While the Cat's Away...

Derek left very early Thursday morning to be in a wedding in California, so Davis and I have been partyin' it up!  On Thursday we went to NC State's annual Farm Animal Days event, where we got to see farm animals and tractors up close and personal.  Davis loved it and now I think we are going to need to live on a farm one day.  Hey, if we hit the $500 million jackpot, we might just be able to make that happen!

Rabbits are AWESOME!

Davis kept saying, "See cow," all day after we came home.

He liked this one because it looked like the Chick-Fil-A cow, I think.

The only animal I could get him to touch, a baby goat.  I wish we had one of these at home!

Today, we picked up my friend Elizabeth ("Biz-a-beh") and went to the Life and Science Museum in Durham for the first time.  I've been wanting to take Davis for a long time, and he had such a good time.  After four hours, I had to convince him to leave because I was getting tired.  I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I wanted, as I'm dealing with a (quickly) moving target, but I think I caught a few highlights.

The butterfly area was definitely one of the best parts of the museum trip...for us, not for the butterflies.  Davis grabbed a butterfly by the wing before I could stop him.  I had to pry his little fingers open to get him to release the poor thing.  Fortunately the butterfly flew off (to live happily ever after, I'm sure).  Who would have thunk a 21-month-old could be so quick?

Checking out the duck 

Too cool for school

More farm animals!

Elizabeth couldn't resist touching the donkey.  Davis has been working on his "hee-haw" ever since we left.

The outdoor drum set was probably D's favorite part. 

"This is like mom's pots and pans, but WAY better!"

Pumping the well.  Gonna need this skill when we live on a farm one day.

We have had two busy and fun days so far, but we sure miss Daddy and are ready to have him back home!

30 Weeks!

I'm already 30 weeks along in this pregnancy!  On one hand, I can't believe how fast it's going by.  On the other hand, I can't believe I'm going to get two months bigger than this!

I'm just big-boned.

A little bit of Davis news...He has been putting words together to form phrases and sentences.  It's so neat to see him communicating more like us.  He has recently learned two phrases that will get used often throughout his life:  "Rub back" and "Mommy ate it all".

Outside

We are all enjoying this spring weather and all of the outside time we are getting...not to mention the extra hours of daylight we get each evening.  From day one, Davis has always been happiest when he's outside--what little boy isn't?--and we are happy to get him out there as much as possible.  We all benefit from the fresh air, exercise, and, let's be honest, the tiredness that comes along with a day spent outdoors.

Just this afternoon, Davis had a blast exploring and playing in the back yard while I pressure-washed the patio.  He really likes playing independently and will do so for quite some time, but he doesn't go more than a few minutes without "checking in" with mommy.  I love those afternoons when I have to take his shoes and all of his clothes off before we come back inside...that's a sign that we've had some f-u-n.

Helping Daddy mow the front yard...and yes, that is a toothbrush in his left hand

Listening intently as Grandaddy explains the next play

Birthday

We have a birthday for baby boy #2!  Unless he decides to come earlier, our second son will be born on May 17, 2012.  Funny, he has a set birthday before he has a set name!  We have gone around and around trying to figure out a name for this child; it's just not as easy as it was the first time.  Oh well, I'm sure we'll come up with something...

We strongly considered trying to do a normal delivery even though I ended up with an emergency c-section when I had Davis, but after hearing several doctors' opinions and doing our own research, we decided that scheduling a c-section this time would be our best option.  As one doctor put it, "More than likely you're still going to have the 'small pelvis/big baby' problem."  Another doctor said that trying to do a vaginal delivery after having a c-section was more of an option for moms whose baby was breech or moms who never had a good shot at labor with their first child.  I had a good go at labor, I dilated fully, and Davis (and his big head) just wouldn't come on down.  My mom had pretty much the exact same issues when having my brother, and she ended up with a cesarean, too.  Oh, and another thing...having one child already made me really think about what's safest for me and my body, as well as what will be safest for the baby, and I figure Davis and the new baby kinda need me to be around and to be as healthy as I can be...

So, we will be checking in at Hotel Rex on May 17 at 10:30am and will hopefully have the surgery at 12:30pm.  Until then, we'll start getting the baby clothes out of the attic, making lists of things to do, and getting excited about adding another precious boy to our family!

A Letter to My Boy

Dear Davis,
     It's beginning to look like this blog is about the closest thing to a scrapbook that you're ever going to have.  Don't worry, you'll have plenty of photos and mementos from your childhood; it's just that mommy isn't a "scrapbook" kind of gal.  Hopefully one day you will be able to read this blog and discover some things we haven't told you about your life...
     First off, I would like you to know how happy I am with our decision to put my career on hold for a few years so that I can be your number one care provider and teacher during your early years.  We have developed an awesome bond and have shared so many wonderful experiences together already.  You may not remember everything about these first years of your life, but hopefully we are providing you with the very best foundation possible and we are setting the stage for you to have a happy and successful future.
     I thought that in this first letter to you I would tell you about a typical day in your life at twenty months of age...
     You wake up between 6:00 and 7:00 each morning, and you hit the ground running...literally.  You normally roll out of bed (a floor bed in your room now--you never really used your crib much) and start heading for the kitchen.  You eat almost constantly from the time you get up until the time Daddy gets up, and then you eat half of his breakfast, too.  (Just this morning you were imitating your dad, dipping a granola bar into his coffee cup...like father, like son!)  In the mornings we hang out around the house (watching some morning cartoons, playing in your playroom, drawing/painting/play dough at the dining room table, etc.).  A lot of times, you and Daddy will play outside or go run an errand or two while I cook lunch and get some housework done.
     We eat lunch together around noon each day, and after that Daddy takes you to your room for your nap.  He snuggles with you until you fall asleep.  You are usually very tired by this time and Daddy is out of your room within ten or fifteen minutes.  When you wake up, you have a snack and then we normally try to do something fun like go to the park or to the museum.  We are fortunate to have so many great places to go that aren't too far from our house.  We also sometimes go shopping at Target or the grocery store, and occasionally we will go out for dinner somewhere you like--right now Moe's and Chick-fil-A are our favorites because they're so close to home and are very child-friendly.  When they are available, we try to get together with your buddy Cooper or your cousin Sawyer as often as we can.
     You and I have an easy supper together in the evenings, and then you take a bath and have some more play time before bed.  Right now you enjoy doing art activities, "cooking", dressing up, and playing with your tools.  We watch "Blue's Clues" at 7:30 and then we head into your room at around 8:00.  We read several books and then we lie there and sing, talk out our day, and cuddle until you fall asleep.  You aren't as easy to get to sleep at nighttime and you will wiggle your body, talk, kiss me repeatedly and get very silly (all the while yawning and rubbing your eyes) to avoid going "nigh-nigh".
     Our daily routine can change on any particular day based on how we're feeling, having family or friends come to visit, or other types of unexpected events.  There is one thing, however, that happens every single day without fail.  I say this prayer each night after you fall asleep...Thank you, God, for this precious baby boy.  Thank you for his health and for his happiness and for all that he is able to do.  Thank you for choosing me to be his mother and Derek to be his father and please help us to be the parents he deserves.  Please protect him and keep him safe and happy and healthy always.  Please help him to always know how much he is loved.  You have surely turned our lives upside down in the best possible way, Davis, and your dad and I look forward to helping you grow and learn and achieve all of your goals in this life.  Thank you for teaching us about unconditional love, and thank you for all of the many joys you bring into our lives.

Davis and Tequila

Davis got his first professional haircut today.  His stylist's name was Tequila (pronounced "tah-kwee-lah"), and she was great!  We took him all the way to Durham, as we had heard about this great kids' place near Southpoint Mall, and it was a really good experience.  Davis got to sit in a cool car and watch "Dora the Explorer" while he got a trim and he didn't even seem to notice that he was getting his hair cut.

Davis Before:

Davis During:

Davis After:

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm spoiled rotten, y'all.  I'm not normally one to brag about how sweet my husband is, but I'll make an exception today.  This is what I woke up to this morning...

...Not one, but two gorgeous bouquets of flowers and two new charms for my bracelet.  He also gave me a cool lens for my phone that will allow me to take some really good and different photos when I don't have my "real" camera around.  We already got an awesome shot of Davis' eyeball with the macro lens, but it's saved on my phone so I will upload that later.  The best part of my Valentine's Day, though, was the very sweet card Derek gave me and the fact that I got to spend the morning with my two Valentines. I'm a lucky girl...just think, next year I'll have THREE Valentines to celebrate with!

Side note--Here's a sign that you're getting old:  After exchanging gifts, Derek and I had a conversation about how expensive store-bought cards are and how we had both put back several cards because they were close to 5 bucks!  Maybe we will start sticking exclusively to hand-made cards from now on?