Happy Easter

We hope everyone had a very happy and blessed Easter.

Family Fun

Yesterday we headed out to A to Z Farm in Oregon, WI. It is about 15 or 20 minutes from our house. A friend recommended that we take Emily. It is a farm where they have a live birth barn of sheep. You can get up close and personal with sheep, pigs, cows , and other farm animals. We told Em that we were going to visit some animals. She was very excited. "Aminals" is one of her favorite things to talk about these days. Once we got there is was apparent that Emily prefers animals from afar but she did have fun walking around and pointing at the baby lambs. It was something fun to do on a Sunday afternoon.

I think Emily has begun to realize that things are going to change very soon. She has become very clingy and doesn't like to let me out of her sight. I am trying to remain patient with her and also trying to remind her that daddy can help out too.

Talking Up a Storm

Emily's vocabulary is increasing every day. There are days that I am amazed at what she says. Like the other day when she picked up a purple crayon and proudly yelled "PURPLE!" as clear as day. Or this morning while we were watching the garbage truck outside she said "Green Truck". It is so fun to be with her right now. You can see her learning new things every second. She likes to mimic what we do and repeat everything. One of her favorite words to repeat is patient, but I can assure you she still doesn't know what it means.

One of Emily's favorite thing to do is name things. She loves going through all of the kids names that are in her daycare class. And at the end she always points to herself and says Emmy! Everything is Emmy thins and Emmy that. She is so proud and happy when she figures out that something is hers, like Emmy's bunny or Emmy's milk. She gets a big smile on her face.

With the birth of #2 around the corner I have purchased several books about becoming a big sister. These have become some of Em's favorite books to read. She will point to herself and say sister. I am not sure that she really understands it but at least she is getting comfortable with the idea, or so I like to think.

We are working on getting Emily's big girl room set up. This coming weekend we will be doing some painting. I have had fun picking out a new bedspread and other things for her room. Since we didn't find out her gender before she was born it is fun to now get some girlie things and leave the lions and giraffes behind. I am hoping for a smooth transition from crib to bed. Any suggestions are welcome!

Blessed

With everything that is going on in the world I am learning to count my blessings. As of late I have realized how truly blessed we are. Not only do we have daily amenities but we have each other. Kevin and I will be married for 5 years this year. Our daughter is healthy and thriving. She is talking up a storm and is loads of fun these days. Baby #2 is doing very well and is extremely active in its little home. Some days seem really hard but in the grand scheme of things we have it pretty easy. Every now and again I need to remember to stop and take it all in.

Sickness

I am waiting for the day that sickness leaves our house. Emily has been cutting teeth this past week which has brought fevers, running nose, and coughing fits at night. Kevin has been battling a cold for awhile now and I came down with a crazy stomach virus this past weekend which ended with me in the ER taking in fluids. I am doing fine now but it was a little scary while it was happening. The baby is doing well considering the illness. But now I am done with all of the sickness.

Sickness aside things have been uneventful in our house. Kevin has been working a lot with a couple of major deadlines in February. Emily and I have spent a lot of our time coloring and playing with stickers. This seems to be her new favorite pastime. I have started feeling the baby move more often which is a nice reminder of things to come. I have my 20 week ultrasound coming up. We are not planning on finding out the gender but are looking forward to getting a peak at our new little babe.

Helping Daddy work

She loves wearing her winter accessories indoors

January Blues

I find January to be a wonderful yet boring month. After all the craziness of the holidays it is really nice not to have anything to do or anywhere to go for almost an entire month. However I forgot that I live with a toddler who gets extremely board very easily. The newness of Christmas presents has worn off and mother nature has decided that it is actually winter so outside is off our list of things to do. Pair all of this with a pregnant mama who still feels incredibly sick and incredibly exhausted and it makes for some rough days in our household. Not that Em is really all that terrible she just is in the testing limits stage. Some days I really want to give in just to make life easier for everyone but I am trying to make sure she understand the boundaries that exist in our house. She also is struggling with the concept that my pregnant belly is not a soft pillow for her to sit or climb on. It could get interesting as we go on.

I am working on living in the present and enjoying the quietness of January and the spunkiness of my 18 month old. But it is hard not to think ahead to July and it is hard not to start preparing for baby K #2. I am both anxious and excited for what is to come.

Holiday Hangover

This Christmas was like many others. We spent a lot of time in the car, saw a lot of family, ate a lot, and slept a little. The major downside was that Emily was sick. After throwing up here and there the week before Christmas I took her in. They diagnosed her with a sinus infection and said the build up of mucus was too much for her to handle (Hence the throwing up). She was put on some antibiotics. The unfortunate thing is they didn't really kick in until after the holiday weekend.

She was a trooper through it all. She enjoyed opening presents and eventually got the concept that she had more than just one present to open.  We ended up having a great holiday all and all.

Getting back on our schedule has been a little tough. I feel like there is a bit of a Holiday Hangover in our house. We were all sick at some point and time in the last 2 weeks so I think we are still getting our barrings in the new year.

We are excited and looking forward to 2012. Emily continues to amaze us on a daily basis. Her vocabulary is growing every day and she is really discovering her sense of humor. I am looking forward to watching her grow up this year. Plus we get to add a new baby into the mix. Which is very exciting and nerve racking. I am hopeful that the transition is a smooth as possible for all four of us. I love being pregnant and feel extremely blessed for this time in our lives.

We wish everyone a very Happy and healthy new year full of love and peace!