Photo Catch Up

 A neighbor was getting rid of this hole-laden plastic rowboat ... so now it is our makeshift pool.  Perfect for these super hot and humid days.

 Eating ice cream in the yard after dinner.

Enjoying breakfast at a local cafe.  Alma loved the French toast and thick cut potatoes.

 Making a monster mess in the sand and water table.  It was awesome

 Old photo that shows how Alma spent the early spring: transferring dirt from the wheelbarrow to the bucket and back again and again and again and ...

 Feeding "Baby Pilar"

Sleeping in the car after a fun playdate

 Making a sheep talk on the phone (a.k.a. the tv remote). 

Pregnant!

Joshua and I are excited to announce that we will be welcoming another Chisholm to the clan at the end of the year.  At our first ultrasound, which Alma was able to attend, as soon as the baby was on the screen, she pointed at the screen and yelled "BABY!" with such excitement and joy that everyone in the room started laughing.  It is easily one of my favorite memories of all time.

We are excited for the arrival of another baby and are excited to see how Alma grows into the role of big sister.  With her love of caring for her growing pile of dolls, as she calls them "girls", I'm sure she will be terrific.

Something about these pregnancy hormones is magical because I could not be more in love with my husband, my daughter and life in general these days.  Now to just stop throwing up as often .... ha!

Spray Park

Alma's enthusiasm for water still knows no bounds.  We went to the spraypark at the local shopping center and Alma just about lost her mind with excitement.  She would stand in the middle of the chaos, spinning slowly and signing to the other kids that there was water.  With a big smile, she would sign "Water! Water! Water!"  Too cute.

Circle of Neglect vs Television

[Editors Note: I wrote this post some time in the past but was shy to publish it.  Ahh, those feelings of being judged for parenting decisions.]

DON'T WORRY: THIS PHOTO IS ONLY A JOKE!!!

Generally, Joshua and I agree on most things regarding the baby.  Since she is my full time job, I read the literature on what she should be eating, about different ideas of sleep training, etc.  I share what I've learned with Joshua and we then decide as a team which was to proceed.  However, two debates have become a little comical around the house:  The Circle of Neglect vs the Television.

Backstory:  When Alma was a few months old, a friend offered to lend us an excersaucer (or "circle of neglect" as we call it in our household).  Joshua and I debated for quite some time about if we should accept the kind offer.  I thought it would be helpful for keeping Alma in one spot and entertained momentarily during the day when I was home alone if I needed to do something in another room (i.e. use the restroom) and Joshua felt that it may not be developmentally appropriate, citing that babies shouldn't be put in a standing position if they were not ready to stand. Eventually, it was decided that since I'm home, I should be able to accept this loan as long as it didn't replace parenting.  As for television watching, while we are both against it for wee ones, Joshua likes to watch tv to turn of his brain after work.  However, I like to follow the rule that if Alma is in the room, the tv is off.

We each try to respect each other's wishes and so once we gave in on the Circle of Neglect, as a joke, I set Alma up in it in front of the TV for a photo. See? We both lost our parenting battle!  Hooray!