Today all the Mom’s from my church went to the beach. I really can’t believe I haven’t done this sooner! My friends know that I am not a big “lay out in the sun” person and am not too fond of sweating…BUT, lucky me, it has been a moderate summer around here (read: cooler) and this prego is VERY happy about that. It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, and Charlie had her very first experience feeling sand between her toes, if you can believe that.

We were both appropriately sunblocked, although she refused to wear her hat or sunglasses, and seemed a bit lost at first, maybe due to all the people around us…but after some time, I think she enjoyed it! It was so much fun to see a lot of my friends there and nice to get some sun, although you wouldn’t be able to tell from my pasty white skin. Ha!!

Here are some pics of Charlie wearing her “Boca” caftan from Baby Gap. That’s what Daddy calls it, although I will be sure to tell him she got TONS of compliments. And yes, Auntie Em and I would both have one of these if they made them in adult sizes.

Lindsay catching some rays…

These aren’t the greatest pics but I thought it represented what our lunch was like today, post-Wiggleworms. Just try having a picnic lunch and getting these girls to sit and eat nicely. They stole each other’s food, went running in all directions, and wanted to trample the rose bushes. Sigh. Not exactly the most relaxing but they had a ball, I’m sure…

Days like today remind me why I love living in the Big City. It was a GORGEOUS 75 degree day and Ms. Kim, Ms. Alisha, and I headed downtown to check out Wiggleworms at Millenium Park with the girls. SUCH a fun time!! The Park offers these concerts everyday until September, and best of all, it’s free!!

So, it’s official, turns out we are having another little girl!! I had a feeling…call it instinct, whatever, but I just knew it would be a girl. We brought Charlie with us to the ultrasound appointment…I knew that if Vann was there and she got squirrely he could just take her out of the room. She watched the tv screen at first, but didn’t comprehend the “baby” being displayed on it. She was more interested in the fact that Mommy was laying on what appeared to be a “bed” and kept waving at me and saying, “Hi, Mommy!”

I honestly haven’t even had a chance to process the news…shortly after the appointment we had to rush through lunch so Vann could get back to work…but of course we are thrilled. I think what will be interesting is expecting just another Charlie, when in fact, this baby will be dramatically different than she was/is.

And yes, I’ve heard it a bunch today…yes, we do have baby girl clothes so this little one will not go naked…but you can’t fault a Mommy for being excited to purchase a few new things for this dramatically different little girl. After all, Charlie was born at the end of the summer, when it was still warm and breezy in Chicago, and Baby #2 will be born in the dead of Winter…a “Turkey” Baby, as I like to call her.

On our way out of the beautiful, new, glitzy Prentice Women’s Hospital (keep in mind we delivered Charlie at the old hospital and didn’t have an Argo Tea downstairs and a flat screen in our room), Vann went to change Charlie’s diaper and I wandered into the fantastic lobby flower shop. I admit, I am a BIG sucker for Fall/Winter scented candles and even though I swore I wouldn’t buy any yet, I happened upon one called “Farmer’s Market” and had to bring it home with me. It smells like all the Fall things I adore: freshly fallen leaves, pumpkins, a cool, crisp breeze in the air, and the scents of the holidays. I know that when I burn that candle in September I will think of the day that I found out I would be a Momma of two little girls.

This might be making an appearance on Charlie’s 2nd birthday…

This morning we had storytime at our local library. It was really fun, and even though Charlie was a bit timid, she smiled and let the other little girls pet her pink penguin. She even let one girl hold it, which I was shocked by!! The librarian had her work cut out for her…it’s not easy getting 20 toddlers to focus, and they were a rowdy bunch, but fun nonetheless.

Ohmygoodness…these pictures just crack me up! We didn’t make it to church on Sunday (we’ll probably have spotty attendance until Vann gets out of school) and were really wanting a lazy morning, but we did rally for a late brunch at one of our favorite’s, Wishbone. Nothing like some crabcakes doused in hollandaise sauce to start your day!!

These pictures are of Charlie waiting for a table. She was so busy and would not sit still. Please ignore the cheesestick bits in her mouth, apparently she is lacking in the manners department as well…