A Poem

I was going through some books recently, and I came across an old favorite: a book of children's poems called If I Were in Charge of the World by Judith Viorst. To my delight, Carter has really enjoyed having me read the poems to him. When I suggested that he memorize a poem, he readily agreed -- and had it memorized in one night. (Regrettably, that led him to stay up reciting it at the top of his lungs when he should have been sleeping). The poem he learned is:

NIGHTMARE

Beautiful, Beautiful Beverly
Has asked me to a dance
And I am dressed
In all my best
My purple shirt
My buckskin vest
My cowboy boots
And my... [I'll leave the final line for him to reveal in the video]

Artist

Girl Trip 2011

Grounded

As in "not flying", not "in trouble".

After a couple of final business trips the last few weeks - and a fun girls' weekend (pics of that to be posted soon), I'm officially through with traveling until after this baby is born. So now it's time to buckle down and get ready for his arrival!

It feels good to be grounded!


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Mass on the Grass

Our favorite time to go to church is when they do Mass on the Grass - a casual outdoor service. I much prefer the less formal service and music (fiddle is more my style than organ), and I also just love to be outdoors for worship. Between the heat wave and my propensity towards swelling these days, we opted to sit in the shade for the first time this year! Someone snapped this sweet shot of Carter during communion. I particularly love it because it actually captures all 4 of us: Carter, my belly, and both Thomas' and my hands.

T-Ball Season

It's that time of year!

Last year, Carter was on the Phillies. This year, we were assigned to the Giants for about a half an hour -- until I discovered that the Giants practiced at 5:30 on a weeknight. We had to switch to a team with a later practice time, and the switch turned out to be a good thing, because now Carter is on the Cubs!

(I'm guessing that we weren't the only family that requested a switch to a team with a later practice time, as our team seems larger than most. I wonder if all those other parents were as blindsided as we were that they even have weekday practices. It certainly wasn't in the promotional material! Ah, the YMCA...)

Carter was reluctant to pose for a picture in his uniform until I told him that his friends Eleanor and Thomas really like the Cubs, and would definitely want to see a picture of him in his Cubs gear!

Thomas is helping the coach out on the field and at practices

At the first game, Carter got the best spot as the last batter. It's the best spot because, in t-ball rules, the last hitter always gets a grand slam!

One Room Down...

We've been living in various states of mess and upheaval in our house for the last month or so, but tonight we put the kitchen back together with a fresh coat of paint on the walls and new hardware on the cabinets. Very small changes, but it makes a big difference, in my opinion. At the very least, it makes me feel like it's finally OUR kitchen, as we hadn't previously done anything to that room since we moved in. Two more rooms to put back together after this: our bedroom (can't wait to sleep there again!), which will probably happen this weekend, and our bathroom (really, really can't wait to use that again!), which will be another week or two. And then, of course, we have to START the baby's room. But at least 1 room is done!

Weekend Antics

Belly Shots

My mom has been suggesting, frequently, that I should post some pictures where you can get a better look at the current size of my belly. So here you go, mom!

By the way, I went through all the baby clothes that we have last night, and between what we kept from Carter and what Park & Ashley gave us, I'm pretty sure it will be impossible for this new little guy to wear everything even once. So, grandparents, you're off the hook for baby clothes buying this time around!

10 Weeks to Go, More or Less

I had an ultrasound last week and got these photos of our boy.

He's very active and is mostly treating me nicely, though I most certainly feel the 5 years older that I am this time around. Part of that is probably actually due to the fact that I was in much better shape 5 years ago thanks to all the NYC walking I did. But, I really have few complaints (today).

Carter is SO very sweet about his baby brother these days. He's taken to kissing and hugging my belly, and to talking to his little brother. Just the other day, baby brother apparently informed Carter that he likes Sponge Bob and that his favorite color is orange - just like Carter!

Frequently, when Carter gives me a hug and I say, "Thank you!", he says, "No. that wasn't for you. That was for [points to my belly]." So now I just keep my mouth shut and enjoy.