And we're mobile!

Nolan has finally decided that traveling with his feet satisfies his curiosities much better than crawling on all fours! He's getting better with each day, though he still looks like he's gotten into the liquor stash. :-) He's understanding more and more, and is becoming even more vocal. He's responding to directions, which makes things so much easier!

Kiersten is also becoming quite "grown". I sometimes forget that she has the limitations of a 4-year-old, because we have some interesting conversations. She's as hyper as ever, and constantly makes up new songs, dances and games. She has imaginary "racing friends" that come over almost daily. Sometimes they have to be told to go home if they're making her too wild. We're hoping to have her in preschool next year, which we expect will get her focused and maybe will get those wiggles out!

Richard and I are still looking for teaching jobs. I can't wait till I'm not dependent on the whims of the government for assistance. They've voted to extend benefits for unemployment, but mine was coming to an end soon anyway. I cannot believe it has been nearly 2 years since I've taught. It's going to make it hard to get a job, and principals will most likely start to wonder why I've not found one. Richard is enjoying his job as a chauffeur at Givens Estates. It doesn't pay him nearly what he's worth, or the work he does. But the residents and his coworkers love him. We visit him on occasion to have a VERY brief lunch or just to say hello to him and maybe Susan, if she's on campus.

Mom is living away from us - 4 hours! - so we don't see her as often. We're going to visit this weekend. Kiersten is super excited to see her Abi. And I know she can't wait to see her grand babies.

We're so ready for Spring, or at least the warm weather, so we can venture out of the house without being weighed down by our coats! There are so many great parks in the area, and my goal is to visit each one in the county at least once! That may be a theme for the spring & summer.

November already?

It's so cliché, but it's very true: the time has FLOWN! My little man's first birthday is exactly 3 weeks away. My baby girl is growing up & becoming so much more independent. I still don't feel old enough to be a mom! These 2 are such blessings to us. I still can't believe they're ours!

My newest hobby and my interview fatigue

I've been wanting to learn how to crochet for a good while now. My aunt Shirley was in town for a day and a half and wanted to go to a yarn store in the village, so I took the opportunity to get started right then, while I had a teacher literally in-house. I got some cool pink yarn and a needle, got it home and started on a scarf for Kiersten. After I'd gotten quite a ways through I decided it was way too wide for my petite girl. So I started over again & finished it in a day! The hat was another beast altogether. I went to YouTube and found a very helpful video. I think I got it done in two days. She loves it and I'm so excited that they turned out so well. I have several projects in mind,and if I'm still unemployed it will be a great way to get out my Christmas gifting this year.

Speaking of unemployed...I've had now a total of 6 interviews. Still waiting to hear back from the 2 schools from last week, but after 4 rejections, I've learned to stop hoping, unfortunately. It's a bit sad. But I'm so, so tired of waiting and even more tired of getting in the car to drive hours on end for a 20-30 minute interview. The last trip was for 2 interviews. But I was on the road for just over 7 hours for almost 2 hours worth of face time. It makes me tired just writing it!

On the Nolan front, he's crawling "normally" and is sitting up on his own. He's starting to try to pull up, and will if he's holding on to our hands or arms. He's not quite gotten the idea of pulling up on the furniture yet. He's eating as much as we can give him at one time. Two jars of food at each meal plus a little "dessert" of maybe Gerber cheese puffs, yogurt bites or Cheerios. He has his 2 bottom teeth, and his 2 top ones are trying hard to poke through. This gets him upset sometimes. But I really think the amber necklace he has helps tremendously. I was a skeptic at first, but now I'm a believer!

Whirlwind!

That's what it feels like sometimes having 2 kids under 4. Nolan and Kiersten are getting along great. He grins like a Cheshire cat every time he sees her. I love watching his dimples deepen when we peek in her room after he wakes. He's sitting up, eating solids, and scooting backward. Kiersten is such a great big sister & is growing up to be a smart little girl. She's learning to count to 100 and is slooooowly learning to read by sounding out words. She gets frustrated and impatient, so gives up easily. She likes putting on plays & dancing around the house. She has learned quite a few songs from my iPod, and knows the words to Beatles songs. I started singing "I am the Walrus", and she started in with "I am the egg man" and made my jaw drop. And she chose to wear her Beatles shirt yesterday, when she had the choice of wearing that or a brand new halter-style shirt she just got last week. My little fan!

Richard & I are still looking for jobs & hope to stay as close to Asheville as possible. We still feel like there's so much of this city yet to explore, and would love more time to spend here. It's quite frustrating sending out applications and emails without receiving any word from anyone. My one interview ended in a rejection. Not exactly doing anything for my faith in my career choice!

On a positive note, Richard & I have our 6th anniversary coming up next weekend. We're taking a staycation, making the most of our limited budget. We're going to be tourists for a weekend, even taking a trolley tour of downtown. We cannot wait. A big thank you to my mom (and Elsa, though she's not been informed yet) for taking care of the kids so we can have our romantic weekend. It's been WAY too long!!

We have a son!

Life has been interesting these last 2 weeks. On November 23rd at 10:50 a.m., we welcomed Nolan Richard into the world. The first thought and words the minute I saw him on the screen as they cleaned him up: "OMG - He looks just like Kiersten!" You spend months speculating which parent he'll look like, and it turns out you've made a clone of your first child. Truly amazing. We love him to pieces. He's such a great baby and we can't wait to see how his personality is going to play out.
Kiersten has been such a great big sister to Nolan. She's always trying to find ways to help us out, which is great, since I'm a stay-at-home mom. She's constantly fawning over him and runs into the room whenever she hears him cry.
We're looking forward to Christmas. It's going to be a tight one, but Kiersten is finally really into it, and knows what she's going to ask of Santa whenever we visit him. She's ready to help decorate for Christmas. It's so wonderful to look into her eyes and get excited right along with her.

We have a date!

Nolan Richard will officially be here on Tuesday, November 23rd. We're so excited and happy to know exactly when he'll be here (unless, of course, he decides he wants to come sooner). We got to see him in 4D on September 25th, and he looks to have Richard's nose. The rest looks like Kiersten. It's incredible! Kiersten is ready to be mommy & daddy's helper. If she doesn't get bitten by the green-eyed monster, we're going to have quite a big sister here!

Winding down

It feels like I've been pregnant forever, but now the time is starting to fly. With a cesarian date scheduled for November 23rd, it's all starting to sink in. We're going to have our family of 4, with one boy & one girl! Nolan is feisty in the belly - even more so than Kiersten. And he's been more stretched out. She curled up throughout the entire pregnancy, and he's been making use of the room he has. She's so excited to meet her baby brother and help us do anything we need. Let's hope it continues once he gets here!!