Kayla's Baptism

 The grandparents picture.  So blessed that each of our kids has a picture of them at their baptism with all four of their grandparents.  It was my dad's turn to hold the baby!

Our friend Bill Fullilove baptized Kayla on Mothers' Day - May 14th.

Her face was all scratched up from her fingernails, she pooped on her dress minutes before the baptism (don't tell Bill!), and she was exhausted so these aren't the greatest pictures but hey it was a miracle we all made it through this crazy weekend of a 50th anniversary party for Martin's parents and a baptism and baptism party at our house, all of which we planned in our sleep-deprived state of having a newborn.  This next picture is so appropriate then.  We did it!
 

Kayla's birth story

As Kayla's due date was approaching and we looked at all the things still on our calendar, we thought watch her be born on April 2nd because we have soo many things going on that day.  Well, it may have been BECAUSE I tried to do so many things that day that she was born that night.

It was a Sunday – so it began with church.  We attended worship and Sunday School as normal and returned home for lunch.  Martin took Dylan and Levi to Dylan’s Cub Scout den meeting – a visit to a nature center along with a hike.  I took Lydia to her choir performance at the nursing home.  I was thinking it was good that I saw this performance because I might miss the performance at the church the next Saturday.  I usually dread going to that performance because I'm often wrangling younger children but I really got to enjoy it this time.  I remember thinking I should sit down as much as I could.  The parking situation at the nursing home isn't that great so I made sure we got a ride with some friends so that I wouldn't have to walk far to the car.  Nathan and Christine Chi brought Lydia and I home, but shortly after that I went back to church for the BOW training that I was doing that afternoon.  I had someone lined up to do it in case I couldn't but I was really hoping that I could make it.  Knowing what I crazy day I had been having, I made sure to put my feet up as much as I could at the meeting.

Meanwhile, Martin took the three children to Dylan’s makeup baseball game.  Since I hadn't eaten dinner yet, I stayed at church after the training for the missions dinner and then headed straight to Dylan's game.  I got there in time to see Dylan’s amazing pitching and his walk off hit that propelled his team to victory.  Martin took the other kids home and I stayed till the end with Dylan.  The time stamp on one of the pictures I took at the game said 9:05pm so it was probably 9:30 before we were home and Dylan was in bed.  I went downstairs and watched Netflix with Martin for a little while and then decided to go up to bed around 10pm.  I went to the bathroom and it was then that I lost the mucus plug and knew it was time for labor to start.  However, we didn't realize it really was time for the baby to come.  I called my parents because I wanted to catch them before they went to bed to tell them things were progressing.  I didn't tell them to come immediately because I had no idea how long labor would be.  I left it up to them to decide if they wanted to drive now or in the morning.  They of course came immediately knowing they couldn't sleep anyway and good thing they did.

After getting off the phone with them, I started doing all the things that I HAD to do before baby came that I hadn't finished - packing my bag for the hospital and cleaning the spare bed room and getting the bed ready for my parents to come.  After that my water broke and we knew it REALLY was time.  We called the doctor and our friend and neighbor Katie Cubba, who had repeatedly asked us to be the one we call in the middle of the night to watch the kids if the baby was coming until my parents arrived.  Contractions had started by the time we were giving instructions to Katie.  By 10:45 we were on our way to the hospital.  In the car, we noticed the contractions were coming fast – every three minutes.

At the ER registration desk, we happen upon this very young male receptionist who persisted in all the required paperwork that you have to sign about not being blind or needing special accommodations while I'm hunched over the desk writhing in pain.  Finally, a mature woman comes out from the back office and says "I think she'll be more comfortable doing this upstairs," and then gets me wheelchair and off we go to Labor & Delivery.  The nurses and my midwife figured out pretty quickly that this baby was coming quick.  There was no triage necessary – we were immediately assigned to delivery room 2 and I remember my midwife standing there waiting for me to get undressed so she could check how far dilated I was.  It was about 11:20pm.  I remember looking at the clock because I knew it was close to midnight and I thought oh, her birthday will be the 3rd because surely it will take longer than 40 minutes.  There wasn't even a question about an epidural - "oh honey, this will be over so fast, you won't need one."  I remember them trying to get some information into the computer so they could start ordering things like bloodwork and oh, the baby's needs.  My midwife asked, can you wait to push through one more contraction so we can draw your blood.  Okay, one more contraction, I can do that.  They got my blood and then the next contraction I was pushing.  Kayla was out after only a couple pushes.  The time was 11:39pm, April 2nd.  1139 is Dylan's cub scout pack number and Martin was wearing his cub scout pack shirt so we will always remember that time.  I couldn't believe it was only 19 minutes after we got into the room and that she was born before midnight.  Kayla weighed 7 lbs 1 oz (bigger than Dylan and Lydia, but smaller than Levi).  I had to push again after she was born to deliver the placenta (first time I had to do that).  It wasn’t until after she was born that we completed the check-in for the hospital.  We took some pictures and had a few quiet moments with Kayla, who just wanted to sleep.  Without the epidural, I was able to get moved to the recovery room fairly quickly.  But I also had more pain to deal with.  Or maybe it's just because I'm older.  I took the stronger stuff for much longer than I had to with other deliveries. 

In the morning, my parents brought Levi to meet his new sister.  Levi was very uncertain and timid in approaching her.  But he really wanted her to have the balloon he brought her and kept trying to get her to take it.  Dylan and Lydia came after school and were very eager to meet her.  They all wanted to hold her and kept wanting to take turns.  We had a few more visitors, got a special Nats/Inova gift from the hospital (blanket and hat), and came home on Tuesday after one more night at the hospital.

Name and verse stories

Kayla is actually the name we had picked out for Joshua had he been a girl.  It's a derivative of a name that means "Who is like you, God?" meaning who can even try to compare to God in goodness, wisdom, power, etc.  We chose that name originally because we knew that we could not fathom God’s purposes with Joshua’s problems and his untimely death.  But the name has taken on new meaning as we consider that no one is like our God who restores us from our grief and has blessed us with two wonderful children after losing Joshua. Plus, we still liked the name and wanted to use it (it has some of my favorite letters - K, L, Y, A!) but changed the middle name we had picked out to Elizabeth in honor of my grandma and in particular my mom (Betty).  According to Martin, "Betty possesses a character and a heart of compassion and service that we aspire for Kayla to have.  Betty has been a constant source of help and encouragement to our family.  Whenever she visits, she labors in love tirelessly on an endless list of household chores as well as give each of our children time and attention so that they know that they are loved and cherished.  Betty has been present to rejoice with us in the good and she has wept with us through the bad.  Kayla’s name will remind her of the love and devotion of her grandmother and the example she has in what it means to be a godly woman." 

It was mid-March and we still didn't have a verse that stuck out to us.  I was in the car one Friday for almost two hours picking up Dylan's two friends and taking them to a party at another kid's house and this was the verse of the day on the Christian radio station.  They read it every half hour or so so I heard it about 5 times while I was in the car that day.  It's meaningful for Kayla because in so many ways she is much more than we imagined (her very being since she was a surprise as well as her reddish hair).

More than we ever imagined

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”

- I Corinthians 2:9

After a very brief labor, Kayla Elizabeth Etner was born at 11:39pm on Sunday, April 2nd, 2017.  She weighed 7lbs, 1oz and was 19.75 inches long. We, along with Kayla’s big brothers and sister, are marveling at what God has given us.

38 Week Update

Everything continues to look good with my weekly non-stress tests and it's fun getting to "see" her every week.  I've been able to find a sitter each week.  And last week was totally providential.  They couldn't fit me in for my normal Tuesday appointment so I had to come in on Monday.  Was able to get a sitter through my babysitting coop and then it turns out that we had a big snow storm on Tuesday so I would have had to reschedule if I would have been scheduled for Tuesday. 

Sorry no picture this week.  Just imagine huge.  I haven't weighed this much in my entire life.  I'm about 15 lbs heavier than I was with Levi. 

Haven't been making it to Jazzercise this month.  Between cancellations and then on the one night I can go I just felt horrible and couldn't make it, it has been tough to get my last month's worth in. 

So we got through my parents returning from Florida, Dylan's piano competition, and my BOW meeting.  I have my last MOPS leadership meeting this week, a playdate for Levi, a women's breakfast on Saturday, and a BOW training on Sunday that I'm still hoping to make it to before baby so we'll see.  Still haven't been able to get caught with work.

We moved our bed and put the pack n' play in our room.  (We will wait until after the baby comes to move Levi and Lydia around.)  Started a bag for the hospital.  Working on getting the email list for the birth announcement email.  We are getting close!  Always so hard not knowing when the baby will come.  I'm trying to schedule a massage but I don't want to do it before the 7th because I don't want to make the baby come before then.

36 week update

This picture was taken 2 weeks ago, a couple days after I got my haircut and on the night Martin and I were going out for a sort of combined late Valentine's Day date and babymoon.   We couldn't get a babysitter any closer to Valentine's Day and our babymoon sitters are still snowbirding in FL (baby can't come until next week when they get back!) so we just went out to dinner and to a movie.  I can't remember the last time we did both in one night/date so it was a treat.  And I got to wear the free dress I got from a friend who was shipped a maternity dress by mistake.  I think I look so huge in this picture but I guess it's because it's a dress and it hangs over my belly.  Anyway, it's a 34 week picture but a 36 week update.

When I had my 32-33 week checkup, the nurse told me to come back in 3 weeks and the midwife said 2 so they scheduled me for 2 weeks.  They scheduled me for the "non-stress" tests but it wasn't clear if we were actually going to start those yet or even at all - they were supposed to get back to me.  Remember, the perinatologist had said all issues from the sonogram had been clear but because of my age he recommended the non-stress tests at 35 weeks on.  But my doctors don't do the non-stress tests that early just for age.  The day before the appointment, I still hadn't lined up a sitter because I wasn't sure if they wanted me to do the tests so I tried to cancel the appointments but they wouldn't let me.  I guess they determined that even though things were clear, because of my history they wanted to take the extra precaution.  I think they didn't want to go against the perinatologist's recommendation and just wanted to be extra careful because we could (insurance-wise).  At first I thought I could just have this first one and then wait a few weeks but the mid-wife said that since we started we should continue each week.  I was kinda annoyed at first (these appointments would be 1.5 hour appointments each week) so I will have to find a sitter for each one and they are kinda long and boring (at least the part where I sit on the monitor, not the ultrasound part.)  But I had the first one on Tuesday and it was actually kinda nice to sit and read my book club book on my kindle and have some quiet rest time and then have the ultrasound.  It's just going to be a challenge finding someone to watch Levi every week.  This week someone at school happened to just volunteer when I said I needed someone.  So that was awesome. 

My OB moved their office since my last check up too.  They actually moved into the office that the perinatologist was in when we went to see him for the second opinion with Joshua.  So I had the sonogram on Tuesday in pretty much the same room I had that sonogram of Joshua. 

Dylan has now started baseball and things are starting to get crazier with our schedule.  I've been hoping to work ahead a little for work but that hasn't happened yet.  Hopefully I have a few more weeks.  Signed Levi up for preschool!  Now starts the "okay, if we can get through this, the baby can come."  I'm hoping for the 7th but then I will probably miss Lydia's choir concert. 

I just realized I never posted about my due date.  Original due date was April 8th.  An early sonogram led them to push the due date up to April 3rd although I am sticking with the 8th in my mind (this is why I'm not sure which week appointment I am on and I don't think my doctors know either.)  I want the baby to be born AFTER Martin's 40th birthday on April 5th so that the baby's birth certificate won't have me listed as being 40 and Martin as 39.  (You may recall that burned me up that Dylan's birth certificate has mom's age 30 and dad's age 29.  And here we go again!).  But I'm also sick of being pregnant so it's hard to say I want to go longer. 

33 week update

We are well into the 3rd trimester now and less than two months to go.  Lots to update.  So the second sonogram that I had in December showed that the Choroid Plexus Cysts had "resolved themselves" or disappeared.  The radiologist still thought the baby's stomach looked large so after some back and forth with my doctor, they decided to have us go see a perinatologist.  No one sounded too concerned (if there was a blockage of some sort, the fluid levels around the baby would be lower than normal and they weren't).  Yet, they still recommended the further testing.  The perinatologist happens to be the same doctor that gave us the second opinion when we got Joshua's initial trisomy 18 diagnosis.  I think my mind just blocked out the fear and I told myself to not worry until we had something to worry about.  On January 4th we went to the appointment and the sonographer and the doctor said the baby's stomach was on the larger end of the normal range but still normal and nothing to be concerned about especially since the fluid levels around the baby were still fine.  The perinatologist did recommend however that I have weekly baby heart rate checks and another sonogram at 35 weeks because of my "advanced maternal age."  Not sure what my doctors (who see lots of Catholic (and otherwise) women having babies well into their 40s) will want to do with that.  But basically the issues from the 20 week sonogram have all been resolved and there's no out of the ordinary concern with the baby.  And I passed the glucose test.

Our trip to PA and FL went well - no milk spills or throwing up in the car and the ride from FL to home on the 31st was really quick.  The drive from PA to FL on the 26th was longer than expected due to traffic since lots of folks were traveling that day.  My ankles swelled up a lot and then kept swelling up most every night we were in FL (but the swelling would go down while I slept).  We had a great time visiting, celebrating Christmas in PA, and going to the beach and alligator farm in FL.  Our van was so packed we had to leave some gifts and things in PA so we'd have room to bring everything home from FL.  When my parents come when the baby's born we'll have those boxes to open again!

People keep giving us stuff - both our stuff back and other stuff.  Got our Bumbo seat back, some of our girl clothes from a friend and some from a neighbor, and I found someone who is going to let us borrow the stroller frame I was going to try to get from Craig's list.

Still going to Jazzercise (and now everyone can tell that I'm pregnant) but it's still so infrequent with the kids' activities and cancellations.  Then one night I got locked out of the car temporarily (key fob didn't work and it took us too long to figure out there was a key in the fob) so missed going.  I will cancel my membership but I hope I can keep going until the end of March because it does make my hips feel better.

Speaking of feeling better, I'm FINALLY getting my haircut this week.  It's been almost 9 months and I need it shorter so I don't have to spend so much time on it with the baby coming.

It's still hard to believe we are having another baby but I rarely forget I'm pregnant now because I feel big and have all those fun pregnancy symptoms like sciatic nerve pain.  And the baby is kicking a lot now, but that's fun.  I think I've moved on from stressing about all the stuff to how are we going to keep up with the kids' activity schedule with a toddler and a newborn.  Everyone always says the younger ones just come along for the ride, which they will, but the mental energy just to get everyone out the door and to figure out when the baby will eat (can't happen while I'm driving!) is what seems overwhelming at this point.  I remember what it was like with Levi and I didn't have a toddler and it was summer so it was a little slower.  This time it will be baseball season for crying aloud!  Even without a newborn I usually tell people, talk to me in June because of the craziness.  Just going to have to let some things go I suppose.  I think the hard thing with having a big family though is that some of the things that I may have to let go are for the kids or are watching the kids do stuff like play baseball, which is one of my greatest joys in parenting.  But feeding a newborn/baby brings me great joy too and I want it all because these kids are going to be grown up before we know it (did I mention Dylan will need braces before the end of the year?)  But I guess I can't get worked up about missing a game here and there or not being there for everything.  Maybe I thought when I quit work that I wouldn't have to make those hard decisions anymore but anyone with more than one kid or a job has to so this shouldn't be so surprising.      

Lydia's 8-year update

Our baby girl is growing up!  Eight is a big year - legally, Lydia doesn't have to ride in a car seat anymore, (but we still do until our kids reach a certain height) and legally, Lydia can be left at home by herself for a short time period, (we have done this very limitedly).  Milestones this past year include going to camp by herself for the first time (Mommy and Dylan were also there but not in the same cabin), riding the big roller coasters at Kings Dominion (she and Dylan went on one by themselves that went upside down), playing in her first piano recital, playing on a softball team, joining the swim team, and moving up to the "big kids' choir" at church.  The above picture was taken before the Christmas concert that Lydia sang in.

Lydia is still the child that talks back the least and is super loving and so joyful to be around almost all the time.  She's always ready for a hug, wants to spend time with her family, and enjoys most everything we do.  Lydia has become even more comfortable talking to adults this year.

Lydia still loves penguins and my Little Pony and also Pokemon and Under Armour clothes like her big brother.  Lydia also likes ice skating and has been taking lessons continuously since September (although I think we are taking a break after spring break).  She got her second pair of ice skates for her birthday this year.  

We asked Lydia what she wanted to do for her birthday.  She said she wanted to go to the beach (she knew we would be in FL around her birthday) and wanted to go out to eat.  (Have I mentioned she's our easiest child?)  We went to the beach and had a fun day and then ordered out for pizza and bought Lydia the biggest cupcake she had ever seen (look at her face above!).  

Lydia doesn't always match her clothes exactly but she knows what she wants to wear.  Socks and crocs (while riding a croc!) and rain or snow boots on any day of week are some of her current styles.

Her one other request for her birthday this year was for a peanut butter pie (just like Daddy likes).

Lydia is doing great at school, meeting the new challenges that 2nd grade and Form 2 bring - homework every night.  She gets along with everyone at school and church and made new friends at camp at in choir.  She still sucks her thumb but mostly just nights and at church.  Lydia is very excited to be becoming a big sister to a baby girl soon (and to getting her own room.)  

5 years

Besides being 5 years since Joshua's birth, this year was also special because his birthday fell on Thanksgiving just like the day of his birth.  My parents were in town and we went to church just like the day Joshua was born.  We went to the cemetery after church and then home to get Thanksgiving dinner ready.  Carrie and her family came over too.  I was again adamant about not traveling for Thanksgiving so that we could make Joshua's birthday part of the festivities.  We took balloons to the cemetery and released them after singing Happy Birthday.  And then we laid orange carnations on the grave.  But we forgot the camera.  I went back a few days later with Levi to put up the Christmas decoration on the grave and pick up the carnations.  Since for the last 2 years the fake flower arrangements that I bought disappeared before I could retrieve them (I probably just waiting too long to remove them), I went with a $6 small wreath from Micheal's (as shown above).  

Since it was 5 years, I decided to send an email to friends asking to help us remember Joshua through a donation to Pine Springs Camp.  I was pregnant with Joshua one summer I was there and I always think of Pine Springs as being one of those places that I can say I shared with all my children.  They are running a capital campaign for a new dining hall and will put up a plague if someone donates at least $1000.  Would be great to have a spot there to especially remember Joshua.  Friends of ours also sent us flowers again and my mom brought us 5 roses.

Being pregnant again has given me lots of opportunities to talk about Joshua since so many people ask what number child this is that I'm carrying.  I often answer that question more completely (by mentioning Joshua) than the how many kids do you have question.  I always try to be honest (even if my responses are a little cryptic - I have 3 kids "at home" and one on the way or something to that affect), but being pregnant again makes me more forthright.  I'm sure if we didn't have this baby girl, folks would just assume we had two and then an oops baby later.  But now they may wonder enough what they heck we were thinking that they may ask about the age gap and I'll get to talk more about Joshua.

Being pregnant and thinking about having an infant again also brings some of the fears again but not as much as with Levi, and even with him I was still okay.  I've been thinking a lot about how I'm going to manage a baby along with all that we have going on already so I've been thinking a little about what if Joshua had lived.  It's hard to imagine him being 5 and I look at some 5 year olds in our church to think about what that would be like.  He would be starting Kindergarten next fall.  Crazy.

No real profound spiritual insights this year just plugging along in the reality of having one of our children in heaven already and how that continues to shape us now.  By next year, Levi may start to be able to understand about his brother some more and Lord willing we'll have another child on earth to share him with.  The rest of us have been talking some lately about wondering what Joshua is like and looking forward to getting to know him someday.  So that is where we are.            

20 week update

Second trimester so far has been good.  I've had some different pregnancy related health issues this time around (UTI that required 2 rounds of antibiotics, headaches related to my teeth clenching) and some old "favorites" like sciatic pain and hip pain but for the most part after the morning sickness abated, it's been relatively easy.  I started wearing maternity clothes around 14-15 weeks but with the time of year and the long shirt/sweater style that is now "in" I can get away with wearing a lot of non-maternity clothes the new outfit I bought above.  I also bought two other sweaters that aren't as long as this one but longer than the ones I have.  I bought another pair of maternity jeans and my mom bought me a maternity shirt.  I'm kinda dreading packing for our "tour de Christmas" (going to PA and FL in the same trip).  I will probably need to do some laundry before we leave my mom's to go to FL.

The 20-week sonogram was good although there were two minor issues that they need to keep an eye on (so I'm having another sonogram in 4 weeks).  One was that they saw Choroid Plexus Cysts on the baby's brain.  Sounds a hundred times worse than it is.  Most of the time these things resolve/go away and the only reason the doctor may care about these is because there is some correlation between these cysts and trisomy 18 and 13 but since we had the blood test that showed she is very low risk for those and because there weren't any other indications of that on the sonogram, they weren't concerned.  The other thing was that her stomach appeared bloated or enlarged.  It could be that she took a gulp of fluid right before the scan or it could mean that she has some sort of slow drainage issue with her stomach.  So they will look at it again in 4 weeks and we will go from there.  

I feel like this pregnancy is really long but that's probably because we don't have as much to learn/prepare for.  So far, we got a car seat that someone gave us and I have some promises of girl clothes (although I did go buy some stuff at Carter's - including a newborn Easter dress!).  I bought a car seat canopy and a new picture frame to match the other kids'.  Now I think we just need a stroller frame that I'm hoping to get on Craig's list or Vienna Virtual Yard Sale.

I have been able to go back to Jazzercise which has been good.  Hoping to continue that until the baby is born and then I will probably need to cancel my membership.  But I'm thinking I'll swim over the summer and then I'm thinking of doing this mommy boot camp class at the community center when Levi starts pre-school in the fall.  I can bring the baby with me and you only have to pay for a month or so at a time.

I was recently talking to a friend at church who grew up with 4 kids in his family.  I was lamenting about how now we won't all be able to fit in one hotel room or one sedan and he pointed out that when one of his siblings died the rest realized all the benefits of growing up with an even number of kids in the family i.e., two for one deals and even teams for board games.  Might be a few years before we see those benefits but I was glad to have some "pros" to add to my list instead of thinking about the "cons" which seem to take over now, especially when I don't have a cute baby to hold and love on yet.  What I have been thinking about mostly is all the "stuff" that not only another child brings into the house but the delay in getting rid of things I was ready to pass on (maternity clothes, girl clothes, toys, etc.)  I thought this "plan" of downsizing stuff was going to make my life happier.  I'm sure it would but I'm trying to tell myself that not only does God have better things in mind but really I need to declutter even more than just the stuff I was ready to get rid of.  That's a harder job and one that I'm not sure I have the time or energy to do and certainly won't after the baby gets here.  But I'm trying to wrap my head around what it would mean and to get over some of my ridiculous tendencies to not want to throw things away (but the landfills!) and instead find good homes/uses for them.  I have a ridiculous amount of cardboard boxes that I think I'm going to need and the kids have probably 100 coloring books with only a couple pages colored in each.  Those are the first things I want to deal with.  

Dylan at 10!

Hard to believe we've been parents for a decade.  It has been so much fun watching Dylan grow up.  He is good at so many things and gets lots of praise from teachers and other parents, which get us through the harder parenting times that come with his strong-willed personality.

On the first day of school, the teacher asked the kids to describe themselves in one word and write that word on a sticky note.  Dylan's word:  Awesome.

Dylan (like his Mommy) likes to always know what's going on and what the plan is.  He recently told me this regarding field trips, "I like to sit up front next to the teachers on bus trips so I can hear them plan what we are going to do.”

Dylan continues to play and improve at baseball.  In the spring, he was drafted onto a AAA team (the Mariners) and was one of only 2 nine-year olds on the team.  The coach said he picked Dylan despite his size because his previous coach's notes said he called him Charlie Hussle.

Dylan also swam for the Gators again this summer, learning the flip turn in no time to complete the 50 meter distance for 9-10 year olds.  He even beat me at a 50 meter freestyle race.  I think I had him at 25 though.  Then I was done.

Dylan is still big into Pokemon, playing the online game and trading cards with his friends and battling Lydia at home.  All his birthday presents from us this year are Pokemon related.

Dylan is still taking piano lessons much to his dismay and continues to excel.  He got a Superior (5 out of 5) at the music festival he competed in in March.  He is also playing the recorder again in school.

And Dylan is still in cub scouts - he is now a Webelo and Martin is his den leaders.  He (and Martin) spent a whole week at scout camp this summer and Dylan recruited his friend Danny to the den.  He also sold enough popcorn this year to pay for his dues!  The cub scout fall campout falls on Dylan's birthday so that's his sleepover party this year.  Then we will have a family party with Grandma and Grandpap at Dylan's favorite sit-down Mexican restaurant and then come home for ice cream cake.

Dylan and Levi have started bonded more by wrestling and Dylan is looking forward to Levi moving into his room next year.  Happy Birthday bug!

Levi update - 27 months

I think I stopped the every three month updates with Dylan and Lydia at 2 years old but Levi has changed so much in the last three months and is talking so much more, I just had to write another update.  (See, sometimes, the younger ones do get things the older ones didn't get.)

When we drop the big kids off at school he says "I anna go." He likes the days that I do morning supervision and we get to go inside and play games for a while.  But he doesn’t like to hold hands in the parking lot – he says, "walk, I anna walk!"  Generally, he wants to do everything the big(ger) people do – wear a backpack, slide the payment card, push the cart.  He says “payground” although sometimes it sounds like popcorn and he says "stroller" because he knows that will get him there.  He wants to go to sleep at night, and even tries to climb into his crib.  After his morning diaper change, he wants to brush his teeth – generally he loves routines. After that he says rekfast, oatmeal and wants to eat that every day.  He also says "unch" for lunch.  And he always declares if it's raining - "Wreyning!"

Levi often demands lovin' from us "Daddy hug," "Mommy hug / kiss."  He gets exciting when Martin comes home and says "Daddy home!"  He reminds us to pray at meals and bedtime and says "I anna pay (pray)."  Then he says "God, food, inks (drinks), Amen."

Everyday we talk about where everyone is, "Daddy ork, Dy-an cool (school), ee-a (Lydia) cool.  But he never says his name.  We ask him who he is and he says Mommy, Daddy, or Zak.  He often wants to “call pap! Call pap!”  The longest string of words I've heard him put together is “where’d mommy go?  Dere she is!”

Levi repeats a lot.  He even wants to do flashcards to learn new words.  We got to the card for "saw" and he went and got his toy saw.  I think he knows some colors (red, blue, green, orange).

Levi also has manners.  He says "ess you" when I sneeze and "y'elcome" when I give him something.  (He's got the thank you and you're welcome backwards.)

We can get him to do the "get excited" thing where he has a big smile and makes fists and stiffens his neck.  It's so cute.

I realized that I never blogged about the big kids saying Levi is awake and content.  They used to say that when he was a little baby.  Now they just say it for fun.  

First trimester update

I'm just now at the end of the first trimester.  I wouldn't say that I've been feeling worse than other pregnancies but the morning sickness during the first trimester (week 5.5 to about week 12.5) lasted all day - sort of that low level nauseousness.  I would eat to keep ahead of it but the only food that sounded good wasn't the healthiest food.  I would drop the kids off at school and then go with Levi out for second breakfast - usually breakfast sandwiches from whatever was close.  Levi also watched a lot of Sesame Street during those mornings.  Usually in the afternoons I kept busy enough to keep my mind off of it but I had a hard time being in the kitchen to cook dinner or do dishes (as in the breakfast and lunch ones that have been sitting around all day) so Martin would have to do that when he came home.  So it was a rough couple months for us both.  Now that I'm out of the first trimester I feel like productive member of society again.

As much as I would like to do everything I did for my first child(ren) I doubt I will blog as much about this pregnancy.  That is mostly because I just don't have as much to write about myself as I did when I was pregnant with the others.  But I will try to hit the major stuff that this baby girl may want to read about later in life.  For instance, my cravings.  I haven't really have any cravings aside from cold water which I had in other pregnancies and for some odd reason I can't drink sweet tea anymore.  Now I get unsweetened tea and sweeten it myself with one packet of sweetener.  We'll see if that sticks.

All the doctor appointments have been good so far including the sonogram at 9 weeks.  (I also was a sonogram "model" again for nurses' training at the pregnancy center our church supports.  That was at 7 weeks.)  Heard the heartbeat at the 12 week appointment on Monday.

As most folks know, I'm a planner and this baby has brought quite the change in "my" plans but was planned by God before the creation of the world.  But true to form I am now re-planning...:)  Most of the planning/thinking through implications has been about the room assignments in the house and how many years we will be making triple and quadruple tuition payments.  We won't have 4 kids at Lorien Wood at once but we will have two in college and two at Lorien Wood for one year.  I also think we are going to take the money I had put away for the CPA again and put it toward this baby's college fund so that we can front load that fund like we did for the other kids.  The catch is that we need more money now but I won't be able to increase my business or find outside employment for an additional three years or so.  I had been hoping to work a little more when Levi starts preschool in about a year but that probably won't be feasible then.  So we will need to cut spending in other areas and trust in the Lord to provide.  When I found out I was pregnant, I felt like God was saying, really Heather this mom stuff is what I want you to focus on for the time being.  And so I will.  I will roll off of the BOW in June.  I also had two work-related opportunities fall through in the last few months so this is where God has me and I hope to enjoy it.    

Baby #5

We got a joyful surprise this summer - we are expecting another baby!   We found out on August 1st although I felt my clothes not fitting even before that!  We told the kids after we found out the results of the cell free DNA test on Friday - baby is a low risk for genetic disorders like Downs and the other trisomies and we are having a girl!

Levi is 2!

Can't believe our little man is two already!  Here's Levi after his birthday party on Saturday with the new ride-on/scooter that my sister got him. He doesn't smile for the camera anymore so I had to get him in action to get a smile.

So the big news to report since the last update is that Levi broke his leg at the beginning of May.  He ran down a sliding board.  We knew right away that it was broken because he wouldn't stop crying and he wouldn't walk on it.  Levi and Mommy spent the evening and into the night at urgent care and then the ER.  And then the next day we went to the pediatrician because he had an ear infection. (This all after I spent the afternoon at a hospital waiting for my sister after she had a procedure done in DC.  It was medical week...)  Here he is a few days after the fall (still with the splint).  We had to put his mattress on the floor because we couldn't lift him out of the crib.  He got a cast a week after the fall and was in that for 3 weeks.

I was sad at first because I thought I wasn't going to see my child walk for weeks.  This was right after he starting playing with his tee ball set in the back yard and I missed that so much.  Thankfully, I didn't have to miss it for long.  

Since it was baseball season Levi was spending most of his time in a stroller watching Dylan and Lydia play ball anyway.  (And he got lots of sympathy treats...)

Then I was happy because the broken leg slowed him down enough that he started doing things he didn't do before - sitting for a long time reading books, coloring, doing puzzles, playing with duplo blocks.  It was like having a 6 month old again but one who could do so much more while sitting!  But then he learned to crawl in the cast....

And then about a week later he figured out how to stand and walk and climb and on the cast.

After 3 weeks in a cast, he wore a boot for another three weeks but we could take it off to bathe him and to go in the pool.  We were grateful for that because bathing a toddler in a cast is NO FUN!  After the three weeks in the boot we went back to the doctor and you couldn't even tell that he had broken his leg.  No mark in the x-ray or anything.

Most of the rest of the stuff is the same since last update...still won't eat veggies, imitates a lot (see pic above!), still gives great hugs!!!

In the spring Levi learned to play baseball from watching the older two and now I think he's going to learn how to swim from watching them.  Levi loves the water and goes under and kicks and even tries to move his arms to swim like the big kids!

And he's singing along with the songs that the big kids listen to on the radio.  (We're going) daaaawn (to the river).  He will also have conversations with us but we have no idea what he is saying.

Word update - added since last update:  go!, fish, feet, belly, cow, mine!, ee-a (for Lydia - she gets her own word now), dyn-saur, bird, uh-fly (butterfly), monkey, hyyyysss (for yes), dog.  Not many added as last time I guess.  There's just a lot of car! choo choo! dynsaur! pop!

Stats update:  30 lbs and 34.75 inches!  That puts him about the 75th percentile for height and weight.

Levi is a very happy, active, funny, excited kid.  He was cracking up the other day because he threw spaghetti at me and it stuck to my back.  So of course he did it again.  (I never wear good clothes to dinner.)  If he wants my attention and I'm holding him he will put his hands on either side of my face and turn my head to face him so he knows I'm paying attention.  (So he can tell me about the choo choo or whatever he is excited about.)

At his party Levi only hit or pushed about half of the "friends" we had over.  These were all boys born around the same time he was but all of them were first children.  The parents were very gracious and some of them even thought it was good for their child to be pushed around a little.  We had fun and a good laugh when I told Levi that it was time for cake and he so excited for the cake and then I stuck hot flaming things in his cake so that he can't eat it (mean mommy!) so he cried.  So we got the fire away from his cake and then he ate it and was happy.  

Levi Update - 21 months

The last 3 months for Levi have been all about learning new words.  He has now added the following words to his vocab:  no, hot (with the sign), truck, sock, fish (for shoes), towel, gulge (for water or milk), milk (sometime he says it right), book, please (with the sign), up please, help, pasta, cheese, peaches, apple sauce, car, tee (as in baseball - see below), weee (for slide), pop (for grandpap), home, school, ug (for hug), die-yee (for Dylan and Lydia or just Dylan), ba-bies (for the two stuffed animals that he sleeps with), choo choo, bus, cha cha cha (for helicopter that goes chop chop chop chop), sssss (snake), nack (for snack), uh-oh (for anytime anything ends up on the floor, accident or on purpose), and ta-dah.  He also can point to his nose as well as other simple commands (throw that away, pick up the ball, run to the base, etc.).  And he taps his knees to the beat of the music when it's "music class" time - i.e., time for Dylan and Lydia to practice piano.      

In addition to being able to throw a ball really well, Levi can now hit a ball off the tee and run to "first base."  If you can't tell, a lot of his world is keeping up with big brother and big sister.

He had a great time on our spring break trip to Florida.  Here we are at a marine science center.

The other major milestone is that Levi weaned at exactly 19 months when Mommy went on the women's retreat.  It was really easy.  I drop a feeding or two over the last two months that he nursed and then it was pretty much cold turkey for the last 2-3 feedings.  It helped that Daddy put him down at night for the first couple weeks and that I didn't hold him in the rocking chair for a while.  But now we can do that again.

I feel like he has become a pickier eater these last few months.  I haven't been able to get him to eat much meat (getting protein from eggs and yogurt) and won't eat veggies unless they are in a pouch (everything is apple sauce then!).  But he eats a lot of fruit.  Likes pasta but not bread so much.

I feel like Levi wants to imitate the other family members more than my other kids did (well, I guess there are more of us to imitate...;).  Levi likes to wipe the counters, load and start the dishwasher, sweep the floor, play the piano, play on the computer, etc.  Partly because of that and partly because he follows directions well, he is a big helper for his age.  

Levi is a happy kid who loves to give hugs too.  Sometimes we'll be in the grocery store and he'll say ug ug ug and want you to hug him right there.  Love this cutie!

Levi Update - 18 months!

Our Little Man is not so little anymore!  He weighs 25 lbs and is 32.5 inches tall.  Levi is running and climbing and rarely stops moving.  And he's always "busy."  He sits down then he gets up then he takes the book and moves it here and then moves it there and then he finds something on the ground and puts it in the trash can because that's what he sees us do and then he climbs on the chair and then to the table and clears everything off the table and then it's back down again to play with a toy for two seconds and then we start over again...

Levi is a fun-loving kid.  He often tries to make us laugh and get us to do things that he thinks are funny.  Like putting his foot in our face to do "poo-tinky" feet.  Or shaking his head back and forth so that I'll do it.  Or making silly faces.  Or dancing around when music is playing, or not when music is playing.  He laughs a lot and delights in his family, especially Dylan and Lydia.  He says Du Du and I can't tell if that's Dylan or Daddy.  He says Mom-ME and often calls for me loudly.  So word count:  Mommy, Ball, vroom vroom for car, woof woof for any animal, Bub-ble (his first two-syllable word), Du Du, sign for more, sign for pooping, sign for all done, and go-gurt for yogurt, his favorite food.

I thought Levi was going to give up the baby food for a while there but I'm still giving him some just to make sure he's getting his veggies.  He also like the apple sauce pouches, meat, soup, cold cereal and regular oatmeal (we are done with the baby oatmeal), pasta, all kinds of fruit, and any kinds of cookies.  Here he is using a fork for the first time.  He's still nursing but I'm trying to decrease the number of times each day.  The pre-nap nurse will be the last and hardest to give up.  He's getting better with the sippy cup but it's still a challenge.

Levi is a sweet kid too.  He gives us lots of hugs and he cuddles with a teddy bear at night to sleep.  When my parents were visiting he brought a Truck book to my dad and climbed up in his lap because he knew my dad would read it to him because he did so earlier that trip.  

Lydia Update - 7 years!

Lydia - the delightful girl who wanted and apple and banana on her ice cream birthday cake!

 

Lydia - the adventurous, yet wise and tenacious in trying new things girl who got ice skates for her birthday to use at her ice skating lessons.

Lydia - the loyal friend to all, who brought two friends to see the Nutcracker with her as her special birthday treat.

Lydia, the loving daughter and total family girl who comes up to us with arms open wide and says, "Hug" and then gives us one of her big hugs.

Lydia, the silly and quick-witted one who never misses a beat with a quick response to her brother's antics.

Other Lydia-isms from this year:  one time she had a scratch on her head and she said "hey mommy, I'm like Harry Potter."  She likes to make chicken sounds and many a times I have thought she was just off in her own world not paying attention when I ask her something and she's making these noises but then she says, "that's chicken for 'yes mommy.'"  

Lydia is super smart too.  Lydia is now reading chapter books and often surprises us with the big words she can read. Over the holidays Dylan said to Lydia, "I'll give you $5 if you can tell me what 11 plus a 11 is."  She surprised us all when she said 22.  Of course we made Dylan give her the $5 even though he tried to get out of it.  There have been many times when Lydia quietly says the correct answer to something that you're not expecting her to know and we say "what?" and then she gets all embarrassed and won't repeat it.  While Lydia still gets embarrassed when she realizes people are watching her, she is getting better and better about her shyness.  She is able to stand in front of the whole school and (albeit quietly) give answers to her teacher's or the head of school's questions.  Most of her friends' moms have now actually heard her talk...:)  She's never been embarrassed to talk to kids, just adults.

Lydia is super loyal to her older brother and still enjoys spending a lot of time with him.  She still likes to do art projects.  She played baseball with Vienna Little League last spring and is signed up to play softball this spring.  Lydia started taking piano lessons this year and is great about practicing.  Lydia spent 5 days at PA Grandma's house this year by herself and went to Moms and Tots with me in July.  She performed in her second dance recital but is now taking a year off from dance.

Lydia now weighs 48 lbs (she gained 4 lbs this year) and is 45.5 inches tall (over 2.5 inches over last year).  She still sucks her thumb but we are seeing improvement!

Lydia still loves penguins and says that she wants to rescue penguins when she grows up and live in Antarctica.  We ask her what she is going to save them from and she said people and seals.  WE LOVE OUR LYDIA!