She Is Finally Here!

Kayla Anne-Laverna DeJongh was born two days before her brother's 3rd birthday on Monday, May 17th. She weighed 7lbs, 15 oz and was 20.25" in length and has a head full of hair!

Kayla has been a very content baby from the start. She rarely cries and is a great sleeper. Her brother is understanding that he needs to share our time and attention but doesn't realize that he needs to be VERY GENTLE with his new sister.

Grandma and Grandpa DeJongh brought Reid to meet his new sister on Tuesday, May 18th. He was curious at first but warmed right up to her. We will need to watch him closely so she doesn't end up being picked up by the head...

Mommy, Reid, and Kayla snuggle in on their first day home. It is Reid's 3rd birthday.

Kayla smiled for the camera in her cute bear outfit. She is such a happy, content baby. We are hoping that this is how it will always be with her...through her 18th birthday would be great!

While We Were Waiting...

We were not sure WHEN Kayla was going to be born so we decided to celebrate Reid's 3rd birthday a little early. Mom D. and I made a Mickey Mouse cake and we gave him our presents. He had a great birthday!

We took a trip out to Roaring Brook Nursery in Wales to check out the plants. They had a few goats and chickens in a pen. They also had some bunnies in a cage inside. Reid had to hold one. He was very gentle and liked their soft fur. I think he was a farmer in a past life.

Papa and Reid spent a lot of time tending the yard. Reid worked hard to keep up with the big mower. They did a very nice job mowing the lawn.

Reid and Grandma spent some time cuddling and napping. The picture taken before this one showed Reid slowly slipping off Grandma's lap while asleep. It was so nice to have them with us for such a long visit. We were all thinking that Kayla was going to be born soon so Mom and Dad had to extend their stay an extra week. We were secretly THRILLED that she was taking so long. We enjoyed their company and help so much.

40 Weeks and Couting...40...

So now we are officially over due. Due date #1 was May 7th (according to ultrasound and ovulation...) and that went by. No baby. Reid can now sit on my belly. I was never this big with his pregnancy! She needs to be born soon before she is too big!
May 14th was due date #2 (according to last cycle) and still no changes worth counting on. For a baby who may have come too early, she sure is taking her time coming out now!


Grandpa and Grandma came out last week to "help with the baby". We are having a wonderful visit but hoping Kayla comes soon. They had been planning to head back to Michigan today but have extended their stay. (Secretly, this is all a part of my plan to get them to just move to Maine. I am not actually pregnant...just ate a lot.)

Reid is enjoying extra snuggles and more people to play outside with him. He is showing Grandma and Grandpa all the new things he can do and sharing stories with them. We are heading out to Michigan in June when school gets out so Reid will have lots of time with them this summer.

36 Weeks and Counting...

It is official....I am HUGE! I never got this big with Reid and we still have a month to go! Kayla is a very active, happy girl in there. She is trying to come a little early so I am out of work for two weeks to relax and slow things down. Another week to relax then it would be okay for her to be born, safe and sound. I am excited to hold her and snuggle her up. Reid is looking forward to holding her and being the big brother.


This is our "cheesy Reid" on Easter morning at Memere and Pepere's house. They had just finished an Easter egg hunt. I forgot to bring my nice Longaberger basket for the hunt but Memere had an extra for him to use. It was a beautiful, warm day so Reid got to wear his first pair of shorts for the season. He is still so thin he is still wearing shorts from last season. Thanks to all Nolan's hand-me-downs, we don't need to buy a single pair!

The Four of us on Easter morning.

Spring Has Sprung! Part 2

Reid came down with a high fever on April 3rd. It just wouldn't quit! Jeff and Reid curled up in a quilt, despite the near 80 degree weather and watched a movie. It finally broke at bedtime so we could participate in Easter festivities on Sunday. Thank you, God!

On Friday, April 2nd Reid's daycare was closed for a family obligation so Jeff took the day to be with Reid. They went to Wolf's Neck State Park to play in the sun and enjoy the tide.

Farrington School threw me a beautiful baby shower on Thursday April 1st. I was totally surprised and amazed at the generosity. What a talented staff! Handmade sweaters (2), handmade hoodie towel, crocheted dress, soft as a cloud knit blanket, and a diaper cake! Too much fun! Now it is time to get it into her closet. She is a loved and blessed little girl already.

EASTER MORNING!!

Reid woke up to find a trail of easter eggs leading to his Easter bucket and Kayla's Easter bag. He checked out her books then moved on to empty his own bucket. He had a great time!

Check out the morning hair! Funny!

Spring Has Sprung!

Our First trip out to camp for the season: The snow at camp was still pretty deep but there isn't snow out of the woods. The kids roasted marshmallows with Uncle Matt in a firepit in the snow. They had a great time! March 6, 2010

Hannah and Reid played on Reid's swingset all winter but they really got to enjoy the tire swing without snow getting in the way. March 28, 2010

Reid helps Daddy work on Kayla's dresser/changing table frame. He loves to help in the basement! March 2010

We went to Matt and Selena's for a friendly gathering. Reid and Alyssa went for a ride in Hannah's woody. They barely fit in together but somehow made it work.

Miss Kayla's ultrasound at 28 weeks. Many of you have seen this already but we didn't have it on the blog yet. 5 more weeks to go until we see her LIVE! I can't wait to hold her and snuggle her neck!

Reid's Relationship with God

Reid, who will be 3 in May, is very curious and asks the question "why" of just about anything. We try to answer him as honestly and accurately as we can.
Sometimes he asks "why" when it is raining. "Because God decided we needed some more rain to help things grow and to give the animals a drink." is our reply.
Now Reid has begun to use "because God..." type statements.
A conversation this morning: Mommy - "Reid, please stop screaming. It is loud in the house when you play like that."
Reid - "God made me to play screaming"

THEN, later in the car...
Reid - "I want a donut."
Mommy - "Reid, not today. Maybe on Friday we can get a donut if you do a good job using the potty this week."
Reid - "But God wants us to have a donut!"

Seriously, he is just too much sometimes! (Jeff thinks Reid is onto something with this God/donut thing...)

February Has Nice Weather, Too

Jeff and I had some school work today but since the weather was superb (28*F) we headed out to play outside in the late afternoon. We walked out onto the lake and out to some rocks that are usually only accessible by boat. Reid went exploring for shells and bones. Lots of fun!

Reid and I are always looking for great spaces to play in the yard. We found this cluster of trees by the neighbors driveway that is the perfect place to hide from the tigers (Socrates the cat).

"Taste my steel!" said Reid as he handed Mommy a small stick to sword fight with. I am sure he got this from a movie...Veggie Tales Pirates, I think.

These are the rocks we like to jump off of. The one directly behind Reid has been named "Knife Rock" because it has a very sharp peak (not so good for jumping off). There are about 4 large bolders to climb on in that area. Lots of great exploring space.