10 Things I'm Looking Forward to with Baby #2

Argh. I have what appears to be my 4th cold in two months; or maybe it's just pregnancy congestion. Either way, I'm congested and didn't sleep well last night. We all know what that means - serious dramatics and waterworks. Ian got up at 5 this morning to work on some things and I got out of bed as well. Little did he know that soon, I'd be a crying mess on the couch. Poor, poor man.

In his usual gentle way of wanting to solve things for me, he asked if he needed to stay home from work. I told him, bravely, through the inexplicable and probably not justified tears, that I would manage. So off he went and I've decided that the best way to combat my sleep-deprived over dramatic self-indulgences is to create a list of things I'm looking forward to about Baby #2. See, I won't always be pregnant and hopefully when I'm not, all this congestion will go away (or at least I'll be able to fight it with some more serious drugs). Also, I'm reading a really great book called One Thousand Gifts, where the author talks about finding fulfillment and a truly joyful life through thanksgiving.

That being said...

1. I am really excited to find out if this is a boy or a girl. I think even more so than with Ruthie. I am very curious to see if Ruthie will have a brother or a sister. Just six more weeks!

2. Skin to skin time, between Ian and the baby. This is a good thing because (a) he takes his shirt off and (b) I know it is so good for him and the baby to bond that way. I just LOVE it.

3. Getting to use one of our names! We have the boy name from last time, which we still really like, and just the other day we decided on our girl name. Hooray!

4. Nursing. I really loved nursing Ruthie and ended it a little sooner than I probably would have chosen because I was in my 2nd trimester already with this baby and wanted to make sure I was giving him/her the nutrition needed. So I'm looking forward to that special time again.

5. Sweet new baby smell.

6. Fuzzy little head.

7. Froggy legs, all curled up like they are still in the womb.

8. The tiny baby cry.

9. Wearing the baby in the Moby. It's so cozy and it seems like the stage for this passes so quickly.

10. Just meeting this little person we've been waiting for - it's so exciting to see our family take shape!

Perks of the Job

There are lots of perks to being a stay at home mom - kisses during the day, chubby arm hugs, reading books, sitting outside watching babies play, etc. But I have found that another perk, unrelated to Ruthie, is breakfast. When I was working, I ate breakfast in the car or at my desk. Now, I am able to make a lovely, hot breakfast pretty much everyday.

On this day, the breakfast feast also included homemade buttermilk biscuits, right out of the oven. Yummy!

Ruthie, on the Harmonica (and also clarifying the boundaries regarding the cupboard under the sink)

Our Week in Spring Break

Sometimes, we talk about Ian looking into some other kind of work. Let's face it, standing in front of high schoolers all day while they tell you that your lesson is boring and they're not taking the test that day can start to wear on a person. But then we have weeks like this, and we begin to think teaching is the best career ever.

I mean, how many people recently had 10 days off (including weekends) and spent 5 of those days at the beach, one of them at the Aquarium, one of them gardening, one of them at Disneyland and the rest just kicking it around the house or celebrating Easter with family? Not a lot, that's how many. Anyway, here's our week at the beach in photos.

Ruthie, rocking her halter top swimsuit, and "brushing" her hair after I put it into two ponytail sprouts.

We had such a fun day on the sand. Because it wasn't terribly warm the week we were there, we just went to the sand one day. It was SO fun. We've taken Ruthie to the sand before, but not since she's been walking and it made all the difference in the world. She loved the sand and the waves and didn't seem to mind the cold water at all. And she loved the sand toys we took down from the cabin.

My family. My heart.

We also rented a surrey bike, which was super fun. We put Ruthie in the front (it had a child's buckle, don't worry) and she loved it.

And all the people we passed told her she was so cute. Which she also loved.

I think I've mentioned on this blog before that the family is selling the cabins this fall, so I was feeling super nostalgic about our time there. I have seen a photo of my sisters and I playing just like this (or maybe it was a slide? Remember those?) and I wanted to capture one of Ruthie. She's climbing up the stairs to our place, the apartment left empty for family to use.

Of  course, there was lots of reading.

And bath time in the sink! Look how modest she's being. =)

We have one more trip planned before the units go on the market and this time, we'll have two precious babies! I can hardly wait. 

It was a sad Monday for everyone when Daddy went back to work, but we managed and now it is almost the weekend again! Hooray!

Holy Mole!

Or should I say holy guacamole!! We have so many avocados! It is super windy today, so on top of being out of town last week, we have way more avocados than we can handle. If you are reading this (and you live nearby), come get some!

This photo is just a snap shot - there are lots more than are pictured here.