It's a.......

GIRL! We are on team pink again. :) There is a picture of her head on the left and her round little body on the right. Her face is turned toward the viewer, you can see her nose is the white line in the middle. I think that she looks different than Aubrey did--her nose looks longer and her chin a bit pointier, maybe more like her Daddy. It is hard to tell for sure though because we didn't see Aubrey at the same angle for her ultrasound.

Everything looks healthy and perfect--and she was very cooperative for it. She even rolled over when the tech needed to look at her spine. Maybe the cooperation is a good sign. She was waving at us, we could see her eyes moving back and forth and then at one point she yawned and we even saw her tongue come out! Too cute! :)

She had us fooled though, we were all thinking she was a boy. It was such a fun surprise to see another little girl in there. And yes, we have a name, and no, we aren't sharing until she is born. We have to leave something to announce that day!

Cousins in Gramma's Sweaters

Kyle is almost 5 months old, Aubrey is 2 years and 4 months old. Aren't they cute? My mom knit them matching Nordic Christmas sweaters. :)

What's in a name?

As I near the halfway point of this pregnancy, my thoughts have turned more toward baby names. Next week we find out if we are having a girl or boy, but I think it is best to have a name picked out for each, just in case of a mistake! You do hear about that happening occasionally. We are pretty sure we have settled on a girl's name, it wasn't too hard this time around. A boy's name, on the other hand, has been a huge struggle. There is much less room for creativity with a boy, but the traditional names just seem so boring to me. I am trying to find a name that isn't so uncommon that people have to ask you to repeat yourself when you say the name, but isn't so common that everyone knows at least five of them. And then when I think I find a name I like, of course Bill doesn't like it!

Another name problem we have run into is that I tend to be drawn toward names that start with "A." But since I don't want to have a theme with our names we are going to try to avoid "A" names, at least this time around.

Other than the lack of sleep that I have been getting between pregnancy stuff and toddler woes, I can finally say I am feeling good! It took me just about until Thanksgiving to feel myself again, and even then I was having bad headaches. Those are gone for the most part, at least now they aren't an every evening occurance. I just don't understand those women who say they enjoy being pregnant! I am certainly not one of them...I may enjoy the outcome of having a baby, but would much rather just skip ahead to the good part. One thing I do enjoy now is feeling the baby moving around. I can tell the difference between kicks and rolls now--baby is a little acrobat in there. Bill felt some kicks the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and Aubrey got to feel one two days ago. It was fun to watch the expression on her face as she exclaimed, "Mommy, the baby in your tummy poked me!" Now she climbs up on my lap and says, "do you want to make the baby kick mommy?"

Major cravings lately: Grapefruit and cottage cheese (not together). mmm, I think i will go get a grapefruit now.

Fifteen weeks pregnant--have been feeling the baby move for a little while now. The very first time was on my birthday, three little nudges. It is pretty early to be feeling movement, so they are still few and far between. Just yesterday I had my hand in the right place and felt the kick from the outside as well as the inside. :) I am looking forward to when I can feel this little guy consistently--I hope this baby is as active as Aubrey was. Well, maybe minus the kicking in the ribs part.

I have a dr. appointment next week and then I guess I will be able to schedule the big ultrasound! It seems to be dragging really slowly, I really just want to find out the gender now! Everybody thinks that this one is a boy. Interestingly, all my friends who are having babies next year who know what they are having are having boys. When I was pregnant with Aubrey almost every single one of my friends who had a baby the same year as I did had a girl (that is at least six girls!) So maybe this will be the year of the boy...

Election Day

We voted for the first time in our new town yesterday. I love election days--they had tents out front, one for the GOP and one for the Dems. Under and around each tent milled people, greeting candidates, eating from the bounty of food that was provided, chatting and debating. It made me wish I was out there under that tent, providing info for the voters, just like I was three years ago in PA. This was such an encouraging election this time around, as opposed to the last two. In Virginia and New Jersey the GOP gained the governorship--people are starting to wake up. It has only been a year since BO took office, but we knew it wouldn't be too long before people started regretting that vote! We still don't have results in for our small town election here, things move at a slower pace. Maybe that's what I need to volunteer to help with next year--reporting results in a timely manner!

This was Aubrey's fourth election--the first one when I was pregnant with her, one when she was three months old, one year old, and this last one. The funniest one was the presidential one last year, we had to wait in line for hours to vote and Bill and I took turns chasing her around the gymnasium where we were and waiting in line. She kept picking up sample ballots and handing them to people. This time around she was VERY excited about the "I voted" stickers that we got, telling people as we walked by, "look, I got a sicker! And mommy's got a sicker too!"

This time around

I am going to try to get back into writing more on my blog, it is such a good way to document what is going on in my life, and honestly my brain isn't up to remembering all the details anymore! I have been enjoying going back and reading what I wrote when I was pregnant with Aubrey, and there are little things that I had forgotten. So this time around I am going to try to document everything so I can look back at these memories as well.

I am not sure if it is something to do with being pregnant for a second time, or if it is just because it is a different baby in there, or if it has something to do with having a toddler and therefore a lot more strain on my energy reserves, but the first trimester of this pregnancy was so much harder than last time around! I seriously felt nauseated before I took a pregnancy test (so before I was 4 weeks pregnant) and I still am not back to normal yet. The good news is, after 9 solid weeks of barely functioning, I am slowly coming back. Last time around I was sick only from weeks 7-11, I didn't know how good I had it! Also, last time I craved fruits and loved sweets. This time I am totally into the salty and really can't stand sweets, they taste off to me. Biggest craving so far: mashed potatoes. Yum, just thinking about them makes me want some right now! :)

Aubrey has been a good girl: even though I feel badly that I have been neglecting her somewhat. She now comes over when I am on the couch and pats my tummy and says, "you have a tiny baby in your tummy, Mom? She makes you feel sick?" She also covers her mouth and makes imitation gagging noises. Aubrey is convinced it is a girl, and also insists that we name her Archie, after a pony that she rode at a fair earlier this year. Yeah, that isn't going to happen.

Another interesting thing about this time around is that I am growing out of my pants so much faster! I guess my abdominal muscles gave up a lot faster this time around since they know the drill. I don't really look pregnant to a stranger yet, just like I have been enjoying dessert a little too much. ;)

We had an ultrasound last week and everything looks great. The baby was in there dancing around, waving his arms, and kicking his legs. (yes, I am saying his, but we don't know if it is a boy or girl yet, it just sounds right to me to say him and his for now. Maybe I am balancing out Aubrey calling the baby a her.)

We have an announcement...

Baby two is on the way--due May 3, 2010!

Some House Adventures

We have slowly been adding furniture and rearranging stuff since we have moved in here. Has it really been six months already? There is a blank wall that is sort of in our living room, but also is a high traffic area so we couldn't put anything wide on that wall. This bench was our solution--it is great. Out of the way when we don't need it, but it fills the space. It is near our door to the outside so is a good place to sit and put on shoes, well, once we start wearing something other than flip flops. When we have more than 5 or 6 people in our living room we can pull it closer to the couches and complete a "conversation area." This bench seats three people easily. It was a great bargain find at HomeGoods store, as was the painting above. I love that our living room now looks more complete with art, rug, seating, throw pillows, lamps, etc. that all coordinate so well! I wish I could take a 360 degree picture so you all could see :)

In other house news, we found out that we had a family of raccoons living in our walls and Aubrey's room's ceiling. Gross, I know! Our basement/crawl space didn't really have a solid door on it and they were getting in there. They tore out some insulation so they could climb up inside the walls. Bill and I shovelled out 14 wheelbarrows of mud out of there (who knows how long that had been accumulating, the house is over 100 years old!) and then the next weekend Bill and my Dad framed out the door and then built a special two layer screen door to shut it tight. It has to be a screen so that the air can circulate under the house so that it doesn't get too damp. We put a fine mesh screen to keep out mice and a sturdy wire screen to keep out bigger varmints. Once the door was done we left it open until we heard the raccoons leave in the evening. We shut it tight and locked them out! We haven't heard them since, so we are pretty sure it has worked. :)

Next we are going to be working on the bedrooms downstairs, moving the baby furniture out of Aubrey's room into the guest bedroom since she is in her big girl furniture now. I got some wall decals that match her new bedding, but want to paint her walls first. They haven't been painted for over 20 years (I think) so they are due! The colors in her bedding are pink, green, orange and tan. I found this picture and liked the idea of an orange stripe, maybe with pink background or a less khaki looking green.

The Out Takes

I will hold you by the nose and bash you with this musical instrument!

If I have to smile and look at the camera one more time I am just going to lose it!

Maybe if I tickle myself I'll smile.

You want me to lay on my tummy why? What if these creepy photo ladies creep up on me from behind?

Some pictures from Aubrey's Photo Shoot :)

Two Years Old!

Aubrey on her new swingset from Gramma and Papa

Aubrey with her new tricycle from Gramma and Grampa.

Aubrey celebrated her second birthday last week. We just had a small party with family, with a dinner and cake and ice cream. She really enjoyed opening her presents: a lawnmower, a backhoe, a little people airplane, and a cooking (pots and pans) set.

At her checkup she weighed 32.5 lbs (95th percentile) and measured 35.75 inches tall (90th percedntile).

Our other big news is that Aubrey is now potty trained! She is so proud of being able to wear her big girl underwear and go in the potty, she even makes it through the night without having to go. I now get woken up every morning with a little voice calling, "go potty, mommy?"

Cousins

You all might remember this picture of Aubrey with the frog from when she was about three weeks old. The frog was a present from her Uncle John (my brother)

Now, here is a picture of Kyle at almost 4 weeks with his monkey, a present from Aubrey. I thought it would be cute to post them both here for comparison.

We had a beautiful Independence Day celebration. Friday afternoon our Texas relatives flew in and we had some massive thunderstorms. All the rain was worrying us that all our outdoor plans would be ruined, but July 4th and 5th had the most beautiful weather that we have had so far this season! It is so nice to be on the lake when it is a holiday weekend and not be the ones to have to drive in all the traffic. :) Anyway, we had a wonderful time participating in the boat parade, eating, swimming (only the bravest, the water is still very cold!), eating, talking, watching fireworks, eating, hiking in a local park, and oh, yes, we ate. My Aunt and Uncle were up only Friday through Sunday afternoon, their visit flew by. My grandmother will be staying the whole month. She will be here for the birth of my brother's baby (already 11 days late!) and for Aubrey's second birthday.

I hope that this good weather holds because we have some outdoor work to do--we need to put deck preservative on the deck and we have some stairs that are falling apart that need to be replaced. Aubrey LOVES swimming and boat rides. She always asks Papa to "go FAST!" and then shrieks "Weeeeeeeeeee!" when he does.

And lastly, I just wanted to share a happy story:

Recently I have been trying to find doctors for us since it has been a few months since we have moved. I found a good pediatrician for Aubrey and then started looking for an OB/Gyn. I kept running into roadblocks and was getting really worried I wouldn't find one that met my requirements of a small all-female practice who encouraged low-intervention births who did not perform abortions. Everywhere I looked I found large (8+ doctors) practices of mostly men who provided abortions. With 8 abortion clinics in the small state you would think that an OB practice wouldn't need to do them as well! I looked for birthing centers: there is only one in the state 1 hour and 45 minutes away. I looked for midwives: the only ones I found were part of a larger practice with the above problems. I said, okay, I just need to prioritize what I am looking for and just let the other things go. So I decided I will go to a large practice and a male doctor if I can just find one that isn't an abortion doctor. I even gave up the idea of going to the closest hospital to us (1/2 hour away) and was going to look further afield. As I opened my computer this morning to start my search once again I prayed that God would guide me and lead me to the right practice. So I decided to look at the close hospital one more time and there was a practice I hadn't called yet! I called them up and found not only a two female doctor practice who do not perform abortions, but the head doctor specializes in low intervention births and VBACs (not that I need a VBAC but I think that says something about her philosophy on C sections.) I have an appointment scheduled to meet the doctors in two weeks, but I am fairly certain that I have found a practice that I can be comfortable and happy with. Praise be to God!

I should have taken some before pictures

Along with this old house on the lake that we have moved into we have inherited a number of very mature shrubs and gardens. I tend to prefer the cultured, mannered look of well ordered and pruned gardens, like the shrub mazes at Mount Vernon or Versailles. Others prefer the wilder, more natural looking gardens. Of course I choose the one that requires much more work! First order of business is pruning the shrubs. Two giant rhododendrons, a crazy azalea, an eight foot plus tall burning bush, some spindly holly bushes, and a leggy lilac have all met with my pruning shears. The hollies and the lilac I didn't prune much, just tried to give a little shape and encourage them to fill out a bit. The rhododendrons and the burning bush I took off at least half of their foliage and so now they look quite sad. I think it will take a few seasons of consistent pruning before they are looking more civilized. Anyway, I told myself I couldn't buy any more plants until the ones that are here are under control. This year I think will be totally focused on that, then I can plant some new stuff in the spring. It will be fun to have some gardens to plan over the winter. :)

We plan to furnish Aubrey with a few outdoor toys for her birthday. On her wish list is a climber/slide or swingset, sandbox, and tricycle. Also smaller things: a sprinkler attachment for a hose for running through, bubbles to blow, good ball to kick/bounce around, floats for swimming in the lake.

I would like to build some sort of fenced in area to put these toys so that Aubrey can play and I won't have to constantly worry about her running toward the lake. We were at my brother's house a few weekends ago and it was so incredibly nice to just let her have the run of the entire back yard. I could actually sit on a lawn chair and talk to everyone without running after Aubrey telling her not to go that way or the other way. We could put up something just out where the old horse fence was--there is already two sides to that fence still up. Or we could connect to the existing dog fence in the woods and just fence across the lake access. The only problem is that Dexter LOVES swimming 250 times a day, so that would hamper his water access. I would have to just be sure to close the gate only when I was out there with Aubrey I guess. More planning to do!

catching up

Last weekend we had our friends from Richmond, VA, come visit us. We had a great time, Aubrey and Charlotte are so cute together! We also got the chance to have some good food, play some games, spend time on the lake in the boat and kayaks, do some shopping, and even went out on a double date! One of the hardest things about our move has been being so far from all our friends.

It is so nice here on the lake now that summer has arrived. We have been enjoying the cool breezes and dappled sunshine we get here in the woods on the lake. Bill has been swimming for a couple weeks now, but the water is still pretty cold. I'll venture in soon I am sure. We just bought Aubrey a bathing suit at LL bean last week so she'll be ready once it warms a little. I am not missing the 90 degree weather of NoVA, we haven't had the need for any air conditioning yet this year here! We really want to buy a canoe, I have been keeping my eye out for one on craigslist since they are so expensive new!

I also need to buy a new bathing suit, ugh! Not looking forward to that search. I have a very specific idea of what I want: a tankini that the top is on the looser side and overlaps the bottom by a couple inches and the bottoms aren't cut really low so as to hold in my post baby tummy, but not so high as to look like granny panties. ;) Oh and not $$$ either! Some bathing suits are so pricey. I did get some good deals at Ann Taylor Loft lately--they really mark down their sale items. I got a really nice pair of dark wash jeans for $9.98 (size 2 no less, woohoo)

I have been trying out some new cake recipies lately which has been fun. My stand mixer is getting lots of exercise. :) I made a Carrot Ginger cake with Orange cream cheese frosting today for Alisa's birthday. We are going over to John and Alisa's house tomorrow to celebrate--they aren't going far from home these days since she is due in about 2 and a 1/2 weeks! We are all eagerly anticipating the arrival of baby Kyle. (well, maybe not Aubrey, I don't think she gets it when we tell her that Alisa has a baby in her tummy) I think Aubrey is in for a rude awakening when she finds out that she is not the littlest, cutest, center of attention at family gatherings anymore. It will be good for her though!

Speaking of Aubrey I can't believe her second birthday is next month! People always say time flies when your kids are growing up, and it really is true. It seems like she was just a little bundle that did nothing but drink milk and need diaper changes. :) Time to start planning a birthday party and another cake...

Sunshine Singing

Aubrey's new favorite activity is singing, it is so cute. We thought we would share it with you. Please don't mind my singing (or post-workout hair) Just focus on the cute toddler. ;)

Have a Blessed Easter!

We have been having lots of computer troubles lately. I think we have a virus, but virus removal programs can't detect or remove it. We probably will have to take it to a place to get it fixed which I hope won't be too expensive! I am getting a laptop, I am so excited! We got a great deal through Bill's work, and I was able to get some nice upgrades (including the color purple!). It is supposed to arrive on Wednesday. It has been frustrating not being able to get on AIM or facebook or even view emails properly. I'll be able to bring the laptop outside with me, which will be great because all Aubrey wants to do is play outside. The weather is slooooowly getting more springlike. Today it got up to 56!

Bill has the three day weekend off so we are hoping to get some painting done and a light fixture up. Aubrey really wants to play with her Daddy though so I am not sure how much we will get done. He has been having late meetings at work so he leaves before she wakes up and gets home after she goes to bed. She didn't see him for three days this week! :( Sunday we have a dinner with my parents and John and Alisa after church. I'll have to post pictures of Aubrey in her cute dress later when we get the computers in order!

twenty months

Aubrey is 20 months old now, can you believe it?! She is growing by leaps and bounds, and has an amazing capacity for learning. She can count to ten and just about say the alphabet (needing one or two prompts). She also has learned how to manipulate very well. If she does something naughty and is getting in trouble she tries to hug or kiss us and be cute to distract us. She also knows if I am in the bathroom I can't immediately run to stop her from doing something so she seizes the opportunity to color on her chair or open the bathroom cabinet. Mischief is her middle name....

Aubrey is extremely affectionate. We get more than our share of hugs, kisses and "shuggle, shuggles" (snuggles). Many times throughout the day I hear, "Mommy, Wuv You!" Now she is getting comfortable around Gramma and Papa D. and Uncle John and Aunt Alisa they are getting some of the love too.

Bonus photos: the spread for my Mom's birthday dinner and a picture of the cake I made.

We survived the move! I think....

I can't believe it has been so long since we moved already, I am still unpacking boxes and settling into our new house. I want to take pictures so you can see what it looks like here but the inside isn't anything like what I want it to look like yet and outside it is either snowing, raining, or super muddy. I'll get to it eventually. Here is one picture I took looking out from the living room, over the deck at the lake.

We are all slowly adjusting. Aubrey was more needy and cranky for a while, but I think she is finally settling in and understanding this is home. She loves having tons of room to run around, inside and out, and is sporting all kinds of new bruises from tripping. I think she inherited my gracefulness. Bill is in the middle of his second week at his new job and is enjoying it very much. The coworkers are nice, the work not too overwhelming, and yet plenty of responsiblity and leeway to make improvements where they need them. I am really missing my friends back in VA, and am reluctantly adjusting to the slower pace here. Aubrey and I went to Target today: 35 minute drive there, 30 minutes in the store, 30 minutes to Starbucks, 20 minutes home. A little different from my two Targets and ten starbucks in a ten minute radius. ;)

It is probably a good thing that we are further away from all stores and restaurants because Bill won't be getting a paycheck until he works for six weeks, yikes! I am going to be going shopping with my sister-in-law Alisa next week though, I am very excited about that (and praying Aubrey cooperates!)

I have so many plans for the house, and then I have spaces I don't know what to do with. We got all kinds of free cable channels on our tv so I have been watching HGTV and thinking I need to apply to one of those home makeover shows. Maybe I'll post pictures on here and ask for ideas for colors, floor coverings, storage options, etc. I know some of you have amazing taste (Liz that definitely includes you!)

Our wish list includes a canoe for the lake and a swingset for Aubrey. As long as our Townhouse rents out soon maybe we will be able to afford a few of these grand plans I have. :)

I am sitting here at the computer with the windows wide open enjoying the early spring weather. It is almost seventy degrees for the second day in a row and there is a nice breeze stirring all the trees outside. I am definitely going to miss the early warm weather of Virginia. Instead we are moving to a place that frequently has its last snow of the season in April. We will just have to embrace the fact we will have a lake to skate on and hills to sled down now. I am so not a winter person though. Oh well.

It has been really busy, as you can imagine, packing, cleaning, and organizing. It is interesting what you find when you go through the recesses of closets you haven't fully emptied since you moved in. Clothes from college, maybe even before, catalogues from 2004, nail polish colors that I don't know what I was thinking when I bought them, pictures from visits with friends you forgot you took. All this stuff slows me down, but don't worry, we have thrown away, sold, and donated a TON of stuff. We are moving to a house with so much more space, it is going to echo in there for a while.

We got really exciting news yesterday! John and Alisa are having a boy! One of the plusses of moving now is being up there for the latter part of the pregnancy (hello? babyshower!) and the newborn stage of the little guy. Thanks for waiting so we won't miss any of it (just kidding!).

Bill has next week off so that we can spend our time on packing and getting the house ready to rent. Yikes, though we have a lot to do. I get overwhelmed just thinking about it! I am sure it will be fine once I buckle down and really work hard on it, but for now it all seems a little daunting.

Qui Transtulit Sustinet

Northern Virginia has been our home for almost seven years--Bill as a bachelor, as newlyweds, young professionals, renters, first time homebuyers, and parents. I have had so many firsts here: first (post-college) job, first car, first house, first baby, first time being a grown-up really. When we moved down here after college we always said, it will only be for a while, then we will move closer to family. And now the time has come for us to transplant ourselves to Connecticut, where I grew up. Bill has just accepted an amazing job offer, and as much as we are going to miss all the friends and ties that we will be leaving behind, we feel that this is the direction that God is leading us in. We moved to the DC suburbs for my job, and now that I have a different one as mom that reason isn't keeping us here anymore.

Our house in CT is in the beautiful woods on a lake that we can swim and ski on. We will have so much more room there for guests and we expect each of our friends to come visit us--just start signing up for summer weeks! :) It is a great location between NYC and Boston, so if you want to have a vacation where you do a tour of southern New England and NY we would be a good base to venture out from. (just a little sales pitch)

It looks like will be moving the 21st of February. We are going to miss Virginia terribly, but we know, as the Connecticut state motto says, "Qui Transtulit Sustinet," or, "He who transplanted still sustains."

And just for fun, a picture of Aubrey out in the snow today.

pre-bedtime sillies

A little bit of catch up

I have really been slacking off as a blogger lately, what does that make me, a slogger? I guess it is that I have been busy without really doing anything. Having a 1.5 year old with boundless energy and endless needs keeps me on my toes.

One thing that I have committed to lately is exercising. I learned that I have to make it a priority--the first thing on my to do list, rather than the thing that I get to if and when everything else gets done. So now I run/walk 3-4 miles outside with Aubrey in the stroller or do 1/2 hour on the elliptical machine 6 days a week and workout with my exercise ball and resistance band 3 times a week. No excuses. The problem that I always run into is that I really hate working out. It makes me miserable, so I am pretty good at finding ways to get out of it. But now I am being very good about it and make it a habit so that it feels wrong when I don't do it every day. I do wish I had someone I could do it with that could make it a sort of competition--that would help with the motivation. For now I just have to compete with my laziness and the scale.

Around this time of year I always get the itch for vacation. I don't know if it is just that it has been a long time since we have had one, or winter drives us inside and there isn't all the fun picnics, hikes, swimming, and other various free outdoor activities to do, but I REALLY want to get away. I daydream and "shop" online for vacations until it becomes a reality that with a kid and dog we can't really afford to fly anywhere, so we will end up waiting until it is spring or summer and just drive to the beach. Honestly though, I don't want to be a family that does the same vacation every single year. I would rather have adventures. Bill and I have semi-seriously been talking about taking a trip out west this spring, maybe to Arizona or Colorado. Have any of you had a good trip out west? Anywhere you suggest as a fun place to visit, that isn't too hard to bring along a toddler? We do have a backpack that we put her in, and definitely plan to do some hiking, but obviously with 30 pounds on Bill's back we can't do a whole mountain.

Speaking of toddlers, Aubrey gets more like a kid and less like a baby every day. It is a little sad, but fun at the same time. She asks to do her favorite things all the time now--Walk? Outside? or Playdoh? Downstairs? I also constantly hear "help please" because she gets herself halfway under or over something and then gets stuck. If she even so slightly bumps something she runs over to me and holds it out while making kissing noises so I will kiss it and make it better for her. I think she probably learns a new word every day now, and says "welcome" when she hands you something and "okay" when you tell her something. Aubrey's latest challenge is learning colors. She knows all the words, red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink, but she gets them right only about 50% of the time. Often she just says a color regardless of what the color actually is. Also, we have casually started potty training. I think it will be easier to do in the summer when we don't have to take off three layers to sit on the potty. We got her a green baby bjorn brand potty that she gets excited when she sees it and says, "potty! potty!" She knows how to sit on it and say what you are supposed to do on it though, it is cute. Mostly we are just talking about it so she gets used to the idea at this point. Along with all the fun parts of having a toddler we are "enjoying" the temper tantrums now, fun times.

Well, she is handing me books and saying, please! so that is all for now.

Happy New Year!