Can't think of a title

There's not enough brain juice left to think of a title. Finished our Mark study in my mothers' Bible study today and overall, it was wonderful. After teaching, I'm always left with exhaustion. It really takes a lot of extroverted energy. Hopefully the pumpkin pie I just consumed (without a fork) will perk me back up.

Eloise is sick. She as the croup. Had anyone else heard of the croup before 2 years ago? That's when I first learned of it and its funky symptoms. (She sounds like a barking seal or dog when she coughs.) I swear the croup does not exist in Texas. Am I wrong?

We had a great trip to Lexington this past weekend. Unfortunately my hands were too full to take any noteworthy photos. I'm hoping to get some passed along to me and I'll post some then. Some highlights: a LONG drive from Dulles to Lex with Jen and Maury, sitting in Diggers just as we did 5 years ago 2 nights in a row, that means, being anti-social and not going to the Palms, Aunt Sarah's Saturday morning, coffee ice cream punch at the Srat house, eating in the dark on the front lawn Saturday night (NOT). It was wonderful to be with my clan again! Thank you Alex for taking one for the team--Eloise duty all weekend.

Aunt Lemma and Uncle Bob

Or, should we say "Grandma and Bob" came to DC. Eloise LOVED meeting her "Grandma and Bob" as she affectionately calls them. They showered her with the sweetest gifts and treated us all to a yummy dinner. It was so fun to visit with them even if it was for only a few hours.

Daddy-Daughter Hiking Trip

Last weekend, while I was away for our Mothers' Retreat, Alex and our friend Greg took the girls on a hike to Cunningham State Park. They had a wonderful time, and I was proud of our men's adventurous natures. The 3rd photo is of Eloise, Madeleine, and Claire sleeping on the rock. Eloise loves playing with her sweet friends--and their Mommy is pregnant with another girl too!

40 is Biblical, right?

Today my ticker tells me I have 40 days left of pregnancy. It's a special day. I know 40 is significant in many instances but the only one that immediately comes to mind is Noah's Ark. (Plus it's round, even, and relatively small!!)

A Sundry of Things

"A sundry of things" is something Bishop Salmon frequently says. Both Alex and I have really enjoyed working with him.

Yesterday was our Mothers Retreat. We went to a farm in Virginia which was beautiful and relaxing and enjoyed some great teaching and time away from the kiddos. Alex took Eloise hiking with Maddie and Claire's dad and had a great day too.

Here are some random photos we've recently received from my Mom.

"Family Dynamics" I like this one because my pregnant belly looks so cute! I think we've moved beyond the cute phase and in to the big phase. Plus, any picture taken with Moraine Park in the background is a winner.

Isn't this a great one? Do you think we're related? Hmm...

Change is in the Air

Change is in the air, indeed. Eloise is not only LOVING school and our new busy Fall schedule, but she's also greatly anticipating the baby's arrival. She talks about her and to her as if she's already here. It's really sweet. The baby is doing well, PRAISE GOD! We had yet another slip-up this week. The doctor forgot to give me my 28 week rhogam shot and a nurse discovered it at 33.5 weeks. There was a small chance I could become sensitized during the elapsed time but thankfully I was not. While I knew the chances were very slim, I was still a little anxious. I've had no major complaints in this pregnancy but quite a few minor scares. Such is life, I suppose, whether in-utero or out, children will always give us little scares.

There is also a literal change in the air. It's cool outside! And we love it! We headed to Homestead Farm today to pick apples and gather pumpkins. Eloise loved the "cute" animals, picking apples (you do this with a lacrosse looking stick), and picking out pumpkins for the family. What a Fun, Festive, Fantastic Friday.

The Bounty.

Daddy's pumpkin, Mommy's pumpkin, Eloise's pumpkin, Baby's pumpkin

My Birthday

I had a wonderful birthday--thank you to you all for contributing to such a wonderful day. Alex invited our neighbors over Thursday night for cake and homemade ice cream. Check it out--we've become such ice cream snobs that we now only want to make our own. We love it!

First Day of School

Today was Eloise's first day of school. She had a great day. Her teacher even said she was the "model student." We're so proud of our little, or not so little, girl. (Too bad our camera has a smudge.)

Family Portrait

Sunday, September 13, 2009

So Long Monument Mondays

So long, but not so sad. Alex has moved his day off to Fridays, and we'll all agree that Fridays is much nicer than Mondays. That gives him 2 consecutive days off. We will now be celebrating Family Fun Fridays unless someone can come up with a better name...

Baby looks great!

Molly mentioned in her last comment something about pumpkin spiced creamer....Molly, please tell more. Who makes it and where can we get some?

And, much more importantly, Baby Number Two looks great! Just as we suspected, the little bean is just curled up nice and snug. She's measuring right on target and has a nice sized noggin that is conveniently pointed downwards. Just waiting it out now!

Preschool Orientation

Eloise had a semi-first day of school today. It was orientation, so she only stayed 2 hours with only a few kids from her class so that they could familiarize. She had an absolute blast!! I also had a blast--walked to Starbucks, enjoyed a pumpkin spice latte, and worked on my Bible study that I'm leading tomorrow. We overslept this morning due to a wild night (Eloise's sleep patterns are off) so I didn't get any photos. I'll take official photos next Tuesday.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and will get an ultrasound. I'm excited to see our little girl again. We're 2 months from the due date. Hooray!

Prego Pictures by Way of Annapolis

I know there are some of you out there wondering what I look like 31 weeks pregnant. Well, here I am. I made sure Alex snapped a few photos today while we toured Annapolis to satisfy my many fans.

Eloise loves to touch her baby sister,

and kiss her,

and give hugs. The baby and I are always very appreciative of Eloise's love.

While in Annapolis, we took a lovely boat tour of the Naval Academy and the Chesapeake Bay, checked out Main Street, the capitol, St. Ann's Episcopal church, and ate seafood. Sounds like a lot, but historic Annapolis is actually quite small and very walkable. We wanted to see the Naval Academy's Chapel, but it had been a long day already and decided it would give us reason to return.

To top the day off, we had ice cream! Isn't that a beauty? Rainbow ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Eloise was in Heaven.

(Cute joke as told by a bus driver looking at heavy DC traffic: "I wouldn't be sitting in that traffic unless it was headed to Heaven.")

Measuring Small Again

I had an appointment yesterday and the baby's heart rate is sounding great. My tummy, though, is measuring small again. This happened with Eloise as well and I'm not overly concerned, but of course we are still taking precautions. I'll have another sonogram in a couple of weeks to get a better look at her development. If you feel inclined to pray for us, pray that this little girl is indeed growing big and strong. Thanks so much!

The Fair

Can you believe we went to the Montgomery County Fair today and my camera had no battery? I can! Because I'm pregnant and not enough blood is circulating north of my belly to tell me to get my battery off the plug and put it in my camera. Oh well. We would have had great pictures of Eloise petting all the sheep, goats, horses, and pigs. They really were good looking, prize winning animals. We also saw a baby calf that was born yesterday. We would also have cute photos of Eloise riding some rides, playing games, and hanging with her friends Maddie and Claire. Oh well. We still had a great time.