Thank you to everyone for their sweet congratulations and well wishes. I’m approximately nine weeks along and deep in morning sickness territory. Ugh! How did I forget how much this is not fun?

Better question - how did I WORK through this last time?

Its all I can do to drag myself around the house, chase Owen (he’s VERY mobile, but not walking quite yet), and fall back into bed. I am alive still. Barely.

Well it might not be that bad, but sometimes it feels like it.

I have my first doctor’s appointment on Friday! I hope you all are well. I’m going to go sleep again.

I’m terrible at keeping secrets. I suppose I just like everyone knowing all my business! Well, except I don’t.

Anyway, today Owen is eleven months old. And Lord willing in nine months or so he’ll be a big brother.

That’s right, I’m pregnant again. About five weeks along. I know you’re supposed to wait until you’re ‘out of the danger zone’ to spill the beans, just in case, but I only managed to make it to seven weeks with Owen before I told everyone. And almost all of my family already knows (sorry brothers, I am telling you on Friday, so, don’t be sad). Don’t worry, they don’t read this.

Or if they do, they hide it well. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough if the irate phone calls start coming in.

So yes! A new little one is on the way, Lord willing. We’re very excited, and opposed to last time when we honestly just wanted a baby and didn’t have a preference boy or girl, this time we want a girl.

But still, healthy baby and healthy mommy are our main goals.

Ahh, isn’t he just squeezable?

For the sake of being honest, here’s the SOCC shot:

… can you tell I have a new camera?

I can’t say I blame him. But I didn’t expect his reaction! Once he smelled it and it touched his mouth he gagged and urped up! I figured this might be a coincidence, and so continued to try to get him to eat his peas… but no. When he gagged for the second time I gave up, but not before Ty took some great pictures (with my NEW Nikon D60 he got me for my birthday/Christmas present)!

He’s just freakin’ adorable, even when not eating his vegetables!  I suppose I’ll try pears next.

Oh yeaaaah… I don’t like the pagan traditions or the whole “all hallows eve” and scary as heck parts of Halloween.  But… I love costumes.

My family never went trick or treating.  I think the only costuming I did as a child was when I dressed up as Peter the Apostle for a Sunday School thing.  I even had a beard made out of yarn.  Oh, and I suppose I wore my share of other biblical costumes in church musicals, etc.

But I digress.

My husband’s birthday is on Oct. 31, which does not make him the spawn of satan or a demon or anything of the sort.  It does, however, make him a prime target for a costume birthday party.  So, after several years of wishing for one and half hearted attempts (I jettisoned plans for one last year because of my pregnancy and being too tired to plan it all), we finally had A Costume Party.

I didn’t get any pictures of me in my costume.  I went as Starbuck from the new Battlestar Galactica series.  I do, however, have some pictures of Owen.  He was an Ewok.

Yes, I’m wearing an apron.  Starbuck had kitchen duty at the beginning of the party. lol!

I made it myself, and I’m particularly proud of it.  Owen was not impressed, except that he thought that the headpiece was delicious and tried to eat it several times.  And when I say I made it myself, I mean I bought a bear costume and made the headdress for it.

Everyone had a great time last night, and I’m pleased that everyone came in costume.  Unfortunately I don’t have pictures of everyone, but I’m hoping that other people will send me some pictures that they took so I can share them!  And Ty had a good time too, despite many protestations that he did not want a party.  Psh.  What does he know?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grdThQ1EKvM]

These videos are of poor quality because I don’t have a video camera, I just have a four year old digital camera.  Hey, its the thought that counts right?  This’ll be short ’cause the baby is crying as I speak.  Er, type.  Anyway, he’s started learning how to laugh!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-O5mOiQEQ0&hl=en&fs=1]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74o_fihR-ec&hl=en&fs=1]

And use his teething toys!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgc0sB6da5o&hl=en&fs=1]

Well, one out of two, anyway.  LOL

I’m a first time mom, I just became a stay-at-home-mom, and this blog is a chronicle of my journey from n00b to expert, as it were. So when it comes to sharing what ‘works for me,’ I’m a little shy. Y’all probably already know everything, so what on earth can I teach you? I was wracking my brain to think up a clever WFMW topic when it came to me.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve already discovered it or not. On the off chance you haven’t, here’s my Wednesday tip! Liquid baby powder! I received two bottles of Huggies Extra-Sensitive Liquid Baby Powder. Unlike regular baby powder, this white goo won’t create a huge cloud of cough inducing dust when you apply it to baby’s soft hiney. Its easy to apply, although it will thoroughly coat your fingers as well as baby’s bottom, and soothes and protects baby from diaper rash. I love it! I like to think that Owen does as well.

Also, when he gets a little older and grabs for the powder bottle, I don’t have to worry about him shaking it all out all over the place. It won’t even leak out - the cap is one of those special, no-leak ones that keeps you from getting a gooey mess all over the top under the cap. Anyone who’s had to face down a bottle of ranch dressing when there’s just a tiny bit left in the bottom, and all that crusty, disgusting, half-dried ooze all over the top and inside of the cap knows what I’m talking about. I love this new no-leak invention. (I first encountered it on a bottle of pancake syrup and I was mystified, and then delighted. My pancakes got soaked with syrup while I tested the no-leakiness of the lid!)

So there you have it - Liquid baby powder definitely works for me!

Sam and his Daddy

I just found out that one of my best friends from high school just had a baby boy, prematurely. Well, in July actually. I ‘keep track’ of him and his family through myspace, but that’s not really accurate as I check myspace approximately five times a year.

Sam was born via c-section on July 16th. He was extremely early (about 9 and a half weeks if my math is correct, so he was born at 30 weeks?) and is still in the NICU, but doing progressively better every day. He is incredibly precious, and his proud papa Frank has put up a blog for Sam - The Sam Experience. It ‘is meant to chronicle the adventures of Sam as he gets better, comes home and grows up.’

My prayers are with them, even if I am soooo late to the party. Thankfully, God has been keeping care of them anyway!