After much debate from friends and family (there seemed to be a 50-50 split between those who swore we were having a boy and those who said girl) Julia Stephanie made her appearance and proved Steve and I right -- we are now the proud parents of three beautiful girls!  Julia was born at 4:24am on Sunday, March 30, and was a big girl at 8lbs 12oz and almost 21 inches long. She has a full head of stick-straight blond hair and bright blue eyes. We are of course completely in love with her! She's been a great baby so far -- she has an amazingly laid back personality and doesn't get upset about things very often. And since she is a big girl, she sleeps well at night -- usually 4 hours between feedings -- and I feel much more rested now than I did while I was pregnant! Both Clara and Amelia adore their little sister. Clara wants to help with everything, and Amelia is always right next to her touching her and saying "baby" over and over again. It is so fun to watch them, although we have to protect little Julia from the sometimes over-enthusiastic love from her big sisters!

Clara is great in her role as big sister to two. She helps out in many ways, her favorite seems to be with bathing. Of course, sometimes she wants to help Julia walk, too, which we tell her will come in time! She has been acting out a little bit, being more whiny than usual and having a couple potty accidents, but mostly seems to be adjusting well to the new dynamic. School is going great for her. She recognizes most of her numbers, can count up to 15 well, and is starting to figure out letters. We are very proud of her new skills! She is also adding new words all the time, and can talk about more complicated concepts, which is fun. She loves to help with everything -- she even helped Papa wash the car this weekend and helps Steve and I in the kitchen. It is amazing the things she remembers and can understand. She does great with the other kids in her class, and seems to be forming more friendships with little boys, much to her Daddy's dismay. She went through a brief period of hitting and kicking, but seems to have moved past that now. Overall, she's a fun kid, and if we could just convince her not to whine and cry whenever she gets frustrated or upset, life would be great!

Amelia seems to be having a more difficult time with the transition, and if possible has become more of a challenge to handle since Julia's birth. We are working through it, and I think that with a little time and consistent application of rules, expectations, and consequences we'll start to see improvement. She's a great kid overall, just willful and as she grows, her acting out becomes more dangerous both for her and for her sisters. And of course she can be incredibly sweet and loving, too! I think she misses being the baby, but she already seems to be doing better sharing Mommy and Daddy with a new baby. She is a great helper with diaper disposal and putting things in the laundry hamper. And the first thing she wants to do every morning is see, hug, and kiss Julia. It is very sweet! She is also talking up a storm, putting words together, and using new words (albeit not necessarily recognizable ones!) all the time. She's also trying to jump, which is really cute to watch. She loves to paint and draw, and is still all about taking things apart and putting them back together.

I'm enjoying spending time home with Julia during the day and then with the whole family in the evenings. My leave will pass much too quickly, but I am lucky to have a job flexible enough to accommodate my family time. It shouldn't be too bad going back. Steve is getting ready to take his big test at work to get his license (and of course the associated pay raise!) and is also adjusting to the reality of living in a home filled with girls. Going from two to three kids has been pretty challenging, but we're all making it work as best we can.

I'll try to keep everyone up to date with pictures!