One month down

We have finished -well almost, we will by lunch time have completed a month of school.  Colin loves it more and more which is good. It was hard at the beginning because he wouldn't say whether he liked it or not.  That indifference was hard to figure out.  Ant Ant came and surprised him the first Friday and she took this picture of him running to her when he realized Ant Ant was his surprise.  Every day I hide a little surprise around the house and Colin has to find it.  One day it was marbles, another day a little lego minifigure, usually its a piece of candy. He loves when his surprise is Ramen for lunch.  So easy to please!  So it varies but the fun is in the hunt for Colin.  Today my mom is coming over and will be his surprise.

Colin seems more relaxed this week about school.  He is getting into the grove and comes home and tells me all the fun things they are doing. Yesterday they were scientists and went around the school looking for some type of clues.  His favorite part of school is Music Class.  Every friday.  Makes getting through the week easier because he literally counts down until music class. He also loves going to the library and picking out his book each week and Art class is also one of his favorites. I'm impressed with the papers he brings home and am so proud of my sweet boy.  His teacher said he's a very hard worker. And it makes me glad because I did spend a few weeks lying awake at night wondering if we made the right decision.  I think a lot of this has been for me to really trust God with my little boy. 

He has met with the speech therapist - who he loved - a few times so now we are just waiting for her evaluation.  His speech has improved tremendously.  A lot of it we've realized is stress so now we can at least know when he's worried about something because he doesn't really tell us those things. Hopefully the speech therapist can work on that so he wont struggle with that the rest of his life. Because stress is a part of life. I do like his school. I walk him into his class every day - he's not quite ready for me to drop him off yet and everyone there is so friendly and makes it a fun place to be.  I've also started volunteering once a week in the school which has been fun. 

I still hate the fact that he is gone.  And he's only gone three hours a day.  I wonder if you ever get used to your kids being gone all day. Joel still walks around the house saying "go get Bubba at skool bus now?"  and doesn't want Bubba to leave in the mornings.  But it is making the time we have with Colin seem that much more precious.

There is one boy who likes to hit and spit on the school bus.  I was telling Colin to stay away (he hasn't been hit - the other boy at the bus stop had)  when Colin said "mommy I know why he hits and spits.  He doesn't know Jesus.  Maybe I can show him"  Which was a little convicting for me but we talked about how he can show this kid love but still stay away when he's in his hitting mood.  (the kid now has to sit right behind the bus driver and hasn't hit anyone this week)

So I'm still wondering how I'm going to let Colin go ALL day next year but I'm also trying to take advantage of this time I have with Joel because once the baby gets here the mornings will be busy with the baby and then Colin demands a lot of attention when he comes home so Joel might get lost in the mix for a while.   And its fun playing with just Joel.

It is fun seeing Colin walk into his class, put his book-bag on his hook, take out his folder, and then move his frog name tag to another spot.  He's more confident and seems a little taller.  So we're getting through this whole school stuff - but I am looking forward to tuesday - he has an early dismissal.  And then we have to wait until November where he gets maybe 5 or 6 days off during the month.  (i have memorized all the school holidays)

Colin- we're so proud of you.

Almost halfway

I scheduled my 20 week ultrasound/apt today. Oct 26. at 11:30 :)   Makes me excited that in a few weeks I'll be halfway through.  This pregnancy is going fast. Which is good.  I've only dry heaved once this week.  Last night - I got up off the couch and started and had to really force myself to stop. My wonderful husband brought me the trashcan full of stinky diapers in case I actually threw up.  Made me dry heave even more.  But its getting better.  I spent a week dry heaving every afternoon - over and over. At that point I wasn't sure I could take anymore but its getting slowly better.   I think maybe thats also around the time Colin figured out going to school wasn't too bad :)  The baby has a strong heartbeat and we can't wait to find out if its a he or she.  I'm starting to feel the baby kick more and more.  Colin is still hoping for a boy. Brent wants a girl.  Maybe we should start a poll and see who is right.  I had a feeling both boys were boys the whole time but this time I'm not so sure.  I've been sick but in a different way with this pregnancy so part of me thinks maybe girl but then we keep calling the baby 'he' since thats all we've known.  So we'll see. And the way the weeks seen to be going - that day will be here sooner than we think. 

Playground

Ears

Remember how much Joel loves my ears?  This is how he sleeps now.  Usually in bed with me and has to rub my ear all night long. I keep pushing him away and he'll end up right next to me holding/rubbing my ears.  Last weekend in the car he would keep saying "mommy give me your ear. Your pretty ear.  I NEED YOUR EAR!!!!"  over and over.  So my wonderful friend Jessica is sending me a fake ear (she's an audiologist) and I'm hoping Joel takes to that.  Weird? Yes. but is a much better solution.

Hokie weekend

Last weekend we went to our first hokie game of the season.  We got a late start after having a flat tire but the kids slept most of the way to the farm.  (I did too)

 It was a 4:00 game - usually we have gone to the 12:00/1:00 games with the kids so we had a lot of time tailgating.  So after an afternoon of tailgating the kids were more than ready to get to the game.

And look what we saw when we walked into the stadium. There are no words to describe Colin's excitement. But when he got close he was a little nervous.  He told me later he was a little scared to get his picture taken with the Hokie Storm-trooper but he was brave and the Storm-trooper patted his head afterwards. This picture is proudly printed out and hanging over his bed.  

Joel fell asleep during the first quarter. I dont think we've ever gone to a game without one kid falling asleep.  Joel got really antsy during the 3rd quarter so we all went out to walk off some energy. Our sections were crowded and all Joel wanted was to climb the steps over and over. 

Someone was not as happy about that as the kids were :)

The last quarter of the game we went and sat behind the MVs.  It was pretty empty and the kids had  lots of room to move around.  Colin loves to tell everyone about the hokie game he went to and apparently is doodling pictures of the farm in school.  He likes to say the Hokies scored 26 points and the other team only 7.  A fun weekend.  And now we're looking forward to more games.

Little Helper

Day 3 down

This morning we were getting Colin ready for school and Joel came up to me and said the following: 

J:  "Joel go skool too. Ride poolbus like Bubba.  Mommy home.  Boo hooo hooo." (Now pretending to be mommy with a high squeaky voice too - " I miss my Joely. booo hooo hooo."

He kept repeating it several times. Oh Joel.  I love him. Haha.  Made me laugh.  Guess he wants me to miss him too :) Yesterday he played with all of Bubba's toys and then after an hour figured out that Bubba wasn't there and then wandered the house saying "I looking for Bubba.  Where Bubba go?"  They are so excited to see each other after school.  Colin begged and begged to wake up Joel from his nap since he hadn't seen him all day. 

I did cry today on the way home. Colin is still excited.  He still thinks school is boring - just a bunch of rules. They haven't actually done anything - just learned the rules.  Which is important but he's ready to get to the learning and fun part. 

I did talk to the teacher about Colin's stuttering. He has been doing it off and on for a while now (the doctor told us it was his asthma) But this week its gotten so bad he can barely get words out.  It might be a lot of nerves about school but its hard to watch him struggle.  Especially the "w' sound.  And when he insists on starting each sentence with "well" it makes for a somewhat frustrated boy.  But the speech therapist will evaluate him soon and I can't wait.  Its so hard to watch him be so excited to tell you something and then take a long time to get it out.  He told us last night he knows what he wants to say just can't get it out.

Colin started sleeping until 8 every morning or later this summer so we're having to wake him up in the mornings. And then have breakfast all when he's still half asleep.  So to get him to eat and wake up happy we've been watching tv while we eat breakfast. Joel thinks its wonderful - Colin is still half asleep to really care at this point. 

Only 176 more days of school left.

First day of school

 Well we all survived the first day of school.  My kindergartener was bouncing off the walls so excited for school to start and all the new friends he was going to make. 

 He loves his backpack.  And a side note he loves to play ninjas. Only ninjas are stealthy and you aren't supposed to see them twisting and turning as they move across the room.  Sometimes mommy forgets he's a ninja and accidentally sees him. 

 But Colin was so excited.  And look - he's wearing tennis shoes. And socks. Thats enough to make this mommy cry right there. So grown up.  

 I think he grew up way too fast overnight.

 We have decided to take him to school and then let him ride the bus home.  It would take longer for us to walk to the bus stop than to get in the car and drive him to school. So we all took him to school yesterday. 

 Joel kept saying he was going to "ool" too and ride the "poolbus" like bubba. 

Colin walked right in his classroom and didnt look back.  I waited until we got outside before I started crying. And then cried the whole way home.  I can't imagine what it'll be like when I drop him off at college.  Joel cried too.  "I want bubba. I want bubba right here!!!"  so sad.  Brent didn't cry.  Thought we were both crazy

I pulled into the driveway to some great friends who were waiting with juice and donuts. I have amazing friends.  So instead of crying and worrying about Colin all morning, Joel and I had fun with friends.  Just what I needed.  Thank you so much girls!!!!  I can't even begin to say how much I needed that. 

This was Colin getting off the bus.  It was a little confusing because we were waiting on the other side of the street. And when I saw him my heart dropped.  He wasn't sure if he had a good day.  It was a little boring. They just learned a lot of rules and a girl sat next to him and cried the whole time for her mommy.  But then Ant Ant called and I got a little more information out of him and Daddy called and he told Daddy it was wonderful and then he told Ma-Ma-Maa that when he grew up he wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.  So I've learned to have other people call and ask about his day and he'll reveal a lot more information.  So overall I think it was good. Last night before bed he didn't want to go back but he went back this morning and as I walked him in he was pointing out all the places he went to yesterday (they did a tour of the school)  I think the first day of school is boring to go over all the rules and stuff and i think we had built it up so much it was a let down.  But he told Ant Ant that he would make friends eventually.  That will make it so much better. 

We got ready to leave today and my boy who never wants his picture taken asked me "aren't you going to take pictures this morning?" So I got out the camera.  And I didn't even cry walking back to my car today. A little sad but I didn't cry.  I'm still not a fan of having my kids leave me and go to school but I'm looking forward to my sweet boy having an amazing school year.  And for family members - get ready to buy lots of peanuts and wrapping paper. The stuff goes home next week :) 

Joel

 You give Joel a few minutes and he will always come up with something to do. He never stays bored for long and is very good at playing on his own and entertaining himself. Its fun to watch because he will entertain the rest of us with what he finds to play with. 

 He's growing up so fast though.  His favorite color is "bumblebee" (yellow). Anything yellow is Bumblebee (after the transformer of course)  He loves to drink apple buice and doesn't  really like anyone else drinking his apple buice.  NO MINE!!!! is something we hear a lot around here.When he is thirsty he will ask for "babbles" Which basically means he wants something to drink.

 He will constantly say "joel do it"  and will try to do everything on his own.  He's lost all interest in going potty so I'll try again in a few months.  He has figured out that he falls asleep during nap time in the rocker while I read him stories so he will say "no lap" and will stand there barely keeping his eyes open while I read him the story.  But if I put him in his bed he goes hyper and starts bouncing all over the place.  Sneaky kid. 

He always has this gleam in his eye and will always try to do whatever you tell him not to.  We're having a hard time figuring out how to discipline him because no punishment seems to phase him. He calls dogs shoe shoes for some reason and we've all started calling dogs shoe shoes. Colin loves to point out shoe shoes to his brother.  Oh Joel - we love you.  You  make our days very entertaining and busy.  Life wouldn't be the same without you.

Open house

Last night we went and met Colin's teacher.  As we walked down the hall Colin told me "Its like a whole other world Mommy" I really liked his teacher and her approach to learning.  I think it'll be a fun year.  Colin is excited about all the new friends he will make. He's excited but a little more nervous I think after last night about the whole school part.  The PTA had an ice cream party afterwards and the kids played on the playground. I cried. I'm excited for him but still not ready for all this.  But like it or not Tuesday will be here soon so we're making sure our school supply list is done and everything is ready for the first day of school. 

Sick but grateful

My sister posted this on facebook a few weeks ago with the caption "a glimpse into the Goedecke's life the next few months... Abigail pregnant and sick on the couch and the boys creating mayhem"  and this is pretty much what our days look like. I spent A LOT of time on the couch.  I guess I can't go through a pregnancy without being extremely sick.  The afternoons/evenings are the worse but I'll take it - it so much better than the all day sickness with Joel.  With Joel I would wake up and cry every morning because I wasn't sure how I could make it through the day.  But we're hanging in there and very excited about this next baby.  Being sick means a healthy baby so I'm glad about that. I got to hear the heartbeat today which is always amazing. Its amazing how you can love someone so much that you haven't even met and who makes you very very sick and miserable right now :)  

One good thing about feeling so sick is that the boys have been playing really well together. Its almost like they stopped the annoy my brother phase that they were doing and just bonded really well.  We've also come up with some really fun games on the couch. The kids would rather do that than go to the pool.  The favorite couch/bed game is where I'm the mommy kitty/doggie and they are my doggies/kitties who get into trouble - fall off waterfalls/into volcanoes and mommy cries and tries to save her babies.  All without my having to move.  Pretty ingenious if you ask me and they LOVE it.  So I'm hanging in there and hoping every day that I start feeling better. 

But some fun facts about me being pregnant - with Colin I could eat cottage cheese and feel better.  With Joel as long as I was eating I felt better (which explains why a doctor told me to join a rec center when I was preggo with him)  With this baby I can't eat - but Chickfila does get our business quite a bit during lunch since its the only thing that makes me not want to throw up. (the kids love that part)

I can't brush my teeth but not brushing my teeth makes me gag. I also can't stand the smell of deodorant but the smell of my sweat also makes me gag.  With Joel I couldn't let Brent make toast without getting sick. This time it seems all I want for breakfast is toast. 

I have this excess saliva that I've had with both boys (at any time during my pregnancy with them I could practically spit a cupful of saliva) Its a little better this time but still so gross.

I gagged while changing Joel's diaper yesterday and he looked at me and yelled "baffroom mommy hurry"  Guess he's figured it out.

Colin is very sweet and asks how I'm feeling all the time. He said the reason I feel so icky is because the baby is in my stomach and when you eat too much you always feel icky.  The baby is taking up too much room according to him :)

I've figured out dairy makes me really sick this time.  And eggs are the only thing I can eat and not feel sick afterwards.  

I haven't cleaned my house since getting pregnant.  Brents been taking care of  that.  I married a great one. 

I can't wait until it starts getting dark and Brent is home earlier.  There have been a few nights where he's walked in the door at 7:30 and I head straight for bed. (but I can't sleep because I feel so sick - Unisom has been helping but I have to be careful not to take it past 8pm because then I'm in a fog most of the next morning - so much that I'm afraid to drive)

So I'm just trying to make it through most days.  Really most afternoons.  Yesterday was a good day but this morning has been pretty bad so far.  But I am very grateful for this baby and can't wait to meet him/her.  Its all worth it.  And last night Colin came up and kissed my stomach - so sweet.  We're all excited.  Just hope the next few weeks start getting better.