This past Sunday, Josh was able to give Portia an official name and blessing! It was so special to have him bless her–just like it always is. I am so grateful for a husband who worthily holds the Priesthood and uses it to bless our family and others! I am also grateful for Portia and for how she adds joy to our lives!

From the time Fay was only a few months old, I decided that if we ever had another girl, she was going to be blessed in a tutu. And I made sure it happened! I made everything she wore. I also made her some matching booties, but they were MIA during the picture. The onesie is a funny story. I didn’t think about the fact that she would need one until about a week before we blessed her, and then I couldn’t find one ANYWHERE! A white onesie would have been a cinch to locate; but the outfit is cream-colored, and nobody seems to think small babies should wear solid cream.  So, I dug through Fay’s baby clothes and found an old long-sleeved 24 month onesie that had stains on the collar. I decided that it would serve better as a blessing onesie than its original self, so I turned it into a flutter sleeve 3 month onesie with no stain on the collar. 🙂  And just like half of my sewing projects, it turned out WAY better than it should have! Divine Intervention!

Some fun facts about Portia include:

• She is a super happy baby. Josh, and others who were in the circle, mentioned how she just beamed through her entire blessing. She is especially smiley to new faces. So if you want your life totally made, just stop by and hold Portia for a while. She will smile at you like you are the best thing that ever happened!
• She has torticollis (left torticollis, to be exact), which means the muscles on the left side of her neck are shortened, forcing her to look to the right. This caused her to develop plagiocephally or a flat head. She is in physical therapy in an effort to correct the issue, and the torticollis is being corrected quite well. However, if her head doesn’t shape up (oh yes I did!), she may have to get a helmet.
• She has a giraffe tongue! Her tongue is seriously so long, and she sticks it out and chews on it all the time. It’s rather adorable.
• She loves tummy time. Both Fay and Carter detested being put on their tummies. But Portia thrives there! She can lift her head to fully forward (as opposed to looking at the ground), and turn it either side–though she prefers to turn right, believe it or not. She also loves to roll off her tummy and onto her back.

Portia and the siblings get along very well. She is a patient baby, and will let Fay hold her without fussing, and just coos at Carter when he sticks his face in hers. Both kids love her, too! Fay loves to call her “bebe” and cuddle up with her. Carter will frequently plop down next to her and just talk to her in his own little toddler way, saying her name over and over. It is so special to watch them be so good to her, and to see how they all three love each other so much!

I’ll be honest. Having three kids has thrown me for multiple loops in the past three months. I definitely feel less in-control than I did before Portia was born, and I often wonder what we were thinking having three kids so close together. But when I take a step back and think about this beautiful family that Heavenly Father has blessed me with, I can’t help but be grateful that we were insane enough to do it the way we did. Portia has helped our family grow closer together, and realize another level of what we can handle. And we are happy! Just don’t expect to ever find the dishes and the laundry done at the same time. 🙂