A Sleep Montage

This child is awake sometimes. Well, mostly at night. As in 3 am. Strangely and shockingly, I lose all desire to snap photos at this time. But I promise, she is awake sometimes.

Check out those eyelashes. We refer to her as Snuffleufaguss. Because that is how she looks with her eyes open. At 3am.

Her new favorite position, snuggled and squished on my chest. My little piece of heaven. Right there on my chest. It doesn't get any sweeter than that.

Tomorrow's goal: Open eyed picture in daylight. You'll know if I am successful.

Tessa Jane

One Day Old

Two Days Old

Hello Gorgeous.

Miss Tessa minutes old.

Welcome sweet baby Tessa Jane Zimmerman!! She was born yesterday (Monday) at 2:37pm. She weighed 8lb 10oz and was 21 inches long. Labor was fast and easy. Most fabulous. Working on getting better pictures of just the little princess, without scary mommy in it or the little monkeys hogging the picture. Tess has a perfect little round head with lots (for us) of strawberry blond hair. I should be home from the hospital tomorrow afternoon. All is perfect!!

Big brother and big sister are completely enamored. Linley couldn't stop saying "You're so cute"and then sweetly kissing Miss Tessa's forehead. Ryder loved holding her and looking at her, for five minutes and then switched to video games. That's my boy.

Life is good!

Tummy Talk

Hello Baby in My Belly-

Thought you should know, even though you have created a most-massive and often awkward tummy that has eliminated all feeling in my ribs and made it impossible to bend like a normal human, and even though you seem to find great entertainment in using my organs as a punching bag, and you are most comfortable sleeping on my bladder, and you firmly believe that 4 in the morning is the perfect time to begin your daily water aerobics, I am really going to miss being your bodymate. I am going to miss having you all to myself, knowing you are perfectly safe and protected. I am going to miss experiencing your every move, your tangible personality. I will miss your brother's sweet tummy kisses and your sister's tiny tummy tickles. I will miss your daddy's tough hands gently rubbing my tummy as he says hello to you. I will miss the sweet understanding stares of strangers. I will miss being the vessel to this tiny miracle that is you, baby girl. I will feel empty for a moment, missing the sweet spirit that once did cartwheels in my belly.

But I am also excited. Excited to look into your blue-gray eyes, and touch your button nose. Excited to kiss your fuzzy head and nuzzle your wrinkly, red skin. Excited to feel your strength as your wrap your tiny fingers around mine. Excited to watch you melt into your daddy's arms and dazzle your big brother and sister. Excited for that instant, where time completely stands still and all is perfect in life. Because of you. Because you left your safe home in Heaven to come live with me, and your daddy, and Ryder and Linley.

It's been a good 9 months baby girl, but it will be an even better Eternity, and it all begins tomorrow. See you soon little princess!!

The New Addition

Allen thought it only fair that since I was having a new baby, he should have a new baby as well.

Or maybe it went a little more like this:

Erica: "You know love, when this baby is born, I am no longer chauffering you to the train station at 5 in the morning."

Allen: "You know we don't have another car."

Erica: "Then buy me another car, or buy yourself a bike or (gasp) walk."

That weekend he came home with this. I married me a thinker.

And tomorrow is my last day playing the part of the butt crack of dawn taxi driver. Hallelujah!!

39 Weeks

Yowza. New Lesson Learned this week: Those that tell people who are obviously the size of a semi-truck that they look small cannot be trusted. And, that is a lot of animal print to be plastered all over a semi-truck.

I Caved

And cut her hair. I didn't want to. I really didn't. But it was getting long. Really long. In some places. Short in others. Medium in other others. All completely random. Something had to be done. It had to be tamed.

She loves it. Runs through the house, flipping her hair. Stares in the mirror, flipping her hair. Now may it please just grow, long, and at the same pace???

Father/Son Campout

This past weekend the boys abandoned the girls (literally...carlessness sucks), and spent some time male bonding at the Stake Annual Father/Son Campout.

This was the little man's first time camping. To say he was excited is a huge understatement. Pretty sure he announced to all of Summit he was "5 and going camping tonight." Sweetness.

Highlights from Ryder:

1. I don't like s'mores

2. I sleep good in a tent. But I like to stay up really late and wake up really early.

3. Glowstick tag was my most favorite game ever

4. It was suppose to thunderstorm but Jesus kept the rain gone.

Okay, so that is a campfire. Look, I was not the photographer. I am informed the camera promptly died hereafter. Well done love.