The biggest news I must share, which I hope all of you have heard by now, is that we have a second girl on the way!!! Due May 31st, we have been amazed at how fast this pregnancy has gone. I haven't even gotten any belly shots yet.... Anyways, this time around we are doing things a little bit differently:
1). we decided to find out the gender, for planning and curiousity sake;
2). I am having the baby at a birth center (God-willing there are no complications) ;
3). the baby will be "caught" by a midwife instead of a doctor; and
4). we currently have no ideas for names!
We are super excited about the new little one and can't wait to introduce her to you, ourselves, and Sakora! (Sakora LOVES babies, I should note, and will kiss my tummy if I ask her where the baby is!)
And now the Sakora update....
Life has been so funny with a little toddler toddling about! Although teeth, sickness, and some sleep issues have given her a more frequent case of the grumpies, she is still an overall absolutely delightful and happy child. Some of her cutest habits include saying and signing "please" (we have found this innocent and polite plead very hard to turn down, so she has ended up with more fruit snacks, candy canes, and chips than I care to admit). She has discovered the joy of climbing things and is now constantly clamoring to go outside. We have started morning chores in which she feeds the dogs and then "helps" me do any outside work on the garden or yard that needs to be done. Music seems to speak to her in a special way and whenever we turn off the music or stop singing she signs for more. It is amazing how much she understands and can usually follow just about any request we have for her (that is, if she wants to, of course!). It seems she has developed her own language and jabbers alot, although she has started to repeat words and says things like cheese, church, bye, ball, poo, night-night, moon, baby, eat, etc.
About the videos from her b-day....I'm not sure why they did not work! But, my dad (Greg McCoy) posted a good video on his facebook that you can check out if you would like. Here is a photo catalog of recent happenings over the past few months...
Sakora after throwing up for the first time. This was unfortunate timing, being only about 2 hours into our at least 9 hour trip home over Thanksgiving. After a new set of clothes, a wipe down of the car seat, and car seat/doors, the smell was still very nauseating so I have never been so thankful to have allergies and a stuffy nose. Poor Sakora seemed to have just eaten something bad and did relatively well the rest of the way, although we ended up spending the night in Champaign at Kody and Katie's (Kacey's brother and wife).
Here are the cousins in their matching ballerina nightgowns.... it was very hard to get a picture with all of the girls smile and look at the camera!
We took Sakora to the Knoxville Zoo for the first time this winter to see the animals that were still out and to visit Santa's Village where she got to sit on Santa's lap! I have to commend her on a job well done as she did not cry at all...although she was a little suspicious and I think was contemplating how to make a successful grab for his beard or his glasses. THe zoo was tons of fun and we can't wait to go back, especially this spring!
It was hard to capture her expression at exactly the right time, but she was just thrilled evertime she spotted another animal. Her favorite animal is now the lion...she roars and gets super excited when she spots any lion pictures or figurines.
Sakora's reaction to the big John Deer tractor at Grandpa and Grandma Bachman's. Although she was scared to take a ride over THanksgiving, during the trip up a few weeks ago, she and Isaiah went for a ride and she loved it. She was also so excited to see the cows that she was shaking!
Christmas this year was a lot of fun with Sakora. We stayed in TN and spend lots of time with Kacey's parents, brother and wife, and some extended family. It really was a beautiful season, although I have to say I missed seeing snow (not that we had too many white CHristmas' in IL either, though!) She had fun opening gifts (below she is riding one of her favorite gifts....a princess carriage!) and loved seeing family . She was also quite intriqued with the Christmas tree and would grasp a little Christmas tree light in her fingers and say "buzzzz!" :) . Sadly, I did not get hardly any pictures, so I'll have to snag some from the grandparents and share those.
We occasionaly brought the dogs in at night for various reasons this winter and Sakora was always besides herself with enthusiasm. Giving dogs treats has become one of her favorite pastimes. Speaking of our other children, yesterday Mighty and Bear caught a racoon! The day before they had treed one and it was up in the tree all day! It must be mating season because they are getting pretty daring. This now adds to the list of things the two dogs have caught: racoon, rrabbits, squirrels, snakes, possum, wild turkey, and coyote (the turkey and coyote were both in the cotton fields in Arkansas). If we ever have to hunt for food, I guess they will be a big help!
Here she is visiting the future master bedrooom.
Ok, so that's all I have time for right now, but hopefully that gives you a little glimpse into our fun, chaotic, and blessed lives in Knoxville, TN!
