This month we welcome our newest member, Lydia Ann! After two false alarm trips to the hospital earlier in the week, she was born at 8:04pm on Saturday July 14th. We were blessed by Mimi’s visit, watching Cordelia and Anthony while at the hospital and helping us transition to our now family of 5 plus dog. Other activities during this month included a Powers clan 4th of July celebration and Anthony’s first zoo camp week with Grandma and Grandpa. We also parted ways with our nanny so starting in August, Corrie and Tony will be going to preschool two days a week and at home with Alicia and Lydia the other days.
Corrie got to stay up for her first 4th of July fireworks this year. She had a lot of fun playing with her cousins and really enjoyed seeing the fireworks. Cordelia is very excited to have a new baby sister. She likes holding Lydia and giving her kisses. Corrie is eager to help feed Lydia too and asks frequently when Lydia will be big enough so that she can give her a bottle. With all the changes and disruptions to the normal routine Corrie has been struggling more with handling her emotions and temper. We are trying to help her be proactive about removing herself from the situation so she can calm down. We also have her memorizing a verse, Psalm 4:4. While there has not been as much consistency this month, she still has been doing some reading practice and occasional drop-in days at preschool. Our neighbors have also invited us over a few times to go swimming in their pool and Corrie has really enjoyed that, learning to swim on her own.
Anthony also got to experience his first 4th of July fireworks. He enjoyed a week with Grandma and Grandpa doing his first zoo camp and other fun activities. He too is very excited about his new sister and his very sweet and gentle with her. He gives her toys or lays down next to her on the blanket. A true boy, Tony likes playing outside with sticks and driving his cars around. He found a really neat stick this month that looks like a small seahorse. We’re still dealing with pushing, hitting, and yelling but we’re teaching him to use his words and explain what’s going on rather than responding with physical action. We still also battle with food, especially at dinner. If Anthony never had to eat a meal sitting down he’d be great with that! After the long break from preschool, he had a harder time adjusting to going back at the end of this month. But he’s improving and does have fun while he’s there.
Lydia has been a mostly pleasant addition. During her first two weeks there was minimal fussing and she did good adjusting to a family routine. As she enters three weeks, she’s starting to be more alert and not always as easy to get down for naps. We’ve also stretched her a bit with a trip to Carlsbad and a stroller walk nap. Apparently she’s not a very good car seat sleeper, now we know! Overall she’s been eating well, sleeping well at night, and having good awake time during the day. She has her next doctor appointment this week, so we’ll see exactly how much she’s growing.
Strider has been with us almost two months now. He was doing well, learning where to potty and how to play nicely. After the addition of Lydia his routine has been thrown off too, resulting in more accidents and some more unpleasant behavior. Overall his a good dog, but dealing with a lot of puppy things. Cordelia has not been as engaged in playing with him as Tim and Alicia had thought, which makes things more challenging. Anthony will occasionally give him some good playtime.
Alicia has been at home, taking leave from work, for most of the month. She enjoyed the first few days, visiting with her high school friend and doing some final baby house prep before Lydia arrived. Now that Lydia is here Alicia has obviously been focused mostly on her. Alicia has also been taking care of Strider too, making sure he gets attention during the day. While it’s only been a week, Alicia has found a good routine that mostly works for Lydia and Strider to both get the attention they need. Alicia is looking forward to August when Aunt Kelly and Grandparents will be coming for weekly visits to help out with the kids.
Tim was able to make some good progress and contributions to one of his projects this month. Part of his role involves working with a software tool that he’d been wanting to learn previously but didn’t have the opportunity. Tim also took a week off work after Lydia was born. While at home he did several backyard projects that had needed to be done. He’s beginning work on raised beds for fruits and vegetables and is looking forward to doing some gardening.
It has been a very hot month which has been a challenge for everyone. It has made it challenging to do much outdoor activities. We ended up buying several room AC units to keep our inside temperature under 80deg during the day. With all our activities and Lydia’s arrival we haven’t made progress in developing our church friendships this month. Our next door neighbors has been very nice, letting us come swim at their pool a few times. Another neighbor has also helped by providing basic grocery needs since Lydia’s birth. We are happy to have moved to such a friendly and helpful neighborhood.
This next month we’ll be settling into our new normal with the addition of Lydia. Alicia will be at home for the whole month and also will be celebrating her 30th birthday. We are blessed to be close to family again and look forward to frequent visits during August. Cordelia will also be doing a 4 week long ice skating class. Please pray that during August we will all have increased patience and understanding as we adjust to our new family life. Thank you for your love and support.
