Chris has been working really long days this past week, so Sophia and I have been bringing him yummy lunches to hold him over until he gets off around 10-11pm. Yesterday, we decided to bring him a pizza which is one of Chris and Sophia's favorite things to eat. Sophia is so content to just drive around with me, running errands, dropping things off, seeing friends, you name it, she's up for it and lately Sophia's been more chatty in everything that she does. She'll walk by people in stores and say 'excuse-me' or 'thank you' or just wave to everyone that she passes which I think takes people by surprise more than anything else. But yesterday, after scooping up some Papa John's for Chris, putting her back in her car seat and getting myself all ready to start driving again, I hear Sophia in the backseat say, 'Thank you Mama.'. I hadn't given her anything or passed her sippy back to her yet, she just said 'Thank you'! needless to say, I was so very proud! So off we go to see Dad who to Sophia goes 'bye-bye in the truck' every day for work! I know I say it often but she's so content. She points out the airplanes in the sky and the sun and the moon. She talks about Dad going to work and how she wants to 'play' when she passes a playground. She talks about her friends 'Abby' and 'Kyrsten' every chance she gets and asks for Dad more times during the day than I can count. She sees a hill and points 'up' and 'down'. She loves to go for 'walks' to see the 'big trees' and the 'pretty flowers'. She sings her ABC's to anyone who will listen and practices 'counting' sometimes in the middle of playing with her teddies. She loves being at the beach and every time she sees the coast she say 'WATER!!'. My heart just about melts when I hear her tell us she loves us which she does every day, multiple times a day. But I think my ultimate favorite is when Sophia is tired and wants to go to bed. She sleeps with four blankets (yes, I know but even when I try to trick her into having two, she knows and doesn't appreciate it!!!), her stuffed 'Rosie', her 'dog' pillow from great Auntie Tisa, and her 'baby' from her godmama Carolyn! I'll tuck her in and she'll peek up and ask 'Dad? Dad? Night, night! A kiss!?!' letting him know that it's time for bed and she wants a kiss! We turn off the light and we hear, 'Night Mama, night, night Dada, love you.' and it is the perfect way to end every day

What did I do all day before I had Sophia? It seems so strange to me to look back on the days before I had kids. Yes, grocery store trips were easier...heck, trips in general were easier but the happiness you get from your child truly is priceless. I always say how quickly time flies. I can remember so vividly how small Sophia once was but to be sad to see her growing up seems like an abuse of my job as a mom. She's beautiful and smart and fun-loving and has exceeded every dream I have ever had for my little girl. I look into her eyes and I know that everything is going to be alright. Take away the stresses of moving, of cleaning, of cooking, of working, of every day life...strip life down to it's core and she'll be there continuing to make us smile. So call me emotional because I'm pregnant or just reflective because I'm on the cusp of so many big changes...either way, I don't think I'll ever be able to stop talking about my little girl and why not share this with you all...my friends and family I love so much.

I just realized I started off two posts and almost multiple paragraphs within those posts with 'phew'!!! Chasing around a toddler all day really is THAT exhausting!! ;)

Phew, I'm exhausted but it is a happy exhausted knowing all that I am preparing for! :) I feel like I'm still living in la-la land thinking about being pregnant again and adding a new member to our family. It's so funny to think back over the early months of a baby's life and the hard work and exhaustion that comes with it. I think that's how I knew I was ready...I could think back over those months with Sophia and feasibly see myself taking on the challenge again! I always told myself that I would wait until I couldn't remember how bad labor was to have another baby but I don't believe you ever forget how intense actually having a baby is. I think about Sophia growing up, talking more and more, expressing her own personality, helping me with everything and anything that she can, and showing her Dad and I just how much she loves us and I knew that I was ready to do it all over again. She's so content and such a happy little girl and I guess knowing that she is growing into her own relying less and less on us and showing more of her independence, gave me the final vote of confidence I needed. Last night, while snuggling with Sophia on the couch before bed, it was almost bittersweet thinking about having to split my time between two children. But then I thought about how much Sophia is going to learn from being a big sister and the life lessons that Chris and I could never teach her not to mention the great friend and playmate that she'll have once her sibling gets older. I'm ready and so thrilled! I think about our future and it just seems to keep on getting sweeter! As far as being pregnant again, I'm deep in the throws of some intense morning sickness which I always laugh thinking about because whoever coined that term clearly had never had it!I'm fighting it right now and it's one in the afternoon! :) I'm more tired than usual, definitely more hungry than usual but am so grateful for the constant reminder that baby number two is on his or her way! Until then, I'm soaking up the advice from lots of second and third time moms who've told me to treasure the time that I have now with Sophia!

So less than two weeks and we'll be on our way to Huntsville!!!! Thank goodness that the military does all the packing and loading up for us so all I've really got to do it sift through the stuff that we don't need and do some deep cleaning! I think I've donated pretty much all of the stuff that we aren't taking with us and have already begun the 'move-out get our deposit back' cleaning expedition so that I'm not an overly tired and extremely grumpy Mama the last few days I'm in California. Well, at least that is what I'm trying to avoid. Knowing me, the worry-wart of the family, I'll be just as anxious no matter how much work I get done ahead of time but at least spacing out the work will be easier on my tired body. I just can't wait to get there, to unpack and build a new home for us in Alabama! We did find out that Chris will be deploying to Afghanistan with the unit he is attaching to early in 2011 (January or February time frame). It's so funny...I feel like I can handle hearing that he's scheduled to leave a couple months after my due date and not a week before like his first deployment. This pregnancy there will be no more worrying if he'll be around, no more lunges and squats late in my third trimester only to have him leave before Sophia arrived anyway. This time he will be here, experiencing it all for the first time and what a blessing!!!! On the bright side because he's deploying with a Reserve Unit, he'll only be gone for six months which will be the shortest deployment of the three! Knowing how much he sacrifices on a day to day basis for Sophia, the new baby and I makes my job here at home feel like a cake-walk and I know that with the help of family and friends, all three of us will be just fine!

So thank you to all of you who have shared in our joy of finding out we are expecting again and all the love you guys are constantly sending our way! My next post will be from the other side of the country with hopefully lots and lots to share and maybe even a picture of my baby bump! :)