Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

At some point in our lives, we would like to go to a tree farm and pick out our Christmas tree... as for now, with Sadie not knowing any different, we drive a couple blocks down the street to a nursery that stocks a very large selection of Christmas trees (much faster and easier!) We went a week and a half ago to pick out our tree (it was probably less than half an hour from the time we left our house to the time we got back!)

The day after we got our tree Marc had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled. He wasn't feeling the best on Monday & Tuesday. Wednesday we went to see Fireproof and Friday night we had a small group Christmas party. In the midst of our business we didn't get our tree decorated... Sadie and I managed to put some lights on the tree on last Thursday and we finally put up ornaments yesterday while Marc was at work. Sadie loved helping decorate the tree (more than I thought she would! She pulled every ornament out of the box and brought it over to me. She was fascinated with the process. She was also very excited to show Marc when he got home. We saved some of Marc's ornaments for him to put up. (Sadie's favorite was a train ornament that she carried around all day!)
Sadie & Daddy with "the one!"

Kinnick snuggled in the sling (thanks Jennifer!)

Sadie was pretty impressed that the tree rode on top of our car!

She was also pretty interested in the snow!

This is one of her ornaments... (FYI--she picked this outfit out herself--a purple barbie "princess" nightgown with her pink puffy vest!)

Taking a break with Kinnick. Sadie would periodically take ornaments and lay them by Kinnick--she must have thought he was being left out.

No tree topper this year--our tree was too tall! Marc had to cut the very top off. (Our house has 12-foot ceilings, but right in front of the window where we put the tree, it's only 10 feet.)

Sibling Love

Sadie constantly wants to hold her brother. She's doing really good with him--only the occasional attempt to whack him while I'm holding him... We are all getting into a routine (although we won't be able to sleep in any more when I go back to work!) I've had both kids by myself for several days now and we're doing well... We've even taken a few trips out of the house--I'm slowly figuring it out!

Here are some recent pictures of our two beautiful children:

"Bedtime Prayers"

"Morning Snuggles" The first thing Sadie asks for when she wakes up in the morning is her brother!

I ordered this dress for Sadie and it came in the mail yesterday. She carried it around all day yesterday and insisted on wearing it today! When I was taking the above pictures of the kids, Sadie pressed Kinnick's face against her chest and said "Eat Kinnick!" (We were wondering how long that would take... I'm just glad she didn't feel the need to lift her dress up!)

Lazy Days

Kinnick's enjoying a swing ride.

Daddy playing video games with his two favorite helpers (one is a bit more enthusiastic than the other!)

Sadie's helping me decorate the mini-tree.

Well, I can honestly say that I haven't been outside (except occasionally to let Wrigley go to the bathroom...) since Wednesday noon! And with the weather we're having--I'm not too disappointed. We've just been hanging out... Sadie and I did pedicures, baked cookies and she even helped me put up some Christmas decorations!

Much To Be Thankful For...

I mentioned in a previous post that it was my heart's desire to be home on Thanksgiving holding my baby... Of course I would have taken him at a later time, but I was so grateful to come home on Thanksgiving and be with my family! Of course going from one to two children isn't exactly an easy transition--there's a lot to figure out. However, I feel that I have so much to be thankful for each day! I love watching Sadie's excitement each time she wakes up and runs to find her baby brother. It's so precious to watch her hold him, snuggle him, pat him, and kiss him. Marc pointed out yesterday that she imitates what I do. It's so neat to see the "little mother" in her even at such a young age. At times I feel like it's a lot of work to keep up with both of them and I don't know how I'm going to manage when Marc goes back to work, but I couldn't be happier... I'm really loving my life right now!

Here are some pictures from the last few days:

Sadie gives Kinnick so many kisses every day!

On Thanksgiving night we had a "special treat" of eating in front of the T.V. We watched Fred Claus and had popcorn & snacks.

This is one of Sadie's favorite spots in the kitchen. We concluded that we need to get a childproof lock for the fridge when Sadie came walking into the living room with a pitcher 2/3rds full of ice tea!

Babies sleeping... nothing more precious!

Our Big Hawkeye and our little one!

Kinnick's 1st Sunday at church.

Kinnick & Sadie w/ their IL cousins--Jadyn & Jaren.

More sleeping pics--I can hardly remember when Sadie used to sleep like this!

Sadie having some snuggle time with Daddy.

Kinnick's 1st bath at home. (He mostly screamed!)

Last night Marc made hot chocolate for all of us. Sadie is obsessed with marshmallows right now, so she thought it was great fun to put them in her drink--she was a BIG fan!

Sadie & Kinnick's 1st ride in the double stroller. We went to the mall today for pictures and then visited Marc's work. I was nervous that Sadie would bother him, but she did really well!

Our Adventure

I have been wanting to write more about our experience ever since we got home from the hospital... (For those of you who don't want to read it all--skip to the pictures.) Now that I've had some more time to reflect, I'm glad that I didn't write this post sooner. With Sadie's birth I was able to immediately embrace my experience--I even remember telling Marc (right after it happened) that I knew without a doubt that I wanted to experience this again. This time around it took me several days to develop these positive feelings. I told Marc yesterday that I'm up for the challenge again. (Not for awhile however!)

One comment that I heard many times as I was pregnant is that "No two pregnancies are the same." I really understand that now! I was very prepared to have Kinnick early (2 weeks-like Sadie) and that certainly didn't happen. With Sadie it was just time to go to the hospital, there was no waiting, wondering, or second guessing. With Kinnick I thought so many times "Maybe tonight..." and then the morning would come. Even on the day of his birth I debated until the last minute if I should go to work or not. I kept thinking that if I stayed home he wouldn't come. I am however, very glad I did stay home! The morning of his birth was so nice--Marc and I let Sadie sleep in and after we dropped her off at the sitter's we went out for breakfast. Next we went grocery shopping and ran errands. We couldn't remember the last time we ran errands without Sadie and didn't feel rushed! When we finally got home I took Wrigley for a long walk (something else I hadn't done for a while). Marc made lunch for us and we sat down to watch TV. I finally decided it was time to go to the hospital but I wanted to finish cleaning first. I mopped the kitchen and Marc vacumed and mopped the wood floors.

My friend Liz works at the hospital and she was there waiting when Marc and I arrived. The nurses were expecting me b/c I had talked to my Dr. on the phone earlier in the day--they already had a birthing room ready for us! Although it seemed MUCH longer, it was only 3 1/2 hours of time at the hospital before Kinnick was born. This labor was much more intense then Sadie's. My favorite part was sitting in the whirlpool bath (I was looking forward to this before we even got to the hospital!) I layed there in my swimsuit sipping gatoraid through a straw--I told Marc "I'm pretending I'm on the beach..."

After the whirlpool, I bounced on a ball and Marc and I played war (we never finished our game, but my Dr. told Marc he was not allowed to win.) I remember at one point looking up at Marc and saying "We'll get to hear him cry soon..." That thought helped get me through the rest! When it was time to push, I really didn't think I could do it, I just kept telling myself it was almost over. Next of course--the best part of all, holding him in my arms--when I made it to that point I knew that nothing else mattered. Kinnick had arrived, he was perfect--the only thing missing was big sister. She got to come meet him for a few minutes that night. Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 is a day that I will always treasure!

Now for the pictures... We're off to the hospital!

Kinnick's debut--he came out screaming!

Marc cutting the cord...

Getting weighed & measured (an hour later!)

Sadie's 1st kiss!

After his bath (late Tuesday night)--I love his chubby cheeks in this pic!

Wednesday afternoon--Sadie comes for a visit. We got her a little baby doll stroller and she pushed up & down the hallway many times!

The nurses had fun doing his hair!

Our precious baby boy.

Mommy's little guy.

Kinnick Marc Gorsch

Introducing...

Kinnick Marc Gorsch

Tuesday, November 25th

6:36 PM

8 lbs. 1 oz.

20 1/2 inches

More pictures and updates coming soon!

My Due Date has Arrived!

Well, today is my due date and still no baby... I concluded today that he's nervous to come out because his big sister is so crazy! This last week was long and tiring, but we kept busy so that made it go faster. Monday we went out to eat (w/ Sadie) after my Dr. apt. I spilled bbq sauce on my shirt (on the belly of course!) and she laughed hysterically about it! Tuesday we took Sadie swimming at the Y. She LOVED it! Her and I swam for about 40 minutes while Marc worked out and she still didn't want to get out of the pool. Wednesday night was "Burger King" night for our school (a fundraiser thing). So we took Sadie and she got to see several people she knew and some kids from my class. Thursday is our small group--she LOVES to play with her friends! Friday night I went to jewelry party and Saturday I had a training thing for school. Marc and I also went to a dinner party for his work last night.

I'm getting more and more anxious... I am planning on working this week as long as I am still pregnant (3 more days) and then I'll be done. Here are some pictures from our week...

Sadie and I have been bundling up to take walks after school. (She still wants to be outside all the time even though it's freezing!)

On Thursday she insisted on wearing her tiara (a baby gift from Moses!) to the babysitters. She kept saying "Princess Sadie."

"9 Month Belly"

This is Kinnick's "room" for now. We're working on Sadie's new room (it will be downstairs) but as of now we don't plan on putting them in the nursery together...

Marc and I after our dinner date.

Sadie Update

I LOVE this picture b/c it captures her personality so well!

Sadie had her 18 mo. check-up about 3 weeks ago. She weighed 26 lbs. and was 33" tall. She was in the 75th % for both! I can't believe how much she has changed in the last couple months... She is truly a toddler! Her biggest recent accomplishment was moving to her "Big Girl Bed". The transition was even easier then Marc and I hoped for! She's been in her bed for 2 weeks now and we typically don't have any problems. We occasionally hear the pitter patter of feet after we lay her down, but usually it just takes her dad telling her once to lay back down... However, we did find this one day this week at nap time:



When she gets up in the morning she usually entertains herself by reading books or dumping all the baskets on her changing table. If we wait too long to get her, she will begin yelling "Mama, Dada" (Very loudly!) This morning I went into her room to see a big grin on her face and HUGE mess. She looked at me, grinning the whole time and said "messy."

Sadie has also become much more verbal. She is surprising me each day with new words that she will say. She has become quite efficient at communicating her wants. (She still signs "more" and "thank-you" and won't attempt to say either.) She is also saying many 2-4 word sentences. Some of her favorites include:

• "I want my daddy."
• "I want this/that."
• "Here you go."
• "Read, Mama" (I literally hear this phrase 20+ times/day!)
• "Dada/Mama, help!"

Some of the things she likes to do include:

• Dancing/Spinning--this is hilarious to watch! She spins until she makes herself dizzy and this falls down. She will then stand up, grin at us, and sign "more".
• Playing/wrestling with Wrigley
• Making animal sounds (she can do 15-20 different sounds and say most of the names!) Our favorites are monkey, lion, and rooster.
• Naming different body parts. (She knows all the basic ones and we're working on harder ones now!)
• She loves counting books and color books. She can count to 3 and she calls every color "blue."
• She has quite a fetish with shoes! She is constantly putting on my and Marc's shoes. She can also put her own shoes and socks on by herself.
• She's a big helper--she likes to help get Wrigley's food and treats. She likes to help "fold" laundry" and load the washer and dryer. She also loves to sit on the kitchen counter and help cook and bake. She does a good job picking up her toys and putting her clothes in her basket.

Well... enough bragging! We pretty much think she's perfect (even though she doesn't give us a minute of down time!) It's hard to imagine our life being even more filled with joy. I know we're all in for big changes, but we couldn't be more excited!

Baby Update

Well, I've made it to 39 weeks! (and officially 7 days past when Sadie came...) This week was hard mentally b/c I was preparing myself to have this baby early. With Sadie I didn't plan on having her 2 weeks early so it was a huge shock. This time around I keep thinking, "Maybe today..." I've been having LOTS of contractions--they're just not getting stronger or regular. I really can't complain b/c I'm not too uncomfortable (Marc would probably say otherwise based on my comments at times!) I'm usually pretty tired at night after having worked all day.

The good news is I made it through my Parent-Teacher conferences and I'm super prepared for my maternity leave. (However, my optimistic principal scheduled me for an evaluation next Thursday--3 days before my due date!) We also have our house clean & ready and bags packed for me and Sadie! (All of this likely means that I'm still going to be pregnant for awhile!) I do feel like I can relax now and just enjoy (as much as possible!) the last few days of this pregnancy. At this point, my biggest desire is to be holding my baby in my house on Thanksgiving... we'll see!

Maternity Photo Shoot

Halloween Fun!

We had a busy day for Halloween! (I'm glad it was a Friday!) Sadie's festivities began with coming to school for Mommy's Halloween party. My students were excited all day b/c I told them she would come to the party. When she got to school I was leading my class around "trick-or-treating" to different classrooms. (This was for students who made the "100 point club" for Oct.--part of our school wide behavior program.) Sadie loved this! After that the students paraded around the park (outside of our school) and then ended the day with classroom parties. They were so helpful w/ Sadie! They helped her decorate a cupcake and got lots of classroom toys out for her to play with.

After our party at school we came home and Sadie got to have her treat bag from Mommy & Daddy. She also had visits from her friends Carson & Megan and Aubrey & Alaina. When Daddy got home we went trick-or-treating to 2 of our neighbors. Sadie helped me bake some bread w/ Halloween sprinkles Thursday so we delivered that. It's a good thing we only made 2 stops b/c it took us an hour! Little Miss. Social wanted to go in, sit on the couch, play with puppies, etc. Our neighbors across the street had a whole basket of goodies for her including a ball and book--she loved it!

After our stops we went to the church for "Slime Time". They had a hotdog and chili dinner and lots of games (and candy!) in different rooms for the kids. Sadie had a great time. We were all very tired and Sadie was ready for bed before 8:00!

Enjoying a cupcake at Mom's Kindergarten party.

Our Little Hawkeye!

Having a nutritious snack in between all the GOODIES!

Exploring her treat bag from Mom & Dad.

Sharing her marshmallow ghosts with me. (As soon as I took this picture, she pulled the camera down to feed me a bite!)

She loved this lite-up sucker. (I don't think she's even figured out it is actually candy...)

Her favorite "game" at the church was getting ice out of the kiddie pool w/ bottled water! Who needs games?

Bean Bag Toss

Taking a break from hitting bubbles with a foam noodle...

Sadie's 2nd favorite form of entertainment--the plastic string curtain.

Stay Tuned... My friend Rhonda did a "Maternity" Photo Shoot for us today--I should have some pics up this week!