Guess what...

I'm going to be a big sister!!!

[Yes, there are two tests... just to make sure. :)]

Baby #2 is due to arrive on February 3, 2011!!!

Precious moments

I have the sweetest daughter. Ever. Ok, if you would've asked me if this was true when she was throwing a crazy fit earlier today (yes, we have entered the terrible twos) I would've laughed in your face. But tonight before I get in bed, I want to record this moment so I can look back and say, "Oh, yeah. She can be a really sweet girl, too!" :)

In my routine of checking on Abby right before getting in bed, I accidentally woke her up tonight. She had already been asleep for several hours, so she was pretty out of it. As I walked up to the crib, I heard her whispering, "What is it? Who is it?" I didn't want her to get scared, so I told her it was just Mommy and she was ok and she just needed to close her eyes and go back to sleep. She smiled, sat up, and said, "Hold you, Mommy? Pwease, Mommy?" I picked her up and handed her the pacifier from her crib, to which she said, "Thank you so much, Mommy," and smiled as she put it in. I rocked her for a minute before putting her back in crib. As I covered her up with a blanket, I got another, "Thank you, Mommy." I leaned over and said, "Night night, baby. Mommy loves you." She smiled really big behind her pacifier, blew me a few kisses, and rolled over to snuggle with her blanket.

Sweetest. Baby. Ever.

Giddy

Ok, so I'm a little bit excited about THIS (<--click the link, please)!!! Even if no one orders anything, I feel extremely cool right now. :)

*tap tap* Is this thing on??

This post will be a random assortment of things that I want to remember, things that have been happening, and recent pictures that should be seen by everyone. :) I know I’m a bit behind on blogging, so here is an attempt to catch up. (And a cute picture to illustrate the point) :)

Abby has really gotten in a good routine for bedtime lately. Every night, we tell Daddy “night night” and “yuv you” with hugs and kisses before reading 2 or 3 books. Current favorites are Hush-a-Byes, The Night Before Christmas (yes, I know it is May), and The Going to Bed Book. Once in a while we will substitute with Kitten’s First Full Moon or something by Dr. Seuss. What are your kids’ favorite bedtime books?

Last Wednesday started a rough week in our house. Abby started running fever, and we found out she had strep (which I had the week before). I was still finishing my antibiotics when we got her started on hers. Her fever stayed between 101 and 103, but it climbed to 105 on Friday night—scary!! It was a long night, but we made it through, and her fever finally broke on Sunday. Happy Mother’s Day! :) I took this picture when her fever was around 103, but you can’t really tell!

One of Abby’s favorite movies right now is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Chipmunk Adventure (see above picture). Remember that one?? Yeah, it was made in 1987. Classic. I got the DVD on Amazon.com, and it came with a CD of the music from the movie—yay! Now we can sing along with the chipmunks in the car, too! Haha Speaking of…

Abby has figured out that she can sing along with any and every song she hears now…. and it is SO funny! One of the previously mentioned Chipmunks songs is “The Girls of Rock & Roll,” although when they sing it, it sounds like “rock and roll-ah” because of the pop-star emphasis. So when Abby sings it, it comes out as “rock an’ roll-YAH” or “roll-DA.” Hilarious! She will also bust out randomly with “Twinkle, Twinkle” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep.” I am looking for kids’ Christian music (other than Veggie Tales—we have a ton!) that we can listen to more since she is really starting to sing along. Any suggestions?

On the job front, Casey is scheduled to do some freelance video stuff for Harding in the next few weeks and will do video for Uplift again this summer. He’s still applying for other jobs, but no hits yet. I am supposed to be starting a new (VERY part-time) job soon, but it hasn’t been finalized yet. More details on that when it’s set in stone…

In closing, here is little miss priss trying to wear Mommy and Daddy’s shoes—what a mess! :)

On Hold

There are a lot of things I have been wanting to do lately, but with our job situation being what it is, I have been afraid to commit to anything. Here are a few of my favorite excuses:

• "We're applying for jobs everywhere, so we might not even live here in a few months."
• "If Casey gets back in the army, we'd just have to leave when he's done with training."
• "I'm not sure how many hours/what days/which shifts I'll have to work next month."
• "I don't want to tell them I have to quit if things change and I can't keep doing [fill in the blank]."

Pretty good, huh? I have become the queen of evading commitment and responsibility. In lieu of this epiphany, I am slowly making plans for this fall. Here is what I am considering so far:

• Enroll Abby in Carpenter's Kids
• Join local MOPS steering team
• Complete student teaching internship for Master's degree
• Continue working at the gym as needed

I have already completed the first item, and the 2nd and 3rd are in the works. My main concern with all of it right now is scheduling, but if there is one thing I am good at, it's organizing the calendar. :) I spent this whole year saying, "I want to be more involved, but..." Nothing is certain for us right now. There is no telling when or where steady employment will come our way, and I don't want to keep putting things off that I know I should be doing.

I hope this wasn't overly boring for everyone. I guess I'm kind of taking a stand for myself... against... myself? Ha! Sometimes it helps to see it in writing--thanks for indulging my rant. To reward those who suffered through it, here is a video of Abby I took yesterday. She is currently in love with Blue's Clues and can sing along with the songs. I don't know what her obsession is with having her fingers in her mouth right now, and YES, we are going through the terrible/defiant twos (as you might notice at the end). Enjoy! :)

Need a Baby Shower Gift?

If you are in need of a gift for an upcoming baby shower, please check out my friend's Etsy site:

Baby Boutique (babyboutiquecrafts.etsy.com)

Mandy finds the cutest fabric and sews her own burp cloths, nursing covers, and diapee bags. There are still several items that will be added to the store soon, so check back when you need a gift idea or something for yourself! All of the money she makes on this site will go towards their adoption expenses. You can do your shopping online, get a really cute gift, and help fund an adoption all at once! Does that make you feel good? :) Spread the word!

Blast from the Past

Does this look familiar to anyone?? I feel like I've seen that tiny face and huge glasses somewhere before.... hmmm......

These are Casey's BCG's (read: Birth Control Glasses.... yes, the army really does call them that). We had to take the pictures fast before Abby got a headache. :) Can we say, "Mini-Me"??