Now until Then

I have 15 weeks to:

1. Think about, pick out, and put together a brand new nursery for baby Kensington. I want it to be totally different than Anslee's. I think this is my first sign at how different they will be. I just know that what we did for Anslee's room would not in any way work for Kensington. So far, we have the crib and the changing table/dresser with attached hutch, but other than that we don't even have any good ideas. We might start with thinking about a color for her walls...


2. Try to get through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's for the first time with out my Grandmother. We are expecting that this year is going to be especially difficult. I have a feeling that many tears will fall, but I so am hoping that by remembering her in all that we celebrate we will find great joy in the many years we did have her with us on those special days. We will cook up her Japanese food, talk about how it will never be the same as when she made it, and be reminded of what a big part she played in our family holiday traditions. She will be so very much missed, not just this first year without her, but from this point forward.


3. Plan a fabulous birthday party for a sweet 2 (yes, 2 as in TWO)year old! Its amazing to have already changed so very much from January of 2009 until today. From birth to 1, I was astonished by her physical growth. That seemed to be where all the growing happened in that year. Now, from 1 to almost 2, I watched her grow in her ability to understand and start to mastering skills and communicate. That is where growth happened so fast for us this year. I am so excited for this upcoming year. From discussions I have had, blogs and books I have read, and just observations I have had, I am anticipating watching her grow into a person who will have the capacity to reason (when I say reason, I mean reason to the degree of a 2 year old) with morality. By this time next year, my sweet Anslee will begin making choices knowing right from wrong and good and bad. Or, that process will have been started. I still stand in awe of how much she changed in less than 2 years. Oh, and just maybe, we will have learned a thing or two about using the potty!


4. Fall Festivals, Church wide Carnivals, Celebrate the birthdays of My Mother in Law, My Mom, and My Sister in Law (and in that order actually), and Christmas Shopping! People: My TIME and my BUDGET will be running on low before.....

5. Having my 2nd baby girl! Thats right, Kensington's arrival marks 15 weeks from now, and as you can tell, I will be super busy until then. This means that I will practically wake up and she will be here.

Then, after this is said and done, life will slow down a bit....right? Well maybe not, but at least I have a minivan now to lug all my precious cargo around to and from the busy-ness that life will soon bring!