Big Sister!

We found out in early/mid June that we are going to be blessed yet again! It took over 2 years and a LOT of intervention to get and keep the pregnancy that ended in our precious daughter's arrival. We had to really EARN that. Looks like we get to know both sides of the parenting coin. I used to HATE those stories  that start with "he barely looked at me and I was pregnant".  Well, that was it for us this time! We thought about it, and there I was, a few weeks later, holding a stick with two lines in my hand!  Two and a half months later, it is still surreal that this was the experience. 

I would be lying if I said that my first trimester was worry free. Of course, it came with some apprehension and wondering how all was going. I have just FELT in my heart, though, from the second I knew I was pregnant, that this addition to our family was meant to be. So far, so good. I am just about 16 weeks along, and all is going perfectly! 

So, it looks as though Leah will be blessed with a baby brother or sister on or around her 2nd birthday. And to think, two short years ago, I was afraid we would never have a child...

The big sister to be running around in her shirt we used to tell Daddy!

...... and Leah's reaction to my test!I have a feeling this is how she will feel about the baby once it comes home.

Sweet girl practicing.  :)

A year and a half of Leah's life

Leah Joy, at 18 months, you...

-Weigh just over 22 pounds, and fit wonderfully into your 18 month clothes. You measure in at 30.5 inches long, and are just around the 17th percentile for both.
- Are so so busy ALL THE TIME. You rarely stop for even a second due to your unending curiosity and zest for life.
- Talk and talk and talk some more! You say tons and tons of words now, and lots of phrases. The sentences are starting to come fast and furious. The other day, you totally caught me off guard and when I told you the door was closed. You looked at me like a grown up and said "let's open it". This talking this is by far my favorite stage yet.
- All though you have a freakishly huge vocabulary, you also have some quirky ways of saying things. "Mommy is night night", for instance, just means you can't find me.  "Kia" means you want to hear Baby Beluga. Every single time we put you in your car seat, not matter how much room you have, you say it's too tight". When you are thirsty, you just say "cup please" until you get something. You call every letter you see "ABC". There are more, but these are some of the things that make you you.  :)
- You just learned to count to ten all by yourself, and it is the cutest thing I have ever seen. You skip numbers sometimes, but you are doing pretty fab!You also know a lot of the letters in the alphabet, smart cookie.
- Have some favorite words at the moment....camera, airplane, wagon, woobie, book, sunshine, caterpillar, butterfly, Mommy, outside, elephant, upstairs, cold, baby, and people's names.
- Are NOT the best napper known to man, that is for sure. You are touch and go with naps, but you still sleep like a manic at night.
- Like to play with both the video camera and the "mommy" camera. We have to pry them out of your hands.
- Still suck your thumb when you are tired. Now, when you are sleepy, crabby, or got a boo-boo, you ask for"Sunshine" and help me sing it to you.
- Are quite the Mommy's girl. I love that you are my little buddy, but it rips my heart out when you cry for Mommy and I have to go.
- Are very into food right now. You say either "eat" or yummy tummy" when you are hungry. Some of your current (and past)  favs include yogurt, fruit, cheese, bread and ANY carb, broccoli, applesauce, pizza and pasta. You are SO not into meat at all.
-Climb on everything and anything you can. You have a little chair both inside and outside that you love to climb up. We are working on getting you to sit down and not climb.
- Love love love your grandparents. You lightup when you see each of them, and say "Glamma", "Grandpa" "Nonnie" and "Papa" all the time. The feeling is QUITE mutual.
- You are starting to say "love you" and give kisses without being prompted. It is heaven.
- Love to play outside with your wagon and your slide, adore walks (especially when we run into the girls on the block), swimming, your baby doll, books, bubbles, running, stuffed animals, dancing, baths, singing songs (You are my Sunshine, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Happy birthday, ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle are your current favorites), playing with other little ones, helping to get dressed, cleaning and sweets!

- You are STILL the best thing ever. Your daddy and I love you so much it makes us smile from our hearts.

Our Sweet TyTy

Paul and I are blessed to be the Godparents to beautiful Tyler. Our dear friends, Alex and Alicia, graced us with this honor a few months ago, and we had been looking forward to celebrating his special day. It turned out to be the BEST baptism I have ever been to. It was so meaningful and moving. They whole congregation was involved in welcoming Tyler to the church.

We are so very blessed to have this baby boy in our lives!!

Pool playdate!

We are blessed enough to have a lot of time to get together with our friends and the kids in the summer, seeing as though most of the girls are teachers. This was a super fun day full of sprinklers, hoses, and pools!

A special shout out to Annie and Morgan for being the pool blower uppers. That thing was so cool, but what a PAIN! 

Hey, whatever, It is still July....

I am a bit behind on posting these days. It's amazing how busy you really can be while not working!

We spent the Fourth with one of our favorite families, Marc, Morgan and Isabella, as we have for the past few years. A great (but hot) time was had by all! The girls has a blast dancing to the band and watching the fireworks. 

Our attempt at a family photo. We tried to kiss her, and this is what we got! Haha. 

Dancing to the band!!

Leah loves her Auntie Morg!

Fireworks!

Leah capped off the night by drenching herself with a water bottle. Wet tshirt contests are appropriate at this age, no?

We can't shut her up (or: like mother, like daughter, continued)

Leah seems to learn a new word every day! She is a babbling machine!

Her new ones include:
Flower
Sky
Tree
Sun
Bear
Shower
Bathroom
Potty
Yucky
Ca Ca PooPoo  - (OMG)
Dress
Elbow
Knee
Chin
Cheek
Ella
Bella
TyTy (those are three of her buddies)
Pillow
Eskimo
Cow
Giraffe
Swing
Slide
Pool
Truck
Table
Chair
VroomVroom
Cheese! (for the camera)
Fun!
Juicy
Strawberry
Cookie
Cake

...and our favorite:  "noway".

This kid is a trip!!!

And then there were 7

Years of marriage under our belts, that is.

I have often heard of the "7 year itch". Actually, I Googled it, and it is a very real thing!  Apparantly, after 7 years of marriage, couples tend to be too comfortable, too open, and not passionate enough. I would love to say that this does not hold true for my lovely husband and myself. Alas, it is TRUE that we are too comfortable, open, and the "ehem" priorities of our relationship are far different in this stage of life than they were in the beginning.

I guess my question is, then, how and why are we so happy?  We are comfortable with one another to a fault. The mystery is LONG gone. Paul is the one person in the world I can truly say absolutely ANYTHING to, and not worry about being judged. We talk about anything and everything, no holds barred, no matter how embarassing or ridiculous. My husband regluarly sees me in a less than lovely physical state (I have an at home uniform of jammies and greasy hair). That fiery, spicy, can't keep our hands off each other thing- long gone. In fact, as I hate to admit, some days I barely remember to hug my beloved, between work, dishes, laundry, cleaning, busy social lives, and parenting a toddler. Life just seems to get in the way. Ugh. Sounds miserable, right?

Not so much. I can honestly say that this is what I have come to realize IS true love, to us at least. Why did we get married in the first place? When we took our vows to one another, 7 years ago, we did not promise to keep things from one another, to not communicate, or to focus on the physical. We promised to listen, be supportive, communicate, have one another's back, and to be the best friend the other can ask for. We vowed to love one another through thick and thin, to work together in all we do, and to follow the same path and work as a team. We promised to do all we could to make a strong, lasting marriage and to raise a family, together, united as one.

Mission accomplished. I am blessed enough to have a marriage built on communication, teamwork, support, and a deep, lasting mutual respect and a true love for one another. To some, this may sound far from the exciting relationship all women seem to think they will end up with as young people.  And guess what? It IS far from it. It is what matters to us, though. We have truly come to place in our lives where are are happy, settled, and working together in just about all we do. We have honed our strenghts as a couple, and have leared a lot about ourselves and each other as we have shared this journey. How is that a bad thing?

With that being said, I am trying to do better on living up to my vows. There is a LOT of room for me to be a better wife, that is for sure. I need to make more of an effort to focus on my man (hard to do when you have a little one, but just as important as it ever was) and to take the time to nurture our relationship as a couple, and not just Leah's Mom and Dad. She is the most important, wonderful thing in our lives, but our marriage is just as important and special as she is.

I hope I can continue to try to be a better wife to my husband, cause he deserves it. He is kind, compassionate, patient beyond comprehsion, level headed (especially when I am not), hardworking, inspitrational, fun, and the most dedicated husband and father I know. Paul Fasse is my dream guy.

I am thankful for the fact that our relationship IS based on what really matters in life. So, on to year 8 we go, with what I can only describe as a bit of "itchiness".  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy anniversary to the love of my life. I look forward to sharing a lifetime full of love with you.

Phrases

Leah has  recently started putting phrases together rather well. She has always been a talker, but now she is comminutcating more and more by putting her words together. We still hear a lot of babbling, of course, but more and more of what this little nugget is saying is starting to make sense.

Some favorite phrases:
Mommy shoe
Night Night baby
Night night Maisy
Bye Bye (whoever)
Hi (whoever)
No (insert whatever she is "no-ing" at the time
Go (whatever she wants to go at the moment)
Yummy Cheerio (or cheese, or yogurt, or fruit)
Please (whatever she wants at the momemt)

She is fun as ever!!! Being home and hearing just about everything that comes out of her sassy little mouth has been so much great. I love this age and all the learning that comes along with it. 

With a little help from my friends

Leah is getting more and more social as the months pass by (hmmm.... wonder where THAT came from),and she just loved other kids now. Good thing she has a bunch of pals to play with!  So far this summer, we have had a few fun  playdates with all our big and little friends. it has been so fabulous to have the time to  get all the kids together more. Quality time with pals is the best. I'm glad my girl agrees!

Leah loves TyTy!

BFF's- in matching outfits, of course.

Uncle Alex gives the kids tractor rides. Love!

The friends that share a cup stay together. Well, at least the germs do...

Violet and Leah, sharing the playhouse. Violet won the share award this time.  :)

Ooohhh... horsey

Leah's first horse ride. She was horrified beyond comprehension. I do not see a future in racing for her. 

All the munchkins this day!We need more boys.

LOVE!

When these three are16, we are in trouble. 

Jack is such a REBEL!!!

Beautiful Mama and beautiful babies

We age them chips to get them together. Mothers of the year.

I hope everyone else has had a wonderful start to summer, too!

Naked wader

We took the pool out on the first day both of us wee off school. Leah LOVED playing in it. She splashed, ran in circles,and washed her hair for an hour. It was just the start to what is already shaping up to be one fab summer!!