Introducing Alana

Finally home and fast asleep again.

Sleeping in the rack of the luggage cart at the airport.

Her first bed - a cardboard box in my parents' house.

She slept well in it though.

It's been two months now since Alana joined our lives! I am thrilled to be the mom of this little girl and she delights me already in so many ways.

I love the way she smacks her lips after nursing, the way she plays with her hands, her little smile that she is showing more and more often, the way she kicks her legs and observes everything with her big brown eyes. I love the tuft of hair that sticks up on the top of her head and hearing her gurgle and 'talk'. And I love watching her many facial expressions.

She's a reason to be thankful. I am thankful for the way the boys adore her and love to hold her and play with her. I am thankful for another healthy baby. And I'm thankful for our family and that we can live here.

At the same time a new little person in the house does force me to slow down and learn to juggle everyone and everything all over again. These last few days I've been poring over different weekly planner pages, trying to figure out which one is the perfect one for us and our situation. Boy, there are so many free versions to choose from! It inspires me to read about how others do it and organize their days. We've never been a very organized family that thrives on a set schedule but it does help me now when I'm feeling a tad bit overwhelmed to at least pretend that we will follow the schedule once I've figured it out. :)

Another, more unlikely, source of inspiration has been the TV Series 'Parenthood'. David and I have watched the first two seasons now and I truly hope that our kids will be that close when they are adults and look back on a fairly happy childhood. And remember lots of fun times with their parents in spite of our many imperfections and failures. But I guess what counts is unconditional love, honesty, warmth and the ability to admit our failures - more so than an organized home and schedule. Wouldn't you agree?

So, here's to our daughter Alana Keziah Youko Asia! Welcome to our chaotic family! You make our lives richer and more colorful!