Montessori Primary - that's a wrap!

It's official! Max has completed the first cycle of Montessori schooling -- Primary (ages 3 -6). This fall he will be headed to the second Montessori cycle: Lower Elementary (ages 6 - 9), which is in a different building on the other side of the parking lot. It's a bittersweet time and we're so grateful for the experience of the last three years, and excited to see what the next three years has in store.

The teachers at MASS (Montessori Academy at Sharon Springs) truly care about Max, and many seemed a bit choked up and teary as we gave hugs, took photos, and celebrated this special time. Lots of things have surprised me about motherhood, but seeing people who don't "have to" love Max (a.k.a. non-family members) love him has been one of the biggest and most meaningful joys of being a mother. Of course we all think he is pretty incredible, but to know that others feel the same way and truly love him and find joy in him has been really special.

Here are some snapshots of graduation day, or "Bridge Ceremony" as it's called at a Montessori school. The students walk through the arbor to represent "bridging" from one level to the next. At the end of their walk they receive a certificate and tree from their teacher and the Head of School, then they shake hands with the teachers of the next level.  It's a really sweet ceremony!

Kindergartners preparing to sing a song.

The Blue Room kindergarten graduates! Left to right: Yajur, Evelyn, Riaan, Max, and Ms. Mili. Evelyn will be joining Max in the Lower Elementary classroom at MASS, and Yajur and Riaan are moving on to the public school for first grade.

Max's teacher, Ms. Mili, went to sit with the Blue Room kids while the kindergartners from the other classrooms were being recognized. We could tell she was fighting back tears and kept putting her arm around Max. So sweet!

All the kindergartners and their teachers!

Max and Ms. Mili, his lead teacher.

Max with his best friend, Riaan (Riaan's mom got a back-up certificate from Target - haha!).

Max with Ms. Liana who will be his teacher for the next three years in Lower Elementary! We wanted to take a photo of "the beginning" so we can take the same photo when Max graduates from Lower El in three years. :-)

Max with Ms. Rawla who was Max's teacher the first two years of his Primary Cycle (she moved up to Lower Elementary as an assistant teacher this year -- after teaching Primary for 15 years -- and will be taking a break next school year to get her Lower Elementary teacher certification.)

Max with Ms. Nancy, the curriculum director. (We also wanted to take a photo with the Head of School, Ms. Debbie, but she'd had an injury the night before and went home immediately after the ceremony.)

Max with Ms. Marla who runs the school... I mean the front desk. :-)  If you ever have a question, Ms. Marla knows the answer! One morning when Ben was dropping Max off at school he overheard Marla say, "It's going to be strange not having Max in our building anymore!"

Ms. Rubbina has been the assistant teacher in Max's classroom the past three years, and she and Max have a really close bond.

We all LOVE Ms. Rubbina so much and she has been a big part of our "village" (as in "It takes a village to raise a child"). We were all teary eyed giving hugs! Here is an excerpt of a really sweet email she sent me (in response to a thank you email I sent the teachers for putting on a nice Mother's Day program):

The last 3 years have been such a pleasure watching Max grow into the wonderful young man that he is now. I remember the little things he does often and how he has become someone who I am so proud of. He is completely reflective of the parents that you and your husband are. Not all parents appreciate the work that we do and it means so much for your love and support. I can’t wait until Max goes to Georgia Tech...he said that he will give me his phone number then and we will keep in touch :) so much love to you and your family on this blessed Mother’s Day. 

Love, Rubbina 


Proud parents with our boy!

After the ceremony the school had a nice lunch for the graduating families, then we went on a tour of the YMCA summer camp Max will be attending this summer (no photos, but it's awesome!). After a couple camp-related errands we took Max out for an ice cream!

Our big boy is apparently only so big because he conked out in the backseat while we were out. :-) 

We had dinner at home followed by a special popcorn and movie night (we watched "The Incredibles 2") then off to bed. 

Here are a few videos (if you are viewing this in your email you may need to click through to the blog website to view: http://lillyfamilylife.blogspot.com/):

We didn't quite catch them announcing Max's name, but here he is doing his special walk!

The kindergartners sang a sweet song: 

Introducing the Love of Our Lives

Max Julian Lilly

Born Tuesday, September 11, 2012

7:04am

7 pounds 7.6 ounces

20.5 inches long

13 inch head circumference

13 inch chest circumference

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails!

Week 18: Bumpin' and Thumpin'

Big news of the week: I felt the baby move for the first time! (Hence the "Bumpin'" part of the title of this post). It happened on Monday so technically it was the last day of week 17. As I was waking up that morning I felt three little taps and later in the day I took a little pre-dinner snooze and felt one more! It was very subtle, but distinct enough that I am pretty sure it was the baby. Exciting!

As for the "Thumpin'" part of the title, that would be a reference to the baby's heartbeat! We had an appointment with the midwife on Tuesday morning and she found the heartbeat almost as soon as she put the monitor against my belly. Ben was able to come with me as our appointment was pretty early in the day and it was cool for him to be able to hear it again, too. Generally speaking the midwife said everything looked great and that my weight gain is right on track. My allergies have been a little bothersome (8,000 - 9,000 pollen counts will do that!) and the cautionary information on the eye drops I usually use said to talk to your doctor if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. I was so excited that the midwife said they were fine to use. No more itchy eyes! It was actually kind of funny... the midwife said something like, "Most drug companies put that warning on everything because no one really knows what every single drug will do to every single pregnant person. You'll never see a label that says, 'Hey pregnant people! Take a big dose of this!'" haha

We'll come back in two weeks for a regular check-up and the ultrasound to see if we are having a boy or girl! The appointment is Thursday, April 12... we're so excited! After the appointment we'll call our parents and my grandmothers and also post it to the blog to share the news. In the meantime, we thought it might be fun to take a little poll to see what you all think we are having a boy or girl! You can vote (just one time, please!) using the little poll on the right side bar of the blog. If you are reading this in your email, click here to go to the blog to vote. No matter which one you choose you'll have a 50/50 shot at being right! :-)

Here's what the baby is up to this week:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.


It's hard to believe the baby is about as long as a dollar bill! Or, maybe not as I feel like my belly had a growth spurt this week. What do you think?

(I feel like I look more pregnant than this in person!)

Week 10: Surprise!

This week we shared our baby news with our parents and my grandmothers! It was a lot of fun to see and hear everyone's reaction (needless to say, "very excited" probably sums up the whole thing). Here's how we did it:

My Dad and Step-Mom (Bob and Nancy) live in New Hampshire, so unfortunately telling them in person was not an option. Instead, we were able to have a Skype chat (an online video phone call) with them one morning. We decided it might be fun to slip in the announcement, and it worked out great. The conversation went something like this:

Laura: We were thinking of coming up to New England later this year, but decided it might be more fun if we wait until next year when we can bring our baby.

Bob and Nancy: (blinking with mouths open for a second) Did you say what we think you said?!

It was great fun. My Nana (Elizabeth a.k.a. Zibby) recently had total knee replacement and is recovering at a rehab hospital in New Hampshire. Dad gave us the phone number to her room and suggested we call during lunchtime when they would be visiting her. We shared the news with Nana in the same sly way, and she was so excited that she got a little teary! This will be great-grandchild #2 on the Heinlein side as my cousin, Jessica, had a baby boy named Oliver earlier in January.

For my Mom (Joyce), Grammie (Ann), and Ben's parents (Ben Sr. and Peggy) we were able to share the news in person. I purchased some (tiny!) newborn sized onesies and wrote "Coming Soon!" on them with fabric paint. Here's what they look like:

Mom happened to be celebrating her birthday so we wrapped it up and had her open it as a birthday present. I think it was safe to assume that finding out she is going to be a grandmother trumped the Land's End gift card that was her "real" birthday gift! We went to visit Grammie later that afternoon and wanted to surprise her as well. I re-wrapped the onesie and we told Grammie that we thought she might enjoy seeing one of Mom's birthday gifts and asked her to open the present. I don't think I've ever seen her look so surprised in my life! She literally sat back in her chair with wide eyes, eyebrows up, and her mouth in an "O" shape.

Ben's parents also received a wrapped up onesie posed as an early Valentine's Day gift. I handed them the gift bag and said, "Here's a little early Valentine's Day gift. It's just a little something that we thought might be fun for everyone to play with in Hiawassee." Ben added, "You already have a couple of these...." as Peggy unwrapped the tissue paper. Lots of squealing, jumping, and tears ensued! Henry, the golden retriever, just raised an eyebrow.... takes a lot to get him going these days. ;-)

........................

I'm still feeling great and the only notable change is that my fingernails are awesome. Usually my nails are really weak and they split and peel, but now they actually have little white tips and aren't peeling off! Really, it's the little things in life. :-) Oh, one not so fun change has been three wake-ups between 3:00am and 4:00am over the past week. I'll have that queasy, but hungry feeling I've described before, and can't get back to sleep so I get up and eat some cereal which eases the queasiness and allows me to fall back asleep. Ben was able to figure out that is has only happened on evenings when I eat sugar. With that, I'm going to avoid eating anything sugary after mid-day. (But the baggie of dry Cheerios and bottle of water are going to continue to live on my nightstand just in case!)

Our little baby has graduated from embryo to fetus this week!


Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.


He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.


If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.


In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.


Given that the baby is still so small, there isn't much to see in my weekly "belly photo" this week. When we were taking the photo on Tuesday we joked that I could almost keep re-posting the same picture because I look exactly the same! Here it is anyway:

Week 5: A New Chapter

After much discussion, research, and review of finances we decided to take the plunge in early December to try to start our own little family. With the knowledge that it can take as long as a year to conceive, we figured we had plenty of time and that it would be at least spring or early summer before anything happened. Apparently, God had different plans....

During the week before Christmas we had a pretty strong suspicion that I was pregnant, but decided to hold off on taking a home pregnancy test until after the holidays. The entire Christmas weekend it was in the back of our minds, and we hoped that our own little Christmas miracle was getting settled deep in my belly.

While we were out running errands the Thursday after Christmas we picked up a home pregnancy test kit. When Friday morning rolled around we decided it was "go time" (testing first thing in the morning offers the most accurate results). To add a little fun, we covered the window that shows the results with a post-it note while I took the test and while it sat for a few minutes to process. When the three minutes was up, Ben peeled off the post-it note to see if we had one line or two!

Not surprisingly, he decided to pull my leg a little by sighing, "Hmm..." and looking thoughtful as though he was not sure what the results were showing. I kept saying, "Is there one line or two lines? Two lines means yes. What does it say?" Then, he looked over with a grin and said "You're pregnant!" and showed me the positive test.

Needless to say we are very excited and very nervous about entering this new chapter of life. It doesn't really seem "real" quite yet as I have zero symptoms and feel perfectly normal. Hopefully it's a good indicator that morning sickness, etc. won't be too bad (that or it's the calm before the storm! haha). Based on our calculations (and consultations with the Internet), we think the baby's due date is around August 27, 2012. This means I am already five weeks pregnant! According to a website, the baby is the size of a sesame seed right now.

I have a regular annual physical in a few days and will ask my primary care doctor for obstetrician recommendations. There is an OB/Midwife group that has offices and delivers at a hospital that is about 15 minutes from our house, so at the moment I'm leaning that direction unless I hear something much different from my doctor. Most OB/Midwives won't schedule an appointment until the mother is 8 - 10 weeks along, so we won't go in for our first appointment until mid to late January.

We decided to start this blog to chronicle the journey to parenthood for ourselves, and to share updates and photos with family and friends who are not nearby. At the moment, my goal is to post about once a week. Also, we are going to start taking weekly photos so we can watch my belly grow! Once the baby arrives we'll be sure to go heavy on the photos. :-)