BC-4!

After watching the latest Star Wars movie, we affectionately started calling our newest little one BC-4 (for Baby Cook #4) in honor of the droid in the movie. The nickname stuck with our kids and they use it with a straight face. Dave and I don’t always achieve a straight face when saying it!

We found out we were having this little one on October 21, exactly two weeks after driving away from our home on the Cape. It was intimidating to so quickly be on the hunt for doctors and figuring out insurance, but wonderful to share in this good news as a family while we settled into our new home in KY. We made Lydia her own “Big Sister” shirt and started sharing the news by FaceTiming with the grandparents on Halloween.

Now the kids get to be "Big" twinkies :)

What we know so far:

* Due date is Tuesday, June 21. We didn’t have an early ultrasound to confirm, but we did get to see this little nugget at the 12 week visit on a handheld ultrasound machine to see her heartbeat. The kids were there and technology is awesome!

* BC-4 will (mostly likely) be born at Owensboro One Health Hospital. It is about 35 minutes from Hawesville, and the the OBGYN office I go to is in a connected building of medical offices. The whole campus is about two years old and still feels very fresh.

* The big kids are really excited. When I was pregnant with Lydia I was scared we wouldn’t celebrate her in utero the way Dave and I celebrated the first two. Boy, was I wrong! When we were experiencing pregnancy with a big girl Sarah (Josiah was still young) we talked about the baby way more often and celebrated each movement and milestone in an even more grand fashion. That has been true this time around as well. Sarah and Josiah are both very aware of our little one. They have been with us to hear the heartbeat and watch the ultrasound and I am excited for them to grow up knowing that the little nugget in a mother’s tummy very quickly turns into a baby like Lydia.

* We found out on January 29 that BC-4 is a girl! This means that all of our kids have fit into a very particular gender predicting model :)

The youngest among us were tired and hungry. 

They were great during the ultrasound, but not so great for pictures beforehand.

Girls in pink

Boys in blue

"Hello, world!"

* I took morning sickness meds this time around. I’ve never had a doctor offer before, so I’ve always just toughed it out. Sarah came with me to an early appointment and I mentioned some vomiting and the doctor asked how often. Sarah pipped up with “a lot.” Well, the doctor took pity on me and offered, and I took her up on it. I took a medication called Diclegis that is a simple combo of Unisom and vitamin B. The same combo under a different name was taken off the market in the 80s after a publicity scandal, but after 30 years of subsequent research it was reintroduced under the new name.

* At our latest ultrasound we also found out our little one is healthy! There was one angle on the heart that the technician couldn’t get, so I get to go back in a month for more pictures. I don’t mind that one bit! We saw her kicking her legs and chomping her mouth.

* I haven’t felt any definite movement yet (at 19 weeks, 4 days). The ultrasound tech checked placenta placement and it is toward my spine, so that isn’t why I’m not feeling things. (It was on the front with Sarah and I felt movement with her quite late.) It might be all the brownies/cookies I’ve been eating to comfort myself through the house buying process!

* The great name debate can officially begin. We gave up even brainstorming names before gender was known after Sarah, because that is a lot of work! And a rule of nature says that the gender of the name you easily agree on is surely not the gender you will find out you are having. (I would add that to my gender predicting model, but we only tested it for one pregnancy. Insufficient data!)

* We are taking pregnancy progress pictures :)

November 21
9 weeks, 4 days

* The big kids love to kiss my belly goodnight and Josiah is especially good at remembering to pray for BC-4.

* We have signed up for a couple of classes at the hospital. I am really excited for the kids to go to a sibling class in April. They are supposed to bring a baby sized doll and will get to tour the maternity floor. In March, Dave and I are attending a refresher class. Doing this with each new hospital (this is our third) brings me some comfort since they all have slightly different policies, procedures, and resources. Also, I’ve learned I forget a lot in two years and really do need to be refreshed!

Halfway Through Kindergarten!

There is much we would like to share about our reasons for homeschooling and the method we chose to do it, but this post is a celebration. We are halfway through our first year!!! This morning we officially finished week eighteen of thirty-six weeks of kindergarten. Sarah and I are feeling triumphant!

Dave asked her over dinner to think about how long it had been since she started school and then imagine that she has that much school left. She naturally said that it had been a loooooong time since we started :)

Here is a sample of her big writing assignment for the week. This was the prompt:

C: Thank-you Note

Are your children grateful? Are you working to instill in them a servant’s heart that’s always full of gratitude? Use today’s assignment to talk to your children about all they have to be thankful for.

When you’re ready, have your children write a thank-you note to someone. It could be to a friend for a gift or a relative for a nice visit. If your schedule works out well, have your children write thank-you notes for Christmas presents received.

Remember: At this level, they should dictate to you what they want to write. You, then, will write out carefully, in precursive script, what they want to say. Finally, let them copy it onto wide-ruled paper, which they can then decorate to make it into “stationery.”

You’ll want to help them understand the standard personal letter format, which should include the following: the date, a salutation, the body of the letter, and a closing, such as “Yours truly.” If possible, show them a recent letter that someone has sent to you. [I showed her one from Grandma Lynda. Thanks for the note, Grandma!] If necessary, you can even show them junk mail you’ve received. What’s important is teaching them the important parts of a personal letter.

To evaluate their efforts, simply look to see that they’ve clearly expressed their gratitude. If they added interesting details, that’s great! But it’s good enough if they were able adequately to express what they’re thankful for.

She worked really hard, and this was her note:

"Thank you for taking me on dates, just me and you.
I really liked the time we went to the mall to play with trains." 

She put it on dear dad's pillow and the next morning, he had a note for her :)

"I want you to know how much I love you.
I really like taking you places,
and can't wait to take you to McDonalds soon for ice cream."

I am most thankful at this halfway point to see her improvement. She is really learning and it is so neat to watch her grow.

Happy 15 months, Lydia!

A lot has happened since September 5th! Most of that deserves a few posts of their own, but I'm not sure it will get its due. So we are forging ahead. And our baby girl is 15 months old! She has changed so much since her birthday. When we start measuring by quarters rather than months the difference is profound. Needless to say, it is a joy and a privilege to watch Lydia grow. We are thankful for each day (and sleepless night!) we have had with her and will treasure each we get with her in the days to come.

The adjective we use most often to describe Lydia is industrious. She takes care of business. This sometimes comes across as demanding and sometimes just genius. But she is ever watching, ever learning, and when you are least expecting takes you by surprise.

Weight: 29 lbs 4 oz (99th%)
Height: 32 in (88th%)
Head: 47 cm (82th%)

Diapers: size 5
Clothing: 18 and 24 month, 2T (most of our hand-me-downs are in storage, so we've been on repeat with the best outfits that still fit and are seasonally appropriate!)

Likes: slides, climbing on anyone who is on the floor, new-to-her toys, being in the bathroom (no privacy around here), creating a pretend phone out of anything, reading books (Good Night Cape Cod is her current go-to book), redistributing everything in the house slowly but surely, bath toys, shoes

Dislikes: not being picked up as fast as she would like, being put down unexpectedly, getting to the bottom of a cup of milk she really enjoyed

Schedule:
6:30-7am Awake for the day!
9:00-11am   Nap
1:00-3pm   Nap
7pm   Down for bed

Sleep: When we first moved Lydia went back to waking a time or two at night and needing us to put her pacy in. We had just gotten back to good sleep when she got teeth, then sinus trouble, and then a double ear infection. During that phase she was waking every hour for several nights and no one was getting good sleep! But as soon as she started the antibiotic she transitioned back to a good sleep cycle, though she still occasionally wakes before 7:00 and sometimes needs help with a pacy during the night.

Physically: She has at least the one new tooth (a molar I believe). She is getting a little more hair, though not quite enough for clipping in a bow. And she is a solid walker. Lydia isn't losing any baby rolls yet!

Food: Lydia continues to be a good eater. I wouldn't call her picky by any means, but when she isn't ravenous there are some foods she can give or take. Favorites in any situation would be crackers, peanut butter, bananas, grapes, yogurt, and cheese. And dum dums, which we learned we can't leaved in her vicinity. She can unwrap a sucker and pop it in her mouth faster than you might think!

Communication: Lydia still doesn't say very much, but sometimes I get the impression that she thinks she is saying more than we know. She makes a consistent sound for shoe and please (to the point she refuses to sign please), but she is really far from being able to repeat words. I wouldn't say she calls me Mama, but she has said Dada when she thinks Dave is walking up the stairs.

Fun things:
- She first had a sucker on Thanksgiving Day, much to our surprise. This is an instance where we throw up our hands and call her industrious :)
- Lydia stands at her booster chair when she is ready to eat.
- She likes to take things to people. She is constantly bringing me my phone, the big kids their correct water bottles, and taking the correct lovey to someone who is sad. I am kind of impressed that she can sense emotion like she does.
- She is having a great time in nursery and really likes the new-to-her toys.
- Our downstairs neighbor has a couple of dogs. Anytime Lydia hears them bark, she barks back! No need to worry about words though, she says . . . :)

(Not in any particular order, but our favorites from September 5 to December 5.)

Riding the big slide at the dairy barn in Bowling Green

Bubble chasing at the Newport aquarium

Every once and a while you do what you need to do to get some pacy

Playing with her long distance friend!

Those feet :)

Who wouldn't smile when you have this kind of help packing :)

She loves to brush her (lack of) hair :)

Such a happy girl at our new park

Krispy Kreme!

A new library . . . all at her fingertips!

Talking to a new friend who came to play

"I wouldn't have to climb out if you would just pick me up!"

The sucker she found and commandeered on Thanksgiving :)

Chipotle tastes just right on vacation