26 + 27 weeks

I had to get out my calendar to trigger some memories here. We just finished our first two weeks of the homeschool term, so that's where my mind has been lately. 

26 weeks

We started this week off with a viral exposure scare, but thankfully we all tested negative after quarantining per protocol, so we were SUPER grateful to get to go on a little family vacation to South Dakota. We hit up the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead in Desmet and honestly, it was the PERFECT little 3-day getaway. We got an AirBNB on Lake Thompson. It was nothing fancy, but perfectly isolated and peaceful. The kids had a blast exploring the cabin and the rocky beach and the stormy waves the day we got there. They had zero fear of the lake water, which was so fun. Just pure joy. I have now been pregnant on a beach with each kiddo: The Adriatic Sea and Pacific Ocean with Noah, Lake of the Ozarks with Rosie (although sadly I don't think I even got my feet wet that time), and now Lake Thompson with baby brother. 

Noah and Rosie are such a fantastic little duo (most of the time) that sometimes it's hard to imagine changing up the dynamic. But I know how much the love in our family grew when we added a second kid, even though it was hard to imagine it beforehand, so I know it'll be the same again. More kids = more love even if it also = more chaos.

27 weeks

Two days post-vacation, Noah started co-op and Rosie started preschool. The next day, we started our first day of Charlotte Mason Form 1A Term 1. I've been prepping all summer and thankfully that work paid off. I felt prepared, albeit EXHAUSTED at the end of the morning. It also makes everything feel like it's all happening all of the sudden, since I purposely chose the start date of our 12-week term by counting backwards from 38 weeks of pregnancy. 

This week, we also got to "meet" the kids' newest cousin via FaceTime. Rosie was so earnestly asking the new big sister, "What do big sisters do?" She's taking this role really seriously and she's a little nervous about it. I'm not sure how to handle that since Noah has always been so matter-of-fact about adding siblings. Rosie will simultaneously be so sweet and loving, kissing my belly button and saying good morning to baby brother, and then withdraw and being anxious about the coming changes. I'm trying to communicate that to an extent, I totally get it. It's normal to oscillate back and forth between all the feelings! I need to ask for some guidance and start praying for her little heart during this transition.