Fall Update

The summer went by way too fast! In the last month and a half a lot has happened. I went back to work, Ani started daycare, Myah moved to preschool room and Josh signed up for a marathon in North Carolina next spring. I guess it's true, when it rains, it pours.

Things have been going really well with all of our transitions and we've even had a little time to have some extra fall fun! On my Birthday we went to Emma Krumbee's Apple Orchard and had a blast. Myah got to pick her pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and ride a pony. She really enjoyed the trip, especially when we got to stop at the Largest Candy Store in Minnesota on the way home! What a day!

Ani has been growing leaps and bounds. She isn't quite rolling over yet, but is sooooo close. She rolls to her side and wants to go the rest of the way but just doesn't have the umpf to do it quite yet. She is also laughing like crazy! I will post a video of that soon. Myah had her really going the other day and it just made my day!

Ani also had a major milestone - her Baptism! On October 14th we had a beautiful celebration for our little girl! Josh's sister, Becky, who is Ani's Godmother, flew in from North Carolina to celebrate the special day! We have 35 friends and family join us at our church and then at our home to celebrate! Ani was well behaved and didn't seem to mind the fancy little baptismal gown and bonnet. She was in a good mood, as usual and didn't even cry when Pastor Paul poured water over her head :) She did  fall asleep for pictures after the service though - little stinker!

Other than that, we've been busy getting ready for Halloween. I'll make sure to post some pictures of the girls in their costumes! It will be really fun to see Myah this year at Halloween - I think that she'll understand it and appreciate more than she has in the past :) Should be fun! Here is a picture of her getting ready to carve her pumpkin.

Ani's 1 Month Photos!

Aunt Katie took Ani's 1 month photos in late July and they turned out beautifully! It was a hot day but we had fun taking most of the pictures in the air conditioning and took a family photo outside!

Thanks so much, Katie. We will treasure these pictures of our baby girl and  they will help us remember the sweet days of when we could hold her in our arms!

Welcome Anika Florence-Marjorie Retka!

 

A little over a month ago we welcomed Anika Florence-Marjorie Retka into our family. She weighed 7lbs10oz and was 19 inches long. She arrived exactly 2 weeks early on June 15th, 2012 at 7:11pm.





Most people want to hear a little of the labor story, so I'll give a few details.  On June 15th my water broke at 2am. My parents came out to our house to take care of Myah. We arrived at the hospital at 4am. After walking the halls with little success, I was induced at 11am. By 4pm I was ready for an epidural and had a few hours of rest before Anika arrived. There were a few laughable moments throughout the day, feel free to ask and I will fill you in. We came home on Sunday, June 17th (Father's Day).

Overall, we had a wonderful stay at Ridgevew in Waconia and were thankful for the caring and experienced staff, particularly our labor nurse, who was incredibly patient, kind, and knowledgeable.

It is amazing to think about how many changes we have gone through in the last month.






Ani continues to grow and fill out. At 5 weeks old she weighs 11lbs 8oz. She is now able to sleep a little longer at night, and has slept in 6 or 7 hour stretches occasionally. Most nights Josh stays up with her until 11 or 12 and gets her down and then I'm up with her sometime between 3 and 4. Right now she spends a lot of time eating and sleeping, but, occasionally she will wake up and open up her beautiful blue eyes and take in the world. She is a also a huge snuggle bug and would prefer to cuddled and held all day long vs. anything else. It is quite sweet.




Myah is getting used to the idea of being a big sister and trying her best to figure out to be gentle with her little sister. She is just a tad jealous at times, especially if I am feeding her or either one of us is giving Ani our full attention. But, it's getting easier as we all figure out that new relationship :) Myah is having a great summer. She continues to go to "school" (aka daycare) Monday through Wednesday. Thursdays and Fridays Grandma Jeneal comes out to play with Myah and give me a little break. Myah is talking more and more and is getting funnier and funnier by the day. The other day the dog ate a few of her teddy grahams. She looked at Addie very seriously, shook her finger and said, "That was a bad decision Addie".


I am taking advantage of my maternity leave as much as possible. Most days I try to have something planned, a walk with a friend, a visit to great-grandmas, or a trip to Target. It's amazing how fast day of a short activity, nursing, changing diapers and picking up the house goes. But, I must say, it is nice to have the summer off. Although it has been hot, it makes it easier to get an infant outside when you don't have to bundle them up and worry about freezing your butts off outside. I have been trying to bike in the evenings and weekends. Myah is finally starting to enjoy the Burley trailer and enjoys coming with me sometimes. It does get a little hot in the Burley, so hot, that Myah requested that I turn on the "A/C" the other day. Ha!




Josh is doing well, too. He is training for a half-marathon in August. We are both looking forward to when his sister and her family visit us for a week in early August!

In the next few weeks I will update the blog with Ani's 1 month photos. We should also have some cute one of Myah and the family :)

I hope all is well with you and your family and that you are enjoying your summer and keeping cool.

The best way to reach me over maternity leave is at katy.retka@gmail.com or on facebook.

Retka Family Updates! (Including Ultrasound Pictures of #2)

Well, I thought I would post a few updates since Christmas. First of all, we had a very blessed Christmas with our immediate and extended families and then a few days later enjoyed celebrating Myah's 2nd Birthday with a few close relatives and friends! The other night at bedtime Myah told me "Mama, I miss Santa... Santa Claus". So, I'm sure that next year will be something to look forward to :)  Myah also celebrated her 2nd Birthday with her Clover Ridge friends! The moms rented the ball pit at the Chaska Community Center for the occasion. All of the friends had pizza and cupcakes afterwards, too! It was quite a treat!


Myah is definitely enjoying life and becoming quite a dancer :) Here is a picture of her and her friend, Lily, about to hit the dance floor at our Superbowl Party this weekend.

I thought I would share some ultrasound pictures of #2. We've had a few ultrasounds, but these pictures are of our most recent, when I was 19 weeks (last Wednesday). A few of them are in 3-D, which is pretty cool.

This one is my favorite because the baby is waving at us in 3-D. Can you see its little hand waving? You can also see the eyes, the face, and its soft spot (not the hair, I thought it was hair, too)

This one is a great side shot of the baby's nose, mouth, and head. It's beautiful, isn't it?

 Lastly, and most impressively to me, is a 3-D shot of the baby's spine! Wow! You can actually the count the # of ribs on this little guy or girl!

So, of course, you're probably wondering if we found it if it's going to be a boy or a girl. We didn't find out at our ultrasound appointments. It will be a great surprise! I feel like it's going to be a boy. I have been much less sick than I was with Myah and generally I just feel a lot better and more energized. If it's a girl, that probably means that my body has adjusted to being pregnant and that's a good thing :)

Other than having some pretty awesome ultrasounds, the biggest news around here is that Myah switched daycares. It was a tough decision, as Marcelle always provided such great TLC for our little girl. But, with the baby on the way and knowing Myah would start "preschool" this fall, we decided to get a jump start on preschool to mitigate too many transitions at once (new baby, mom going back to work, and a new daycare).  Overall Myah did absolutely awesome at her new daycare and is making many new friends, including, Ellarie. Ellarie is also new to the class and likes to play tea party, too. I often find the 2 of them in the play kitchen at daycare serving each other tea the end of the day. Of course, our social butterfly, has fit in with the rest of the activities and has taken a particular interest in going potty at school, too! This is a huge thing for us, as we were hoping to get her fully trained before baby.


Well, that's all from the Retka clan for the moment. I hope that you are all enjoying this "warm" winter. Can you believe these temps. It feels like 50 degrees today and it's February 6th! Crazy!

Hope this warm weather finds your family healthy and well! Katy