Kate's 4 Month Letter

Dear Kate,

My, oh my…time sure does pass quickly!  You are changing more and more each day!  Daddy and I are finally getting into the “routine” with two kiddos…and you’re getting more and more used to your new family! :)

You are much more alert now, and you’re falling into more of a schedule.  You usually wake up around 8:30am or so, eat at 9:30am, play, nap, eat around 1:30pm, play, nap, eat at 4:30pm, play, nap, then eat around 8:30 or 9:00pm before going to sleep for the night.  Some nights you’ve slept up to 7 hours…but usually you have about one 5 hour stretch and one 4 hour stretch.  We’ve learned that you sleep MUCH better if we swaddle you with your arms down.  Your little hands like to move around and wake you up!  You’re sleeping in your crib now with no problems.  You’ve had a little flat spot developing on your head, so we try to put you to sleep on your side with a little blanket behind your back to keep you in place.  You’re a little wiggle worm, though, and always end up on your back again.  When you eat, you like to mess with your head/hair, and this has resulted in lots of little scratches on your head (despite mommy trying to keep your nails clipped), so I’ve been putting little mittens on you when you eat…haha.   Despite this little “issues,” you are still a beautiful baby!  You still don’t have much hair, but the hair you do have is a light brown.  Your eyes are bright, big, and blue!

You LOVE your baths now!  Every time I put you in the tub, you kick and splash water all over the place…with a big grin!  Even if you’re upset before your bath, once you hit the water, you’re happy!  Ian always tries to give you his bath toys.  He’s such a good big brother, although, mommy has to remind him that you’re still too little to play with them. :)

In the last 2 months, you had your first trip to Dallas.  You were loved and cuddled by Aunt Heddie and Cousin Edie.  You also got to meet Ashley Gonzalez and her little Wyatt, as well as Sarah Ussery and her baby Wyatt!  It was fun to show you off to our friends.  We’ve also had a few more trips to Norman and Enid.  You generally do great in the car, as long as you’ve been fed and changed.

You are “talking” up a storm!  You babble back if anyone talks to you.  You love responding to mommy and daddy’s questions.  You also like to talk to Ian!  You’re smiling a lot, too!  During the times when mommy and daddy are at work, you go to Lori Chrisman’s house.  This happens to be Mondays and Tuesdays from 2-5pm and all day on Wednesdays.  She says that you are such a good baby and happy most of the time.  She’s pointed out that you’re much more talkative now, too!  You’ve been going to the nursery at church now for about a month & do really great.  The workers say that you’re an angel baby! :)  You’ve rolled over a few times (tummy to back), but I almost think it was accidental.  You really don’t like tummy time at all, but I think that this is pretty normal for a lot of babies.  You last about 5 minutes, max, before getting upset.  You like being in the bouncy seat and “talking” to the animals on the little mobile that goes to the seat.  You’ve also started holding little toy rings and reaching for things.  You’re coordination isn’t too great, yet, but I’m sure it will improve!

You’re still wearing 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.  I think that we’ll need to move you up soon…at least on diapers.  It is so much fun to pick out your outfit each day, and to choose your headbands and bows for special occasions. Daddy doesn’t realize the importance of a girl’s accessories, but that’s okay…it’s hard for boys to understand those things. :)

This Sunday will be your first Easter!  We’re so excited to get you dressed up in your Easter dress.  Last weekend, you got to meet the Easter bunny with Ian.  You were such a good girl, and you looked so pretty!  As we remember Jesus dying on the cross and being resurrected for the saving of all mankind, we are eternally grateful.  Not only for God sacrificing his Son for us, but for Him blessing us with you.  We love you, Kate!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Ian's 2 & 1/2 Year Letter

Dear Ian,

I'm in the habit of reading the previous letter I wrote before starting on a new letter.  Mainly, I do this to see what you were doing during that time of your life.  After reading your 2 year letter, I realize that there's not a whole lot that's different now, but you're more advanced in the traits & abilities that you had at that time.

You are such a talker...still!  You are saying 5+ word sentences all of the time.  Everyone continues to be impressed with your talking ability.  Even the PA at your doctor's office pointed out that you're speaking very well for your age.  You love to sing & know lots of words to your favorite songs.   You're starting to express your emotions through words.  You'll say things like, "Mommy, I missed you," and "Daddy,  I love you."  It's so sweet to hear you tell us these things! Some funny things that you've said include asking if the diaper bag was "daddy's purse" after mommy picked up her purse, as well as calling the shed in the backyard, "Daddy's house."  When you want to be held, you'll say, "Mommy, I want to hold you."  I love it!  I know that's not exactly what you mean, but it makes a mommy feel special. :) You'll ask questions like, "Where's daddy? At work?  Oh, okay."  Yesterday while we were in the car, you said, "Mommy, I'm talking to you."  When we leave your school, you'll say, "Bye friends!  See ya next time!"

Probably the biggest change in your life since in the past few months is the addition of your new sister, Kate.  You are such a good big brother!  You've wanted to hold her, play with her, tickle hear, and give her toys.  If she's laying on her play mat, you'll want to lay down beside her and snuggle.  When mommy and daddy were in the hospital, you came to visit and were excited to see your new baby sister.  You weren't too sure of all of the commotion she was creating, though.  Nanny and Grandma Donna said that on the way home from the hospital, you said, "I don't like that baby Kate."  They couldn't stop chuckling!  I think you like her a lot, now...at least until she's old enough to take your toys.  You tell mommy and daddy when she's crying, or say, "Kate's happy" when she's smiling.  You're also a big help at giving her a paci or throwing her diapers in the trash.  You love to tell her "hi" when you've been away from her, and like to "baby talk" to her like mommy and daddy.

Your favorite toys right now are your "Disney Cars" cars and anything else that's "Cars" related.  You LOVE Lightening McQueen, Mater, and all of their friends.  You constantly want to watch the movie, and you've probably seen in 50 times!  You mostly watch it in the car when we're traveling.  After school, you say, "I want to watch cars and have a sucker."  You love to drive them around and make sound effects, but you're not too keen on sharing them with your friends.  We had a big tantrum the other day at JJ's house when Shelby pulled out a big Lightening McQueen car and we told you that you'd have to share it with all of your friends.  You would not have it!!  I think you're just passionate about them. :)  You also like to look at books, play with your Tag Jr., drive you big yellow dump truck around, and play with balls.

Your diet hasn't changed much at all...hot dogs, mac and cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets, "beggios" (spaghettios), and PB & J.  Your newest thing is that you want a "banna" each evening before bed, so mommy will give you 1/2 of a banana to have with your milk.  You always insist that it's in a little bowl, too.  You want a "big banna," meaning you don't want us to cut it up.  You love milk and apple juice, and occasionally get to enjoy some chocolate milk.  You love sweets, especially ice cream and cupcakes...although, you're idea of eating a cupcake is to lick the icing off then ask for another. :)  Last night, you asked for some "chocolate chip ice cream."  This made us laugh because we probably haven't even bought that kind before, and somehow you knew about it.  Your favorite snacks are goldfish and fruit snacks.

You're schedule has changed a little now.  Since Kate is here, we had to find a daycare provider that would take infants.  We found a sweet lady named Lori Chrisman to watch her, and she watches you some, also.  You go to Discovery Place Preschool all day on Mondays and Wednesdays, then you go to Lori's house on Tuesday afternoons from 2-5pm.  When I come to pick you up from school or Lori's, you say, "Mommy, I'm ready to go home and play."  If you're in the car when we pick up Kate, you always welcome her by saying, "Hi Kate!"  You still wake up around 8:30-9am and go to bed around 8:30-9pm.  Naps are a hit and miss for you.  You generally don't want to take them, but you're a lot happier in the evenings if you get your rest.  You're sleeping in your "big boy bed" now and doing great!  You always have to have your glow seahorse turned on and your Dreamlites bug that projects stars all over your room.  You also have to have your cars in bed with you. :)  You still like to read books and have mommy sing to you before bed.  You love, "This Little Light of Mine," "The Wheels on the Bus," "Alligator Eyes" (aka - Mommy's Soup Surprise - a song that I learned in elementary school), "Jesus Loves the Little Children," "Chuggington," and "Little Einstein."

Besides the "Cars" movie, you love watching "Little Einstein" and other Disney Jr. shows.  You also like "Curious George," "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," and "Doc McStuffins."  Grandma Donna got you a little doctor's kit and you like to give everyone a "check-up" with your stethoscope, just like "Doc McStuffins." You still like to watch "Chuggington" and will always want to go downstairs to play with your train table.  You like to ask, "You play trains with me?"  When Uncle Alan and Aunt Carrie or Papa came to visit, they played trains with you, so you continue to ask them and everyone else.  You love to have an audience! (You just don't want to share your trains...hehe).

You still have a few close friends that you love to see, including JJ Shinkle, Joshua Nelson, Brennan Lucas, Paige Gibbs, and Silas and Karly Kemper.  Wesley Ashour came to visit recently, and you enjoyed seeing him again, too! You're generally very sweet and friendly, but you all usually "parallel play," and don't really play together well (nobody really wants to share what they have...haha).  You love going to the Cove at church to play with your friends.  In January, we went to Red River, NM with the Herringshaws, and you loved playing with Cole and Conner.  You continued to ask about them for a long time after we returned.  You went sledding with them and loved playing in the snow.  Speaking of snow, we recently had a record-breaking 14.2 inches in one day here in Wichita, so you got even more snow time!  You love to play outside and will probably be out a lot more this Spring.  Santa got you an outdoor swingset for Christmas, and Papa is coming next week to help daddy put it up in our back yard.  You're going to love it!

You're still tall and thin.  You're wearing 2T clothes right now, and love wearing your "Cars" and "Chuggington" shirts.  Your hair grows so fast, so we usually have to get monthly hair cuts.  You look forward to them because you get a sucker.  We've been trying to get you interested in potty-training, but you won't have it.  You told us you don't like the potty because "it's too cold," so you won't sit on the little potty chair or the big one with a foam ring.  Hopefully you'll change your mind in the near future!  You're starting to get bothered by your wet/dirty diapers.  Mommy has a feeling that potty training is going to be a challenging task with you, so we haven't really even started yet!

You know all of your family, and love to see your grandparents and great-grandparents .  When we go to their houses, they all have a special toy stash for you, and you know right where to go!  The funniest thing is how you interact with Grandpa Chuck.  If Grandma Donna is around, you always want to know, "Where's Chuck?", "What's Chuck doing?", and say, "Hi Chuck, how are you?"  You like to pair everyone up.  If Nanny is around, you ask about Papa, and vice versa.  We recently went to Dallas for a visit, and you loved playing with cousin Edie and Aunt Heddie.  Uncle Alan likes to call you, "Eee-on," and you say, "I not Eee-on, I Ian!"  It's hilarious!

Oh, I feel like I could go on forever, and I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out.  I'll add it later if I think of it.  We just want you to know how much we love you, sweet boy.  You add so much to our lives, and we can't even begin to imagine it without you.  We continue to look forward to the light you infuse in us each and every day.  We constantly thank God for the blessings He's provided us in you!

With Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Snow & Back to Work

Today was my first day back to work after an amazing 12 weeks of maternity leave. It was interesting, to say the least, due to the snow! I left to work 40 min early and made it there safely. There were quite a few people that called in (employees and patients).

Cousins....

We just got back from a trip to Dallas! We stayed with Jason's sister, Heather, and her family in their beautiful new house. Ian had great fun with his cousin, Eden. Heather snapped this adorable pic while they were out playing.

Kate's Baby Dedication

Today was a special day!  We were able to dedicate Kate's life to the Lord.  As her parents, I know we have a huge roll in her upbringing, and one of the most important things to Jason and I, is to raise her in a way that honor's God.  He has provided us with sooo many blessings by following Him, and we want our children to experience the same type of joy.  We dedicated Ian when he was just about a month old.  As it turns out, he was dedicated at the same time as Zoey Lucas, and her mom, Jessica ended up babysitting Ian during several months out of his first year!  We didn't know the Lucas family at the time, but looking back, it's so neat to share that special day with them.  On that note, they dedicated their daughter, Neely, today also!  We did ours at the 9am service and they were at the 11am service; however, it's so neat to share in this special day together.  There were a total of 6 children being dedicated today!  Praise God!

 

The church provided each of the children with their own little personalized cake!  So sweet!

They also gave Kate a storybook bible and a dedication certificate with her precious little footprints

Lots of family came to witness this special day!

Isn't she adorable?!

Brrrr....

Yep, we are crazy enough to get frozen yogurt on a day when it's ice cold outside (even snow)!

Two Month Letter to Kate

Dearest Kate,

You're 2 months old today!  I keep saying that time flies, but I think it's actually getting faster.  You first blessed our lives on November 29th, and have been continuing to do so every single day.  You are just a perfect addition to our family, and you're well-loved by so many people!

As with Ian, you are a beautiful baby.  We get comments daily on how pretty and sweet you look!  We couldn't agree more!  You have a perfect little face, hands, feet, etc.  You were born with some dark brown hair.  Some if it has fallen out on top, but it seems to be coming in as a lighter brown/blondish color.  Your eyes are a beautiful blue.  You just moved from newborn clothes to 0-3 month clothes last week, so you're pretty petite.  You're even still wearing a few newborn sleepers!  It's been pretty cold over the past 2 months, so we've kept you bundled up with blankets and your fuzzy, pink, butterfly booties. :)

You are SUCH a good baby!  You hardly ever cry or fuss unless your hungry or your tummy hurts.  You slept a ton during the first several weeks, but you're awake more these days.  You eat about every 3 hours, but you've started sleeping a little longer through the nights.  A few nights ago, you gave mommy a 6 hour stretch..woo hoo!  You're also getting faster at nursing, so mommy doesn't get as much time to goof off by playing on her phone...hehe.  You love to sleep in your Rock-N-Play sleeper, but you're not a huge fan of sleeping on your back in a crib.  We've tried different methods to make it more comfortable to sleep on your back...swaddling, raising up one end of the Pack-N-Play, paci, etc.  Last night, you slept 2 stretches in the Pack-N-Play, so that's great.  We still have you sleeping in our room.

Ian has been such a great big brother to you!  He's so sweet and always tells you "hi" and "don't cry, Kate," if you're upset.  He loves to lay next to you on your play gym mat and look up at the toys.  He also always wants to share his cars and trains with you.  He will even give you your paci and take your diapers to the trash can for mommy...such a big help!!  We've been referring to you as "sissy" and him as "bubba," but lately, he's been calling you "bubba."  Haha!

You weren't too sure about about bath time at first, but now you enjoy it if we keep you warm.  Grandma Donna got you a nursery warmer that keeps your towel warm...you like that!  Ian likes to watch you take a bath and makes sure you have plenty of toys in your water.  :)  You like your little lotion massages after your bath.

You seem to enjoy laying on your play mat now.  You're very interested in the hanging toys and lights. You're starting to "bat" at them. You don't seem to like the bouncer too much...you prefer the Rock-N-Play or being held.  You make lots of little grunting sounds, but haven't really started "babbling" yet.  You look like you're getting closer to rolling to your side, so mommy and daddy better watch out!  You will be keeping up with your brother in no time!

You've already had your first vacation!  We went to Red River, NM during the first week in January.  You did great on the trip and while we were there!  Mommy and Daddy were a little nervous to travel with you being only 6 weeks old, but you were wonderful.  We considered letting you play in the snow, but decided to keep you bundled up instead. :)  You also traveled to Enid and Norman to see friends and family for Christmas!

Our favorite milestone in the past 2 months was when you started smiling at 5 weeks and 6 days...yay!  We were so looking forward to seeing your little smile.  We still have to "work" at getting you to smile (mainly by baby-talking and smiling at you), but I'm sure you'll be a little more generous with them over the coming months.

Thank you so much for making our lives so full of joy!  God truly blessed us with a beautiful daughter and sister to Ian.  We love you, Kate Laurel!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Recent Happenings...

It's been a while since I posted anything, so I thought I'd post a few recent pics!  Things have been pretty busy lately, but we're adjusting to our new life as a family of 4!  I've been on maternity leave for 8 weeks, and have 4 remaining.  Time sure does fly!  I've been taking advantage of the weekday time off by hanging out with some other stay-at-home mom friends and their kids.  We've also been able to help welcome some of our friend's new babies.

Ian and JJ

Aren't they adorable?!

Sleeping beauty

Shelby and baby Finnigan - born 1/19/13 (JJ's little bro)

Kate is 8 weeks old today!!

Kate and her friend, Neely (born only a few days apart!)

Dress Up & Camera Fun

My Christmas gift this year from Jason was a new digital SLR camera!  My friend, Jenny, helped me pick out one.  She has taken nearly all of Ian's milestone pics, and I've always loved how they look....granted, she has some serious talent in photography.  I liked my point-and-shoot camera, except for I was always missing the "looks" I wanted from Ian because of the delay with the shutter.  Anyway, I ended up getting a Nikon 5100 and I love it! 

 

Recently, another friend, Chelsea Foster, came to take some newborn pics of Kate.  She got some wonderful pics, but Kate was pretty cranky with all of the outfit changes that I wanted to do.  So, a few days later, I played dress up and photo booth with her.  Here are some of my favorites. :)

I made the purple outfit after seeing an identical one on Etsy...yes, I know the flower is giant, but isn't it cute?!?!  I thought it was cute on the Etsy newborn. :)

 

Now, I just need a Photoshop review from Jenny....("hint, hint" :)

Welcome, Kate!

Okay, I figured out that I had to delete pictures from my blog account in order to free up space.  I'm starting with the oldest pics, but don't worry...I'm ordering printed copies of my blog to keep! :)

 

I just wanted to post a few pics from Kate's birthday!!  She is such a beautiful baby, and we're so blessed to have her!  We had a great stay at the hospital, and everyone has been doing great since we've come home.

Ian's first look at his sissy!

I loved her little "bow" hat

Our first family pic...we can't ever get any with everyone smiling at the camera!

Kate is Here!!

We were blessed with a sweet little angel, Kate Laurel, on November 29, 2012.  She was born at 7:40am, weighed 6 lbs. 9.5 oz., and was 18.5 inches long.  We are both doing wonderful!

I would post pics, but for some reason, I'm out of photo storage space on Blogger.  If I can figure out how to add additional photos, I will.

Getting Closer!

My doctor has been following Kate's progress pretty closely because her head had been measuring small (less than 5%).  Although it's definitely caused some anxiety, it's also allowed us to have monthly ultrasounds.  This has been really nice because with Ian, we just had one sono at 18 weeks & one 3D sono that we paid for on our own.  Last Thursday, I had a 36 week check...probably the last time I'll see her on a screen.  Her head had grown and was in the 30th percentile, while her overall size was 45th percentile.  Gloria, the sonographer, was really sweet and let us take a little "peek" at Kate in 3D.  Here are a few images!

Face



Mouth and nose...look at those full lips! :)

This is a regular 2D pic, but I love her little profile!

We can't wait to meet you, Kate!!

Fall Carnival

Last night was Ian's Fall Carnival at his school!  This is the school's biggest fundraiser of the year, so they really go all out.  They had carnival games, other activities, snacks, a photo booth, and a silent auction.  Also, it is another opportunity for the kids to wear their Halloween costumes.  Ian was supposed to be a giraffe, as I got a costume last month at a consignment sale, but when we tried it on the night before the carnival, we realized it was way too short!  We made a last minute trip to Target and came up with a cute puppy dog costume.  He HATED it when we tried it on that night, but he did okay with it last night.  Here are a few pics to capture the fun!

This was the "Toss Across" - he had more fun flipping the signs himself :)

This is the one picture with Ian actually using the fishing pole...he preferred to use his hands :)

He picked out a grape Tootsie Pop...mommy's favorite!

He made the basket! (with daddy's help)

Learning to putt!

He got to "hold" a bubble...pretty cool!

Mommy and puppy dog!

Riding the little roller coaster

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ian!!

Dear Ian,

It seems like just yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital.  We were soooo ready to meet you by this day 2 years ago...as you were due on 9/15/10.  I will never forget the first time I saw you and was able to hold you!  Today you’re turning two years old and you are the love of our life!

Right now you are at a really fun age.  Not that you weren’t fun before, it’s just that you’re able to do so MUCH right now!  You talk all of the time, sing, dance, play, and laugh…you’re so animated!  You are quite the little talker, and everyone comments on how well you can speak.  You can identify several colors (blue, red, yellow, orange, green, black, white, purple, and pink), you can tell us the sounds of several animals, you can “sing” along to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and some of the alphabet song.  You LOVE anything train-related, both “Thomas the Train” and “Chuggington.”  You know the names of all of the trains and you can sing the “Chuggington” theme song.  You know the names of several of your family members and friends, including Nanny, Papa, Grandma Donna, Grandpa Chuck, Grandpa, Nana, Shelby, Justan, JJ, Christina, Sean, “Celia” (Cecilia), Chelci, Aunt Heddie, Edie, Joshua, and Paige.  You also know Brennan, Jessica, Zoey, Mikah, Silas, and Karly….there are probably people that I’m leaving out!  You are able to tell us when you “don’t like” something, when you want a “snack,” when you want “milk” or “juice,” and that you “don’t want to go night night,” “take a bath,” or “take a nap.”  Sometimes you do want to take a bath, and you tell mama to “make big bubbles!”  You say lots of funny things too!  Over the past few weeks, daddy has been teaching you to talk like the Cookie Monster, so you will say “I Cookie Monster…yum, yum, yum.”  Just last night, I put your pajamas on and told you that there was a monster truck on the shirt.  You ran around saying, “Cookie Monster truck!”  It was adorable!

You seem to have gotten pickier with your diet.  Your favorite foods are hot dogs, pizza, “Uh oh, beggios” (aka: spaghettios J), peanut butter and jelly, and chicken nuggets with lots of ketchup.  You also like your morning oatmeal made with apple juice or prune juice (which you call “chocolate oatmeal…haha).  You like bananas, grapes, strawberries, yogurt, “smoothies” (drinkable yogurt), applesauce, and green beans (with bacon).  We feed you a lot of those little baby food pouches because you don’t like many regular vegetables.  To our surprise, you don’t seem to be a big fan of cheese.  Your favorite snacks are “cookies” (graham crackers) and goldfish crackers. You love to drink milk, and sometimes daddy will give you a special treat of chocolate milk.  You have your mommy’s sweet tooth and really like cake and ice cream, too.

Your favorite toys are DEFINITELY trains and cars.  You play with them all of the time!!  You cannot go to bed without a handful of Chuggington trains, and you always zoom cars around the tub every time you take a bath.  Your favorite shows to watch on TV are “Thomas the Train,” “Chuggington,” and the “Cars” movies.  You occasionally like to watch Elmo, but for the most part, you seem to be over the Elmo stage.  You love for us to read books to you, specifically train books, and you always say, “one more book…” after we finish each one.  You are very active and like to rough-house and play outside.  You’re good at going up and down stairs now, although we still leave the gate closed so you don’t get too mischievous. J 

Your daily routine hasn’t changed much.  You get up around 8:30am, nap between 11am and 3pm, and go to bed around 8:30pm.  You still attend Discovery Place preschool from 2-5pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, and all day on Wednesdays (8:15am-5pm).  You seem to really enjoy “school” and talk about your friends Roby and Jarren a lot.  You get really excited when mommy or daddy picks you up from school or from the church nursery.  We can’t help but smile when we see your huge grin!

We took a trip to Red River at the end of July, and you had a fun time.  You slept better than last year, but still had to adjust to the “new” surroundings.  Mommy and daddy spent a lot of time chasing you around the lake and trying to keep you from falling in the water.  You really liked playing with Haley and would go looking for her whenever you had a chance.  Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Branson with Sean, Christina, and Cecilia.  We were able to go to Silver Dollar City and you got to ride the train.  You didn’t really like riding it and cried some.  I think you preferred to look at it instead!  You called it “Old Coyer Pete” (“Old Puffer Pete”)…which is a Chuggington character that looks like an old steam engine.  You also enjoyed playing with Cecilia at the cabin we rented.

Your two-year doctor’s appointment is next week and we’re excited to find out your height.  We’ve heard that doubling your height at age 2 is a good estimate of your adult height…we’ll see!  You’re wearing 18 month shorts (thin boy) and 24 month or 2T shirts.  You will have to wear 24 month or 2T pants because you’re too tall for 18 month pants.  You’re wearing size 6 shoes.  You have all of your teeth except your last set of molars.  You chipped your front tooth this summer after a fall while playing on the driveway, but it hasn’t been too noticeable. 

The excitement around our house right now is the preparations for your little SISTER, Kate Laurel.  She is expected to arrive on 11/29/12 (mommy’s scheduled c-section date), but we’ll see!  You don’t really understand how your little life is about to change, but we have no doubt that you’ll be a wonderful big brother.  You interact really well with other kids.

We just had your 2^nd birthday party last weekend because there was an OU game this weekend (this will probably always be an issue!).  It was “train”-themed and your big presents were a Chuggington train table, trains, track, and other accessories.  You LOVE it and play with everything all of the time you’re home. Many friends and family were able to come and you seemed to have a great time!

Ian, the end of the time of you being our only child is quickly approaching.  This is a time of joy and excitement for our family, but we know that things will be different with two children.  We could not have been blessed with a better first-born child.  You bring us pure joy and happiness every day.  We pray for you all of the time…that you will grow to love Jesus and that you’ll be a person of good character, successful, and kind to others.  We ask the Lord to guide us as we raise you.  You are our light, Ian, and we love you more than words can say.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

New Sono Pics

Last Friday, we got the opportunitity to see our little girl again!  The previous ultrasound showed concerning spots on her heart and brain, so they wanted to take another look.  Fortunately, the brain looked fine.  There is still a spot on the heart, but the final report said that the heart looked good structurally, and they didn't recommend any further work-up from a cardiac standpoint.  They did notice that her head circumference was smaller than expected, so they're going to take another measurement at 28 weeks.  It looks like we'll get to see her again!

Here are some pics of

Kate Laurel!