5th Birthday Blessings

5 years old… I hope it’s your best birthday yet, sweet girl. 4 was a big year for you. You learned so much in preschool this year. You’ve gotten so good at writing your letters and words. You love counting and numbers and I suspect you’re going to be good at math. And your ability to draw objects from memory amazes me. When you announce you’re going to draw a bird, you just draw a bird and it really LOOKS like a bird, and that’s that. I love that you simply put crayon to paper without hesitation or intimidation. And then there’s your love of music, which takes you into your own little world. Daddy and I smile so big when we hear you belt out “The Hills are Alive”—vibrato and everything—while you take a bath. You really can sing, kid. May you always, always have confidence in your creative abilities!

And your people. Oh, you love your people. I think the highlight of your week is Sunday morning at church, just before the service starts. You eagerly ask me to help you find people you know and then you run to them with open arms. You are so comfortable with adults and you have a lot of wonderful ones investing in you-- and I am so grateful. You love your friends and teachers and your day just isn’t complete without hugs from ALL of them. Always straightforward with your words, you boldly tell your friends about God and Jesus and Heaven. You even led your class in prayer, all on your own. In a world that seems to be especially dark lately, you shine light. Daddy and I are so proud.

Your biggest moment of age 4? Hands down, becoming a big sister, your dream come true. You were devastated when we told you it was a boy, but eventually you came around. I’ve learned that if there’s one thing you need, it’s time. You need time to analyze, time to process, time to be ok with new experiences and surroundings. You simply don’t accept things at face value or give in to those around you until you are ready—that’s a trait that can serve you well in life, by the way. It’s good that my pregnancy with Ryan lasted 9 months, because that’s how long you needed to prepare. You truly love your brother and are a great big sister, always adoring him and trying to make him smile. I know not getting all the attention anymore is hard, and I don’t blame you for being jealous at times. Daddy and I are doing our best to carve out special moments with you because you are so important to us. Hang in there, love. As I tell you often, growing up is hard work but we’re all in this together. You, me, Daddy, Ryan—we’re all on the same team.

Speaking of teams… could you be any more competitive? EVERYTHING is a contest to you. Early in your 4^th year we realized you weren’t exactly a gracious loser but we’ve worked hard on that and you’ve come a long way. You, Daddy, and I are always up for a game of catch and as simple as it is, throwing a ball is one of my favorite things we do together. I’m anxious to see where your competitive spirit and strong determination take you.

We love you, Kate. We love who you are and who you are becoming and every single day—good or bad—is a treasured part of this blessed adventure with you. Happy 5th birthday!

Ryan at 3 months

A lot changes in 3 months! For starters, he's finally growing into all that hair he was born with...

No need to sugarcoat it… those first 5-6 weeks were ROUGH. Very little sleep for any of us and, thanks to reflux, he literally cried ALL. THE. TIME. His little body was so uncomfortable and reflux meds just weren’t working yet. Just when I thought we would all lose our sanity and/or go deaf, our little boy learned how to smile. And it’s really hard to stay frustrated when he’s THAT cute… even though his biggest smiles are often followed by an avalanche of spit up.

Ryan’s first 3 months of life have been sponsored by white noise: the kitchen vent, the white noise app on our phones, and radio static. Without fail, white noise can calm him down immediately, a la Jesus calming the storm. This discovery was magical for us and has been the key to our sanity and sleep (funny how the two are related...). For over a month his bassinet stayed in the kitchen and he slept with the vent on. We were seriously afraid we would burn out the vent motor, so once he fell asleep I would turn on the white noise app on my phone and place my phone in a metal pan to amplify the sound. When he transitioned to his crib upstairs, Dave found a radio "station" that was nothing but static. The goal here is SLEEP and I'm on board with whatever gets us there. 

Reflux is still with us, but meds are helping now. Ryan has turned into a great sleeper, which I’m both grateful for and perplexed by… I’ve HEARD that babies can be good sleepers at this age, but I didn’t think that was a real thing. Katelyn wasn’t a horrible sleeper, but she never appreciated sleep the way Ryan does. I remember having to do a lot of sleep training with her and wondering why people kept asking me if she was sleeping through the night. With Ryan, I get it now and see that sleeping babies do exist (and my heart goes out to all the parents who aren’t there yet!). I realize teething and other growing pains are just around the corner and I expect his sleep to regress… but I’ll take it for now!

If I had to pick one word to describe Ryan at this stage? Aware. He is very, very aware of his surroundings. His facial expressions change with every sound or inflection in someone’s voice. I wish I knew what he was thinking. And he is fascinated by his big sister! He follows her with his eyes—which has to be exhausting because she’s always on the move—and loves sitting next to her like a big boy. It’s really sweet to watch the sibling bond develop.

She keeps us laughing!

(Overhead from the other room)
K: Well, these are just hard to juggle.
Me: What are?
K: These apples.
Me: ... !

K: What's a vegetarian?
Me: Someone who doesn't eat meat.
K: YES! I want to be a vegetarian. I do NOT LIKE meat.

Dave: Katelyn, you're being too loud. Turn it down a notch.
K: Oh, so I guess I'm an iPad now!

Me: WOW, you have a lot of hand sanitizer.
K (delighted): I know, look how shiny my hands are!!!

(Dave and I talking about all the presidential candidates)
K: Who is Bernie Sandwich?

K (randomly): I want to birth a baby.

K: Wow, look how the cookies are growing and getting fatter in the oven! Ha, just like your tummy, Mommy!

Me: Go put on some shoes so we can go to Yogurtland.
K: Ok, I'm going to wear fancy shoes. Hope this is a fancy place!

K: Mommy... there are strange sounds coming out of Ryan.

K: Don't watch what I'm about to do. It's a little bit dangerous. 
Me: Then maybe you shouldn't do it.
K: Oh, it will be fine. But I need you to close your eyes, ok?

K: I don't like Alvin and the Chipmunks. Chipmunks are real, but chipmunks that talk with clothes on-- WEIRD!!!

Me: Please don't walk in front of the stroller. I'm afraid I'll run over you.
K: No you won't, that's just nonsense!

K: How did God make us?
Me: He made us out of dirt and breathed life into us!
K: Do I have dirt in me??

Me: I thought I told you not to ask Nana to buy you anything.
K: I know, but I forgot. Anyway, that ship has passed.

and one of my favorite pictures, just because

Hand Camp

Katelyn is now old enough to go to Scottish Rite's Hand Camp. We've been looking forward to this for several years! This is an annual family camp for kids with an upper limb difference(s), and it is awesome! There were break out session for parents and activities to do together as a family. Ryan was too young to go with us, but Dave, Katelyn, and I had a great time. 

Katelyn's little arm certainly doesn't define her or us as a family-- and honestly, most of the time I forget about it because she adapts so well and doesn't have complications-- but this weekend was a fun chance to connect with other families and exchange stories and tips and tricks. Lots of advice for riding a bike and going to kindergarten from parents who have been there. And it was fun to watch Katelyn make friends and just enjoy being a kid at camp.

Many of the camp counselors have limb differences and attended camp as a child. They held little "how to" sessions for things like painting your own nails, putting hair into a ponytail, tying your shoes, playing guitar, etc. Of course Katelyn went straight for painting nails! 

                    

It was the most adorable thing to see an adult with a limb difference teach a group of girls with limb differences how to paint their own nails! One rule: the child had to paint her own nails. No help from moms! Katelyn was so excited and proud and can't wait to practice doing her own nails more.

Arts and crafts

Making mini lasagnas in cooking

Hula hoop!

Making a (salt dough) fossil

One thing I've noticed about Scottish Rite is that it really is a community. Patients, parents, nurses, volunteers-- you get to know each other and it really does seem like a sort of family. We have some extra connections through Dave volunteering weekly at Scottish Rite, but there's just a bond that I suspect will deepen year after year of attending camp. It's such a wonderful organization!

Welcome, Ryan!

Well, we made it through the crazy month of March. We closed on our first home, moved, and had a baby in a span of 10 days. For anyone who is looking to add some crazy to their life, I don't recommend this BUT it can be done--with help, of course!! We couldn't have pulled any of this off without the help of our wonderful family and friends. We are so grateful to everyone (especially Mom, Christy, Nana, and Joey's crew of movers) who packed, cleaned, painted, moved, unpacked, helped with Katelyn and Ryan, brought us meals, and helped with all the new house details. Whew. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Two days after moving into the new house, baby Ryan joined our family! Thankfully he cooperated and stayed on schedule for induction on March 7. After a hectic few weeks and being on my feet way more than I should have been (even though I tried not to be!!), my body was ready to have this baby! Things progressed much faster than expected... I had plans to watch Netflix and color in my adult coloring books during labor, but that didn't happen. Start to finish in just four hours. Labor was much more painful than it was with Katelyn and the pain meds made me extremely nauseous afterwards, but things went so fast and for that I am grateful.

Seriously, that hair! I did not expect my baby to be born with sideburns.

When my family and Dave's mom came in to meet Ryan, Dad said a prayer and for some reason I just lost it. Everything was just so perfect. Katelyn saw me crying and said she felt like crying, too.

One proud daddy and all three of my loves

Katelyn was very particular (shocking) about holding Ryan. She was not ready to hold him in the hospital, which made me think she had some sort of scenario already planned out in her mind. Sure enough, after we got home from the hospital, she asked if she and Ryan could go upstairs and watch The Sound of Music. I agreed and as soon as we sat on her bed, she held out her arms and announced she was ready to hold him. Funny girl.

Meeting cousins Annabelle and Zoe. These girls have been so excited about Ryan's arrival!

Meeting cousin Bentley, born 8 weeks before Ryan

with Grandmom

with Grandad

with Nana

and with Papa

Our first time to go to church as a family was Easter Sunday. Perfect! Ryan stayed with us and was content during the service but I had to take him out when the preaching began because he woke up and I could tell things were about to go south. Even while I was pregnant, Ryan would kick like crazy every time he heard Pastor Brent's voice. Maybe they will be buddies someday!

She keeps us laughing!

K: When I get married, I'd like to wear your wedding dress if it fits.
Me: Ok, that sounds good!
K: Do we open presents at the reception?
Me: No, that waits until after the wedding.
K: Ok, well, I'd like a mixer.
Me: You have big plans, don't you?
K: Yep.

K: I would like Annabelle and Zoe to be my maids of honor someday.
Dave: You'll need a man first.
Me: And to go to kindergarten.
K: What do I need a man for?

K: Mommy, can you go put this in the fridge for me, please?
Me: Why can't you?
K: Oh, this is just a favor.

Me: You kind of stink since you've been outside.
K: No I don't, I smell like roses.

Me: Are you going to answer me?
K: Mommy, you are interrupting my concentration.

K: How does a baby get in a mommy's tummy?
Me: God puts it there.
K: But HOW does it GET THERE?
Me: I need some time to think about how to explain this to you. I'll tell you more when you're a little older.
K: That's what you said yesterday and today I AM older.

K: I want to know how toys are made. Hey, I'll be a toy maker when I grow up!! I still want to be everything, but that includes a toy maker.

Me: God loves everybody.
K: Even the bad guys in Germany? (No offense to Germany. She is just still obsessed with The Sound of Music.)

K: We were playing The Sound of Music at school and [name] didn't want to be Louisa! She wanted to be Marta and that didn't make sense because Louisa is taller than Marta and [name] is tall!!
Me: Have any of your friends even seen The Sound of Music?
K: No.
Me: So they just play along with whatever you tell them to do?
K: Yeah, most of the time. Sometimes they don't cooperate.

K: Mommy, today is my birthday!
Me: Um, no it's not.
K: Yes it is, today I'm Marta! And it's Tuesday. I'm seven. I'd like my pink parasol, please.

Me: We're going to look at more houses tonight.
K: Ugh, again? This is exhausting. I just want a night to stay at home and relax.
Me: Sometimes I forget that you're only four.

Kid at school: I'm scared of Heaven.
K: No! Let me tell you! Heaven is a wonderful place! We get to meet JESUS. And the Father. And all the people who asked Jesus into their hearts. So don't be scared of Heaven. 

Me: Guess what? In the new house, your closet is huge. There's lots of space to hang dresses and built in shelves for purses and shoes and stuff.
K: I am about to cry happy tears! Seriously, I am crying happy tears right now!!!

K: A friend at school asked me why I'm always singing.
Me: And what did you tell her?
K: Um, because I LIKE to sing...!?!?!

She keeps us laughing!

K: (pointing to a box of gauze at the store) Can we buy some of this? I'd like to turn my Baby Alive doll into a mummy.

K: I want to be on a team someday. Actually, I want to be a cheerleader with a little arm. 

K: What does apartment start with?
Me: A.
K: No it doesn't, it starts with U. Uh-partment.

K: When I'm older, I want to run races and win. ON TV. How do I do that?

K: I'm bored of four. How much longer until I'm five?

K: We're getting those dogs on tv.
Dave: Not right now. You know what we're getting instead? A baby.
K: Do you think we're also getting a Golden Retriever? (?????)

K: This is my doll, Molly. Her middle name is Tamale.

K: Mommy, will you please open my candy cane? If you dare...

K: Maybe I just want to be "everything" when I grow up.

K: What does "the shepherds trembled" mean?
Me: They were afraid. The shepherds were not expecting to see an angel or the bright heavenly hosts in the sky.
K: Oh, they didn't actually SEE angels.
Me: No?
K: Of course not. They had to use their imaginations.

K (after a long discussion about Heaven): DADDY!!! Mommy said I will see you in Heaven!!
Dave: That's great, but I was hoping to see you a lot sooner than that...

K: Who built God?
Me: Great question. The Bible says He's been here since the beginning...
K: But HOW did he get here?
Me: I'm not really sure how to explain this to you, but I'll try--
K: Ok, then can we just sing Jingle Bell Rock?

K: How does a baby stay in a mommy's tummy?
Me: Um, the passage we've talked about is blocked. The baby stays put until the mommy's body says it's time.
Dave: (rolling his eyes)
Me, to Dave: You want to take a shot at explaining this?
Dave: Katelyn, these things just happen.
K (dissatisfied): That's all you want to say?

Me: Your room is a disaster.
K (grinning): Would you say it's a catastrophe?

K: I have a lot of questions for God when I get to Heaven.