state of the family // January 2017
It feels like time is speeding up as our family gets bigger. Or maybe I'm just observing the phenomenon of time seeming to go faster as I age. Either way, I can't believe that I'll be 29 in a few days, that I'll be having my third child in a few months, and that I just had my 10 year high school reunion this past summer. The old adage sure rings true: the days are long, but the years are short. Before you know it my kids will be preteens with lives of their own, so I feel a strong urge to remember them exactly as they are at this moment. I need to remember this most on the days when Dad is right there, and I'm 3 rooms away, and they still come find me to fill up their milk. On the days when I don't think I'll be able to hear, "Mommy! Mom! Mama!" one more time without locking myself in a closet. And on the days when I'm trying so hard to "get stuff done" but they need me to read another book, make another snack, or sit and do another puzzle. This is the season we're in, and it's a sweet one! Challenging and physically demanding, but sweet nonetheless.
Pippa
My first baby is 3 1/2, and oh so grown up. She really understood Christmas for the first time this year, and begged for the tree to be put up early, a tree in her own room with her own decorations, and for lights on the outside of our house. Each day brought requests for hot cocoa, reading Christmas books before bed, and, "Is it Christmas today?"
I will never, as long as I live, forget her reaction to receiving her beloved Curious George stuffed animal as a Christmas gift. (Here's the video in case you missed it! Warning: it might make you cry). She had lost him a few months ago, and for some reason we hadn't replaced him yet. Their reunion was quite emotional.
Pippa also became emotional when she discovered that Baby Krause #3 was going to be a boy, but this time her tears were not of joy. In fact, I think I saw her pass through the stages of grief in one 24 hour period. She was in denial for quite a bit, and every time we would say something about "your baby brother," she would glare at us and say, "You mean my baby sister." I'm happy to report that she has reached acceptance, and is now excited to be the only sister and that she gets to have her own room, since the boys will share.
She is looking and acting so old lately. She has become so tall and thin, and her voice inflections and choice of words continue to surprise me on a daily basis. I'm holding fast to each mispronounced word, since it seems those won't be around for much longer.
Teddy
Our Teddy Bear. When we had Pippa, and she was such a spunky gal, I dreamed of a quiet, bookish little boy after my own heart. Teddy is...not that. At almost 18 months, he is a little linebacker and a bull in a china shop. Our solid boy is almost 32 lbs - yikes! He lives to play and watch basketball and football (with basketball being his first 3 syllable word). When you see that mischievous glint in your eye, hide your valuables! He's out for destruction. Lately he's been climbing on every surface, nearly giving his mama a heart attack.
But under that bruiser exterior is the sweetest little heart you'll ever see. The first thing he asks for when he wakes up in the morning is, "Pippa?" Then, "Doggy?" He follows his big sister around, mimicking everything she does. If Pippa has cereal, Teddy won't rest until he has some, too. If Pippa is pretending to make carrot soup, Teddy is right behind her pouring his milk into a toy bowl. The cutest thing lately, though, is that Pippa "bought" Teddy a stuffed animal lion for Christmas. Teddy has been carrying that thing around and sleeping with it. Instead of saying the word lion, he roars whenever he wants to bring his lion along. This is especially funny when he's crying, and has to try to roar and cry at the same time.
His language is exploding, and he is even starting to put words together to form crude sentences. Before 18 months he is saying: Pippa, Mommy, Daddy, basketball, football, book (which he says with a French or German accent..."buch"), ball, doggy, Pablo, bottle, bye ("bah" - like a Southern girl), I'm Teddy!, more, Nanny, Gan-Gan (Grandad), May-May (Maggie), Grandpa/Grandma (kind of the same word), night-night, num-num, all done, Mommy bye bye, or Daddy bye bye (if someone is leaving), and baby. I think I also heard him say "Jesus" the other day, but I've only heard it once or twice.
Baby #3
In more exciting news, we found out right before Christmas that Baby Krause #3 is a boy! For the first time I had absolutely no preference about the gender of the baby, so I obviously was thrilled with the news, and Justin is over the moon, too! I can't wait to see Pippa be a big sister to two little boys, and to watch the boys' friendship grow over the years.
We are at 23 weeks, so over the halfway point, and little Baby Krause isn't so little anymore! I'm feeling hiccups on a daily basis, and more movement each day from the little guy. Everything looked perfectly healthy at the ultrasound. Praise God!
In a fit of adulthood over Christmas break, Justin set up the baby's crib in Teddy's room, and I had to rotate Teddy's clothes anyway (the kid is already in 2T), so I decided to just get the 0-3 month clothes out already! This is by far the most prepared I've been for any of my 3 children. Who says the third child gets forgotten?
Emily + Justin
Well, we survived the 18+ hour road trip from Florida to Wisconsin and back. This kids actually did fairly well, both sleeping through the entire night in the car. Yes, we let Pippa watch more movies than is good or healthy for a human to do, but survival and sanity are the name of the game. (And Netflix made it too easy with the ability to download shows and movies temporarily. Game changer!) The long drive was so worth it to be with our families for Christmas. We both come from huge families (8 people in my family, 7 in Justin's, plus spouses and children now!) so it's a huge deal when everyone is all in one place.
We have deemed this our year of adulting, and I hit a huge milestone in my life. I voluntarily stepped into both Hobby Lobby and Michaels with the intent of beautifying my home. If you know me, you understand that I have never before taken interest in decorating a home, much less browsing a crafting store. Is this what it feels like to be a grown up? Another part of our year of adulting will be a refocus on budgeting. We are retaking the Dave Ramsey FPU class at our church, and I can't wait to have some accountability for our financial goals.
We are both happy to dive back into teaching today as the second semester begins. It's been such a great year at school, and after the huge adjustment that came with a new job, new home, new state, and new baby last year, it's been a breath of fresh air to have a smooth school year so far.
And that's our family update! Can't wait to see where 2017 will take our family.