Announcing...

... an upcoming addition to our family!

Officially out of my first trimester, and with the Thanksgiving season upon us, it seems like the time is right to finally "go public" with our big news. My hands are shaking a bit as I type this, as making a whole-hearted announcement makes this really real.

For any who don't know, I had a miscarriage this spring. While it was the type of miscarriage that was simply a "luck of the draw" situation it still made me quite reserved about this pregnancy. But with two doctor's visits under my belt and a couple of glimpses of that tiny heartbeat and rapidly growing little body I think I can feel okay. Prayers will still be welcome for the next six months! (Oh wait, better make that the next 18 years...)

Anyway, my due date is May 26th, right around Don's birthday. My first trimester brought the classic complaints of fatigue and nausea, but I am finally getting some energy back and feeling more and more like myself, and any nausea has retreated to the very end of the day. The picture above is from my 10-week ultrasound.

So we have lots and lots to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! Here's wishing you all a wonderful holiday surrounded by family and everything you are thankful for.

To Clarify

A reader very near and dear to my heart suggested that perhaps I had divulged too much private family information in my last post, with my references to money. I need to clarify that my post was meant to be a general pondering about "life these days" - as in, don't we all have too much stuff and too little money?

My writing was NOT a reflection on our financial security, and any angst and frustration I expressed is purely with myself - since I am the one who does 90% of the spending. The questions posed were to myself: how can I be a better home economist and make better use of our family resources? I certainly meant no disrespect to the income-earner, nor did I mean to alarm any family members who might take what was only an exercise in putting thoughts on paper (albeit in a very modern, super-public forum) as an indication that we are in some sort of financial disarray. That is certainly not the case.

So, there. Thanks for listening!

A Wee Little Venting

In keeping with the style of the bloggers who inspire me, I try to keep my personal angst out of what I write here. I'd rather this be a forum to share Amy stories, kitty escapades, home and gardening victories, and creative endeavors. However, I've had something "On My Mind" and I hope you won't mind a small rambling vent session from me today.

Money. Debt. Stuff. Too little of the first, two much of the latter. How do I change this? My husband is in the military, enlisted. We don't make much, but we make more than some. We live in a two-bedroom townhouse. Yard, garage, big storage closet. Not a huge house, but enough space for our little family. We are NOT extravagant people. Eating out is rare. We do not indulge in expensive gadgets or fancy clothes. I buy things on sale. Our cars are paid off. So WHY do I study my meticulously maintained budget sheet and find that EVERY MONTH our "out" is more than our "in"? The stress of this is enormous - I feel as though I am failing as family CFO.

Similarly, I am constantly weeding out books, clothes, STUFF to give away and yet I look around our house and garage and still feel overwhelmed by how much STUFF is everywhere. Neat, clean, organized, useful, pretty stuff, but STUFF all the same.

As Don and I think about our options in the coming year I would love to approach any big life changes with as little overhead as possible. The opening chapter of Little House on the Prairie comes to mind, where the Ingalls family puts all their possessions in a covered wagon and sets off for a new home. I wish all my stuff fit in a covered wagon. I wish we could feel confident enough in our financial situation to be okay with taking a risk to try something new.

How do I get there? Does anyone have the secret to the simple life? Not one devoid of life's small pleasures, but one where there is more room for them. How do I get from here to there?

Someone Is Two!

Miss Amy turned two years old on Friday. I would say, "time flies, I can hardly believe it, they grow up so fast, etc" - which is all true. But at the same time it has been two FULL years of joy and work and growth and patience and happiness, so to say that it's gone so quickly really isn't fair either.

But either way, to celebrate the blessing that Amy has been in our lives for these past two years we planned a whole weekend of birthday fun. On the big day itself I took Amy out to breakfast at IHOP - just us girls, as Don wasn't out of work yet. We ran some quick errands, did some housework, then went outside to meet Daddy when he got home. The afternoon was spent opening presents with Grandma and Grandpa R via the modern magic of Skype, and then a mostly quiet evening, just the three of us, with a few remaining presents, dinner, and a birthday ice cream cake. The cake and the balloons were probably the highlights for Amy, in addition of course to all the nice gifts she received. She really seemed quite delighted with everything.

We left first thing Saturday morning to drive to Baltimore for a day at the National Aquarium. This was a repeat of last year's birthday outing - we had such a fun time we had to do it again. Being a weekend, it was crowded, but we slipped in before the worst of the crowd and had a wonderful time. I continue to be so pleased and impressed and grateful at what an easygoing kid Amy is, and how happy she is to go along with all sorts of new activities and appreciate new experiences. It was a blast all around. After getting home in the afternoon we were all pretty tired, but still enjoyed a pizza dinner in front of the TV - always a treat.

Sunday was warm and beautiful, and we were happy to be home and have a simple day of cleaning up the yard and garage while Amy ran around outside. It was a peaceful and productive day and a nice way to cap a fun but busy weekend.

So now, as my Granddaddy always says about birthdays, we begin year three!