We're a "party" now ~

These are just a few of the 300 photos I've taken in just the past 4 days or so. That family picture was snapped just minutes after Chip brought Teague and me home from the hospital. As you can see it is a "real life" shot of us- half of us still in our pj's. =)

The transition from 7 to 8 has had some wonderful moments and some not-so-hot/I'd-rather-forget-these moments too. I won't claim that it's easy, because it's not. To top it off there has been a 24-hour virus going through the kids causing fever and complaints from 5 of the 6 kids so far. Teague has thankfully not gotten it {yet} and I am trying to be as cautious as I can to keep him from getting it too- but let's be realistic- germs go where they want!

I did think it was cute when Chip pointed out to a couple of the kids that if we go to a restaurant now and the hostess asks "How many tonight?" we will say "8", and technically that makes us a "party". Ferlaak... Party of 8. He said if they choose to add an automatic gratuity it will end up saving us money- because Chip {after years of food industry and waiting tables} has always been a good tipper. =) I'm not sure how long it will be before we all venture out as a "party", but I can already sense that it's going to be fun! Challenging fun!

So, Teague came home weighing in at 6 lbs. 9 oz. and he has been very mellow, a good eater, a great sleeper {so far!} and loved and adored and gushed on by everyone. Even Crew is happy to hold him and he thinks it's funny when Teague squeaks or opens his eyes. I've been most challenged by Crew in the past few days- but not because of Teague- simply because Crew was Crew even before Teague got here. =)

The itching has been back in spurts and I'm not handling that as well as I had hoped- I was hoping it would be gone! Thanks again for so many wonderful well-wishes, thoughts and prayers for our family/party. We often need them and certainly appreciate them as we go about our days and figure out how best to get along with one another. It IS a blessing to have a big family, but it sure can be a mixed blessing at times too. Hopefully we will find that being a party of 8 is something to celebrate every single day. Even the challenging ones!