New Year 2013

Wow, I can't believe 2012 has already come to a close.  It has been exactly 1 year since I found out that we would be expecting a new addition, and that new addition is just 4 days shy of 4 months.  2012 brought us a lot of ups and downs, joys and sorrows, but one thing remained constant-God's love.  He has blessed us beyond measure and continued to be there with us every step of our journey.

We have come so far this year as a family, physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.  I have watched my children grow and learn, embrace change and thrive from it, and I have watched my son gain so much confidence and take charge over his emotions.

Joshua has always been my sensitive one. From the time he was an infant loud noise, crowded places and over stimulation would send him into a tizzy.  When he was 3 these 'fears' presented themselves in the form of hives and anaphylaxtic reactions that had us racing to Children's hospital often and we kept a large stash of epi-pens on hand.  Then came 2012 and I am happy to announce that it has been a SOLID YEAR of NO HOSPITAL TRIPS for Joshua!!!  He still battles with hives and fears, but they have gotten SO MUCH BETTER now that he is able to communicate and work through his emotions better. It has been such a joy to watch Joshua emerge from his shell and embrace change, new environments, crowds and people.  He even got up in front of every Harrison family member on Christmas Eve and played the piano-a HUGE step!! In 2012, Joshua learned all of his letters, capital and lowercase, the sound the made, learned simple math, a few simple sight words and learned how to color inside the lines.  He can now take showers by himself, can assist in putting together legos and learned how to ride a 2 wheeler briefly. He is now 38lbs and wears size 5 clothing.  Joshua goes out of his way to pray for family members and friends when they are sick or hurt and is always good about reminding us to pray before we eat.  He wants to be a drummer when he grows up and his prayer for 2013 is that Jesus will take him to Heaven again in this dreams. He loves star wars, legos, skylanders, books, fighter pods, the color green and playing rough with the boys.

Madelynn has also grown and changed so much in 2012.  She went from sleeping in a crib/side car crib to sleeping in her own bed (bunk bed that she shares with Joshua) and is now fully potty trained day and night.  Madelynn started 2012 with a 5day stay in Children's hospital for RSV but has kicked butt this year and other than a bought of bronchitis just before Christmas she has been pretty healthy.  Like her brother, though, she now battles with hives but we have not found a link for her. She's a tough cookie about it though, she is a true fighter!!  Madelynn is a sweet heart but very stubborn, Dan jokes that she is a lot like me :)  She is now 26lbs and wears size 3T/4T clothing.  She loves her babies, books, dress up, princesses, the color purple, dragons and snuggles.  She also still craves a ton of skin to skin contact.  When she grows up she wants to work at the zoo with dragons and her prayer for 2013 is that Jesus will make her a real princess.

Emma Lou has changed our world in so many ways.  She is a pure joy, always happy, and a delight to all who see her. We get stopped often from people passing us by who tell us how cute she is and then they completely melt when she smiles at them.  She is now nearly 4m old and weighs 17lbs and now wears 9m clothing.  She has rolled over a handful of times from her belly to her back, sleeps 10-12hrs straight a night and takes 3 2hr naps daily.  She sucks her middle and ring finger on her left hand when she is tired, looks for any and all chances to nurse, loves her bath and loves to be carried or worn in the Ergo.  My prayer for Emma in 2013 is that she will grow, thrive and enjoy the new adventures and milestones ahead and that she will continue to be a joy to others, a light in the darkness.

As I end this last blog post of 2012 I pray that you find delight in the Lord this coming year. That you break through the confines of religion and find a true relationship with Jesus Christ.  I pray that you reach out to those who are hurting around your and find ways to bless them, even in the smallest and simplest of ways.  I pray that you find time to get on your knees before your God.

Jeremiah 29:11 

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Emma Lou and Pumpkins too

 My Emma Lou is already 2months old-boy the times flies!  She recently had a sick dr visit and she weighed 12lbs 13.5oz.  They also said she had an ear infection in both ears and bronchitis :(  Poor baby!  It's been one thing after another (found out she has a dairy allergy/sensitivity, I got mastitis, and now this).  She's growing so fast and she's a pure delight! She smiles and coos now and loves to snuggle.  Here are a few new pics!

Now on to the pumpkins! 

 Scooping out the PUMPKIN GUTS
lol 

Joshua carving his pumpkins-both kids

he did nearly the entire thing by himself

  

  

Madelynn carving her pumpkin 

 the face she had help with from Miss Shelley

 The kids' finished pumpkins

Joshua's vampire...Madelynn's smile...Joshua's pirate

Ten on Tuesday

I have been wanting to blog about something other than school for a while but my time has not allowed for much when on most days I had 5 kids ages 4 and younger in the house.  When some were sleeping others were not so my blog has been greatly neglected...until now!!  

Here is some Ten on Tuesday to give you a glimpse into current life (or life the last few months) here in the Harrison Household:

1.) We are in our FINAL week of Pre K with Joshua!!  This has been a year long process that I have really slacked on!  When we first started last September the plan was to do through all 26weeks only breaking for Christmas.  Well, that worked well, until Christmas, then it kind of got put on hold/stalled as morning sickness kicked in and made the next 22weeks VERY difficult with other children in the house.  Since then we have been playing catch up and it has taken us a long time to get to this final week!!  I will be grateful for the break-until October-when we start up K4! Joshua is REALLY excited for the math and reading that will come this next year!!

2.) The kids have enjoyed watching the construction happening on our new apartment complex that will open May 2013.  We can look out our windows and watch them every step of the way.  They have just recently finished (well are finishing I guess) the underground garages and getting ready to put up the first floor.  It is suppose to open up May 1st, 2013 and we are first on the list for a 3bedroom apartment.  We cannot wait!! Right now we will have all 5 of us crammed into a 2bedroom unit, which works, but its crowded in the bedrooms.

3.) Speaking of adding a new baby-we are coming down to the end of this pregnancy and I have mixed emotions about it.  This may, in fact, be our last little one and though I agree-looking at finances-I long for a large family and I LOVE being pregnant.  However this pregnancy, especially the last month and a half, have been rough as I have dealt with preterm labor and contractions that last for days at a time.  It will be bittersweet to have our little girl in our arms, but I know we are ALL excited to meet her!!

4.) Joshua and Madelynn got to participate in Family Style VBS this past August and since then Joshua's love for dancing has boomed! He's always loved music and dancing but lately it is all he does.  He wakes up and wants music on.  He wants everyone looking at him while he dances and he has remembered a lot of the movements from the VBS dancers :)  Here are some recent dance moves-thanks to the movie Puss and Boots: the litter box dance: 

5.) Madelynn also loves music, song and dance, but she is usually found singing!  She sings about everything and anything and makes up her own songs throughout the day.  It does my heart good to listen to her sing! And I love this picture that a dear friend took of Moo singing while we were out playing.

6.) Wow, this is harder than I thought it would be-coming up with 10 new things to talk about.  I think I always get to this point in this post and I sit and scratch my head.  Hmmm...Well, we are now 38wks pregnant and baby girl has become REALLY active lately.  The kids are so excited for their baby sister to arrive.  This morning Madelynn climbed into my bed and said "Mom, I want your Emma to come out. I want to nuggle her!"  And this has been repeated a LOT today.  And nuggle means snuggle in 2 year old talk :)

7.) A have found a new addiction this pregnancy and it is CUCUMBER WATER.  It is so refreshing on hot days and super easy to make.  I just peel a cucumber, slice it up and add it to cold water-letting it sit/seep in the fridge for a while then enjoy!  So far today I have drank nearly 3quarts-that's 96oz of water!!!  

8.) The MN State Fair is going on right now and we are debating on going.  Well, actually DAN is debating on going. I don't like the large crowds being surrounded by people I don't know and almost everywhere you turn you see a little kid/baby crying in their stroller because they are bored, hot and tired.  Do you and your family go to the State Fair?? What is your favorite things to see and eat there??

9.) Laundry...does it ever end???  Normally I don't mind doing laundry-I always found it relaxing until I have to put it away.  Now that I am 9m pregnant and I have a front loader washer and dryer it is more of a chore just to add the clothes to the correct spot as I cannot bend over and breath at the same time.  Each day, each load, brings me closer to meeting baby girl and I know I will miss all the feelings pregnancy, however I think touching my feet and bending while breathing will be things that I enjoy greatly!!

10.) Ten things!! I made it!!  Whew that was kind of tricky!!  I will end this on a birth note: did you know we are planning a WATER BIRTH?  I will be delivering at Abbott in downtown Mpls and have the chance to deliver baby girl in water with my midwife, Dan, both kids and a VERY DEAR FRIEND who will be taking pictures!! Oh I can't wait to share our little Emma Lou with all of you!!!