A Fall Day

Well, the days have been so warm lately that it really hasn't felt much like Fall... I wish we could store up some of this great sunshine for the 9 months of constantly cloudy skies we are heading into! A part me somewhat resents the warm weather because I do not want to be cheated out of what may be my last Michigan Fall... but even when the temperature's near 80 degrees, there are still all kinds of fun fall things to do in Michigan.

Yesterday we went with our friends to a family fun farm north of town. We had a great time! Unfortunately, my camera battery died (I REALLY need to start being more careful about this- the thing lasts for practically forever so I frequently don't realize it needs to be charged til it's too late!)- but thankfully our friends took some nice pictures for us so we can remember (blog) the day. :)
Carolyn loved the little "pig train." She is growing so much more independent- I just can't believe it sometimes! She walked right up to this little thing, hopped inside, and happily rode all around for about 10 minutes (they gave the kids a good long ride which was great since it cost $3!) without seeming at all phased by the fact that I wasn't right there!
This is what really surprised me! Carolyn once had a rather scarring experience on board a merry go round on an otherwise really fun trip to the zoo at the tender age of 11 months (mommy was just a little too excited for her to know the joys of the carousel) and has had a rather irrational (but very real) fear of anything that involves straddling an object or (especially) an animal ever since. For about a year she wouldn't go anywhere near Nana's rocking horses and would cry if we tried to encourage her to even walk close to them! But yesterday, she overcame her fear of horse-like things and actually rode on a pony!! She loved it so much that we HAD to do it twice! :) So Nana can breathe a sigh of relief- the Montana horse trip of 2016 with 10-year-old Emily and Carolyn may yet happen! :)
There was a multitude of animals of a barnyard sort for petting and greeting.
And we all enjoyed a nice, relaxing horse-drawn wagon ride with freshly picked apples for munching. A fun time was had by all! :)

Sisters

Thought some of you might like to see what Carolyn looked like at my mid-pregnancy ultrasound in February 06. The pictures look a lot alike, yet each of them has distinct features. I can recognize a hint of what Carolyn actually looks like in this picture, and I can't wait to see what Little looks like in "real" life (but I will happily wait a few more months!) I think it'd be pretty cute if they look something like each other. :)

Official. :)

It's official!! Sweet Little Baby is a GIRL! I finally believe it after it was confirmed by the ultrasound tech today- she only had to look for about half a second to make the determination... so apparently there was no doubt whatsoever. I'm not posting that picture, but I finally believe it. :) It just seemed too good to be true! In my happiest dreams of the family I someday hoped to have, I always saw sisters, but never really believed something so wonderful could happen to me. One precious daughter is more wonderful than I could have asked for- I remember thinking that many times in the days and weeks after Carolyn was born. TWO sweet little girls is just an overflowing of God's blessing. I hope He is pleased with the great joy this little one is already bringing to our family. The ultrasound itself was a fun experience. I've done this before, so I knew what questions not to ask (the ones that are like, is my baby okay?) so I didn't really get freaked out by all the pictures the tech had to take and just enjoyed watching this little one swim around in there. She is very active! I had a doctor's appointment right afterward so that I could get the "official" report right away- and Little passed with flying colors! All the right parts in all the right places looking just as they should! Praise the Lord for His marvelous work!! :)
Here is her profile and a nice shot of her spine. It looks like she's blowing bubbles. I'm not sure why.
She wanted us to be sure we noted that she has all five fingers. :)
One of my favorite things about my doctor's office is that they have a 3D ultrasound and they do them routinely at this visit to give the mamas a sneak preview of coming attractions. I have a picture of Carolyn at this stage that looks almost exactly like the one above!
This picture to me looks really different from what I remember Carolyn looking like. Something about that sweet little face looks distinct from hers.
Here's Little, all curled up. She liked to have her hands up by her face and her knees poking up.
This picture is my favorite. I think that's such a sweet little profile. And she looks unique and different from her sister. I can't wait to see what she looks like in person! Tonight I asked Carolyn where Baby Sister lives, and she patted my tummy and said "Right Here! Come out in February!" :)

PS: we still are no closer to resolution of the Name Situation... in fact in some ways we're further away from coming to agreement on the right name... I'm working on a way to put a "suggestion box" on my blog, as I'm interested in YOUR thoughts on the perfect name for such a sweet little girl ("Little" just won't work when she's 15). If anyone knows how to do this, let me know! :)

Randomness

Things here have been pretty normal and fun with all our new fall activities starting back up- no really superb pictures, but, well, this is our life! :) Carolyn is really enjoying her little dance class. She especially loves her "tappie shoes." They were well worth the money; she delights in wearing them around the house and tapping around on the wood floors.
I still can't get over how adorable she looks in her dance outfit! :) Unfortunately she didn't get to go this week because she came down with a double ear infection on Monday afternoon just before dance class and had to spend the time at the doctor's office instead. A few doses into our amoxicillin and we're feeling much better now (it must indicate something about the strangeness of our family that Carolyn knows the word amoxicillin and looks forward to it with great joy. She was thrilled when she heard that the doctor had ordered some!) :)
Hair style courtesy of Daddy. Isn't she starting to look so much like him?!
This weekend we got both a taste of Fall and Summer. I took Carolyn to the apple orchard for some donuts and cider- and the obligatory picture next to the huge apple. A better photographer than I am could help me figure out how I could get her not to look so washed out!
Later we went out to the Jersey Junction for some Ice Cream with Nana and Papa. It was a fun day!

Tomorrow afternoon we have our "formal" ultrasound for Little Baby. I sort of get worked up a bit before stuff like this thinking about all the things that could be wrong and it's an exercise in trust for me to believe that everything will be okay. I always freak out a bit because ultrasound technicians can't (and shouldn't) tell you anything while they're doing your scan- and I'm afraid every time that they see something and aren't telling me about it. I worry... too much... I know... but at the same time I just can't wait to see her again- and get further confirmation that she is indeed a SHE. :) [although if the wallpaper on my blog suddenly turns blue tomorrow, it'd be a bit of a change in perspective... but one I'm sure I'd get used to and love!] My doctor's office does 3D ultrasounds at this appointment and so we will hopefully be able to get an idea of what her face might actually look like before we get to see it in real life in a few months.

I'll be at the official halfway point of this pregnancy tomorrow, and though in many ways the days (especially those days of nausea and fatigue that lasted most of the summer) have gone so slowly... I can't believe that we're already on the brink of this milestone! I feel so bonded with this baby already; I love to feel her jumping around in there. Maybe it's just that my uterus is stretched out a bit more than it was with Carolyn, or maybe I'm just more sensitive since this isn't my first time... but she sure seems so active! I love those little reminders that she is there. :) I'm beginning to get into the part of pregnancy that is actually really fun- when you stop just looking pudgy and begin to fill out all those cute maternity clothes, can feel the baby moving throughout the day, and before you get to the point where you OUTGROW all those things you drowned in at first but feel too fat and tired to go out and get anything new. :)

So anyway, enough rambling on. I will update tomorrow after we have our appointments so you can see the pictures. :) Please pray for me that I'd stay on the straight and narrow thought-wise, and not give into the worries that threaten to overtake my mind. And pray for sweet Little Baby, that she'd be forming well and looking very good.

Something To Pray For

****SECOND UPDATE**** Baby Aria was discharged home yesterday as there isn't much else they can do for her in the hospital. Her parents (sleep deprived enough already) are charged with monitoring her and continuing to help her recover. They could certainly still use our prayers, but God has been faithful and Aria is on the road to recovery. And any of you who have or are having newborns, THIS is why they say you have to bring your itty bitty baby into the hospital if she has a fever of any sort when she's that little- because there's often no other sign that would differentiate a cold from something much more serious like meningitis.

****UPDATE**** The doctors believe that Aria has viral meningitis caused by some kind of enterovirus. They are still treating her with antibiotics in case there are any bacteria there and she is also getting some type of antiviral. She will be staying tonight at least in the hospital; maybe tomorrow night, too. Her mom and dad are staying with her and they sound like they're doing okay. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. Thanks!! I'll post some pictures of our latest doings soon. :)

I know there are many of you out there who care for us and care for our friends. Please pray today for one of my closest friends, Kelly, whose baby Aria is in the hospital today with meningitis. She is only 4 weeks old and had no symptoms except for a fever, but now will have to stay in the hospital for the next few days. My friends are understandably scared. They need lots of caring people to pray for them.

Two Person Cleanup Job

Well, it seems like every parent out there has a story like this... now we can join the club. :) I went in last night to check on Carolyn around 10:15 when I was going to bed and was immediately assaulted by the unmistakable smell of... POO! This is nothing terribly unusual in the bedroom of a 2-year-old... but the smell was unusually strong. Upon closer inspection, I found my dear daughter fast asleep with her little behind in the air (because that is how she sleeps)... and STARK NAKED! Nearby was an abandoned diaper, discarded PJ's, and a mound of POOP. For a brief second I wanted to snap a picture... but then thought better of it. Someday she might be embarrassed. The story is enough. You can imagine the details.

I quickly summoned Brad to join the cleanup crew- after we wrinkled our noses and exchanged one of those smiles that makes the rest of the world disappear because we two are the only ones who know exactly what it means to be parents of THIS sweet girl, we woke Carolyn and began decontamination. I got the fun job- I hosed her down in the bathtub- she had taken some artistic liberty with the only medium available and was... filthy. We selected new PJ's and Daddy removed all the stinky things from the crib and replaced the sheets. Then Carolyn and Mommy snuggled for a long time, with Baby Sister poking out between us to show us that she's there too, and soon will share our rocking chair times. :) It started out a bit stinky... but turned out to be one of those moments I'm sure I'll remember forever.

As a side note, they do say that unwillingness to tolerate a poopy diaper is a sign of potty training readiness... maybe we will soon give the Big Potty a real try! :)

SOOOO....

So... you may have guessed from the change in the blogger template... We are 95% sure that 60% of us were WRONG! Kudos to those of you who voted against my "motherly intuition." :) Turns out that Little Baby is a GIRL!! We went in after Brad got off work tonight to see if we could "find out" a little early... I figured that if Little was a boy, it'd be pretty easy to tell- but that it'd be harder to tell conclusively if she were a girl. Little cooperated well- we got a good look for a long time and it was the solid opinion of the two experts in the room (Daddy and Papa) that the anatomy necessary for a boy was most certainly NOT there (even I could see that) and also that the "signs" they look for to conclusively determine that it's a girl WERE there. Of course it will have to be "officially" confirmed at our "official" ultrasound in 2 weeks, but we don't expect any more surprises. :)

WE ARE SO EXCITED! My sisters are one of God's most wonderful blessings to me and even now are some of my very best friends, and my heart truly did long for Carolyn to know this great joy. I would have been thrilled to have a son, too- but I just can't stop smiling when I think of how God answered even this prayer that Carolyn would someday have a sister. :)

In case anyone is wondering, we don't know what her name is yet (Brad's most recent suggestions have included Enid and Yoshebel... :))- but as soon as we do, we will tell you. I am excited to experience the rest of this pregnancy thinking of this little one with a real name. We praise God tonight for His gift of TWO precious girls to love and raise and enjoy and pray even now that God would bless Carolyn and and this little one greatly through one another.

Oh yeah, and I LOVE PINK! :)

Cutest Thing Ever!

This has to go down as one of the cutest things I've ever seen! Carolyn started in a little dance class last night- just for 2 and 3 year olds. Doesn't she look adorable in her little leotard and tappy dance shoes? They do some "ballet," tap, and "creative movement to fun music with a teacher who's obviously done this many times before- and enjoys kids this age! I was surprised at how well Carolyn did away from me- mommies weren't allowed in the room and we were all just ITCHING to be able to see our little girls dancing! :)
Here the girlies check each other out. Rachel (Heather's daughter, on the right) invited Carolyn to be part of the class, and the little girl in the middle is Allie, Rachel's neighbor and friend. They'll all be doing this together, and the mamas get to sit outside in comfy chairs and chat. I think this will be fun. :)
Here all the girls actually look at the camera and smile. :) Don't they just look adorable?! It was worth the money for the class just to see them look like this- and I think they all had fun, which is what's really important. I think it will be good for Carolyn to do something physical- she is so very social, but since her mama isn't really much into sports or exercise... we don't do as much of that as would probably be good for her. So an hour of "creative movement" a week will be good I think. :) And (if you hadn't caught the message from before), you just can't beat this cute! :)

Playworld Fun

We had a great playdate yesterday with ALL the kids. Work schedules have changed, so now we're meeting on Monday mornings instead of Fridays and it was so great to see everyone again after we've all been in and out a lot this summer. We took the kids to an indoor playland and they all just had a blast! They are much bigger and more coordinated than the last time we took them here and it was one of the best playdates we've done in awhile- because the kids entertained themselves and the mommies got a chance to really catch up! There weren't any big kids so all the little ones got to play in the "boing boing." I'm still figuring out how to get my camera to take a clear picture when there's so much motion! But this pretty well captures the emotion of all the kids. :)
Getting better with the focus...
Taking a little rest after all that boinging
At one point in the day, it got really quiet for awhile and we hadn't seen the kids for a little bit. We knew they couldn't escape or get into any real trouble... but we went looking for them and found them in this ball pit working very hard to get all the balls OUT. Some were inside the ball pit (you can see Carolyn's hand here) throwing the balls out to the person in the tunnel, who threw them out onto the floor. I think half the balls in the pit were out by the time we discovered this great teamwork. :) We all had a good chuckle- and helped reverse the game and get all the balls back inside.
Everyone enjoyed a snack together. I'm so glad for these friends!

Just the Two (and a half) of Us

Today Brad was on call, so Carolyn and I were on our own. I get a little stir crazy in the house all day with a 2-year-old who seems to think I have a never-ending storehouse of ideas for fun and entertaining things to do- and if somehow I run out of ideas, she'd happily waste the day away watching Cinderella five times back to back! And of course there's the endless supply of household chores that make me feel as though no matter what I do, I'm not getting it all done. So anyway, the solution to keeping me sane is to leave the house every day. Today I decided we'd brave the zoo on our own for the first time. We have a membership so it doesn't cost us anything if we go for an hour and then leave, and it was a beautiful day today. Aside from a little strain from trying to wrestle the wagon in and out of the car, the trip was a success. Little Baby apparently loved the zoo- he/she was just bouncing away in there all morning! I can't believe that he/she is already strong enough for me to feel those kicks on the outside of my tummy, too. Pretty cool.
Our zoo has some baby wallabies this year. I think you are allowed to pet the wallabies, but I didn't tell Carolyn that and we were just as happy to look at them up close.
Probably her favorite thing was this wooden train perfect for climbing over and crawling through.
She was fascinated with the budgie exhibit (apparently budgerigar is just a fancy name for parakeets)- but didn't like it when they came too close looking for food. There were hundreds of colorful birds flying around and she was awe-struck looking at them.
Overall, a relatively successful day. I think Carolyn had some fun and I did, too. I must admit to feeling a bit down on my parenting skills lately. I sort of feel overwhelmed by the expectation that I'm to be the chief engineer of all things amusing and I just can't keep up with it all. I don't have that many ideas or that much energy. I wonder if I'm somehow letting Carolyn down on life skills she should be learning about self-entertainment by even trying to program it all out for her. She's capable of playing by herself- but oddly enough, she does this best during the hour of the day we have the TV on. Maybe that's because she's come to expect that during that hour Mommy's busy making dinner. She has a wonderful imagination and I wonder if I stifle it by being so always "there." But then I feel guilty if I'm not "there" because then I wonder if I'm missing out on a moment that is only here for a glimmer of time. She is growing up daily- each morning she wakes up more the little girl and less the young toddler. I miss those days when it seemed to be enough just to sit in the room and watch her kick at toys or crawl across the room.

I've loved being Carolyn's mommy since the moment she came screaming into my arms- not the boy I'd made myself expect (and would certainly have loved if he had come), but the darling little girl my heart had always longed for and the most beautiful, precious child I have ever seen. In many ways she has given me far more than I've given her in our 26 months together. But there are days (like today) when I feel just drained out from constantly giving and giving and giving and fighting battles of the will I just wish I did not have to fight. She's developed an unpleasant habit the last few days of just sitting down and refusing to do anything when she is told no. Physically I am finding it harder and harder to pick her up and force her to do anything- it hurts now and I am afraid that if I strain myself too hard, I'll hurt Little Baby.

Tonight when we were trying to leave the hospital after bringing Daddy dinner, she went into a patient room (empty thankfully), sat down, and told me she wasn't leaving. What should I do? Every fiber of mommy sense I have says that this is perhaps normal, but completely unacceptable behavior. Yet I could not physically have wrestled her out of that room along with all the other stuff I had to carry out- and if I had tried, she would have screamed so loud that it would have disturbed all the patients on the floor. I see the defiance in her little eyes as she KNOWS I'm not in a position to force the issue. I finally somehow get her out of the room on her own steam only to have her sit back down at least 3 more times on the way out the door. By the time I got her to the car, I was emotionally and physically exhausted and left feeling like I'd missed an important point here- I'd gotten her to the car without breaking my back or putting the little one in danger- but did I miss a moment I should have taught my daughter that she needs to obey Mommy whether she feels like it or not? What should I do when she does this again tomorrow?

Issues like this are so emotional for me because more than anything, I want to get this right. I have been entrusted with these sweet little lives, the most precious of all God's gifts- and I must steward them to the very best of my abilities. What I do and say and teach as a mom matters more than anything I will ever do in the professional world. And I just don't want to mess it up. Anyone else ever felt this way??

A Great Day

Just a quick update to let you all know that Carolyn did wonderfully her first day at "school." I squelched the desire to take her picture heading into the building in favor of focusing all my attention on making sure she was comfortably settled. I hardly had to. She walked right in and got busy eating Cheerios with the other children- even though it was 7am and she's used to sleeping in til 8 or 9! :) The teachers said they were amazed the first half of the morning at how excited she was to be there and explore all the new toys- about halfway through, though, she realized I wasn't there and got a little nervous and needed some stories read. But I watched her on the "spycam" at intervals throughout the day and she always seemed to be having a good time- she even took a nap on the little cots they had- first time sleeping anywhere besides a crib! They made hand and foot prints and yesterday's lesson was about how everyone is unique and special. I met her teacher when I came to pick her up and she said that everyone was just delighted with her (and I can't blame them :)) I was so glad to see her when I came to get her and she was just a joy to be with the rest of the evening.

I LOVED working the first shift at the pharmacy!! I had more energy for my job, felt better all day, and GOT A LUNCH BREAK!! It was so awesome! I couldn't stop smiling all day (well, except for when someone called and chewed me out for something that wasn't my fault... but that just goes with the job description sometimes...) The best part was leaving while it was still light outside and being able to spend the evening with my family in a beautifully clean house that SOMEONE ELSE CLEANED!! We decided to have the wonderful person who cleaned our house at its very worst a couple months ago start coming once a month! I love it!! So, although I crashed at 9pm last night because I was so tired from the day, it was a GREAT day for all of us... and I'm excited to continue to see Carolyn grow socially from the experiences at "school."

Cast Your Votes

We are 17 weeks today! Our "official" ultrasound is scheduled for September 24- 3 more weeks til we can "officially" find out the sex of Little Baby... but... seeing that Daddy and Papa are in the business, there's a good chance we'll at least try to find out sooner, but there's no telling whether Little Baby will be big enough or cooperative enough when we happen to get a chance for a peek, so I'm not "counting" on any answers for a few more weeks yet. But we thought it'd be fun to see whether people think Little Baby is a boy or a girl. So cast your votes in our Blogger poll- look on the left side of the blog- feel free to comment on the reason for your choice. The comments make me laugh.

I've avoided putting any pictures of myself on this blog for weeks... but as it might be informative to your choice, I'll put our first "belly shot" up- taken last night.
Other information you may find pertinent:
-If I had to guess, I would say the baby is a boy.
-If Brad had to guess, he would say the baby is a girl.
-Carolyn says boy or girl, depending on which answer is suggested first. ;)
-Papa Irving has predicted a boy.
-The Chinese lunar calendar predicts a girl.
-This baby seems much more active than I remember Carolyn being so early! I don't feel it moving all the time, but when I do, it seems so busy, and the sensation is much stronger than what I remember at 17 weeks with Carolyn.
-The "sick" part of this pregnancy started slower, peaked later and never as intensely, and tapered off over a longer period of time than what I recall with Carolyn- I am FINALLY starting to feel pretty good again!
-I'm showing MUCH sooner than I did with her- but I'm told this always happens with subsequent children...
-I pretty much "crave" the same things I did with Carolyn: lots and lots and lots of milk, and pizza pretty much every day. The only differences I've been able to tell so far is that instead of Red Baron self-rising crust pizza which was my favorite pizza when I was pregnant with Carolyn, this baby seems to prefer Digiorno. :) Also I have found peanut butter crackers to be a lifesaver when it comes to getting prenatal vitamins to stay down.

Okay, so what do YOU think?!! Vote in the poll or leave a comment- it'll be fun to look back once we "know." And of course, we'll share the info as soon as we have any! :)

Time for a New Post

It's been awhile- too long! I can hear the relatives complaining... :) My excuse is that it's been HOT and I've been tired- and just can't seem to get around to much of anything lately. But here are some pictures from the last week or so. I am really looking forward to Fall!! This last week of summer heat has pretty well wiped me out.

Carolyn is increasingly seeming like such a BIG girl. She is really getting into doing "art projects." These projects take longer to set up and clean up than the 7 minutes she is interested in actually doing them- but seeing her artwork up all over the house gives her such a sense of pride and accomplishment that it's worth it. :) She loves to go up to her displayed works of art and say "I MADE this!"
I can't believe it, but she is going off to "school" this week for the first time. I've changed my schedule at work (so I can work a DAY a week instead of both shifts being nights! Yay!) and enrolled her at the world's most wonderful day care center ever for a day a week of fun, socialization, and hopefully lots of hands-on projects like this that are too messy to attempt at home. :) I know it will be a real challenge for us both when I drop her off there at 7am on Thursday, but I am hopeful that with a little time, she will really come to enjoy her days there because it will be something so DIFFERENT from what we do at home- and a little variety can be a good thing. Nonetheless, I'm a bit anxious about it, and dreading the drop off procedure on Thursday morning!
Call me an irresponsible parent, but if I can't eat the cookie dough, someone else should! I willingly (if not without a little longing) sacrifice it for myself for the sake of the little one inside who can't defend him/herself- but Carolyn is (in my mind) big enough to enjoy a small dose of this delicacy once in awhile... you can see she did enjoy it. No one pulls off "sticky" like a 2-year-old! :)
Yesterday, I worked all day (I like working holidays because the compensation looks so nice on my check!), so Carolyn and Daddy spent the day at Nana and Papa's, having all manner of fun with sandboxes, snacks, and the little pool outside. Here Carolyn gives the little Ernie a shower. :)
It's a tradition that every year each "branch" of the Irving family has a picture taken outside to be framed on the wall at Nana and Papa's. I sort of wish that I'd opted for an earlier-in-the-season picture because although I can assure you that the reason I seem to be overflowing from the top of my pants is, indeed, the small and precious life growing inside my womb... really, from this vantage point, it looks a lot more like a few extra Digiorno pizzas! :) Guess Little Baby just didn't think it was fair for him/her not to make the family picture because he/she has popped right out in the last few weeks!

I caved and got the maternity clothes out rather than struggle with unbuttoned pants all the time. :) I'm much more comfortable now- but people ARE ALREADY starting to ask me questions!! I thought it was sort of socially unacceptable to ask when someone's baby was due unless it was clearly obvious that it was either a baby or basketball under their shirt- and even the most complimentary mind couldn't tell me that what is pooching out from my middle looks anything like a basketball! :) Oh well... all in good time, and it does my heart so much good to feel Little Baby bouncing around in there- he/she is SO much more active than I'd anticipated at this stage!
This morning, we went to "Nana's Barn," where she keeps her horse, Streaker, and where all sorts of other interesting animals make their home.
There were three sweet little baby goats. Carolyn liked to try to feed them hay through the fence. She wasn't nearly as scared of them as she had been on our first disastrous attempt to introduce her to barnyard life at the fair last summer!
I think her favorite part of the experience was meeting the friendly barn cats. Most other cats she's glimpsed have quickly run the other direction, but these cats were very sweet and had obviously had much attention from small ones and didn't seem a bit put off by having her there. :) They weren't much interested in the hay she tried to feed them, though.
The much-awaited introduction to Streaker! :) Carolyn did very well, we thought, around such a large animal! She mostly wanted to watch him eat and helped feed him carrots, but she did let me hold her and pet his side.
Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of something? Nana would certainly love it if her granddaughters turn out to be cowgirls!
Now no one can say this wasn't enough of a post! You should all be happy now. :) So comment. :)