Ultrasound

Yesterday we got to see pictures of our very active little GIRL!! Seeing the baby in-utero never fails to amaze us and it certainly brings a sense of awe and wonder. We're thankful that everything looks ok. We're still on schedule for somewhere around September 4. God is good!

Birthday #2

"happy birthday dear Vincent, happy birthday to you!".






To help celebrate his birthday, Elliot, Vincent and I went to the Mall in the morning so that Vincent could ride on the little cars and school bus - one of his favorite things to do. We had a snack of soft cinnamon pretzel sticks and lemonade and then trekked toward the other end of the mall, so the boys could run up and down the "ramp". Vincent even got to see a man watering the plants, complete with a barrel tank, hose, and water coming out - all perfect for this little guy who loves to watch and figure out how things work, especially mechanical things.

Martin brought home some chicken nuggets and french fries from "Chick a fi way" for supper, and then after that we partied with the Witmer folks and his cousins. He absolutely loved celebrating his day, and I think one of the top moments for him was seeing his cake and blowing out the candles (he also had a candle in his blueberry pancake for breakfast). He kept asking about his cake, and then periodically would sing the phrase "happy birthday to you". At one point Elliot asked about Vincent's cake and Vincent overheard my reply that it was "hiding". So Vincent asked "where'd it go?" and began looking all around the living room to find it. He did this for several minutes, looking in the bookcase, on the couch, on the table, etc. until I gave in and took him to the pantry to see his cake. He had to see it several times before the actual party began. Cute!

Some of the things we especially love about our 2 year old:
-His easy laugh and love of cuddling and snuggling
-His love of playing with his older brother and ability to get along with him (at least the majority of the time). We like his "Eere you go Eeyet" when sharing/giving a toy to Elliot.
-His spontaneous singing, especially the ABC song
-His love of trucks and windmills and airplanes and pretty much all things mechanical
-His quiet observations
-His ability to study things and figure out how things work
-His love of the outdoors and asking to "pay outside ittle bit?"
-Him saying "love you" before bedtime each night.
-His saying "again" when he enjoys something and wants it repeated
-That he enjoys doing things on his own and also being with people
-His general sweet nature and love for life




He had an earlier celebration with the Rhodes's when everyone got together to celebrate Anita, Philip and Betsy's, and Vincent's birthdays.





Thanks to all for helping to make Vincent's birthday lots of fun!

20 Weeks

We're halfway there! Sometimes I have to stop and remember that we're actually pregnant. I suppose there's lots to keep my mind occupied this time around. Feeling the baby move does make everything seem real, and I find myself "falling in love" with this little person.

Here are some self-portraits of me at 20 weeks. Next time we post something on the baby we'll hopefully have pictures of the little person himself/herself.



(Note: Please excuse the odd expressions...it's a bit weird taking pictures of yourself in a mirror.)

The Zoo

Early Spring is a great time to visit the zoo. Mammals are on display in abundance and some of them are even in cages. Our family made the trip into the city with Brent and Lucinda and family and we spent our time fighting the crowds, admiring the animals, or trying to keep from being peed on by them. in this case, an Orangutan on a series of cables above us tried to hit Elliot with a urinal barrage and just missed. The cherry blossoms were also in full bloom in Washington DC and we enjoyed the greening of the spring as we drove to and from the city.