Wow! New Year, New Baby!

Blog post #2 that never got published. It's a good read with an overall update on us. My next update, I promise, will have pictures! Our laptop finally crashed, seriously crashed, and we are still working to get the most important things off of it...our PICTURES! We do have a new computer though (Thank Goodness!) and I am working to get everything loaded on here, including the new pictures I have taken with my new camera. Now, on to the "catch-up" post... Well, forget the fact that our computer is and has been quite a pooper for a very long time, and forget the fact that I am a very bad blogger, we really are alive! Yes, I said it, we are all alive and well and even expecting a new baby! As my Mom said, this will be another pregnancy for the records books, length wise. No, I don't plan on carrying this baby for more than 40 weeks, we just found out at the first possible moment! So far, the last 5 weeks have flown past and I am now quickly approaching 10 weeks! This new addition is due October 11...or is it the 13th? Going by our dates, the baby is due on the 11th, but by sonogram it is due on the 13th. Dr. B said either day is good for him, since they are so close. So, we chose October 11th! The kids are getting so big! Seth is closing in on his 3rd birthday and we just can't believe it! He is talking up a storm and really doesn't stop unless he is sleeping. (My parents kept the kids for us last Friday so we could go out for dinner and they said he hadn't stopped talking the entire three hours they had him!) He is so smart! He says his ABC's and counts to 14, then it all goes to heck with 17, 18, 14, 16, 17... He has several favorite TV shows and learns more from each of them. He really like Diego and Backyardigans. He knows several Spanish words and cracks us up every time he uses them...the right way no less! I attribute his CRAZY intense imagination to the many books we read every day and "The Backyardigans". It is a cute little show that fosters so much imagination use in him. He tells us so many stories all of the time and really keeps us in stitches. He thinks everything is funny and doesn't hesitate to tell you when he thinks so with a great big fake laugh and a "That's so funny Mommy/Daddy!!!!" He likes to laugh with us about anything we might be laughing at and is such a character. We love him so much and enjoy learning from him even more. Hannah-girl is just growing and changing every minute. She began walking around 13 months old, right around Christmas-time, and hasn't slowed down since. She is starting to run and cracks us up because she looks just like Stacie did when she was her age, with her arms straight out behind her. She has a head full of brown hair and her sweet brown eyes are getting darker every day. Her hair is curly in the back and quite unruly. Getting her to allow me to put even a bit of it up is almost out of the question anymore. She doesn't have much patience for "cuteness" which makes me think she'll probably be quite the tomboy. We are absolutely fine with that, though. She is beginning to talk now, which we thought would never happen. She now has quite a few words, but I think her favorites are Bubba and Dadgy. (Yes, I spelled it the way she says it, and Bubba is much easier for her to say than Seth. What can I say, we live in the South! By the way, this nick-name for Seth is strictly for use by ou little family only!) She loves our animals very much and especially enjoys chasing Parker (our cat) around to "pet" him...if that's what it can be called. Hannah also loves anything to do with her brother or whatever he might be doing. She mimicks everything he does and even maybe a word or two. Both kids get along so well. They play together all day. They do have moments of dislike or disinterest in eachother and moments where they just plain don't like one another, but overall I really can't complain. They certainly make quite the pair. Henry and I are both doing very well. Henry has been working with the Police Athletic/Activities League since October. He is the Deputy in charge of the new Lacrosse league and is helping out quite a bit with Football. It keeps him very busy, but I can truly say I have never seen him more fulfilled. He has definitely found his calling and is going after it full force. We miss him at home, but once these program are up and running flawlessly, we'll see a whole lot more of him. His biggest goal is to have everything running with such smoothness that by they time Seth is old enough, he can join in the fun. Even with all of the time away he still finds time to tell Seth stories each night and put Hannah to bed, as well. His love for our children makes me love him more and more each day. I am doing well. The beginning of this pregnancy has been a bit trying at times. There have not been any complications, but I have suffered from a stomach virus 3 times now. I do not get sick with my pregnancies and I can honestly say that the stomach issues I have had with this pregnancy are not baby related. (I also know this now because we have managed to share it with my Mom and Sister - sorry guys!) So, while I feel bad to have passed it on, I felt vindicated a bit because I was afraid I'd have quite the struggle on my hands. Fortunately, we are treating the kids and getting them well and I am not going to work again until I am sure I am well. I think that is where I have been picking it up from. Speaking of work, I have been working on a very limited basis since right after Thanksgiving. I am enjoying being at home again and can't wait until I can quit for good. I do work every now and then, but try not to work too often. Now, with the new baby coming I am trying to keep it down to once or twice a week because I am finding that I am so tired after working that I have no energy left over for my kids...not fair! So, that is the long and short of it. There is so much to catch up on that I probably won't. We did take Seth to Disney for the first time in January. He had a blast and Hannah had fun staying with my parents...even though she was sick. I will attempt to add pictures to this post, but because of this comptuer and its issues I won't promise anything. I will do my best to update again soon. After all of my blog stalking, I am getting motivated to do a better job at keeping up with our blog. We'll see.