Babbling Baby.

Jack talks so much! There is nothing better than waking in the morning to the sound of his sweet carrying on. He has stuffed animals in his crib: two bears, two doggies and a duck. I can make out bits and pieces of the babbling as he talks with his animals, saying, "hey quack quack" and "no doggie, no, no, no." He is 19 months old and already knows a ton of words and phrases. We are able to communicate so well with him and it's so nice that he understands what we are saying. It is the best feeling in the world to see him develop his language. As his mom, I completely understand what he's saying, even though to others it just sounds like babble. It takes a mommy to translate that sweet language.

Routine.

We are creatures of habit. I know this to be an ultimate truth in my daily interaction with my son. He loves the routine that we have implemented in his daily life and specifically, the bedtime routine. We watch a favorite show after his bath and before it ends, he's already up and asking that his teeth be brushed and looking in his basket of books to determine which "night night" stories will be read. This could be to my detriment, since Jack really doesn't like his daddy to read him a book at night and becomes distraught if that prospect were to occur. I am grateful that he is able to fall into this loving, safe routine and I hope that his baby sister will fall into the same patterns once she gets here, but maybe daddy will have to read her bedtime stories for her routine...

Those silly birds, at it again!

Earlier in the season as Spring began, I pulled the wreath off of our front door and brought it inside to clean it. I didn't notice that birds had built a nest in the top, and I only realized it when a few tiny blue eggs were smashed on the floor. I was heartbroken for the birds, but I am happy to say that they have built a new home in the wreath - such a Spring treat! I often look at the door and see them in the nest, either sleeping or gathering food. I cannot tell if they have laid eggs in the nest and am afraid to look. I hope that in the coming months, we can witness the hatching of their eggs and the miracle of little baby birds growing - right at our front door!

Unsocial media.

I made the decision to cancel my Facebook account. I did so because I believe it was creating more unsocial, negative tendencies in me as opposed to positive ones. Now, instead of logging onto Facebook repeatedly throughout my workday or at every spare moment, my time is freed up to do other things and to focus more on my work. Instead of being guiled into a negative argument or feeling the need to share every instance of my life on an electronic "reality tv" type of forum, I savor the moments in my day, with my son and husband - and even the dog. I believe the decision was a good one. It's time that I become truly social with those that I love, by reaching out to them on the phone, meeting in person, or sharing pictures and thoughts with them individually.

In the Garden.

Steve and I planted a garden this year. Finally, we are settled into our permanent home and able to commit to the task. We cleared out a small bed in the back yard and planted five incredibly gourmet tomato plants, a bibb lettuce, two types of peppers, a watermelon and six types of herbs. I am so excited to reap our harvest as the spring and summer moves on, and as we await the arrival of our baby girl. It will be so important to teach Jack and Isabel the importance of gardening. Jack was out there helping us as we planted and dug in the earth. He has a small set of tools - a rake, shovel and hoe. He's not quite sure yet what their purpose is, but he helped none the less. I hope that he will help me pick those sweet delicious cherry tomatoes and eat them right off the vine!

Staycation.

I believe it was Prince (or the artist formerly known as) who said, "life is just a party and parties weren't meant to last." This year, instead of babymooning in Mexico, Steve and I decided to stay home and have a "staycation" to accomplish some housework and relax together. Because I am seven months pregnant, I wouldn't call it a party, but it was heavenly and absolutely wonderful. Painting our daughter's nursery as we anticipate her arrival, assembling furniture, shopping and lunching, working in the garden. Five whole days when we usually would have worked were spent tooling around together, almost as if we were lotterly winners and didn't need to work. Now, the staycation is over and I am officially back to the grind. I am grateful for my job, and the freedom it gives me to take vacations of my choosing. This one, I must admit, was smart. There will be more staycations for us!

Birdsong.

Our neighborhood is lined with mature trees that bloom with white and pink blossoms in the Spring. These trees are filled with birds that start singing around 6 a.m. and then continue throughout the morning and well into the day. There isn't a more peaceful sound than listening to the different birds sing us into every day. Some chatter and squawk, others twitter and others sing little chants. There isn't a morning that goes by that their efforts go unnoticed. Like cicadas that fill the Southern air summer evening, I am unsure what my day would be like if it didn't start with sweet birdsong.