My three

Life in our home seems to be finding a new normal:

• Abigail is still sleeping like a champ! Through the night every night without fail. She is going down about an hour after the boys at night and doesn't stir until 6am. She is doing 5-6 feeds a day of formula (about 4-6 ounces per feed.) She is also very adamant about how she feels. If it is time to eat, she cries. And if she doesn't want more to eat and you give her the bottle, she will cry -- hard. She dislikes tummy time greatly. She is smiling at people like crazy. And she is still napping between nearly every feed. I forgot how much babies sleep! She loves to be held and will fall asleep in my arms -- something neither of my boys were big fans of. At night however, she just wants to be put down and gets upset if she is being held. She wants her swaddle and her bed. She is also now a fan of the pacifier.
• Isaac & Eiljah are not sleeping as good as their little sister. They are going to bed about 7:30pm but stalling like crazy -- especially Isaac. They are also coming into our room 3-5 times a night to go potty! How do you tell a 2 or 3 year old that they don't need to go to the bathroom when they are telling you they do? We are trying to encourage them to wait until the sun comes up but right now they are getting up frequently despite cutting off liquids at dinner time. I think they wake up, wake their brother up, and then decide they need to go to the bathroom even if they only have to go a little bit. It makes for a long night, that's for sure. Outside of the night time issues, they are doing wonderfully. They truly are best buddies. They play together all the time and we love to listen to them imagine together. They got a barn and little people house from cousins Grace and Nate as hand-me-downs, and we crack up because they don't put their people in the houses but their cars. They love their cars, love their bikes, and love each other. The fighting between the two of them is much less than I imagined it being at this age. They love to help me feed Scrubs and empty the silverware from the dishwasher. They are taking off their own shoes and socks and even putting on their shoes a bit too.
• Veronica has been taking weekends nearly completely off (for her own sanity) and helping me from early morning until bedtime each work day (with breaks for working out or hanging out). She will be here until March, and it is hard to imagine not having her in our home. She is pure joy. She acts just like one of the family and truly, there is never any awkward times having her here. I think that early on JB and I decided we would not edit our conversations in front of Veronica. We would proceed as we always have. And that has helped tremendously. She is just one of us and is such a huge help to our family. The boys love her like crazy. They don't even blink when I leave them with "Er-onica." And while Veronica hasn't been around little babies much before, she has totally figured out how to handle Abigail and is completely smitten by her. Oh and this week, we finally got Veronica's residency permit (thanks to our friend Rana). So now she is officially a Turkish resident and no longer needs a visa to be here.
• Scrubs has seemed to accept the fact that he has dropped even farther down on the todem pole as well. He is unbelievably fantastic with the kids and completely understands how to be gentle at all times. He loves to play Frisbee outside any chance we get, and is always excited when our gardener accidentally leaves the back gate open so that he can go off on a little adventure and be returned by a neighbor at some point in the future. He is definitely protective of his family. Strange men get barked at quite a bit -- especially when they come into the house. But once they visit a few times, they are accepted into the pack easily. He still follows me everywhere I go all day long and willingly lets the boys drag him around by the collar as they get older and are bossing him around too.
• John is excited to have a bit of a garden going in the back yard. He enjoys seeing patients but doesn't enjoy all the paperwork that accompanies working for the government. I can't tell you how many people stop me on Base to tell me that John is their doctor and how much they love his attentive and caring spirit. This makes me so proud! His blog, cooking, and spending time with his boys are the other things on the top of his hobby list. John has been incredibly loving and patient during some difficult months for me. And he is the mot amazing father you have ever seen. He loves his kids so much!
• Wendi is doing better and better. I definitely don't feel 100% right now but the depression has left nearly entirely. I am still a bit melancholy and a bit overwhelmed by too much social interaction. I am also still dealing with a lot of anxiety. But my counselor is FANTASTIC! I love her so much and am getting so much out of the sessions. I am exercising and coming close to reaching pre-pregnancy weight (7 pounds to go!) I am so blessed by my friends here but other than blogging, my main hobby is still sleeping right now. The depression coupled with three tiny children has left me quite tired. However, each day is better and better, and I look forward to the day that I can completely say I feel like Wendi again.

So there you have it. Our life as a family! Hope you enjoyed a little catch-up on where we are right now.