Dearest family and friends,
Some apologies (but not many) for the paperless update and postcards. It really will save a lot of green: paper to save the earth and postage to save our budget, as well as the fact that I don’t have to worry about formatting this page, making copies or running out of ink. (Phew! That’ll leave enough time to actually bake some Christmas cookies this year!) Maybe we’ll be innovators of a new trend…
On to the update you’ve all been waiting for!
Our greatest accomplishment of the year, is, of course, adding our beautiful Leah Katharine to our family. She is now six months (already!), sitting up quite well, spitting out all her food, preferring the Nuk (pacifier) to nursing to sleep (during the day – the opposite of her brother), loving playing with toys, loving watching her brother play even more, and growing quite a little personality. In fact, the lady behind us in church said, “What a lot of character in that little body!” when she was about three months old. I’m still trying to figure out just what that woman saw that particular day, but she’s right!
“Before Baby”
We had a low-key winter before March threw us back into a whirlwind spring: trips to the circus and the Grand Rapids Symphony presentation of “Teddy Bear Picnic”, and an Easter vacation to Florida/Disney World to see Uncle AJ off before he deployed to Iraq (AJ is back in Michigan for good now, as of Sunday 12/21). Paul was a joy in Florida, wishing to swim like a fish and ready to try anything at Disney World (although unsure of a few rides once on them, like Pirates and the Haunted Mansion). The best part of the Disney day was the very last thing we did. In Toonland there’s a little play area that has lily pads that shoot water out at random. Paul played in them and began by getting wet, then looking at Mommy to see if it was okay. After receiving encouraging laughter from the adults, he graduated to standing directly over the fountains or putting his face in, giggling gleefully in anticipation of the snoot-ful he was about to receive! He was a sopping mess by the end (see pictures), but we had extra clothes just in case and were happy to change him in the middle of the park!
Paul turned three April 30th, and we were aware that it was his last birthday as the “only” child to dote upon. We gave him a whole day of fun: streamers in his doorway upon awakening, surprise Elmo cupcakes awaited him at breakfast, Mommy took a day off work to play with him, we went out to lunch (his choice: Chinese buffet, the one with Superman ice cream for dessert!), opened presents here and there, and went to Chuck E. Cheese with the grandparents for dinner. Talk about one exhausted three-year-old by the end of the day! That weekend we celebrated with a Big Bird cake, both sets of grandparents and all the aunts and uncles who were in the country at the time. The same week, Paul also was invited to play Duck, Duck Goose with a whole class of eighth graders at our church. It was a riot; for more, read the post on the website about that day.
Immediately after the grandparents left from the birthday party, we hosted our friends who have a 5 ˝-year-old girl and a boy Paul’s age. The kids had a blast playing together, our dishwasher couldn’t take it anymore and died, and then the evening that those friends left, Paul’s godmother came for a visit. After 10 straight days of company, he cried for 10 minutes after waking up on Monday morning with no one extra sleeping in our house! (And we got a new dishwasher that week, which works AMAZING and only flooded leaked into the basement once, before it was completely installed.)
Paul was definitely preparing for the birth of a sister: he started fighting naps, acting completely defiant, and telling Mommy (just once) that he wanted Leah to go away. He mourned the loss of my lap and I think he could sense that he was going to lose some of my time, too. He already was, to “tired Mommy” who didn’t want to play as rough or as much as she used to. We were at wits’ end and finally instituted a “respect jar” behavior system: Paul got to eat 10 M&Ms each night with his bedtime books, but for each time he defied or disrespected his parents, he lost one. It was pretty successful for a while, but we cancelled it this fall after he stopped caring about M&Ms!
An interesting developmental note: after learning about the Easter story, Paul developed a fear of death. He spent an entire Mass in a crummy mood because he saw the crucifix above the altar and got upset. I think that for a while, he thought that HE would have to die on a cross like Jesus, that the mean soldiers would poke his side, and perhaps that it would happen as a child. One night we figured this out when he said, “When I am bigger, I won’t be afraid to die. But then I’ll need a bigger cross.” Wow. How many of us won’t be afraid to die when we’re bigger, cross or not? Sometimes the maturity and selflessness of this kid overwhelms me. …and then he’ll scream “No!” or refuse to put his clothes on, and I remember: He is definitely still just three years old.
“Leah is born!”
Leah has retained some of the personality she started about 2 weeks before her birth: she often is very content doing whatever she is doing until she is completely ___________ (fill in blank with tired, hungry, or bored) and then she screams and wants her wish fulfilled IMMEDIATELY. I thought she was coming every day for about two weeks, and would often be on the couch in pain by afternoon or evening. When she finally came, it took about 5 hours of labor and 39 minutes in the hospital and – she was born. 100% invested in whatever she is doing and totally focused, that’s our little Leah! I had a lot of help from my mother, who stayed a week to help out with Paul, meals, and li’l ol’ me, and my wonderful friends and Bible study gals, who brought meals until I ran out of friends! The physical recovery was a bit harder than with Paul, but Leah was an easy baby and I knew what I was doing more, enough so that I was out picking strawberries a week after Leah’s birth. My mother thinks that was ludicrous, but those berries sure taste good coming out of the freezer this time of year, and Leah slept in her stroller the whole time anyway! Paul, amazingly, chose the week of Leah’s birth to hit his required 7 dry nights in a row and earned the right to wear underwear to bed. Then he started fighting me tooth and nail at naptime when I was tired too and liable to fight back. That made for a rough transition, and Kris and I often asked, “Where is our sweet little boy?” The sweet little boy never totally came back, but we’ve found our stride as a family now and the bumps of misbehavior are shorter and more manageable. (Wait until tomorrow – I’ll be erasing that part!)
“Summer Fun”
We managed to travel 2 hours to Kalkaska for the Fourth of July festivities when Leah was just 2 ˝ weeks old. It was wonderful to see my extended family and introduce them all to Leah, who was the star of the weekend. Between her and our resident 3-year-olds (Paul and my cousins’ daughter, Alysen), I’ve never seen more “paparazzi” with cameras snapping shots! Paul loved the boat this year and had no fear of boat rides, and he even went tubing behind the boat at a pretty decent speed (with a parent on the tube). He and Kris fell off just once, as we were trolling in to the dock. Still no fear! Hooray!
We quickly filled the rest of the summer with blueberry picking, playing outside, learning to ride a two-wheel bike with training wheels (like a pro the first day, tumbles and all, scared of moving the next, and then like a pro for good after a week), a trip to Rogers City to visit Grandma and Dzia Dzia in August, camping as a family, and Aunt Michelle’s wedding the weekend after Labor Day. The kids and I stayed in RC for a week while poor Daddy had to work, then he joined us for the end of the Nautical Festival and my 10-year class reunion (a hoot! The most fun I’ve had all year).
We are very proud of our accomplishment of camping with a 3-year-old and 2-month-old…camping, mind you, with zero amenities beyond the firepit, and leaving our house in a slight drizzle with the forecast of “chance of rain” all weekend. We seriously lucked out and had no rain for setup or take-down and just a few hours of precipitation the second morning. Paul had a fabulous time, enjoying the food over the campfire, the novelty of sleeping in a tent, the “tinkle tree”, and the huge waves Lake Michigan shared with us after our 10-minute hike over dunes so steep and tall we thought we’d never make it. I was very thankful for my sling and a baby who becomes more contented the more outside air she gets. Even going from inside our screen tent to outside, Leah would calm down. It was hard work, seriously hard work, to manage the children and the demands of camp life, but the challenge made the rewards all the more sweet. It was a truly priceless weekend, and one we hope to repeat year after year. We love the thought of our children reminiscing on their childhood and having a traditional “family camping trip” to reflect on each year.
On the flipside, Michelle and Tejay will only get married once – and what a day it was! Paul was cute as a button in his tuxedo and wild as can be on the dance floor. He himself said he wouldn’t dance with Mommy because he was dancing with all the pretty ladies – a true statement! He picked up more 20-something women than most 20-something guys I know! So many people asked us where he learned his dance moves…I wish we knew! He simply loves music and even has personal “dance parties” in his room when he is supposed to be having “quiet play time” (what “naps” evolve into when your child is three!). It was a beautiful, well-organized, and holy day that will be talked about in the Kimball/Brinker/Evans clan for years to come!
“Fall Fest”
September dawned the start of a new school year: the first time I’m not starting school in 24 years. My job was cut because of budget in the spring, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as it would have been a big discernment process about whether to continue my six hours a week with two children. Odd, though, not having any change in my schedule after Labor Day. I’m still adjusting to being completely “at home” with no one (ever) to keep me accountable for my time other than me (and our resident three-year-old, who will tell you if your house is dirty or if you’re wasting precious playtime!).
We enjoyed time as a family at a local apple orchard twice, riding the wagon to pick apples (2 ˝ bushel overall, and there are only a few left), sampling the cider, and allowing Paul to make all the choices in the corn maze. We bought pumpkins to carve, and Paul and Kris designed their own “scary” jack-o-lantern face.
Paul is old enough to start preschool this year, but we’re not quite ready for that. A friend and I are sharing teaching responsibilities for five families every other week and working through a Catholic homeschool preschool program. It’s been great for Paul to have “school” and a teacher, time with friends, and we do a calendar at home and work a little on the side as well. I’m excited to see all that he’s capable of learning, and I only wish I had more time to prepare lessons for him and more self-discipline to really keep a regular schedule of “school time”. In spite of all that, he’s learning to read some sight words and can blend about any three-letter phonetic word, with a little help on the vowels at times. Good stuff!
We also let Paul try computer games from the library for the first time this fall. He was totally enraptured at first and would ask to play right after breakfast. I worried that it would be an addiction, but already it has tapered off, just like any other toy. It’s fun watching his prowess with a mouse, and hearing him develop technical language skills like “exit” and “click”.
Somehow Paul created an alter ego, named "Jason", this fall. We don't know any Jasons, nor are there any in books we've read, so even the name is a mystery. Unlike many kids who have imaginary friends, Jason IS Paul, and "Paul" is the imaginary one. !! Jason was four years old for a while, then five, and now he's 10. He has parents, but he really likes being at our house. We let him stay mostly, but if he misbehaves we do threaten to send him home to his folks!
If you check out the pictures, you'll see that Paul is a big helper -- in the kitchen, painting, with tools, and outside. He likes to be near his parents and will help, or "help", with anything. We are proud that he is a man of prayer already -- he always prays for the emergency when he hears a siren and he likes praying the Rosary and often requests to do the whole thing instead of just a decade for night prayer. He got to try ice skating twice now and is pretty doggone good for a 3-year-old, we think! He loves hockey and wants to take lessons, along with gymnastics, which he saw on Sesame Street. We'll have to see what January brings...
Leah is growing like a weed, although still very petite as babies her age go. She is not mobile yet, but she’d like to be. She pushes hard on her arms when on her belly, and ends up going backward a few inches and screeching when she realizes she’s actually further away from her target! She loves exploring the Christmas tree and touching the ornaments, when she’s highly supervised. She is still a “100% girl”, fighting to stay awake until she must fall asleep, usually deeply, nursing hard and fast and then crying the second she’s done because she’s not playing yet, and throwing baby tantrums if we take something away from her that she wants. Give it back, and the screaming stops in an instant! I worry about my little drama queen as a toddler and (shudder) teenager. It will be a fun trip to see how this personality develops.
We started food the weekend before she turned 6 months, and unlike her brother, she is not yet a fan of eating. She was SO excited the first time to finally get a chance to do what she’s been watching everyone else do for so long, but after a few bites, she started making faces and has decided it’s easier to push food out of her mouth than swallow. She’ll eat about a half an ice cube of pears, or a few bites of sweet potato or rice cereal, but then her lips are closed and she’s not easily impressed by anything, although the “airplane” game makes some headway at getting the spoon into the mouth.
Leah is a real “people person” and loves to smile and giggle at people behind us in church, in line at the store, etc. She’s the hit of every get together we go to, and many people call her “Little Paul” because of her remarkable resemblance to her brother. It looks like she’s growing brown hair, though, perhaps with a touch of red, so between that and her more feminine features, she’s taking on her own look now.
Now you know more than you possibly want to about the Kimball family 2008! Come visit sometime and join Kris and Paul as they sled off the deck and down the hill in our backyard! Click on the “Pictures” tab to the left on the main page of kimballfam.com to view a “2008 year in review” – a few pics from each month or big event.
A very Blessed Christmas and Happy and healthy New Year to all of you!
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