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! :)

Phew, is it really almost the middle of March!? February seemed to just fly by and now we are deep in the throws of getting ready for our move! I've got a checklist about a mile long but of course none of that matters to Sophia who is growing up faster than I can grasp!
It's such a fun stage she's in now, beginning to show a willingness to help me and it's adorable to see how excited she gets when she does something she knows we'll be proud of! Every so often I start to see little glimpses into the future when I can show her about cooking and the importance of keeping a nice home. It is now that I truly appreciate having a daughter and get so excited about what is to come! Chris captured some pictures of Sophia helping me cook one night and how I had to shorten one of my aprons so she could be just like 'Mommy'. Often times I find myself doing the dishes in the kitchen and up pops Sophia with her little step stool next to me mimicking my cleaning. People always say that life through the eyes of a child is so much more beautiful but I don't think you can fully grasp that until you see the changes in a child's expression when they see something they have never seen before. I love the way Sophia's face lights up in pride when she tries something new on her own, a huge sense of accomplishment for her! I find myself sometimes just staring at her going about her little independent way and thinking that she is my tiny bit of proof that God does exist.

We got Sophia's ears pierced last week and she did about as well as can be expected. I think Sophia was more confused than anything and after a little cry (phew, I get heart palpitations just thinking about it) we rushed off to the pet store, a sure fire way to get Sophia smiling again. A new pair of baby Jordan's later and a lunch with Mom and Dad at McDonald's, Sophia was home and admiring her new 'ears'. She looks adorable and I catch her looking at herself in the mirrors around the house. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well she does cleaning them. Every morning and every night, we clean and twist them and Sophia does so well sitting still! We just have to wait six weeks and we'll be able to switch out the earrings! I told Chris to watch out...now he's got two girls to buy jewelry for! ;)

So a little less then two months left in sunny California. I was talking with Carolyn yesterday and she mentioned how fantastic the lifestyle is in Southern California and how conducive it is to raising kids. It really got me thinking about how amazing Chris, Sophia and I's last three years have been here and how badly I hope to come back! However, I think sometimes when you live in one place too long you start to take it for granted and I'm excited to have a whole new appreciation for the place Chris and I truly became a family!

WE'RE MOVING TO 'ROCKET CITY' HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA!!!!!!

We finally know where we're moving to next and we begin our journey cross country at the end of April! Chris took an I&I position (Inspector/Instructor Duty) with a Marine Corps HIMARS Reserve Unit in Huntsville, Alabama. Phew...now that we're all confused, I'll try and explain. For the past three years, Chris has been working with a HIMARS (Rocket) battalion at Camp Pendleton and because of that, was specifically looking for an open position in that field (HIMARS) for his b-billet to broaden his wealth of knowledge hence being more prepared for his time back in the fleet (2-3 years from now). From what I understand there are three Reserve HIMARS batteries, one in Huntsville, one in El Paso, Texas and another in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Initially, we had decided that Oklahoma city would be ideal for us. The cost of living was excellent but more importantly the wide open spaces and mid-west style of living were exactly what we wanted. However, after having the Marine Corps tell us that's where we were headed, plans changed within the battery itself and a slot was no longer available. That left us with Huntsville and El Paso! Needless to say, we jumped on Huntsville, AL for SO many reasons! (Google the location of El Paso...it's about four miles from Chihuahua, Mexico) Not only is the lifestyle more of what we're looking for than El Paso, my best friend Carolyn and who I call my partner in this whole 'Marine Corps Wife' thing was born and raised in Huntsville! Being in the Marine Corps you kind of just take it as a given that you're lucky if you know a handful of people at your new duty station at any given time. Here, Chris and I were looking at having pretty much family at our next assignment! Carolyn and her family have already been so helpful giving me all sorts of valuable information on the city which should make finding a house SO much easier. I've got my checklists made and I'm as ready as I'll ever be for the crazy couple of months getting everything ready to move. All in all, I am THRILLED about our move to Alabama! More importantly, I'm thrilled for Chris who is chomping at the bit to get to work at his new job! He is so happy, and that is all I can ask for! :) I've attached some pictures of our new city to give you guys an idea of how pretty it is! As of right now, we're aiming to be out of Southern California and on our way to Huntsville at the end of April! Until then, Sophia and I will be enjoying the California sunshine and living at the beach...two of the things I'll miss the most about San Diego.

I almost forgot to share with you some pictures from our trip to the San Diego Zoo! Sophia had a wonderful time as she is a true animal lover and Chris and I were thrilled to be able to see the animals through Sophia's eyes. The last time Chris and I were at the Zoo was when I was 5 or 6 months pregnant and all that I can remember was I had never walked so far in my life up mountains to see a bunch of GOATS!! :) This time, being in much better condition to walk, I enjoyed myself immensely and I'm sure Chris enjoyed his time without me complaining! ;) They had built a new Elephant Odyssey which we hadn't seen and we also got to sneak a peak at the Panda! Overall, a wonderful trip and a big hit with Sophia!

Well, Sophia's second birthday has come and gone and so has her two year well baby check up! For the first time in what felt like a lifetime Chris was able to join Sophia and I for her appointment! As Chris learned, these appointments can seem like a whole lot of nothing but the doctor asked a lot of questions regarding Sophia's health and development and made sure that she was up to date on all of her shots. Sophia is just over 30 pounds and in the 75th percentile for both height and weight which has stayed pretty consistent since she was a baby. Sophia shocked the doctor opening her mouth and sticking out her tongue when asked and following her directions when she was trying to take a look at her ears. After the five minute appointment with the doctor she received two shots (one being the flu shot) and we were good to go! Overall a great appointment made even more special with Dad's company! :)

One of the questions that the Doctor asked us at Sophia's appointment was approximately how many words Sophia knew. Having not counted specifically I guesstimated around 100 but last night Chris and I brainstormed and wrote down everything that she is saying. My guess fell short which was a nice surprise and Chris and I enjoyed seeing all the words laid out that Sophia uses on a day to day basis. Sophia has also completely mastered identifying her ABC's and can count from 1-10. Next on the list...quantum physics (her Dad's favorite) so we'll keep you posted ;)

As I always say, it's nice to be able to look back over my blog and see how much Sophia has progressed. The other day I went through my pictures all the way back to when Sophia was born and came across some videos that I had taken. It seems like just yesterday that she was barely crawling and now we can't stop her from running all over the place!!! She loves riding her new bike we got her for her birthday and has such an exploratory little brain using her words to describe everything that she sees. I'm proud of her and I'm also proud of Chris for integrating so seamlessly back into her life and teaching her so much. I'm a happy Mama! A special thank you to everyone who so generously thought of Sophia on her second birthday. She is a lucky girl to have such wonderful friends and family!

I ran into this older woman the other day in the grocery store. It was pretty late in the evening and Chris and Sophia were waiting for me outside as I was just running in to pick up some juice. As she was loading her stuff on the conveyer belt she saw that I only had a couple of items and told me to go ahead in front of her. After I told her thank you, she proceeded to tell me that she hadn't worked all day and that she didn't have anywhere she needed to be so it was not a problem to wait a little longer in line. She told me that she went on retirement about a year ago and was finally beginning to enjoy the benefits of not having to work. I asked her why now? Why a year after she took retirement and she said with a straight face, "Well I got cancer and pretty much went through hell but the big man upstairs (her exact usage of words) gave me a second chance however limited it may be and I'm going to make the most of it!" I was taken aback by the shock of it all and the sap that I am, started thinking back to both of my grandparents battles with cancer. What a fantastic way to look at life. She knows that she's no spring chicken and that her days here on earth are probably numbered but instead of giving up and realizing that the better part of her life had come and gone, she spread her joy and optimistic attitude to me on a random night in a random grocery store. I walked away smiling thinking that this was for sure one of life's little miracles.