First and Fourth

Apparently this is how you entertain yourself waiting for back to school night to start.......

This first day of first grade was a big day for Nora. Her first full day of school, first cold lunch, first lunch recess... She loved lunch recess and was stoked when we told her it was going to happen every day! She has been so excited for school to start and loves her teacher and her classroom. Zeke has been super nice to walk her to class. 

The first day of fourth grade is not quite as momentous for Zeke. This is old hat by now. New teacher, new mix of classmates (although he knows almost all of his class to some extent from years past), new routine. But everything else is the same and he is the big dog of the school this year. He was dreading the start of school but was more excited than I expected on the first day. So far he's liking it which is a relief. 

 Happy first day of school smiles.

Love this one... a true, real smile from Zeke and Nora's super excited face. 

Track Meet

We got really excited when Zeke came home with a flier for a junior track meet hosted by the high school track team. Short races and jumping events are Zeke's best sports. 

We were sad that Zeke missed his 50 meter sprint. He wasn't feeling so great after school and while we were waiting in line to register. However, as time went on he got feeling well enough to do his field events. And he will have another chance at the sprint on Field Day in a couple of weeks. 

His javelin throw was mediocre, but he was psyched for the long jump. He's a little froggy with springy legs! I had prepared him (mentally) for running long jump, but for the younger kids they did a standing long jump. He got to jump 3 times with major improvement each time. I'm not sure if they were measuring in centimeters or inches, but his first jump was around 53, his second was 57, and his final jump was 62! 

Nora was way bummed that she couldn't register and participate (the youngest kids were 1st graders) and she really really wanted to long jump. I thought about asking them if she could try, but decided not to because there was a long line behind us. However, because I was on the other side of the pit taking pictures, I wasn't there to direct her when Zeke finished. The next thing I knew she had stepped up to the line and was jumping. The teenagers running the long jump were so good to her and she loved every second of it. She jumped around 38 all three times. 

It was a great day and they love that they came home with ribbons. It was a lot fun and I'm sure we will be back next year!

Zeke's Baptism

On a beautiful spring day, this boy got baptized. 

He was a lot excited, a little nervous, and very ready to take this step. We talked about the fact that he didn't have to do this if he didn't want to, and he surprised me with very mature responses to why he wanted to be baptized. I really felt like he knew the meaning of this and it was important it was to him. (He has had the greatest primary teachers!)

Nora was so excited for him, and she can't wait for her turn in 3 years. 

My handsome 8 year old. 

It was a wonderful service and a wonderful day for our family. I look forward to learning and growing more in the gospel with Zeke in the future. 

Summer Ends and School Begins

We had a fun backyard fire and hot dog roast with our good friends the Staceys on the 24th of July.

Mmmm, cupcakes with pink frosting

And Nora went to her first birthday party for a friend from church.

Then school started! We're a month in and doing fine. Zeke is a 2nd grader. He likes it, and I really like his teacher.  

Nora is a preschooler. She loves it and wishes she could go everyday!

While on Maternity Leave

In the almost 6 weeks since we brought Nora home...

We went to the park several times,

flew planes,

slept a lot,

went to Swiss Days,

and played at home.

It's been a lot of fun to just be home all together. Next week, back to working life.

Family of Four

Hi, we're the Loertscher family and we are now a family of four.

Nora is the little sister, just a few days old. She is adorable and loves to be held, particularly by Daddy. She is a great eater (as long as she stays awake) and prefers mom to the bottle. She doesn't like wet diapers, having her diaper changed, and being laid down before she is ready to sleep. Fortunately for all of us, Nora is starting to figure out that nights, not days, are when you sleep for long stretches.

Zeke is the big brother and is such a great helper. So far since we've all been home together, he has retreived diapers and burp cloths and blankets, emptied the dryer for Mommy, and put up with a lot of 'not right now, I'm taking care of Nora.' He loves to hold his sister, give her kisses, and just look at and talk to her. We're working on keeping him off of the play yard that is Nora's downstairs bed.

Manndi is the mommy and Aaron is the daddy, now of two kids. Between the hospital stay, Nora being ready to play at 3 am, late night feedings, and slightly different eating habits, we have been missing sleep all week. However, the regular routine is starting to come back and Nora is sleeping better at night, so we are encouraged. We are grateful for a relatively easy delivery that was better than we hoped for, a short hospital stay, two healthy kids, and the generosity of family and ward members in keeping us fed and Nora clothed.

A Nora Story

Nora was born Monday, 8 lb 5 oz and 21.5 inches long, and perfect. Here's how she got here:

I was induced at one week past my due date. We got started at night, taking the slow and patient route because of my previous cesarean. It was a long night (hospital beds are so uncomfortable, and I'm sure the couch Aaron was on wasn't much better) but we had made progress by morning. My dr broke my water around 9 am the next morning, and we added pitocin by 11 or 12. By 2ish the contractions were hurting a lot and we were reminded a lot of our experience with Zeke, starting to wonder if maybe we were destined for a repeat surgery. By 3:30 I was in an amazing amount of pain with each contraction, and beginning to wonder how much longer I could take it, even with Aaron's perfect coaching. I was given some oxygen to help Nora's heart rate stay stable during the contractions, and then my body started to push on its own. Weird experience that scared both of us when it first happened! We pushed for 15 minutes, and Nora was born at 4 pm. We still almost can't believe we had the successful unmedicated VBAC we hoped for!

'Niece Watch' Update

Dear aunts and uncles and cousins who live far away,
I'm sorry I missed you while you were visiting last week. Next time you come I'll be ready to play!
love, Nora

Growing

Here we are as we started this journey last November....

and here we are today.

So much growth in so many different ways!

And we're only at the beginning of another journey now: our family is about to grow.

Brand New Cousin

Although our little lady is still safely and stubbornly tucked away, there is another brand new baby in the family. We got a new niece and Zeke a new cousin almost 2 weeks ago. Much to my happy surprise, Zeke has loved to hold her. He is so careful with her and just adores her. I know he'll be a good big brother but I wasn't expecting him to be willing to sit still for so long just to hold the baby....it's precious.

Paused

Expecting a new arrival 'any day now' is an interesting experience. Aaron described it yesterday as being in pause mode, which fits perfectly. We have to be (and we are) ready at any time to drop our normal routine and bring this baby here. Plus there are several things that are on hold until our little lady makes her appearance. However, the catch is we have to keep living our normal routine until the moment comes, and we have no idea when that is. It's a bizarre set of circumstances. An experience I'm glad to be having, although it is one of those growing-and-learning experiences that is pushing me to further develop my patience and faith. I'm grateful that I am aware of our progress, and that every day brings us closer to one of the greatest moments of our lives.

Little Girl Quilt

Now we're really ready -- I finished this quilt yesterday. Now it is washed and in her crib, all ready to snuggle our beautiful baby girl when she comes.

August, Baby

According to traditional textbook definitions, our 'could have a baby anytime' started a week ago. Now we can say with certainty that she has an August birthday. It's not a huge consolation, but it is one thing in the world of unknowns that is expecting a new arrival. We keep telling her that anytime is fine with us and soon would be great!

That's not to say there has been no progress. I've been nesting, which I think Aaron finds amusing. I am attacking projects that I have been noticing for the past 4 months but not had the energy or motivation to do. I'm pretty sure the 'extra' energy I've got is all in my head; however, the accomplishments are making me feel good. Now visitors who dare traverse the jungle of cars, trucks, airplanes, train tracks, and couch pillows that is our living room floor can be rewarded with adequate seating. That's a big achievement.

The changes of the baby dropping lower are in full force. Zeke dropped for maybe half a day then came back up to stay for the rest of the pregnancy and all 16 hours of induced labor (after which he was born cesarean, perfect yet stubborn). This little one, though, has her head where it belongs and has introduced a whole new world of aches, pains, strange sensations, and a growing hope that I will in fact go into labor in the near future.

I am also loving the fact that a second child means we already have the baby gear. I don't think we have bought anything for this little one yet, which our budget appreciates, and I have appreciated not having to research, compare, and decide on carseats, strollers, and the like (to say nothing of the 'Do you think we'll need this?' items). Nearly all of our 0-6 month clothes are gender-neutral, and thank you to her grandmas for giving us dresses for church.

I think we're ready. As ready as we're going to get, anyway. But, as we wait and anticipate, I'm enjoying feeling (and watching) her move and knowing that, for a few more days, I can keep her safe and sheltered in ways that will never be possible again.

(Growing) Shapes and Shadows

Even my shadow looks pregnant...

Bombarded by Parenting Propaganda

In the past 4 or so years I've read many pregnancy and parenting blogs, articles, and forums. Many of them, especially the forums, have contributors who think that whatever they did for their child is universally applicable. Occasionally I see 'This is what we did, and it worked for us, hope it helps' and I like those people - but alas they are the minority. Why can't we all just get along?

For example, we bought Zeke a new carseat last weekend. He was in desperate need of an upgrade, and this new seat is perfect for him. I was crawling the web looking for tips on taking carseats on airplanes, and found a mom who had similar age kids in a similar carseat. One of the responses to her question was 'I would never put my 3 year old in that carseat. My kids ride this other carseat.' Okay, well, good for you, thanks for sharing; but aren't we both trying to accomplish the same goal here (i.e., trying to keep our kids safe)?

And all that stuff you get as an expecting parent (okay, an expecting mom, expecting dads get left out when it comes to free stuff). Once you wade through the health advice and the advertising, you're left with parenting magazines that tell you you should nurse your baby because that's what 'good moms' do, along with pictures of smart, happy babies latched on. And there might be a few other articles (valuable or otherwise) in between. This time I flipped through the free stuff collection in the car and recycled it as soon as I got home. (It's aimed at first-time moms anyway, what's up with that?) Then I went and found the magazines I got when I was pregnant with Zeke and tossed them too. Not sure why I kept them for 3 years and 2 moves... My 3+ years of Zeke-parenting experience will be my first reference for caring for a new baby anyway.

The lesson I keep learning and keep reminding myself that I have already learned is that I should do what's best for us and our kids. It doesn't matter what someone else thinks or does.
And that 'good mom' I am constantly comparing myself to? In my moments of greatest clarity, I don't think she really exists.

Just Starting Out

A few months ago, I found myself linking from blog to blog, reading up on friends from high school that I haven’t seen in seven years. And I thought about starting a blog for our family. But it was Dynna’s pink-and-white polka dotted blog that finally convinced me to take action. :p
~~~
This is our newest niece Kylie Mathews.

Congratulations to Skye and Jon and new big sister Kaelyn!

Somewhere to Start

Manndi decided to start this blog for us and I agreed that it was probably a good idea.
Tonight we went and met our newest niece Kylie Mathews :)
Those new babies sure are cute, small and especially precious.

Aaron Averett Loertscher