2007-08-03 Michelle's Update

August 3, 2007

Hi Everyone,

It feels like forever since I have "updated." Lots has gone on, as usual. Melanie and her family just left a couple of hours ago. It was great fun to have them here. The kids just play and play and play. They are all exhausted. Melanie was able to come to the YMCA with me and to our new pool. We kept busy. My kids will suffer withdrawel. Good thing it's the weekend and we have Hans here tomorrow all day. We joined our local swimming pool, which is great. It's a 2 minute drive and the kids love it. I was tired of being hot and feeling stuck in my house. It's a salt water chlorine, which sold me on the pool. It's SO nice. Melanie assures me it's not hot here. She had a blanket around her sitting outside, but she's used to over 100.

Attached are pictures from the pool of the girls swimming and of Justin pushing around the shopping cart. He's busy pushing things around. He loves to do that. Also of Ashley with her backpack filled with her school supplies and of the girls after a luau party we went to. I think that's all.

Justin is 16 months old officially and a great talker. I've been impressed. He used to say "bu" and do" for bug and dog, but now he can say the g sound on the end. He can say: ball, bug, dog, bike, car, down, up, buckle, waffle, bite, bottle (bobble), milk, cookie (this is my favorite and he says it perfectly), water, mine, no, mommy, daddy, ashley, out, na-night, and more, I am sure. These are the words you can actually understand clearly. He's really an amazing talker for a 16 month old.

The girls are well. Ashley is excited for school. She has turned into an amazing swimmer. She isn't timid anymore. She is great with just her arm floaties and will jump in and bob around and swim under the water. She's made a ton of improvement this year. I'm excited to get her in swim lessons eventually. I've had a hard time committing two weeks to something. I enjoy my flexibility:) She starts soccer in the fall. Katelyn is my social butterfly who plays well with everyone. She's a great friend. She is not so excited to start pre-school, but excited to start gymnastics while Ashley's in school.

Hans is his usual busy self. He purchased an x-box "for the office" so he says. It's pretty fun, actually. I enjoy the old-school games with way less violence and no bad language. He bought these for the kids at the office who are waiting. Hopefully we have people waiting at some point. They've started construction.

I'm 30 weeks pregnant and oh so very tired. I can't sleep at night, which is frustrating. Luckily the baby seems to be doing well and my uterus is holding up (too much information?). I had an ultrasound yesterday to make sure the scar was not stretching too far and the lining was thick enough. It is. I've had a lot of pain, which is unusual. They are cautious with someone like me who's had way too many c-sections this close together. I have to go in weekly for monitoring. Lucky me. I've been advised to space the next one further away, assuming my uterus can handle another pregnancy. I still have to shoot for my 7, right? I get lots of crazy looks from people. I've learned to just smile and assume they are envious. I feel so grateful that my children are so well behaved and just nice people and that I have a supportive husband and several really good friends who are willing to help me out. Seeing the baby in the ultrasound made me excited to deliver and have a new person in the house. I stayed strong and still told them not to tell me the gender of the baby. It will still be a surprise.

Well, that's all!

Hope all is well with you,

Michelle