Carsten the Lion

Pantless and shoeless at Sea World.  Definitely how this little guy rolls on a usual basis.

I have this desire to blog.  Daily, in fact.  But the constant exhaustion and on again/off again nausea make it so do I not only blog, but I rarely take pictures.  Elisabeth had her first dance recital and my dad came out to visit and all I have to show for it is a few pictures taken on my iPhone.

I can't believe how this little boy is no longer a baby.  Well, I let him run around in his diaper and kiss his chubby thighs enough so at times he feels like my baby still but I can't ignore the inevitable.  He is definitely a toddler.  Here are some fun things he does:

•  Tantrums?  Not his thing.  When he is angry or frustrated he growls like a lion.  Thus the nickname "Carsten the Lion" was born.
• He cleans up after himself.  Regardless if we ask him to or not.  He sings his version of the Clean Up song which is more like "Meem ma, Meem ma."
• Cars, bah (buses), Sofi the Beagle, the sand box and choochoos (trains) are his passion in life.  As is his milk and o ju (orange juice).  
• He no longer wants to sleep with anything in his crib.  Just his blanket.  
• He HATES poopy diapers and the big potty with the same vengence.  Hmm...How to solve this predicament is beyond me at the moment but since anything to do with feces, human or dog, makes me want to vomit these days, I am eager to find the answer.
• He can swim.  Thank you Miss Lynn and your lessons (albeit a little expensive.)  For a boy who refuses to stay in a floatie and or hold unto you in the pool, this is wonderful.
• Still hopelessly in love with this sweet boy.  How can you not be - wildness, picky eating and all?

We have been talking about if we want a boy or a girl next.  Beyond the usual "oh, we just want a healthy baby" part of me hopes for another girl.  Only because this little guy has been so special to me from the moment he was born.  His birth was beyond magical and I have been smitten ever since.  I kinda want him to be my special little boy . . . forever.  

I am sure he will be.  No matter who joins our family next. 

Still wishing we wouldn't have bought this sand box. . . as I get so tired of feeling like we live at the beach.
But he loves it so much, it is hard to deny him happiness.

Canine miracles

Sofi ran away tonight. About an hour later I heard scratching on our garage door. Which means she came back home. On her own. Of the 50+ times this dog has run away, she has never come back on her own.

Feel like the miracles just keep raining down on us.

When you are busy making other plans . . .

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
                                                                - John Lennon

As you remember, on January 20th I was planning to be running in this:

Instead, on January 20th I am due to have this:

Definitely an absolute unplanned, unassisted, unexpected but thoroughly welcomed miracle.

Here's a little background. . .
 Back in January I felt a distinct impression it was time for us to have another baby.  Why?  Not sure.  I mean I can barely manage the two cute yet crazy ones I have.  I remember eating the best pulled BBQ pork sandwich in the world at a swap meet in Oahu with Lance, telling him I was going to call our infertility doctor that day and set up an appt. for when we got back from our little love vacay.  He agreed it was time.

But it never worked out.  I drug my feet to get the blood work done needed to start the process. We soon found the house we just purchased.  Just like the last six years we had to make a choice - Do we do infertility treatments?  Or do we buy a house?  A house won out.  Surprisingly, I was at peace about it.  Another baby would have to wait until 2013 or even 2014.  I had a house to decorate, a budget to keep, two little ones to raise, a little more weight to lose and a half marathon for which to train.   

When we were packing to move, I came across a pregnancy test.  It was about to expire and I did not want to pack it.  I didn't even suspect I was pregnant but I figured I wasn't going to throw away $15.   I took it on a whim.  Imagine my surprise when I saw two lines.  After texting a picture of it to my friend Amber in disbelief, she insisted I go buy another.  The three digital ones I purchased and took that same day all spelled out in bold letters the unbelievable answer:  PREGNANT.

Shock is an understatement.


Ten years of trying with losses and no success on our own.  And here we are - stressed from buying a house and not even planning or trying and I am expecting baby #3.
 
I know this is early in the game to be announcing anything.  Isn't there an unsaid rule you should wait until you are in your 2nd trimester to share with the world?   But I just can't keep it a secret.  I am so excited and feel so incredibly blessed to be carrying this miracle.  I am so tired of having to be cautious about everything when it comes to having babies - chosing carefully who I tell when I am doing fertility treatments and when I am newly pregnant because I am so worried I am going to lose my baby.  I want to be excited about this baby and believe that everything is going to be okay.  Because as far as I know, everything will be.

Besides, any prayers from those we love can't but help.