"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!