Sissy Boo

Savannah Pearl, aka Sissy Boo, Boo Boo, Boo's, Mary or Little Mary as Lyla refers to her (we still don't know why we all must call Savannah "Mary") and Boo Boo Ca-chew. She responds to it all. This girl is spunky. Everything is hilarious to her.

She took her first steps on Sunday. Matt and I were with her in the kitchen and Matt stood her up about three feet in front on him and she walked right to him. She started screaming and laughing and clapping. She was through the roof proud of herself. It was awesome to see her recognize that special moment.

Savannah picks on Lyla big time. Lots of casual hair pulling and toy taking. Lyla reacts everytime and Savannah laughs. It's one big game to Savannah. I get it. She is one and just trying to figure out how this world is all put together. Her and Lyla are gonna have to sort that out to some degree. They are sisters. Sisters figure that stuff out on their own. They love each other and I can see that through the enormous number of hugs and kisses they exchange throughout the day. It's sweet and makes my heart hurt from all the cuteness. Lyla's voice will get stronger soon in this situation. I have no doubt.

I think Lyla is surprised by all of the changes Savannah is making. Savannah will now go get things for Lyla. This has been a wonderful discovery for Lyla. She is also pretty excited that her and Savannah can ride tractors together. They now share a room at night and Lyla has taken to the being the little helper with Savannah. Lyla told me "I'm just happy i can be there so in case sissy drops something at night I can just get right up and get it for her." She is ready and willing to help sissy at a moments notice. They are gonna have a good time together for sure.

Savannah is a sweet cuddly little person. She is a hugger.

She says a few words but let me tell you, this girl growls A LOT. She growls at everyone and everything. We have tried and tried to teach her animal sounds but she just growls for every animal.

She loves to be chased and she sqeeks and snorts as she is trying to get away.

She is over the moon in love with Charlie. Hugs, hugs and more hugs. She loves that dog.

Savannah has some fire in her eyes. She is determined. It is so clear even at 13 months.

Love this sweet little Sissy Boo!

Guess who's back....

Okay, after a brief, yet crazy busy seven month break, I am back again. I had a few things to get in order.

We have moved. Like big time moved. Portland, OR to Friday Harbor, WA. By all accounts it's only a 5 hour drive and then an ferry ride, but let me be the first to tell you I feel like we are a million miles from home. In a good way. I love Portland. I will always love Portland. I met wonderful people in that town. That is the birth place of my two baby girls. Matt and I started our married life there. We grew up a little there. We bought our first home there. Portland is a good place. However, we are not city mice. We like our country living.

When the chance came to move to the San Juan Islands we just couldn't refuse. Matt and I met on Orcas Island. We always said that one day we would move up to this area again and buy land and build a little place to live. We both thought we would be old. We did not expect to have the rare good fortune to raise our family here. It feels like it was meant to be. Little doors just kept opening up for us allowing us to be able to move here. Getting here seemed rather easy minus the part about packing a house with a one year old and a three year old. That story is for another day.

Truth be told, we are in a little bit of culture shock. Lyla wonders where "Trader Joes" is. We have tried for a week to buy a SIMPLE wall calendar with cute animal pictures, but just can't seem to find a local place that sells them. Everything takes a few days longer here and the speed limit is only 45... on the fast roads... and there is no stop light... anywhere. We pass a camel on our drive to town. This is life as we know it now. It's random here. However I also know that Matt and I will fit in nicely with our little family. I am so excited to be able to raise the girls here. Matt and I made a little deal the other night. We both agreed to do whatever it takes to live here for a long time. We want to make this our home. So now we are working to figure this place out.

We just found the secret grocery store for locals so we are well on our way.

Four Minutes with Lyla

I threw pee-pee water on Brown Kangaroo.
I hit him.
I hit him Daddy.
I hit Brown Kangaroo.
He looks a little sad.
I hit him with the fork.
Fork it up.
Patty Cake, Patty Cake.
{Hugs Brown Kangaroo}
Brown Kangaroo wanted a hug.
{Bites Brown Kangaroo}
I bite him Daddy.
Do a fancy jump.
I'm eating my olives.
He's on my back.
Lookie!
Lookie Daddy!
I'm going to hop on him.
I'm going to give him pee pee water and food and music.
Where did his ears go?
No Mommy, I want you to feed me.
I already ate chicken.
I can still eat it. {grape off of floor}
I don't like this one.
But this one's a good one.
{Savannah burps}
Nice one Savannah!
Roooooooaaaaaaaarrrrrrrr {Lyla pretending to burp}
Look Daddy.
I use it on my own self.
Look at the pretty flowers Mama.
What are the white flowers name?
I blow the candle out cause it's my birthday.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh birthday!!!!
There's cookies on the floor {no cookies in sight}
You can eat it all by yourself.
Oh no! The cookies are all gone!
Somebody will have to buy more at the store.
{Leaves the room}
I was getting sheepy out cause he wants more cookies.
{Now playing with school bus}
{Back to kitchen table}
I don't have to eat all of it.
Actually, I can use my fingers.
Micky Mouse in on our TV and Bob the Builder and Sesame Street- all kinds of stuff.
I don't have to eat all of them.
I have a couple more bits.
Now I want some chocolates.
A super whole bunch.
I'm gonna take your cookie away from you and put it in my pocket.
I made those cookies with Daddy.
I got a belly ache.
What's sissy doing?
Sissy scared me.
It's gonna be okay.

.... love her.

New favorite word...

Lyla has a new word that I love hearing her say: swam-wich. As in, "Yes, I want a choc-wet swam-wich". Makes me laugh everytime.

4 months

Little Savvy is 4 months old already. She weighs 13lbs 10oz and is 24.25 inches long. Right in the 50th percentile. She has found her hands and grabs at everything these days. She has rolled over both from her back to her belly and belly to back. She smiles nonstop. It's pretty cute. She has also started to laugh a few times and then stops herself. She watches Lyla with great intensity. Savannah is making more noises and blowing lots of bubbles and getting very wiggly. Lyla is finally getting a response from Savvy so things are picking up in Lyla's world. Savvy will smile at her, only encouraging Lyla more and more. Watching that relationship begin to develop is so sweet and sincere. Lyla will "read" books to Savvy, bring her toys, get her giblet for her when she's crying, rub her belly is she's sad and sing songs to make her happy. Lyla is a very intuitive big sister. She seems to be right on top of Savvy's needs- which is cute- she genuinely wants to make sure things are good. I love getting to know these two little girls individually but feel so privileged to be able to watch them grow together.

2 months.

I wanna rock!

Mr. Gibbles.

When Lyla was born I was anti-pacifier. I would see children who were far too old with a hunk of plastic hanging out of their mouth like an old cigar as they talked. It did not seem cute to me at all. On about day six of little Lyla’s life she just cried and cried, nothing consoled her. Being new scared parents we decided to give the pacifier a try just to see if it helped. Like a seal at feeding time, she grabbed that thing and then there was silence. We decided she could use it for a little while and then we would surely be done. We also decided it needed a name and Matt came up with Giblet. The Giblet went everywhere with us. We needed it as much as she did. I’d like to think it was our back-up to our wonderful parenting tricks but truth be told it was the first thing we went to in a time of chaos.

Like every good friend, nicknames surfaced quickly- Gibbles and Mr. Gibbles are the two favorites. Slowly we managed to get Mr. Gibbles down to only being used during naps and bedtime. Progress was being made. I would ask Lyla about not having Mr. Gibbles anymore and a flat-out “No” was always the answer.

When Savannah was born, we decided to give the pacifier a chance with her as well. Lyla was fascinated that more Mr. Gibbles were coming into the home. This was huge. New baby sister = more Gibbles. Jackpot! I decided one day to take Lyla to Target to help me shop for new pacifiers for Savannah. I had no intention of getting Lyla another pacifier. Well somehow LYLA ended up with TWO new Gibbles. My rationale in purchasing more was that we could phase out the old newborn one for one that was sized appropriately. Like socks, pacifiers come in sizes and she still has a newborn one. That’s what I told myself in Target anyway. It made sense to me. That’s all that matters, right? I also thought that old Mr. Gibbles could be easily replaced. That was my first mistake. Well actually my second mistake, the first one was the trip to Target. Pretty soon Lyla was skillfully managing two Mr. Gibbles also known as “New Gibbles” and “Old Gibbles”. The attachment was compounded. We had two Gibbles to care for. In the early days of having a newborn and a two year old, Lyla capitalized on our sleep deprivation and foggy heads and came out the victor in the Gibbles department. So now, Old Gibbles and New Gibbles are bargained for continuously by Lyla and they are trusty sidekicks she can’t imagine living without. I asked her the other day if she was ready to say goodbye to both of them and after she took a minute to really think about what I said, she looked at me and said “No”. I think Matt and I have to be ready to say goodbye too- Mr. Gibbles - old and new- are kind of part of the family right now- we can’t just throw our friend away.

6 weeks

Poop.

Poop makes up about 75% of our conversation these days. Seriously, no lies, that is all we talk about. Lyla is absolutely fascinated that Savannah poops. All we hear when we change Savannah's diaper is "want to see the poopoo's" over and over again. Keep in mind, she is a newborn and that means plenty of poops and possible poop situations. All of which keep Lyla way intrigued. When Lyla poops she builds a fortress around herself with all of her toys then announces abruptly after the fact that she needs to use the bathroom. If we don't jump up instantly we have a serious situation in the bathroom. She quickly runs in, strips off ALL of her clothes and wants to wipe and "see the poopoo's". If you haven't tried to teach a 2 year old bathroom etiquette, this is quite interesting. The biggest lesson thus far is that we don't touch poop. BIG lesson to learn in my book. Lyla knows it but sometimes events spiral out of control and shit happens, literally. The other hot topic is our dog Charlie's poop. Lyla points ALL of it out and wants it cleaned up pronto. This phase will pass for sure but in the mean time, it you stop by the house be prepared to openly talk about poop.

Then there were two...

Wow. Okay. Two small children are a lot of work. It's taxing. Thank god I don't have anything that I want to do or need to get done. I feel like I am here 100% to provide for these little girls. This is exactly where I want to be but it's exhausting. Not sure what would happen to me if Matt wasn't here. I'm pretty sure I would never eat or shower and we sure as hell wouldn't leave. We are managing though. Lyla is one little ball of energy. All she wants to do each day is jump off of things, climbing on things, be chased, play outside, throw balls, or run. That's pretty much it. She is also talking the ENTIRE time she is doing any one of these said activities. It is awesome. She says some of the funniest things I have heard in awhile. She has a funny sense of humor and her laugh is contagious. She cracks herself up a lot. But she is two and she has a certain way everything must be done. Matt and I often choose the wrong way to try anything and she is quick to point out our mistakes. Our new life as we know it.

There are a lot of things I wish I had known before crossing the threshold with Savannah. I wish I had worked more with Lyla on finding activities she could play by herself. This is huge. I also should have read the "newborn" section of my baby info books again. It's amazing how much you forget. However, so much of our day just works itself out. We try to have at least one "adventure" with Lyla each day. We call them adventures and her eyes just light up- way more fun for everyone. That varys from walks, to playing in the yard, to PetSmart, to the library or grocery shopping. The beauty of two years old is everywhere is fun if you use the right adjectives. The words "fancy", "super special" and "special treat" go a long way in our world these days. Lyla loves to take Savannah to the doctor. She likes the toys in the waiting room and the stickers she gets at the end of each visit simply for being there. Our days are all about being as creative as we can be and really just trying to keep up and have fun at the same time. I can tell you we are way better off a month in than we were on day three. We are learning and growing and giving it all we've got.

Sweet Savannah.

Our little Savannah Pearl finally made her appearance on December 28th at 7:53pm. She was 9lbs 5oz and 20.5 inches long. My water broke at 12:30am on the 28th, ONLY 11days overdue. I tried to go to bed early that night because I had a feeling that she would be born on Wednesday the 28th, as that was the exact amount of time I was overdue with Lyla. I was too anxious and only got about 2 hours of sleep before my water broke. Once I was up, adrenaline took over and I was ready to go have a baby. Once my mom came over to watch Lyla; Matt and I went to the hospital at 2:30. We arrived at the hospital and met up with our Douala and everything was really good at this point. They sent us right to a room. Contractions were coming slow and steady. I had wanted to labor as long as possible at home, but once my water breaks I always have this mental picture of the baby somehow struggling because it's little comfy home is empty. I have been assured time and time again that this is not the case but I can't get past it. So each time I have let myself believe I would be home for hours laboring, but quite the contrary, I've got 2 hours max in me.

I will spare the details until I have fully organized and processed them. It will take a little bit of time. I had another unmedicated birth and it was a mental challenge like no other. It was 17.5 hours. A much harder labor than Lyla's. I am proud of myself though. I decided to have another unmedicated birth, not because I wanted to impress other people or needed to prove something, I did it for Savannah. Each woman has to do what feels right for them. I look at it as the first unique and special bond a mom has with her child. No one else can have it. I just can't understand how all the medicines at the very end of pregnancy can't have some impact on this new little person. Here's what I picture: 30 years from now there will be some commercial on TV saying "If you had your child between X year and Y year and you had (any birth drug) containing 'BlahBlahBlah' they are at risk for x,y,p,d and q. Yep, that's a glance into my brain. I can't get past that thought process. I hope I am wrong, but I'm not 100% convinced I will be. I don't want my children's birth to be part of some class action suit. If all I have to do is experience childbirth, a task my body was designed to do, then so be it. I'm in. I may never know if my lack of medicine made a difference or not, but I do know I felt every minute I worked to meet Savannah. That is a feeling only I will understand and that is special to me.

Savannah is one sweet little lady. She cries very little, really only when she is hungry. Her cry is this tiny little cry that sounds like one of those little baby dolls "whaaaaa, whaaaaaa, whaaaaaa". Her chin shakes too when she cries which makes it extra endearing and sad at the same time. She mostly just looks around and gives a smile every now and again. Matt and I were just discussing tonight how it just feels different having two girls- it feels right and it feels fun.

Her stocking was hung...

We had a stocking all ready for sweet little Savannah but it looks like she will have to see it next year. She has yet to make her appearance. I am officially 10 days overdue and it's not getting anymore fun. I kind of knew to expect this since Lyla was 12 days late but I thought that because it was my second pregnancy maybe, just maybe, she would be a little early. I had a non-stress test yesterday and she is happy as can be. Her heartbeat is strong and accelerating as it should and all the amniotic fluid levels look fine. I have another one scheduled for tomorrow, though I think that is a little overkill. I can't imagine we have had a crazy change in 48 hours but we will see. She is moving a lot so that makes me happy. Physically I am tired, but honestly no more tired than I have been for the last few weeks. Mentally this is getting a little taxing. Each day I wake up and wonder if today will be the day. I know at least by Friday it will be the day but until then, I just have to keep waiting patiently. I have no choice.

Yep. Still Pregnant.

4 days past due. I'm not surprised. Lyla was 12 days past due. But seriously, I am ready for this all to come to an end so that I can meet this little girl. There is a little stress surrounding all this because it's also Christmas time and I would be a little bummed if her birthday fell on Christmas day. It's not the end of the world but that just seems like a tough birthday to have. That would add a new challenge for me- as I LOVE birthday parties. I am having contractions but nothing is organized. I am working at relaxing but still working. I get 11 weeks off from work and want every minute on the other end to spend with my new little girl. Lyla is getting more excited by the minute. She is really interested in all of the baby items that are slowly making their way out and we are continuously mentioning little ways she will be able to help. She is mostly excited that "new baby sister" will need lotion as Lyla LOVES lotion. I have visions of "new baby sister" being one slippery little baby covered in lotion compliments of the overzealous big sister. I am off to the doctor tomorrow. Mostly to make sure everything is good- which I know it is. I am sure a stress test will be scheduled and threats of induction will be thrown around. I have confidence that "New baby sister" will come when she is ready and on her own, hopefully soon, cause the pregnancy thing is done and done.

Alice Mae Martha Birds Ovenell

Our sweet little Alice Mae passed away at 1:30am on December 12th. If you have ever lost a beloved animal you know how hard it is. She was such a big part of our family. At 120 she had a solid presence in our home. She slept on the couch, when she stretched it was half way across the living room and she was a talker. By that I mean that Alice let you know exactly what she needed by nudging you along or hitting your hand and pushing ever so gently. She was the sweetest, most kind girl that just wanted to be loved. She loved love. She loved hugs (but only by a select few people) she loved having sweet things whispered in her ears, she loved car rides with her head out of the window and she loved our family. She was protective beyond belief but had nothing to back up her fierce bark. To say she was the scared lion would be an understatement. She was scared of the world which made her all the more endearing. She needed to be told that it was going to be okay.

Our house feels so empty these days without our sweet girl. She wasn't well though and we knew it for some time. On December 11th we took her to the emergency animal hospital because she was throwing up and we could just tell in her eyes that she didn't feel well. They thought her stomached had flipped, which is a common and deadly problem in great danes and said that she would need emergency surgery. Of course we wanted to do everything we could so we gave the go ahead, but shortly after we got a call that they weren't sure she was strong enough to make it through the night. Her blood pressure was crazy low and they thought that perhaps she would go into cardiac arrest in the night. Matt and I headed back down to the hospital and made one of the hardest decisions ever. We had to say goodbye to our darling little Alice Mae. She wasn't conscience and we knew that she was critically ill. She was only 4.7 years old. So hard to say goodbye but we knew we had too.

Animals have a funny way of sneaking right into a special place in your heart. Alice never spoke a word, but taught me so much at the same time. She was my hip dog, always by my side. I miss her more than I ever would have imagined. It does get a little easier each day but that sweet dog will always hold a very special place in my heart. We love and miss you sweet girl.

Lady Hops-a-lot.

It was March of 2005 and I somehow determined that I needed a rabbit. Once this decision was made, I spent A LOT of time looking for the perfect rabbit. Matt went along, seeming excited but mostly because I was excited. I found the perfect bunny and she was only about 4 hours away including the ferry trip off of Orcas Island. Off we went in the pouring rain. We arrived at what Matt named "The Love Ranch". It was the most religious and earthy place I have ever seen and I have come across plenty of interesting places in my life. They had a bundle of bunnies and we chose the cutest one- Lady Hops-a-lot. We quickly left and told bunny stories of how we rescued her from a crazy world.

Bunny had a good life. It was full of plenty of card board castles and obstacle courses to play in. She ate her fair share of walls but nothing that wasn't fixable. Charlie was by far her best friend. Charlie often gave her baths in the evening. Hopsalot was important because she was the first thing Matt and I raised together. These things matter to me. You learn a lot about a person when you raise an animal with them. It was fun watching Matt have fun with Hopsalot. He tried to teach her what her name was. He built some crazy structures for her including the two story mansion that she lived in for two years. He embraced having a rabbit because I was into it. That means a lot to me in so many ways. Hops-a-lot was a great pet. She was always a hit with visitors, she never disappointed in her tricks and she proved to be a crazy exciting confusing fur ball for Lyla. Lyla loved trying to catch bunny to pat her. It was rare that she did but the level of excitment when she perservered, was overwhelming. Lyla was into having a bunny.

We noticed in the last few days that bunny wasn't eating so much and then it just got worse and she passed away on December 5th. Not fun. She was part of our family so that was hard. Lyla is only starting to realize she is gone though we told her what happened in a very simple two year old sort of way. The questions will come over time as that is how she seems to be processing it.

Lady Hops-a-lot, Bun Bun, that damn rabbit, Bunny. It was a good seven years. You actually taught me a lot. You will be missed and I promise that you will be the only bunny I ever have, don't worry. Bye-Bye Bun Bun.

Waiting for the Queen of Hearts.

I forgot how much I REALLY do enjoy the utter anticipation of when labor will begin. It is one of the joys of being pregnant I think. I'm 38w5d at this point and she really could make her appearance at any moment. Each morning when I wake up I wonder if today will be the day that I get to meet my sweet little girl. Every time my stomach tightens I wonder if labor is starting. It's like waiting for the most fantastic gift in the whole world and you have no idea when it will arrive. I do believe the utter anticipation is making me crazier than usual and has me asking Matt to do a million things in rapid succession. I will say, he is doing a fabulous job keeping up with my ridiculous requests.

This morning I was talking with Lyla about "new baby sister" and she seemed pretty excited to meet her. She knows that when Matt and I go to the hospital we will come home with a new baby. She seems cool with this concept so far- we will see once it all plays out. I have no reason to believe she won't be into the idea of a new baby-but then again I also thought she would like cake- so we will see. She seems to just roll with change as it comes. Very little phases that girl. When I was pregnant with Lyla I was 12 days past my due date- I'm mentally prepared to go there again. I can't say I'll be the most lovely company at that point but what choice do I have. I'm on Savannah's schedule now. It would be just lovely if she turned out the be the punctual one in the family.

Two times the fun!

The whole cliche of "wow, I can't believe she's already two" doesn't seem right for Lyla. I can believe that she is two because she owns it. She is one grown up little lady these days. She talks up a storm, she loves doing things herself and she has very little fear. She's hard to miss when she's around because she is so chatty, observant and full of spirit. She gets a look in her eye and you never really know what will happen next. It usually involves trying to ride one of our dogs, or running from one of the house to the other yelling or throwing anything she can get her hands on. She climbs on anything and everything, yet has amazing balance (that's all genetically thanks to Matt) so it makes it hard to stop her because I know the odds of her falling are slim. Some of her favorite things these days include: hide and seek, playing outside, play doe, puzzles, coloring, dolls, legos, walking Woofie her dog around the house, throwing balls and playing with her Little People friends (Andy, boy and Rosarita).

We can understand most of what she says these days and she is speaking in 5 to 6 word sentences and coming up with her own ideas. She invites us to play with her all the time which is cute. Since having her sleep in her new bed, she has started coming into our room once a night and climbing in bed with Matt and I. The funny part is that she only stays for about 20 minutes and brings her stuffed animals, Miss Puff and Wocket and her water. I love that she comes fully prepared. She likes wearing cute clothes and says that she looks "pretty and fancy" when she feels good with her outfit. She uses the word "fancy" to describe lots of things- a personal favorite is when she does what she calls "fancy jumps".

We celebrated Lyla's birthday with a little family party a few days before her birthday and then did a couple special things are on her actual birthday. The theme of her birthday party was ladybugs and she LOVED it.



A friend from work let us borrow a lady bug costume her granddaughter had and it was a big hit with Lyla. She ran around the house in it for awhile. It was nice to have a simple birthday for her this year and it was just what she needed. If it had been too big I think she would have been overwhelmed. She was able to play with her new toys and just have a nice low key afternoon. She was so excited for her birthday this year and it was so sweet to be able to watch her really appreciate the day and have fun.

The least scary and most chill lion I know...

Just taking it all in-

Like Paper in the Wind

As my due date inches closer and closer (31 days!!!!) it is becoming more of a reality that a new little girl will be in our home soon. Physically, I am starting to feel different. The movements in my belly are more rolling and less sharp and the Braxton Hicks are coming more often. I am hoping my body knows what to do again and charges right along- perhaps even a week or two early. I don’t want to be too wishful but the beauty of being pregnant has ended. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a miracle how the whole process works but I feel like I am the movie that has one too many scenes. Let’s get to the good part. Meeting Savannah. I am so curious about her personality, her eyes, her lips, her smile, her smell, her little cry, everything really. I wonder what Lyla will say when they first meet. I love watching our puppies protect a new little one. Alice is always so guarding and watchful, she keeps a careful eye on everyone. Charlie will give a little kiss every now and again and we mostly have to watch for his ever wagging tail. The house will be full of new noises and conversations and stories.

When Lyla arrived, I loved watching Matt shift to this gentle man so careful yet strong and proud and loving. He has a huge heart to begin with, but watching him with his baby girl just about did me in. Currently he is the best “horse pony” this side of the Mississippi and makes the best play-do cookies ever. There are those funny times when Lyla insists that he leaves and asks him specifically to stand in the kitchen. Sometimes he complies and other times he stays to play, much to her chagrin. He is a patient and happy daddy, always working to really figure out what Lyla needs. He also has the best ideas for games. To hear the real and actual excitement in his voice when Lyla asks him to play cars is priceless. He’s not doing it because she asked, he genuinely wants to play cars and he finally has someone to play with him. I mean, I love him, but we aren’t spending our evenings playing cars together. That’s not my thing. He is a champion chef for Lyla, always knowing exactly what she likes to eat and making sure we have her favorites on hand. Savannah has no idea who this wonderful man is except perhaps from him whispering that he loves her to my belly, but let me be the first to tell you, she will be loved and protected forever by him. That is just who he is, he doesn’t know any other way.

I have done very little to prepare for Savannah’s arrival. In my head I have things somewhat coordinated, but I worry so much less than when I was expecting Lyla. It’s not because I love her less, it’s because I know things will work out. They always do. I am trying to live in the moment. I know that I have one little girl that is so excited for her “ladybug birthday comin’ up” that she can hardly stand it. I have Christmas to explain- as in why all of the sudden is there a giant tree in the living room. I have a husband that is graduating from school soon (at the top of his class I might add- though you would never get that info from him). I know the instant I see sweet Savannah Pearl the hands of the clock will stop for a moment in time and I will fall more in love, my heart will grow and life will never the same. I can anticipate that moment but I can’t worry about that moment right now, it will come and that day will forever hold a special place for me, different from anyone else’s. Today I have a to-do list a mile long and it is making me edgy and grumpy. I am trying to savor these fleeting days of us being a family of three (plus 3 furry ones) but at the same time I am filled with excitement and nervousness over Savannah that I try to keep at bay. Everything is how it should be right now, hectic and busy, with an underlying feeling of happiness and impending change. Thank goodness I am madly in love with Matt and he makes me laugh or these days would suck because I feel huge and life is not slowing down. The days are going by like paper in the wind… everything changing, and then changing again.