And we're talking...

Just this past week, Alden is really talking a lot. We went to lunch at Moe's today, and she kept saying "Welcome to Moe's!" It took a while for her to realize that there isn't a playground at Moe's like there is at "Chik-a-lay".

A few other things...

She is very into making her blanket a "ghost". She will cover her head with it, and then take it off and say "I aen' ghost". Then, she'll put her passys underneath it and they will be ghost passys. "Booooo"

She has started doing this growly tiger voice for her stuffed tiger. He says "Thank you for the passys" when Alden leaves them with him after her nap.

In the car the other day, she was being really silly and going crazy. Matt said "Easy, Alden". Now she thinks that is the funniest thing, and will say "Da, Da!" in the car, until he says "Easy", and then she will say "EEEEasy!" We did this a lot on our drive up to Raleigh yesterday.

Time Out

Alden had her first Time Out this week. Matt went to pick her up from child care at the Y, and she was sitting by herself at the table. Apparently, she was being overly affectionate with some of the babies. I totally understand their concern. Her version of a kiss is more like, "let me press the bones of my face as hard as I can into yours." That hurts me, not to mention a baby whose skull hasn't closed all the way.

The "Eye"

Here we are again...we have had a busy weekend, trying to get ready for our trip to Raleigh to drop off Alden and Lily and then on to Mexico for Matt's sister Rachel's wedding. We have been really looking forward to getting away, and realize that it will probably be the last time before Hudson comes.

Yesterday was great...we went to the Y, Matt and I worked out, and then got to swim with Alden for about 8 minutes before she pooped in her swim diaper at about the same time another kid threw up. I guess it was not meant to be. I had told Alden the night before that MAYBE we could go to the park after the Y. She sure did remember, because even as we were driving to the Y, she is saying "Ah-ah Y, I go Paccch." Matt and I laugh that some of the German Zoarite from his side comes through in her speech. She definitely has that clear-your-throat "ccch" sound down.

So, we did go to the park to indulge her with 15 minutes of swinging before the rain came. Then, we used some of our Chik-Fil-A calendar coupons to eat lunch. Again, Alden caught right onto to "Ah-ah eat, I go play"...on the play place, that is. It was tortuous for her to have to watch the other kids play while she finished her chicken. Poor thing.

This week Matt has been hard at work at the job search, and Alden and I have been running a lot of errands. One of her favorite toys in the car, is this creepy toy from McDonalds, that she calls "eye". I think that the fact that she calls it that makes it creepier. It has a little light that glows when you push a button and she enjoys doing that, and making "The Eye" ride her toy horse. I had to include a picture for posterity.

Friday we got out and had BBQ and visited the yard sale at Nana's church. It was a fun field trip for us, and a good break for Matt to get out of his "hole" in the office. Alden had a great time pushing a stroller around filled with toys, much to the probable dismay of the people minding the yard sale.

My good friends in my small group at church had a shower for me and another girl on Tuesday morning after Bible Study. It was fun to celebrate together, as the school year is coming to a close, and we won't see each other over the summer. They got blankets for each of the babies, and we all held them and said a prayer for them. It was so thoughtful, and very touching.

Last weekend, we enjoyed getting some time at home. Matt mowed the grass, and we spent some time at the pacccch with Alden and Lily. Friday night, while Matt was at the Hilton, I got to have dinner with Nana, Kitty Scott, Dickie, Elizabeth and Scottie. Alden and Scottie had a blast running around the backyard, although it took Alden a couple hours to warm up to Dickie.

"I don't need ____"

We had a great trip to Aiken to visit Matt's parents the first weekend of this month. We were able to celebrate Matt's birthday with them, with a special request strawberry-rhubarb birthday pie that Matt's mom made. We got to eat at Fatz, our favorite restaurant in Aiken, and thankfully, God, in his infinite mercy allowed my taste to return in time! Saturday was kind of a rainy, yuck day, but we enjoyed watching old videos of Matt and fam, and entertaining Alden, who slept in the car on the way there, and would not take a nap that afternoon. Sunday, we went to church with the Wyatts and had brunch before heading to Raleigh. Alden especially enjoyed visiting the neighbor Jan's dog, Sunny. Jan is one of Lily's top 5 favorite people, who dog sat while we were in the hospital when Alden was born. As soon as we open the car door in Aiken, she runs over to Jan's house.

Our trip to Raleigh was, thankfully, uneventful. Alden slept almost 2 1/2 hours of the trip which is MIRACULOUS! We even got to eat at Smithfield BBQ on the way, which will make any trip worth it.

Matt had his interview on Monday, and it went well, although being a leasing agent for apartments is not really what he is looking for. Still, a good experience to interview and find out more about how that all works. Matt was a super-champ while we were in Raleigh and totally re-worked his resume. He put in a lot of hours, and feels better about what he has now. Hopefully, that is the beginning of finding the right job!

While we were in Raleigh, we, of course, played on the swing and did a lot of bike riding. Alden liked riding down the street where our neighbors have some little figurines in their yard of a rabbit, hedgehog, and various garden creatures. I always thought they were kind of tacky, and they still are, but now I can see them through the appreciative eyes of Alden. Amber and I got out to run some errands, and Tuesday night, Matt and I enjoyed a WONDERFUL night out by ourselves to celebrate his birthday. We had appetizers at PF Chang's, walked around the mall, and had cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. I can't remember the last time we were out by ourselves, so it was quite a treat.

Alden has always had some definite prejudices, but some of her latest include the Mermaid dolls at Grandma and Grandpa's house, dark Cheerios from the Cheerio snack mix, the lobster in her bath toys, and a handful of male Little people with hats. Weird.

We all packed in the car again, and came back home on Wednesday, Matt's actual birthday.

With all of the celebrating earlier in the week, that day was pretty chill. We did go to the park, which Alden and Lily like especially, and had frozen pizza for dinner. Fun.

Thursday, I had my doctor's appointment, and I feel like I redeemed myself from the 7 pound weight gain the time before, since I hadn't gained any since the last visit. That week of not tasting, and feeling like crap really helped. Matt and Alden were able to come, and Alden enjoyed seeing doctor and hearing Hudson's heartbeat again. My next appointment is in 3 weeks, and then, I start going every 2. Wow! We could hardly believe we were at that point already. This week marks the beginning of my 3rd trimester. The end is in sight!

Matt's best friend Josh came to town on Thursday night. It was great to have him here through the weekend, and Matt enjoyed some great time with Josh, and their friend Bill, who also lives in Charlotte. We had Bill and his wife and daughter, and our friends Bradd and Corinne over for dinner on Friday night, and were able to celebrate Matt one more time with hot dogs, hamburgers, and a Funfetti cake. Little did we know that Bradd and Corinne would be heading to the hospital the next day to welcome their new little girl Dylann Elizabeth into the world. Congrats!

Alden had swim lessons on Friday morning, and enjoyed showing off for Matt and Josh. She remembered a lot after taking a month off, and blew bubbles right away, which she hadn't done before. She is getting a lot better at reaching and kicking, but is still not able to swim on her own...maybe next year. She has been really into the Rainbow Fish book lately, which Matt and I have decided after reading it so much, that it has a bit of a socialist/communist message. Hopefully, that won't sink in.

She really likes her book about Maisy going to school, especially the page where Maisy is dressed like a pirate. She says "Arrrgh" and even did a little pirate dance the other morning. We are also getting more than our fill of "Tiny Tot Praise", a video my mom picked up at the ASP yardsale. Let's just say mom and dad go to bed at night with the songs going through our heads.

Alden was really cute the night Bill and Ashley were over, and their little girl Ella, fell asleep on the floor downstairs. Alden went over to her, and resisting the temptation to poke her and wake her up, bowed her head and closed her eyes, and said a prayer for Ella since she was sleeping. It was a long one, too. Ashley and I kept looking at each other and giggling, and of course, had no idea what Alden was saying until "Amen" at the end. But, it was really sweet.

Some gems have come out of Alden's mouth lately. The other day I went in to get her from her nap, and she was all post-nappy and sullen, not wanting to get out of her crib. Then, all of a sudden, she takes her passy out of her mouth and says, "I didn't poop." What?? I about died laughing, and then she starting laughing and saying "Butt cream" again. That seems to be her go-to. She has a lot of ideas about what she does and doesn't need, too. Like the other day, she didn't want help with her shoes, and says "I don't need Mom." Hmm. Then, yesterday, she would not settle down for her nap, and we heard her in her room saying "I don't go night-night." Funny, except that she ended up only sleeping for 30 minutes.

Monday afternoon we were able to see Bradd, Corinne, and Dylann at the hospital. Dylann is beautiful, with a lot of hair, and is so small. It was quite a reminder that we are going to be in their shoes in a few months. Whoa. Matt and I are still a little skeptical about repeating a whole first year again, but at this point, I guess we are pretty committed, like it or not. Corinne had great things to say about the practice and the hospital, which will handle our delivery if we are still here. That was great to hear!

On a sad note, we had our last library time today with Miss Susan. The library is closed for early voting after this week, and then no classes are held in May. Alden will move up to the 2s class by then, which we hear doesn't have bubbles at the end. She will be crushed. Hopefully, we will be in Raleigh by then anyway, but nonetheless, we will really miss Miss Susan, getting stamps, singing and playing bells.


So, we are still on the job hunt. If anyone knows anyone in a property management/hospitality kind of field, or just something that makes you think "Matt would be great at this" let us know!

The sickness continues...

Interestingly enough, the day after my last post, we found out Matt had lost his job with Shea. The neighborhoods he has been working in have been slow, and overall, the company is struggling. It was a bit of a surprise, but something that was a possibility in the residential building industry. We are trying to think positive, and look forward to a new start, and hopefully, an opportunity to move to Raleigh.

Speaking of Raleigh, we were able to get an early start on our Easter trip, since Matt didn't have to work Friday. The timing of the Easter holiday was good, too, because it gave us a chance to focus on the Resurrection and the hope we have in Christ in the midst of uncertainty. As soon as we pulled into the driveway at my parents house, Alden was saying "wee, wee", (swing). She was a swinging maniac the three days we were there, alternately going from the "wee" to the "bike" to the sandbox to the greenway. Luckily, the weekend was beautiful, and we didn't mind chasing her outside. Matt helped my dad put in new countertops in my parents' kitchen, and I was able to help with some yard work. It just feels like the time of year to want to be outside in the dirt!

We took Alden to an Easter egg hunt at my parents' church, which was a big hit. They had all kinds of snacks and craft stations set up. Alden's favorite was the egg-dying one. Matt made her a beautiful Easter hat, and Alden made out like a bandit in the egg hunt. I think she went over her 12 egg quota by a couple. Opening the eggs, and eating candy was a huge hit, too. You know Alden, if there is sugar involved, she's in.

Easter day, we went to church with my family, and had a mid-afternoon Easter lunch before heading back to Charlotte. Alden was especially whiny and snarky over the weekend, and we thought maybe her lingering cold was getting into her chest. We were all surprised when the doctor said Monday that she had a double ear infection. She hadn't made any reference to her ears hurting, and had been sleeping great. Go figure. At least there was an explanation for her personality switch.

Alden, Lily, and I headed back to Raleigh on Wednesday, and Matt went on a Men's Retreat with our church to Windy Gap. I got to help do some more projects with my mom, and Alden was thrilled to be outside again with the "wee". Unfortunately, it rained a lot of the weekend, and the "wee" was pretty wet and cold. She cracked us up with her monologues about the "wee" and the "bike" and a lot of other jibberish about why she couldn't go outside.

Amber spent Wednesday night with Alden and I while my parents were at church, and for some reason, the seemingly innocent question, "Do you have any butt cream?" has led to a lot of entertainment and laughter on everyone's part. Alden picked up on the "butt cream" part and kept saying it over and over and laughing, or waiting for one of us to say it. She is STILL talking about "butt cream" and will mention it at the most random time, and just die laughing. It isn't quite as funny as it used to be...

Matt's parents made the trip to Raleigh for Friday and Saturday. It was fun to have them up, and Alden got extra spoiled from all the grandparent attention. Saturday, we headed to Chapel Hill for lunch, and the Wyatts got to explore downtown Apex. Unfortunately, the weather was kind of cold and rainy, but it was a good visit nonetheless. Alden enjoyed climbing into her baby's cradle and rocking with Grandma, and giving everyone shots from her doctor kit.

It was great to come home and see Matt after our weekend away. He has been working like a champ on his resume and job searching. His discipline to get up before 7 every morning, and close himself into the office amaze me. At this point, he has a lot of applications out, an interview in Raleigh on Monday, and is hoping for God to direct us to the right thing. We are praying that it will happen soon, and look forward to rejoicing over the blessing of a new job.

I have been a frequent visitor this week at our Family Practice office. When I was in Raleigh, I started feeling cruddy, and was turned away at the Minute Clinic since they can't treat pregnant people with possible bronchitis. I have been now 3 times to our doctor, had medication changed once, had a breathing treatment, and developed an ear infection, as well. The most frustrating thing is not being able to taste or smell anything since last Sunday. It is just not as appealing to eat when it all tastes like nothing. So far, Hudson is hanging in there, and doesn't seem to be affected by all my maladies. I am hoping that I wake up tomorrow with taste buds and sense of smell intact.

We are headed to Aiken tomorrow for a quick visit with Matt's parents before they head back to Ohio for the summer. Then, we are going to Raleigh for a few days for Matt's interview, and to hopefully make some good contacts and forward progress with the job stuff. We are hopeful that it will all pan out soon...