In the middle of it

I read a quote tonight that went something like this..remember,when you're in the middle of it, there's good on the horizon.
I see babies on tv or in person and get sooo excited at the thought of another little one.
But I'll admit I'm also scared....scared for the hard work I now know a newborn takes, scared of how I will feel if breastfeeding doesn't work out again, scared of the sleep deprivation, scared of having a "hard baby", scared that the postpartum depression will come again, scared ill constantly compare the baby to Colin.
But all those fears? I know this time...there's good on the horizon.
 When you have your first baby, you think they'll be in their current stage forever and if it's a stage you are struggling with, it sucks.
But now I know, if I'm having a bad day, week or month as we adjust to being a family of four, there's good on the horizon. Because those first few months of adjusting to a new baby( or who knows maybe a shorter time since I wont be adjusting to the whole shock of motherhood, I already know what it's all about), well that baby does grow, and if he turns out to bring me as much joy as Colin, there's definitely good on the horizon. I just have to remember when I'm in the thick of it!

6 month bump

24 weeks pregnant today. Feeling lots of kicking from this little guy, who is still nameless.
pS that's my vein on my side in the last pic, still no stretch marks ( fingers crossed)

Morning at the Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday we headed out to Motley's Farm in southwest Little Rock for a morning at the pumpkin patch. Colin had a blast feeding the animals, going down the slide over and over, going on the hay ride and cow train, and picking out pumpkins. It was a nice couple of hours and it was a treat to wear our jackets in the crisp fall weather and to have Evan with us. If you want to see last year's trip, click here.

watching the pig races

feeding the sheep

there's a pumpkin in my belly

at the top of the hay stack waiting to go down the slide

riding the cow train

Soaking it in

All day I find myself being grateful, grateful for free time and for being able to give my whole attention to Colin, because these days are numbered...they'll be back but in about 4 months I'll have a newborn. I run scenarios through my head all day of what I would do with the baby. Mommy needs a shower, where will I put the baby? When Colin was a baby we had a glass shower so I could put him in his bouncy seat and he could still see me, but in this house it's a shower curtain. I spent an hour cooking and cleaning up dinner, what is the baby doing? Hopefully content to sit in his chair or swing watching his big brother play. Nighttime, I'm giving Colin a bath and reading him stories, brushing his teeth and laying in bed with him telling him nighttime stories, where is the baby? Hopefully snuggling his Daddy on the couch. We're out on a bike ride around the neighborhood, what is the baby doing? Hopefully content in his stroller or in the carrier. What if I have to run after Colin on the bike? These are the thoughts going thru my head in a daily basis. Lord please give me a "go with the flow" second baby ( along with a healthy one too of course) :)

Pumpkin Painting

Since Colin is too young still for pumpkin carving, we did some pumpkin finger painting. I saw this idea on a blog I read and thought it looked easy enough and something Colin would enjoy.
First Evan used painters tape to spell out his name on the pumpkin. Then we let Colin go to town "painting" it. After he'd gotten his fill of painting, we removed the tape and let it dry over night. I wish the finger paint colors we used had come out a little better instead of looking like a big glob of black, but overall it was a fun way for Colin to get involved with decorating. I'm sure closer to Halloween we will carve a jack o lantern but probably after Colin is in bed because I know he'd want to help carve!

21 weeks tomorrow

Colin and his new bike

At a consignment sale a few weeks ago, I found a used balance bike for Colin for $20, a steal considering I've seen them retail new for $120-$160. I don't think they had balance bikes when I was a kid, but it's basically a toddler sized bike without petals, they use their feet as pedals to build momentum and then glide, which teaches them how to balance on the bike. Colin's favorite thing is to ride his bike around the neighborhood, which he asks to do every afternoon.
Our neighborhood,Hillcrest, you guessed it has many hills, which are fun to go down, but a little challenging to go up but we've found a couple different walks that are more on the flat side. Often times Colin requests to ride to the yellow playground which is a small playground in the courtyard of a neighborhood church,so we will usually stop there half way through our walk for a little play time. I've come to enjoy these walks for the excercise for me, fun for Colin, and to just get a closer look at some of the pretty houses around here. Colin's bike skills continue to improve everyday. I hope to do these walks all year and have been brainstorming how I will continue when Colin's little brother joins us.

Pictures:
Posing on his new bike,playing ball at the yellow playground,stopping to smell some flowers, helping water flowers after our bike ride, and a little video of Colin in action.