update

We are finding out what we are having this Wednesday so check back for an update.

And on Thursday Thomson stood up and took one step. Yesterday he took two steps and just a minute ago he stood up and took three steps. Maybe Gus can get him walking this weekend!

Where have you been?

These days I have been hearing a lot of "where have you been?" and "I emailed you a few weeks ago and never heard back from you". But instead of giving excuses or writing about why I have ignored this blog for so long, I think I will show you in pictures.

I have been doing a lot of this: spending time "ousside" with Thomson, his favorite place to be. The weather has been perfect! He loves his wagon, riding around the yard, pushing it around the yard, loading toys into it, dumping toys out of it...and outside I find a little break because the yard is baby-proofed unlike our house.

I have had a LOT of work - residential and commercial - Spring is the time for landscape design! This work eats up my early mornings, Thomson's naptime, and nights. Since college I have been fascinated with stormwater; how it can be manipulated, alternative ways to handle it than piping it offsite. Luckily most of my Charlottesville projects include some type of bioretention. Here was yesterday's project - a preliminary concept for a bioswale to catch roof water from an urban hospital.

One day I will post more on garden design and plants. For now I am busy cleaning ketchup out of Thomson's hair.And cleaning more ketchup out of Thomson's hair. Zoom in on this one - he actually styled his own hair with ketchup. Yes, this is a nightly occurrence.

Fun times at the Sams house! Baby #2 is kicking around the clock, very strong kicks that say "I am going to be bigger than my brother, 9#9oz at least!" If Thomson would just start walking to give my poor back a break . . .

New Baby Sams

Well I am 15-weeks pregnant and still have not written a word about it. I guess I have hesitated a little bit. Partly because I don't know what to write and partly because I have so many thoughts. We have intentionally kept the sweet ultrasound on the counter as a daily reminder to both of us that there really is a tiny thing growing with hands and feet and a beating heart. Some days this just reminds me to drink more water, other days it stops me to really think about what we are getting into.

I have some fears and some days I feel overwhelmed. I have been dreading the inevitable rude comments that seem to gravitate to me when I am pregnant. I have been watching friends with two young babies to see how our life will look. I have been trying to wrap my head around what went wrong with Thomson's delivery and finally put it behind me. We are blessed with fertility and are mindful of our many friends who are struggling with it right now. I have been enjoying quiet days with just me and T and have been planning our fun summer together. But mostly I am excited about where this journey will take us. Far, far from our quiet newlywed days in Virginia, I know. But to a place, I think, with daily rewards and blessing.

"From the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing after another." John 1:16

don't tell daddy

Thomson and I worked on an art project yesterday. It started out as finger painting but Thomson decided he wanted to do face painting. The paint tasted really weird and don't tell daddy but some might have gotten into his eyes. I realized it was probably a bad idea! We went straight for the bathtub which is always fun! Tomorrow we will stick to crayons.

Thomson is 15 months and crawling all over the house, into everything, pulling up on everything, and walking if he holds my hand. He is talking talking talking, saying lots of words and yesterday he put two words together: "Bates outside".

Talking, to me, has been the most fun of all of the milestones. All of a sudden about a month ago we realized that he was learning everything we said. I would say "Let's turn on the lights" and he would look up at the light and then look over to the switch. Or "It's time to take a bath" and he would start crawling towards the bathroom saying "bath bath bath bath". Or "Bates wants to go outside" and he crawls to the back door, stands up and reaches for the knob.

I expect he will be walking soon so we will be back with a video!

Swinging

These pictures sum up our weekend. Thomson L-O-V-E-S to swing, he must have thought he was on a roller coaster. He was squealing and laughing the whole time. And then dada took him down the big kid slide!

"This is the day that the Lord has made;

Let us REJOICE and be GLAD in it"

Psalm 118:24

One thing Thomson knows how to do: rejoice and be glad for every day!