The New Normal and A Beautiful Afternoon

The image above is from the first park trip S and I have managed to take by ourselves since January! We were both surprised at how things had blossomed and stopped to snap a few pictures. As I was focusing on this image I heard Sebastian say, "Popcorn tree." Thank goodness he wasn't hungry.

My parents came in for a visit from California early last week and spoiled us rotten. Poor Brett was sick part of the time and studying for a few big tests the rest but S and I enjoyed our mornings out with Grandma Mary and Big Papi. In the evenings they would take Sebastian to their hotel and hang out while we rested as I am still running at about 50% energy wise. We were all sad to see them go but knew my brother would appreciate a turn, too.

Saturday was our sunny day and I was feeling strong so we called up our good friends and planned a last minute Easter egg hunt and taco picnic at the park. It was just what I needed to get out of the funk I'd been in from being so sick and stuck inside. Sebastian and Diesel split the egg playing field and both managed to fill up their baskets.


Sebastian had quite an efficient gathering method that ensured maximum enjoyment for all. He would pick up a plastic egg, dump out the jelly beans and wrapped chocolate onto the ground, retrieve the wrapped chocolate, and leave the jelly beans for someone else (Katy and I) to scavenge. It was so funny to see him do this with each one. He wasn't about to waste any space in his bucket with silly jelly beans.


You may remember the posts last year about our friends, the Shatto's, getting ready to fly to Ethiopia to bring home their son, Diesel. Well, he's almost one year old now and such a beautiful boy. He's close to walking on his own and at one point he was so intrigued by the egg in his hand that he didn't realize Mom and Dad weren't holding him up. It'll be any day now.






We spent a quiet morning at home on Easter Sunday as I wasn't feeling well again. I told Brett it was the first rainy Easter Sunday that I could remember. Even Seattle gave us some sunshine on Easter Sunday in 2006! We did treat ourselves to Starbucks and Brett took Sebastian to the cheap theater to see his third dog movie.

I'm coming up on 11 weeks this Wednesday and will see my midwife for my first official check up where she'll get my family history, do blood work, measure things, and listen for the heartbeat. I'm sure the heartbeat will make things feel more exciting and real! It's been about a month of looking and feeling chubby, which I remember hating the first time, so I'm so glad that I'm finally starting to show a little. I didn't show with Sebastian until about four months but since my body has done this once already, it seems to be getting a head start. This is me at 4.5 months with Sebastian in 2006. Oh, the memories...


I'll work on an updated picture this week. Starting to order supplies and get organized a little at a time for the Art weekend later this month! I'm staying hopeful that the second trimester will bring a return to our regularly scheduled routines. All grumbling aside, I'm thrilled to no end abut this baby and thankful that this is a possibility for our family. I appreciate your patience as I spread my to do lists out in longer stretches. You guys are great.

See you next time.

~Rachel