It's hard to believe we're half way through Elise's first year with us. I commented to Max that this time around is different. With Ryan, I spent the first year holding on to each milestone with careful trepidation, feeling like there was sadness as he left each phase for the next . I don't know if this was a result of what infertility does to your head and heart. You literally cannot believe you finally got what you wished for, so every aspect of your blessed child's development is more precious and fragile and fleeting. Or if it's just not knowing what you don't know: you have no idea how fun watching your child's first steps can be until you see it happen and get to the next new accomplishment. Amazingly, this forward progression just doesn't stop. It may slow in comparison to the first year, but literally I am amazed by Ryan every single day. (Though the weighted subject of my photos below might seem we're a bit more into Elise at this point...it couldn't be farther from the truth.)

This time around it's just about the savoring with very little sadness. I don't feel the rush to move her on to the next stage. But rather am content to just sit back and watch the next new thing as it develops on it's own.  For example, Ms. Elise rolled over for the first time this week. With Ryan, I would have tried every day to make him replicate it for Max or the camera. Now, I'm just patiently waiting for her to do it again. She'll figure it out in her own time. It feels much more organic and less scary this time around.

Ryan has literally transformed in the last two weeks with his new class. He's back to his cuddly, considerate, sometimes-too-boistrous, creative self. Right now he knows everything and likes to take care to explain the world to Max and myself. He's been starting sentences with the word "Apparently," but then goes on to misuse the word "Natural" (Natural can be used to describe healthy, first or original). We've had similar mix ups with the words "Really" and "Very." And funny enough, he's picked up the word "bunk" or "bunky" to describe something that is not good. I think he must have misheard "funky." It keeps us laughing though.

Elise and Ryan are really into each other right now. The competition in Ryan's eyes is over for today at least. He's moved in to a role as her caretaker. If a toy falls, he's the first to pick it up unasked. He talks to her like we talk to her. And yesterday we spent 15 minutes calming him from a nightmare during nap where he thought the baby was on his trundle stuck in a blanket. Elise is in equal awe of her big brother. I swear she's going to get a neck ache as she whips her head around trying to follow his constant motion.

At six months she's having little conversations with us and the other babies in her class. She loves standing on her sturdy little legs too watch the world around her. She's learning to embrace baths and she's getting great at maneuvering her hands. She can put her binkie in on her own (though she rarely takes one to soothe herself...only when she's sick. Which right now seems to be every week.) We're super blessed to have the president of Devos Children's Hopsital as our pediatrician and our practice participates in GRAPES (Grand Rapids After-hour Emergency Services). So when our child is sick and the nurses think it's serious after 5pm, we just call the nurse line and we get triaged into a clinic just for kids staffed by docs from one of five participating pediatric practices. It is AMAZING and we've made serious use of it in the last three weeks with a gastro bug, ear infection with  high fever, croup and infected diaper rash. Our insurance is probably wondering what's up! All in all though, she's been a happy, growing girl (17lbs!).

Many of you have also heard—because I can't stop bragging about it— Max was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Michigan High School Football Association. It's such a huge honor since it's voted on by coaches across the state. He's worked so hard for it, especially given that we had a new head coach this year. Making it to the State playoffs for the first time in school history is such a small part of what he does. But it sure sounds great doesn't it? He also started zero hour today. Translation: he starts teaching at 6:30 am every morning. Anything he can do to keep health in the classroom and from being an opt-out option or taught online! (Because we all really want our kids to learn how to become healthy and active while sitting in front of a computer...or better yet, to learn sex ed from the vast array of information online, right?)

So on to the show. Hope all of you have equally great weeks.
Love Court, Max, Ryan + Elise

PS. Make sure to check out our YouTube channel to see Ryan's belated posting of his bday video. 

Momma playing with her new Holga lens!

The Kerry's are all about their wind pants.

 

Did we mention she's teething?

 

She's got mad acrobatic skills.

Ryan has been into exercise lately. Ryan was doing a yoga tape with me Friday night when I got a call in the middle of the session about a work issue. 15 minutes later when I came downstairs, I found him like this. Earlier in the session he stopped doing down dog (under me) and was standing with his hands on my back. I asked what he was doing and he said "Helping you mom. Now it's your turn." He was mimicking the instructor on the tape to a T!

He also loves to elipticate.

Elise's first day of school!

Special date night dinner.

A normal Friday these days.

And a normal Tuesday these days. (I'm not working in the office Tues and Fri's right now.)

23 Weeks

The holidays have come and gone in the blink of the eye. And though the days since our last post have flown by, there were days that seemed to drag on forever too. Things that flew:
- Ryan turning four
- The progress that Elise has made transitioning from newbie to baby
- The time needed to prep for the holidays
- The time I've needed to meet work commitments

Things that dragged on forever it seemed:
- Hours waiting to hear that Max's mom was back home after a recent hospital scare
- Days spent on the couch with various illnesses
- The week's countdown to tomorrow

Tomorrow Elise starts daycare at the same child development center that Ryan has been at since he was one, Milestones. This day always seemed so abstract and in the future. So it shocks me that the fact that it's upon us feels like such a dreadful surprise. She's ready, I think. She's social, and now sitting up. Curious and communicative with her wide smiles, pterodactyl shrieks and puffy little hands that like to stroke our faces. But she still seems so dependent and tiny. It's very upsetting to think some stranger (ok, we know the teachers, but relatively speaking) gets the privilege of hanging out with her all day. It seemed so much more appropriate when my parents were caring for her. A teacher is paid to do for her job and it's what I'd LOVE to be doing for fun...and she's probably not half as excited as I would be to do so. I know we'll look back on her experience and see the long-term benefits, since this affords me the ability to work, help support our family and will be a wonderful early childhood exposure to learning and socialization. I'm just not ready and probably never will be.

Ryan has spent the last two weeks transitioning to his new classroom: Pre-K B. After weeks of deliberating if we were making the right choice, we pulled Ryan from his previous class due to a child who was a bad influence and very violent. Already it seems to be paying off and Ryan has now accepted the change. He was very hesitant at first, but in the end we think this is best. The class is comprised of kids that will be moving on to young 5s or kindergarten come fall, so it's ahead of him age-wise, but the curriculumn seems to fit him well and the new staff is great. I feel like he's already talking more maturely and walking a bit taller...Big boy status now that he's four. He's been spending time with daddy playing trucks, trains and outdoors since when we're home Ms. Elise demands a lot of my attention...and Max has no milk glands :)

Work for me has been insane. This is my busiest three weeks of the year and they always straddle the holidays. This year seemed especially challenging since I thought I had finally figured out how to honor all our holiday traditions and appear both balanced and somewhat pleasant while balancing cooking, shopping and work emails at all hours. But now with two kids, little sleep and illness, I was lucky to shower everyday (my apologies to my fellow ddmers.) All in all my team is doing great. In fact we've landed several new projects and a clients that are an important addition to ddm's portfolio. But truthfully, the career wins feel like a drag when all you want to do is tell your clients that the strategic plan you just gave them is not nearly as impressive as what you were able to pick up with your toes while nursing a 5 month old and scolding a four year old simultaneously. My current clients and motherhood are not the best mix. We'll leave it at that :)

Max heads back to school after a bummer of a break. He got a bad upper respirtory infection and was down starting Christmas Eve. He's much better, but is looking forward to a semester that promises a schedule change....teaching begins at 6:30am for a zero hour in two weeks. Our earlier riser will rise earlier yet!

That's about all from cold, cold Michigan (it's going to be 50 here this weekend!) Love to each of you,
Court, Max, Ryan + Elise

Ryan at his school's holiday performance with Ms Ashley.

Ryan after his performance celebrating his 4th birthday at The Score with my family.

Ryan wanted a construction themed party. 

Henry Danger and Ryan have been good buddies since born and are only days apart. My have they grown!

Elise loves the DJ station as much as Ryan did when it was his.

Christmas Eve tummy time.

Ryan opening gifts on Christmas Eve at Nami & Papa's.

Me and my babies, 5:30am Christmas morning.

Ryan has wanted nothing more this year than to see Uncle B's (Brian) childhood truck collection when we go to Ithaca this summer. He was beyond excited to actually unwrap one of the collection on Christmas morning. He's pretty sure it's a Spartan fire truck.

It was a Spiderman Christmas! He's all about super heros....though he's never really seen a show about them.

Ryan and Max got matching Spiderman tshirts. Ryan wore his for three days straight.

Little Ms. loved her new chair and bag full of babies!

The crew assembled for Christmas dinner.

Though this appears gruesome, its only bathtub paint and Ryan's new fire chief sprayer backpack.

Nana (Max's mom) made it out again for Christmas...and to meet her newest Grand baby!

New Years was spent at a private party...we made cookies, I worked and we spent the day recovering from various illnesses.

Sleeping beauty. If only she was only this good at it all the time. Yesterday I was able to catch up on some sleep after nearly two weeks of averaging 4.5 hours a night. She's healthy now praise God!