September Update

With so much change happening over here, I want to start documenting it monthly.  So for now, I'm going to cover the kids, wedding planning, and other things that will eventually include going back to work and house buying.

JD had a big month! He is now riding his bike without training wheels!  Swinging independently is also a new favorite.  It seems like we've been explaining how to pump his legs for years, but something Keith said to him a couple weeks ago clicked, and now he's running straight to the swings and flying super high for the entirety of our playground visits.  He had his 5 year checkup and is tall, thin, and healthy.  I cannot wait to see how well he does in Kindergarten!

very serious and cautious

O is now comfortable wizzing around on his two wheeler (with training wheels), and he also finished two sessions of swim lessons at the town pool.  He is fearless, funny, and totally determined to do everything his big brother does.

slowing down to smile

He asked me to take a picture of his sticker after class every day.

K3 is now 1 month old! He is a great sleeper and a very happy, easygoing little guy.  At his one month checkup we learned that he'd gained over 3 pounds and grew 2.5 inches.  We've had a lot of real smiles, and we sometimes catch him smiling at his toys on the bouncy seat, although it's love/hate for them. 

They can't get enough of him.  I'm hoping his first words aren't "get out of his face" because he hears it all day.

Personally, the transition to 3 boys has been going smoothly. I was nervous about forgetting things like how to burp a newborn, but it all came back.  We started giving K3  bottles of pumped milk at 3 weeks because I want to make sure there are no issues with bottles before I go back to work.   JD never took a bottle, and O wasn't a huge fan either, so even though pumping and washing bottles is annoying, I am committed to giving him at least one a day until I go back.  So far he's drinking it, but he's not really happy about it.

He's happy about almost everything else.

JD and O recently got back from spending a week with their dad.  It was good timing for Keith and I to have some bonding time with the baby, and the older boys had a lot of fun.  The house was too quiet and I missed them terribly, but the positive that I focused on was that I got to nap when the baby napped.  

JD left this note for me and told me to look at it when I missed him.  He's such a thoughtful, sensitive sweetheart.

There was also celebratory cake for keeping everyone alive and well this summer.

Wedding planning is slowly happening.  Most importantly, we've chosen a date for next June and booked the venue and band. 

We're getting married in the backyard of this beauty.

It will be an outdoor, tented reception, and we're going for a family-friendly, rustic-ish, North Fork feel.  We love that our caterer only uses foods from the east end of Long Island (Montauk tuna, Aquebogue duck, Peconic Bay clams, Briermere pies, etc.), and we're having fun picking out our menu.  

Keith has a big collection of antique bottles that I am hoping to incorporate.

We have a few ideas for decor/theme, but can't figure out colors. I have to start thinking about bridal dresses, but I really want to lose at least ten more pounds before I even think about trying on dresses.  My goal is to have as much of the planning (and paying) done before I go back to work so it doesn't feel stressful.  

I was really hoping to get an update posted on the first of every month, but since I already blew that, I'm going to aim for an update around the beginning of each month.  This will make up for the guilt I feel at being 4 years behind in getting pictures printed and into books- at least I'm preserving some moments in time so I can look back at them and smile whenever I'm about to lose my mind.