Easter Pictures

We had a lovely but very rainy Easter. When we went to early Mass, it was only drizzling, and the fact that the air seemed warmer made us hopeful. But, when the sun never quite rose during the service, we started to anticipate that we'd be having another rainy Easter this year.

Fortunately, our Easter Egg hunt was conducted indoors...

...Unfortunately, it meant that we had to use the harsh flash on our camera, so we didn't get as many good pictures as we would have liked.

Sophia's still got her coat on so it's almost like an outdoor hunt :) For those of you who were around last July, you may notice that Sophia's "Easter dress" is the same one she wore for her first birthday... looks like she may still be wearing it for her second birthday in a couple months! Ah, my little peanut... And God reveals His mercy in this: that he gave a petite pregnant woman a petite toddler to care for.

After the "hunt", Sophia rested and the resident Easter bunnies got to work in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on Easter dinner, which we were blessed to share with some dear friends, as none of us had family in the area. Of course, the busy bunnies forgot to take phots of the meal, but here is the menu, with links to recipes, if you'd like to try some. The dishes without recipes are my own creation.

Beet Salad with Almond Butter and Gorgonzola Bomboloni

Glazed Ham
Angel Biscuits
Parsleyed Potatoes with Saffron
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon
Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Toasted Almonds, and Poppy Seed Dressing

Bethany's Picnic Perfect Lemonade
wine (brought by one of our guests)

Four-Layer Almond Cake with Raspberry Jam, Almond Buttercream, and Jordan Almonds
Lemon Meringue Pie -- I mainly followed this recipe, but the crust is my own family recipe :)
tea

Here's a photo of the cake after the festivities...it's a bit demolished, but at least you can see the pretty layers:

In typical Catholic fashion, I don't put out our decorations until the holiday vigil (for Easter, that's Holy Saturday; for Christmas, it would be Christmas Eve...you get the idea). So, here are some flower arrangements I put together on Saturday evening before assembling Sophia's Easter basket and hiding the eggs:

Latest Sophia Photos

Playing with Daddy's laptop:

Playing with Daddy's hat (yes, we like playing with Daddy's things...Mommy's, too):

Eating our waffle with peaches and whipped cream...she was in Heaven:

We have such a silly, sweet girl!

Welcome to the Third Trimester!

In response to some pressing requests and in honor of my entering the final trimester of this pregnancy (tomorrow), here are some photos of what the baby and I look like right now :)

I cannot believe how quickly this pregnancy seems to be zooming by, compared to my first one. I suppose it has much to do with chasing a busy toddler around all day! Even though some of the heaviness and discomfort of late pregnancy has begun to set in a bit (including battling sciatica, as I did with my last pregnancy), I am feeling very blessed right now. I'm looking forward to the birth and to holding my new son in my arms, but I'm also very content with being the pregnant mama of my little girl just now. It is a wonderful place to be.

Sophia's First Haircut!

It was long overdue, but finally Sophia submitted long enough to let me take a pair of scissors to her bangs...not without a great deal of protestation, mind you. I was so proud that I managed to avoid either poking her with the scissors while she squirmed or make her look ridiculous.

I've been thinking, though: with a girl, you really only have to cut the bangs for the first couple of years. If it was this difficult with a good-natured daughter, what am I going to do with our son?

I kept her "first curl" in a little silver box that we were given as a shower gift before Sophia was born. It's so sweet looking at her little lock of strawberry-blonde hair lying in tiny black velvet-lined box. I'm sure it's something that I will come to treasure even more as the years pass.

And, showing off our belly button!

20 Weeks, 6 Days...and counting

"Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch."

- E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

As I have had many requests from friends and family afar who want to know how much I'm "showing," here are a few of pregnancy photos for you all to enjoy. These were taken today at 20 weeks and 6 days gestation.

I love this part of pregnancy. Mainly, I feel great, though I'm still a little tireder than I would normally be. The nausea is officially passed (thank Heaven!), and I feel pretty much back to normal. It's good to have enough energy again for all the things I need to accomplish each day. I must admit, it's also been nice to actually look pregnant, as opposed to just chubby.

Our little boy began kicking regularly at 16 weeks, and I just adore feeling those tiny bumps and squirms. Now that I'm halfway through the pregnancy, I can feel him moving often throughout the day, and it's such a comfort to feel his presence and know he's doing well. He is right on target for size (33rd percentile), so with any luck, he will come out the same size or maybe a tiny bit smaller than my Sophia who was just over 8 lbs. at birth--fairly sizeable for a 5'2'' mama who only weighed about 135 lbs. 9 months pregnant!

Even with the inconveniences it can sometimes cause (sickness, fatigue, shortness of breath, sciatica, stretch marks, etc.), I really do love being pregnant. There is something about carrying another life inside your own body that makes you feel truly beautiful and, in a way, magnificent.

It's a Boy!

I had my ultrasound this morning, and our photogenic little baby left us in no doubt that we are having a boy! I will post pictures from the ultrasound as soon as Brian gets the chance to scan them in at work. We are so excited! Brian, in particular, is over the moon; though, before we went he assured me that he would like another girl just as much.

I can't believe that in five months, we are going to have a son! He is already so beautiful. Even the sonographer was commenting on what a nice nose he has; I think it looks like my husband's. But, my favorite comment was when she said, "He has such a beautiful heart!" Apparently the heart is usually difficult to view so nicely, but we got some wonderful footage on our complimentary DVD of our son's healthy (and, yes, beautiful) heart.

We do not have a name picked out, yet. Speaking of which, I have set up a new name poll. [name poll has been disabled; thanks for voting!] There are a few more boys' names than before, and I have (obviously) removed the girls' names. If you have a few seconds, please stop by and cast your vote. You can either click the link in this paragraph or follow from the icon at the top right of the page. You will only be able to vote once from any given computer. Vote either "yes" or "no" on each name (you don't have to pick just one name that you like).

We are elated, and just had to share the wonderful news with you all. We'll keep you abreast of any news as the pregnancy progresses. Gosh, I am one happy and blessed mama!

Help Us Name Our Newest Bun!

Click on the above link to vote on our list of possible boy and girl names for the May Baby! We may add or delete names from time to time, but we're looking forward to hearing input from you all. Thanks!

[name poll has been disabled; thank you for voting!]

Fantastic News!

It feels marvelous to finally be able to share the good news with you all. Brian and I are thrilled. I am currently eleven weeks along, and I am due at the end of May. Sophia has no idea that anything is happening yet, but we hope and pray that she will be overjoyed when she gets to meet her new baby brother or sister this spring. They will be twenty-two months apart, which means I'm going to be a mama to two under two...at least for a few weeks! I will, of course, keep you all updated with more information than you'd probably care to know. The ticker at the top of this post will be placed at the bottom of the webpage, if you'd like to keep track of the countdown to birth! Prayers would be much appreciated during the coming months, if you feel so moved.

So, that's the fantastic news! We have so much to be thankful for! Pregnancy, motherhood, even childbirth are all such tremendous blessings from the Lord! He has granted me such grace, I feel my heart is too full of thanks to express it. So, REJOICE with me, because I feel that I must share this joy, which is overflowing from the depths of my being!

Oh, and Sophia's favorite new word is "baby." Isn't that sweet? She loves saying, "Hi, baby" to all the newborns at church and looking at the pictures of babies from around the world in a little book she has. Hopefully, she'll be very happy when she realizes there will be a baby at home.

"Expectant Mother" by Ben Hammond

Halloween by Bill

As many of you know, Brian works for a *small, little-known* computer software company. Every year they throw a fantastic Halloween party for the kids of all the employees in his building. There's trick-or-treating, a Haunted Lab, and lots of fun costumes and gags. Sophia really seemed to enjoy herself, and as always, we had a wonderful time showing off our cutie to all of Brian's coworkers.

After receiving an orange from our friend Leslie, Sophia decided to take Mommy on a tour of the offices.


Here we continue our tour. Special stop off at the elevator. Infinitely fascinating for babies.


Can you believe these spoiled engineers get their own slushy and frozen strawberry lemonade machines? Sophia was pretty keen on the lemonade.


Have you seen the Mac/PC commercials? If you look carefully, this lovely fellow has an "I'm a PC" nametag proudly displayed on his shirt. Nearby signs warn those who enter that none may leave without killing all bugs.


Sophia gets her chocolate fix.


"What?"


And, of course, when in Rome...do as the geeks do!

Picking Pumpkins With Our Peanut

Last Saturday, after our annual church Harvest Fest, we took Sophia to pick out pumpkins at a local patch. It was lots of fun. I think Sophia particularly enjoyed picking out her own pint-sized pumpkin. It took her nearly five minutes to decide which one she wanted!