Sunday, December 27, 2015
secret
The other night the boys drew names to get each other Christmas presents. At bedtime Mike was tucking in Levi and asked him if he had thought about what to get Caleb. Levi pulled his thumb out of his mouth, and with a big smile whispered in Mike's ear, "I'm going to get him a tractor, and wagon, and combine." Knowing those are all things he would want for himself, Mike said, "Really? That's what you want to get Caleb?" With a big grin Levi replied in a loud whisper, "Yeah, but you know he has to share!" and put his fingers up to his lips "shhhh.....!" This kid! He is something else!
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
almost christmas
Guess who hasn't had time to update the blog?! The last 7 weeks have been a blur that mostly revolves around feeding Jackson. And, when I'm not feeding him the other people in the family want to eat/have clothes to wear/etc! :) It's been rather challenging to balance it all - I am soooooooo very thankful that it is Mike's slow season, and that I am married to a man that loves being involved at home. I'm already exhausted, I don't know how I would function if I had to do it all on my own!
Jackson finally had a decent night last night. He ate at about 10pm and then 5:30am, and actually slept without fussing in between. He's been fine going that stretch without eating for a while now, but I would be up several times settling him down. Really hoping last night was the start of a new trend - a good night's sleep makes all the difference for me! Jackson's been a little congested for a couple weeks (thank you, big brothers!), but thankfully nothing serious. He's obviously growing - I can see it, and on our scale at home today he weighed in at a whopping 13.5 lbs! He mostly eats well, minimal spitting up (it does happen, but seems like practically nothing after Levi), and he doesn't seem to have as much trouble with gas as he did early on (He's got plenty of it, but usually doesn't have trouble getting it out...). He has times where he's quite alert (love the smiles we're getting), but he still has super sleepy times. At the moment he's sleeping in his crib (and has been for over an hour), which it kinda huge because he's mostly only been happy in the bouncy seat.
In other news... Caleb has a broken pinky. :( Two weeks ago Caleb and Logan were running down the hall, Caleb tripped, Logan stepped on his hand, and that's when the break must have happened, but we didn't discover it until a few days ago. He complained some of it hurting the night it happened, but he wasn't in terrible pain, and we didn't hear much about it after that. A few nights ago he mentioned it getting hurt while they were playing, and when we looked at it we noticed it was quite swollen and he couldn't bend it good. X-rays at the dr yesterday showed a break. The surgeon we met with today decided not to do surgery because after the healing that's already taken place, going in and re-breaking and setting it would do more harm than good. The finger is a little crooked when he bends it, but not bad enough to cause any issues. He'll be in a splint for awhile.
A few nights ago after family devotions Mike asked the boys if there was anything they wished they were good at. Logan said something to describe figure skating - I wish I could remember what it was, it was cute...and then he also described it "like a wedding on ice". :) More and more Logan likes to spend time coloring and he really puts thought and effort into his drawings, it's fun to see.
Levi continues to crack us up with the things he says and does. Wish I could record it all! He still loves being a big helper and bringing diapers to the trash for us. (This is something that still causes some fights between the boys.) Levi loves wearing his Star Wars Stormtrooper costume around the house. And, when Caleb and Logan are at school, he does a good job protecting me here at home. :)
Jackson finally had a decent night last night. He ate at about 10pm and then 5:30am, and actually slept without fussing in between. He's been fine going that stretch without eating for a while now, but I would be up several times settling him down. Really hoping last night was the start of a new trend - a good night's sleep makes all the difference for me! Jackson's been a little congested for a couple weeks (thank you, big brothers!), but thankfully nothing serious. He's obviously growing - I can see it, and on our scale at home today he weighed in at a whopping 13.5 lbs! He mostly eats well, minimal spitting up (it does happen, but seems like practically nothing after Levi), and he doesn't seem to have as much trouble with gas as he did early on (He's got plenty of it, but usually doesn't have trouble getting it out...). He has times where he's quite alert (love the smiles we're getting), but he still has super sleepy times. At the moment he's sleeping in his crib (and has been for over an hour), which it kinda huge because he's mostly only been happy in the bouncy seat.
In other news... Caleb has a broken pinky. :( Two weeks ago Caleb and Logan were running down the hall, Caleb tripped, Logan stepped on his hand, and that's when the break must have happened, but we didn't discover it until a few days ago. He complained some of it hurting the night it happened, but he wasn't in terrible pain, and we didn't hear much about it after that. A few nights ago he mentioned it getting hurt while they were playing, and when we looked at it we noticed it was quite swollen and he couldn't bend it good. X-rays at the dr yesterday showed a break. The surgeon we met with today decided not to do surgery because after the healing that's already taken place, going in and re-breaking and setting it would do more harm than good. The finger is a little crooked when he bends it, but not bad enough to cause any issues. He'll be in a splint for awhile.
A few nights ago after family devotions Mike asked the boys if there was anything they wished they were good at. Logan said something to describe figure skating - I wish I could remember what it was, it was cute...and then he also described it "like a wedding on ice". :) More and more Logan likes to spend time coloring and he really puts thought and effort into his drawings, it's fun to see.
Levi continues to crack us up with the things he says and does. Wish I could record it all! He still loves being a big helper and bringing diapers to the trash for us. (This is something that still causes some fights between the boys.) Levi loves wearing his Star Wars Stormtrooper costume around the house. And, when Caleb and Logan are at school, he does a good job protecting me here at home. :)
Saturday, November 14, 2015
first week
We've been home from the hospital for just over a week now, and I'm still not sure if we're capable of handling four children. :) This next week will be the true test as I start driving again and have to get all four out the door to get Caleb and Logan to school on time, and then picked up on time at the end of the day, too!
The first few nights home with Jackson were pretty rough. Almost no sleep between feedings. He was dealing with spitting up (there was one projectile incident) and was gassy. He wasn't very good at burping, but has since improved (we still have some trouble here and there). A few nights ago I started giving him a bottle of formula for his nighttime feedings, and things are much improved! The last couple nights he's only gotten up once to eat. He seems to handle nursing fine during the day, so I hope that continues - I'm fine with doing some bottles and formula, but don't want to completely give up nursing! He can be pretty inconsolable during the evening hours still, though, so I've got to decide whether to give him a bottle sooner... Our first few nights home Mike and I were at a loss as to how to calm Jackson down and what to do - we found it humorous that we felt so clueless with our fourth child, isn't it supposed to get easier?? :)
It's definitely been an adjustment for Caleb, Logan, and Levi. I think for the most part they are handling it fine, but there has been some acting out and behavior issues. Caleb will randomly burst into tears over practically nothing (and many times it's clearly not real tears the way he can turn them on and off...), Logan is overboard with the backtalking (I almost need a whole separate post to get into that), and Levi can get pretty stubborn when he doesn't want to do something you're telling him to do!
On Monday, Jackson had his first doctor appointment. We took all four boys since Caleb, Logan, and Levi were also due for their second flu shot. Boy, was I sweating by the end of that appointment!! Jackson weighed in at 7 lb 14 oz (47th percentile), which is a normal amount to be down from his birth weight. He was not a happy camper when the doctor had to look him over - what a pleasant experience to be in a small room with four young children, one of which is a screaming newborn, and three adults... It got even better when Levi had to get his shot. Things did not go as well as the first time around, that's for sure! He was a little worried about it this time since he knew what to expect, plus I think what set him off was he saw some blood when Logan got his shot (he had his arm tensed). He started SCREAMING and was not going to sit still for the shot. I'm so glad Mike was there to help hold him down. The nurse ended up giving it to him in his leg, saying it wouldn't hurt quite as much as his arm. He made sure to tell me later that it wasn't any better in his leg and it still did hurt. :)
On Thursday, Caleb and Logan had a half day of school and they had a pajama party in their class! They were so excited to go to school in their pj's. They could also take a stuffed animal along. Logan took Captain Mark the Shark (his giant shark that was a perfect pregnancy pillow for me), and Caleb took Batman Sam (because he wore his Batman pj's and Batman slippers). This coming week they have their first field trip, I'm sure they will be excited about that. I wish I could go along, but we cannot take other children along for this, and I'm not about to leave Jackson behind for a whole day just yet!
Thursday evening we went out to eat for the first time with all six of us. Caleb and Logan each earned a free personal pan pizza for reading in October (so, really, Mike and I earned it...). After supper we paid a visit to Grandma Krol at Sunset Manor. Her mental health is failing, so it was an interesting visit, but the boys handled it well. She asked probably ten times how old Jackson is, and was so surprised every time when we said he was one week. And, she asked Levi about as many times if he liked his new brother. He answered normal every time up until the last time we could tell he was a little exasperated, but thankfully I don't think Grandma picked up on that. :) After leaving Sunset, Mike and I were discussing when we could get over to visit my Grandma Tiemeyer at her new place, possibly even this weekend, then I got an email from my mom saying she was coming this way with a couple of my aunts yesterday! So, it worked out for us to meet up with them for a bit at lunchtime and we had a very nice visit. Somehow she ended up showing off for the boys how she can touch her tongue to her nose, and we all had a good laugh over watching them try to do it. :)
The first few nights home with Jackson were pretty rough. Almost no sleep between feedings. He was dealing with spitting up (there was one projectile incident) and was gassy. He wasn't very good at burping, but has since improved (we still have some trouble here and there). A few nights ago I started giving him a bottle of formula for his nighttime feedings, and things are much improved! The last couple nights he's only gotten up once to eat. He seems to handle nursing fine during the day, so I hope that continues - I'm fine with doing some bottles and formula, but don't want to completely give up nursing! He can be pretty inconsolable during the evening hours still, though, so I've got to decide whether to give him a bottle sooner... Our first few nights home Mike and I were at a loss as to how to calm Jackson down and what to do - we found it humorous that we felt so clueless with our fourth child, isn't it supposed to get easier?? :)
It's definitely been an adjustment for Caleb, Logan, and Levi. I think for the most part they are handling it fine, but there has been some acting out and behavior issues. Caleb will randomly burst into tears over practically nothing (and many times it's clearly not real tears the way he can turn them on and off...), Logan is overboard with the backtalking (I almost need a whole separate post to get into that), and Levi can get pretty stubborn when he doesn't want to do something you're telling him to do!
On Monday, Jackson had his first doctor appointment. We took all four boys since Caleb, Logan, and Levi were also due for their second flu shot. Boy, was I sweating by the end of that appointment!! Jackson weighed in at 7 lb 14 oz (47th percentile), which is a normal amount to be down from his birth weight. He was not a happy camper when the doctor had to look him over - what a pleasant experience to be in a small room with four young children, one of which is a screaming newborn, and three adults... It got even better when Levi had to get his shot. Things did not go as well as the first time around, that's for sure! He was a little worried about it this time since he knew what to expect, plus I think what set him off was he saw some blood when Logan got his shot (he had his arm tensed). He started SCREAMING and was not going to sit still for the shot. I'm so glad Mike was there to help hold him down. The nurse ended up giving it to him in his leg, saying it wouldn't hurt quite as much as his arm. He made sure to tell me later that it wasn't any better in his leg and it still did hurt. :)
On Thursday, Caleb and Logan had a half day of school and they had a pajama party in their class! They were so excited to go to school in their pj's. They could also take a stuffed animal along. Logan took Captain Mark the Shark (his giant shark that was a perfect pregnancy pillow for me), and Caleb took Batman Sam (because he wore his Batman pj's and Batman slippers). This coming week they have their first field trip, I'm sure they will be excited about that. I wish I could go along, but we cannot take other children along for this, and I'm not about to leave Jackson behind for a whole day just yet!
Thursday evening we went out to eat for the first time with all six of us. Caleb and Logan each earned a free personal pan pizza for reading in October (so, really, Mike and I earned it...). After supper we paid a visit to Grandma Krol at Sunset Manor. Her mental health is failing, so it was an interesting visit, but the boys handled it well. She asked probably ten times how old Jackson is, and was so surprised every time when we said he was one week. And, she asked Levi about as many times if he liked his new brother. He answered normal every time up until the last time we could tell he was a little exasperated, but thankfully I don't think Grandma picked up on that. :) After leaving Sunset, Mike and I were discussing when we could get over to visit my Grandma Tiemeyer at her new place, possibly even this weekend, then I got an email from my mom saying she was coming this way with a couple of my aunts yesterday! So, it worked out for us to meet up with them for a bit at lunchtime and we had a very nice visit. Somehow she ended up showing off for the boys how she can touch her tongue to her nose, and we all had a good laugh over watching them try to do it. :)
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
jackson
Well, if there's one thing I've learned in life over the last 11 years of our marriage, it's that things do not go as planned! Well, not as WE plan them anyways. :)
Backing up to last weekend, we had a really nice time together as a family. Friday was a beautiful day, and we took the boys trick-or-treating downtown Zeeland with Eric, Lea Anne, Boden, and Heidi. Saturday was cold and rainy, and we took the boys trick-or-treating to Grandpa and Grandma VanBeek's, and to the Candy Land event at our church. They were so excited about their Star Wars costumes, it was fun to watch them! Caleb was Darth Vader, Logan was Luke Skywalker, and Levi was a Storm Trooper. Logan and Levi especially have been dressing up in their costumes a lot at home, so I think they were a worthwhile investment!
Throughout the weekend we did things around the house to get ready to head to the hospital on Tuesday. Of course, I was planning to have Monday yet for some final cleaning and packing. I felt good and wouldn't hardly know it was time to have a baby if it weren't for the calendar saying so! Sunday night I got a decent night's sleep, I think had a few contractions in the evening, nothing major.
Monday morning when I got up I was having some contractions, but again, nothing major. They were irregular and not terribly strong so I didn't really think much of it and went about my normal business of getting Caleb and Logan to school, and then cleaning the house and such to prepare for going to the hospital the next day. After a couple hours of the contractions continuing I thought maybe I should start timing them, but I still didn't think anything was really happening. They were in general 3-4 minutes apart, so I thought just in case I'd better keep plugging away at my to-do list in case we would be heading to the hospital sooner than expected! Well, I still didn't have enough time. :) Things ended up happening kinda fast. My friend Amy had stopped in just for a bit, and while she was there things intensified and she convinced me I should call my doctor. Since I'd never gone into labor on my own before, I was just so shocked that this could actually be happening! So, about 11:30am I called the doctor's office, they said to head to the hospital to get checked out, but that it might not change the plan for the next day. It didn't take long for me to know this baby wasn't going to wait until the next day and that he was definitely on his way - contractions were getting stronger and stronger! I called Mike at work and told him we were going to head to the hospital to get checked out. I didn't do a very good job expressing my sense of urgency, though, because when he got home and asked if he had time to shower I just about flipped. He did have time, though, because we had to wait for his mom and stepdad to come for Levi. :) Once they got there I gave quick instructions about where to find the boys' clothes (since getting their bags packed was one of the things I didn't get to!), but then we were on our way. I'm so thankful the hospital is close - not that the baby was coming that quick, it just would have been miserable to be in the truck for longer.
When we got to the hospital Mike dropped me off at the doors, and his cousin's wife just happened to be right there. Crazy because she just had a baby there the week before and knew I was scheduled for the next day. I had to sit down for a contraction while waiting for Mike, and a hospital worker saw me and got a wheelchair. We headed upstairs to the Family Birth Center and they were ready for us and got us right to a room. I had to get changed, and of course, all of this was complicated by ever-strengthening contractions that were worse when I moved. So, I was checked into the hospital about 12:30pm, the doctor was there almost right away, checked me, and decided we'd better go ahead right away with the c-section! (I was 2cm/90% effaced) I was really wanting some drugs to help with the pain, but an epidural wouldn't work any quicker than just waiting for the spinal in surgery, and they offered me Staydol to take the edge off, but that makes you loopy and I really wanted to be clear-headed for the delivery. So, I gritted my teeth, squeezed Mike's hand, and made it. It was especially hard once I was down in surgery - Mike wasn't allowed in while they were prepping me, and I kept having contractions while they were giving me the spinal. What blessed relief when it took effect! More power to the women who do drug-free deliveries, I don't feel the need to be one of them. :)
Once everything was ready to go, Mike was brought into the room. It didn't take long before we had a baby born! (At 2:01pm.) Mike actually peeked over the curtain, which I was pretty surprised about. And, this delivery was different from Levi's in that I hardly felt them take the baby out (perhaps because he was 3 lbs smaller???). Somebody said, "It's a boy!" and thankfully, it didn't take very long before I got to hear that wonderful cry. Mike was able to go over and cut the cord, and after a few minutes bring him over to see me while they were still getting me put back together. We had several minutes together, and we did talk about names, but didn't make a decision at that point yet. After they were done with me, Mike was brought out and went upstairs to wait for us. The baby and I were brought to the recovery room, where I got to hold him for the first time and feed him. So special! It was very hard for me after Levi's delivery to be separated from him while I was in recovery. Another difference in those two deliveries is that after Levi's I had the shakes something terrible, but this time I felt great. I'm sure it helped to not be going into this delivery completely exhausted!
After about 45 minutes we were brought back upstairs to be with Mike and have the baby weighed, etc. We were all dying to know his weight after having an 11-pounder last time. :) Mike and I also took another minute to discuss names, and decided on Jackson David. Jackson weighed in at a peanuty 8 lbs 6 oz. Seemed so small to me! Pretty soon after that the grandparents were there to meet Jackson. Mike's mom and stepdad had brought Caleb, Logan, and Levi, so Mike brought them in first to tell them they now have a little brother and to meet him. Then it was the grandparent's turn to find out they had another grandSON. We were busy letting other people know about Jackson's birth as well. We had a few visitors that day and the next. Mike and I enjoyed the peacefulness of being at the hospital before heading home to reality. I really have been healing well and feeling great - I am so thankful that I felt good right up to the end of the pregnancy, and am now quickly recovering from the c-section.
We are thrilled to have added another boy to our bunch, and are so thankful to God for a safe delivery and healthy baby!
Backing up to last weekend, we had a really nice time together as a family. Friday was a beautiful day, and we took the boys trick-or-treating downtown Zeeland with Eric, Lea Anne, Boden, and Heidi. Saturday was cold and rainy, and we took the boys trick-or-treating to Grandpa and Grandma VanBeek's, and to the Candy Land event at our church. They were so excited about their Star Wars costumes, it was fun to watch them! Caleb was Darth Vader, Logan was Luke Skywalker, and Levi was a Storm Trooper. Logan and Levi especially have been dressing up in their costumes a lot at home, so I think they were a worthwhile investment!
Throughout the weekend we did things around the house to get ready to head to the hospital on Tuesday. Of course, I was planning to have Monday yet for some final cleaning and packing. I felt good and wouldn't hardly know it was time to have a baby if it weren't for the calendar saying so! Sunday night I got a decent night's sleep, I think had a few contractions in the evening, nothing major.
Monday morning when I got up I was having some contractions, but again, nothing major. They were irregular and not terribly strong so I didn't really think much of it and went about my normal business of getting Caleb and Logan to school, and then cleaning the house and such to prepare for going to the hospital the next day. After a couple hours of the contractions continuing I thought maybe I should start timing them, but I still didn't think anything was really happening. They were in general 3-4 minutes apart, so I thought just in case I'd better keep plugging away at my to-do list in case we would be heading to the hospital sooner than expected! Well, I still didn't have enough time. :) Things ended up happening kinda fast. My friend Amy had stopped in just for a bit, and while she was there things intensified and she convinced me I should call my doctor. Since I'd never gone into labor on my own before, I was just so shocked that this could actually be happening! So, about 11:30am I called the doctor's office, they said to head to the hospital to get checked out, but that it might not change the plan for the next day. It didn't take long for me to know this baby wasn't going to wait until the next day and that he was definitely on his way - contractions were getting stronger and stronger! I called Mike at work and told him we were going to head to the hospital to get checked out. I didn't do a very good job expressing my sense of urgency, though, because when he got home and asked if he had time to shower I just about flipped. He did have time, though, because we had to wait for his mom and stepdad to come for Levi. :) Once they got there I gave quick instructions about where to find the boys' clothes (since getting their bags packed was one of the things I didn't get to!), but then we were on our way. I'm so thankful the hospital is close - not that the baby was coming that quick, it just would have been miserable to be in the truck for longer.
When we got to the hospital Mike dropped me off at the doors, and his cousin's wife just happened to be right there. Crazy because she just had a baby there the week before and knew I was scheduled for the next day. I had to sit down for a contraction while waiting for Mike, and a hospital worker saw me and got a wheelchair. We headed upstairs to the Family Birth Center and they were ready for us and got us right to a room. I had to get changed, and of course, all of this was complicated by ever-strengthening contractions that were worse when I moved. So, I was checked into the hospital about 12:30pm, the doctor was there almost right away, checked me, and decided we'd better go ahead right away with the c-section! (I was 2cm/90% effaced) I was really wanting some drugs to help with the pain, but an epidural wouldn't work any quicker than just waiting for the spinal in surgery, and they offered me Staydol to take the edge off, but that makes you loopy and I really wanted to be clear-headed for the delivery. So, I gritted my teeth, squeezed Mike's hand, and made it. It was especially hard once I was down in surgery - Mike wasn't allowed in while they were prepping me, and I kept having contractions while they were giving me the spinal. What blessed relief when it took effect! More power to the women who do drug-free deliveries, I don't feel the need to be one of them. :)
Once everything was ready to go, Mike was brought into the room. It didn't take long before we had a baby born! (At 2:01pm.) Mike actually peeked over the curtain, which I was pretty surprised about. And, this delivery was different from Levi's in that I hardly felt them take the baby out (perhaps because he was 3 lbs smaller???). Somebody said, "It's a boy!" and thankfully, it didn't take very long before I got to hear that wonderful cry. Mike was able to go over and cut the cord, and after a few minutes bring him over to see me while they were still getting me put back together. We had several minutes together, and we did talk about names, but didn't make a decision at that point yet. After they were done with me, Mike was brought out and went upstairs to wait for us. The baby and I were brought to the recovery room, where I got to hold him for the first time and feed him. So special! It was very hard for me after Levi's delivery to be separated from him while I was in recovery. Another difference in those two deliveries is that after Levi's I had the shakes something terrible, but this time I felt great. I'm sure it helped to not be going into this delivery completely exhausted!
After about 45 minutes we were brought back upstairs to be with Mike and have the baby weighed, etc. We were all dying to know his weight after having an 11-pounder last time. :) Mike and I also took another minute to discuss names, and decided on Jackson David. Jackson weighed in at a peanuty 8 lbs 6 oz. Seemed so small to me! Pretty soon after that the grandparents were there to meet Jackson. Mike's mom and stepdad had brought Caleb, Logan, and Levi, so Mike brought them in first to tell them they now have a little brother and to meet him. Then it was the grandparent's turn to find out they had another grandSON. We were busy letting other people know about Jackson's birth as well. We had a few visitors that day and the next. Mike and I enjoyed the peacefulness of being at the hospital before heading home to reality. I really have been healing well and feeling great - I am so thankful that I felt good right up to the end of the pregnancy, and am now quickly recovering from the c-section.
We are thrilled to have added another boy to our bunch, and are so thankful to God for a safe delivery and healthy baby!
Thursday, October 29, 2015
conference
Yesterday was our first Parent Teacher Conference! Yet another thing to make me feel old (or at least like I'm supposed to act like a responsible adult...). Caleb and Logan both got a good report, and there were no major shockers. Thanks to the homework I do with them on the days they don't go to school, I had a pretty good idea of how they were doing in certain areas academically. But, it was nice to hear their teacher's perspective especially on behavior/social areas.
She said Caleb is just a delight. :) Good attitude, friendly, respectful. We've got just a couple "language" things to practice a little more - rhyming and blends especially, and his sight words need some work. But, he's doing well with knowing his letters and sounds, and composition (which at this point is drawing a picture and being able to tell the story behind what it means). He's doing very well with his math, which he certainly doesn't get from me. :)
Her description of Logan is that he is kind. :) Always helping others. No surprise that he is doing well in the language area, and his math skills are good, too. At home recently I've especially noticed his "composition" - in the nicer weather the other day he drew a huge, complicated picture out on the driveway with sidewalk chalk, and had a whole plan/story to explain.
We are so proud of both Caleb and Logan and how they are doing in school. And, maybe not even so much academically, but to hear that they are respectful and kind is what really warms my heart!
She said Caleb is just a delight. :) Good attitude, friendly, respectful. We've got just a couple "language" things to practice a little more - rhyming and blends especially, and his sight words need some work. But, he's doing well with knowing his letters and sounds, and composition (which at this point is drawing a picture and being able to tell the story behind what it means). He's doing very well with his math, which he certainly doesn't get from me. :)
Her description of Logan is that he is kind. :) Always helping others. No surprise that he is doing well in the language area, and his math skills are good, too. At home recently I've especially noticed his "composition" - in the nicer weather the other day he drew a huge, complicated picture out on the driveway with sidewalk chalk, and had a whole plan/story to explain.
We are so proud of both Caleb and Logan and how they are doing in school. And, maybe not even so much academically, but to hear that they are respectful and kind is what really warms my heart!
Monday, October 26, 2015
home stretch
One week to go! Hard to believe we're this close to meeting our newest addition. On the one hand I feel like this week is going to take forever, but on the other hand it feels as if it will be here before I know it. This past week I've had a handful of times that I really don't feel well, but thankfully it's not constant, so I'm still able to function. :) Baby was cracking me up at last week's non-stress test - you're supposed to push a button every time you feel the baby move, and Baby was so active I could have practically just sat and held the button down the whole time. The doctor doesn't think we'll get up to 11 lbs this time, we'll see! I don't feel quite as large and uncomfortable as I did with Levi, and my weight gain is lower - maybe we'll have a petite, little 9 pounder. :)
Last week Caleb, Logan, and I had dentist appointments. Mike came along to help manage the chaos (since I had to be in one room at the same time as one of the boys getting checked in another.). We all checked out great - phew! Caleb has a couple loose teeth and the dentist is predicting he'll lose one around Christmas, and one around Valentine's. Will be interesting to see if he's right or not. The dentist did take a quick look at Levi's mouth when I mentioned his thumb sucking, and said he can see just a little bit of 'cupping', so of course it would be good if he stopped... We talk about it with him, but haven't tried terribly hard.
Mike started last week already with Friday's off for the winter, and it was wonderful! So nice to have him around. In the morning he took the boys with him to get an oil change in his truck, which they think is great fun because they get donuts and get to play Wii and watch tv. I went out to run a few errands - was hoping to enjoy the time out alone, but ended up not feeling well so I just did what I had to do and got back home. In the evening we had a friend's birthday party to attend, and we dropped the boys off early at Harold and Kara's so that we could go out to dinner first. I was able to enjoy most of that, but ended up not feeling so hot by the end of the night.
Last night I was talking with Levi at bedtime about how he and I had stuff to do while Caleb and Logan were at school, and he said something like, "Yeah, while they're getting learned and teached." :) This morning was my weekly doctor appointment, and actually it worked out for him to tag along with Mike at work, so that was pretty special. It worked out that I was done and ready to come back for him at coffee break time, so I brought donuts for everyone. After that it was off to get groceries, a short stop at home to unload and eat lunch, then off to my hair appointment (very important to fit that in one last time before baby comes!). Busy day! And, we're paying for it now - we've got an overtired Levi on our hands. :) A little while ago some sort of disagreement arose between all three of the boys, and Levi threw a pretty good punch at Logan. Watch out!
We have a conference with Caleb and Logan's teacher later this week, it will be interesting to hear how she says they are doing! On our end they certainly seem to still be enjoying school, so I hope we'll get a good report. I think Caleb is going to be "Star of the Week" next week, which he's pretty excited about.
Last week Caleb, Logan, and I had dentist appointments. Mike came along to help manage the chaos (since I had to be in one room at the same time as one of the boys getting checked in another.). We all checked out great - phew! Caleb has a couple loose teeth and the dentist is predicting he'll lose one around Christmas, and one around Valentine's. Will be interesting to see if he's right or not. The dentist did take a quick look at Levi's mouth when I mentioned his thumb sucking, and said he can see just a little bit of 'cupping', so of course it would be good if he stopped... We talk about it with him, but haven't tried terribly hard.
Mike started last week already with Friday's off for the winter, and it was wonderful! So nice to have him around. In the morning he took the boys with him to get an oil change in his truck, which they think is great fun because they get donuts and get to play Wii and watch tv. I went out to run a few errands - was hoping to enjoy the time out alone, but ended up not feeling well so I just did what I had to do and got back home. In the evening we had a friend's birthday party to attend, and we dropped the boys off early at Harold and Kara's so that we could go out to dinner first. I was able to enjoy most of that, but ended up not feeling so hot by the end of the night.
Last night I was talking with Levi at bedtime about how he and I had stuff to do while Caleb and Logan were at school, and he said something like, "Yeah, while they're getting learned and teached." :) This morning was my weekly doctor appointment, and actually it worked out for him to tag along with Mike at work, so that was pretty special. It worked out that I was done and ready to come back for him at coffee break time, so I brought donuts for everyone. After that it was off to get groceries, a short stop at home to unload and eat lunch, then off to my hair appointment (very important to fit that in one last time before baby comes!). Busy day! And, we're paying for it now - we've got an overtired Levi on our hands. :) A little while ago some sort of disagreement arose between all three of the boys, and Levi threw a pretty good punch at Logan. Watch out!
We have a conference with Caleb and Logan's teacher later this week, it will be interesting to hear how she says they are doing! On our end they certainly seem to still be enjoying school, so I hope we'll get a good report. I think Caleb is going to be "Star of the Week" next week, which he's pretty excited about.
Friday, October 16, 2015
harvest 2015
Good-bye celery harvest 2015!!! (Almost.) Harvest should finish up midday today. Feels like the end of a marathon. Well, I've never ran a marathon, but Mike said he feels like he did when he finished a 25k a few years back. Close enough. It has been a GREAT season for the farm, and it all went really well with the new packing shed, but it's just been so intense and Mike has put in so many hours for so many months now, we're ready to have him at home some! :)
A couple Saturday's ago we were supposed to have our annual skeet shoot, but the weather ended up being really yucky. Still had fun hanging out with Joe, Harold & Kara and kids, but it was a bummer to not be able to do their shooting. There were able to get just a few minutes in before the rain got too bad - enough that the boys were out in the field collecting shot gun shells the other day and brought them in the house to play with. Who needs toys?? That same day, before everyone came over, we quick ran over to school for a fall party they were having. Would have been nice to have more time there (except for the crappy weather) - Mike and the boys spent some time in the "fun tunnel" (for a while I wondered if Mike was going to make it out), and they got to check out some little goats, and go for a ride in a really old car. Then it was time for us to scoot out of there.
That same day Mike's co-worker and his wife gave birth to their twin boys. She was actually due four weeks after me, and we'd been praying that those babies would stay in as long as possible and keep growing, but due to complications, the doctor's needed to deliver them. They are teeny-tiny, but doing well! They've got a long road ahead of them as they continue to grow while in NICU before they can come home. We visited them a couple days after they were born - pretty incredible to see God's handiwork in micro-sized versions (one was about 1.5 lbs, the other about 3.5).
I spend a couple days last week finally buckling down and figuring out what we needed to get for Baby. One of the days Caleb and Logan were at school and Levi got to have a special day with Grandma VanBeek, so I was able to go out and do a bunch of shopping. The other day I did my shopping online (thank you, Amazon!). So, I'm definitely feeling more prepared now. :)
Last Saturday we went to a birthday party for the grandson of one of Mike's workers. (So glad the weather was better!) Sounds a little distant, I know, but it's part of the family that we have known and worked with for years - I've known them for 15 years, and Mike knew them for several years before that. This was a much more enjoyable party than the one we went to last winter for one of his worker's sons... People I know, mostly English spoken...that helps a lot! The boys got oodles of candy, just what they need. :) Not only did they each get a good sized favor bucket full, the pinata was chock full of good candy and they got a pretty good haul.
Sunday was a pretty busy day with church, and I went to an extra meeting that was part of our missions conference. My tail bone was complaining for sure from all the sitting - it's just been starting to bother me more, a sure sign I'm carrying a lot of extra weight around... This week I've had a number of appointments to go to (doctor, vet, preadmission at the hospital, non stress test), and Levi has come along to every one handling it like a champ. My little errand buddy! Wednesday was the fullest - after getting Caleb and Logan to school we had to get Roxy to the vet for a check-up (with a stop at the farm to drop off Mike's uniforms because he forgot). Then after her appt we headed over to the hospital for my preadmission appt, which is fairly lengthy. We really needed some groceries, so we went out to do that after we were done at the hospital, and it ran into lunchtime so I figured we'd stop somewhere between our stops at Aldi and Meijer. I explained that to Levi that I wanted to take him to a restaurant because he'd been doing so good, but he chose a Lunchable from the grocery store over eating out! Oh well, I still ate out and just brought his Lunchable in. Silly guy. (I found out later after his day with Grandma that she offered to take him out for lunch and he said he'd rather have a peanut butter sandwich, so that's what they did!)
Yesterday was a non stress test for the baby, and he/she did great. At the beginning of this week I went off of my daily blood thinner injections, so now we'll do weekly NST's just to make sure the baby's handling it okay. Less than three weeks to go! I can definitely feel that I'm big and heavy, but overall I really can't complain too much. I'm not sleeping great, but it could be worse. Heartburn is under control with meds, so that's really nice. Baby moves a lot, and that's my absolute fav, wish I would never forget what that feels like! Big brothers are super excited, that's so much fun to see. Hope they're still excited when they see that baby is taking lots of Mom's attention for a while... :)
A couple Saturday's ago we were supposed to have our annual skeet shoot, but the weather ended up being really yucky. Still had fun hanging out with Joe, Harold & Kara and kids, but it was a bummer to not be able to do their shooting. There were able to get just a few minutes in before the rain got too bad - enough that the boys were out in the field collecting shot gun shells the other day and brought them in the house to play with. Who needs toys?? That same day, before everyone came over, we quick ran over to school for a fall party they were having. Would have been nice to have more time there (except for the crappy weather) - Mike and the boys spent some time in the "fun tunnel" (for a while I wondered if Mike was going to make it out), and they got to check out some little goats, and go for a ride in a really old car. Then it was time for us to scoot out of there.
That same day Mike's co-worker and his wife gave birth to their twin boys. She was actually due four weeks after me, and we'd been praying that those babies would stay in as long as possible and keep growing, but due to complications, the doctor's needed to deliver them. They are teeny-tiny, but doing well! They've got a long road ahead of them as they continue to grow while in NICU before they can come home. We visited them a couple days after they were born - pretty incredible to see God's handiwork in micro-sized versions (one was about 1.5 lbs, the other about 3.5).
I spend a couple days last week finally buckling down and figuring out what we needed to get for Baby. One of the days Caleb and Logan were at school and Levi got to have a special day with Grandma VanBeek, so I was able to go out and do a bunch of shopping. The other day I did my shopping online (thank you, Amazon!). So, I'm definitely feeling more prepared now. :)
Last Saturday we went to a birthday party for the grandson of one of Mike's workers. (So glad the weather was better!) Sounds a little distant, I know, but it's part of the family that we have known and worked with for years - I've known them for 15 years, and Mike knew them for several years before that. This was a much more enjoyable party than the one we went to last winter for one of his worker's sons... People I know, mostly English spoken...that helps a lot! The boys got oodles of candy, just what they need. :) Not only did they each get a good sized favor bucket full, the pinata was chock full of good candy and they got a pretty good haul.
Sunday was a pretty busy day with church, and I went to an extra meeting that was part of our missions conference. My tail bone was complaining for sure from all the sitting - it's just been starting to bother me more, a sure sign I'm carrying a lot of extra weight around... This week I've had a number of appointments to go to (doctor, vet, preadmission at the hospital, non stress test), and Levi has come along to every one handling it like a champ. My little errand buddy! Wednesday was the fullest - after getting Caleb and Logan to school we had to get Roxy to the vet for a check-up (with a stop at the farm to drop off Mike's uniforms because he forgot). Then after her appt we headed over to the hospital for my preadmission appt, which is fairly lengthy. We really needed some groceries, so we went out to do that after we were done at the hospital, and it ran into lunchtime so I figured we'd stop somewhere between our stops at Aldi and Meijer. I explained that to Levi that I wanted to take him to a restaurant because he'd been doing so good, but he chose a Lunchable from the grocery store over eating out! Oh well, I still ate out and just brought his Lunchable in. Silly guy. (I found out later after his day with Grandma that she offered to take him out for lunch and he said he'd rather have a peanut butter sandwich, so that's what they did!)
Yesterday was a non stress test for the baby, and he/she did great. At the beginning of this week I went off of my daily blood thinner injections, so now we'll do weekly NST's just to make sure the baby's handling it okay. Less than three weeks to go! I can definitely feel that I'm big and heavy, but overall I really can't complain too much. I'm not sleeping great, but it could be worse. Heartburn is under control with meds, so that's really nice. Baby moves a lot, and that's my absolute fav, wish I would never forget what that feels like! Big brothers are super excited, that's so much fun to see. Hope they're still excited when they see that baby is taking lots of Mom's attention for a while... :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)