Our Summer To-Do List

After getting back from Star last Sunday, it was so nice to have Monday off for Memorial Day. Boomer was home from work, and we enjoyed a fun outing getting Duck Donuts with Daddy. We had attempted to walk around the Quad at Wake, but we were disappointed to find that the campus is currently closed to visitors due to COVID-19. The security guard allowed us to drive through, but then we made our way to Reynolda Gardens for our donut picnic. The relaxing day on Monday was followed by four busy days for both Boomer and me. His school is filming individual student graduation ceremonies that will then be spliced together to make a commencement video. Thursday and Friday were particularly long days for him, with still two more days of filming coming up on Monday and Tuesday. Everyone is sad that a traditional graduation is not possible right now, but the families have been very appreciative of the effort and hard work put in to recognize the seniors. I do wish that Boomer could speak one last time in Wait Chapel for his address to the graduates. As he will soon transition to his new job, this is one "last" that I am sad to be missing. The three previous graduations were so special being back on Wake's campus and in this beautiful building where we both graduated.    

As of Friday at around 4:30PM, summer break officially started for me! I went to East Surry for my last teacher workday, and it was my first time back at school since March 6th, the day that started our Spring Break and two months of distance learning. In some ways, there was a feeling of normalcy to once again be back in my building and in my room. I enjoyed seeing my coworkers and catching up with them. I did not realize how much I had missed adult interaction! Without students there, the hallways were pretty quiet and the parking lot fairly empty. Unlike most last days of school, it was strange not feeling that teenage energy in the air, the excitement for graduation festivities and for summer vacation just around the corner. Without much fanfare, I packed away my things, and I have officially closed out Year 3 as the ESHS college liaison. I am hopeful that we can return in August and that the building will be full of life again. 

Speaking of packing up, I have also been doing some packing at home. Now that Eli has arrived and I don't have much use for Emmy's girly things, I passed along two bins of her clothing to one of Boomer's coworkers. I won't lie; there were a few tears as I sealed the lids. I got sentimental as I looked back through her clothes - special dresses for church, footed pajamas, well-loved clothes from daycare, and tiny socks and shoes. It is hard to accept that these things are much too small to fit her now. After I got out my tears (and after a pep talk from my mom and sister!), I realized it is much more practical to pass these things along rather than having them gather dust in a closet. It's funny how I have been so anxious to see Eli grow and gain weight, yet I want to freeze Emmy in time and not let her get any bigger. Motherhood is just a jumble of emotions!

For my first weekend of summer, we've spent it much like the other weekends of quarantine doing chores around the house, getting outside when possible, and enjoying a family dinner. Aunt Megan surprised Emmy with a very special gift this evening: Emmy's very own Elsa dress. Megan has talked about getting her a dress for a while when Emmy's interest in Frozen first started. Now that she is singing all the songs and pretending to be Elsa around the house, it is only fitting that she have the costume. Megan bought it to be a little big so that Emmy can wear it for Halloween, but she just couldn't wait until then to give it to her. Emmy loved dancing around and watching the train trail behind her. I have a feeling this dress will be getting a lot of use over the next few months!

As we close out the month of May, I drafted our 2020 KENNEDY SUMMER TO-DO LIST. I had to get a little creative this year with so many things still closed. In lieu of a baseball trip, I am hoping we can enjoy some local attractions close to home. Here's to a summer of making memories of a simpler kind! 

Venturing Out

On Friday, I wrapped up my last full week of working from home. There are still a few more days left in the semester; we have a four day week following tomorrow's Memorial Day holiday and then a final workday on June 1st. I will make one last trip to Pilot Mountain to be sure things are in place in my room and to turn in my keys. Then summer will officially begin! Between a 12-week maternity leave and a global pandemic, this year has been one for the books. I'm sure I'll never forget the 2019-2020 school year! As we close out this time of "working from home," there have certainly been some challenges, but there have also been some really sweet moments that I have cherished, like nurturing Emmy's love for reading...

...making an impromptu science lesson about caterpillars...

...seeing the special bond develop between Eli and Emmy...

...playing dress-up on a rainy day...

...cuddling in the mornings...

...doing "schoolwork"...

...and having our mother-daughter runs around the neighborhood. 

I am looking forward to more of these moments over the next 8 weeks of summer. On Friday, Governor Cooper announced Phase 2 of the re-opening of the state. Restaurants and "personal care" businesses will be allowed to re-open but under capacity limits or by appointments. Much to our disappointment, museums, gyms, libraries, and playgrounds will remain closed for a little while longer. With some of the restrictions loosening, we have slowly started to add events to our calendar again. This past Sunday, Boomer and I went to the Forbush Baccalaureate Service. This annual service recognizes the graduates and includes student testimonies and Scripture readings. Since large indoor gatherings are still not permitted, this year's Baccalaureate was a "drive-in" service in the parking lot of a funeral home. Everyone in attendance was to remain in or around their vehicles, and there was a speaker set up so that you could hear the service. It happened to be the hottest day we've had in May so far with temps in the mid-80s - thank goodness my parents had a handheld fan we could use! Boomer and I made a date out of it, with McDonalds before (and after!) the service. Although we were just staying in the car, I even put on make-up - the first time in two months! 

We just got back from our second big outing - visiting Boomer's family in Star. We had not seen his parents since February, and they have certainly missed the grandkids. The original plan was to go to the lake as we usually do for Memorial Day Weekend, but Boomer's dad called on Saturday morning to say that they had lost power overnight due to a storm. Since they did not expect to have it back on until much later in the day, we all headed to their house in Star instead. With their pool, it's not such a bad alternative. I wasn't brave enough to go in the water (it was quite chilly after all the recent storms!), but Emmy and Granny didn't seem to mind. They had fun splashing around and making her Barbies swim. It was our first night staying away from home as a family of 4, so I was a little nervous that I wouldn't remember everything. Luckily, Eli was flexible with the new environment and slept well in the pack-n-play. With all the fresh air and sunshine, we had two tired kiddos on the way back to Kernersville today. I am glad for the opportunity to go away, but it's always wonderful to come back home. 

 

As we plan more outings in the weeks ahead, it will be an adjustment to be in public places again and to be with people outside of our family unit. Emmy is prepared with her custom-made Minnie mask! 

Half a Year!

Another month of staying at home, but another month of milestones for our little boy. Happy 6 months, Eli Daniel!

 

As you can see in the last two pictures, I had an assistant for Eli's photos this month. Emmy continues to dote on her little brother, and he is very patient with her. He is a good sport to let her bury him in stuffed animals or cover him up with a blanket. She also loves reading to him and giving him extra air when he is bouncing in his exersaucer. "Be gentle with your brother" seems to be a common phrase during this quarantine. 

Eli has not rolled over from his back to his belly yet, but he is so very close! Although he has not made the full roll, he will often balance on his side or crane his head to look over his shoulder. His other tricks right now include: clapping, balancing while standing and holding on to the crib, scooting around on his backside when he is on the floor, and pulling on the hanging objects in his rainforest play mat. He also likes grabbing his feet when he is barefoot and sucking on his two middle fingers. This habit started several months ago, and he primarily does it when he is hungry or tired. We have noticed that he has started using his right arm to lock his fingers in, playing defense against his big sister who likes to pull them out of his mouth. 

We are working on sitting up unassisted. Eli still tends to topple forward after a few seconds, but he is staying upright for longer and longer. The boppy has been helpful for just that little bit of extra support. 

Eli was previously already wearing size 2 diapers at night, and we just moved up to size 2 diapers during the day, too. I will soon be switching over Eli's drawers to make room for the 6-9 month clothes. His 6-month appointment isn't until the 28th so I don't know his exact stats, but I can tell that he is growing. One sign is that he no longer needs a pillow under his feet when he is in the exersaucer. He can reach the carpet with his tippy toes in order to give him just enough of a bounce. The exersaucer continues to be one of his favorite activities, and we use it often during mealtimes to keep him occupied while we are eating.

Bedtime is between 7:30PM and 8PM. In my last post, I may have spoken a little too soon about Eli sleeping through the night. He is back to waking up between 4AM and 5AM for a "dream feed," and then he will generally wake up for the final time around 7AM. Since I am not going to work right now, this schedule isn't so bad. I too will go back to sleep until 7AM (a whole two hours later than if I was reporting to my school building!) When I go into Eli's room in the morning, he welcomes me with the sweetest smile and will thump his legs off of the mattress, usually moving around the crib as he does. We are still using the swaddle at night and for naptime; we secure it around his mid-chest, below his armpits. He is napping around 9:30AM and again around 1PM. I plan to soon transition to the sleep sack, which was very successful with Emmy. We will then use the sleep sack until they say it is safe to use a real blanket. 

We have continued feeding Eli rice cereal before his midday nursing and nap. He is a very eager and enthusiastic eater, and I hope that continues as we will soon introduce other things like sweet potatoes, carrots, and apples. The plan is to slowly introduce different fruits and vegetables to hopefully widen his palate for other tastes. About two weeks ago, we caught a glimpse of the first tooth poking through his bottom gum. In the last few days, there looks to be a second tooth coming in right next to it. I will certainly miss that newborn gummy grim, but it is such a blessing to have our happy, growing bundle of joy! 

UPDATE 5/28/2020: We had Eli's 6-month appointment today. He weighed in at a healthy 15 pounds 4 ounces; he was 26 inches in length and had a head circumference of 17.5 inches. I am not sure if the percentiles are entirely correct...according to the printout I received, his weight was in the 10th percentile and his length in the 17th percentile. He has always looked long, so I was surprised to see such a low percentile for that one. I suppose we'll check again in August when we return for the 9-month appointment. Today's visit included a few more vaccines, and Eli didn't like those very much. Poor guy didn't know what was coming in this picture!

Mommy & Mrs. Kennedy a little longer

As of Friday, we have entered "Phase 1" of Governor Cooper's plans to re-open the state. While there are certain restrictions still in place, parks and trails are re-opening, and outdoor gatherings are permitted. We are still encouraged to follow social distancing guidelines and to wear masks when in businesses and grocery stores. And sadly, indoor seating at restaurants will remain closed. Gosh I can't wait to go out to eat again! Since the decision was already made to continue remote learning through the end of the school year, things don't feel too different for us. We are still staying at home and limiting our interactions with friends and family. For me, I am "working from home" for about three more weeks, which means being Mommy and Mrs. Kennedy a little while longer:

We have continued with the rice cereal with Eli, and he seems to really like it. He will often lunge toward the spoon with his whole body and even try to grab the bowl. I have seen a very positive side effect of the introduction of the rice cereal: Eli has slept through the night for FIVE consecutive nights. I don't know if it is just a coincidence or if he is fuller during the day. Perhaps he is also growing out of the newborn stage of frequent feedings. Currently, Eli's and Emmy's bedtimes are around 8PM, and they are both sleeping until around 7AM. I am very happy for the longer stretches of sleep that I am getting!

Speaking of changes in the nightime routine, Emmy got an upgrade to her sleeping arrangements. We finally converted her crib to a toddler bed. We had put this task on our 2019 Summer To-Do List, but here we are, almost a full year later, finally checking it off! Since we were gifted a crib for Eli, we didn't have a pressing deadline for making this switch. As we make preparations for summer travels where she will be staying in a big bed, it finally seemed time. A big thanks to my Dad and Boomer for putting in the labor and for knocking out several other small projects at our house on Saturday. After surveying her new bed, Emmy quickly hopped inside! 

Here are some other snapshots from our quarantine life. A couple Saturdays ago, we had a bonfire at the Houstons', complete with s'mores! Our whole family was gathered around the fire pit; the kids were having a blast running around the backyard; and the temperature was perfect. It was one of those moments that I wanted to freeze in time. The next day Emmy loved talking about the fire that Uncle Zack had built and how he played "Let it Go" through the speakers. After he previously called her "soft" at another Saturday gathering, I think they are starting to make progress in their uncle-niece relationship :)

 

One evening, just for a change in scenery, we picked up Cookout and ate in the back of our car. We called it an "adventure picnic." We had to eat pretty fast because Eli felt a little left out, being the only one still in his car seat. 

We've been getting outside when we can. Megan came over one morning for our long weekly run. With careful planning around Zoom meetings, nursing schedules, and childcare, we managed to fit in 8 miles. Emmy accompanied us for the run, so we got an extra workout with each of us pushing her for 4 miles! Later that same day, we met up with the Williamses at Triad Park for some biking and playing. I'm starting to get a glimpse of summertime with Emmy and Eli, and I'm excited for those days!

Today we celebrated Mother's Day. Before watching the church service on TV, I snapped this photo enjoying my Sunday morning coffee and bagel with the kids playing in the background. Afterwards I was able to go for a run and take a nap - two of my favorite things! For dinner we went over to the Houstons' for lasagna and Oreo dessert. Grammy got her special photo with all of the grandkids, and there was even a surprise fire truck drive-by, thanks to Aunt Megan's connections. Boomer made the day extra special with a personalized book all about Emerson and Mommy. Since we don't often exchange gifts for holidays, he really surprised me! Before bed, Emmy and I snuggled in to read it together. I love these quiet moments at the end of the day. I feel so blessed to be a Mommy!