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We are excited to be expecting Baby Hamand #3, due mid-September.  Everything is going very well so far and I find it difficult to believe that I am pregnant most of the time.  I don't have any symptoms really other than being extremely tired.  I'm not complaining, though.  The girls are really excited.  Maybe a boy this time, who knows?  Another girl might drive Karl to drink (more), but we'd be thrilled with that, too.  :-)

A sound file of the baby's heartbeat is attached. The first hearbeat is mine, the second is the baby's.  Reese says mine sounds like "Ba boom, ba boom" and the baby's sounds like "Woosh, woosh, woosh."

Darnit, the sound file doesn't work.  Karl will fix it later.  Maybe I will figure these things out someday. 

We haven't posted anything in a LONG time, but here are some pictures from the trip we took to Colorado in July.

We've been pretty busy lately which has been a good thing.  I volunteered to coordinate the preschool Vacation Bible School.  It has actually been really nice to have something other than housework to do.  I feel like I'm contributing outside my household a bit which has been nice.  That said, I am looking forward to getting back into our routine next week.

Reese has been suffering from some tummy problems for about 6 months now.  It all started back in January when she took a couple rounds of antibiotics for ear infections.  We've been to the pediatrician a few times.  He had us start a non-dairy diet.  It seemed to be helping for a little while, but it doesn't seem to be doing the trick.  The doctor finally took some stool samples and couldn't find anything wrong.  He referred her to a pediatric GI specialist.  We went to see him today.  He seemed to think that it is still possible that this is related to the antibiotic use.  Antibiotics kill bacteria, including the good bacteria, which is why they cause diarrhea.  Apparently when this happens a bad bacteria called C. Diff. can take over and can mess with your intestinal tract.  Reese tested negative for this bacteria in her stool testing, but the doctor seems to think it is still a possibility.  Instead of having us repeat the stool testing over again, he is going to go ahead and treat her for it, with, ironically, another antibiotic.  He also took some blood (a horrible experience for poor Reese) to test for Colitis and Celiac disease (Oh Please God, NO)!  He's also having us give her Benefiber and a probiotic.  Hopefully these 3 things will help her feel much better soon!  He does not think she will need to continue the dairy free diet.  I'm just so ready for my baby to feel better!

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It's not Friday, but I have some free time right now.  I never find time to blog, but I really enjoy reading other blogs.

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Mara is almost 18 months old!  Yikes.  She is really starting to talk more and more and is FINALLY calling me Mommy.  She has been calling Karl "Daddy" for 6 months, so this has been a long time coming.  Her latest is counting to 3.  You have to use your imagination, but she definitely says it.  When I count to 3, she usually looks at me, smiles and then runs to time out.  I guess she's seen me do it with her sister a few hundred times.

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Reese is really enjoying computer time lately.  We even set her up with her own user account.  She can really use the mouse and can even get to her favorite games.  Her favorite is the Lemonade Stand on Sesamestreet.org.  She's REALLY good at it. 

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We went camping for Mother's Day/Karl's birthday.  They were on the same day this year.  I don't think either one of us were excited about sharing our day with the other initially, but it turned out great.  The girls did a great job camping.  They were both so tired when we got back that they took a 4 hour nap.  I took a 2 hour nap.  It was fantastic!

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We are planning our summer trips.  We are spending a night on the Riverwalk for our anniversary in June.  I lived in San Antonio for 26 years and never stayed on the river.  We're planning a Colorado trip in July and our first Montana trip as a family in August to visit Karl's brother.  We will drive to Colorado and fly to Montana.

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Reese is almost finished with her first year of preschool.  She only has 3 days left.  She really enjoyed it.  We're planning to take her 3 days next year, adding Friday mornings for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  

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I was recruited to coordinate the preschool program for Vacation Bible School.  What was I thinking?  I have no experience with preschoolers.  I don't know why they think I would be good at this, but hopefully I will do a good job.

For more quick takes, check out Conversion Diary.

I wrote this post a while ago and was waiting to get some pictures of Mara's birthday uploaded.  Being the lazy person that I am, I didn't even take any pictures of my own child's 1st birthday.  I left that to my mom, who takes great pictures.  I went to visit them last week and forgot AGAIN to get the pictures from my mom.  So here is the post, without birthday pictures of Mara.  Maybe I'll get them up someday.

 I'm a very bad blogger.  Mara is nearly 16 months old and Reese's birthday was 3 weeks ago and I haven't blogged about their birthdays yet.  First up, Mara:

From March 2010

Mara turned 1 on November 23rd.  She began walking the week of her birthday (which is the same thing Reese did).  She is really developing quite the little personality.  Her vocabulary is increasing.  Her most common words are:  Daddy, dog, sit down (said in the bath tub), uh-oh,  and peek-a-boo (or something that sounds like it).  Her favorite thing in the whole world is her panda bear.  She really enjoys swings, slides and eating sand.  Her favorite foods are toast and raisins.  She's a big meat eater, too.  She is sleeping well and is generally a happy girl.  I officially weaned her at about 14 1/2 months.  She's done really well transitioning to a sippy cup.  She's a lot smaller than Reese was at her age.  Reese was wearing 18 month clothes when she was 8 months old, Mara is still wearing 12 month clothes at 15 1/2 months old.  Her stats from her 15 month appointment are:

 Weight: 21 pounds, 8 ounces (25-50%)

Height: 31.25 inches (75%)

 We had a little playdate at the park with some friends for her birthday.  She had a great time.  Check back soon for some pictures of our little stinker.

 Now, Reese:

From March 2010

Reese celebrated her 3rd birthday on February 20th.  We can't believe she's been with us for 3 years!  She is a delightful girl 90% of the time.  She is fully potty-trained during the day, but wears pull-ups at bedtime.  We're working on getting out of those.  She attends pre-school at St. William's 2 days a week.  She really enjoys it.  Her favorite thing about school is "chapel" where she learns songs.  She has moved from learning new words every day to carrying on full conversations and asking really good questions.  Here is a conversation we just had today:

Mommy:  Reese, do you want to go to your gym so you can learn how to do a somersault?

Reese:  No, I want to learn how to do a pepper-salt.

Mommy:  What is a pepper-salt?

Reese:  Oh, it's a somersault for boys

What a goober.  Reese is still growing like a weed, but seems to have slowed down a bit.  These were her stats at her 3 year appointment:

Weight: 34.2 pounds (75%)

Height: 38.75 inches (75-90%)

We had a Strawberry Shortcake party at our house for a few of her little friends.  She had a great time.  She's really learned how to open presents and look for toys.  She has the "throw the clothes aside and move on to toys" thing down pat.  Enjoy some pictures of our big girl, as well.