Sometimes, Santa comes early

This year, we wanted to give Shae a playroom for Christmas.  She doesn't really have a place for all of her 'things', other than bins in the family room... which end up everywhere and need to be put away every night.

The Sorensen family arrives this week, and we figured that was enough excitement for Christmas, so we put the playroom together early and surprised her this morning.  It's not quite done, but at 1:30am we said it was close enough. This is probably the beginning of many late nights of putting together Christmas gifts for her.

Luckily, she loved it, kept pointing at everything saying 'ooooo, mommy'.  She now has enough room for everything, and will hopefully share the space with her brother when he arrives.

I love how it looks, and who really needs a dining room anyway?  We used it a whopping three times in the three years we've been in the house, so this is a much better use of space.  We have a playdate with some friends tomorrow morning to break it in.

Hard at work with her playdough.

Oh Christmas Tree

Something about a Christmas tree makes the house magical.  We put ours up last weekend and Shae had a blast picking it out.  I couldn't even get her to stay still for a picture.  She kept running around yelling "trees!".

Last year I was worried about her breaking ornaments, but she was so gentle with them.  This year, she broke an ornament within 30 seconds of me opening the box.  We've now kept everything breakable out of her reach, or didn't even put them on the tree, so it looks pretty bare bones this year.  What I love most is every morning when she comes downstairs, she says "ooooo, Mommy, tree!" and runs over to touch it.

For years, literally, Matt has been asking if we can have colored lights on the tree instead of just white, so this year I bought him two strands to mix in.  Pretty generous of me, huh?  I figured Shae would like them too... but I have to admit, I prefer white.

Papa!

Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen visited us for a few days, and Shae now calls both of them Papa.  I don't think she really notices a difference between the 'ma' and 'pa' sounds yet.  I was so surprised with how easily she warmed up to them and how excited she was to see them when she woke up in the mornings.

We waved goodbye to 'their' plane when they left, and now, every once in a while, she'll point to a plane and say 'papa' with a sad little face.  :(   We explained that they had to go home to take care of their sheep, chickens, llama, dogs, and cats and they'll be back at Christmas.  She has no idea what Christmas is (or a llama for that matter), but it seems to be an sufficient explanation for her.

There must be something soothing about Grandma Lucy.
Shae would never sit this still in front of a computer with me.

Singing 'row row' before bed.

It's a BOY!

Shae is going to have a little brother!  I've had this image in my head of raising two little girls, so it has taken time to get used to the idea of a boy.  It's not disappointment, just different than what I pictured.  I'm sure once I see his beautiful little face, none of that will matter.  All I really want is a healthy baby.

The doctor says he has very long arms and legs (go figure).

Oh, the humiliation...

The pets in our home are constantly being dressed up, chased, stepped on, put 'night-night', or used as a place for toys.  Except for Pete that is... he wants nothing to do with Shae and won't go anywhere near her.  Duke and Betty just hang their heads in shame and deal with it.  Shae loves her pets though, and on our drive home everyday she starts saying their names because she's excited to see them.  I wonder if they feel the same way... do they look excited to you?

This sweet little blob...

is the next member of the Sorensen family!!!  It even looks like it's smiling.  Due date is March 14, 2012.

We are so happy and excited to have another... we never wanted Shae to be an only child.  It's like having a home without a pet... somehow emptier.  Siblings are your first friends, your toughest competitors, they teach you how to share, and give you the most honest feedback you could ever want. As you get older, they are also your oldest friends, and you'll wonder what you would have done without them.  That is true for both me and Matt, and I hope it is for Shae too.  I know she'll be a great big sister, just like mine.  She even has a similar personality to Christine; very headstrong, smart, opinionated, and bossy.  She'll be perfect.  There will be about 26 months difference; not too close, but not too far apart.

Matt wasn't home when I found out, so I told Shae first. "I whispered Mommy has a baby in her tummy", because I had to tell someone.  She looked at me, then at my belly, and said a firm "No".  Now, if you ask her what's in my belly, she will say 'baby', but I don't think she really grasps it yet.  She's still a Mommy's girl, so may be a little jealous.  I love having a girl so much, I really, really want another (of course, Matt wants a boy).  I saved everything, so it would be easy too... no clothes to buy, bedding, blankets, I have it all for a girl.  That means it will be a boy, right?  We may need to find out the gender.  Even though I absolutely loved the surprise last time, I would like to prepare if it does turn out to be a boy.

We have the usual worries as well.  Since I am downright ancient in the maternity world (aka Advanced Maternal Age), we worry about having a healthy, normal, baby.  Then there's the question of how on earth we will have time for anything now?   How can I love another baby as much as I love Shae?  That can't be possible.  Will I favor one over the other?  And when will I sleep?  I am going to be so tired for the next few years.

Privacy? What's that?

Shae has become very interested in our bathroom habits... I'm told this is one sign she may be ready to start potty training.  Not only does she want to know what we're doing in there, but she wants to watch.  You get over any sort of modesty pretty quickly.  Unfortunately for our guests last week, Amy & Kevin, she wanted to know if they were going pee or poo and would ask through the door.  Luckily they locked it or she would have let herself in to ask.

Shae absolutely loved having her Aunt Amy here, and still says Amy quite a bit, I think wondering when she might see her again.  She even gave them hugs goodnight.  Those things really make me hate living so far away from family.

San Diego Vacation!

Finally, vacation!  We spent a week in La Jolla and it was so nice to get out of the heat.  I loved having time to do nothing but spend time with my family, eat, nap, and relax.  I thought Shae would like the beach a lot more than she did, but the weather was so much cooler than we are used to.  While everyone else was in bathing suits, we were in jeans and long sleeves.  She didn't like that the water moved toward her either.  But Duke loved that he got to walk on the beach every morning.

We went to the zoo and the aquarium and my favorite part was Shae's realization of how large giraffes are.  I kept telling her 'look, giraffe', but she kept looking at the ground.  Maybe she thought the large things in front of her were trees.  Once she realized, she looked up really slowly, mouth wide open, and stared.  After about 30 seconds, she whispered "Mommy, giraffe".  It was so darn cute.  I just love seeing her reactions to new things.  I think her favorite part of the zoo was the duck / flamingo pond.

San Diego is a different world than Las Vegas.  The first day we were there, I took Shae to a neighborhood playground and there were two girls her age who shared their toys, played with her, and invited her for a playdate the next day.  Even Duke was invited to a playdate with a neighborhood dog.  Everyone was so friendly.  I'm not sure if that says something about us, or about the place we live, but I loved it there.  We've decided if we win the lottery, that's where we are moving.

I seem to be noticeably absent in most of my pictures.  Note to Matt, please pick up the camera  more.

18 months going on 18

18 months already!?!  My baby has turned into an opinionated, funny, stubborn, fantastic little person.  I honestly cannot remember what life was like without her.  Our life may be hectic and exhausting, but it's amazingly rewarding and I love her more than I ever imagined.

She's such a happy girl and has this great belly laugh.  She loves to be tickled and will say 'more' if you stop.  She's learning to say 'please' and 'thank you' and says some of her words along with sign language, which I find just adorable.  I can't say no when she says please.  Instead of saying 'uh oh', she says 'uh ho'.  I will miss all of these things so much and wish she could stay this age a little longer.

It is difficult to get smiling pictures now because she insists on saying 'cheese' when I take them... and it looks like she's saying cheese.

The other day I pulled her hair back and this picture gave me an immediate glimpse of her ten years from now.  Doesn't she look so old?

She likes to wear her sunglasses to the park.

I know everyone thinks their kid is cute...

but mine really is.  :)
I've turned into one of those obnoxious people, who talks about my kid and shows pictures even when no one asks.  I am well aware of how annoying I am, but I can't stop.  Ah, all the things you understand once you have a baby.

Mmmm, tomatoes

We have this great garden in our backyard, and Shae has learned the joy of eating a ripe, warm, tomato that she has picked herself.  The first few she would just bite and throw away... but she kept trying them and will now happily pick and munch.  One thing she has yet to understand is seasonality.  Starting in the Spring, we had these yummy little strawberries ripen every day, and she loved picking and eating those.  She still goes out to the garden, every day, saying 'berries?'.  Soooo, I started buying strawberries at the store and putting them in the plants for her to 'pick'.  Nevermind that they are cold from the refrigerator and it's 105 outside, she thinks she's picking them and she's happy.

In the Spring helping to plant the garden.

Tomato seeds dripping everywhere.  Mmmmmm.

Crafty Mama

So I bought this little stool for Shae and, when it arrived, it just seemed really boring.  I thought it needed some personalized touches.  Now Shae has a one-of-a-kind stool, and I feel pretty proud of myself.

 When Christine and I were little, our Grandpa made us this adorable doll crib.  I found it packaged up in my garage a few weeks ago and decided to refinish it for Shae.  I wish I had taken a 'before' picture so you could  see the transformation, but either way, it came out great.  Shae's becoming very maternal by feeding her dolly some milk, powdering her bottom, and now loves to put her 'night-night' before she goes to bed.

No! Mine!

Shae has learned to say 'No' and 'Mine' and uses them liberally.  She tells kids at the park the slide is hers and even bosses the dog and cats around.  Picture her saying "No Duke!", to a 110 lb. dog, while pointing her finger at him (and he actually listens sometimes).  And yes, he's 110 lbs... but it's glandular, I swear.  He's on thyriod medication and a diet, so we hope to get him back down to 80-something.  It's also tough with the smorgasbord of food he gets when he lays under Shae's highchair at mealtimes.  He's almost completely blind now, so she's learning how to tell him where things are by patting them so he can hear it.

She says 'beep beep' when she wants something out of her way, and has also started hitting.  Not many things can humble you quite as quickly as being smacked in the face by a one year old.  When she's strapped in her car seat and mad, she'll hit her own leg since there's no one else she can reach. 

She is still a Mommy's girl, and I love to watch her grow and learn.  It seems every day she knows another word or how to do something she didn't before. It really is amazing, and I constantly hope that I'm doing things 'right'.  I have no idea what 'right' is but, for the most part, it feels very natural.  I've never felt better suited to anything.

She makes very dramatic and expressive faces, maybe she'll be an actress.  She likes to dress-up and look at herself in the mirror.

check out those long legs!

Shae is now blogging

Shae loves the computer, and looking at herself.  I was trying to update the blog, but she wanted to check it out...I just had to share.