Twitching ovaries.

 Seriously.  Too much cute in one picture.  It takes all my might not to nibble on these kids all day long.  Ha!  Ironically, I recently came across a study talking about just that fact.  Why it is you get the urge to play-bite your kids.  It was talking about how images of babies or interacting with babies triggers similar brain pathways that are triggered when you get your hands on some really good food.. both pathways resulting in a surge of dopamine.  I believe it..!  There are so many times when I see bare chubby baby thighs and tummy that I just want to nibble away.. and they all laugh so hard at it!  The article also talked about how primates play bite and, to summarize, the biter and the bitee (if you will) must have an enormous sense of trust in one another.. knowing that the biter isn't going to actually cause pain.. and that it's almost as if sending a message that "I'm so trustworthy, you can stick your finger in my mouth"  (here's the article ).  I'd believe that, too.. All the time while I'm nursing Amelia she reaches up and shoves her fingers in my mouth.. waiting. almost, to see what I'm going to do.  Aidan will do this to me, too.. except he'll come up and shove his hand in my mouth and say bite.. such strange behavior, but reminds us of our primal roots.

Now as if talking about biting cute babies wasn't enough, here's an adorable tubby shot.   We're slowly letting Aidan hang out for longer and longer in the tub, and so far (knock on wood!) he hasn't pooped recently!  I hope this means we're turning a corner!! Hooray to that, though my bathroom will probably be quite sad.. I don't think my tub has ever been so clean!!  I had posted this to my Facebook page and someone commented "you're going to need a bigger tub!".  How true is that, ha!  If/when we have more kids, there won't be room for another. 

Having more babies.  Ahhhh..!  Something that has been on my radar now for a few months!  This is the first "spring" that I'm not pregnant in 3 years!  It's crazy how much I miss it.  How could you not want more when you're surrounded by these 3 and see how much love they have for one another?!  I may not have come from a "big" family, but I came from an immediate and an extended family that strongly impressed the importance of family and how fulfilling family is.  There is no greater gift than the love of a family.  I fully believe that. However, I can say for certain that there won't be any new babies joining our family in 2015.  But, it's definitely a topic of conversation that gets discussed quite often here.  We go back and forth all the time on how much time we'd "like" to put in between our next child.. how many children we'd like to have.. if money weren't an area of concern, I bet that number would be a lot higher.. but, seeing as our grocery bill has already doubled with just 2 mouths to feed (Amelia doesn't really count yet..!) it's definitely a factor in our decision.  We will see what life has in store for us.. first things first, we'd have to get a new car... so!  That'll be the indicator.. when the new car comes.. baby #4 hopefully won't be too far behind :)  In the meantime, we're soaking up all the awesomeness these 3 crazies bring to the table!

 Afterall, I have to keep young babies in our house... what else would I do with my awesome wrap stash that I've accrued?!  It's kind of a bummer that Amelia isn't really a fan of being worn, especially since she's the lightest and I could easily wear her for long lengths of time at once!  And, ironically, Aidan likes it the most.. and no surprise, he's the chunkster.  Him and Owen weigh pretty much the same these days.. around 30lbs each.  Aidan will bring me over my wrap and say "uppy, Mommy.. pleaseeeeeee?".  Seriously, how can you say no to that?? You don't.  You just say sure, kiddo.. and up he goes.  He's so funny.. we do "dance parties" in the great room all the time.. it's a fun way to pass the time and keep everyone involved and burning some energy.  Aidan likes being on my back while we're dancing because then I'm bebopping him all around.. but, if I were to stop or slow down he nudges me and tells me "go faster, Momma"!  I seriously don't understand why I'm not stick thin!! I nurse Amelia, I wrangle the two crazies.. I dance with kids strapped to my body!! Sigh, I really need to cut out the ice cream at night or something! 

I have started going to the gym (I know I mentioned this before).  Since there won't be a baby this year, I figured it's about time I stop looking like there might be one!!  Having 3 kids back to back has done quite a number on my physical self as well as my confidence, so this is a nice way to get healthy and help restore a little bit of self esteem.  It's actually become quite nice.  I really enjoy zumba.. it's a lot of fun and keeps me interested without getting bored (mostly because I'm so focused on trying to learn all the different moves and combos and not falling on my face!).  It's nice too because it's also become a point in my day to look forward to where I get to focus on "me".  I love my kids and I love being a Mom.. but, I started realizing that I wasn't taking any time for myself really and that I do deserve that every now and again.  It also helps that Jas is an incredible Dad and I have no concerns leaving him with wrangling 3 kids for dinner and bedtime 2x a week!  I still have that "guilty" feeling.. like I should have just stayed home with them.. but, I remind myself that happy Momma = happy kids.. and sometimes that 2 hour break is just what Momma needed to restore those patience after a crazy day!