Violet: future OB?

Violet has definitely bonded with this pregnancy.  She asks daily how sister is doing, if she's kicking, and she fell asleep one night with her hand on my belly, trying to feel her move.  She boldly told me, "I think she likes me more than you."  I'm not sure about that, but it would be nice to have girls who are as close as she and Charlie are. 

Today I told her that my friend had a baby and she started asking about how the baby comes out.  She had more questions than my explanations would satisfy so I pulled up an animated video of what happens during labor and delivery.  She didn't just think it was cool; she thought it was AWESOME.  She made me play every video on the website and when one started playing footage of a live birth, I turned it off and she yelled, "Hey, I wasn't done watching that!"  She had even more questions after that.  How does the cord get off? Do they throw the placenta away? Does aunt Bethany catch her when she comes out? Do they wipe the stuff off the baby after she's born? Can she see in there? SHE CAN HEAR ME?!?! I showed her pictures of a placenta (by the way, don't ever google "placenta" unless you're prepared for it to give you the option for "placenta eating" with pictures of some really disturbing food) and we both agreed that the "red jellyfish" was gross and cool. 

Finally, I gave her the news that she would have to stay home with someone else when I go to the hospital and have the baby.  She simply replied, "Yeah, because there will be a lot of yucky stuff that I probably won't want to see."  This girl is wise beyond her years.

Keep me busy

Normally by this point in any given month I will have written a blog post about my kids doing some crazy thing that drives me nuts and makes me question my sanity and/or parenting skills.  But there has been a lull in the postings lately because my life has been, dare I say, normal.  Perfect.  Seriously, 2014-- although I'm only half a month into it-- has been great.  My kids have been suspiciously well-behaved.  They are asleep by 8:30 every night and play together pretty well during the day.  I have gotten that second trimester burst of feelgoodness and I've been doing things like making dinner every night, cleaning out my car, and exercising regularly.  What is up with this? This never happens!

We have even gotten our plans for the year more or less figured out. Brandon is on track to graduate in May (fingers crossed), start his job in June, and we have talked to a lender who feels confident that we can move into our very own house in July. Our landlord gave us the OK to extend our contract for a couple of months so we only have to move once this year.

In fact, things are going so well that there is only one problem: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF. Everything exciting that is happening in my life is at least 4 months away.  So what do I do to keep myself busy?  Make goals that I probably won't achieve.
--paint 10 pictures (a lofty goal for a girl who takes naps daily)
--sell at least one of them (also a lofty goal, considering that it's completely out of my control)
--take tons of pictures (duh, that's not really a goal, that's just something I like to do)
--go to San Antonio while Brandon writes his papers
--go to the beach while I'm still not too pregnant to fit in my swimsuit
--go to the rodeo
--make baby girl's blessing dress
--find a name for her
--pick out all the furniture I want so I can order it right after we buy a house (I'm actually really good at this)

Okay, anything to add? Because this might sound like a lot, but it really doesn't keep me all that busy.  Well, not busy enough to stop checking real estate listings even though we're not looking at houses yet!

The photo blog is still up... grab my new button!

 



As many of you know, I made an actual webpage (not just a blog) for art and photography now-- 50mmlinds.com.  I didn't really intend to do this in the beginning, but enough people have been asking for services that it became necessary to have a portfolio and pricing guide, and I'm really excited about the new site.  My sister asked if I was going to discontinue the photo blog, and the answer is most definitely not!  I'm continuing it on the "blog" tab of my new site, so just check that instead for new posts from now on.  The button on the side of my personal blog links to the new site, and if you want to grab the button, too, here is the html code you'll need to copy and paste to the "add html" gadget in your blog (if you already have my 50mmlinds blog button, you can just paste this code over it and save and it will replace it.)  Happy blogging!

<a href="http://50mmlinds.com"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsdyLhy4ApVWHfyxPRueI5WimMH-AvCS2YiIcja_SaNu319sevYXRpZ35A1H6kKkXdGCfxPw-3PQ4mslNTjZtJxKsj_tlp814ok5TQrNWpg6I7TYQotgzrtsSwYFhCt2HWpIy/s1600/LBH_3809button.png" /></a>

Gratitude

Wonderful things have been happening this week.

I felt the baby kicking for the first time recently.  The next day we went in for my ultrasound.  We let Violet decide if she wanted to find out if it was a boy or girl and she definitely did.  She braced herself as a tiny little baby came up on the monitor.  Arms, legs, beautiful beating heart, and head, and then we saw the three little lines that were undeniable evidence that Violet is going to have a little sister.  She gasped, and I cried.  After seeing this tiny baby squirming around and looking at my two standing at my side, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that it didn't matter if it's a boy or girl; I was just so happy to have three sweet children.  I resolved to enjoy my time with them more, and the week since then has been great.  They can't wait to meet their new little sister.  

It's my lucky day!

Do you ever have one of those days where everything just makes you happy? That's today for me.  Here is a list of the little things I have been thrilled about today.

--I wasn't too excited about getting home last night because I was sick when we left for vacation and I had to leave the house messy.  But the first thing I saw when I got to the door was a package from Jennifer, and when I opened it there was a brand new New York Princess snow globe for Violet and an adorable maternity dress for me.

--I am finally starting to consider the fact that it might be a better idea to wait a month or so after Brandon starts his job to buy a house.  While the idea of living in this apartment for longer than 5 more months would normally make me want to cry, it's not so bad right now-- we just got done living with 13 other people for two weeks, so after coming home, our apartment seems huge!

--I was looking for a set of giant foam blocks to get the kids for Christmas, but the cheapest ones I could find were $82 online, so I never ended up getting them.  But today I randomly found some for sale at HEB for half the price!  I bought them right away and my kids have been playing with them all afternoon.

--As I was pushing the kids and our new foam blocks out to the car at HEB, some guys in a truck stopped to tell me that I look hot for having 2 kids.  I realize that's pretty creepy but I was still happy about it, especially since I'm also 4 months pregnant.

--When I got into the car, Violet asked if it was stinky in the car.  I told her no, but she replied, "Yes it is, because I farted in here!"  I know I shouldn't encourage that, but I couldn't stop laughing.

--I went to Ulta and tracked down all the makeup that Ashley had let me borrow when I was in NYC and bought it, so I can now look like I did there.  (Trust me, it makes a difference.)

If today is any sign of what this new year is going to be like, I believe I'm in for a good one!