baking

ok, the buttermilk spice muffins mentioned in previous post are in the oven and smell delicious!  the batter was pretty tasty too.  only 25 minutes to wait.

while I’m on the topic of baking . . .

our little family is growing!

it feels so good to finally go public with our fabulously special news.  I wasn’t thinking we would get pregnant so quick after it took a year for anabelle but we were pleasantly (and a tiny bit shocked) surprised when a test came out positive at the end of November.  the only reason I took it was to prove chris wrong – ends up I was the one who was wrong.

it sure is another wave of bellies.  one of my san diego besties is due one week after me and I know at least 10 other friends who are due sometime between May and August.

december and most of january were pretty rough but I am feeling much better these days, just still tired in the evenings.  thankfully chris has been a ton of help and anabelle doesn’t mind eating with me 6 times a day.

I just had my first appt on jan 20th and am excited to be getting my care from best start birth center this time around.  I’m confident it will be a very different and nurturing experience.  I am grateful for balboa hospital and all of the care anabelle and I received.  I am just thankful to have the opportunity to try something different this time.  the major and best difference is that chris will be here!  it is interesting to think ahead to baby’s birth and realize that I have memories to go off of but this is his first time.  we have been discussing birth options, doulas, sleeping arrangements for two babies in a 950 square foot condo, etc.  we do know that we’ll find out what we’re having.  that should be early march.

this past week, I was able to go back to the birth center for a dating ultrasound.  I still nurse anabelle a couple times a day and hadn’t started my period since she was born.  that makes those online ‘due date’ calendars pretty useless.  typing in ‘october 2009’ for your last period is not very helpful in determining when baby #2 might be arriving. 

anyway, chris was planning to come home from work for a bit to watch anabelle while I ran off to the center.  at the last minute he found out he wasn’t going to be able to leave base so anabelle & I quickly packed ourselves up and headed out to the ultrasound together.  I wasn’t sure how it would all turn out but it was perfect – a special experience with an extra dash of awesome having my little jellybean right there next to me on the table.  they let her sit right there with me and we both enjoyed the ‘show’ on the screen and getting a peek at baby #2, together.  I had just taught her the sign for baby the week before and she kept signing it when I would ask her if she saw the baby.  yep, awesome!

so, after a few measurements, counting two arms, two legs, and watching the heartbeat – the tech was able to determine that I was 13 weeks and 3 days.  that puts me at 14 weeks today!

baby #2 is due july 30th!

(I tend to prefer the term due season rather than due date – I’m confident that babies come when they are ready)

so, want a peek?!

the tech said baby has long legs (that the same they told us with anabelle).  at least they have long legs at one point in their lives, hee hee.

hi sweet babe – keep on growing and we’ll see you this summer!

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muffins are done.  that means it’s time for this mama to eat again!

january

here i am again, behind on blogs and already at the end of another month.  craziness!  as with most families, i’m guessing, it has been another busy month.

anabelle had a great 18 month check-up.  she’s still not quite 20 pounds yet, but is right on track for her individual little self.  she’s signing more & more and has started to make a little ‘arf’ sound for dog and tries to copy the crows we hear when we go to swim class.  papa, mama, and jet still seem to be her top 3 words!

i have downloaded all of my recent videos and pictures now.  even remembered to back-up my computer (here is a friendly reminder to consider backing yours up too!) so there are more post coming, i swear.

today’s agenda:

continue blogging

check off a few items on work to-do list

use up buttermilk in fridge in buttermilk spice muffin recipe i just found online

wash dishes

a shower would be nice (ha!)

maybe top it all off with a trip to target

i know, i’m thinking pretty big!  we’ll just have to see what gets done.  anabelle has been asleep for 1 hour already so i’d better get moving.

item #1 on the list – more blogging . . .

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just relaxing, watching a show

helping me out in the kitchen

sneaking in on anabelle after nap.

this was one of the first times she used the sign for ‘love’

at the zoo for a friend’s 3rd birthday, sporting her lion hat party favor

date night!

we were so excited to see that sister hazel was coming to the west coast.  we have seen them 3 times before but they don’t come out this way very often.  we bought tickets back in december and decided we would just have to re-learn how to stay up late.  we were completely spent the next day (it was a thursday night concert) but we had the best time together, singing and dancing, just three rows away from the stage.

“won't you sing to me your poetry,
won't you take me to your home,
won't you be for me forever
so I'll never be alone
and just one thing
if you're my queen
then it's a beautiful thing”

*full song*

(one of their many great songs – it’s just happy heart music!)

reading an article about the F-35 that grandma sent

the latest ‘babysitting’ solution at crossfit . . . and she loves it!

it allows her to see all around and still move a bit.  i put her in there with a toy, some snacks, and a drink and she’s set for pretty much the entire class.

ok, the above set up only lasted about a week.  then she figured out she could climb out.  now we place 3 45lb plates underneath and she’s set – for now.

she’s usually in pj’s at the gym – it saves a couple minutes when we’re getting ready to go.  plus, she’s still on two naps a day (lucky me!) so i figure pj’s work for the morning hours.

this day chris was flying late so he was able to come workout with us.  we love getting to start the day this way, but still miss him in the evening.

a little anabellie action

i sure like sharing pictures of anabelle, but it’s pretty fun to see her in action too.  here she is with her babies and long time friend, carter.

she had the giggles a couple days ago – i’m glad i caught this one. 

my sweet silly girl.  i sure love my days with her. 

what a lucky momma i am.

cozy

just a little couch time with my pretty girl

and later, snuggly story time with papa before bed

merry merry!

christmas eve morning was spent enjoying another delicious breakfast at our favorite spot in our regular booth.

right before bed, anabelle discovered my gift wrap bin

(yes, this is what she came out of her room wearing once chris was all done with her after bath)

anabelle was up bright and early at her usual 6am on christmas morning. 

alright, here we go!

                 

it sure was nice being in our own little house for a simple, cozy christmas morning together.  thankfully we were able to see our families in november and early december.

we are excited to start to create some of our own sweet traditions (we watched ‘love actually’ christmas eve night, chris read ‘the night before christmas’ to me before bed, and we had some delicious cinnamon rolls for breakfast) and were excited to watch our anabelle experience the special morning.

papa, look over there!

tadah!

can someone help me out?

babydolls from santa, stroller from grandma and grandpa

time to unwrap!

     

yah, i was there too!

chris treated both his girls to beautiful pearl earrings from allain jewelers (thanks aunt emma and opa allain for helping him out).  Suppose now i need to get a picture of our pretty ears.

  ok, back to the babydolls

      

merry christmas!

it was a lovely day!  we spent the evening up at chris’ brother’s, celebrating with their family and sitting down together to enjoy a delicious meal (thanks sally and rich).  we look forward to teaching anabelle more about christmas, the true story and the spirit of the season.  what a fabulous year we’ve had in 2011, so thankful to have had chris home so much and the opportunites/ability to travel to see so many friends.  we are blessed to have so much support and love always coming our way.

thanks everyone.  cheers to you all and to 2012!

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new year’s eve at seaworld!

this is our only pic from new year’s.  our evening was mighty low key.  we did manage to stay awake until 11pm!  oh well.

pretty hair

anabelle and i were a little chilly one night after we each got a bath so i pulled out the hairdryer to warm us up a bit

she thought it was pretty funny when i warmed up her toes and belly too.

key west

holy cannoli, where have I been?!  I can’t believe it has been weeks since my last blog post.  shame, shame.  I even fell behind a bit on pictures too – nearly all of the ones in this post are courtesy of my parents (thanks mom & dad) and some I borrowed from facebook. 

hopefully I’m back on track now.  I have still have christmas to post!

ok, where to start?  in early december, we packed up and flew down to key west (yes, another cross country flight for anabelle – a red eye . . . . I’m pretty sure the last one for a little while) for my brother’s wedding.  I was really looking forward to seeing all of my family (hadn’t seen my parents since june, which is a long time for me) and especially to meet my brother’s bride, maggie, and her kiddos.

chris and I have both been to key west before, but never together.  it was really nice to be on a family trip and to have help with the travel.

It was a busy and festive week packed full of sunshine!  the weather was gorgeous and the B&B was just right for all of us to be able to play and enjoy time together.  maggie is awesome and it was more than great to see the family/team/joyful crew that the two of them have created with their blended family.  everyone wants to see their siblings happy and I have no doubt now that my brother has truly found his ‘happy’ and it’s real!  congrats Ben & maggie!

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anabelle meeting her cousins

(sophie, jet, gigi, nicholas . . not sure where gemma was.  she doesn’t really like to have her picture taken)

my brother said he still has anabelle’s birth announcement on the fridge at home.  their two youngest, gemma & gigi, kept talking about how they were excited to see baby anabelle and to hold her.  ends up they were a bit disappointed and confused when they showed up and saw ‘big girl’ anabelle running all around.  “daddy, where’s baby anabelle?”

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ok, we’ve made it to key west.  where should we go?

friday was sophie’s 10th birthday so that morning we all celebrated with a hippie chic pool party.

happy birthday, sophie!

it’s wedding time!

my cousin, koby, and my beautiful mom & grandma

the bride & groom groovin’ with the steel drum player

on the trolley heading to the delicious tapas reception dinner.  so tasty and so creative!

anabelle peeking out to see grandpa

out and about

jet & nicholas with their cool dog tags chris got them for christmas

enjoying the beautiful butterfly conservatory

my family had to leave after the weekend, so the end of our trip it was just the three of us.  on our last day we rented bicycles and chris toured us around nearly the entire island.

and what would be a trip to key west without a picture of grandma having a blast at a drag show?!