Chloe is here and Christmas was too!

So, the last couple of weeks are pretty much a blur, but I guess that is to be expected. My lovely birth story all started with a car accident--a fender bender really--on the way home from the doctor's office where I was told that Chloe wasn't growing enough so my doctor decided to induce earlier than she had planned. On Thursday morning, the 15th of December, we went in bright and early at 6 am and started the wait for Chloe. My amazing mom had changed her tickets to fly in a week earier than planned to help us out and to be there for Chloe's first cries. We sat in the hospital waiting, and waiting...

My mom bought me some beautiful lavendar colored roses while we waited (and kept me entertained with interesting news from home).

Ryan took his last opportunity to rest a bit before his sweet newborn kept him up all night (most nights).

And then the wait was over! Chloe Page Andersen was born at 5:53 pm. At 4 pounds 9 ounces and 18 inches long she is very tiny, but she already has daddy's finger right after birth!

Ryan and I examine our tiny newborn. What a miracle it is! We all breathed a sigh of relief when she came out healthy and strong. She was really alert and ready to eat.

Our first picture as a family with new baby Chloe. (Keira looks a little unsure about all this, don't you think?) Truth is, yesterday at the store I realized how crazy most people think you are when you have 3 kids. Chloe was in her car seat in the cart, and Nya and Keira were running behind me kind of rowdily, and a woman came up behind me and said,

"Wow, mommy has her hands full."

Yes, I have my hands full. And I've never been so happy to have them so full!

My beautiful mom and her 3 granddaughers. Nya has little Chloe in her hands--I know it just looks like a blanket! Thanks again mom for all of your hard work. We love you so much!

Yay! Home again! Chloe had to spend 24 hours in the NICU because she was so tiny, but she passed all the tests with flying colors and went home the same time that all the bigger newborns do. (BTW--Nya asked me what it means to pass something with flying colors and I kind of struggled--I guess it means you pass so quickly and well that you see everything as a blur of colors? Funny questions you get as a mom! Any better explanations out there?) Oh, and do you see how tiny Chloe is? My face is GIANT in proportion to her tiny little self. I think I'm kind of normal sized. Or maybe I really am a giantess as Nya has started calling me.

Here is the girls favorite Christmas present from Santa...a trampoline! They have been entertained for hours together on it.

And here is my favorite Christmas present...3 healthy happy little girls. Or Teeny, Tiny and Gigantor. Keira's nickname for a long time was Tiny, and when Chloe was born, we called her tiny a lot. Keira was upset at first because she was suppose to be Tiny. Daddy fixed it and came up with a new nickname for Chloe--Teeny. Nya named herself Gigantor. So here they are...Teeny, Tiny and Gigantor. (Although, Keira has decided by now--a couple of weeks later--that she is not Tiny, thank you very much, she is Big.)