Gerrit is Four!

November 10, 2018November 16, 2018 nk330Leave a comment

What a year this one has been! So much has happened, and Gerrit has accomplished a lot. We moved from Texas to Arkansas to New Mexico, Gerrit became a big brother, and he grew up so much!

Age: 4 years old on 27 Oct 2018
Weight: 35 lbs
Height: 39.96 inches
Teeth: 20
Clothing Size: 4T
Milestones: weaned from breastfeeding, potty trained during the day, can fully dress and undress himself, moved from crib to twin bed, sleeps through the night regularly, first dentist appointment, beginning to draw actual pictures, upgraded from tricycle to bike with training wheels, increase in imaginative play and making up stories, started preschool

Gerrit started out his fourth year with a bang: less than a month after turning 3, he breastfed for the last time. I’m not sure if he would have done this on his own or if it was because my pregnancy with his little brother dried up my milk supply. Just a week or two after that (early December), he potty trained himself too! I had chosen not to push the matter of potty training after receiving advice from my boy mom friends. I’m so glad I listened to them, because I saved myself a lot of stress by just waiting until Gerrit decided he was ready. Then he figured it out by himself within a few days. He even did great in underwear on our road trip from Texas to Kansas just a couple of days after Christmas. I was so impressed!

Andrew built Gerrit a twin bed frame after he finished pilot training and while we were waiting to go to Arkansas for C130 training. Gerrit switched from his crib to the twin bed in early March with minimal issues. The first few nights we had some frequent night wake ups, but he got used to it just in time for us to move (and have to sleep in more twin beds).

I’m not quite sure when I realized Gerrit could completely undress and dress himself independently this past year. He can also sometimes do socks, and he’s good at getting sandals and shoes on and off. Now just because he can get things on and off doesn’t mean he will take them on and off himself. He is still very stubborn, and it depends on the day if he wants to be independent or not. Drives me nuts.

Gerrit has never been a big fan of coloring and drawing, but he slowly started to show more interest in them this past year. I think it was this summer into early fall that I noticed he could actually draw things! He can draw people, animals, and shapes. I was pretty impressed! I think this has just improved with projects and worksheets at preschool.

Yes, Gerrit has started preschool! I was looking forward to him starting school while we were in Little Rock, because I felt like I just didn’t have enough time to play with him after Berend was born. But when we got to New Mexico, I started having second thoughts about it. I did end up signing him up for 2 mornings a week at a local Christian preschool, and I’m glad I did. It’s been a great way for Gerrit to get some socialization and time out of the house, plus I get to sneak in a nap and one-on-one time with Berend.

I thought I would start doing a birthday interview from now on to get a snapshot of Gerrit’s life!

What is your favorite color? every single color in the rainbow
What is your favorite food? pizza
What is your favorite TV show? “Rescue Bots”
What is your favorite movie? Moana
What is your favorite thing to do? riding my bike
Where is your favorite place to go? to the park
What is your favorite toy? trains
What is your favorite book? Dr. Seuss books
What is your favorite animal? bear
Who is your best friend? Gram & Gramps
What did you do on your birthday? I had a dino birthday party and bounced in the bouncy house.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Rescue Bot driver

I’m looking forward to seeing how his answers change year after year!

And now for some photos of Gerrit over the past year:

Seeing Dada graduate from UPT in January!

A visit from Gram & Gramps and fun in San Antonio

Gerrit’s first dentist appointment in March

We had fun exploring Little Rock in April

We moved to New Mexico, and Gerrit’s 5th home, in July

Mimi helped out for a month in Little Rock and then twice in New Mexico. We loved having her this summer!

He started preschool at the end of August

After 5 weeks away, Dada came home at the end of August too!

The start of some playtime with Berend in September. Gerrit in enjoying his baby brother getting bigger and more interactive.

And here are a few photos from Gerrit’s birthday this year:

What a year it has been, Gerrit! I feel like you’ve become so much more independent and grown up, and I don’t know how I feel about that. So much has changed as you hit so many milestones, yet you’re still definitely YOU. You are my Sour Patch kid (sour then sweet), you are opinionated but love to learn (especially about dinosaurs and outer space), and you are very persistent and strong willed. The things that drive us crazy right now are the things that will serve you well when you’re older, so we do our best to give you as much freedom as we can. I love your questions, stories, and imagination. I love that you still request snuggles on a daily basis and that you want Dada to snuggle you to sleep every night. You are a great big brother, and Berend adores you — I can’t wait to see your relationship grow as he gets more interactive. Gerrit, we love you so much, and we’re so proud of the little boy you are! Happy 4th birthday, buddy!

Baby Update · Photography

Maternity Photos (Part 2)

August 4, 2018 nk3301 Comment

After a full afternoon of lifestyle maternity photos, we went back to our house for dinner and relaxing. The next day we were headed out for some more traditional outdoor maternity photos. I was looking forward to some posed family photos, but I also was going to be doing some more glamorous ones, which I never did when I was pregnant with Gerrit.

Being unfamiliar with Little Rock’s parks, I had to do a bit of research to find a nice spot for outdoor photos. I started by looking at some state parks in the area, but with my mobility and comfort level going downhill as I got further into my pregnancy, I ruled out anything that was going to involve hiking. That’s when I stumbled upon The Old Mill. It looked so pretty in photos, and I thought it would be perfect for a springtime look. Here are some of my favorites:

This next one is my favorite of just Andrew and me. We’re not known for being great at posing for photos, but this one turned out really sweet.

This next one is probably my favorite family photo of us. That bridge is so cool, and Gerrit definitely shows off his personality, haha!

After the family photos, Andrew and Gerrit walked around the park while I changed into some long dresses for solo pictures. I absolutely love how they turned out!
Since we didn’t know the gender of our baby, I didn’t really want to wear pink or blue. But I do love purple, and this dress was so pretty for our spring photos.

A huge thank you again to my talented sister Becki for taking these beautiful photos! I love having these to look back on from my second pregnancy, and I can’t wait to display some in our new home.

Baby Update · Daily living

Baby #2: Week 31

March 28, 2018 nk330Leave a comment

This was our first (almost) whole week in Little Rock! We arrived the day after I hit 30 weeks and have been working on settling in.

How far along: 31 weeks on 27 March 2018
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a head of Romaine lettuce or an otter (about 16.2″ long and 3.3 lbs)

Gender: No clue, but you can now go make your guess on our Baby Pool!

Weight gain: 15 lbs (shockingly no gain this week)
Symptoms: fatigue, back pain, eczema, eye issues, nausea, SPD?, Braxton Hicks contractions

Still tired. It doesn’t seem to matter how G sleeps at this point. I toss and turn so much that I’m always tired.
I’m noticing more back pain again. I’ve been trying to be more aware of my posture, doing more pelvic tilts, and resting when I can.
I still use Sudocrem on my chest, but my skin is definitely less itchy lately. Maybe I can start using regular lotion again!
Still limiting my contact lens use. I didn’t even try wearing them this week.
Nausea wasn’t too bad this week, but my appetite was definitely lower. Baby must be squishing my stomach.
Some days I feel like I just ache all day, and other days are not as bad. It’s always uncomfortable at night when I try to roll over.
They day I hit 31 weeks, I had some painful Braxton Hicks contractions for the first time. It was right away in the morning; I hadn’t really done anything to exert myself. The baby was moving around a lot right before it started, but the only other thing I could think of was being dehydrated from sleeping. They lasted about 45 minutes, and it definitely felt like the early contractions I had when I was in labor with Gerrit.

Maternity clothes: All the time
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in but getting shallow
Sleep: Depends on the night
Best moment this week: Getting settled in our house in Little Rock. The drive was tough because of my fatigue, so I was so glad to be done with it! The house we’re renting already had rental furniture set up when we arrived, so that was really convenient. We did a bit of rearranging (and still have a bit more to do), and it’s slowly starting to feel like a home.
Miss anything: Not waddling, bending over, and rolling over easily in bed
Movement: Sometimes I feel like it’s ALL the time! The baby has to sleep once in awhile, but there are days where the movement seems nonstop.
Cravings: Nothing new. Green apples still just taste amazing to me. Craving sushi too!
Looking forward to: Getting set up with a new OB. Just waiting for my referral to go through! I haven’t been seen since the 1st of March, so I’m eager to make sure everything still looks good.