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Wednesday, November 1, 2017

How to Overcome the Overwhelms: IWSG + the BIG Reveal

You're a hair away from imploding due to stress. You don't know how you can manage ONE MORE THING, say nothing about keeping up all the balls you have in the air.


How in the world are you supposed to dig yourself free of the insanity so you can do important things like breathe?

If you're there, you're not alone.

A quick hello to all my wonderful friends! I'm back on the blogosphere...sort of. This is an experiment. Normally I visit 100 to 200 blogging buddies on blogging day, but life has changed yet again, as life does. Per request, here's a sweet little hint as to why:

Actually, she's not so little, for a newborn.
So I'll be slow getting around to visit everyone. Very slowly. Like 5 blogs a day. But hey, it's a place to start.

For those of you who want more details (because I know there are a few), here you go:

She threatened to come DURING Hurricane Irma, but thankfully all the prayers on our behalf held her in. A week later, and after 24 hours of labor + a home birth that made me once again question why I didn't just opt for a c-section (which would have been mandatory in a hospital), I was handed this little beauty. (And man was I grateful to have her in my arms rather than kicking my ribs.) She goes by "Ally." And she's epic.

Since that moment, I've been sleep deprived and working to get my feet back under not just myself, but my entire family.


The upstairs hasn't been vacuumed for three weeks, which is a slightly big deal with a 2 year old in the house.
Big sister adores her.
Laundry takes all week to get done.

In her handmade, great-grandma dress.
Dinners have been 50% store bought or fast food since she was born.


And all of that (and more) could be greatly discouraging and make me feel like a failure of a mom.

But I don't feel that way.

Not at all.

Every day I fight to get a little more done. Each evening we're a little better than the day before. Our routine is coming back into place and we're even establishing new and better aspects. There are set backs...like my 2 year old who dumps toys EVERYWHERE (especially my room), spills liquids all over the house (milk, juice, spaghetti sauce), sneaks into the vitamins and medicine, and wanders off with important things like makeup & baby necessities. Or there's my ADD 11 year old who periodically needs more watching than the two year old.

BUT the point is, we need to have patience with our circumstances, life, and our ability to achieve. Working toward "perfect" or even just "good" is hard. There are little victories along the way, and we have to celebrate them when they come. We can't get stuck in the overwhelms.


Today, I'm celebrating the fact that I'm going to visit a few friends that I've missed online. One more ball in the air--but it feels more like a helium balloon.


This has been an installment of
Huge thanks for hosting
Alex Cavanaugh
Tonja Drecker, Diane Burton,
MJ Fifield, and Rebecca Douglass!


What victory are you celebrating today? Who is NaNo-ing? And have you had any fabulous cheeses while I've been away?

108 comments:

  1. Ally is cute! No stress about what doesn't get done. You're adjusting and soon you'll have a new normal.
    Good to hear from you!

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  2. Hi Crystal!
    With your positive attitude, you should have no problem managing the overwhelms!
    Yes, celebrating the little victories together with the eating of more fabulous cheese... that should do the trick!
    Ally is adorable!

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  3. Awww, your daughter is so precious! That handmade dress is so cute on her, too. Can't imagine what it must be like to juggle so much; far less tends to overwhelm me, so I'm impressed. Best of luck with everything!

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  4. Congratulations Crystal! Ally is gorgeous, and the handmade dress is too :)
    Thanks for putting things into perspective. Not that I was stressed, but it's a good reminder :)

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  5. Congrats on your beautiful baby! Life takes a while to get back to 'normal' whatever that is. Don't worry. It doesn't matter if the floor isn't vacuumed or there's spaghetti sauce on the floor. If you're all alive and happy and somewhat fed, then life is good. Get some rest.

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  6. She's precious.

    I've always said, just let the chaos become the balance. I've lived that way for years now.

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  7. Hey You! ^_^ I love that handmade dress! Sometimes life gives us a lot of things to balance, and I think you do a great job! I haven't vacuumed upstairs in an embarrassingly long time, and I don't have a single good excuse for that. There's a quote I like to tell myself a lot when I'm near tears: I can get everything done, just not at the same time.

    I love her name, by the way!

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  8. Congratulations to you and your gang, Crystal! :) She's beautiful. Overwhelm and balance are tricky. But managing it teaches us good things if we keep a decent perspective. Always learning something, aren't we?

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  9. She is so adorable :-) Definitely a very good reason why the vacuuming isn't getting done and dinner is take-out food. I think the fact that you even wrote a blog post today is impressive. I love your attitude about celebrating small victories and not getting hung up by the overwhelming stuff.

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  10. I've been keeping up with your precious baby pictures on Facebook. Loving every single one. You're living life. That's what it's supposed to be about. Loving and caring for your abundant family is first and foremost. Everything else will fall into place, as you know. Believe it or not, these are the best days of your life.

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  11. Congratulations on your new arrival. She's absolutely beautiful! Love that homemade dress from great-grandma! All the best to you and your family!

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  12. What a wonderful life you're leading, Crystal. Gorgeous everything. We'll be here when the kids all grow up.

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  13. I've been watching Ally grow u via your FB, and was rooting for you when she was about to be born. Hugs to you and the family--and kudos for doing everything you do.

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  14. She is absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations! Take your time getting back into the swing of things. Babies grow so quickly and you don't want to miss that. It is so important to watch them develop.
    All the best.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

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  15. New baby is cute. Why would the hospital have mandatory c-sections?

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    1. Because I've had two sections before. 17 and 11 years ago.

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  16. Vacuuming can always be done later. I firmly believe that's true along with some other notable things I believe about household chores. Beautiful baby! That's the most important news here. :-)

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  17. Your daughter is beautiful! Congrats, and from a fellow mom, I hope stress gives you a break now and then.

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  18. Congratulations!!! Yes, celebrate the little victories! I remember reading "When you Give a Moose a Muffin" and thinking, "I live that life!" I think my kids were early demolition experts. But, we lived, laughed, loved, and thrived in new ways.
    These days, I'm celebrating my oldest daughter's successes at university - she's one of the two freshmen lab assistants on her campus in a paid lab assistant position and she's on the dance team (which is a bit of a stretch on her time to study). My youngest keeps me steady on with all of her organizational habits (she didn't get those from me!). My house is still messy when we're busy, but it works.

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  19. Now that's what life is about. Family! Congratulations Crystal! Wishing you all good health, happiness and lots of laughter (we'll ignore the sleepless nights :)) Take care.

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  20. Oh, man, what a beautiful baby :) If you are blogging, writing or even visiting blogs at all, I'm wildly impressed. I pretty much stopped all productivity after my first was born, until they were both in school.
    —Rebecca
    My IWSG Post

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  21. She's beautiful. What a great perspective to have. A new baby is so stressful. Good luck.

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  22. Ally is gorgeous! And yes, talking about patience. *LOL* You have a wonderful mindset, and even just typing out this blog post is amazing. Take care!

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  23. What a cutie! And I love her full name - so pretty. :)

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  24. Your Ally is absolutely beautiful! Congratulations. That you are able to juggle a new baby and all of the other activities in your busy life PLUS write a blog post is nothing short of amazing. Phooey on the housework. When your children are grown, they will remember the things you do together as a family, not whether or not your kitchen floor is clean enough to eat from. (Who wants to do that, anyway?) You've already had four children before her, so you already know how quickly they grow, so just try to relax and enjoy her. (Sniff her sweet little head for me... our grandchildren are all older now, so no more sweet baby heads. Just sweaty ones. HA!)

    I'm glad you were able to escape the C-section. That's how all of mine were delivered, and doing otherwise was completely out of the question, as far as my doctors were concerned, because baby #1 was an emergency delivery. BIG incision. (BIG baby, too!)

    Matter of fact, I have found a new cheese recently. It's called pepperoni marinara. YUM!

    Thanks for the "high five" nomination. I do appreciate the gesture, but I think I'll pass. Even so... high five! (You deserve it!)

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  25. How much you accomplish is amazing. I'd be hiding in the bathroom with a bottle of wine by now :) Ally is precious! I can see she gets lots of hugs and cuddles. I just finished the last of the Cheez-Its. Does that count?

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  26. Aww congrats!! She's adorable! Glad she held off and didn't come during the storm. You have a lot on your plate, but it's a very cute addition. And if it makes you feel better, it takes me all week to get laundry done and I don't even have a newborn. LOL

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  27. Ally is precious. Congratulations. Enjoy the children. Household chores will be there always. So happy for you.

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  28. Ally is such a cutie! I can imagine how crazy it is for you now focusing on her and the rest of your family. Had to laugh at your setbacks, but I'm sure they didn't feel funny at the time. I'm super busy too, but with other things.

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  29. Congratulations! She's adorable!
    I can't imagine how crazy things are for you right now. Just take everything one step at a time.

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  30. Fantastic Crystal - so so pleased for you and hubby ... she seems adorable and I love great grandma's dress ... how many greats?! Just lovely and sounds like you're all having a wonderful time ... creating havoc, having fun and loving the littley ... ah well a bit of dirt never hurt us older lot ... take care and lots of happy thoughts ... cheers Hilary

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  31. Great to see the pics, Crystal. As for vacuuming and other expectations of "normal" life - who's judging? Give yourself permission to live your own life your own way. Sounds like you've got your priorities under control.

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  32. She's lovely!
    Life is too important to rush through - you have to enjoy those special moments. the juice can get cleaned up later :)
    Take care of you too!!

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  33. Well, hey Mama, congrats! I.B. Nosey salutes that pretty little baby, and enjoy your days together - they go faster than a speeding two-year-old!

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  34. Beautiful baby. Congratulation. Hoping routine settles your life once more. You are missed. Happy IWSG
    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

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  35. Crystal, she's adorable and kudos to you doing a home birth... that wouldn't happen in my life time, the fact that I did natural childbirth when I was 18 and stupid was enough for me to make sure i had an epidural for the second one (which was a beautiful delivery)

    Having a newborn around changes life dramatically ... thankfully it gets a little easier each day. As well I didn't have a 2 year old at the same time... I would have had a breakdown ... lol

    Take your time getting back into the swing of things and sleep whenever you can ♡♡♡

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    1. Thank you for your comment Crystal, I realized I was in a deep pity party because I was in non-stop pain... wondering why me? The answer was why not me.. It's just another trial I have to deal with... maybe I'll have to deal with it for years to come. I've always said it's not how many challenges we deal with... It's how we deal with them. I didn't have a good attitude... I was only giving it lip service. Life is always about learning ...

      Get sleep when you can... It's important for you ... 😘❤

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  36. She is simply perfect! You're really good at making adorable kids.

    Perfection is over rated and no one suffers from bending the rules. There were days when mine didn't change out of pajamas and cereal was considered a dinner food. But they were loved and the important things...like hugs and story time...happened. All of mine have turned out wonderfully. (Or so says their mom!)

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  37. Ally is adorable! Congratulations again. My cohort has a new one, so I've heard the tales of how time consuming (but rewarding) a wee one can be. So the fact that you're even still visiting 5 blogs a day is impressive. He had to give up blogging altogether (for now).

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  38. Things have been so crazy here, I forgot all about IWSG. Think I’ll try to post something later today. (A day late and a dollar short has become my motto lately.) Alls is beautiful, and I promise you her time as an infant will go by quickly (my baby is 36 and I’m still not back into my routine since her birth - probably a good thing.) Your post was timely for me as lately I’m easily overwhelmed. It is so important to keep our priorities in order and take time for the important things and let the rest go by the wayside or wherever they go. Best wishes for you and your family.

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  39. She's adorable! One of my favorite sayings: A baby is a bit of Heaven blown from the hand of God. <3

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  40. Congratulations! Ally is a good reason to be a bit slower in visiting blogs. :)

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  41. Is she a cheese baby? Congratulations!

    Love,
    Janie

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  42. 24 hours of labor! Yikes. She's so cute, though!!
    Yep, I can relate, I'm stuck in the overwhelms at the moment for different reasons. Waaaa!

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  43. Congratulations! She's adorable. Enjoy the time :)

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  44. Loved reading your post today, Crystal. It's so what I needed to hear.

    Congrats on beautiful baby Ally! Glad she wasn't an Irma baby and happy to hear you are slowly (but surely) getting your life back together.

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  45. Crystal, you're doing great, but forget about visiting 100-200 bloggers on blogging day. Phew. You have your priorities straight. Love that you're back, sort of...All best wishes for getting that vacuuming done, LOL! What's a few dust bunnies, eh?

    Denise

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  46. Guess what?? Your precious little one, was born on my birthday! I feel so special! Congrats!! Your post was very moving! Touched my soul! Thank you! Big Hugs!

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  47. You are amazing! You are doing great. You are Super-woman. I love your attitude and what you said about having patience with one's situation. It is so true. Sending you hugs, awesome mom.

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  48. Patience, no matter what we are going through, is key.

    Ally is precious! <3

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  49. AWWWWWWWW! Baby! Big change but a good one. And it's all coming together--cause here you are. Sadly, no new or particularly tasty cheeses have come my way. :(

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  50. Isn't she the most perfect baby. Beautiful. Many, many congrats.
    Glad your labor and delivery are in the rearview mirror.
    When you have kids there's just no way to keep up. One day at a time.
    Thank you for the nomination, Crystal! Deetz please:)

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    1. PS. If you have an opportunity stop by the blog and pick up your Monday well wishes;)

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  51. Congratulations! Ally is so cute. Your family seems strong in its efforts to adjust to the new addition to the family. I'm sure it will all come together like clockwork soon.
    As for cheese, I recently had a hard cheese from a bourbon barrel. Can't remember what kind it was, but it was good- good by itself, good with fig jam on a cracker, and good with smoked salmon- good.

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  52. Congratulations. ^_^ And despite vastly different life situations, I hear you on the stress and trying to get a little bit done every day. Though I think you're doing a lot better at that than I am. >_<

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  53. Ally is cute and i love that cat gif! I'm unofficially doing nanowrimo with a poetry collection.

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  54. Congratulations!!!

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  55. I remember those days! Prayers and hugs for you and your little ones. Now get some cheese and some sleep! I'm Na-no-ing. Stopping to do a little more outlining. But I'm plugging away at 17k!

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  56. Many, many congratulations.
    I just LOVED this post.

    My good wishes to you all.

    All the best Jan

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  57. Congratulations on the new addition to your family! She's a beauty. I'm also celebrating a birth. This past Monday my youngest daughter gave birth to her second daughter--my sixth grandchild! I can hardly wait to see her at Christmas. Wish it could be sooner.

    You have been blessed!

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  58. Congratulations on your new arrival!

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  59. I'm elated and over the moon happy for you! What I loved most (aside from seeing beautiful Ally of course!) was hearing your patience with all that's going on. Perfect! I love it! You're taking care of you, Ally, the kids. That's the priority and I'm so happy you understand that. Enjoy your precious time and congratulations!!!!!!

    Elsie

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  60. Ally is so precious! Enjoy every tiny moment...They grew up to fast.

    I submitted two poems to a kid's mag this morning. I'd call it a victory because I worked for hours to come up with a four line poem. UGH!

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  61. She is so gorgeous! Congratulations to you all. The household chores can take a back seat for a while. Enjoy your new arrival and all family life.

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  62. She is so beautiful. And adorable. And cute. And gorgeous!

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  63. I sent a fantasy manuscript off to a few agents last Saturday. I'll see what happens.

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  64. Precious baby. I'm nano-ing like a nut, but it's a good way to force the discipline. Have a book coming out on November 22nd (under my other pen name.) Good things happening. Great to see you again! Hugs.

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  65. What a beautiful reason for not doing what you always do.. A wonderful change! So happy for you. And glad to see you back.

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  66. Congratulations on that little beauty. I can't understand why you're so busy. LOL I know what you mean about the food thing. When I have my 4th child, 4th C-section, I went to McDonald's the day before and bought thirty plain hamburgers and froze them. My husband was in charge of dinner for the older three for a week until I was ready to get back in the swing. The kids thought it was cool. Take care and get some rest.

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  67. Lovely pics! Ah, newborns. Well, I sincerely hope some sleep comes your way too, I'm sure you deserve it:)

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  68. What a gorgeous baby! They only stay little like that for such a short time, forget the chores and just enjoy it while you can.

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  69. I love the photo of her with big sister! So adorable!

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  70. Congrats! She's a cutie. What a wonderful smile. I wouldn't worry too much about the blogging side right now. Just enjoy this time.

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  71. Cute beyond words! yes we sometimes forget to simply enjoy the journey, don't we? x

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  72. She's so precious Crystal. I would have loved to have a larger family, but I have to settle for my lovely two gems. Thank you for the sweet inspiration. Thank you too much stopping by my blog. I hope your strength returns and you have a wonderful thanksgiving holiday with your family. :)

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  73. I’m just going to copy what ‘Romance Reader’ said and say she IS so beautiful. And adorable. And cute. And gorgeous!
    Plus how on earth do you manage to visit 100 to 200 blogging buddies on blogging day that is just incredible! I try to visit forty or fifty a week, and I have no small children at home. You are beyond Awesome.
    Congratulations and love to you and all your family.

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  74. Congrats on the new addition. Have to get done what one can and let the rest of those balloons float there indeed.

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  75. Congrats big time! I do hope things are still going well. She sure is cute!

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  76. Congratulations on the beautiful addition to your family. 200 blogging buddies in a day? Super woman.

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  77. Congratulations on the new baby. She's adorable. I said aww several times and then there were the kitties. I linked this post to Awww Mondays. There's a lot of Aww here.

    Have a fabulous Thanksgiving. ♥

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  78. Congratulations on adding Ally to your family. She is beautiful!

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  79. Congratulations on your adorable baby girl! I'm impressed with all that you've been able to accomplish with so much excitement going on at home! Try to enjoy every minute, as it really does go by before you know it.

    Julie

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  80. Oh my goodness! What a cutie! Congrats on your newest bundle of joy. Who cares about vacuuming- at least for a while. :) Enjoy every moment and know that "a little dirt don't hurt" as I was told growing up. Helps our immune systems. See what a good mom you are! :)

    Congrats!
    ~Jess

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  81. Congrats! All that other stuff can wait while you enjoy that little one.

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  82. Adorable and congrats!! I must have been to a different blog? I knew you were expecting, but somehow missed this post. Certainly explains why you're busy.

    Traveling Suitcase

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  83. Baby! 9 lbs? 21.5 inches? Your ribs must be truly sore. A 2 yr. old besides? Goodness. God bless you, visit when you can, sleep when you can.

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  84. Dear Crystal - Congratulations on having such adorable Ally! She looks so nice with that handmade dress, and she has such lovely siblings taking care of her. I know you are a good juggler, but concentrate on priorities. Instead of spending time on doing things perfect, I’d like you to take a rest so that you can recharge yourself. I like the video where cats frolic on a turning record.

    Yoko

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  85. Just popping in to say hi. I know you're busy. Hope things are going well for you and the family.

    Traveling Suitcase

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  86. Totally belated congratulations!!! She's so cute! And that great-grandma dress is so wonderful. Sending you lots of virtual cheese!

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  87. It's amazing that you are even online to visit all of us. You should be sleeping (if that's even possible)! Don't be too hard on yourself about getting things done. Your mom job is the most important thing. Ally is beautiful!

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  88. I can't believe I missed this post with all of these beautiful pics last month. Ally is indeed epic and such a beautiful girl. I can only imagine how hectic your house is but it looks like such a happy one too. Wishing you and that beautiful family a very Merry Christmas, Crystal!!

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  89. Aww, what a beautiful baby! Congratulations and if you're getting anything accomplished at all with a newborn in the house, you are superwoman. Enjoy.

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  90. Congrats! I'm so happy for you, my friend! She is gorgeous! You have a lovely family and a kind spirit! Hope you're enjoying the holidays! :)

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  91. And what a victory it is! Sounds like you're doing fine to me. It may have been a few years, but I still remember those new (and not so new) baby days. Good to see you!

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  92. Wow! I'm glad you're not being too hard on yourself! All those things will eventually get done. Hang in there! and Ally is sooo gorgeous!!

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  93. She's adorable! Congrats again!!! Christy

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  94. You never cease to amaze me. 100-200 blogs in a day! I'm lucky to read through 20 or 30.

    Your new baby is the sweetest and so is her big sister. :)

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  95. Congrats on the darling distraction. :) Life is plenty overwhelming without a newborn so I'm impressed that you're even getting out to a few blogs here and there. I'm still trying to catch up from two weeks ago and kids are teenagers!

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  96. Me popping back in to see how you're doing? Hope things are going well. You'll have a special addition this Christmas.

    Traveling Suitcase

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  97. She's beautiful! Congratulations on your precious new baby!

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  98. I have some Vermont Cheddar in the fridge... ;)

    Congrats on the baby. They do like to take up lots of time and energy, don't they? Like a pebble making ripples in the pond of life.

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Hit me with your cheese!