I'm so filled with emotion and have so much to say and describe about the past few days, but need to get home and rest first. 
You are looking at the snuggliest, mellowest baby ever. Pure bliss. I think she even poops rainbows.
Just like with the birthday cake, she wasn't nearly as excited or messy as I hoped she be! Enjoy the video grandpa:
Meanwhile, Dani's talking up a storm. This video (ignore the Wiggles in the background) highlights Dani's favorite word (Daddy), something she says a million times per day, along with kisses for Daddy, stuffed animals, the cats, and almost everything in the house (except Mommy). It also shows the awesome hugeness of my belly!
New baby coundown begins!
I got to have a lollipop and didn't have to share!
We spent a lot of time outside on my swingset--and unlike mommy, grandma didn't complain that I was hard to pick up because grandma's belly isn't big like mommy's.
And grandmas are good at taking walks. Aunt Renny and Chantal came on today's walk too.
Grandma even let me play with rocks and dirt and didn't care that I got all dirty.
Grandmas are WAY more fun than mommies and daddies. I sure hope they come back soon!
Dani, sitting on Daddy's motorcycle for the first time....not so excited.
And, Grandma, who in one day, has taught Dani to go down the stairs, and do summersaults:
I know it sounds silly, but finding these pictures tonight just made me feel loved. I mean of course, I know I'm loved. But, quiet, Dani-free moments to catch your breath and just relax are so few and far between for Big Man. I try to give him as many of them as I can, but the more pregnant I get, the less I can do. And, she and I are outside playing, and instead of relaxing, he's taking pictures of Dani and me, through the hazy window. And, so we've got a few pictures of her discovering her slide and swingset, and just enjoying her first spring as a little, walking person (and me, in my maternity clothes, looking like I just might pop out a baby or three any second).
Ruth, our occasional sitter, who is a wonderful stay at home mom to two elementary school kids, bought Dani an Easter outfit, and surprised us by dressing Dani up and doing her hair on Thursday when Dani was at her house. We're really lucky. We've got a woman who cares for only our child, with no notice, and in any state, sick or healthy, and who treats Dani like a member of the family. They call to ask if Dani can come over to play just because they love having her around. It's really great to have someone like that who can help us out and who takes such care of our baby girl. I'll put more pics on facebook, but you can see the litle ponytails in this one, and the cute dress. Dani was not into hamming it up, so I needed to jingle some keys so Big Man could snap a pic.
When I took the ponytails out, I had some fun combing out Dani's hair. This is her Bride of Frankenstein look.
Grandma and Great-grandma are coming to visit Sunday! Can't wait. OB visit today predicts baby2 to be 7.5 pounds at delivery. Name TBA.
We tried to get some outside pics while she was dressed up.
We went to Renny & John's for Easter dinner. Dani=not so into wearing bunny ears.
Dave brought his cat on a leash, which was big hit.
Yummy food; fun with family; beautiful weather. Great day.
Round 2: Dani wins.
Score: Dani 1; Captain Caveman toddler 1.
In all honesty.........when they weren't chasing after balls, they were eating goldfish, and running around and having a blast. Dani shared her sippy cup, and they fed each other goldfish--at one moment they were feeding each other goldfish and it was like a wedding scene (and of course my camera batteries died!) where the bride and groom feed each other at the same time.
Dani's rarely around other toddlers, and the 6 month age difference is so much less noticeable after the age of one (and when one of the kids is a caveman). She's going to love her little sis.
A certain someone named Dani is obsessed with going outside. There's SO much cool stuff to look at...sticks, cars, cigarette butts on the ground, dogs, dog poop, flowers! And tonight's find, a fire hydrant! It was like a Dani magnet. She was absolutely fascinated by the hydrant, and despite my best efforts, kept dragging me back to it.
My camera battery died just as I got Dani to actually wear the sunglasses.
Trust me, it was mighty cute!
Gail and I went to see a medium last night--it was our second visit. Really interesting; lots of things she said last time were dead on. Example: the moment she said hello to me in November, she asked, "Have you ever thought about becoming self-employed?" and went on to make a number of predictions about my career...which, well, happened. She provided more detail last night and I can't wait to see if it happens.
She also predicts that this baby will be "masculine" and quite the tomboy. She said that Dani will be our girly-girl, and this new one will be playing ball in the back yard with daddy. When I asked her about the potential for baby number 3 to be a boy (should we give it a go) and she said that the little tomboy I'm carrying will be the closest thing we will get to a boy, no matter how many times we try. Unfortunately, Big Man has not yet accepted this to be sufficient proof that he shoots only x chromosomes to rule out another attempt...
Had another babydoc visit today. I've heard a ton of comments that I look much bigger this time than I did with Dani, but I had them look it up and my belly is measuring the same size this week as it was with her...and I'm 7 pounds lighter than I was at this time with Dani. Believe it or not, according to the doc, I am officially up two pounds from my 7 week visit. Yep, just two, which sounds impressive but I was kind of a fat bastid at the outset, so it really means I haven't reached circus freak proportions. I've got 3 weeks to go...bring on the ice cream! :) Speaking of ice cream, I can't wait to give Dani her first soft serve cone--soon!
