January:
We started out the year by taking the plunge and buying a mini van. I swore up and down I'd never allow myself to do it but when it came down to it, it was the smartest decision and I'm not ashamed to say that I love my van! I remained on maternity leave until the 18th and the anxiety of going back to work was more than overwhelming at times. Once I finally returned though, the reprieve came on quickly. (I thank my wonderful coworkers for that one.) We had Lukas's 3 month photos taken on the 21st and he spent his first night in his nursery on the 23rd.
February:
Lukas was baptized on the 18th at St. Pius X Church in Grandville. Mike got one of his many moments of glory when he took Liana ice skating for the first time at Rosa Parks Circle. She didn't like to skate on her own all that much so instead, he carried her most of the time. She especially loved it when he would go fast!
March:
This month held some good changes for us! Mike got a great promotion at work that moved him into the position of a Merchandise Planner for the Dairy Department at Meijer. He had worked so hard to get to this point and it surely didn't come easily. Liana turned three on the 24th and I had promised myself we would be "paci-free" by that birthday, so earlier in the month we finally worked ourselves up to getting rid of those paci's she had become so attached to. The first day was the worst, especially at naptime and bedtime, but after that she handled it like a champ! Lukas started some solids this month and wasn't initially a fan. I also breastfed him for the last time on the 28th, making it to the same 5 month mark I made with Liana. I wasn't ready to give it up but I was also quite frustrated with having to pump while working (pulling over on the side of the road to pump is far from ideal!) so it just felt like the time was right.
April:
This was a big month for our little boy! He finally started to invest himself in eating solids around the middle of the month, which Mike and I hoped would help him finally sleep through the night. (It didn't.) He got his bottom two teeth just weeks before his six month birthday on the 27th. The four of us packed up and headed eastward for a visit to the Kranz's on the 21st and it was nice to share our little guy with our friends once again. Lukas also had his six month photos so we made the most of that session and got some updated shots of Liana as well.
Mike started the month of May off by running the 25k in the Riverbank Run. The kids and I made the trek to the finish line on that rainy Saturday morning to see him finish and while it wasn't the easiest of tasks, the look on his face when he saw us standing there made it all worthwhile. Lukas finally sits on his own this month and also starts to use rolling as his means of getting around. May also brought our little boy his first sicknesses - first it was a terrible cold, then croup. He starts eating 3 meals a day as well which does help him sleep longer at night and wake less. Both kids wind up with Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease and then share it with their mama. Liana officially stops taking naps and bedtime goes much smoother as a result. I take a night away from Mike and the kids to spend a night in Holland with one of my closest friends, Rachel and have an absolutely amazing time. We finish May out with our first trip to the zoo!
After thinking about it for weeks and meeting with a realtor, we decided to list our house in early June. I had completely underestimated how emotional that would be. Not even three weeks later and a day after my 29th birthday, we accepted an offer on the house and reality set in that "our" house was no longer "ours". Lukas started army crawling this month and was so much fun to watch. We took him swimming for the first time on the 24th and he also sits up on his own for the first time.
Mike started the month out by celebrating our 6th anniversary on the 1st. Lukas gets to enjoy his first Fourth of July but isn't too impressed with the loud horns during the parade (and neither was his sister, really!). He also gives up army crawling and moves on to the "real deal"... I quickly found myself wishing he wasn't quite so mobile as he loves to get into EVERYTHING! He eats "real" food for the first time this month and loves Mac & Cheese. With help, he takes his first steps. Lukas turned 9 months and my dad decided that he was no longer able to watch the kids for us while I worked. While it was a hard decision to come to, I couldn't blame him one bit and looked forward to getting the kids into a daycare where they'd get to play with other kids and work on their socialization skills. Come July 28th, we said our final goodbye to our Sienna home and the wonderful neighbors we would miss so terribly much. After looking at dozens of houses and not finding anything we loved, we decided to take the plunge and build!
The plans for our new home were finalized this month. Liana had a big milestone when she got her first haircut and it went much better than I had anticipated it would. She also got to go fishing with daddy for the first time. Mike's summer hockey league won their championship. And I got some wonderful news that my friend Kate was unexpectedly expecting her third baby!!
FINALLY! Lukas is officially sleeping through the night! It only took him 11 months to get there, but we finally did it! (At least for a while.) My mom and I took Liana to the Barnum & Bailey Circus on the 22nd and had so much fun.... Liana talked about it for weeks and still reminds me that she wants to go again. It was so neat to share in that kind of an experience with her. Our little girl finally gave up wearing pull-ups to bed this month. Mike ran in the Warrior Dash with his brother and sister and had a fun time with only a few minor bumps, scrapes and bruises. Lukas took his first steps this month too and once he got going, he didn't slow down. He also said his first word, "mama", and then follows it up by saying "daddy" a week later. He has seven teeth already and is working on his molars as well. The end of the month brought some unexpected job changes my way as my job share partner decided that it was her time to leave SHH. This was a huge loss for me in so many different ways and I really struggled with it.
Early October brought some major excitement as they started excavation on our house. It was the coolest feeling to look at that hole after it was dug and to know that my kids will grow up in that house and that it's ours. Lukas gets his first haircut just days before his first birthday and much like his sister did, handles it like a champ! We celebrate his first birthday with just a small family party this year due to a lack of space in our rental house. Lukas's 1 year photos and our family pictures were taken on the 25th and he learns a new word - "byeeeee!" for bye-bye. After months of procrastination and having an extremely difficult time of finding the right daycare for my babies, Mike and I chose to enroll the kids at Forest Grove Christian Learning Center in Hudsonville. I said a bittersweet goodbye to my job share partner Megan and my "north team" on the 18th. While I looked forward to working closer to home, it was painfully difficult to leave the territory and the nurses I had come to love so much.
November:
The kids started at Forest Grove this month and while Liana was initially very excited about going to "preschool", once the reality of it all set in she was less than pleased. My heart broke each Tues & Thurs morning when she'd wake up crying and begging me not to take her. But Mike and I both knew this was for the best and that it would get easier, which it has. Lukas handled it all so well right from the get go and thrives in the presence of the other kids. Mike has another "moment of glory" this month as he takes Lukas to his first hockey game, which they both loved. Liana and I ditched the male half of our family for a weekend to head eastward to spend time with Kate, Lily and Charley. The foundation for our house is poured. Lukas gets his teeth brushed for the first time this month. On a much more difficult note, my parents file for divorce this month after 33 years of marriage.
"The Build" progresses quickly this month and before we know it, we have an exterior! Within just two weeks everything is closed off and big decisions are being made. Mike and I are enjoying making some of these decisions but also find ourselves quite stressed over the financial aspects that come along with this process. My Dad moves to Rockford the first weekend in December and things start to get pretty tough for my family. Christmas was a bittersweet holiday for us this year but we enjoyed seeing Liana and Lukas soak up the magic of it all. Liana especially loved her Elf on the Shelf, Martin, that came to visit us everyday. We finished out the year with a bang by both Liana and Lukas getting pink eye and then all of us getting hit with "the plague" (aka the stomach flu) on NYE and by New Years Day.
2012 presented us with a lot of blessings and a few hardships. This was our first full year as a family of four and Mike and I have really been trying to soak up this time in our lives with the kids. We look forward to everything 2013 has to offer us, especially the completion of our new home!
I love to read about your beautiful family!!! Forest Grove is a great daycare I have been told! I am so sorry to hear about your parents, I can only imagine how difficult that must be for you! Praying for your family!
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