I took photographs of Eleanor and August each day until baby number three arrived, to document our last 4-6 weeks as a family of four. I first did this project to document our time as a family of three before August was born. Of course, baby number three came late, so this turned into a nearly eight week project! Here’s the end of the series.
{ Week One • Week Two • Week Three • Week Four • Week Five • Week Six • View All }
No baby yet, and today was the due date! Game after game of Tic-Tac-Toe ought to pass the time, right? Well, maybe not, but Eleanor, you did have fun playing against mama and daddy (and sometimes winning).
Your schools had their annual carnivals today. You had both been looking forward to going and we weren’t sure how the timing would work out with it being so close to the baby’s due date, but he decided to stay put and so we were all able to attend. It was a day filled with tickets, bouncy houses, prizes, games, food, and friends.
Poor August. You and Eleanor have been sick on and off since the start of school (little kids = germ factories), and today it was your turn again for not feeling well. You spent most of the day in PJs, cuddled up with mama.
What does one do with leftover school carnival tickets? Why, make a beautiful jewlry collection, of course. I particularly likethe nose piece, Eleanor. Nice touch!
Fort-building is serious business around here. Eleanor, you are constantly scooting those chairs closer together or further apart, depending on how you need them arranged for the day. You welcome August to play in your structures too, but the design is typically all yours.
Reading, hanging out, absolutely not obsessively thinking “baby, come out, come out, come out! When will you come out!?” Nope, that’s not at all what’s going through mama’s head at all times now.
He’s here! Calvin Edward Balch was born today at 8:18 a.m., weighing in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces, and measuring 21 inches long. Beneath that hat he has the softest, fuzziest brown hair with a polka dot of a blonde streak, right on top in the center.
Mama and Calvin came home from the hospital today after staying overnight. Eleanor, you were so excited to meet your new little brother, and August, we know you’re going to be a great big brother. So nice to be together at home, our family of five!
Sarah J
October 15, 2014 at 3:07 pmThe mention of the polka dot of white makes me melt. My last baby had the same thing (and still does, it doesn’t go away!) Congrats on the latest addition! Calvin is lovely and I bet his siblings are thrilled. I’m adding #3 in January and trying to appreciate the relative calm now, but excited too.
Making it Lovely
October 15, 2014 at 3:13 pmI hope it doesn’t go away! With Eleanor and August, they both lost all of their newborn baby hair at three or four months old, so I imagine the same thing will happen with Calvin. I hope the polka dot remains. And congratulations to you! Three is wonderful so far — I hope you’ll have the same experience.
Tina Slocum
October 15, 2014 at 6:10 pmWelcome Precious Baby Calvin! Having three children is so different than having two, but they say after three there’s no difference. I also had three with the two older close in age and #3 arriving 6 years later. (All adults now )
Your children will be so close and you will be so amazed how quickly Calvin learns and picks up on things, because of all the action around him! I did find that making time for each one was important on a regular basis and not always done (as we aren’t perfect) I also had Girl, Boy, Boy and it was marvelous! Happy New Family!
Lisa
October 15, 2014 at 9:23 pmCongratulations! Love the name you select. Such a sweet looking baby!
jbhat
October 16, 2014 at 10:52 amForts! Forts are the best. Go Eleanor!
Hope you’re doing well, and getting some rest.
jbhat
judy
October 16, 2014 at 1:56 pmYou really do make lovely things Nicole, also very lovely little people. You must isolate Eleanor’s face in the picture under the table and make an 8×10. She is so beautiful and her expression so lovely…it would be something I would want to preserve separately from family snapshots and in a larger format. I think it caught my attention because she has such a look of maturity and calm. I can really see the adult Eleanor in that picture-wow-time does fly doesn’t it. Following you since you were carrying her.
Laura
October 16, 2014 at 3:38 pmJudy wrote what I was thinking as I looked at Eleanor’s photo. It is utterly beautiful.
Fiona
October 16, 2014 at 7:10 pmTotally agree with Judy and Laura. That pose of Eleanor and that face would make the most perfect portrait to paint. Congrats on all your beautiful babies :)
Amy
October 16, 2014 at 8:51 pmSo sweet! What a lovely picture of August peeking at his little brother. I was 10 and my brother was 7 when our sister was born and we had so much fun with her. Lots of competitions as to who is the better helper.
Erin
October 17, 2014 at 7:05 pmI can’t believe the 4-6 week project became 8 weeks?! You are a trooper!
I apologize if I missed it, but is there a story behind Calvin’s name? I’ve always loved that name.
Alanna
October 19, 2014 at 2:56 amWhat a great idea! We just had our 2nd baby in August of this year, so I can’t document our little family of three before his arrival (darn!), but I will definitely keep this in mind for the month before the our family becomes a family of five instead of four (which isn’t going to be for a while)!
Thanks for sharing that sweet idea.
Alana
October 24, 2014 at 10:50 pmHe’s perfectly beautiful. The pic of Gus watching over him is a heart melter. Congratulations to the big sister, big bother, and the whole family. <3
Vanessa
October 27, 2014 at 1:09 amOh, Calvin is a beauty Nicole. He favors your husband I think, but I’ll have to see him in action. Sounds like you had a good birth, way to go!