A new phase of life begins...

Obviously with a new baby in the house things are changing. Although, baby news is on the to do list(pictures are posted), this post is about our cute little toddler who was the baby in the family until last Wednesday.

Today was Alexander's first day of preschool! Granted he was a little sad that I didn't go with him, but reports are that he perked up quickly. Then when he came home, I asked him how he liked preschool and his response was, "I LOVE IT! WE HAD SNACKS AND PLAY DOUGH AND EVERYTHING!!!" Actually I had to ask prodding questions to really find out what he had just so excitedly yelled, but I think we got the idea that he had a good day. :)


Every year the parents are asked to write an essay about their preschooler to help the teachers get to know the child a little before they come. So for all who want to know a little more about Alexander here is what I wrote over a month ago.

Alexander just turned three this last summer. Currently he has one older sister, and three older brothers. However our family is expecting another baby boy around Halloween so will get to be a big brother too. He loved having his siblings to play with over the summer, but now that they are all back in school he has had to readjust to life with just mom.

With so many boys there are a lot of trains and cars at our house. Alex loves to play with toys and has a great imagination. His new favorite game is to stand up tall on a bed or table, hold his arms straight out to the side and yell, “I’m flying.” He doesn’t usually pick Toy Story as his favorite movie to watch but apparently Buzz Light-year has made an impression. His favorite movie is Cars, and thanks to his older brothers he has inherited quite a nice collection of all the characters.

This little guy has the most like-able personality that he can even get strangers to smile at him at the grocery store. He needs lots of hugs every day and will still hold still enough to cuddle. He is big for his age, topping out in the 90th percentile; so he has had a hard time with my pregnancy because I can’t carry him around anymore.

He loves books, and will always insist on reading time before bed. He does great at story time and the library so I am not too worried about him at school. He can sing his ABC’s and can almost count to 10--except he always skips #2 for some reason. He hasn’t taken much interest in coloring, but he does love puzzles.

This is obviously his first school experience so of course I want it to be nothing but positive. Having sent my three older boys through this program I know he will be ready for kindergarten when that time comes. He loves to be with his friends and on the go so I know that he will enjoy school this year. I am worried about his adjustment with a new baby and school starting at the same time, but hopefully school will be a good outlet for him, and he will enjoy his time learning.

Thank you for your love and concern this upcoming year,

His Mom :)

Our Prize Winning Pumpkin

Officially we are into the final countdown before our baby comes. Of course for the last few weeks we have been on alert that it could be anytime, I contract constantly, the doctor is noting my progress towards labor, but it seems that my body doesn’t know how to kick things into that final gear. However, with each false labor episode I have gotten a few more things done.

To help get the kids ready and help our littlest one understand what is about to take place we have let them watch a few “Baby Story” episodes. On most of the shows they show the nursery and the preparations the families have made for their new arrival. One night I dreamed that I was one the show and we went around the house showing how we were not ready. The clothes were still in bags in the closet, the drawers empty (at least I had cleared space for the clothes), the pack n’play that will serve as our bassinet was full of boxes and suitcases, all the swings and bouncers were still packed away, and of course I hadn’t packed my bag yet, and we still didn’t have a name… It was a scary realization that I had been so relaxed about when this baby was coming that I hadn’t done much. Since, I have spent the last two weeks cleaning equipment that I forgot I had, washing clothes and blankets and filling the drawers. Last Saturday Samantha and I had a little girl time and I took her for her first Spa Pedicure. Her toes looked cuter than mine, but I think we are officially ready.


Every year the kids get Columbus Day off and traditionally we head to a local farm to go pick out our pumpkins and get some pictures. I made the kids work hard that morning and we packed a lunch for a picnic. We drove the 25 minutes to our special farm only to see the gates closed. Apparently they had changed their hours and that included Monday as their day off. We took the scenic route home and found a farmers market complete with pumpkins and a cute set up. It was fun having our pictures in a different setting. What do you think of our prize winning pumpkin? (Click here for more pictures) It has been fun to have a fall baby and we can’t wait till he makes his appearance.

Alexander loved my tummy. I let the older kids help me paint when he wasn’t around, so when we were almost ready to go he got quite the surprise. Following our outing I was too busy to wash it off, so the little pumpkin just stayed under my shirt until bedtime. When I was tucking him in I told him I was going to wash it off, and he got so sad. I stayed in his room extra long just so he could snuggle with his new pumpkin. Up until now he has pushed on my tummy and had little patience to stop and feel the baby move, but since that day he has a new interest in my belly even without the pumpkin. He has been a little gentler and attentive to my belly and talks a little bit more about when I will “go to the hospital to push the baby out.”

Hopefully, it will be sometime in the next week!

2 Months Left to Grow

Friday, September 10, 2010

Actually, officially I have 6 weeks left today(but this picture is two weeks old.) Unofficially who knows... Jacob was 10 days late, they finally made me induce the twins at 38 ½ weeks, and despite all my contractions and early labor with Alex he didn’t come early either. The nice thing about reaching this point in my pregnancy is I have made it this time with no bed rest. As my doctor said this last week, this go around I am just boring.

I am measuring big, I feel big, and I weigh as much as I did with twins, but all this only comes with one. For awhile I wondered if they missed something in those ultrasounds, but my doubts are all gone. I am tired, but with twins it was a different kind of tired. I remember giving up vacuuming at 24 weeks, and by this time in my twin pregnancy, I would only go down the stairs once a day because I dreaded going back up. Currently my floors are clean and sometimes I forget I have a basketball tummy and skip up the stairs like I used too. Of course I get to the top and go lay down for a second while I catch my breath.

I always think about taking pictures for documentation, but never get around to it. Plus it is one of those things I think about when no one is around. Ironically I can’t find any pictures of me the summer when I was pregnant with the twins. My first belly shots are in October a month before they were born and when I was already huge. At least this time I was more aware of the lack of pregnancy pictures and this last summer if a camera was out, I didn’t try to hide my bulge.

So for my sister who keeps forgetting that I am even pregnant here is the proof, and by Halloween we will hopefully have a cute baby boy to show for it.



These pictures were taken in early August by a cute 3 year old photographer. Isn't he is going to be great when he gets older? What perspective--

Our family webpage has been sparse this year, but I have plans to remidy that over the next few weeks. Click Here for our Back to School Pictures.

Our little surprise!

For my birthday more than a few weeks ago the kids were surprised to see that my final present was a gift for them. They all receive brand new shirts with a fun message. They all wore their shirts proudly the next day to school and spread the news to their friends that a new baby was coming to our family.

Today we got a little peek at that new little baby and we are proud to announce that it is going to be a .....









We are excited to report he is healthy and growing well. During the ultrasound he was moving around and waving at us. We will look forward to his arrival around October 22nd--but until then we are really going to have to start brain storming on names.