Olena Joan has proven herself to be a trooper. She is content even with scores of hands fighting over her and little people invading her personal space. Already, she is a delight. I keep on catching brief moments of smiles that indicate she is a dimpled girl in cheeks and chin! I’m not sure if it is her size, (nearly 10 pounds!) or just her personality, but she is the only baby of mine that enjoys resting on her tummy. I’m hoping to exploit that and make her an early mover.
I have always been a rule-follower. So when the doctor ingrained the rule “Back to Sleep” (meaning always put your infant to sleep on their backs to prevent SIDS) into my head, I followed it. Ella, Kayla and Dessie were all trained to sleep on their backs. But then, every time I would put Olena on her tummy for “tummy time,” she would fuss for a minute and fall fast asleep. When this happened the second time, I felt the strangest sensation of hope. I decided that she was a large baby, completely healthy and unlikely to suffocate on her tummy, so I broke the rules and found myself in the unparalleled heaven of having an infant sleep 7-8 hours stretches each night at only two weeks old. I think it was Katharine Hepburn that said: “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun!”
The comment I heard the most about this announcement was, “Wow, she looks so big already!” In truth, she does have quite the measurements, but I think the picture’s perspective might suggest an inaccurate girth. Compared to Dessie (who until very recently held the baby position), she is just a tiny peanut. The girls all hold her like a china doll because she feels so fragile! In Reber style, I ordered 250 copies of this picture—double-sided this time. On one side, we proclaimed sweet Olena’s birth; on the other, we invited all to attend Ella’s baptism. It is crazy to me that my oldest is being baptized just as my youngest will be blessed. Wow, time really marches on.
I have been blessed with some great help the last couple of weeks. The ward sent over several wonderful meals. My sister Jennie saved me from certain exhaustion with her help for several days. We have received several wonderful packages in the mail including an awesome gift from our California neighbors, the Johnson family. She included a lavender essential oil to help me with after birth cramps (very thoughtful!). My sweet neighbor, Julie Kluthe, offered to bring the girls home from school every day until the end of school. I was really touched by this offer. I know it probably wasn’t a big thing for her, but not having to wake up the baby to pick up the girlies has been a very big blessing for me. It is also helping us figure out a workable schedule and I think by the time school is over we will have found our rhythm. I think it’s true what they say: “it takes a village!”
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