What's New With The Crew

Let's neglect the fact that I'm terrible at committing myself to blogging. The reason lies in the following sentence. It's hard for me to know what to keep in Facebook Land and what to share here, so I decided just now that maybe the one thing I keep in the blog o-sphere is family-related updates. Without further adieu, I'd like to update everyone on our lives up to this point.

- My pregnancy is going very smoothly! I want to deliver baby #2 the good ol' fashioned way this time, and since I didn't last time because of Julian's hugeness (11 pounds, 3 ounces of child!) the midwives are encouraging me to keep my weight gain to a bare minimum. The risk of having a large baby is most often related to the size of mamma, FYI. Nothing like wanting a VBAC to motivate this lady to get her butt into gear! So, I have been watching my diet (especially the carbs and sugars. No fun.) and walking... A LOT! And I love it! I started walking 30 minutes, bumped it up to 45, and now I'm walking 1 full hour most days of the week. I believe whole-heartedly that I feel so good and haven't gained as much weight as last time because of this. I could go on-and-on about how great it's been and how every expecting mom should try to be as healthy as she can, but I won't. :)

- Speaking of walking, Joey and I have really wanted to get into hiking again. We hiked almost every weekend during the cool months before Julian came along, and also for a bit when Julian was small enough to fit comfortably in the Moby Wrap. We haven't done much recently, and it's because we need a comfortable, safe, and uncomplicated way of bringing Julian along as the Moby Wrap isn't cutting it anymore. It goes without saying that the stroller won't do the job when hiking up and down mountains and across rocky paths. So we made a little investment and found a high-quality backpack carrier ON SALE at R.E.I.!

 Handsome, aren't they?

 It even features cute little stirrups to hold the baby's/toddler's adorable feet. 

The brand is Sherpani. After we made our purchase we noticed the sun protector was missing. The hubby looked online to obtain the part we needed, but we can't find anything related to baby carriers anywhere on the Sherpani website. Wish us luck as our search continues...

I forgot to bring along the camera on our first expedition, but I managed to take a pretty cute picture with my phone. 

Julian now asks about riding on daddy's back while he is gone at work. He loves it, and so do we! 

-- We're moving again December 22nd! We're currently in a 1-bedroom apartment which clearly won't cut it when the Little Mister comes along. Our new apartment is a 2-bedroom apartment with... Drum-role please... a washer and dryer in the unit! I am so very, very, very excited about this! Joey will have a longer commute to work, but it is worth the quieter life than what we are living now. It is a slower pace farther north on the interstate, which is what we are going for these days.

-- Thanksgiving break is upon us, so Joey and I are going to start reading Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way together to prepare ourselves for The Big Day. It is meant to help prepare a couple for a husband-coached birth. I've read it, but it was just before Julian came and Joey didn't get a chance to crack it open. Clearly we weren't that serious about it as the point is for both to read this book! We are very serious about it now. We are praying that, if it is God's will, this baby will enter the world as naturally as possible. I'm looking forward to this preparation very much. I think Joey will be a most excellent coach.

-- Julian is a talking machine! He's learning how to say new words seemingly every minute. I love to engage him. I am always happily surprised at his new abilities. Here is a 3-minute video of the Motor Mouth himself titled Lost Puzzle Piece!

There may be more news than this, but it's midnight now. Time to lay down my weary head. Good night!

The Pictures Highlighting Summer 2012

This is the start of Julian's obsession with all things vehicular -- sitting in a Mack Truck with Daddy at a cattle ranch we visited in Minnesota.

   

Here is Julian pointing to lambs and saying, "BAH BAH!" This picture cracks me up every time! That boy loves those woolly creatures. 

 Ah! Here is the picture that captures the origin of the word, "Boo boo." Auntie Ann Said, "Vroom, Vroom!" to indicate the noise tractors make. This prompted the little boy to call anything that has an engine and wheels "Boo boo" from that moment on. All he seems to care about is playing with, reading about, and watching "Boo boo" from dusk 'til dawn!  

 This picture wins the most adorable toddler award in my book, but I'm not biased or anything.

 It was great to see Julian attach himself to his Grandpa so lovingly. He wanted to talk to him and play with him all the time during our visit. They would sometimes sit with each other and chat for a long time, which toddlers aren't too keen on doing for any extended period. 

 In the background of this picture is Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge. It's one of those distinctive Duluthian landmarks which every tourist admires while visiting here. My sister Ann captured this picture, which I must say is my favorite of the three of us.

 Watching a big boat come into the Duluth Harbor with Daddy.

Julian's first boat ride on the St. Louis River.

Fishing like a pro.

 

That's all for Summer Highlights. Fall Highlights are soon to come.