This summer has been by far my favorite time with Annabelle yet. She's so much fun--learning crazy amounts of things all the time. Every day she surprises me with something she can say or do. She's going to be two a week from tomorrow, and it's so hard to believe. I'll do a longer post about her then (with pics from her Lorax party!), but for a brief update:
- She talks in complete sentences, and can have conversations with me (how is that possible!?).
- She's potty trained pretty completely during the day (even dry during naps most of the time), but not at night (though she did wake up dry this morning!).
- Her hair has gotten super light, but still is curly. We get mixed comments now about who she looks more like.
- Her newest physical accomplishment aside from potty training is learning how to jump with both feet. Amazing how long it took her to figure it out, and how hard she tried. Our PT neighbors across the street reminded me how difficult it actually is to get air (thanks Shagra!), which I had never really thought about! Jumping IS rather complicated, if you think about it...
- Loves bubbles!
- Loves playing with friends now, not just next to them, which is super fun to watch.
- Prays on her own, loves reading about "baby moses," and worships Jesus when the music is on the radio. Breaks my heart in a good way every time.
- Tells me she loves me SOOO much, more than the stars. I've been saying this to her for a long time, and she just started saying it to me spontaneously. let's just say I turn to a puddle.
- ...so much more. She's an amazing, awesome, super fun kid. We love her so much!
Some fun things we have done this summer:
- Swimming! We got a Sholem pool pass, and have been having lots of fun swimming there. Annabelle is quite the little fish, and it's super fun. We almost always run into other friends there, which makes the time even more enjoyable.
- Going to the farm in Arcola. We've only done this twice since it's been nice out, but we love it. Belle loves seeing all the animals, and I really enjoy the time chatting with our farmer and his family. Such wonderful people!
- The zoo in Bloomington. We went with our dear friends, and the kids had a great time checking out the (very few, IMO) animals, and playing at the park.
- The playscape at Homer Lake was a blast. My friend Amy invited me to go with them, and it was super fun! We met lots of friends there, and Annabelle had a great time getting dirty and wet and gross :) I don't have any photos, but it was a blast!
- Visiting the many parks in town with mom2mom play dates, and just for the fun of it.
Annabelle's Gramma from Danville has been coming almost weekly to hang out with her one evening a week. It's been so great having a little break from the bedtime routine, and it's wonderful that Annabelle can be put to bed by someone else (finally) without having a knock down, drag out, fit. Gramma has a great time playing with Annabelle, and Annabelle doesn't stop talking about her the next day. It's so great that they get to spend the time together, and it's great for my sanity to have a break, too! We're blessed to have family so close by.
I officially quit my job at Christie Clinic on July 1st. It was a hard decision, but one we made as a family. I have started taking more doula clients, and we decided that I didn't need another thing to do in the evenings. I miss working with everyone, but am enjoying having one less thing on my plate. My doula biz is picking up, which is awesome, and I'm excited to be getting back into it! I got a new website through GoDaddy, and am really happy with how it turned out. I'm taking 2 clients a month, which is just the right amount for me and our family right now. If you know anyone who needs a doula, send 'em my way! :)
On July 4th, our very good friends moved to London. We went to the airport along with many from their church to send them off. It was SO bittersweet, as we know they are going there to serve the Lord, but we are so sad to not have them around anymore. Annabelle still asks for Luke often, and talks about how he flew on an airplane to London every time she sees a plane in the sky. We're going to have to start saving our pennies for a trip over there to visit!
Later in July, Annabelle and I were really excited to give Daddy a special drawing that she made, showing off our new family "portrait," with Annabelle being a big sister. Our friend Emily made an absolutely adorable t-shirt for Annabelle to wear in order to tell our families our big news. Unfortunately, right after we told them, we found out that our precious one had gone to be with Jesus. I debated about saying anything on this blog, but as I've been dealing with the crazy emotions that go with having a miscarriage, and slowly telling close friends, I've been shocked at the people that I know who have had miscarriages and have never said a word. When it happened, I was dying for someone to just cry with and talk with who had been there. A previous doula client, and now friend, had shared her story with me and has not once complained when I sent her a text crying for no reason, or crying about seeing a new baby or hearing a pregnancy announcement...she just gets it without questioning me, which is what I needed (and continue to need sometimes). I wish it was something that more women would talk about, because it's an incredibly painful, lonely feeling to deal with it when you think you're alone. Considering it happens to 1 in 4 women (estimate), it should not be such a hush-hush topic. My hope is that God can use this experience in my life to allow me to be that person for other friends or other women when they need someone who just gets it, too. By God's grace, I've been learning how to move through it, though I don't think it's ever possible to move on completely. I'm so, so thankful that I have Annabelle, and have been cherishing every moment with her even more than before.
In early August, my crazy athletic dad was climbing a tree and tore ALL THREE ligaments in the back of his thigh. The poor guy had to have surgery this past Thursday, and will be laid up in a brace for 4 weeks. He can't sit, only lay down or stand up. Considering he used to run 10 miles or bike 60 on a whim, this is a rough road for him. Luckily the prognosis is good, and he should be back to almost 100% by 6 months out, according to what he's read. We're all hoping that for him! In the meantime, we're trying to keep him busy with lots of books, fun new hobbies (harmonica, anyone??) and phone calls. He's in good spirits, so far, but really wants that brace off. If you're the praying type, please add him to your prayers!
Also in early August, we made the very difficult decision to transition to a new church. We've been feeling restless for a couple of years, and felt God's leading in a new direction. We're excited to be a part of starting a new church right down the road from us. I'm heading up the birth-3 kiddos, and Jason is already getting to be a part of the worship team, something he's been longing for, for years. It's really a neat experience getting to witness the birth of a new church. In only 11 weeks the church has grown to between 80-100 people on a given Sunday, which is just amazing. God is really the wind in the sails, and we're excited to see where we sail to.
Annabelle's birthday is coming up next Monday, and we're having a birthday party for her next weekend. Pinterest has been the death of me, but I'm having a lot of fun getting my craft on. I'm certainly no Martha Stewart, but I'm having fun trying my hand at some fun little things. It's not going to be super extravagant, but I think it will be fun! I'll have to post some pictures when it's all said and done.
So, phew! That's our summer in crazy review. We're going up to Michigan soon, and will be having a few more fun things before it gets cool out, but for now, this is about as exciting as it gets around here :) Maybe eventually I'll get my act together and post some photos from all of our fun things!
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