Quote of the Week

Anna-Kate, aren't you excited it is October?!  

Is your baby coming in October?

No, that won't be until April.  October is when the leaves turn so many pretty colors and gets a little cooler and we have the fall festival at church.

Oh...

Mama, I don't know if I can take care of both of them.

Of Benjamin and the new baby?

Yeah, I don't know if I can take care of both of them.

Well, sweetie, it will surprise you how much you will love them both.  And, I will be here to help you take care of them.

Okay

2 year old Anna-Kate with 2 day old Benjamin, at home together for the first time

13 Weeks

It has absolutely been time for a belly shot update!  I was comparing my belly to Anna-Kate's; I think this is the same size I was at 23 weeks with her!  Amazing how quickly a third baby belly makes its appearance known!

I am officially in the second trimester.  I have moderate more energy than before, but waiting for the 2nd trimester honeymoon period to start.  The biggest pregnancy update is that my sickness has become manageable.  I realized about two weeks ago that some of my symptoms were actually side effects to a medicine (restlessness, extreme drowsiness, anxiety).  Once I got off that medicine, I was left with just Reflux.  Lots of reflux.

So, now I only get sick once, sometimes twice a day.  I have an appetite again, so I can finally meal plan and cook without getting grossed out.  I just have to strictly obey the reflux.  Disobey and I PAY for it dearly.  I had reflux with Benjamin, but this one is stronger and is more restrictive about what I can eat (no citrus,  no tomato, not much garlic, no caffeine, no carbonated, no tea, no sweet, ...).  I feel like the last week and a half I have finally started figuring out the rules.  The saddest part:  NO sweets, none, nothing with sugar.  I have said it over and over, but a pregnant woman without chocolate is a pregnant woman who really doesn't feel good.  But, no whining, today is about 500% better than what I was 2 weeks ago, so I guess I'll take it.

Benjamin goes to Preschool!

Benjamin 

2 day 2's with Mrs. Brandie and Mrs. Corrine

Asbury Preschool

He LOVES preschool!!  Everyday when we take Anna-Kate to school, he says, "I go to preschool now?"  You can tell going to school too makes him feel big.  He goes right in and starts playing, without a look back!  I am so proud that he loves school!

This kid and his grins...I am absolutely smitten!

Welcome to the School Years!

Anna-Kate, our Kindergartner!

Anna-Kate was excited for weeks leading up to her first day of school!  One month in, she loves it! She has already learned a lot.  I think my and Will's favorite is when she out-of-the-blue shows off something new she knows or something new she did.  The other day she was so proud that she had gone to the library and checked out her first book, all by herself.  She got an information book about wild cats.  She immediately sat down with daddy and started looking through it.  "Dad, I really like the Fishing Cat and the Florida Panther.  What do you like?"  

John-David and Anna-Kate have known each other since they were infants.  They went to preschool together, and now they start kindergarten together, even in the same class!

Mrs. Weldon is AK's teacher, with Mrs. Clancy as the assistant teacher 

My favorite Anna-Kate quote so far came when I was asking about her new friends:  "Ashley, she is just so nice!"  (a super smiley Hispanic girl)  "And Brady."  Tell me about Brady.  "He has yellow hair like me.  And, I am pretty much going to marry him!"  You are?!  "Yes, he is just so nice!"

We went to the annual Welcome to the School Year picnic a couple weeks ago.  It was fun to watch Anna-Kate wave to her new friends and just enjoy showing off her school!