’t as far along a her other siblings but she is always on her best behavior at school.
I know I already spoke about him, but I need to say more about my little surprise, Rowan. We always planned on baby #4, but we didn’t expect him to come so close after Juno. They are only 11 months apart. Rowan is a handful, but he seems to make friends with everyone he meets. He is very outgoing and sociable, which is probably why. He is very compassionate. Rowan is very rough when he plays, and I feel like he always comes home from preschool with some new scrape or bump. He has already broke he arm at the young age of 3. Rowan’s mischief follows him everywhere. Probably once a week we get a call from school about his behavior. He has short, bright red hair and brown eyes.
Finally, there is my little one, Olive. Olive is very sensitive and slow to open up. It even took her a while to warm up to some of our closest family members. She almost never cries and she has slept through the night since she was a week old. She and Sylvie have had a special bond since day one. At just 18 months old, Olive is almost fully potty trained and she is already showing signs of being a prodigy. She has a light dusting of blond hair and she has green eyes like Sylvie. Definitely my easiest baby.
Our family is definitely not complete yet though. We plan on trying for #6 (and maybe last) in a few months when Olive turns 2.

[Larryisalittledog]

I am thrilled to announce our triplets, babies 6, 7, and 8. Meet Florian Freyr, Eloise Nightingale, and Margot Sunniva. We now have Sylvie, Atticus, Juno, Rowan, Olive, Florian, Eloise, and Margot.
When we decided to start trying, we decided that #6 would be our last. Imagine our surprise when at our 8 week ultrasound, they found triplets. We were going to leave the gender a surprise but we got this news, we had to find out.
We knew that they would be premature but we didn’t expect them to come at 27 weeks! They are all fighters and they all came home after 10 weeks in the NICU.
All 5 of their siblings love them so much. Sylvie always helps to feed them and she even volunteers to change them. Sometimes, Sylvie, Kit, and Juno will even watch the babies while I squeeze in a quick shower. Kit has gotten less mischievous and more responsible. He and Rowan were disapointed at first that they weren’t all boys but both of them have came around and they love their sisters and brother. Juno is very involved with the triplets and she is turning into a little mini-me. She has especially bonded with Margot. Rowan has been acting out with jealousy and he has begun to have accidents again despite being potty trained. So we have 4 babies in diapers (Olive is potty trained). That being said, he loves them and he tries to get 4 month old Florian to play tag and build legos with him. He doesn’t seem to understand that Florian can’t walk or talk yet. At first, Olive didn’t know what to think. She didn’t know why there were 3 tiny humans that cried all the time in her house. Now she sorta just ignores them.
Oh and on week 5 of their NICU stay, we bought a bigger house. We needed those 2 extra bedrooms. We now have 6. It was a very busy time and we just barely had it ready for the triplets to come home. Our sleeping arrangement is now me and my husband Evander in 1 room, Sylvie and Olive in another, then Kit in his own room, Juno and Margot in a room, Rowan on his own, and Eloise and Florian together.

[AStudyIn_Scarlet]

Oh, fun!

---

I have two daughters, and expecting one more of unknown gender in a matter of few days! [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] [name_f]Primrose[/name_f] and [name_f]Alethea[/name_f] [name_f]Emerald[/name_f] are very excited to meet the baby. They have drawn sketches and told everyone about the arrival of the baby. From their teachers to the ticket collector at the zoo, everyone knows that I am expecting. I was at a loss of baby names for the third child so I asked the kids. [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] wants to name the baby [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] or [name_u]James[/name_u], which I can consider, but [name_f]Alethea[/name_f] went the extra mile and demanded that the baby be named [name_f]Cookie[/name_f]. Well, atleast it’s unisex.

[name_f]Victoria[/name_f] is my oldest. She’s currently four and attends pre-school. She loves eating chickpeas, something she’s got from me, so I always have a can of chickpeas handy. [name_f]Alethea[/name_f] is two right now. She will start her pre-school next year. It will be great for me as I welcome a new member. I plan on getting a pet once all the children are grown, at least over seven years of age. Our family of five could not be happier (and hectic!).

As for the names, because we are on a baby name forum, I chose [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] because it has regal connotations. In [name_m]Roman[/name_m] mythology, [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] is the [name_f]Goddess[/name_f] of [name_u]Victory[/name_u]. I had also thought of [name_f]Amaryllis[/name_f] and [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] but [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] won at the end. [name_f]Primrose[/name_f] means ‘first rose’, perfect for my first girl. [name_f]Alethea[/name_f] means ‘verity, truth’. It complimented [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] nicely. [name_f]Emerald[/name_f] is a very meaningful name for me. Altogether, I could not choose a more meaningful name for either of my babies. I only hope that my third child carries their name beautifully just like their older sisters.

[Larryisalittledog]

Hey everone! I’m back for an update! The triplets are 7 months old now! I can’t believe it. Atticus turned 8 last week and Sylvie’s going to be 10 in just a month. Olive is in preschool and she is doing amazing.
To celebrate Kit’s birthday, we went on a trip to the beach. It used to be a bit easier, but now that we have 8 kids (including 3 infants), it is a big undertaking. The triplets were crawling in all directions, Rowan kept running of and he almost gave me a heart attack, and Olive had an accident on the way there. The kids did enjoy swimming and building sand castles, which Juno is a pro at. Unfortunately, we had to leave early because Florian, Eloise, and Margot began to fuss because it was their nap time. That’s just the reality of 8 kids.

[blueangel]

Hello! It’s been lovely hearing about everyone’s families!

I suppose I should start with an introductions to my kiddos. I currently have [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_f]Ramona[/name_f] (10), [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] (9), [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] [name_m]Aurelius[/name_m] and [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] (7), [name_u]Sullivan[/name_u] [name_m]Ross[/name_m] (5), [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] [name_f]Noemi[/name_f] (3), [name_f]Mara[/name_f] [name_f]Reverie[/name_f] (18 months) and we have another one who should be here in about a week!

[name_f]Juliet[/name_f] is my smart cookie. She skipped a grade and is currently about to go into middle school, which is exciting for her but terrifying for me! She is fiercely opinionated but also is very protective of all of her siblings. She loves to help out around the house and is a very good cook!

[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] is the ultimate girly girl in my house. [name_u]Ever[/name_u] since she was 2 or 3 she was adamant that she would only wear pink, purple and light blue and although she has branched out from that colour scheme her traits have stayed the same. She is very sassy and opinionated like her older sister but they are still almost polar opposites which can be difficult when they are sharing a room! She loves helping out with new babies and she’s such a friendly girl to be around!

[name_m]Reuben[/name_m] and [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] are my twinnies. They are both pretty similar, both sensitive, creative and super sweet! They love drawing and art, and they are both incredibly talented! They have basically been inseparable since the day they were born and it’s stayed that way for all of their seven years on earth.

[name_f]My[/name_f] youngest boy [name_u]Sully[/name_u] is definitely a strong personality! He is a very stereotypical boy in many ways, but like everyone, he still has his amazing quirks that make him so special! He loves sport, especially football at the moment but it changes. He also loves getting muddy and dirty in anyway, and I’m pretty sure it’s just to annoy me and his father! Although he can be a nuisance, he’s my little tyke and I love him to bits.

[name_f]Arwen[/name_f] is my little angel. From the day she was born she’s been perfect, no nonsense. She is a very sensitive girl though, and she hates getting dirty or wet. We tend to try keep [name_u]Sully[/name_u] as far away from her as we can on long car journeys because there can be some serious tantrums from [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] if you do annoy her or provoke her enough!

[name_f]Mara[/name_f] is my youngest, only 18 months at the moment, but already she takes after her brother [name_u]Sully[/name_u]. She was vaulting herself into walls from the age of about 6 months! She was and still is probably the most fearless of my kids but maybe our upcoming addition will take that crown!

I am due in a week with #8 and I’m exhausted but so excited to meet she or he!

[readingreverie]

happy to see you guys liking this thread! all the names are so lovely and i’ve really enjoyed reading the replies.

Hello everyone! I decided to quickly pop in here and introduce my children. I already have two girls, [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] (3 years, 7 months) and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Juno[/name_f] (1 year, 4 months), and currently am five months pregnant with our twin boys.

[name_f]Mina[/name_f] is my oldest, and a little dancer in the making. She loves to play in the dirt and has loved planting flowers in our garden with me recently. She has taken a liking to baking, and playing with her sister. If you hear a tiny voice singing, it’s most likely [name_f]Mina[/name_f]. Her favorite colors are pink and green, and ninety-nine percent of the time she is in a little leotard and puffy tutu. She loves playing with dolls and her sister, and has been very much in love with her since she knew I was pregnant when she was about 17 months. Over the last 3-5 months, I’ve seen her really start to form a big personality, and she is truly the sweetest soul. We have two cats, named [name_f]Tillie[/name_f] and [name_u]Basil[/name_u], whom we got when [name_f]Mina[/name_f] was about 2, and ever since she has been obsessed with them and any other animal she sees no matter how big or small. She is very opinionated and it’s the funniest thing to hear her put on her “grown up voice” when she’s explaining things to her dad and I. She is very smart, and has been so excited to start going to the international Montessori school nearby 2 days a week in the fall. The rest of her schooling will be taught from home.

[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is my little cuddle bug. She’s still quite small for her age but she makes up for that with her big personality! She’s very calm, and is content to lie in your lap all day if you allow her to, however, if she wants something she will make it known! She loves to climb around outside and inside, and has really enjoyed the slide and climber we got for the play area recently. She loves plushies, and would rather get them then a car or music toy at the store. Lately, her favorite thing has been skipping around the house with her stuffed puppy. [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] has always been very cuddly, and loves to stay inside and play by herself or with DH and I. She loves her sister so much but does occasionally get upset with her always trying to help her . She’s been very independent since she was a baby, but loves physical affection which was definitely interesting to get used to as [name_f]Mina[/name_f] was always the opposite, asking for her dad or I to help or stand by her while she tried new things, but didn’t really liked to be held or cuddled that much. Though she loves to be inside, she’s recently discovered her love for swimming and always asks to go outside and “spwish” around in the kiddy pool we bought for the girls this year. She is often found in the kitchen getting snack when the house gets quiet, and I love that she feels comfortable doing that at this age!

We originally didn’t plan to have children (certainly not at 29) and were extremely surprised when we found out I was pregnant with [name_f]Mina[/name_f], but were absolutely in love as soon as we saw her on the first scan. We had been NTBNP when we fell pregnant with [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] and were so excited that we were going to give [name_f]Mina[/name_f] a baby sibling, even though we initially thought we would wait until she was about 3 years old to start trying. For the twins, we started trying when [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] was 9 months, and were lucky to get pregnant within 2 months. With [name_f]Mina[/name_f], I did a water birth in the hospital, and though it went very well by medical standards, I wasn’t very happy with the experience, and it definitely resulted in some lingering feelings, which led me to do a water birth at home with [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. I hope to be able to do the same with the boys, but I’m not sure if that will be possible with the risks of this pregnancy, but one can hope!

How is everyone else doing? Any updates with your kids?

[cali09]

this is my new favorite thread!!

[name_m]Reading[/name_m] about everyone’s family has been lovely! I have four littles and one on the way! [name_f]My[/name_f] oldest is seven year old [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f], followed by five year old [name_f]Summer[/name_f] [name_u]Henley[/name_u], and my youngest are two year old twin boys; [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] [name_m]Hartford[/name_m] and [name_u]Brooks[/name_u] [name_u]Harlan[/name_u]. I guess I’ll start from the beginning to explain our story! [name_f]My[/name_f] husband [name_u]Baker[/name_u] and I got married about ten years ago and struggled with infertility for nearly two years. At our three year anniversary, we found out I was unexpectedly pregnant with our [name_f]Eliza[/name_f]! We were overjoyed to become parents! After struggling again to grow our family, my husband and I looked into adoption. We became foster parents and then we met [name_f]Summer[/name_f]. She was eleven months when she came to us. She stayed with us for almost a year of uncertainty until we found out she would be an official LeRoux! We adopted her when she was twenty-one months old! Eight months later we found out that Summer’s birth mom was pregnant with twin boys! We were shocked to say the least! We adopted them when they were six months old. And now, I am three months pregnant with a miracle baby boy! We are all so excited for his arrival that is approaching! Now for a little bit about each of the kids:

[name_f]Eliza[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f]

Our [name_f]Liza[/name_f] has the brightest blue eyes and thick, curly blonde hair. She could read for days without ever moving from her purple bean bag chair if we let her! [name_u]Ever[/name_u] since she was a baby, she has loved music and dancing. Now, [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] spends countless hours at the dance studio working on tricks and routines not to mention the cartwheels and pirouettes she does throughout the house! In a few weeks, summer will be over and she’ll begin the first grade where she says she hopes to make a new friend. She may seem quiet and shy but she is extremely determined to get her way and be the best at everything she does! [name_f]Liza[/name_f] is the best big sis and is so loving to her sister and brothers. [name_f]Summer[/name_f] was so timid and afraid when we first met her but [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] could instantly make her giggle! [name_f]Liza[/name_f] is fiercely protective of all her little siblings but mostly of [name_f]Summer[/name_f]. I think she is my kid who is most excited about the new baby’s arrival!

[name_f]Summer[/name_f] [name_u]Henley[/name_u]

Sums has deep brown doe eyes, straight brown hair, and a smile that lights up a room! She is so athletic and is currently loving gymnastics. She will be beginning kindergarten this year and she can’t wait to show her teacher she knows the whole alphabet and can count to one hundred! Her and [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] are truly best friends and have an extraordinary connection. She is actually quite outgoing, something that has really surprised me considering how reserved she was as a toddler! She makes friends everywhere we go and is so mature. She has a huge vocabulary and loves learning new words! She insists on naming the new baby [name_u]Adagio[/name_u], her “favorite word of all time!” She is also very close to her brothers, [name_u]Brooks[/name_u] and [name_u]Hunter[/name_u], and is very protective of them. Since she met them, she called them her babies! Her favorite color is pink and she pretty much only wears two outfits; her pink [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] dress or her neon pink jumper! She is a definitely a girly girl and loves when I style her long hair into braids.

[name_u]Hunter[/name_u] [name_m]Hartford[/name_m]

Hunty is still so little but I can already see how sensitive and caring he is. [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] will always give [name_u]Brooks[/name_u] his own toys and snacks when he can tell [name_u]Brooks[/name_u] is upset. Hunty loves animals, his favorite being dogs. He loves anything puppy-related! Clothes with puppies? [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] is probably wearing a dog themed shirt right now! Books, blankets, you name it, if it has a dog on it, [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] loves it! He has hazel eyes that just melt your heart and white-blonde hair. He is my most lovable child and asks for “smooshes” or kisses endlessly! [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] loves when [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] holds him and gives him hugs when she gets home from school! He loves when [name_f]Summer[/name_f] does handstands and he always tries to copy her! I don’t think he quite understands he and [name_u]Brooks[/name_u] won’t be the babies anymore but he loves to tell every single person we meet that his momma has a baby in her tummy!

[name_u]Brooks[/name_u] [name_u]Harlan[/name_u]

[name_u]Brooks[/name_u], usually called [name_m]Rook[/name_m], is a rough and tumble wild boy! He is the polar opposite of his sensitive and sweet brother [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] which makes them the best pair! [name_u]Brooks[/name_u] loves being in the dirt, playing with trucks, and wrestling his sisters! I think he’ll be very excited when the new baby is old enough to play with him! Although he may seem crazy and wild, he can be so loving and gentle. He once held my niece for ten minutes, in awe. That may have been the longest he’s ever been still! He has thick white-blonde hair that has gotten quite long! He also has his big sis’ big brown eyes. [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] and [name_f]Summer[/name_f] love to make him laugh. The girls perform little skits for [name_u]Brooks[/name_u] and [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] to make them giggle! [name_m]Rook[/name_m] loves anything that [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] likes and he asks to go to dance class with her everyday! He is the kid that reminds me most of myself! He seems so tough on the outside but has a sweet heart! He is very vocal that he loves the new baby and says he will be the baby’s “best brother!”

Soon enough our last little one will arrive, right around my thirty-third birthday! Our whole LeRoux clan can’t wait to meet baby number five!

~ [name_u]June[/name_u]

[readingreverie]

@cali09 your family sounds so sweet! seems like the kids are excited for their new sibling.

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[name_m]Hi[/name_m] guys! It has been a while since I last updated. Our twin boys joined us [name_u]November[/name_u] 4th, coming home after a seven day nicu stay.
Things have been pretty crazy here these past eight weeks! I can certainly say I wasn’t as ready and prepared as I thought I was to bring the boys home. There nursery wasn’t quite ready (not too much of a big deal as they sleep in the room with DH and I), we hadn’t bought presents to give to [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] from the babies to ease the transition, not all of their clothes had been washed, and we hadn’t even talked to the girls about what was happening to mumma, and why they’d have to stay at their grandparents house while their dad and I would be gone for at least a day! [name_f]My[/name_f] god even thinking about it stresses me out.
But, after a surprise labor at 33 weeks 3 days, things certainly got figured out quick! It’s been nine weeks since I gave birth and I am feeling pretty good all things considered!

the birth

[name_f]My[/name_f] water broke at 7:39 am on the 4th, and I rounded up my belongings and left for the hospital at about 9:30 am (dropping [name_f]Mina[/name_f] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] off at their grandparents on our way there). Before leaving the house, DH cooked us a quick breakfast (I wanted to eat during labor but wasn’t sure if the hospital would be very enthusiastic about a full meal), I got changed into my laboring clothes (opted out of a hospital gown) and even had time to do some quick stretches and meditate after eating. The girls did not have to be dressed, and my OH was kind enough to do anything I asked of him lol, so all I had to do was focus on the babies and myself. Something I am still extremely grateful for, as the birth felt rushed in the moment due to me being only 33 weeks. Because [name_f]Mina[/name_f] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] had still been sleeping, he simply grabbed them and transferred them to the car as I hobbled my way to the front seat. Honestly, those two hours between my water breaking and leaving home/arriving at hospital were pure bliss. I had no contractions by that point (at least not compared to the latter parts of the day), and was so excited to meet our boys, if only a bit worried that they were coming a few weeks premature.
After arriving at the hospital, I was brought into labor and delivery where my good mood gradually declined over the day. The hospital in my town was very concerned about our safety, however, did make me feel unheard for the hours leading up to the babies arrival, which was unfortunate. I was pretty much entirely aware of the fact that I would not get the water birth I had wished to have. At about 2-3 pm after five hours of not progressing, and only feeling very mild contractions, my doula arrived (she had unfortunately not been prepared to come lol), and told the staff that I would be getting in the birthing pool if they liked it or not (okay she said it nicer, but you get what I mean). At that moment I knew why she’d been requested by so many of the mums around me! She knew that even though I wouldn’t get the entirely natural, unmedicated, water birth at home that I hoped for, I would still want the same elements leading up to the birth! So I hopped in the tub, and waited for another 90 minutes, by that point, I’d been at the hospital for 6 1/2 hours (they did not want to send me home after my water had broken at 33 weeks) and the staff urged me to get an induction. Feeling backed into a corner, I had a membrane sweep at about 4:57 pm, and hopped back into the birthing tub, where I stayed for another 5 hours. The hospital staff wasn’t the best, but DH and my doula made sure that I felt seen and heard, and I was so grateful to have them there. DH had been in the birthing pool with me for several hours, and during a short bathroom break my doula took, baby a started coming on his own (well not really), my doula pushed the call button before almost immediately delivering him with DH’s assistance. The nurses came in, shocked to see me holding one of our boys. I decided I’d stay in the birthing pool for baby b’s arrival (with some resistance) and he came less than ten minutes later.
Because I had given birth at 33 weeks, my boys were whisked away immediately after their first hour (I had refused to allow them to be taken any sooner) to be tested.
From the moment I had been refused another cervical check (at about 9:30 pm) I knew I’d be switching hospitals if they needed to stay in the nicu (pretty much guaranteed with 33 weekers). So DH had been emailing our insurance provider and looking into a transfer. By the time their test results were in, and we knew they’d need to stay in the nicu (though they had no breathing problems and had ate within that golden hour) we had been approved for a transfer to the nearest hospital, the one I would have preferred to go to from the start.
The boys stayed in the nicu for seven days, before both coming home on [name_u]November[/name_u] 11th, to their older sisters, and cat siblings.

the birth: tldr

The whole experience was very emotionally exhausting, but thanks to my OH and doula, along with a last minute hospital switch, I was able to stay strong throughout the process.

[name_u]Francis[/name_u] [name_u]Lou[/name_u] and [name_u]Robin[/name_u] [name_u]Kit[/name_u] (9 weeks 1 day) met their sisters [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] (3 years 11 months) [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Juno[/name_f] (1 year 9 months) after coming home from a week long nicu stay on [name_u]November[/name_u] 11.

[name_f]Mina[/name_f] adjusted really well to the boys’ arrival. She of course had experience with [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], but I was expecting something a bit more grand I guess! I think she was just slightly concerned with all the noises [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] and [name_u]Kit[/name_u] make while eating, and was a little shocked to see that mummy was actually having two babies who were both boys. She started going to the Montessori school in mid-September twice a week and though she was a bit worried about the potential of sharing her food with other kids (not sure where she came up with the idea that she’d be obligated to share her lunch and snacks?) she loved it as soon as she started. I think she has missed spending time with her dad though, because she’s been extra clingy on the nights she comes home from school (usually Tuesdays and Thursdays, besides one week a month where she goes [name_f]Monday[/name_f] and Wednesday). She still very much enjoys learning at home though, which was exciting for me because I’d been having fun homeschooling her and was hoping to continue it. The only things that were a bit hard for her these past few months were not having mumma readily available to come watch her play outside (having to carry two babies outside to nurse is difficult, but I always do it when babies are in the wrap!), not being able to garden (I swear she’s been in mourning for the flowers that died over the fall and winter), and the biggest one, dealing with her grandparents going back home. [name_f]My[/name_f] mum and dad live in a different country from us. When I gave birth to the twins, my mum came to us to help with the kids (my dad could not get off work for that long), and when Mina’s school let out for winter/Christmas break, my dad joined her. So, her grandma had been staying with us for two months, and he grandpa for one, and she found it really sad and hard to see them leave. Other than that, she’s been having a good time planing outside in the snow, and loves winter. She goes back to school in a little less than three weeks, and I’m quite curious to see how it goes!

[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] has had a difficult time adjusting to the babies. She is young, and was the youngest, so it’s to be expected, but I am a little overwhelmed with her right now. She had been sleeping consistently through the night since she was about 6-7 months, and had still been taking her nap during the afternoon (she took two as a little baby), but in the beginning few weeks, she’d wake up three times a night asking for DH and I, and has refused to take any nap throughout the day. I’m aware that she’d have eventually weaned off her nap through time, but I also know that she’s not getting the sleep she needs. She has always been very cuddly, and has found it extremely upsetting that I can’t always hold her. DH holds her whenever I can’t (within reason), and if I’m not holding the boys, I’m holding her. It just feels like I can’t get a break! I just feel like nothing I do is satisfying [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]. I thought the little gift we got her “from the babies” (a stuffed puppy, and a stuffed giraffe plush) would help, but it did not, and now she wants nothing to do with the toys or babies. Gah!! I keep having to remind myself that it’s all natural and she is just showing us what she needs but it’s hard!
Anyways, as the babies are sleeping more, and eating less often, I think we are getting through this rough patch! Hoping the end of it is near, but I am still trying to soak it up.

[readingreverie]

@cali09 Has your last LO arrived yet?
@blueangel How about you?

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I think the last time I updated you all I had just given birth to the twins, wow has it been a while!
Lots has been going on since then. I posted in another thread when I found out, and again when I was 27 weeks, but we just recently welcomed our last little girl, whom we named Alma Bea. K and I’s other children are Minerva Sophie (5), Eleanor Juno (3), and twin boys Francis Lou and Robin Kit (18 months).
We found out I was pregnant with Alma when the boys were 9 months old, and needless to say we were surprised. My pregnancy with her was physically very easy, but mentally it was kind of tough, just because of the fear I had of having another kid so close in age to the twins. But hey, I’d done it with Eleanor and the boys, why couldn’t I do it again!
Alma was born on June 23 at 38 weeks 1 day, weighing 6 lbs 3 oz and was 19 inches long, making her my second largest baby! She arrived at 3:55 pm after 12 hours and the most perfect home birth I could’ve asked for.

Alma Bea's birthday

We checked off nearly every box in my perfect birth plan besides two, one of which being her making it to at least 39 weeks, and the other being having my kids there. Obviously the 39 week mark wasn’t going to be very likely (my other kids were born at 37 weeks, 37 weeks, and 33 weeks respectively, so my doctors didn’t expect me to make it any longer than that, even 38 weeks was a very pleasant and welcomed surprise), however I was surprised that when the time came to have Alma, I decided that it was overwhelming to have all four kids there and chose to have their grandparents come get them instead!
Another thing I was surprised about was the fact that we ended up changing her name! We went into the birth with three names, Silvia/Sylvia which we both loved, Sybil which K loved, and Alma which I loved, all of which would have the middle name Bea. Shortly after she was born K asked me if I’d decided on a name. Feeling pressure to pick one, I chose Sylvia and announced it to him, my doula, and midwife. It was a sweet moment, K looked very happy with my choice, and both my midwife and doula clapped before complementing us on the name. Immediately after, I felt like I chose wrong, but decided to chalk it up to labor hormones and continue on using it. After writing the name down in a draft of a message to my parents (which I then decided to delete and tell them over facetime), I realized I didn’t like the way Sylvie or Sylvia looked. So then I tried Silvia and Silvie. It kept reminding me of silver and saliva! So I broke into tears. Obviously the most natural and productive response!
K came up to me concerned as to why I was crying, and I looked down to the baby and back up to him and shouted, “That’s not her name! She’s not a Sylvia!” as if I was Rachel from friends. He then said, “That’s okay, it’s okay.” like the supportive man he is I then exclaimed, “I’m sorry, she’s not a Sybil either! I tried to love it for you, but I just can’t!” he chuckled saying, “It’s okay!” Starting to cry again, I shouted, “She’s an Alma, I’m sorry she’s an Alma! I know you hate it, but she’s got to be an Alma!” Of course he doubled over in laughter, “I never have said I hated Alma! I love it, and you’re right she’s an Alma, how could she be anything different.” Apparently that wasn’t good enough for me because I continuously asked him if he was sure about Alma After he reassured me for the umpteenth time, we told the doula & midwife again before calling my parents to tell them that little Alma had been born! They were in the airport waiting for their connecting flight when I called them, and originally thought it was me checking in to ask where they were, when I told them I had a surprise they shouted “Oh my god, you’re in labor!” And then I panned the camera down to Alma sleeping on my chest and I could hear them gasp before screaming “SHE’S SO PERFECT!” I guess my parents aren’t worried about people judging them By this point it was about 6:00 pm and we decided that since the kids had probably just finished eating dinner, it’d be a good time to call them with the news. We facetimed K’s mum and told her to leave the room before telling her the news, which she then relayed to K’s dad. And then one by one, we had the kids go into another room with the phone and told them their little sister had been born.
It was one of the sweetest things to see their faces light up at the news. Mina jumped around and we heard her little giggle before she asked, “What’s her name” we told her and she beamed before saying “I was rooting for Alma! I just knew you were going to pick it!” in that moment, I was more sure about my choice to change her name to Alma than ever before. Eleanor was surprised to hear that the baby had been born, and when I told her that she could come see the baby in two days she was clearly very excited, something which I was eternally grateful for because of how difficult the transition with the twins was for her. Frankie and Robin didn’t quite know what I was saying but when I told them that there wasn’t a baby in Mumma’s tummy anymore, they seemed happy.
The next day my mum and dad arrived to our house, and were very pleased to see the baby. They hadn’t ever been the first ones to visit after any of our babies and I think they secretly felt very proud to be the first ones this time. It was all a very surreal and special moment for us. The day after my MIL and FIL brought the kids back home and stayed to visit as well. Mina was absolutely in awe of baby Alma and was quite happy to have predicted her name right. Surprisingly Eleanor was very excited too! She asked to hold her almost immediately and as soon as Alma finished eating we let her do so (obviously with K’s help). The twins were slightly weary about the baby, Robin especially, but warmed up quickly to her. Francis was very keen on petting her little head and pointing to her hair, and Robin kept his distance, but I could tell that he would look over and smile at her every so often. I was definitely not surprised by this, as Robin has always been very shy and timid, where as Frankie quickly warms up to people and things.

I am so glad that the kids have enjoyed her so much, as it’s definitely made some of my anxieties lessen.
Mina has been doing very well lately! She is currently enrolled in ballet lessons which she goes to twice a week (Monday and Friday), and has been continuing going to the international Montessori school nearby twice a week as well (Tuesday and Thursdays most weeks, Monday and Wednesday once a month). She is still being taught from home and we’ve really seen her flourish these past four months. She enjoys gardening, and despite the fact that I can’t do it with her much this year (I was heavily pregnant when it was time to plant things, and this past month have had a newborn to care for) she’s found ways to have fun in the garden. K has been learning to garden alongside her and she loves that time with him! One of her most prized possessions at this moment is her beta fish that she got as a present “from” Alma. She’d been begging for a fish for nearly three months, and when Alma was born, we decided to get her one for her present from Alma. She quickly asked what it’s name was and became very excited when we told her that he didn’t have one and she could pick it out. She picked Clover which I think is absolutely adorable!
Eleanor starts going to the Montessori school this September, and we’ve decided to only have her go once a week for the time being. She isn’t as school focused as Mina was at her age, so we decided to ease her into the transition a little bit more. For the past six months, we’ve been teaching her more at home and she has “school days” with us twice a week. She hasn’t shown much interest in learning up until recently, and I was surprised one day when she woke up and told me that she wanted to do school with Mina. She’s definitely had an easier transition with Alma than she had with Francis and Robin, which I had worried would have been hard again this time. She still loves animals, and was very happy to hear that we were getting another cat seven months ago. For her present from Alma, we got her a plush cat that looks like our new kitty Moss because she had been very sad to find that we weren’t able to take Moss with us everywhere we went! Mina helped her name the toy and together they picked Toad which I thought was pretty funny. She’s been attached to that stuffed animal ever since and takes it with her everywhere.
Francis and Robin have also been doing extremely well. I was a little worried that they wouldn’t adjust to Alma well, but I knew pretty much from the moment they met that they’d all be best buddies! The boys are so smart, Frankie loves meeting new people and counting, and Robin loves hanging out with me and reading. While they are very similar in certain ways, they also can be very different. Francis is extroverted and loves to play outside independently, while Robin is introverted and is definitely a home body. Frankie got a little counting board from Alma, and Robin got a book from her. They seemed to really enjoy them!
Things have been very hectic around here lately, and with five kids there’s never any down time! I wouldn’t change it for the world though. Juggling two strollers, diaper bags, a five year old, three toddlers, and a newborn baby is as hard as you can imagine, so even going to the store is a task in itself. We just recently took the kids to a water park and boy was it chaotic! We were prepared and smart enough to bust out the w4 stroller wagon for the first time and were pleasantly surprised! Though I wore Alma in our wrap for most of the time, I still brought the stroller for her which we did end up using towards the end of the day when I decided to swap places with K and get in the water. By the time we were heading home, every kid was asleep in their stroller seat!
I don’t know how you guys with more kids than me are doing it!
I hope everything is well with you all, xx.

ETA - I forgot to share, we’d been looking for a new house since the boys were six months as we felt we had grown out of ours. Shortly before finding out I was having Alma we bought a new home and moved into it when I was two months along! It has six bedrooms so everyone will eventually get their own room, but for the moment Mina has her own room, Eleanor has her own room, and Francis and Robin are sharing a room. Of course K and I have our own room as well. One of the spare rooms is acting as a guest bedroom, and the other is like a storage room lol. Here’s some photos of what the rooms look like, we redid them when I was six months pregnant so I’m pretty happy with them!

The rooms!

Mina’s Room:

Eleanor’s Room:

Francis & Robins’ Room:

Alma’s Nursery (she’ll continue to sleep with us for at least nine more months):

[blueangel]

@readingreverie

@blueangel How about you?

yes!

gracie rowena joined her siblings on may 15th 2022! the girls, especially leo, were thrilled to have another sister, but the boys (especially sull) were a little disappointed but still very pleased with their new baby sister! my birth wasn’t as planned but still better than what your birth with the boys sounded! gracie stayed in the nicu for 12 days due to some feeding and breathing problems, and we were very relieved when we were finally allowed to bring her home.

leonie has definitely taken a shine to gracie, and i have an instinct gracie is going to take after leonie with the girly girl traits. she looks very like DH, Jules and Arwen did as babies at the moment

the birth

anyway ill now go on about my birth story. shortly after i updated you guys on may 14th i began to feel quite intense contractions which were vaguely close together though i brushed them off as braxton hicks as at that point i was 36 weeks and had been suffering from them for weeks on and off. i went to bed but couldn’t get to sleep so i went downstairs and walked around for a bit. all my kids were sleeping through the night so no one was awake. the contractions came back, a little stronger this time but also in a wave which stopped eventually. i went back up to bed and slept for around 2 hours until 3am when i woke up in a lot of pain. almost as soon as i stood up my waters broke so i woke up DH and he drove me to the hospital while my sister stayed with the kids. since my waters had broken and because of the pain i was in i expected things to move quickly, but no the goddesses of mothers had it against me. the nurses weren’t very supportive in general but they were wonderful at their job so that’s something. i wasn’t progressing by 10am at my waters had broken at 3am so they became a little concerned with what was happening. the pain was worse than any of my other births so i was very concerned at this point. but at 12pm i began progressing and by 1 I was ready to push. although she took 2 hours of pushing, i was relieved she had made it by 3pm, 24 hours after my waters broke

anyway, at this point im not even shocked that there’s another one on the way now. ive decided that 9 kids is enough, and this one will be my last. all my kids and dh are praying for a boy but im just hoping for another one that’s happy and healthy. i am as always very excited, and my 20 week ultrasound is soon and me and DH have decided to find out the gender this time which we haven’t done since the twins! so that will be fun! anyway, ill check in soon, bye for now

[readingreverie]

@blueangel [name_m]Ah[/name_m], congrats! [name_f]Gracie[/name_f] [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] is such a darling combo, and fits in with your other littles so well. How exciting! I feel the same, it’s like the babies keep coming haha! It’s always a back-and-forth of K and I deciding if we should find out the sex or not! We’ve found out all of the kids so far. I was much easier to decide with our twins, because so much was unknown and I felt like I would be more prepared and connected to them if we found out. [name_f]My[/name_f] first two were girls, and we found out with [name_u]Mina[/name_u] ASAP as she was a surprise and we figured it’d help us get a little more excited, because boy were we nervous! With [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], it took a few days to decide! We found out with [name_u]Alma[/name_u] for very similar reasoning to [name_u]Mina[/name_u]. She was also a surprise and we thought we were done (for the time being), we already had four under four, two of whom where only nine months at the time, so it definitely took some getting used to, as I only pictured us having four! Have you gotten the results yet?

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I feel like I have big news every time I come back here! [name_f]Lovely[/name_f] little [name_u]Alma[/name_u] is now 13 months old, and frankly has been doing amazing! I’d say she is our second easiest baby (Mina was probably the easiest, I also had no other littles!). She sleeps perfectly, and has been doing so for about 9 months!
It feels like we’ve had so many birthdays and holidays lately! We actually do celebrate [name_u]Christmas[/name_u], and then we had Mina’s 6th birthday party in [name_u]January[/name_u], my oldest daughters both had little Valentine’s day parties at school in [name_u]February[/name_u], and K’s birthday was in [name_u]March[/name_u], then it’s [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] in [name_f]April[/name_f], me in [name_f]May[/name_f], and [name_u]Alma[/name_u] in [name_u]June[/name_u]! The boys’ birthday is in [name_u]November[/name_u], so we have about 3 months until then, and then the cycle repeats!
We celebrated Alma’s first birthday in [name_u]June[/name_u] and boy was it bittersweet! I may have cried…okay, I cried a lot! But, it’s sad seeing them grow up so quickly, especially when it’s your youngest! I felt like the baby stage was over for good!
HAH, I guess my emotions were for a good reason though, and I didn’t have to worry about the baby stage being over, because on [name_u]June[/name_u] 27, I found out we’re having another!!
It’s absolute madness at our house! And I am so excited! This is probably the most excited I’ve ever been! I’m 15 weeks 1 day today, putting my EDD at about [name_u]February[/name_u] 11th!
We haven’t announced yet to our family (K knows, I’ve told [name_u]Alma[/name_u] because she won’t tell lol, my Mum and Dad know, as well as my MIL & FIL, I think my sister suspects, and the same friends who learned we were having [name_u]Mina[/name_u] first about 7 years ago always suspiciously have a tinkering as well ), but we are thinking about waiting until fall to share the good news! Maybe even Thanksgiving to announce on social media? I’d be 30 weeks by then, so no telling if I’ll even be able to keep the secret till then! Fall is even pushing it haha! I’ll be hoping I can wait until Halloween to announce it at least! With [name_u]Mina[/name_u] I didn’t show much, but it was also sweater season in the latter months as she was a [name_u]January[/name_u] baby, so I didn’t have too much of a hard time hiding it until we announced at 24 weeks! People seemed shocked. With [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] we announced at 20 weeks because I had popped a bit earlier and was tired of people asking when we were gonna have another baby, like “I’m cooking one right here ma’am! Don’t you worry!” We told people about the twins if they asked, but didn’t formally talk about it until we were 14 weeks as we were worried about complications! We would’ve waited longer, but it was hard to keep lying as a few close friends/family members knew about us trying, plus I had gotten so big! We kept [name_u]Alma[/name_u] a secret for as long as possible which lasted until about 19 weeks! I know I’ll be able to last 6 more weeks, so fingers are crossed I don’t pop until [name_u]October[/name_u] 1!
We are pretty much decided that this will be our last. Six is enough for DH, six is enough for me. [name_u]Or[/name_u] that’s what I keep telling myself. I know deep down that I will probably want another, but I keep telling myself “No you won’t” in hopes of it manifesting! I just love the baby stages so much, and they get easier (and more fun) the older they get!
I think it’s especially hard, because we didn’t plan on having kids, so when we had [name_u]Mina[/name_u] it opened up a whole can of baby worms that we hadn’t acknowledged before. It’s definitely weird going from wanting zero to wanting six (or even seven ), but I almost wonder if that’s what I keep hoping for? By technical terms, the only pregnancy of ours that has been planned was the twins, and I think every time I think about our family coming to an end I remember about all of our girls and what lovely surprises they are, and I’m just like…well maybe there will be another surprise! It’s hard to see my family being at a standstill in the baby category! I don’t know, I can’t see it ending.
Anyways, I think this is the first time several of my kids will actually be aware about the baby coming and how the process works. In the past [name_u]Mina[/name_u] has known, but the rest were too young to ask questions about the wait and how the pregnancy works. [name_u]Mina[/name_u] is 6 now and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is 4, so I think when the time comes to tell them, I’ll probably be answering a lot of questions!
I think the only thing making me anxious is how my family will react (we already get some stares for having five kids, three of whom are under three), and how [name_u]Mina[/name_u] is going to interact with the baby this time around, since they will be probably 7 years apart. It’s obviously the biggest age gap we will have so far, so it’s a little nerve-wracking, but nothing we can’t handle! I’m crossing my fingers that it will go well because she loves babies so much…you can never know though!
For our other children, we did the NIPT and found out their sex at about 13-ish weeks (if that), but we’ve decided to at least wait until the anatomy scan at 20 weeks this time. We’ll see then if we want to find out or not! So we’re team green for now. It’s nice to not be worried about having the wrong items for baby as well! We have several strollers (a w4 stroller wagon, a contours element convertible stroller, and a basic convertible stroller), all the clothes (though we probably will buy a few new things), blankets, diapers, toys, everything! I think this is the most prepared I’ve ever been!
For now I’m relaxing at home as much as I can, and planning our announcement and Halloween costumes, which is always fun!

[A.B.Galaxy]

Hello everyone! It’s been so nice reading about all of your families. And congratulations on your coming little ones @readingreverie and @blueangel

[name_f]My[/name_f] kiddos are [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] [name_u]August[/name_u] and [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] [name_u]Arden[/name_u] (2 years, 5 months). [name_f]My[/name_f] husband and I were elated when we found out we were having a child on our four year anniversary. Later we were surprised to find out it was twins. Now we have another kid on the way and I’m 33 weeks pregnant so they should be here soon! We’ve decided not to find out the gender so I’m excited to see if we’ll have a boy or a girl. [name_u]Romy[/name_u] is upset I can’t pick her up anymore but is generally happy about the baby. [name_u]Nat[/name_u] seems pretty neutral about having a sibling but he loved helping decorate the nursery so that was adorable.

[name_u]Romy[/name_u] already has a big personality in that little body of hers. She gives the biggest hugs and seems to jump from activity to activity in the blink of an eye. Right now her favorite things to do are coloring, reading, and swimming. She loves to sing along to her favorite movies; Sound of [name_f]Music[/name_f], [name_m]Sing[/name_m] & [name_m]Sing[/name_m] 2, The Jungle Book, and Trolls & Trolls 2. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband often jokes that we should just mute the movies when the songs come on as [name_u]Romy[/name_u] will never not sing with them. Sometimes I think [name_u]Romy[/name_u] might be the most stubborn 2 year old ever and we had some trouble with that until we learned how to redirect her attentions to something else. She loves her brother dearly and enjoys reading to him. The two are very close and I’m thankful for that. [name_u]Nat[/name_u] is much quieter than his twin but he’s definitely a thinker. He’s very curious and is always asking questions about things. He spends a lot of time outside and quite frequently asks me to come look at a bug he’s found. I think it’s great how interested he is in nature. [name_u]Nat[/name_u] is a sensitive little man and hates it when his sister, dad, or me aren’t feeling our best. He’s always there to give us a hug or a big sloppy kiss. [name_u]Nat[/name_u] is definitely my cuddle bug and will contentedly snuggle up beside me while I’m working. I imagine as he gets older he’ll stop liking that so much though.

[name_u]Nat[/name_u] and [name_u]Romy[/name_u] started at the nearby Montessori school a couple weeks ago. They go once a week now and are really enjoying it. I’ve already noticed how [name_u]Romy[/name_u] leans toward books and [name_u]Nat[/name_u] tends to like math. I’ll enjoy seeing if that changes or if those continue being their favorites!

[readingreverie]

@A.B.Galaxy Aww, your little [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] reminds me of both my [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] and [name_u]Robin[/name_u]! [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] loves cuddles and always has, and Robin’s been shy and reserved since he was a newborn! It’s funny to see their personalities change overtime, but it’s even more funny to see them stay the same. Eleanor’s always been attached to my hip, and [name_u]Robin[/name_u] has always only wanted to stay with DH and I! I too have twins who are opposite! [name_u]Francis[/name_u] and [name_u]Robin[/name_u] are twins, and [name_u]Frankie[/name_u] is always saying hi to new people and bouncing off the walls. It’s like they are yin and yang! They definitely balance each other out.

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We went to our 20 week scan expecting to find out the gender, but ultimately decided against it! It’s been about 5 weeks now and time has flown by! I’m sure we made the right decision to wait this time, but it’s weird not knowing! I’ve found out for all of my other kids, so I’m preparing mentally for the next 15 weeks!
We finally told our closest family members and friends at 23 weeks, the second longest we kept any of our pregnancies a secret. They all seemed shocked, if not apprehensive. I think it’s because we already have five or because they’ll all be pretty close in age. We took a letter board, and put “We’re adding another little pumpkin to our patch!”, along with a onesie that had a little pumpkin on it, and printed those photos out. Luckily we were able to hand deliver them and see the reactions!
[name_u]Mina[/name_u] has been super helpful lately! She loves cleaning (I don’t know where she got that trait from!), and frequently asks to help me when I’m vacuuming or wiping the counters. She’s really excited about the new baby, which we we’re definitely happy about. She keeps asking if she can pick out clothes for the baby, and I’ve had a hard time resisting. This little one already has so many new clothes! I have had to hold myself back a few times though! She made me promise that she’d get to pick out the fifth outfit the baby wears. She continues to go to ballet practice, but she has started to go once a week instead of twice. I think she will probably decide to stop that soon! I’ve noticed she’s not as excited to go to her lessons, and have had a conversation about it with her. She said that she’ll “think about saying bye” the next time she goes, which is [name_m]Friday[/name_m]. We’ll see if that actually happens!
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] has started asking about the baby this past week. She wants to know what they are doing at every moment of the day! “Is the baby dancing, now?” she asks about every hour! If I say no she tells me, “Well maybe you should get up and listen to some music! I think the baby wants to dance right now.” She has started to have an interest in yoga, I think because she sees me do it everyday while the littles are down for their nap. She has asked several times if she can have her own yoga videos on the TV, so she will try mine for a while and then I play one suited more for her age! She seems to really enjoy it.
[name_u]Francis[/name_u] has been extra outgoing lately, contrasting with his twin even more now! At nearly three years old, he starts conversations with strangers in the grocery store, and loves to ask people if they like dogs - his favorite topic to talk about. Big dogs or small dogs? Running dogs or sleeping dogs? Dogs who sit or dogs who shake? You have a question about dogs, he’s probably already asked it. When K gets home from work, he always asks about his day, and makes sure he took a break to eat lunch. I’m telling you, that boy doesn’t miss a beat!
[name_u]Robin[/name_u] is still my little introvert. He’s attached to me whenever we go out as a family, and definitely gets overwhelmed by big crowds. It can be sad at times to see, I can tell when he has a hard time interacting with the other kids at a playdate or birthday party. We’ve been working on it at home, and introducing him to phrases he can say to start a conversation, “Hi, I’m [name_u]Robin[/name_u]! What’s your name?” obviously he is a little young to be having full conversations, but it’s nice for him to learn these things. He frequently communicates to us using sign language (we’ve taught our kids basic signs since they were about 6 months, most of them can carry on a full conversation using sign language), and I’ve noticed him falling back on it when he’s overstimulated. We are working towards getting him into therapy at the moment, because he’s shown several symptoms of anxiety disorder (not wanting to get "messy’, disliking going outside in the rain, always making sure to tuck in his chairs, close doors, turn off lights, etc, asking to sleep in our bed, not wanting to be without either K or I). We brought those up to our pediatrician, and she referred us to a lovely child psychiatrist, we are now waiting on a call for our appointment date with her. [name_u]Robin[/name_u] has been so into dolls lately! He loves playing house, and always asks to do so with his older siblings. Nearly every time we go to the store and let them get a toy he gets a doll.
[name_u]Alma[/name_u] is still a little sleepy girl! She loves to hang out alone, and babbles to herself loads. She still takes two naps a day, and when she’s not sleeping she’s singing and playing with cars. She’s content to hang by herself, but if she’s not playing alone, she’s playing with [name_u]Francis[/name_u]! She loves her grandpa and is content to be held by him all day!
I can’t wait to see these kids grow even more! It’s always been so enjoyable to see them flourish more and more each day, and I feel so lucky to spend all my time with them.

[readingreverie]

Let’s just pretend like I finished the post series for the family above. I intended to wrote posts for the rest of the kids (the whole family was supposed to be [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] [name_f]Sophie[/name_f], [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_u]Juno[/name_u], [name_u]Francis[/name_u] [name_u]Lou[/name_u], [name_u]Robin[/name_u] [name_u]Kit[/name_u], [name_u]Alma[/name_u] [name_f]Bea[/name_f], [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] [name_u]Reid[/name_u], [name_f]Silvia[/name_f] [name_f]Maude[/name_f], and [name_u]Henry[/name_u] October) but I got lazy

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We just welcomed our second boy, a few weeks ago, officially making us a family of six! [name_f]My[/name_f] two wonderful girls are [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] [name_u]Sorrel[/name_u] [name_f]Maude[/name_f] (4.5) and [name_f]Morwenna[/name_f] [name_f]Ingrid[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] (3), and my sweet boys are [name_m]Azriel[/name_m] [name_u]October[/name_u] [name_m]Hart[/name_m] (1.5) and [name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] [name_m]Cassian[/name_m] [name_u]Reid[/name_u] (3 weeks).

[name_f]Ida[/name_f] is my little mischievous girl. She loves to get dirty, and frequently can be found making messes in the kitchen, of course not intentionally. Her main interest has been cars ever since she was 3! I wouldn’t be surprised if she grows up to be a race car driver! She’s very enthusiastic about the things she loves, and one of those things is food! Her favorite is carrots and she’s constantly asking for me to pack them when we go on walks which can be super funny at times. [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] is very serious most of the time, but she has a great sense of humor and can make anyone laugh!

[name_u]Gwyn[/name_u] is my cuddle bug, she would love to be held and hugged all day! [name_u]Ever[/name_u] since she was a baby she’s been attached to my hip. She loves reading and being read to and will frequently bring me a book and sit with me while I read to her. Her favorite animals are sloths, and she has a huge collection of sloth plushies! [name_f]Morwenna[/name_f] is my most introverted child, but she definitely loves everyone lots!

[name_m]Azriel[/name_m] is my talkative one, always has been and probably always will be! He started talking at seven months and hasn’t stopped since! Az loves talking to strangers in the store, and will strike up a conversation with anyone! He’s always been super giggly and loves to make his siblings laugh.

[name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] has been an absolute dream since birth! He is a wonderful sleeper and doesn’t cry much. He’s grown so much in the last three weeks and because he’s our last little guy, I’ve been trying to soak it all in! It’s definitely very bittersweet.

[prairierose]

I just found this thread and enjoy reading about everyone’s families, so here’s mine

Now to present my household! [name_f]My[/name_f] little tots are [name_m]Enzo[/name_m] [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] (9) [name_u]Theo[/name_u] [name_u]August[/name_u] (7) [name_f]Flora[/name_f] [name_u]Reese[/name_u] (5) [name_f]Ella[/name_f] [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] (3.5) [name_u]Kitty[/name_u] [name_f]Alexandria[/name_f] (3.5)

[name_m]Enzo[/name_m] is by far the most cooperative when it comes to his schoolwork. He loves history and could read for hours on end, just like his mami. He loves exploring the forest, surrounding our house, with [name_u]Theo[/name_u]. They always come back with their buckets full of rocks, moss, twigs, and various other ’ finds of the century ’ as [name_m]Enzo[/name_m] says proudly when he shows me a blue-ish stone. For his 9th birthday, his Father and I decided to buy him a carving knife, which he accepted with screams of joy. He has partly carved his favorite verse, Philippians 4:13, into a small log that we’ll hang on his bedroom wall once it’s finished. He resembles me with his pitch-black hair, but has his father’s hazel-green eyes.

[name_u]Theo[/name_u] is a farm boy!! He enjoys herding our sheep and chickens into their stalls and holding the little lambs. Sometimes, my Hubby will take him to the barn and let [name_u]Theo[/name_u] help milk the cows. He can be mischievous, but he loves to help me make bread and water our garden. He’s taken to drawing!! Watercolors, more specifically, he’s started drawing his lamb, Bash. The hard part, as he tells me, ’ is trying to get Bash to stay still, so he can stop chasing him with his art easel and paints!!’ I just watch him from the kitchen window, yelling at Bash, waving his paintbrush at him, while getting paint on himself. His dirty blonde hair flying in the wind and his brown eyes full of frustration.

[name_f]Flora[/name_f] [name_u]Reese[/name_u] is my little sunshine!! She has my same baby song, ’ A Sunbeam.’ She loves helping me in the garden picking weeds, in the kitchen cooking dinner, and entertaining the twins, while I teach [name_m]Enzo[/name_m] or [name_u]Theo[/name_u]. She loves sewing dresses for her doll, [name_f]Mayflower[/name_f], and hemming the twin’s nightgowns. She loves cuddling newborn chicks and lambs. Once she begged me to take her into town to purchase white fabric to make her a dress like [name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_u]Bo[/name_u] Peep. Her daddy even bought her a shepherd’s staff and a bonnet with a pink bow. When she wears her outfit, her long black hair falls down her shoulders and her big blue eyes make sure no sheep go astray. It’s so cute to watch!!

The twins, [name_f]Ella[/name_f] [name_u]Marie[/name_u] and [name_u]Kitty[/name_u] [name_f]Alexa[/name_f], as we call them for short, are little sweethearts!! They are just now learning to grab the door knobs and open every cabinet they can find!! Though they are nosy, they’re mostly quiet little girls, which allows me to do more household chores without having to pause because one of them is screaming. [name_f]Ella[/name_f] mostly clings to [name_m]Enzo[/name_m], while [name_u]Kitty[/name_u] is super glued to Flora!! I recently made them matching nightgowns and booties, they were absolutely adorable!! During school time, they seemed interested in what the older ones were doing, so I took them aside when it was reading time and started showing them foam shapes and letters. Their names are small enough to where I spell them and they look for matching letters to spell their names next to mine. But eventually, [name_f]Ella[/name_f] gets done before [name_u]Kitty[/name_u] and she tries to help her, but [name_u]Kitty[/name_u] likes doing things by herself and pushes [name_f]Ella[/name_f] away, which results in World War 3 They calm down in a few minutes after being in isolation in their cribs and put themselves to sleep. They resemble [name_m]Enzo[/name_m] with their black hair and green eyes.