23 Months

When Baby Girl isn't screaming, crying, whining, or pouting she really is a delight. I know that sounds bad, but it really is, at least once a day, a huge meltdown. It doesn't matter where we are or who we're with either. Does every child go through this? This is definitely a trying time for us all. We've had made great use out of the time-out spot!

Baby Girl is growing and learning so much. It's incredible to watch her try something new out every day. She likes to count, "1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10", is her rendition. She recognizes many letters. Reading is still a passion and she'll read all morning long. Her newest thing is giving doggy kisses, which is when she licks the side of your face! We've got three new teeth in, two of them are molars. Her list of animal noises keeps growing and when we went to the zoo in Big Bear she was going crazy with growling, howling, and hooting like an owl. Yesterday marked a milestone - she stepped on a dead bee and got the stinger right in her foot! Pastor Husband came to the rescue and pulled it out with tweezers. Baby Girl has survived to one day tell the tale.

We love our fiercely independent Baby Girl. She is definitely a whole lot of me in personality (poor thing) and looks just like Pastor Husband. Happy Almost-2nd-Birthday, Miss!

Always Wear Clean Underwear...

...and keep your living room clean because you never know who may show up or why they may (or in my case, have to) show up.

Baby Dos arrived on July 24 at 2:49 a.m. - in our living room.

I remember when we first went to the birthing center and we requested a home birth. I also remember when I saw the amazing and beautiful bathtub at the birthing center and completely changed my mind. I'm sure if I had listened closely I would have heard God chuckling to Himself.

The whole thing just went by so dang fast even though I was having contractions for almost two weeks prior, but man! When they were consistent and working contractions it was nothing like I had with Baby Girl. My labor with Baby Girl was a marathon while Baby Dos had me sprinting to the finish line. We skipped the whole 5-1-1 warning and went straight to maybe three minutes apart, at the most. I made it to the front door and waited while Pastor Husband loaded up the car and while that was in progress Baby Dos gave me the clear message that we were now in the pushing stage.

I told Pastor Husband that we were not going to get in the car. Phone calls were made, things were brought back into the house, and midwife, nurse, and doula came to us. For the time that I pushed, I made sounds like Serena Williams on the tennis court. Somehow, by the grace of God, Baby Girl slept through it all! I probably would have lost it if I heard her wake up.

Baby Dos had his - we had a boy! - first doctor's appointment today and came out with a clean bill of health! He has already gained a pound in the two weeks that he has been part of our family. Nursing is 100 times better than it was with Baby Girl, which makes me sad because it was months before I was able to hold Baby Girl close to me without pain; however, I am so thankful that it is going well the second time around.

He is so alert and stays awake during the day and it's not always crying-awake. He also sleeps pretty well throughout the night. We've had a few four hour stretches during the night! I hope this keeps up and just gets better as the nights go by. Baby Girl is adjusting and will pay him some attention and then does her own thing. Baby Girl has had two molars come in last month! She is just growing before our eyes and will be two next month. Unbelievable!

We are now a family of four. I find this fact incredible every time I think about it. We have survived two weeks without losing any limbs along the way. I would say we're doing pretty well. Here's to tomorrow!

My Life.