Dear Eisley, We are coming to a close on our first year with three kids. It was hard in so many ways. Any margin or "me time" I had established with two kids evaporated into thin air. While you nap well, your oldest sister now does not. Keeping order in the home with chores and meals used to come so easily me; now it feels like an endless battle, and I am always the underdog. For the past year, I juggled breastfeeding and my work schedule and trying to find just the right amount of childcare (for an affordable price, I might add). We felt the pain of having no family in the area - no one to watch the kids for a date night or to step in as our backup care when the nanny was sick. There were endless drives to and from work and home.  There were too many nights sitting at the kitchen table at midnight trying to get work done. There were minutes when everyone was crying... But there were, of course, minutes when everyone was laughing. There were endless smiles and too many nights where we stayed up past bedtime having dance parties, reading stories, or watching movies. We juggled gymnastics and trips to the park and moving to a new house that fits our family better than the last one. I got to watch my children blossom and still pursue a job I love. The nap schedules were unpredictable, but I learned to savor my snuggles with you when the other girls were sleeping; I also experienced the joy of hanging with the older siblings while you were asleep. I learned the art of one-on-one time... taking the four-year-old to "work" at the coffee shop, sneaking away with the two-year-old for a donut, or running errands with just you smiling in your stroller. This year was hard, it's true. But I've learned that most good things in life come with a bit of pain. Job applications. Fixing up a house. Training for a race. The messy work of marriage. Labor and delivery. And you, my precious daughter, are a very good thing. Love, Mama ... Read more