Empty Nest Syndrome

It's been about two weeks (maybe more now...I'm losing track of time, lately) since our baby birds all left the nest. The last time I saw them (see posted pictures), I was surprised at how big they were getting. At first, I actually thought I was looking at Mama Bird, but it was the babies, and they were stacked on top of each other. Then a day or two later, I peered into the nest to check on them and they were gone. Even now, I can't help but peek into the nest when I walk past, hoping I will see little beaks poking into the air. But the nest is empty, and Mother Nature doesn't slow down for anyone. I miss the sound of little bird squeaks and cheeps when I walk out my front door. Al says that as soon as we get settled into a new place, he plans to build a bird house. Hopefully some mama bird will find it as inviting as our flowery wreath. Farewell and best wishes to our bird family.

3D/4D Ultrasound

On June 24th we went to Little Sprout Imaging in Towson, MD and did a 3D/4D ultrasound. Our little one in-utero was not the most cooperative, as Baby had one foot on it's forehead and an arm across the other side of it's face. And despite the fact that I ate a snack on the way there, Baby didn't want to be awake for the ultrasound. Apparently, this child is a night-owl because it wakes up and pounds on me as soon as I lay down to go to sleep! Oh well. It was still a great experience, and the best part of all was that we were able to have a few family members go online and watch it LIVE with us on a web-cast as we were having the ultrasound. They were also able to call in and we had a conference call, so it was like I actually had my family in the room with me here in Maryland even though they all live on the West Coast! So... I guess I have to admit that technology is really terrific sometimes! The baby's face looks a bit "squishy" in the photos, if you can make it out. I chose the best "face" picture and also a picture of one of Baby's feet to post here. I guess I now only have about 7 or 8 more weeks before I find out if Baby looks anything like on the ultrasound. Gavin looked just like he did in his 3D ultrasound, but I'm not so sure about this one. Time will tell! ;o)

Pre-4th Celebration

On July 3rd, we had a Fourth of July Celebration. We invited some of our new friends (neighbors) over for a little barbeque and a few fireworks (sparkler's and pop-its). Al had to work on the 4th, so we celebrated a day early. It was great fun, and the kids all had a terrific time. The weather could not have been better, so it was perfect! On the 4th, after Al came home, we watched "A Capitol 4th" on TV (you can't beat the seats we had! And air-conditioned, too!), and then the city of Laurel did fireworks on the 5th, so that was perfect. Al, Gavin, and I parked in the Best Buy parking lot across the street from Laurel Lakes Park and watched the fireworks from there. Considering how tired we all were, it was nice to not have to sit out much ahead of time to watch the show, and then we got out of there before the traffic got too bad. Maybe next summer (when I'm not 7-months pregnant) we will go hang out at a park or try a trip to the Mall. Hope you all had a wonderful 4th!

Baby Belly

I know some of you have been dying to see my "baby belly" so here it is. I'm not exactly "Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Edition" material, but I think this picture is fairly safe (just ignore the farmer's tan...my shoulders hadn't seen the light of day until swim season arrived). Now you can also see my cute maternity bathing suit. It's very comfy and I like it a lot. Al says I'm trying to influence the sex of our baby by wearing so much pink. He's still rooting for a boy, but everyone else in the family wants a girl. I guess we'll find out sometime around the 9th of September!!!

Gavin's Swim Lessons

Here are a few pictures of Gavin taking swim lessons at the Russett Swimming Pool. His instructor's name is Corbin. When the water is not too cold, Gavin absolutely LOVES to swim. He's really improving, and now just needs to get better at taking a breath and then continuing forward. Once he figures out the breathing, he'll be swimming EVERYWHERE! He can now also dive down into the water by himself to get his dive rings or Spiderman dive sticks.

Baby Birds

We officially have a nest full of chirping, hungry baby birds! How exciting! I have now seen four of them, so I'm not sure if there is a fifth or not -- only three are really visible in the pictures (there were five eggs). It is so neat to have a little family of birds just outside our front door. This morning, Mrs. Bird was probably out gathering food, so I was able to peek in and see four little birds. I also lifted up Gavin so he could peek inside, and then I was able to snap a couple of pictures. We try to not disturb the bird family too much. I think they have a prime piece of real estate as they are completely out of the wind and rain and sun. Lucky them!

Father's Day

Just posting pictures of Al and Gavin from Father's Day (last Sunday). The night before, they both received haircuts, so the back-of-the-heads picture was showing off their new do's. I'm happy to report they were both very good and held still for their haircuts, so they actually ended up looking quite handsome...if I do say so myself! ;o)