I'm Sorry, SO Sorry....

It has been far too long since I posted to this blog. For that, I am truly sorry! Life got hectic, and I got behind and haven't really felt up to posting too much. I am realizing though how great it is to have a record of Keira's life and so I am forcing myself back in the game! As many of you know, much has happened in the last 7 months since my last post. The school year ended, J.R. got a new job, I packed up hearth and home (and classroom) and moved out here to California, and I now get to stay home with my #1 bundle of joy! I am also 27 weeks pregnant with bundle of joy #2! We are expecting a girl on February 15, 2011. All of this happened in quick succession. JR started his job with Apple on Memorial Day. I moved out on the 4th of July, in the throes of my first trimester, fully nauseous and exhausted. I finally feel (4 months later) like I'm getting my feet on solid ground. Unpacking took forever. We were lucky to find a great OB/GYN out here pretty quickly. So far this pregnancy has gone pretty well. The nausea was worse during the first trimester than it was with Keira, but it also passed by the 3 month mark (praise the lord!) All of the ultrasounds have come out fine and we are going to have another little girl joining our household. Poor JR is now officially out-numbered. My body feels a lot looser this time around. My doc said that's because my muscle memory is kicking in. Now that my body knows what these hormones pinging around my system are for, it is getting ready sooner. I feel like a boat, and everyone is asking me if I'm due soon. I just smile and say nope! 3 more months! Good news: I haven't gained as much with this pregnancy so far as I did with Keira. Bad news: I am ravenous all the time and quickly catching up! (c: I have had some problems with my legs. Being this large, combined with chasing a 2 year old around, and having all my joints turn to jello, has put a major strain on my adductor & abductor muscles in my thighs. Luckily, my doc recommended a great Physical Therapist nearby and the ice, stim, and massage combo seem to be helping. Now if only she could help Keira understand why it's hard for Mommy to pick her up and carry her when she's tired...About to enter the third trimester, and Tums have again become my candy of choice. The acid reflux is back, but given my history this was to be expected. In some ways I feel like I haven't really been able to reflect as much on this pregnancy or really even begin to gear up for it because of all the upheaval in my life combined with the daily challenge of keeping up with a toddler. I feel less connected somehow. Need to work on this before the big day comes!

Keira is now officially 2. Uncle Denny & Aunt Julianne came for a visit to see the new house, and Nana, Dad-dad, Uncle Gavin & Aunt Laura all came out to help celebrate her birthday. She and I have had a lot of fun exploring our new home. We've gotten kisses from sea lions at a county fair, played with the fishes & rays at the Monterey Aquarium, watched the butterflies as the flock to the coast for the winter, and scoped out every park in a 10 mile radius! The one right around the corner from us is a favorite and she often asks for "Swings! Slides!" We have met a few very nice families there and have made some new friends. Mostly, the last few months have just been amazing to see how much she is learning and growing every day. She retains so much more than I would have expected, and it comes out at the cutest times. Today in the bath, she decided to sing and what came out? Swing Low, Sweet Chariot...My father sings this to her in his deep bass voice, but she hasn't heard it since he was out here a month ago! She also sings her favorite lullabies to us to let us know which one she wants. Super cute as she babbles her way through the words she can't say or doesn't remember! On the current list: Blackbird, Summertime, Twinkle Twinkle, Oh God Guide Me, Blessed is the spot, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Hush Little Baby, and You Are My Sunshine. She is also currently in love with the Alphabet Song, and will break it out whenever she is bored! Our favorite places to go explore are the local libraries. One nearby has a full wall fish tank full of tropical species in blues & yellows & oranges. The other one has a great story time, on the way home from my PT appointments. We come home with tons of books that then work their way into a regular night time rotation. I love that she loves books! It does my bibliophile heart proud! She can read several books on her own now from memory and our nighttime routine ends with her picking a book to read by herself until she falls asleep. We are looking forward to our plane ride to see Nana and Dad-dad this weekend. We have just decorated our Christmas tree here at the house, since we will be gone for three weeks back to Chicago, and Marmee & Paw-paw, Denny & Julianne are all coming up for Christmas. Keira's eyes lit up when we turned on the lights and she very carefully put on all of the non-glass ornaments around the bottom 2 feet of the tree. Every time we see a "Miss-mas Tree" she shouts Marmee! Paw-paw! This is going to be a good Christmas. I can feel it!

As we approach Thanksgiving I've been thinking about all the things in my life that I am thankful for and the list is too long to type out this late in the evening. Suffice it to say that despite all the troubles and stresses of the last few months, life is wonderful and amazing and loving and content, and for that I am truly grateful! Much love to you all, and I promise I will be better about keeping this updated, at least until Baby shows up! (c;