Reconnecting is fun!

Wow, how cool! It is so GOOD to hear from people I haven't seen or spoken to in a long time! I hope that you continue to check in on this blog from time to time and let me know how you are. I am surprised that I haven't heard from any family... did you guys get the email? I really hope that this will be a way that you can feel connected to our family, even way up here in north country. So, here is a picture of my favorite toddler these days. Madelyn is walking up and down stairs like a pro these days. Pipsqueak is moving around constantly! And become it is summer, Ben and I are busy remodeling our house again.

Right now we are trying to tackle painting all the walls on the main floor. I think that they may have the same paint on them that they were originally painted with almost 50 years ago. This 4th of July weekend we are specificly tackling the grand canyon wall. If you have visited us in our new home, you know exactly what wall I am talking about. For those of you that haven't visited yet... here's a less than optimal picture, but it gives you the idea. It is time for the grand canyon to go!

One more thing, today is a happy day for me because Madelyn took her first cry-free nap without her "pi" (better known as a pacifier). Madelyn was down to using it only at naps and bedtime and we went cold-turkey from the pi last Friday. I probably would have let her continue having it, if it wasn't for the screaming "pi" in the middle of the night when she lost it. That was too much! Anyway, it is interesting what things make you happy with toddlers. Definitely a change from pre-toddler days!

Baby #2's Ultrasound

Well, it actually has been a couple of weeks (wow, has it already been three weeks) since our ultrasound. I can't believe it has been that long already. And pipsqueak is doing great! As you can see, I have given this baby a womb-name, pipsqueak. It makes things easier and less confusing because Ben and I call Madelyn "the baby" quite often still, even though she's almost two and not really a baby at all. Anyway, the things that we were most concerned about, signs of spina bifida and length of cervix, show no signs of anything to worry about! That was very exciting! Then as the tech was measuring this and that (all very cool to watch), she happened to stop in a very strategic spot where, if you were oriented, revealed something very intriquing. She then pulled the ultrasound head away and said quickly, "Do you want to know the gender?" By this time Ben and I had already seen what there was to know. It is good thing that we wanted to know when we got there! And so... we are having a BOY! I'm very excited to be giving Madelyn a little brother! God is good! I'm most excited about having another healthy pregnancy. I'm 23 weeks along now and feel as big as a house already! I suddenly felt pretty uncomfortable yesterday. Hopefully that will pass and I will get back to feeling comforatble again. I was feeling very good before yesterday. So the countdown continues without any worries - 17 weeks to go!

PS - I know that it has been a long time since I posted here. It's not because I've been too busy, although I have been busy, and not because I haven't been thinking about it. I have been probably been thinking too much about it. I like journaling but this is a different kind of journaling. It is public journaling which is a completely different animal than what I've done in the past. I guess you could say that I went through a wet-feet stage with my blog. I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue, what I would write about, or who I'm writing to! Then I guess I realized again what I said in my first post - I am doing this to help my family and friends keep up with what me and my family are up to! The point of this "journal" is completely different than a written personal journal!