There are so many things I've wanted to blog about this last year, but I never seem to have time for the computer these days! So here are all the blog posts I want to write right now - each paragraph is a summary of a full post ;) If you make it to the end, or if you just scroll down, you will be rewarded with pictures of ReC in honor of her somewhat vaguely recent second birthday.
We are having baby number four! Pecan is due May 1st, and everyone is super excited for a new baby in the family. The big kids have been praying for a boy since before I got pregnant, but it will be almost Christmas before we find out.
For the first time ever, I'm having some pregnancy complications. My body has vehemently announced that it is done carrying babies! There shouldn't be any risk to Pecan involved, but there might be emergency surgery on me at birth. At this point we can't really make many predictions, because my condition is pretty rare, and basically never seen in a woman with my demographics - under thirty, early in pregnancy, no other health problems, and only three previous pregnancies. No matter what though, it looks like this will be our last munchkin. We're not particularly sad about that, although I'm sure I will get all sentimental as the baby grows up! But... if we get baby fever again after this, we can foster or adopt!
Tony is still loving his 'new' job - teaching leadership and life skills at the middle school he's been at basically since we got married. He's been doing a bit more with the young people at church, and has been taking care of everything around here since I got pregnant. Literally. Seriously. Not exaggerating. He even started putting ReC to sleep, and getting up with her most times in the night - and somehow miraculously cured her of waking up eleven times a night!
Cadence is thriving right now. Back in September we made the decision to homeschool her. She's been doing great and it is working out really well for our family. We are using an online charter school called EPIC, and are really enjoying our experience. Basically we get to do whatever we want, but we have access to a learning fund for supplies, classes, and curriculum, and they provide a teacher to come help as needed. We love our teacher, and have asked her to come every week. She brings a lesson or book to read, then does a little activity or craft and plays math type games with Cadence. She is also great with the younger kids, and includes them in as much as they are able to do.
Last year when Cadence started school she did not know how to read at all. She had refused to even attempt to sound out words, and the only sight words she knew were names. This weekend she started reading this book, and is a good portion through it... It's a fifth grade reading level. This is how Cadence has always learned. She will not even try until she is confident that she can do it thoroughly and completely. Because of this, and the strange way her brain is wired, she learns in huge leaps instead of little increments, and it also seems that practice and repetition don't really help her much; instead she seems to do best with being introduced to a concept and then left to simmer and stew on it for a while, then when you bring it back up later she suddenly knows it.
James is hanging in there - I feel bad for my poor middle child right now! I just don't seem to have much time to give him right now, but it's getting better now that my morning sickness is gone. I can at least sit up on the couch and read to him or do some school when ReC goes down for her nap. He loves preschool and learning. He knows his letters now and is starting to sound out words, and absolutely adores math. He's always begging me to quiz him on his adding and subtracting - "Ask me my 2's Mommy!"
James is still our little comedian, and loves to sing. He can be so sweet sometimes, and is definitely Daddy's boy!
Rec... whew. ReC is convinced she can achieve anything, and is determined to keep trying until she succeeds. She sings, climbs, jumps off the stair landing, jumps off of barstools, climbs in the treehouse, swings as high as the big kids... she is determined not to be left behind in any way! She potty trained herself back in February, for which I am very grateful! It's been our first experience with a kid that just goes potty when she needs to, without us having to send her to the bathroom after every meal. She also tells us if she's hungry or tired, instead of just starting to act weird or getting sick. She adores being outside, being read to, and having snuggles. She spent the summer bonding with Daddy, and now they are almost as close as James and Tony.
ReC has decided she is a frog. We are only allowed to call her "Ribbit" or "Frog", never baby, sweet girl, ReC, etc. She corrects us quite vehemently if we get it wrong!
Well.. I would love to expound deeply on all of the above and twenty million other things that float through my mind these days, but I think that's going to have to be it! Maybe someday I'll get back to posting about homeschool, fostering, preschool, and life with little ones... but don't get your hopes up ;)
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