What has really been going on around here...let's see...
September flew by -- the kids started back to school and Ryan started a Soccer Shots class after school on Wednesday's. This has been awesome because the children stay at school long on this day until 4pm and gives me lots of time to get things accomplished! (not that I actually GET anything accomplished, but it has been helping out nevertheless.)
Ryan has learned some letters of the alphabet and seemed particularly interested in "Achoo A" and "Mr. D" while celebrating with Donuts. We don't really work on it much at home, but he definitely recognizes letters when he needs to and does the same with numbers on his clock. He is really into knights right now. He loves watching Backyardigans and particularly loves this episode where they sing a song about "A Knight that's Right". So, he is obsessed with having something that resembles a sword stuck into his pants in back so that he can pull it out like a knight pulls a sword out of a shield strapped to his back. He is actually going to be a "knight that's right" for Halloween. We have the outfit and I found a shield that straps to his back and has a sword that goes in the middle. He was OVER. THE. MOON. when I took it out of the package and showed it to him. It goes everywhere with him and he even sleeps with it. We talk a lot about being Gascon from Beauty and the Beast because he carries a sword. It is pretty cute actually. He is turning into such a responsible big brother. He is always making sure that Kaitlyn is where she needs to be and lets me know when she is not. Tonight he went and got her up from the Dining room floor after she had pitched a total tantrum about not being able to turn off the cable box while Ryan was watching TV. Ryan was trying to block the box and Katilyn got mad, so she started hitting him in the back with her head to make him move. I grabbed her up and popped her on her leg and she dissolved into tears. I took her to another room to calm down and Ryan ver sweetly came over to give hugs and kisses and explain that she could stand up when she stopped crying. Next thing I know, she is standing up dry-eyed, she is giving him sweet hugs to say I'm sorry. You know what he tells me. "Mommy, she doesn't have to say I'm sorry. I'm ok. It's no big deal" What a little mature 3 yr old I all of a sudden live with. Truth be told, he really is getting excited about Colin and about being a big brother again. He told me last night that Colin was coming after Halloween and that he was just going to "squeeze" him he was so excited to see him! He also explained all of the things that he was going to teach Colin. (this included taking him out for ice-cream like we did today and sharing his ice-cream cone with Colin since I don't ever get chocolate and that is what Ryan gets and he needed to share it with Colin.) I wish I had a recorder with me throughout most of the day just to get it all down since I can hardly remember all the cute, sweet, insightful things that he says on a daily basis.
Kaitlyn is starting to talk a little more. She makes sounds for a duck, elephant, doggy, and bunny. She signs please, thank you, more, and all finished. She calls Ma Ma and Da-dee all the time and has a special word for Ryan as well, but I can never catch exactly what it is. She loves to imitate. She imitated me the other night blowing onto her booboo in the bathtub. She has been pulling up that same leg ever since and acts like she blows on it. She copies a lot of what Ryan does and tries to get him in trouble by starting up both the splashing game and the yelling game. She also loves to antagonize him by stealing his cape to his pajamas and running and by stealing "doggy" and not giving it back. She thinks both of these games are hysterical.
Me - I am ready to not be pregnant anymore. I am getting to the uncomfortable last 3 weeks and it is showing. Everything hurts these days and some pains just don't get any relief...my back is constantly strained from holding all 25 lbs of Kaitlyn. My legs are beginning to resemble an elephant's legs, and some days it hurts just to stand up. I am ready and then not so ready. I am anxious to meet this little one. More so than I was our 2 other children. (with Ryan I was too scared of all the life changes that were going to happen and with Kaitlyn I was really worried about the dynamic of 2 children and the loving/caring for etc that goes along with it.) This time, I am really excited to meet Colin. I am just not sure how I am going to get by once he gets here. I think Ryan will be great. He is showing many traits of being a great leader/teacher/mentor to his younger siblings and really shows a large capacity for compassion and caring and protectiveness. (in addition to being a regular 3 yr old that snatches and doesn't want to share and throws tantrums when not getting one's way. haha)
Kaitlyn is another story. She is still such a baby in so many ways. She is independent and wants to do things herself, but then on the other hand she is really clingy these days and wants to constantly be held. She IS giving the best hugs and kisses though. (and freely gives them out to all of our mommy friends) I just think that she is going to be a little jealous of Mommy having another baby to handle. I think I am going to be holding 2 babies as often as possible. Or, just hoping for a VERY laid back 3rd child that won't mind being on the floor, in the bouncy, or in the swing while I hold his sister. :)
Anyway, that is enough of my rambling...
Here is a picture of Ryan trying on a baby hat that I found in a bin this weekend...
