Summer pictures

Luthien on the fourth of July. So patriotic!












Hanging with Grampy and Boobie before the fireworks.












She thought they were fascinating.














I'm about 24 weeks with the little boy here, finally showing!




















Andy's surprise date for me :)

Cloth diapers

We have quite a varied diapering journey. Lu wore disposable diapers until she was five months old, when I suddenly realized I was sick of paying for them. We did some research and bought some cloth diapers. My originial diaper purchase were good for a smaller baby but had a harder time working well as Lu grew. I finally got some flip diapers, and so far they are my favorite. They are a diaper cover with a washable insert. The think I like about them is that I can use any insert in them, including the old ones we have that are too small (these work well when extra absorbancy is needed). Cloth diapering was a lot easier than I thought it would be, although I never would have tackled it while living in an apartment. However, after a few months of using cloth Lu started breaking out in horrible diaper rashes. We all went through a lot of pain over it, and eventually went back to disposable diapers. I was sad about it, but I hadn't found a good solution to her rashes, and they were much easier to get rid of when she was in disposable. The last few months we've started using cloth part time again. We can't use them while she is at her daycare, and I don't use them at night since I think that was part of the diaper rash problem. Yet even using them a few days a week saves us some money.

I would really like to cloth diaper this next baby, and I'm looking to buy more flip diapers. Hopefully his skin is tougher than Lu's and we don't have as many rash issues.

Travel season

For about two months during the Fall, Andy lives in 'travel season.' From mid September to mid November he is gone at least a couple days a week recruiting as part of his job. October is the most intense. He is gone four days this week and four next week. Sometimes it's really tough. Taking care of Lu without her dad around is more challenging. We both miss him. We tend to get a bit house-bound (that's mostly my fault since Andy is the extrovert in our relationship).

However, this travel season I've been thinking of the upsides as well. First off I appreciate all the more how much he does! Between taking care of Lu with me, and doing other house work my husband takes his family work seriously. I really notice how much more I do when he is gone.

Mostly though in some ways we take his travel as a way to appreciate each other all the more. Something about missing someone, laying in bed at night and wishing he was here, is a powerful reminder of how much I love him.

We also take full advantage of our possible modes of communication. We often text during the day, and we usually end up talking on the phone a few times a day too. This year we've been video skyping before going to sleep. It's good to see his face before going to bed. Even Lu gets in on the skyping provided we can set it up before she goes to sleep!

My point is we stay close despite the distance. Missing him during the day and making our sappy phone calls is a good reminder of all we have in each other, and I am grateful. Plus every weekend feels like a vacation, a time to spend as a family.

(PS. I try not to write to many of these romantic posts, because then people will find out that I am really just a big sap.)

Going back in time

Tomorrow we are driving out to Steubenville, Ohio to visit our old stomping grounds. We have visited our school at least twice a year since we graduated, mainly because my younger sister, and now brother as well go to the same school. However, there is another reason we keep going back. It is a refreshing experience for us as well. In the past we liked seeing old friends still in the area, but now we know very few people (aside from my siblings). But we love the atmosphere, the Masses we get to go to, praying in the port. We like remembering this place and part of our lives that was so defining and building. It was also defining for our relationship. We spent our first year together here. It was a crazy tumultuous year, but it was a good one. We both had jobs in the sad town of Steubenville. We went to classes, put off homework, stressed over papers and tests. It was such a different time from now, it was a time of growth and development. Now when we return we feel more sure of where our lives are going, we have each other, the most precious thing gained from our undergrad. We have Lu, and now a new little one on the way. We are rejuvenated in this place, reminded of our faith and where we began. Visiting our school reminds us of all we have accomplished and all we have to be grateful for.

Now for something completely frivolous

This is my new favorite brand of nail polish

It has tons of fun colors, nice bright ones. I painted my toes two weeks ago and they still look dang good and painted. Best of all, it's two bucks a bottle. Lu wanted her toes painted too.

Are you guys done yet?

I know in theory that most people have one or two kids, maybe three if they are really living on the edge. But I didn’t realize it in its realness until recently when we found out we are having a little boy. We have one girl, and now one boy, and a dog—we are the cliché American family! And man do I hate being cliché. Many people have asked us if, since we will have one of each, if we’re done. It makes me feel a little defensive of a possible little girl we would have had. If I was carrying a girl instead of a boy would she be somehow less since we wouldn’t have our one of each quota? Would people still ask if we were done, or if we are going to try for a boy next? We honestly have not set about building our family with some kind of formula in mind. So far we've taken a pretty laid back approach.

I don’t know if we are done or not. I don’t think we are. At some point after Lu we just knew we were ready for another baby. After this baby is born we’ll see what happens. I don’t think we are ‘done’ at two, but even if we want to have a third maybe we won’t be able to for some reason.

We love having children. It is beautiful and hard, and the most philosophical moments of my life have been watching Luthien as she learns about the world. I can’t wait to meet our little boy and find out who he is. I do not know how many children we will have. Our Catholic beliefs come into play as well since we believe that a huge part of marriage is geared towards raising children together.

One baby at a time is what we often tell each other when we start worrying or planning unnecessarily.

Lu and her doggie