We have kids!

Meet
Alice Joy Lund

Joy comes from her great-grandmother's name Joyce

The Lund girls are very happy to outnumber the boys.

Although I'm sure the boy doesn't mind.

And for those who care to know the details...

I was 3 days overdue with baby Alice, and had been feeling plenty of action for days, though nothing worth timing. Just as soon as I had dropped B off for work at 8:30 am on Wednesday (Sept. 7), the contractions started. I dropped Millie off at my parents' house, went home to shower and get some things together, and went back to get B from work at about 10. By 11, I was in the hospital bed, checked in, and dilated to a 5. They broke my water at around 12, gave me an epidural at 12:45 and I was ready to push at 3:15. Alice was born at 3:29 with no complications, plenty of hair, and a nice loud cry.

We are so happy to have her as part of our family, and Millie is more than willing to share her crackers, milk, and popsicles with her. She's already an awesome older sister. We are so lucky to have these two amazing girls in our family.

This is NOT the post you're waiting for! Repeat: no new baby yet!

Oh I love this girl. She is growing up so fast...and just in time too!

We (meaning my wallet and I) can all breath a sigh of relief, as September is officially here! Due to a company insurance change (effective Sept. 1), we will officially pay a lot less for this new baby. Lets just say that I put myself on bedrest for the past few days. Now that it's September though...anyone up for a run?

We spoke in church on Sunday. I had been slightly anxious at the thought of speaking the assigned 17-20 minutes without either putting the congregation to sleep or going into labor. I'm not sure that I fully succeeded in the first, but let's just say that when I get going, I can talk the way a pioneer child can walk. Poor Mr. Lund's time was cut a bit shorter than everyone would have liked. He's an amazing teacher.

I know what you're thinking...twice in one week! It's a miracle!

Yes, I've been neglecting my blog. There's no good excuse. However, I'm sure in the upcoming weeks we'll have some exciting news to share. In the mean time...

We met B's family for the Davis County Fair. Not the most conventional fair I've been to, but definitely one of the coolest (well, it was actually sweltering hot. Especially with this little heater in me). What fair have you been to that lets you pet and play with zebras, goats, dromedaries, and all kinds of miniature horses and cows, not to mention a tortoise?

These animals had NO sense of personal space. I was sure we were going to come away with a huge chunk of Millie's hair missing from those goats.

Less than two weeks left...but who's counting?

I'm not really sure what to write about, but here are some cute pictures as of late:


My first attempt at making salt dough, and Millie's first taste of it.

"Farmer tan on my neck and arms. Farmer tan--secret of my charms..." p.s. Nice censoring job, Millie!

Her new "look"

Meeting our new nephew, baby William. Such a handsome guy. Oh, and the baby is super cute too!

No, I still don't have any good pictures of myself to put on here. Sorry about the lack of unflattering belly shots. I know you're all dying to see how large and awkward I'm getting.

Oh what do you do in the summetime, when all the world is green?

Well, obviously, I don't blog much.

But, we have been...

Enjoying fresh produce,

Real Salt Lake soccer game

Going to the zoo,

Doing lots of playing in the sunshine,

Baking cakes for special occasions,

Family picnics,

Parades,

Balloons,

And just plain being silly.

Events not pictured:

-Me, growing to approximately the size of a whale. The good news is, my placenta has shifted so it shouldn't be a problem. And yes, I've started running again. . . . That is if you can call it running. It's more like a slow waddle. 8 weeks left!

-B's Birthday, and his first white hair. Yes, he made me pull it out. Yes, he saved it.

-Prepping M to become a big sister. All we've achieved is a little girl who wants her mama to hold her all the time. Any suggestions?

-Prepping the house for a move in 3 weeks. All we've achieved is creating more mess. I'm sensing a pattern here...

Capturing the Moments: A Better Looking Version

Now that we are happily living in the land of a steady paycheck, insurance, and free evenings, we decided to spend all our money on a camera.

*Note to all real photographers: Don't fret! I don't think that buying a new camera makes me a photographer. I am the first to admit that I know very little about the matter, and I will not be trying to make money taking pictures. Just so we're clear, and I don't offend anyone who has real skills and qualifications.

Little M is growing up so fast, and is just so cute that it was a shame to capture her life through a camera phone. And, we're hoping that her little sister gets here before we're sick of taking pictures forever.

Here's a little preview of a few of our favorites. I don't know much about editing (Mr. Lund is much better at that than I), so these are mostly just the raw photos.

24 weeks along, and learning how to walk

Millie and I are both figuring out how to walk this week.

Millie, who took her first steps about 4 months ago, is just now figuring out that she likes to walk instead of crawl. I can't blame her; she is so efficient and fast in her crawling, and can get to everything she wants to. So, despite her physical ability to walk, she has chosen crawling for a long time, and now is finally deciding that she wants to move on to walking.

I, on the other hand, have been running almost every day of my pregnancy thus far. These 24 weeks have seemed much more manageable, because I've been able to stay active. Running is something that I love, something that gives me confidence, keeps me balanced and happy, and gives me another thing to do with Millie throughout the day. It is so much a part of my identity, and I was really hoping to be able to continue throughout the pregnancy (at least as long as it was still comfortable).

Then, yesterday at my doctor appointment, we discussed my placenta previa, and the doctor advised that I stop running and err on the side of inactivity. At first, (don't make fun of me--pregnancy hormones) I almost cried. I hate to give that part of my life up (I know, I know, it's only for a few months, I don't expect you to understand) when so often it's the only part of my day that feels productive, and one of the few things that I do for me.

And, while the placenta previa is a risk to my body but not necessarily the baby's, it is even easier to rationalize the doctor's orders. However, I'm having to remember that my health is important to this baby and to Millie. As with most things, this is not all about me and my wants.

So, the girls in our family have moved on to walking. Wish us luck!