Look-Alikes

The picture on the left is Alex at 3 months old, and the one on the right is Kathryn at 3 months old.  It's safe to say that they are related, wouldn't you agree?!  I can see some differences of course, but it is kind of amazing how similar they look! Kathryn is a bit cheekier (ha!) and I think her nose is a little different, but if you aren't comparing their photos next to each other, I bet you would have a tough time picking out which one is which!  I'm pretty sure they will start to look quite different as they grow, but it's kind of fun seeing how similar they are right now! :)

Maternity Leave and Family Planning

Life is moving so quickly right now.  I have 3 more weeks of maternity leave, and I have to say that I am dreading my return to work.  Once I get back into the groove of things, it will all be fine.  But thinking about leaving Kathryn for a full work-day when I have not been apart from her for longer than a few hours is making me so anxious.  She is so sweet and easy, and I just savor our days together.  We spend our time snuggling, listening to her cooing and smiling when we talk to her.  She loves to watch her big sister, and she is obsessed with the ceiling fan and lights.  

I'm sad thinking that this might be our last baby.  I wouldn't say that a third baby is an impossibility, but it's definitely not a probability.  We like the idea of being a family of four.  Two girls, two parents.  It works.  But then I snuggle with Kathryn and take in her sweet baby smell, and I think, are these the last snuggles I will have with a newborn?  Are these the last few times I will marvel at my baby smiling at me and cooing when I say her name? It makes me want to stop time!  But three children seems impossible to us.  Especially as a working mom.  And I think it would take a small miracle to convince Rich to try for a 3rd!  He doesn't even miss not having a boy; he is completely happy with his two girls.  

And why, you might wonder, are we even thinking or talking about this only 2 months after I had a baby?  Because I'm a planner.  And part of me needs to know if this is it.  So that I can prepare my mental image of what our family looks like.  So that I can tell myself to savor each and every milestone.  Which is hilarious, because it's not like I wouldn't be savoring them even if we were planning on having another child one day.  But I just want to know.  And life is funny, because sometimes you just can't plan things and you just can't know what the future holds.  

Do other people think about this so shortly after having a baby? 

Alexandra is 2!

Time to get some updates done!  We celebrated Alex's 2nd birthday by going to San Diego with the family.  It was nice not to plan a big party while I've been occupied with taking care of the new baby.  Next year, the parties will recommence! :)

Alex and Kathryn were pretty good for the car ride because we left at 8 p.m. and they slept through most of it.  I sat in between their two car seats so that I could calm down Kathryn if she got fussy for the long ride.  It was beyond uncomfortable and totally unnecessary since she was completely asleep for the 6 hour drive.  I won't be doing that again!

We got to the hotel around 2 a.m. and got in a few good hours of sleep to help us make it through the day.  On her actual birthday, we went to the beach.  Although we took her to the beach in Maui when she was 7 months old, of course she was too little to get it.  But this time, she looked out at the ocean with huge eyes and she played in the sand like it was the coolest sandbox.  It was adorable to watch.

The next day, we woke up early to get to Sea World at opening.  It was a perfect day!  Alex got to see all of her favorite animals (fishies, turtles, penguins, whales, OH MY!) and she was the center of attention.  The best moment of the day was the Shamu show.  Her mouth literally fell open when the show started, and she clapped and laughed through the whole thing.  It was awesome to see the wonder on her face and to try to see the world through the eyes of a two-year-old.  

We inaugurated the double stroller for the trip, and it worked out great.  Kathryn slept in it for nearly the whole day, and she was pretty much an angel baby for the entire trip! We are so in love with this sweet mellow baby! 

We had cupcakes and gifts with the rest of the family when we got back in town.  I would say that Alexandra was one spoiled birthday girl!

Happy Birthday to my BIG GIRL! I cannot believe it was only 2 years ago (and already 2 years ago!) that she came into our lives and brought us such happiness.  I can't even remember what our family was like before her.  We can't wait to see what this next year holds for her!