Wow - I am a Terrible Blogger

I have not posted since July...maybe my New Year's resolution should be to become a consistent blogger...

Anyway...it's Christmas and Kyle has two weeks of vacation! We are enjoying some time to just hang out and be together. Next week our goal is to get the kitchen cabinets painted...those pics should be up on our twotwozero blog.

I am really excited because this is the first year out of our 4 years of marriage that Kyle and I will be at our own home Christmas morning...we have always traveled Christmas Eve or early Christmas morning and last year we were living at my dad and Toni's house. So I'm already anticipating making a delicious breakfast and starting new Christmas morning traditions. I'm thinking eggnog pancakes, homemade hot cocoa, a little sausage accompanied by some christmas tunes, a lit up tree and my family all sound delightful! Maybe I'll post pictures after Christmas.

In other news, Kyle and I are still contemplating names for baby girl #2. The one name we both really agree on is Brooklyn...no middle name yet. Also in the running is Eliana. There are a couple names that we like individually, but we don't agree on them. I know we'll pick the perfect name...it will just take some time. Speaking of B-Stills numero dos, she is quite the mover! She frequently punches/kicks me and is constantly wiggling around in there. It's such a blessing to be able to sit and just feel her move all around. I can't believe the miracle that pregnancy/birth is. I have had a pretty easy pregnancy so far. I dealt with some morning sickness the first trimester, but other than an occasional gag in the toilet after brushing my teeth and weird smells igniting that same reflex, that sickness is gone. I can't complain, some people are sick all 40 weeks! I have also lately been having really weird pains throughout my back. It feels like what they tell you to watch for during a heart attack...sharp stabbing pains that take my breath away. Today it started on one side of my back and spread throughout my whole back. Yuck! I mentioned it to the dr, but I guess it's one of those things you may experience while being pregnant.

Niah is continuing to bring joy to our lives each day. Any one day I could tell you a million funny things she did that day. She's a bright little girl who is really discovering her personality and how to use it to make Mommy and Daddy laugh. One of her latest quirks is to collect blankets. Don't ask me how it got started or what is going through her head. I do not know. But anytime she finds a blanket it is now "mys" (her interpretation of mine). Today she found a scrap of fabric that is now her new blanket. So what does she do with these blankets? She spreads them over all kinds of things, and lays her head on them. She has spread them out on the dog, coffee tables, our shoulders, her toy stroller, the floor, everywhere. The other day she made me sit on her floor while she spread all her blankets onto my back and then just rested her head there for a couple minutes. When we put her down for a nap or to bed at night, her new routine is to lay out each blanket and then her stuffed animals and then lay on top of the pile. The other day I grabbed a blanket out of her closet to put on top of her because the blankets that normally are on top of her were included in this pile, but now even that blanket is part of the process. What a goof...these are the things I can't wait to laugh about years later as we tell Niah stories of growing up. She always says, "Like this" or "Right here" as she's laying down each blanket.

I love watching her grow and develop, going from a little being who just imitated our movements, to creating her own little world of imagination and fun.

Well...I hope this won't be the last post for another 5 months. Pictures and holiday postings to come!