The Hospital and The Homecoming

Henry, John, and Peter visited us at Northside Hospital the day after Frances Anne arrived. The boys were instantly smitten with their little sister. All three boys showered her with hugs, kisses, and head rubs. They practically fought over who got to hold her next. "She's so cute!", "She smells so good!" and "I just love her beautiful face!" were heard. They were also pleased to see that Frances remembered to bring them gifts. Each boy received a new book. We crammed in my hospital bed for our first story time as a family of six.

Nanna, Pa, Grandma, Papou, Ms. Lauren, and Ms. Krystin visited too. And my sweet OB, Dr. Durairaj gave Frances a special onesie. Dr. D delivered all four of my babies, something she has only done for one other patient.

On the day that we left, I dressed Frances Anne in my old baby clothes - a dress, bloomers, and a bonnet. Her cornicello was pinned to her bloomers. Just like her brothers, she was not a fan of the carseat. We arrived home to pink balloons, pink cookies, and three brothers who were eager to see their new baby sister.

Introducing...

Frances Anne Makris, who is named after my grandmother, Frances Longo.  She was born on October 15th, 2015 at 4:45 p.m.  Frances Anne was 8 pounds, 4 ounces, and 21 inches long.  God is good, y'all.

Tomorrow.

Tonight we put our three boys to bed. Tomorrow we welcome our fourth child and first daughter into the world. I dreamt of and prayed for a big family. And now I have that. Thanks be to God for the miracle we will welcome tomorrow.

Peter's Special Day

It was Peter's turn for a special day before he becomes a big brother. We celebrated his last week as the baby of our family with his very first Krispy Kreme doughnut. And no special day is complete without chocolate milk. Next, we went to the pet store. We don't have any pets, but Peter loves animals. He ran up and down the aisles saying hello to all the photos of dogs and cats on the packages of pet food. And then he found the real animals - birds, ferrets, cats, and fish. He waved hello and greeted each animal with their sound (his high pitched "meow meow" is my favorite). Let's hope he thinks his little sister is as exciting as the pet store and sprinkle doughnuts!

Brother Sammich

I hope Little Miss Makris is ready. Ten days!

Traditions: New and Old (for the 4th time)

Remember this? And this? And then this? Some of those traditions are sticking around and some are not. No, Little Miss Makris's middle name will not be Augustus. The Greeks don't have a middle name tradition when it comes to daughters. For the first time, her name has been decided before her birth. She will have a family name, just like her brothers (and her parents). That sweet, little, old lady knit yet another bear hat for Little Miss to wear in the hospital. I must be her most frequent customer. When we leave the hospital, Little Miss Makris will wear a vintage dress, bloomers, and bonnet that I wore as a baby. Great Papa and Great Grandma always gifted our boys with their Cornicellos to wear home from the hospital. Even though Great Papa and Great Grandma have passed away, the tradition lives on. Little Miss Makris will be guarded by the Cornicello that I wore home from the hospital, given to me by my Papa and Grandma. Take that, evil eye. And lastly, there are a dozen of my famous (according to Gus, Henry, John, and Peter) chocolate chip cookies up for grabs if you win our baby pool.

Try your luck here:

http://www.expectnet.com/games/BabyMak4