The neglected second child

I'm pregnant again.  22 weeks along, in fact.  However, you certainly wouldn't know it from the posts on this blog.  I was such an avid blogger when I was pregnant with Lily and now life seems so busy that I barely have a moment to consider how this pregnancy feels, never mind write those thoughts down.

I remember little about being pregnant with Lily and am happy that I have this blog to refer back to.  I've been feeling pretty good throughout this pregnancy although I have unfortunately developed the same condition that I had with Lily (SPD or Pelvic Girdle Pain - although at a much earlier stage than last time), which has really limited my ability to exercise.

Prior to developing SPD, I had already given up downhill mountain biking for the season - I'm more comfortable on my bike than anywhere else but couldn't get over the "what if?" of falling and hitting my belly.  Scott has continued to ride and I'm (mostly) happy to hang out at the hill with Lily while our friends are out riding. Luckily, it's been a great summer for camping and visiting with family/friends...

And as grateful as I am to be blessed with another pregnancy, it's still hard to give up beer in the summer (especially all the fabulous beer that we bought when we were in Montana!)...

And then you were three...

Lily turned three in May. She's grown into this fabulously spirited little girl. She's feisty and full of life. She loves telling me how happy she is and she gets terribly distraught if she gets even mildly scolded. She constantly tells me "you were wrong and I was right". She disagrees with almost everything I say but repeats back all that I tell her as if it was her own idea. She loves her dog Cara and her various stuffies. She's obsessed with her dolls, her trains, her blocks, and her playdough sets. She loves to put her dollies to bed and she loves to push them around in a baby stroller. She's already gone through a period of wearing only dresses and frilly pink clothes. Camping is her favorite summer activity and she's thrilled to hang out with her friends. She's still a little shy and often takes awhile to warm up to large group of people (just like her daddy!). Her favorite supper is tacos but she's almost equally obsessed with Spolumbo's sausages. She loves to help her daddy downstairs and she cries when he leaves for work before she gets up in the morning. She takes books to bed every night to 'read' before she falls asleep (just like her momma!). She loves blowing bubbles and playing in her sandbox. She has a strong sense of right vs wrong and she's a fairly stringent rule follower.  She's thrilled when she gets to talk to her aunt and her grandparents on the com"puter" but she's happiest when she's outside with Scott and I. Three year olds are both a blessing and a challenge but they sure are amazing to watch develop.

Success!

After approximately one year of trying, Lily has finally got the hang of potty-training!  She's had small successes over the year and was very close to being trained before we left for holidays last summer but cold toilet seats quickly became her downfall.  Combine that with the attitude and independence of a two year old and she refused to use the potty much of the time.


This all changed about five days ago.  She announced that she needed to pee and she has used the potty/toilet for every pee/poo since then!  I'm not sure why things are different now other than SHE was ready.  I don't totally think that our earlier efforts were wasted but like so many other things with parenting, Lily was just ready to change when it worked for her.  Just like sleeping and eating and talking and walking...

Definition of parenthood

The days go by so slowly but the years move lighting fast...

My favourite

Listening to Lily's voice and hearing her language develop over the past six months has been my favourite stage to date. I wonder what's next?

Joy

Despite the trials and tribulations of parenting a toddler, having Lily in my life brings me immense joy. Having a child was the best decision that we've ever made. I've never experienced a love so deep and so profound. It is a true wonder to watch her grow, learn, and develop into her own person.

I love you

After waiting for many months, Lily has finally started to tell me that she loves me. She's been telling me that she loves her daddy and that she loves Cara but she didn't say anything about loving me until a few weeks ago. What an amazing thing to hear from your little one!