My first three weeks as a mother of three

Conor "reading" to Cass.  Sweetheart.

I've been tip-toeing into this whole mom-of-three thing.  Jon has been home with us until now, but he goes back to work tomorrow, so the real fun should start then.  So far it's been slightly chaotic but manageable - the baby is a dream, especially now that I've figured out how to nurse her (they are each so different!), but the boys are . . . hellions.  If they are left to play together for more than five minutes, they will certainly try to murder each other.  Especially if I am marooned on the couch with a nursing baby and can't get up to stop them.  Is this a boy thing?  A two- and four-year-old combination thing?  Finn, charming as he is, is particularly challenging.  We found this in his room after his last nap:

"I rip Bear Hunt Catch a Big One.  It otay."

No, it not otay.

Anyway, I'm coming out of the newborn fog and want to record some moments from these first few weeks before they are lost for good:

1.  The first time the very alarmed Finn saw me nursing Cass: "Mama!  Her try to eat you belly button!"  (We'll work with him on the finer points of the anatomy of the female torso someday.  Or not.)

First day home.

 2.  After the pediatrician told me that Cass has reflux (like her brothers, ugh.  The spit!  The never-ending spit!) and that I have to cut out all dairy from my diet, Jon's immediate reaction: "Well, at least it's not alcohol."  Truth.

3.   We threw a low-key fourth birthday party for Conor, with store-bought cupcakes, pizza, and a slip n' slide for the kids and a bunch of their cousins.  I didn't hand-make a single thing.  It was a lot of fun, and it seemed like my sleep deprivation hadn't caused too many problems in pulling off the party.  Until the boys opened their little gift bags and dug into the "candy sticks" I had given them:

Do you know what these are?  CANDY CIGARETTES.  Yup.  I was obviously not paying close enough attention.  Oops.  But can you believe they still sell these??!!  Otherwise, happy kids, happy party.

This one is from May 21, his actual birthday.  I just love his little serious face.

4.  Last weekend we went to the annual open house at John Crow Farm to pick up our meat share.  Gorgeous day, great music, free beer, and very happy animals.

Someday I am going to figure out how to make photos look nice and professional on this blog.  Not today.

Why don't the ducks fly away?  Don't they know we are going to eat them?

5.    We bought our first house!  It's totally normal to buy a house and have a baby in the same week, right?  Excellent planning on our part.  I actually think I may have started early labor during the home inspection.  Details to come.