Babies Make Four: Happy 2017!

Happy New Years!

We celebrated the new year by watching the Secret Life of Pets and eating pizza on the couch. We were all 4 tucked in bed by 10:00 pm. Dillon went to the bathroom at 11:57 last night and wished me a happy new year while we heard fireworks booming around us in the valley.

2016 was a pretty epic year for the Kestner household. We traveled several places including San Antonio, Disney World and took a few relaxing days at a cabin in the mountains. We welcomed a special baby girl to our family and I spent the majority of the year pregnant. While we've had some big events happen in our year, I feel that we spent the majority of the year quietly at home.

I always try to make goals for us at the beginning of the year, but to be honest, for 2017 my goal is just to survive. I don't mean that in a way that we're struggling right now, but I just remember Luke's first year, full of adjustments, the biggest one being returning to work. It's a lot to juggle and so I want to set the bar low for us this year. I want us to enjoy our family without having high expectations to meet.

Things are going a lot smoother in the 2 weeks since we've come home. I think that having the new baby and Christmas was just overload for all of us. We're still working with Luke on some attitude adjustments, but I think I really got through to him when I took away all of his Christmas toys. He's gradually earning them back and since then we've had a lot more luck with him listening and behaving.

Yesterday, Luke came down with a runny nose and a cough so I've been frantically trying to keep him away from the baby, which is just about impossible. At least there is no fever, just the small cold so I'm hoping and praying (and washing my hands so much they're cracked) that we keep the illness contained. I knew this would be a problem having a baby during cold and flu season, so my anxiety is on overdrive with preventing illnesses,

Dillon went back to work on Thursday so we're once again adjusting to some change. Thursday morning we were all sad, except for Luke because he was happy I was taking him to school again finally.

We're all getting on the same page once again. The baby has adjusted so well to being home and is such an easy baby. She hardly ever fusses, unless she's hungry and we are fairly well rested. Last night she slept from 1:30 until 7:30 without waking up so we're on our way to sleeping through the night. She sleeps in a bassinet next to me so I pretty much wake up at every little peep she makes, but I'm getting more rest now than I was at 9 months pregnant. Luke is a great helper and helps with diapers and bottles and bathing the baby. Like I said in the last post he loves the baby even if he's irritated with us. It's really cute.

I hope that the way we celebrated the new year is how 2017 plays out, quietly and with our family. I'm thankful for what we were given in 2016 and look forward to what 2017 may bring. Here's wishing much happiness for the upcoming year!

First a year in review in pictures and then new pictures since the last post!