Togetherness.

It's been such an amazing thing to see Kenna and Finn's sibling interaction over the past almost two years. They've gone from Kenna barely being older than a baby herself and fascinated by this live baby doll we had living with us, to two small things that seemed like they were the same age, to definitely a big sister/little brother relationship. The biggest thing they have conflict over is toys- Kenna is a classic oldest child and likes to play with her toys exactly in her very specific way, and doesn't want them touched while she's hard at work playing. Finn is of course, a classic little brother and delights in the crazy noises his sister makes when he purposefully messes things up.

This is usually how it goes: Kenna is playing with a toy. Finn takes away part of the toy. Kenna flips out and yells. Finn laughs and runs away with the toy.

But for all the times they don't get along, there are just enough times that they do sit and play nicely together to keep Mommy sane. And it makes it extra special to see them sitting and watching a movie together- they almost always choose to sit right next to each other even when there are plenty of other seats (especially if there's a snack to be shared!). It's just extra sweet.

This morning Kenna invited Finn to sit on the chair with her while they ate breakfast. It's funny because the way they are leaning it looks like neither of them are sitting on it. And yes, they are eating goldfish for breakfast- it was easier than an argument.

Dazed and confused right after a nap (we wake up slow in this family!):

They like to play "laptop" like Mommy and Daddy:

 Pretty much, we do everything together!

Even though breaking up arguments all day can be emotionally exhausting, there is a lot of sweet togetherness going on. Kenna goes in Finn's room every morning to check on him, and if he wakes up first from a nap he will wander the house asking for sister- that's if we can keep him from going in her room to wake her up. Their favorite game is jumping on Kenna's bed together at night before bedtime.

I can't wait to see what adding a third into the mix will look like!

Big Sister Antics

Being a big sister is a very busy job. There's lots of things to be done as a "big helper" like getting Mommy a diaper, throwing things away, and picking out baby brother's shirts and jammies. Kenna's favorite part is "hold you baby."

Occasionally though, Mommy and Daddy are a little too distracted and you have to get a little creative to get their full attention. For example, putting on a puppet show instead of taking your nap:
And painting your face with Mommy's make-up... waterproof mascara:

Kenna appropriately pronounces it "mess-cara." Matt had to wash her off with dish soap to get it all, and she reminded me of the dish soap commercials where they wash the oil spills off the little ducks.

Little stinker!

19 Weeks...

On Friday the 8th I was 19 weeks pregnant, but the update is a little late because this morning we had our big ultrasound- our 2nd trimester scan where we could answer the big pregnancy question... boy or girl?


We wanted to wait until today to be able to say that Kenna is having a
BABY BROTHER!!!

We got the pure joy of seeing our very healthy baby boy on screen today- with everything measuring on track for his development, a healthy heartbeat of 152, and some definite "boy parts." I had felt as though it might be a boy, but I couldn't really give a reason why I thought so. I had to correct myself and say "or she" every time I naturally said "he" when referring to the baby. It is so nice to know for sure now!

After the ultrasound tech measured everything on the healthy checklist, she also took a few shots in 3D for us- a total surprise! She had to jiggle him around a little to get him to turn and face her... apparently he was a little shy after having exposed himself and kept his little hands up near his face. How amazing to see our little boy's face already! What amazing technology the Lord has provided for us to see him and know he's healthy! Here is our little buddy, Baby Boy B:
And Big Sister is looking very big this week too! She got to come with us to the ultrasound, and watch baby brother in real time up on the tv screen.

How far along:
19 weeks! Everything seems to be flying by.

Size of baby:
Estimated at 12 ounces according to the ultrasound, approximately the size of a large tomato!

Total Weight Gain:
7 pounds according to our home scale (that may be slightly less than accurate thanks to a little somebody who likes to jump on it to see the numbers change) and exactly 10 according to the doctor (I think we splurged a little on our trip this weekend!)

Maternity Clothes:
I wore my "fat jeans" buttoned low under my belly for our anniversary date last week, but I knew for sure it would be the last time I wore them! I unbuttoned them the minute I sat down in the car to leave the house!

Gender:
IT'S A BOY!

Movement:
I have a little rolly polly in there... lots of soft little movements here and there throughout the day are a constant reminder of my little co-inhabitant! He seems to be really active mostly at night, too.

What I miss:
Free time! There are a lot of things I used to do that there just isn't as much time for anymore, but I'm so thankful for this little window of time in my life where little hands and hearts constantly need me.

Sleep:
I've been having recurring dreams about my Mom that are kind of hard. I dream that she didn't really die, and I run into her later and she is confused about why our lives are so different and why we've been acting as though she had died. There's something so disconcerting about seeing someone and interacting with them exactly as they were in your dreams, and then waking up knowing they're not here anymore.

Symptoms:
I'm still craving apples with cheese sticks like crazy and having really stuffy nose at night.

Best moment this week:
Finding our baby is a baby brother! Now we just have to pick out a name.

What I'm looking forward to:
Seeing Kenna be a big sister. She is CRAZY about babies already!

Here is the end of the 4th month belly pictures. We took this one during our trip to the mountains this weekend (more about that soon!). It's nice to take belly pictures and see that I'm not quite as big as I feel!

We're so thankful for the ways the Lord has blessed our growing little family. We know that this little one, and Kenna too, are "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). One of our prayers for our kids is from Ephesians 3:

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and high and long and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (verses 16-19)