The Name

Our baby boy is 

Brooks Logan Daubert

We love his name and cannot wait to see his sweet life. 

Back before Carmen was born, Michael latched on to the name "Brooks" and I grew fond of it too. We're not sure where he got the idea from. We don't know anyone named Brooks other than a pro-hockey player and a pro-baseball player, but they weren't the original source of liking that name. We just do. "Logan" is a given because one: it's awesome and two: it's Michael's middle name. For the past two years we've talked about little Brooks. We always knew we'd have him but didn't know when we'd get to meet him - until now!

Michael mentioned him by name during the gender reveal ultrasound and it seemed right. Sweet Brooks, we think you'll just be the cutest darn thing we've ever seen! (Your older sister has won out for the most beautiful thing we've seen.: )) 

It's a........

BOY! 

We got an early surprise at my 17 week visit when we found out that baby #2 is a little boy. Michael and Carmen came into the room with me (the nurses were so amazing and totally let me switch rooms to be in the  ultrasound room) and it took Dr. Wolf about 5 seconds to find that it is, without a doubt, a boy. We were both so surprised. Mostly because this is only our second baby and we were only pulling from the experience of having found out Carmen was a girl. My pregnancy has been relatively the same as the last so I had no reason to suspect something was different. Carmen was absolutely uninterested in the whole ultrasound and just sat twirling her hair in Michael's lap. She was too cute. Oh big sister. 

This is me at 18 weeks pregnant.

I feel very, very pregnant already. I know I'm not super huge yet, but my body feels like it skipped the whole 2nd trimester phase and went straight to being near impossible to climb stairs and bend over. I'm being dramatic. It's not that bad. I can still wear normal clothes, but maternity is definitely more comfortable. 

I first felt baby boy move at only 15 weeks. I feel him all the time and it's so cool. I first felt Carmen at 17 weeks along. 

It's so weird to me - baby boy?! He has nothing to wear. I only have pink. And a pink boppy. But I love pink and won't be getting rid of it any time soon. But he won't be wearing it.  

So here we are, 1 Girl and 1 Boy! What a blessing. 

Oh blog, I have no desire to keep up with you. Life has changed for the better and my priorities are elsewhere. I'm keeping it around because every once in a while it's a good outlet to share something....like in a month we find out if baby is a boy or a girl! 

Our household is absolutely ready for spring and ready for this cold weather to go away. We want to be outside and in the sunlight. I'm so itching to get away to somewhere tropical. I think that might have to be my goal for 2014. We may go to NYC for a weekend in March but that is nowhere near Florida and sunshine. And the baby girl is up from her nap....hurry up spring. Please come soon.

We're Having a Baby!

It's true! Baby #2 is here and real. This sweet baby is due somewhere around the end of July to early August. Our 20 week ultrasound will give us a more accurate measurement of when this babe is due. 

The timing is so perfect. Carmen will nearly be 2 years old when the baby arrives. It's also the same season as my first pregnancy which means I can wear all the same clothes and (if it's a girl!) use all of Carmen's baby clothes too. We are so grateful to Jesus for this precious gift. 

Attending the first appointment this second time around was even more fun. The nerves were less, it was like a big reunion with the nurses and my OB, and the magnitude of how incredible this image was seemed deeper than before. It was so neat to look at the screen and then look over at Carmen sitting on Michael's lap. Dr. Wolf gave us a few video clips of the ultrasound and baby's arms and legs are moving and wiggling just like a newborn does. 

I'm totally nauseous. The late afternoon and nighttime are the hardest. It was this way with Carmen but this time I can't chill on the couch, I have to cook dinner for my sweet one year old. I'm very much OK with it; it reminds me of the growing baby and that things are good and healthy. I'm also showing already! I'll get Michael to take a picture, but I'm sure if you've seen me in the last few weeks you've already suspected something. Second time around doesn't play games. 

My only thought

I am stunned and still pretty speechless in light of the most horrific school shooting at Sandy Hook ES. I cannot believe this happened. I have cried a lot thinking about those children and their families. Don't know anyone personally. But like everyone else, I sure do know a lot of children their ages. I'm having a hard time posting happy, light-hearted pictures on instagram or posting in general on Facebook or even here because I feel as if we are in this reverent grieving period. Unfortunately, I have experienced (to nowhere even near the same capacity as others) going through grieving and standing by my closest friends as they travel through the grief process. I learned am still learning a lot from it.

I'm finding it hard to see people discuss the shooting in the media and on social networks. I don't think it's time yet to start talking about issues of the shooter, or his family, or gun control, or picking up the pieces. For goodness sake, just be still and let the families (and country) grieve. Just wait. Just pray for them. Knowing and watching my Ashie deal with the loss of her sister has taught me that when someone is ripped away from you there is nothing you can do or say to help them. Just be there. Just hug them, say nothing, and pray. Don't tell them it will be alright, Don't say things will get better, Don't talk focus attention onto the killer. Grieve the loss of the sweet lives and sit and pray. I do understand that for some folks this is somehow still far removed from their every day lives and I don't want it to seem like I'm angry at anyone. But I do wish that people would not try to be solvers, thought provokers, or menders. If we want to truly stand beside these families effected, then we will just be sad with them for the time.

It will be a lot easier for us to heal, move on, and live life normally. I'm sure I'll be back to posting about the joy in my life very soon. I'm thankful for that. But I am also ever so aware that for the CT families it will not be easy and they may not ever understand joy again. But in the meantime, I will pray for them and focus my thoughts on those sweet babies and teachers and their community. It's so, so very sad. "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted" Psalms 34:18

Picture Post

A picture recap:

Here's Carmen and Daddy reading together on one of his off days.  

 
Carmen loves looking at books. She leafs through pages with her chubby little fingers and flips books right side up if they're upside down. She talks to them and sometimes laughs at the pictures. Her current favorite is still the Toy R Us Christmas sale catalog....Lord, have mercy if I have to "read" that magazine one more time...

 
Carmen loves her rocking chair from Great Aunt Cynthia and Uncle Herb. This chair was given to my aunt when she turned one and then all her younger siblings (including my dad) got to use it too. Such a special keepsake!

More play time with Daddy. We cherish all the time he has at home with us. He's working so hard and often long hours. Even on his off day he does work on the computer and we have to patiently wait to go out for our family breakfast dates. Carmen weighs 25lbs. Mommy doing airplane is not as fun as Daddy.

She loves to climb on everything. Daredevil if I ever saw one.

A favorite move: climb on top of this car and jump, stomp feet, shake, anything that will scare Mommy.

Oh here's a nice glimpse into out daily routine: "Mommy I want rrrraaaaiiiissssins! I'm starving!!!"

"I know they're in here. You keep all our food in here!"

"Ah much better. A box of raisins."

 "Now if I can just figure out how to get them out..."

"Yum. This raisin is exactly what I thought I wanted."

 And as Carmen develops and socializes we have moved into this phase of squeezing/scratching other people's faces. She does it usually because she is so happy to see them or excited. When I haven't cut her nails in a while, she can draw blood. This is a terrible thing and we are trying our hardest to teach her not to do this. I was behind the camera and caught her in mid attempt at squeezing poor, precious Katya's face... (she was quick, I wasn't trying to photograph her sin.)

We watch her closely at home, at the mall play area, in chick-fil-a, at play dates, we warn her Sunday school teachers to be on the look out. Hopefully it will pass quickly and she'll be just as sweet as she always is! Did anyone else go through this phase and find anything helpful?

A Rich Legacy

Many of you have spoken this into my life already, but this morning it really hit me: Carmen was born into an incredible legacy of women. We have been richly blessed with some of the most amazing people in our lives. From her blood aunties, grandmothers and great grandmothers, great aunts and second cousins, to her sisterhood aunties to the mothers of her little "friends" to some of my closest girl friends to the women in Charlottesville who will forever be in our lives - each and every one of them is a beautiful, God-glorifying woman who I would be proud to have Carmen model herself after. I seriously am in awe at how many of you there are and how special you are to us. I will try my hardest, under the guidance of our heavenly Father, to be someone that Carmen wants to be like. But if that's not enough, I rest assured knowing that the women already in her life are perfect pictures of godly grace and beauty. What a gift it is! What a blessing to have these women praying for Carmen and loving on her and teaching her the ways of life. I pray that she grows to be just like each of these women in some way. I pray for her to find her closest friends (ideally, other daughters of the above mentioned women;)  and that they will be sisters for life. There is something incredible and unspoken in real, best friendships between women and I so deeply want Carmen to experience that as she grows older. I pray that she carries on the legacy she was born into. I'm so thankful for you all and how you already love on Carmen in so many ways!