Goals

I have many goals I set for Kennedy in my head that I think would nice to be accomplished by a certain age... reading, writing, riding a bike without training wheels... and another one I considered a few months ago. I thought to myself, 'it would be nice if she could shower by herself by her 4th birthday'. We didn't really 'work' on this one because she was eager to learn. Kennedy is a VERY independent child, so the idea of washing her hair/body by herself was a pretty cool thing to her. I still help lather her hair, but she does the rest! Here's my disclaimer: I don't believe in pushing your children when they aren't ready, or having unrealistic expectations placed on them. But I do think it's good to encourage them! I work with her on things so she can excel and take it to whatever level she wants. For example, she can write her name by herself. It's legible, but needs TONS of improving. So we'll practice our letters together. I never push her though, because I can recognize when she's frustrated and needs to stop. I also read to her everyday. Just a few days ago, I saw her pick up a book and almost read it verbatim. She obviously memorized it, but this wasn't the first time I've seen that. Memorizing words is how reading begins! Besides working with Kennedy at home, I give TONS of credit to her preschool for all of her accomplishments. They truly believe in learning by DOING, interacting, playing... not just sitting them down in front of a book and worksheet. We're so lucky to have found Loving Start Preschool!

I can't believe she's going to be FOUR in just two days. Where does the time go?! :( I know we can't stop her from growing (even though we ask her if she can all the time), so I choose to enjoy every single day with her, not taking anything for granted. I look forward to many more milestones/accomplishments with her and the same for baby girl #2 as well!

25 Weeks

Saturday marked 25 weeks for me and pregnancy feels a lot different this time. I don't seem to be OR LOOK as uncomfortable as the first time. I gained a lot of weight with Kennedy and by 30 weeks was already swollen and extremely uncomfortable, so I've been really trying to watch it with this little one. I could do better though. I still need to exercise DAILY and make better food choices, but overall, it's a much better pregnancy. Also, my hair seems thicker and my face is SO MUCH clearer than the first pregnancy. I'm thankful for all of these things. And as long as I do my part, I know I'm going to have the labor/delivery I've been working towards... completely natural!

Speaking of natural labor... our Bradley classes ended yesterday and I'll admit, I'm a little sad. It was fun hanging out with Jon every Monday night and discussing what we want in my labor/delivery. We joked that we should tell my mom the classes haven't finished and keep Monday nights open for date nights! Ha! ;) But anyway, Coral Slavin was a wonderful teacher and JAM PACKED us with awesome information. I actually had a dream two nights ago about having this little girl. It was everything I wanted. I handled every single contraction like a pro, utilizing my relaxation techniques taught in our classes and the baby came quickly! Obviously contractions won't be pain-free, but I know that they'll be easier to take because I know how to control my body and relax. With Kennedy, I was induced. It's extremely hard to relax when your body isn't naturally contracting. As Coral said, I didn't even have a chance. So this time around, I'll be laboring at home for as long as possible. 4-1-1 is the rule. When my contractions are 4 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each, consistently for 1 hour, we'll make the trek to Columbia St. Mary's in Ozaukee. Did I mention I have the best doctor in town?? Claudia Koch comes HIGHLY rated and pushes the boundaries when it comes to birth. Her mother was a midwife in Germany so Claudia knows exactly what a woman's body can do when it needs to do it. I have so much confidence in her. Now I just need to get me a good doula and I'm ready for anything!

I've been eager to get my hands on the containers downstairs for a while now. I kept everything of Kennedy's since birth, so it'll be nice to go through all of our things again and decide what we'll need right away and what can wait. One of these Saturdays I'll start going through it all and washing the 0-3 month clothes. Then we'll put the baby's crib together. Right now it's sitting in the box in our hallway. Can't wait to see what it looks like all set up in Kennedy's room! I'm getting more and more excited everyday!!

Picture: Cute preggos. This was taken at Marie's shower on Saturday, April 30th. Raven is 12 weeks, I'm 25 weeks and Marie is just shy of 31 weeks.

Easter

We had a blessed weekend! Normally we do something with our family on Easter but nothing was planned this year... so we went ahead and planned a last minute cookout on Saturday with the Browns and Joneses. This was the second annual egg hunt at our house as well. The kids had a great time finding eggs and we enjoyed the fruits of their labor. ;) It was a gorgeous day outside (after a not-so-nice week full of cold and rain), so the windows were open and the grill was a cookin'! Cooking out is one of my favorite parts of summer. There's something to be said about grilled food and warm weather... LOVE IT. Throw in some amazing friends, and it was a spectacular day.

Sunday morning, Kennedy found her basket and was quite excited about what she saw. We got her two coloring books, two Fancy Nancy books, a Princess Tiana doll, Marley and Me (the movie) and a fun game. Before church, we took a few pics of Max, Silas and Kennedy in their cute Easter clothes. I can't get enough of them! They're so cute!! I'm thankful for the relationship that we have with the Browns. Our kids are going to grow up together and that's a cool thing :)

Lord, thank you for your sacrifice so that I can live eternally!! Easter is more than just showing up at church once a year, it's a daily relationship with the Lord. Obeying His Word. That is what will get you to heaven, not JUST believing in Him :) I pray that seeds were planted yesterday and people continue to grow in His Word!

My Little Artist

If there is one thing I'll never forget at this age, it's Kennedy's love for art. She enjoys coloring, painting, and putting crafts together... anything art related, really. Her preschool teacher has mentioned on several occasions how much she enjoys art time. Often, she won't want to stop until her project is JUST RIGHT. Hmm, did I do that to her?! Piecing together puzzles and playing games are also fun things she loves to do. She especially enjoys Candy Land, but I think the Memory Game has surpassed it. She's very good at it too! It's so fun seeing her in action, watching her little brain go to work.

When we painted a few days ago, she decided to wear her tutu and crown headband. Who paints in a tutu?! I loved it. Perfect pictures, capturing that special moment. I love this girl so much!!!!! :)

Shopping

Kennedy has always been a great shopping partner, but she was especially fun a couple of days ago. We met my sister at Kohl's (so I could take advantage of her sweet discount) and purchased some summer jammies, play clothes and sandals. Then we headed next door to Target and did some more damage. Lots of summer dresses/shirts and another pair of cute brown sandals. She was so excited to try everything on and hold things up to her to check the length. Before we left, we hit the toy aisle so she could tell me exactly what she wanted for her birthday. Little did she know, I already knew what we she wanted and was planning on buying them soon. Thank you, amazon.com for your awesome prices! She is going to be sooooooo excited!!!

A few days later she was recalling her shopping trip with Mommy to Grandma Val. She told her that shopping made her tired and all she wanted to do was take a nap!! This made me laugh of course. Kids don't often admit they want or need a nap. I love her so much and I'm so thankful for the next four months I get to spend with just her :)

Picture: This was taken while we were at Sam's Club a couple of weeks ago. She is one cute girl, I must say.

22 Weeks!

No changes to report, just growing by the minute! Thankfully that's not what the scale says, but I LOOK huge. Here's a picture Jon took today. Don't laugh! I hate pictures of myself and I have no clue how to 'pose' ...so I just stood there.

After we took the picture, we headed to Discovery World! The last time I was there was 11 years ago, so it's changed a lot. Of course location was the biggest change but the HUGE aquariums were a cool addition too. (Unless they did have those and my preggo brain is keeping me from remembering??) Anyway, Kennedy loved it. Lots of hands on things to do... some still over her head, but apparently not Jon's! He was fascinated with the 'water treatment' area. That's his thing. He loves the process of water purification/filtration.

On the way out, there were some vendors that caught my eye. They were selling homemade bibs/burp clothes and onesies. SUPER CUTE. So I made my first purchase for this sweet girl in my belly and I supported a small business in doing so. Win/win.

We headed to Ian's for a slice of pizza and then home. Kennedy, Jon and Riley are all napping. It looks very appealing. Maybe someday I'll try it...

21 Weeks!

I'm pretty excited. Today marks 21 weeks and I haven't had nausea for the last THREE weeks! I'm also feeling the baby move more and more everyday. She especially moves during worship, which I think is pretty amazing. God is so goooooood!

She weighed in at a hefty 11oz last week and is about the size of a carrot. OH! And we picked her name. But I won't reveal it on here quite yet ;)

I really need to get some pictures of me so I can remember what I looked like pregnant! This is (most likely) going to be the last time I ever experience it!