My Little Nephew

So my sister-in-law Kourtney and her husband Keith are in town with their 2 m/o son, Nathan. This is the first time that I have seen him since he was born, and boy is he cute and big! At 2 m/o he is probably already 15lbs. But this of course in a baby is a very good thing. He has dark hair and swarthy skin. His eyes are blue but they look like they are about to change color soon. And did I mention that he is cute!!! I was trying to remember what Deirdre looked like at 2 m/o and couldn't do it very well. So I looked back at some pictures and while she was cute, Nathan has definitely cuted up quicker than she did. I mean don't get me wrong, DD is absolutely adorable, but not so much when she was a newborn. However she was precious and of course to me was and is the most beautiful baby on the planet, but I do have to give Nathan props.

I went in on Tuesday for another dating ultrasound. So far I have not gained any weight and the baby looks to be growing fine. However Cheryl could not find the fetal stem and measure it. She did get a picture of the gestational sac and yolk sac, but no baby. This however is not uncommon since it is still so early and she assured me that everything looked good. I have another appointment on the 7th. I will be on vacation then, but I will come back for the day so I can go to it. I could wait but for my own peace of mind I want to go. Once I hear the baby's heartbeat, my fears will be assuaged.

In other news, Craig and I finally came to a decision on where we are going to live for the next two years. A missionary couple at our church is going into the field and are letting us rent their home while they are gone. We feel so blessed. The home is gorgeous and has lots and lots of room. It will be perfect for a growing family. Its also nice to know that we can be there for 2 years. I really am tired of moving every year. Since 2005 I have moved 6 times and while most of those were college dorm moves, it still is draining. I like feeling settled especially now since I have a toddler.

Deirdre is doing great. In the past two weeks she has gone to Busch Gardens twice! Pam bought us season passes and she absolutely loves it. I really enjoy it to. It is so fun much to watch your child just enjoying herself. Deirdre has also started to talk more now. Just the other day I told her to wash her hair in the bathtub and she said "was-h". I was so so excited. She can also say "good-girl", as well as "no-no-no". Oh the joys of speech!

Settling into a Routine

Deirdre and I had a great day today. Craig made us some yummy lunch and she and I played inside and then took a walk later on. Our walks always turn into little adventures. Recently she loves to get out of her stroller and then push it all by herself. It is extremely cute to watch and amusing since she can't really push it straight without help. We always bring some bread along with us too. Inevitably we see a squirrel or duck and get to feed it. However Deirdre hasn't quite figured out the whole feeding thing yet. She usually sits there and eats the bread while I feed the animals. She also is getting really good at climbing on the playground. I know that this is a very small and inane achievement but its so exciting to see she her learn and develop.

As for me, I feel very fatigued. This of course is not surprising since I'm pregnant. I mean I should have remembered what it felt like but nonetheless I'm shocked all over again. Its true what they say, every pregnancy really is different!

Off to prep for my Sunday school class (I get to teach the 3 year olds!!)!

Exciting News

If you didn't already notice the right hand side of your screen then I will fill you in. I am pregnant! Our family is very excited. I am only about 4 weeks along and my due date is between February 26th- March 3rd, 2010. While this was not planned and is inopportune timing, we still are very happy and feel so blessed. I never thought that I would be a Mom again so soon but I guess God had other plans. I don't think the gravity of the news has really hit me yet. I love being Deirdre's Mom so much that I am a bit sad that in 8 months it won't just be me and her anymore (plus Craig of course!). But I am positive that everything will work out for the best.

Plus she will now be a big sister! I'm a big sister and I love my little brother dearly (btw. my little brother is now taller than me and can pick me up). This all will be exciting nonetheless. I guess I always just assumed that my children would be as spaced apart as my brother and I were. But there are pros and cons both ways.

As for finding out I was pregnant, I figured it out very very early on. After I switched my birth control I began to feel nauseous yet hungry all the time. Then my breasts started getting sore and I had weird cramping. Still being in denial I reluctantly bought a pregnancy test. 8 positive tests later I realized that I really was. I only told a few people and put off going to the doctor. But then finally I broke down and told Craig and the next day we went to the Doctor and had an ultrasound. That was the first time we saw our new baby. It was so exciting.

So here I am on the computer nauseous, crampy, and with sore breasts detailing this to you and thinking to myself, "only 8 more months to go!"

Living Museum and Staying Home

Today Deirdre and I went to the Virginia Living Museum. She as always was all over the place and being very cute. She brought in her "baby" (which is just a little plastic baby doll) and proceeded to tote it around with her the entire time. She even insisted on it riding in the stroller by itself when she was not in it. I was particularly impressed with her language development today though. At the museum she was able to say "owl", "tur-ture" (turtle), "fis" (fish), "frog", and "ott" (otter). She also was more adventurous than usual, even going as far as sticking her hand into the touch tank without prompting.

On Monday we went to YMCA pool with Omi. This was her first time swimming since winter. At first she was not a fan of the pool. But she very quickly adjusted and became more interested in kicking her feet. She also enjoyed jumping on the side of the pool and going under the water. It was hard to keep up with her once she got going. It’s amazing how fast an 18 m/o can run!

Craig started his new job today. We are really excited about this one; let's pray that it goes well. Soon we also have to move, or renew our lease for a year. I'm still split on what to do really. I like it here but... its unnecessarily expensive and I'd like to have a yard for Deirdre. So we'll see but we need to make a decision soon since its up 7/16/09!