Best Christmas Present ... Ever!

 Mary Katherine Schwind - we didn't expect you to arrive the way you did, but you seem to want to everything differently than your siblings!  I will always think - Mary, Mary, quite contrary! 

While I didn't get to see you for awhile (they brought you to my room that evening, around ?7ish?  - my mind was a little hazy since they give you morphine after the delivery), at least everyone else got a chance to see you and see how you were doing.  Even though you were in the NICU (really just for monitoring), Mike got to take everyone in one at a time.  The older kids and Mimi had arrived just after MK was born (11:14am) since Mike had the presence of mind to call them in the few minutes he had once we found out I was having a c-section.  Gracie wanted to rush right to the hospital, but Mimi told her they should wait just a little while. They were at the hospital by the time I was back in my room, so it worked out just fine.  They weren't so excited to see me (and I was very out of it!), but they couldn't wait to meet their new sister!  

 Gracie got to visit MK in the NICU, too, but the picture got lost somehow :-(

Thank goodness Mom was in town and able to help with the older kids.  She had spent the night at our house since I went to the hospital on Monday evening, so Mike was able to come up early in the morning to be with me.  She stayed overnight again and helped Mike to get the kids to school the next morning. 

Here's Gracie on 11/20 (the day after MK was born) and the first time she gets to hold her youngest sister!  You can see she is already got the protective big sis/2nd mama look.

Check out all that hair - everyone (including us!) has been amazed at the amount of hair she was born with - definitely different than her siblings.  And at one month, she still has all of that hair.  When she has a bath, her hair gets curly (again, different than her sibs).  The girls love to brush that hair once she has a bath.  I thought it was fun to let them do it, but not necessary.  Then I gave her a bath one day when the kids were at school and neglected to brush it.  All her hair was standing on end once it dried- quite the look!

 The dogs (Coco made the photo - Shelly was across the room) have been very good with MK so far.  No licking - just smelling and watching.  This is actually the closest I have seen Coco get to her. 

 And her siblings aren't fair weather friends - they are willing to hold her no matter what her mood.  Look at that smile as she screams away!  And the girls are the same - they all try to settle her (and usually succeed), but don't mind holding her if she's crying or fussy.  

 And on Thanksgiving, we had another willing pair of arms!  Mimi & Mary Kate.

 And just to show that I do sometimes hold the baby, too, here are a few of me with the baby.  The first picture is right after Thanksgiving - it was nice outside and relatively warm. 

And this picture is right after the big ice storm, just days later.  We were iced in for about 3 days!  Didn't matter to us, though.  We had our early Christmas present and got to enjoy her.