Family: Complete

Our family is complete- I repeat, our family is complete!

**Please excuse any disjointed thoughts- I'm currently living on newborn time, it's bonkers**We welcomed Baby Groot on Friday, August 17th at 10:13 pm after FIFTEEN hours in the hospital. Needless to say, he was very happy to stay exactly where he had been for a while longer. But, an eviction notice had been served! And I was very happy to hold him in my arms! The doctors originally thought Groot would be 8.5 or 9 pounds! Luckily for me, he was just over 7.5 pounds. Thank Goodness! I was incredibly lucky to not only have Hubs by my side the entire time but my mom as well. The kiddos were with Hubs' parents while we waiting for Groot to arrive. There is no substitute for a strong support system during the birth of a child- and no part is too small.I won't go into the crazy "birth story" details here but once he was born I immediately knew deep down in my heart, that our little family was finally complete. So we introduce to you Baby Groot and our new family branding, #KernsPartyof5!      Before we went to the hospital I asked Little Bear about the new baby.Me: "Little Bear, are you ready to be a big sister?"LB: "No, Mommy"Me: "You're not going to be the baby anymore- that's exciting!"LB: "Nope!"Umm, uh oh! I was a bit apprehensive about how Little Bear was going to react to seeing her new baby brother for real. Bubba was fine and absolutely obsessed about having a little brother. I needn't have worried. When the big siblings arrived the next day to meet Baby Groot they came into the room and the first thing Little Bear said was "It's a BABY! Hi Baby! Sweet baby! I hold him?" Whew. So after much hand washing, we had Bubba and Little Bear take turns saying hello to and holding their new brother. They kissed his head, looked at his tiny hands and feet and talked to him so sweetly. I always knew I would love all of my children but it was so heartwarming to see them together, for real. Le sigh.      It's amazing how quickly one forgets about the tiny size of a newborn. After spending the weekend holding a 7+lb baby, the first time I picked up my previously-bird-like Little Bear, I thought someone had filled her with rocks! She was solid! Also, both older kids seemed to grow up over the three days we were in the hospital. They LOVE holding Baby Groot and giving him kisses and ensuring that he'll still be here tomorrow when they wake up. Be still my mothering heart. I'll need to remember these days in a few years when they're pulling one another's hair out! Someone be sure to remind me.Groot is now just over a week old.He's hopefully getting ready to figure out his days and his nights as currently, we're a bit vampiric. If you need anything at 1 am or 4 am, I'm probably awake. He's a sweet little baby who is doted on by his big brother and big sister- all they want to do is love on him, hold him and bring him his blankets. We're beyond thrilled that he's ours and can not wait to see what chaos this next chapter of life will bring us!           Be Great,M