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! :)