A month of milestones!

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since I posted! We have had a busy month! Actually, in just the last couple weeks so much has happened. We got off to a great start with our first day of school on Aug.31. I decided to start a week earlier than the usual "after Labor Day" start date because I was pretty much ready and well, we were so excited to start, so we did! This is our third year of homeschooling and it gets better every year. I am starting to get into a routine already, pretty much the same schedule as last year, doing school in the morning while the baby takes a nap and then finishing up with Zach when the two younger ones take their afternoon naps. It is a bit different this year with Katelyn doing more work but right now she is doing everything Zach is doing except for the workbook pages. I just play learning games and do simpler worksheets with her. The kids are eager to learn and every morning Katelyn asks when we are going to have school. I want to say, "Can I wake up first?". LOL.

The next big thing that happened was Luke, my 15 month old, FINALLY started sleeping through the night! Hallelujah!! Ah, sleep, sweet sleep! He is still nursing and was still getting up once a night and having to be nursed back to sleep. I knew it was just a habit and that he didn't really need to eat at 3am anymore but I was resisting doing what I knew needed to be done- letting him crying it out. ): Nothing else worked to get him to sleep through the night and I had given him 5 extra months to try. My other two were sleeping through by 10 months and I thought that was bad! So the time had come and one night when he woke up at 3, I didn't go in and nurse him. He cried for a bit so I went in and comforted him, picked him up and rocked him a while, but no nursing. He calmed down and when I left he fussed a bit but eventually fell asleep on his own! The next few days he woke up in the night and would fuss on and off for a while but it was never upset crying so I didn't go in and he went back to sleep. Then one night he didn't wake up until the morning! It was the weirdest feeling to realize I just slept 8 hours straight! Of course for a while I still woke up at 3 am because my body was used to it but that quickly stopped after a few days. Now its been over a week and he is sleeping 1o-11 hours straight! We've noticed that he is an even happier baby now (and he was happy before). Unfortunately, we also noticed that he might be transitioning to one nap during the day instead of two but that is okay, I'd rather him sleep at night! I am so excited! Now if I can just get myself to bed at a decent hour, I might actually catch up on sleep after being sleep deprived for over 15 months!!

Another milestone this month was quite unexpected but one of the best. A week or so ago, Zach was playing outside and asked (for the 48572829 time) when he could take off the training wheels off his bike. A few weeks before, we got him a new bike and wanted him to get used to riding with training wheels before we took them off. This summer was really the first time that he has been interested in riding a bike. Up until now, he sorta resisted learning to ride a bike, even one with training wheels. He really wanted nothing to do with it and preferred the scooter or just playing sports in the yard. This year after seeing all his friends and cousins riding bikes and especially ones without training wheels, he finally thought it would be fun to ride "like a big boy". So we got him the new bike and since he had been doing so well with it, Chris decided it was time to try without the training wheels. We figured we'd just "try it and see". Well, at first we didn't think Zach was ready. He wasn't really paying attention and didn't seem to have the balance needed to hold himself on the bike. But he kept trying it on the hill in our backyard with Chris holding on to him until he got up to speed. It took a few stops and starts, but finally he took off in the grass! He could ride across our whole back yard! It was amazing! He fell a couple of times and had a few doubting moments, but I think he was very proud of himself for doing it (and his parents were for sure!). Of course, after seeing Zach do it, Katelyn wanted to try her bike without training wheels and she actually could do it pretty well too! Gotta love healthy competition between siblings! She always has to do what her big brother does. (: Although after a couple days, she wanted her training wheels back on, but I am so proud of her for trying. She still keeps up with the best of 'em, zooming right along on her little pink and blue bike. (: So over the next few days, Zach kept practicing and eventually ventured onto the driveway and sidewalk. He wanted to do it himself (be still my worried heart!) and eventually taught himself how to push off and start pedaling all on his own! It was so cute to see him try and try and then finally figure it out. He must have spent two hours out there just starting and stopping, getting his balance. The surprising thing was he never got frustrated and just kept at it. The next day we tried it on the road where there was more room (helmet, knee and elbows pads, please! In fact, has anyone seen the bubble wrap?) and when we did that, it was like a fire had been lit under him! He just took off up and down the street like he had been riding for years! He was even turning around without stopping and going up and down driveways and sidewalks flawlessly. It was amazing! I totally have to take more video of him! He is an incredible boy and I am so proud of him.

Whew! So that is just a few of the things that have been going on lately and there is more to come! Tomorrow the kids start classes at the new homeschooling group we joined. It is for 3 hours twice a month at a church in Lapeer. It is called FAITH homeschool and I think it is going to be fun for the kids as well as for me. Katelyn will be doing preschool activities and Zach is taking Michigan History, Speech (like show and tell) and Gym. All the parents stay in the building and help out so I can't wait to meet other homeschooling families. I think we are all really excited! I will let you know how it goes!!