Jeff has been working hard at NIFCO to get ahead on his project lists in anticipation of taking a week off when baby is born. It seems every time he gets his plate more clear, it's seen as an opportunity for management to hand him more projects though - oh well, he tried.
I started every week midwife appointments this month, so it's getting real that baby will be here soon, which is fine with me. My work has been similar thought process, trying to get all loose ends tied up and making sure someone else on the board or her assistant knows what is going on for upcoming events during September. Since there will be a board meeting one week, golf outing the next week and general meeting the week of the due date, it's a lot of advance prep to try and do. (If baby is like Samara, two weeks early, it will all pay off. If this baby is like Kalum, I'll end up being there for all the events anyway, since he was late.) Not ideal situation for a planner such as I!
Besides all that work prep, it was trying to pack in some more fun and play before Samara starts school on Sept 1st! Samara got to go to a friend's fashion show birthday party, dress-up, nails and makeup, then walk on the runway and of course have some cupcakes. We had a play-date with a friend from our church, went to the zoo with Courtney and Amanda's friend Tiffany, tried to take advantage of a week of cooler weather by getting outside some and took time to play at home not always working on my checklist.
Tiffany surprised us with the news that their family is moving to SC! I told her I am selfishly so sad that they are leaving Omaha, we've always been close enough to get the kids together or see each other when a group of friends were back in town. But, I know this is a great opportunity for their family and it's what they feel is right for them right now. It is a reality check not to take for granted the amazing people we have in our life, right down the street, a quick drive away or even a phone call. Since Tiffany and I have been friends since 1986 (whoa - that's 29 years!) I know that we will stay in touch with each other. We are blessed to have friends and family that all support us in whatever venture we take on and I look forward to adding more friends to that list as our lives go on. In light of some recent events, I felt so compelled to remember the importance of reaching out to others to be a friend, a confidant or whatever you feel God is calling you to be for that person. Is there someone we have just met or will meet in the next year that might be our closest friends in 30 years?
Kalum's Moments and Milestones for the Month:
- When coming upstairs to go to bed, I hear Kalum talking in his sleep one night. Something about lots of cars here "zoom zoom zoom". I see he is about to fall out of bed so I go in to scoot him over. He was woken up a bit, but didn't realize he was dreaming so he starts quizzing me about why I brought all the new clothes and new cars in his room. And, where are they? I try to explain that it was just a dream and he goes back to sleep. Then I hear Samara talking and go to her room thinking we've woken her up. She is also talking in her sleep. Saying, "That's cool. Yeah, that's very cool." I had to laugh - the non-stop talking in our house doesn't even end when the kids go to sleep!
- Mid-August we moved Kalum into Samara's room to get used to sharing for a while while baby is little. As first he was a little too excited to be sleeping at all, but he eventually decided that sleeping on the crib mattress on the floor in her room would be okay for a while. We put the side rail back onto the crib to keep that option unavailable to him. We will get a twin mattress for him in coming weeks.
- Potty training has been going well still, he just needs a reminder that he needs to go and not wait too long. He has even had one night where he was dry in the morning and was in underwear. Typically he sits on his little potty chair, but one day he really didn't want to go so I suggested he could pee standing up like Daddy. That was enticing enough to get him upstairs. He did it twice that day successfully, so we'll see if I've started a new norm...
- The vocabulary of this kiddo - sheesh! He has taken after Samara in using words beyond his age, that's for sure. At dinner one night he said he was going to "eat the tender stuff inside the gummy vitamin". Seriously, our not even three year old knows the word, meaning and application of the word tender?!
- One day when kids were supposed to be resting (or preferably napping) in their room, I peek in and Kalum's going on and on about this robot he's going to build to kill some bad guys. Then he goes over to Samara's bed and touches her head and says, "but not you because you're my sister. It won't hurt you or lambie or Mommy or Daddy because I love you." Then Samara chimes in about a robot she'll build that will "protect Mommy, Daddy and you [Kalum] because you're the best brother I've ever had." She's laying on her bed and they give each other a hug. Aw! It's sweet moments like that that make some of the times filled with fighting, temper tantrums and just not-so-fun moments worthwhile.
- We got his new twin mattress at the end of August. We went on a double-date night with Jeff's sister Laura and husband Nick and Derby's watched all our kiddos. He fell asleep on the way home from their house, so we put on his diaper and pj's on the new mattress while he slept through it. Guess he'll find out in the morning!
Samara's Moments and Milestones for the Month:
- Samara started dance class this year at Angie's Dance Studio, where I took dance from age 6 through high school. Courtney and I went to the open house night and it was surreal how much the same it was! The price was good and I felt comfortable with the dance and costumes they would put the kids in there, so we signed her up. She used an Amazon gift card (Thanks Uncle Tom!) to pick out and purchase her leotard, tights and ballet shoes and was so excited to try them on when they arrived. She seemed a little nervous when we first got there, but warmed up quickly and liked the class and other girls in it. They range from 4-6 years old, so she's right in the middle. Now she has some actual moves to practice and show us. We'll have to go get her tap shoes before her second class.
- On the 31st we had her preschool orientation night. She seems ready to go back, but isn't sure about it since she'll have all new kids in her class this year. I think our choice to do preschool 9-3 on Tuesday and Thursday and 9-11:30 on Friday will be just right for her to bridge the gap to Kindergarten next year. Ack - We will not talk about that yet!
- Well, now that they are in the same room, nap time is essentially gone and I just hope for a quiet-ish rest time. Just before we moved them to their own rooms, however, Kalum was still going over to Samara's room to play anyway. Here was the dialogue one day... Samara is explaining to Kalum why he needs to go to his room for rest time, after she yells to him to get out of her room. I just let these things play out sometimes to see what will happen. :)
- S- "We need to have rest time so our brain can get smarter and smarter."
- K- "I'm already smarter" (starts crying)
- S- (in very nice voice) "You need to listen to me, not just sit there and stare at the wall. That's boring."
- K- (crying more)
- S- "Are you ready to calm down now? Can you come here and hug me?"
- K- (quiet)
- Then they start playing and wrestling in the hallway where this discussion was taking place.
- S- "Kalum get off my head. (laughing) It actually makes it so I can hear better. Kalum you're the best brother I've ever had."
