January 1, 2017

It's the start of a new year and I thought it would be fun to post a picture each day of 2017.

I'm not promising quality photos, as you can see, but I'll try to post a pic most days.

In other news...

As if bringing a new baby home to a house we're still settling into weren't enough, we've found ourselves in the middle of some major home repairs. This month alone, we learned that we needed to replace our sewer line, tear out the bar sink/entire wall (there was a leaking window behind the drywall that we just became aware of), and replace the ceiling in the sun room on the first floor due to a leaking ceiling.

Might as well take everything on at once! :-)

Younger cousins

Believe it or not, Wallace already has younger cousins. Casey's second daughter, Olive Jean Wellinghoff was born on December 4, 2016 and my cousin Kristin had their third child and second boy, Calvin Kenneth German, on December 5, 2016. Very happy to report that all babies and moms are happy, healthy and home.

Splendid

Playing with cousin Chapin

Today when Linden came downstairs and saw the Christmas tree she said it was "splendid." That's the first time I've heard her use that word. I haven't included a picture, so we'll just assume she was using the word correctly. :-)

More mature parents than me will laugh when I say that she's growing up so fast right now. Of course parents always seem to feel that way, as have I the past few years, but Linden is definitely going through a learning growth spurt right now. She's also going through a physical growth spurt as she's now as many feet tall as she is old. At this rate, she'll be my height by the time she's six! 

Now that Wallace is flashing us all some smiles, she's becoming even more excited about her role as a big sister. While she still often insists that she's the baby sister, there's no denying that she loves giving Wallace hugs and kisses. 

Wallace continues to be a relaxed little guy. He mostly sleeps and eats, but is definitely having longer periods of being awake and is very engaged during that time. It's a real ego boost for your baby boy to flash a huge smile every time you come into view, so I'm trying to fully embrace and appreciate this stage. 

Canadian Cousin visit

Laine's cousin Raven came to Illinois for a visit with her boyfriend Chris last weekend. All the Twanow kids and their kids were able to reunite in Spring Valley for the weekend. Even Nina's brother James joined the fun, visiting from Denver, CO. It was quite the full house! We had perfect weather and a great time reconnecting with Raven and meeting Chris. 

Family of Four

Well, we've survived our first month as a family of four...with flying colors. Wallace has taken it easy on us so far. Aside from when he's pooping or hungry, he rarely makes a noise. Mostly just sleeps or takes in his surroundings.

Linden has also been a trooper throughout the disruptive transition of becoming an older sibling. She doesn't dote on Wallace very often, but it's very cute when she does because she's just so excited. She gives him very gentle kisses and pats while talking about how she thinks he likes her.

LB is as independent and strong-willed as ever. She keeps us entertained with funny comments. I'll try to do a better job of writing them down and sharing them here when I have a chance. For now, I'll leave you with one of my favorites.

Linden absolutely loves birthdays. She gets excited about her own but also gets excited about others'. It's a common occurrence for her to recap her birthday party from September. Then she'll usually ask who's birthday is next. The last time she asked me this I told her that her Granddad Miller's was coming up, to which she replied, "Yeah...my birthday's coming off." :-)

Halloween 2016

This year for Halloween, Linden dressed up as Maya the Bee and Wallace dressed as Maya's best friend, Willie. 

Linden came to my office to meet my new coworkers and loved all the decorations and candy. When we were leaving, one of my colleagues said, "Bye Van, bye Honey!" Linden immediately spun around and looked right at him to declare, "I'm not 'Honey,' I'm Linden!" She certainly knows how to stick up for herself. :-)