The new little gal

And then there were three. I haven't posted anything since Paia was born. We named her after my mother who is Samoan. Her name means holy and is pronounced puh-ee-uh. Her middle name is Marquita, after one of Kimball's really wonderful sisters. Marquita will tell you with a very serious face that her name means "pearl of the opera."

Paia was born June 17th and was 8 lb even. It was a c-section, and honestly it about killed me. However, it's over, and we have forgotten all about it. The boys are so excited to have a little sister. Gussie is constantly trying to kiss and hug her. Leif calls her "our little princess" and watches her with awe. Just watches mostly. He's afraid of her.

In some ways, having three children has thrown us for a loop. A friend explained their decision to have two kids this way, "We don't like the children to outnumber us." I admit I was intimidated by the prospect. At any given time someone is always crying for something (while I'm trying to help another child, of course), and someone is always getting hurt (while I'm holding another child, of course). In our attempt to reduce the mayhem to a minimum, we do a lot of cautioning the kids to be safe or asking them to talk softly. Today as I went out to get the mail, Gus opened the front door and called after me, "Be careful, Mom." Yes, Gus. It's a dangerous world.

Chaos and ineffective parenting aside, we are thrilled to have three little pigs. I feel like I've won the lottery. I'm amazed at how life changes with time. We're a family of five, whereas just five years ago, Kimball and I were desperate for any children at all. We're outnumbered, and we love it.