Sharing Tidbits . . .: 2012

With Baby Brother set to arrive in seven weeks or less (hopefully less), I figured it was time to give an update on what the rest of the family is up to. . . taking the easy way out on updating this blog, which will be full of baby boy pictures before I know it!

We have had a fantastic summer thus far. Our little pool has been above 80 degrees for the majority of the last three months which means the girls are 'little fish' and sporting fantastic sunkissed skin. When they aren't swimming, the girls have spent hours having tea parties, dressing up, pretending to be fairies and flying through the house, playing Polly Pockets or Strawberry Shortcakes or the latest - Barbies! What a hoot it is to watch little Kelsey mimic Kaitlyn's play with a Barbie doll! They continue to be best of friends and despite the rare sharing tiff, they spend nearly all day everyday together. When Kaitlyn has had friends over this summer, poor Kelsey is visibly disappointed, as somehow playing with Mommy doesn't rank nearly as high as playing with Big Sis. But we've had lots of fun nonetheless. We invested in a "tag along bike" so that kaitlyn can ride on a bike connected to mine. With Kelsey in the bike seat on Jeff's bike, and Kaitlyn on the tag along, we have been able to go on countless bike stress free bike rides this summer including down the boardwalk in Grand Haven - what fun! We took two mini vacations this summer - the first to the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area to the zoo and musuems there and then to Frankenmuth for some more fun at local zoos and museums. Never fail, the girls seem to love just running the halls at the hotel far more than they love any excursions we have planned while on vacation; its neat to see them so easily entertained.
Jeff has been blessed to have a very busy summer at work. Somehow he manages to put in 60-70 hours a week but still makes it home to spend dinnertime and the evening with the girls and I. He has also enjoyed running lots of calls with the fire department this summer including being part of the crew that extinguished four or five legit house fires just this summer! Praise the Lord that his back has been nearly pain free all summer despite the long hours at work and with the fire department; hard to believe that it was only 13 months ago that he had his back surgery. The girls are so happy to have him back doing "Daddy Stuff" as they call it - throwing them in the air, swinging them in circles - all that crazy stuff that Mommys (and certainly super prego Mommys) can't do!

Just by looking at Kaitlyn, you can tell that she is growing up. You can't carry on a conversation with her and not miss the fact that she is now missing a bottom tooth! Wow has time flown by! She turned six in May and is still our "string bean", just shy of four feet tall and not quite at the 40lb mark yet. Kaitlyn has reached the age where she loves having friends over to play; previously just playing with me was kosher enough, but now, when given the offer, she will definitley pick playing with friends over playing with Mommy (sniff, sniff). She loves to dress up and dance and pretend to fly and you rarely find her quiet, as she is always singing a sweet song while she plays. Kaitlyn has really taken to swimming this summer and basically taught herself how to swim, which we are thrilled about. Usually very timid in the water, we are loving seeing how brave she has become. Now riding a bike without training wheels is a different story.... she may have training wheels forever! ;) Kaitlyn is hands down the best big sister ever. She adores Kelsey and is eager to teach her so many things; she is so patient and loving and nothing makes her happier than when Kelsey gives in and gives her a hug that she so often begs for. I am sure she will be an awesome big sister to Baby Brother too! This Mommy is so blessed to have such a sweet daughter! Kaitlyn is excited about starting her first grade year of homeschool. She amazes Jeff and I with her reading ability - and she loves sharing her talent and reading to Kelsey too. After taking two sessions of dance camp this summer, she is also thrilled about her ballet lessons that also start this fall! Kaitlyn continues to be our well mannered and well behaved, compassionate, creative little Sweetie! She is very excited for Baby Brother to arrive, although she still wishes that he were a "she".

At two and a half, Kelsey bring so much laughter to our family, it is incredible. Whether she is standing in front of the tv attempting to copy the dance moves of a cartoon character, wiping off the kiss you give her and saying "Yuck", or chasing her sister around "hissing" with a toy snake in her hand, there is never a dull moment ... unless she has her beloved "Blankie" and "Blue-ee"...the one and only pacifier she will suck - when that happens, she is the biggest cuddle bum you have ever seen. Our little Curly Locks is a "ham" from sun up till sun down. She still naps most days although she is very quick to sign "awake" when you ask her if she is tired and needs a nap. Battling a diagnosis of "mild apraxia", Kelsey still struggles with speech, and will probably do so until she is six or seven. She has an amazing knack at getting her point across, however, whether it be with one of the hundreds of signs that she knows, or with gestures, or more recently with words! Her first 14 weeks of speech therapy at Mary Free Bed ended in mid July and since then she has had a language explosion. At her second birthday, she had literally no words - zero, and now, six months later, she has about 80 words. Not all of them are clear, nor are all sylablles represented, but we get what she is saying and just love to hear her sweet little voice! Sitting through those sometimes frustrating speech appointments, I couldn't be more proud of the effort my littlest lady put forth! When we aren't working on speech, Kelsey spends most of her time hanging with her Big Sissy. She is always up first and gets so excited when Kaitlyn finally wakes up. It warms my heart to see them have so much fun together. Kelsey seems to still be a bit more of a tomboy, having fun playing with her tool bench, tractors, dinosaurs and trains, but she is becoming more and more interested in having fashion shows with Kaitlyn and playing dolls. I'm so glad that my girls are so close. Kelsey is quite the Mommy's Girl, so I'm sure when Baby Brother comes and starts occupying Mommy, it is going to "rock her world", but having Kaitlyn here will be a huge comfort to her, I'm sure.

So now its time for the update on me.... well I am super huge ... but so blessed to have made it 33 weeks without any complications, any illnesses (knock on wood), zero days of bedrest.... I am a lucky Mommy! The record-breaking heat of the summer didn't seem to have any real impact on me - no different than it had on any other Mommy. I am so thankful that we have air conditioning and a pool - those were lifesavers this summer! That being said, being pregnant is getting pretty "old" and I am very excited to meet Baby Brother and start that new chapter of our lives. Nesting is in full force. . . my cupboards are clean, my washing machine has been scrubbed, my pantry is stocked ... I'm ready... well ready as I'll every be!

So stay tuned. Baby Brother is due to arrive on Oct 5 but judging by the size of my belly (which is measuring right "on", btw) most people are guessing that I'll have a September Baby. We shall see!

Blessings to all of you Friends and Family that are keeping tabs on our family via this blog!