Growing...

Okay, I'm not sure what planet my husband is from that he thought that taking a photo from this angle would be even mildly flattering... it's not! That being said, it's the most recent (though nearly 4 weeks old!) picture that I have of my belly. As you can see, Jared decided to do a bit of artwork with Ruby's washable markers. Of course once Ruby saw that Mommy's tummy was getting colored on, she thought that looked like something SHE needed too! So, she lifted up her top and Jared got to work...

I think that she was pretty pleased with her "Big Sister" tatoo. Pleased enough not to want to look at the camera anyway! Ruby still doesn't much like Mama's growing tummy. She thinks it's pretty creepy when she cuddles up to read with me and starts getting kicked by her little brother! Who knew they'd start fighting before he was born! She also has had a hard time adjusting to Mom not wanting to carry her all the time (not that I did before!). She is really a feather-light girl, but it's just plain uncomfortable to hold a toddler once your waistline exceeds 40"!

We've had several less-than-lovely highlights this month. First, our washing machine refused to drain. This is a fairly serious problem with any washing machine, but with a front loader, it's just plain ridiculous! After some investigation, we decided that the pump or filter or something needed cleaning. That was, I'm told, a messy and thoroughly disgusting job. Thank you God for husbands!! Once the filter was clean we thought we'd be smooth sailing...wrong. We then discovered that the drain in the floor was totally clogged. We're talking about a drain at least 4 inches in diameter filled in with mineral deposits...lovely. Jared scraped and clawed away at it with very inferior tools up to his shoulder in muck with no luck. So, when a whole bottle of drain-o failed us completely we were forced to call the plumber. Fifteen minutes and over $100 later, we had a flowing drain--hurrah!

Our latest adventure has had to do with the trash collectors. They're on strike. I really can't imagine anyone I'd rather NOT have go on strike. As it is, our trash can is pitifully small and barely holds one week of dirty diapers, kitchen refuse, and general trash. It has now been two weeks and I have some hope that they will return today. Jared, of course, decided that the way to deal with our problem was to become the human trash compactor and just PUSH HARDER! The problem with this tactic is that our trash container is paper! After a while, the bag tore and now I'm really wondering what they're going to do when they see the mess (if they come that is!). Jared says, "It serves them right for going on a stupid strike!". On this, I would have to agree. The silliest part is that they weren't going on strike for any problem they were personally having, it was a "sympathy strike" for work conditions at another company somewhere else in Denmark. Good grief!!

Well, that's about all the nitty gritty from our neck of the woods. I have a feeling that between piles of trash and stinking drains we aren't going to see any visitors anytime soon!

Carter is TWO!

Well, it's official. Our babies are not babies anymore! Ruby's best bud, Carter turned two a few weeks ago and had a great little party to celebrate. It was so fun to remember Carter and Ruby at last years party. Just crawling around and looking like babies. As you can see, this year Ruby jumped right in to help Carter "break-in" his new birthday toys. Carter loves anything with wheels, so his toy collection these days is almost exclusively cars, trucks, and trains.

Here's a photo of Carter and Ruby picking out the best cars to drive around the garage! Carter and Ruby have gotten into the habit now that if they want something that they other one has they just grab it and then ever so sweetly say, "Thank You!". I'm not sure that it quite makes up for it, but they seem to float along fairly well without too many major arguments, which is really nice for us parents!

As usual, Claire totally outdid herself decorating for the chosen theme, "cars". The cake in this picture took hours for her to decorate with about a zillion little star-shaped squirts of frosting, but it sure looked fantastic. We also had some adorable traffic light cookies and other car themed/decorated snacks. She even made minestrone soup complete with wheel pasta--too cute!

All in all, it was a great party regardless of the fact that I was sick with my two billionth cold of the winter! It's just so great to have so many friends here with young kids. The kids enjoy each other a lot and we enjoy having that peer group of other parents to lean on and bounce ideas off of. There's also the babysitting for each other--that's pretty great too! On Valentine's Day we were able to keep Carter for the evening so that his Mommy and Daddy could take a well deserved night out. It was SO much easier having the two of them than just Ruby! They just played their hearts out. It really makes me look forward to after Bean is born and he and Ruby start to play together.

Things on the baby front are going well. I've been extremely busy and extremely tired this month...which may explain the lack of February entries! This month I did have two appointments for accupuncture to help with my hip pain. Much to my surprise, it did seem to help. I was afraid that I'd be stuck in misery for the remainder of the pregnancy, but I really have been feeling so much better. I've also been trying to limit my walking somewhat and have been taking the bus when possible. Better safe than sorry.

This month Jared was able to join a men's small group study at church looking at the book, The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel. It seems to have sparked a lot of good conversations both in the small group and outside. It's been interesting for him to take part in these discussions with men from so many backgrounds and professions. A lot of the book so far has dealt with scientific arguments, so it's been fun to hear how some of the other non-science people have dealt with those. Most of all, I'm just thankful that it gives him some time to develop friendships with other men. I think that's so important and often times very difficult for guys to do as they are so busy with their careers and family.


Well, I'll try to get another few posts up soon. I can't believe that this baby is due in four weeks! I better get moving to catch up before then!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week and finding joy in every moment.