Spring break is over. Easter has been celebrated. We’re all back to our regular schedules. But life is not completely normal. We are pregnant! We visited the doctor today and got to see pictures of the baby, a whole lot of head and a little bit of body. It is amazing that we get to go through pregnancy again. It is amazing that we get to have another addition to our family.

Carson is ready for a real baby to be around the house. Over break, Morgan’s Aunt Janeene, Uncle Foster and their baby, Kendall, came out for a visit. Carson has already shown how interested she is in her pretend baby doll, but Kendall, four months, was the real thing and Carson couldn’t get enough of her. Carson wanted to hug Kendall, change Kendall’s diaper, and feed Kendall. She even changed her voice to a higher pitched, “Hi,” when addressing Kendall every morning. She instantly fell in love with Kendall and fortunately for Carson, Kendall is a tough little four month old. Kendall took the hugs and even allowed Carson to lift her legs up as she attempted to change Kendall’s diaper. Carson is ready for a brother or sister. Mom and dad are ready also, but life is going to change.

Morgan is trying to figure out what to do next year for work. She loves teaching English to seniors at Del Oro, but having two around is going to be a little more time consuming. So she may have to cut back a little more at work. Nick is going to actually start working a more regular schedule. So, he’ll be working more, but he loves his job and is excited to see where it leads.

A few of Carson’s favorite things: her baby doll. Feeding her baby doll. Hugging her baby and softly patting her back. Swinging…on the big swing. Laying on her belly, splashing the water in the pool. Pointing at the dogs. Being close to the dogs. Waving to the cats. Bouncing on dad’s legs. Dancing. Throwing dirt into a freshly dug sprinkler system ditch. Snuggling with mom in the morning. Pretending to do adult things. Getting her neck tickled. Reading. Being read to. Taking things out of containers and not putting them back. Kissing.

It’s March and the trees are beginning to bud and there is a slight scent of spring in the air. Life always feels better when spring is on the horizon. As the afternoons are filled with warmth and good smells, we find ourselves playing outside often. Carson, much to the happiness of her grandpa, is quite the gardener. She finds the closest plastic pot and fills it with dirt. She then walks, tightly grasping the plastic pot, to a larger container, and pours out the dirt. Back and forth. Back and forth she goes. Without stopping, she puts her head down, determined to do something. Who knows what is going on in the mind of a child, but Carson definitely has it in her mind that she has a job and she needs to complete it. Of course, like the rest of us, there is time for breaks. Only Carson’s consist of brief moments of sucking her thumb and twisting her hair, standing in the sun, the dirt scattered at her feet. We had a close encounter this weekend with an unidentified piece of animal poop buried in the potting soil pile. Carson found it, and was about to take a bite. We like to think that it never made it to her mouth. We’ve heard that germs are good; they make for a tougher immune system. So we live in the country now and that is good, very good. It is hard to pass up an afternoon watching Carson run around the pasture, wave at the dogs, look into the sky to see the passing geese, and scoop dirt into piles.

In addition to learning to garden, Carson is learning words. She still hasn’t said any completely coherent words or phrases, although she does a very good job mimicking the word “hot.” She says it in a whisper, breathy, as though it is a secret and should be said quieter than the rest of the words. She knows where her hair is, where her teeth are. She loves to pull up mommy and daddy’s shirts while people are visiting to show everyone their bellies. She wakes up in the morning, signing “more” to let mommy know that she is hungry. The sign for “more” has really turned into “I want.” And the sign for “all done” has evolved into “pick me up” or “let me down.” It is amazing to watch her listen to our words and respond, not with a word, but with a smile or a nod. She understands us. It is good to feel understood by someone you love so much.