Long overdue update

Pregnancy wise, I just finished week 20, which means the pregnancy is half over! I feel like it is a milestone to celebrate, which I think will end up being a shopping trip for me to get a few maternity clothing items, while Ryan watches Faith. Maybe tomorrow.

I am feeling much better. No more nausea. I had two summer colds in August, which have finally wrapped up. On Tuesday I will have the big ultrasound. This ultrasound is over half an hour long, and they measure the different parts of the baby’s brain, the different organs, bones, etc. And, assuming baby cooperates, we will find out the gender!! I am really excited about it, as is Ryan. This will be the appointment he goes to 🙂  The ultrasound isn’t until 1:30 Tuesday and it is followed by a 2:30 exam/appointment, so we won’t be calling the grandparents with the news until… maybe 3:30 our time (6:30pm in NC). So be expecting an evening announcement! I think we will celebrate with Faith by taking her out to buy the baby outfit of her choice (which hopefully will also cheer her up if she is getting a brother instead of a sister, although so far she says she will be happy with either.)

This is a real photograph of a baby in womb at 20 weeks pregnant. Not my baby/womb, but our baby would look similar and at same stage.

Besides the overdue pregnancy update, we definately need to share the news that we are relocating! Ryan has accepted a new job in Colorado Springs, CO. It’s in the same field, just a promotion of sorts. Like all moves it is bittersweet. We love Seattle, and it is sad to leave Danny most of all. And Faith and I have made some really special friends here. And it is BEAUTIFUL here and fun. But we believe this is a wise decision for us, and are also looking forward to this new adventure and new chapter. For you North Carolina fam, this means we’re “half way home” 🙂 which should yield to seeing you more than once a year! Colorado Springs is yet another gorgeous location, with tons of outdoor beauty but with the city ammenities we’ve gotten spoiled by in Seattle. We’re currently working on securing housing (probably a townhouse), with the help of some locals we have gotten in contact with and also with the help of Ryans new employer, and it is time for me to start packing up. We might be in Colorado as soon as October 1st! (This will depend somewhat on housing and move-in date). We will be driving and will stop at the Grand Tetons on our road trip this time.

Sooo… a lot of changes here!! I am thankful the move is taking place in my 2nd trimester, and not any sooner or later. Also thankful to be beating the snow on our way there. And thankful we spent a chunk of time along the Oregon coast this summer.

colorado springs

From the other side. Colorado Springs with Pikes Peak in the background.

one more shot of Colorado Springs, with the front range in the background

And here is some random info about Colorado Springs, copied from wikipedia:

With an estimated population of 414,358 in 2009^[5], it is the second most populous city in the state of Colorado, behind Denver, and the 46th most populous city in the United States^[6], while the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated population of 626,227.^[7] The city covers 186.1 square miles (482 km²), making it Colorado’s largest city in area. Colorado Springs was selected as the No. 1 Best Big City in “Best Places to Live” by Money magazine in 2006,^[8] and placed number one in Outside‘s 2009 list of America’s Best Cities.^[9]

^{Average January high and low temperatures are 41.7 and 14.5 °F (5.4 and -9.7 °C) and average July low and high temperatures are 84.4 and 54.8 °F (29.1 and 12.7 °C).}

Climate data for Colorado Springs, Colorado
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	73 (22.8)	76 (24.4)	81 (27.2)	87 (30.6)	95 (35)	100 (37.8)	102 (38.9)	101 (38.3)	94 (34.4)	86 (30)	78 (25.6)	77 (25)	102 (38.9)
Average high °F (°C)	41.7 (5.39)	45.4 (7.44)	51.6 (10.89)	59.2 (15.11)	68.4 (20.22)	79.2 (26.22)	84.4 (29.11)	81.6 (27.56)	74.1 (23.39)	63.4 (17.44)	49.8 (9.89)	42.4 (5.78)	61.8 (16.56)
Average low °F (°C)	14.5 (-9.72)	18.0 (-7.78)	23.9 (-4.5)	31.4 (-0.33)	40.7 (4.83)	49.5 (9.72)	54.8 (12.67)	53.6 (12)	45.4 (7.44)	34.3 (1.28)	22.6 (-5.22)	15.6 (-9.11)	33.7 (0.94)
Record low °F (°C)	-32 (-35.6)	-27 (-32.8)	-11 (-23.9)	-3 (-19.4)	21 (-6.1)	32 (0)	42 (5.6)	39 (3.9)	22 (-5.6)	5 (-15)	-11 (-23.9)	-27 (-32.8)	-32 (-35.6)
Precipitation inches (mm)	0.28 (7.1)	0.35 (8.9)	1.06 (26.9)	1.62 (41.1)	2.39 (60.7)	2.34 (59.4)	2.85 (72.4)	3.48 (88.4)	1.23 (31.2)	0.86 (21.8)	0.52 (13.2)	0.42 (10.7)	17.40 (442)
Snowfall inches (cm)	5.1 (13)	5.1 (13)	9.5 (24.1)	6.3 (16)	1.4 (3.6)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.5 (1.3)	3.6 (9.1)	5.6 (14.2)	6.1 (15.5)	43.2 (109.7)
Avg. precipitation days	4.7	4.4	7.5	8.7	10.7	9.9	12.2	13.4	7.5	5.1	5.0	5.0	94.1
Avg. snowy days	5.1	4.4	5.9	4.0	0.8	0	0	0	0.4	1.8	4.0	5.0	31.4

 

With the city located at the base of the Rocky Mountains, and its many trails and parks, Colorado Springs is a popular destination for tourists seeking scenery, rock formations and other unique geological features, like Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods park, Seven Falls, and Cave Of The Winds. (These are the things we’ll have to do!)

Blackberry Festival

Below are photos from Monday at the Blackberry festival. But go to this link (https://faithsteps2seattle.wordpress.com/2008/08/31/the-blackberry-festival/) for photos of the last time we went!

on the ferry to bremerton

my two talkers

playing on the inflatables

having fun

on the slide

the slide was her favorite

climbing the slide AGAIN

hot chocolate

Model sighted

Check out www.babylegs.com for a pic of Faith from a recent photo shoot! There will be pics up on their site randomly through the holidays 🙂

Ready for winter

Faith decided to play in her snowsuit today

pretending its a snow day

on the mend

Sorry for the lack of blogs this week. I was fighting my 2nd summer cold of August, and it was rough for me. Symptoms = no sleep = beyond pregnancy sleepy. Bleh.

But I am on the mend!

Faith and I did make it to the zoo one day this week, to Peyton’s for a princess tea, and out for a puddle walk in the rain.

Checking out a jaguar

Pictures from this past week!

Faith took her baby for a walk. This is her stopping to let her baby pee! Since Faith is not in diapers anymore, she has randomly peed in the grass or etc if we are on a long walk or not by any bathrooms. So she was stopping to make her baby pee. 🙂

vacuuming with Mommy

at the wading pool with Peyton (and Micah and Ausia and Esteban)

She was so excited to see the playground that she broke out into a run and then fell flat on her face

Asking to swing. This swing is approximately 2 inches higher than the other one, which makes it the best one according to Faith.

Faith 🙂

yelling "Daddy, come on!"

"Cooking" with Mommy. Pieces of mulch, grass, or pinecones all immediately transform from rice to chicken or icecream or money to buy the food or etc, as needed.

A funny, short music video about DADS and MOMS

New job for Debra

I have a new job. (Having not worked regularly since Madeline moved in June). We have started watching a 3month old baby boy (Colin) three days a week. Faith is enjoying him, and he is the best baby!! So happy, goes to naps with no trouble, no crying, etc. Very easy to have over!

Bedtime drama

So for the past week we have had bedtime drama. Here is the dramatic routine.

Faith brushes her teeth.

Goes in room with parent to pick out jammies. Picking out the jammies takes several minutes and much prompting. If you choose for her she has tantrum in floor that it’s not the right jammies, and you take her to bed kicking.

Gets in toddler bed, reads 2 books.

Light is turned off.

Faith wants her pillow flipped over.

Faith insists she chose the wrong jammies. You either spend 5 minutes re-selecting jammies and changing clothes (note- if you do this once you may do it 5 more times.) Or you say too bad, and listen to her cry and repeatedly try to get up. You repeatedly force her back to bed.

Faith wants water. And crackers.

Faith cries for her shirt to be taken off. It is “bothering her” and she wants to sleep with her belly/arms out.

Faiths blanket is not on and she can’t reach it.

Faith wants her pillow flipped.

Faith wants Mommys pillow. You offer to trade her so Mommy has Faiths pillow to use later and Faith cries that she needs both pillows. You refuse to give her 2 pillows (because then Mommy won’t have one on her own bed) and tell her to pick, which she can’t do because she picks both. She cries and is mad no matter which pillow you give her.

Faith wants water.

Faith cries again for different jammie pants, insisting she needs polka dots. You stick to your guns and refuse to rechange her, she cries and repeatedly tries to get up.

Faith needs her water. And a cracker. And water.

Flip pillow.

Faith wants her shirt back on.

Fix blanket.

Random talking, you feel bad that your “tuck in” can’t end with sweet bedtime words but instead is “hush, Faith” or “I said no more” or “Go to sleep Faith.”

She asks for her water again, and falls asleep before you can hand it to her.

Mom and Dad: GRRRRRRRRR.

Looking forward to the end of this bedtime drama thing, as we get stricter and stricter and carve more out. Bleh. Hopefully it won’t last much longer than this week.

Hungry girl

Faith’s first words upon waking up each morning and from each nap are either “I want to eat” or “I’m hungry, Mommy.” She also has been waking up in the middle of the night asking for food/milk, creating the dilemma of wanting to feed her yet not wanting to create a 2am picnic/snack party ritual. So, I think she is growing again. We have beefed up lunch and dinner, really encouraging more food, and offer a bedtime snack about 30 min before bed. So… hopefully she will settle back down in the middle of night soon.

Speaking of foods, her favorites these days are wacky-mac (pasta made from vegetables), humus with pretzels, tomatos (plain), mixed vegetables, any/all fruit, scrambled eggs, carrots/cucumbers with dip,  pizza crust, and vanilla rice milk.

She wants to be a princess all the time. She has a tiara that she loves, but even if we just put on headbands she says we look like princesses. She also wants to “do crafts” all the time. Today we made a little butterfly stain glass window thing, which I will have to photograph and post.