The End of Summer

 20 Week Ultrasound (Baby # 4)
Actual date of ultrasound was June 9th, we are now 29 weeks!

The Ultrasound went as well as anyone could hope for. Our baby is right on track for growth and development and all of the organs and systems seemed to be functioning as they are supposed to. We again did not find out the gender but could breathe a little easier knowing that he/she is currently healthy. We are really excited to meet him/her this October!

At more recent appointments the baby is still measuring well (just from measuring fundus height, there have been no other ultrasounds).  I have started to have non stress tests (NST's) now and will have those every two weeks. This baby is very active and is jiggling around all the time so I think that he/she will really be a mover, and let's hope a good sleeper (at night). We are no closer to choosing a name but otherwise feel prepared to bring our next baby home. 

Not really sure how I will get trick or treating done this year but I am sure we will figure it out. I would love to take them as last year Riley and August were both sick and couldn't go. 
 

Pool Time in Marion

This summer has been flying by with various appointments and bouncing between Ottumwa and Marion for different events or gatherings. The weekend these photos were taken, we went to the Cedar Rapids Farmers Market and celebrated Keenan's birthday. This year Keenan and I both turn 30. Wow! Time seems to go so much faster once you have kids, I just want it to slow down a little - they are growing so fast!

 Mom's Knee Surgery

This is also around the same time that Mom had her knee surgery. She has been doing better than expected across the board and is keeping up with all of her therapy, so we can be thankful for that. She is allowed to drive now and will be going back to work shortly. The doctor said there could be swelling for at least a year after the surgery, so she is still going to have to be careful to take breaks more than she normally would to ice it. 

Ottumwa Getaway
I went to Ottumwa for a few days just for the kids to have fun. Riley and her cousins got to go to The Beach Ottumwa for the very first time.  The slide in the kiddie pool and the wave pool were favorites. Riley would get knocked over by waves in the wave pool and laugh and go back for more but the next day insisted that she didn't like it. Poor Olivia fell down and hit her head so she just stayed close to Stacy, so I don't think she had as much fun as the other two.  Riley still asks to go back!

The next day she checked off another first. On Wednesdays in the summer, the Ottumwa movie theater has a kids movie at 10:00 AM for $2.  This time they were playing the Peanuts movie. Riley had never seen a screen so big and was awe-struck. She loved it and was pretty quiet the entire time, which was great because a theater full of kids is anything but quiet! 

Campfire Night and Other Fun Things

We haven't had many campfires this year. Early in the season it was raining a lot then it immediately got too hot. So catching that perfect night has been a challenge. The kids had fun playing outside and we made smores. I made a new one that uses a shortbread cookie, dark chocolate, raspberry preserves and a marshmallow. Yum, I would say it's definitely worth repeating! 

      Riley is going to be starting Preschool September 1st and could not be more excited. There is an event the day before it starts that I can take her to that will allow her to meet her teacher and get familiar with the classroom, which will be great. 
      She seems like such a big girl now, it's fun to see the things she comes up with and what interests her the most. This summer she got glasses and has been doing a really good job keeping them on and putting them away in a safe place, out of the grasp of little brothers. She still enjoys about any art activity we can come up with, the messier the better! She also is a very wild story teller, she may get the wild hand gestures from me. Guess I don't get to decide what she inherits!

August had his 18 month appointment and is doing great. He is socially and developmentally on track. He is starting to talk more so we have been doing fewer baby signs with him and trying to focus on him talking. He was a late walker but is doing great now. He follows Riley everywhere she goes.  He loves to cook in the play kitchen, build things with blocks and snuggle up to read lots of books. He does not like to swing but will let you put him down the slide at the park until your arms fall off. Next summer he will be big enough to do a lot more at the park.

 Indiana Trip 

 The house we were renting was a really great solution to be able to spend more time together at night and during nap times. It felt more normal to be able to prepare meals together. The kids had a lot of space to run around and then some, this place was huge.


Party at Ryanne's House
 

 It was fun to catch up with this side of the family.

Such a great opportunity for Riley and August to get to know their Great Grandpa and Grandma Gehman and many other relatives!

  
Trip to Zoo

 The Indiana zoo was really nice! The kids had fun trekking around and looking at the different animals. I think Riley liked the otters and the seals the best.

 



 Back Home

There is something so cute about a baby eating corn on the cob!  We have been trying to buy it once a week, the season is so short and it's definitely one of Riley's favorite foods.

 Leaving for Adventureland

 It was sweet to see just how excited everyone was to be going to Adventureland with Papa and Grandma. They are going to have a great time! It will be fun to have some special time with August while Riley is away, too.

Birthdays, New Life and Spring

Riley's 4th Birthday Party!

 4? Is that right? Wow time is flying. 

So far it seems like a really fun age.  Riley is really growing up, she is my little helper and it is fun to see her working out solutions to her own problems.  Sometimes it's something I would think of and other times it's just really funny. I hear some wild ones some days. 

This year she was old enough to help me plan the menu for her party and help decorate in preparation. She loves decorations!  Every day for a week she asked if today was her party.  Her sense of time isn't really developed yet. She was really excited for everyone to come over. I think that is her favorite part of the whole event! It's sweet. One of those things that I just love about Riley.

Preschool
Riley is officially enrolled to start September 1st. We got AM sessions from 8:15-11:15 4 days a week. I thought that would work best with the other kids' nap schedules. She is really excited!

Walking 
 August has upgraded his signature August Scoot to a walk most of the time. He took a lot of encouragement but is now doing really well.

Bird Feeders 
Riley and I found some large pine cones on one of our walks and thought it would be fun to make some bird feeders. Unfortunately we had more fun making them because our birds wouldn't touch them.  I thought birds were supposed to like peanut butter and bird seed. Oh well, we had fun and I saw a squirrel enjoying it one day.

 



Riley and August coloring. They have been playing really well together lately. I used to hear a lot of screaming then crying and now I hear more running around and laughing. I think they have finally struck a balance between August getting a little older and Riley being a tad less controlling.

 
Garden
Riley and I planted a garden. She has been enjoying seeing the progress of the plants and seeds growing.  They have been growing fast now that temperatures have gone up and we have been getting plenty of rain. 
The strawberry plants Stacy gave me last year are doing well also. Yay!  I planted them in my spot where things don't do so well just to see what they did and I am pleasantly surprised.



Baby 4 Update  
      I will be 19 weeks this Friday and so far I think everything is going great. The baby is supposed to be the size of a large mango and about 1/2 a pound. That would explain why I suddenly feel so much bigger and getting to experience the now daily joys of feeling him/her kick.  We have our 20 week ultrasound next week so wish us luck. Hopefully he/she is growing ok in there and there are no complications.  We are still not going to find out the gender and will just be surprised when we get to meet him/her for the first time.
        I am finally feeling ok, morning sickness is gone but for some reason last week I managed to get a cold and pink eye at the same time (probably due to not sleeping much in Ottumwa prepping for garage sale ... oops). I am usually fine as it was just a little cold but something about the cold, pink eye and being pregnant and I was wiped out. Oh well, feeling better now and getting back to my normal high energy level, I really missed that and I am sure the kids did, too.
     Riley is getting really excited, we have been trying to prepare her for the fact that she could have another brother or another sister. For a while she was really hung up on getting a sister. 
     I have also been indulging in some pre-nesting nesting and Riley and I rearranged her room to accommodate for August moving in sometime. We reorganized and now there is a spot for another toddler bed to fit and 2 drawers in the dresser for his clothes. She talks about it a lot and seems really excited for him to move in. Let's hope this isn't more exciting for her in theory and also that some actual sleeping takes place!

I love all my kids and am excited to add another to the family!

(post actually written by Chelsea on Keenan's account, because life.)  

January and February

Augusts 1st Birthday Party!

We had a lot of fun having people over and celebrating our first year with August.  He is a fun little guy to get to know. He trys to make me laugh by doing silly things like putting things on his head and grinning at me! He isn't walking yet but he is really good with his baby signs. He knows more, milk, all done and night-night.  He is also trying to say more words, often as he is doing the sign for them. He says Mama, Dada, more, all done, cat, dog, again, night-night and probably a few more that I can't remember right know.
   We are looking forward to spring and getting to play with August outside more, he was too little last year. Hopefully this year he will like the swing.

Kylas 2nd Birthday

  

  This year Kyla would have turned two years old and I miss her just as much as the day we had to day good bye.  I have been thinking for a while of something that I would like to do every year as a tradition with the kids to mark the day.  I don't want January 16th to be a dark cloud over us every year, it doesn't seem fair. Our other kids get birthday party's to celebrate another year with them. I miss her more than I can properly describe and I want to remember her, to celebrate her and to share her because I loved her.  I want our other kids to grow up talking about their  sister so each year to show how much time has passed and to honor Kyla I have decided to release the number of balloons that would reflect her age. Riley enjoyed watching the balloons fly away until we could no longer see them.

The kids just being silly

Valentines Day

    We always have fun on Valentines!  Riley loves to help decorate and to make pretty Valentine pictures.  This year I made Liv and Riley matching shirts. I also like having my assistant in the kitchen to make the traditional giant cookie, this year we added sprinkles because they make everything more fun!  Maybe next year August will be big enough to join in.