Our Life in Rewind

Blog, is that you? Wow, it has been so long since we have talked! :) Yes, we finally have the internet...woo hoo!! 3 weeks is just too long when you are a stay at home mom! This blog is dedicated to a rewind of our lives the past month, because a lot sure has happened!
We closed on our new house on September 24th and moved on it. We just LOVE it. We have so much space, a huge yard, a fruit orchard (apple, apricot, pear, & peach trees-along with 3 blueberry bushes and a grape vine!), huge garden, nice big garage, and the kitchen I have always wanted. It is just perfect. Besides the fact now I think I might be expected to become Betty Crocker with all the fruit I am going to have!
We (and when I say we, I mean my Dad) has been busy painting almost all of the rooms in the new house. We had all the colors picked out and ready to go, so we have the majority of them done. I did take before and after pictures, so those will follow in a later blog. We are adjusting quite well to the "quiter" neighbohood, and Reese loves all the space she has to run and play in our backyard.
Almost 2 weeks ago my mom came up for an entire week and helped me unpack, de clutter, organize, and arrange the house to get in working order. Thank goodness I had her, otherwise we would still be unpacking. Between Reese and Preston, it is hard to get anything done for more than 10 minute increments. Somebody always needs something :)
Reese is doing very well staying at home with me. She likes being a big sister, and is so gentle with Preston. I have not seen jealousy or acting out with her yet, and hopefully she doesn't. It was like Christmas for her opening all the boxes with her toys that she hadn't seen in a month since they had been in storage. She would open a box and yell with excitement "Mom, we have this one at OUR house!!" She didn't quite get the concept that these were her toys, transported from the old house :) We are in full fleged potty training mode, and she goes on the potty, but not willingly. We are still having to take her in every few hours,  but she will get there soon.
Preston is doing much better than before. The gas drops I started giving him seem to help, and I have been avoiding tomatoes to help as well. He is still gassy and spits up, but not nearly as much and he isn't in pain from it. I have come to the conclusion that since he won't take a Nuk, he self soothes himself by crying himself to sleep. I was always able to pop the Nuk in Reese's mouth to help soothe her to go to sleep, but Preston wants nothing to do with it (which is ok so I wont have to go through the process of one day taking it away!) He is smiling all the time now, and is really developing a personality. He is an "ok" sleeper, could be better, but I'm sure could be much worse too! I have a hard time getting him to sleep lying down (I did with Reese too) and right now he likes to sleep in the swing. So we will have that habit to break soon. I can get him down for 1 or two naps in his pack n'play, but he will not sleep in there at night.
Kyle has adjusted to having a 30 minute commute to work instead of 10, and I think actually enjoys the down time on the way home to decompress before entering the "house of crazy" as I like to call it :) Reese is overjoyed when he gets home, and turns into a wild child for the remaining hours until she goes to bed. She is so much fun right now, being able to have "adult converstaions" with her, and listening to her thought process about everything. Such a fun girl!
I, also, have adjusted to being a stay at home mom right now. I am running on little sleep, which is challenging, but love being here with the kids everyday. We have already taken advantage of the programs that the library runs (storyhour, art hour, book reading, etc) and we are going to check out the Lutheran churches preschool hour this next Tuesday. I also hope to get her in swimming lessons this winter (maybe at the YMCA in Janesville-only about 15 minutes away.)
So, there ya have it, our life in rewind this past month or so. We have been busy, busy, and are now settling down and finally enjoying our time as a family again in our new house. It is nice not to have to travel all over northern Illinois to see each other :)