A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer...

My junior year in high school, I bought my first car – a maroon 1985 Mazda 626 LX hatchback with a digital speedometer and the world’s ugliest tape deck. Desperate to get a CD player, I saved up enough money picking and cleaning golf balls at Cottonwood Lakes Driving Range to purchase an Aiwa CSD X217 stereo from Best Buy. They had to install it at the store, so one day, I convinced my mom to go hang out with me while Best Buy technicians made my dreams come true. About an hour into the process, the techs determined they needed to fully remove the front seats in order to get to the proper wiring, so we waited and waited, perusing Target and other Lancaster Mall venues. Meanwhile, Schirle Elementary School students were released for the day and my nine-year-old brother hopped on the bus to head home. The bus dropped Shane off at our driveway and he popped up the three steps to our front porch, like any other day. The door was locked. I’m sure he thought that was strange. On h...

So for the sake of record keeping, here is Piper's birth story... On August 10, 2013, I was 1 day past my due date and ready to have this baby. We’d been taking advantage of the beautiful summer nights, going for walks to the popsicle store (much to Cayden’s excitement).  I’d counted contractions on the 7 th , and again on the 9 th , but finally on the evening of the 10 th , I could tell something was different about these contractions. Around 9:30pm, they started coming regularly, every 10-11 minutes. By 11:45pm, they were starting to get painful, and ranging 3-5 minutes apart. When we called Seihwa to come watch Cayden, it was just after midnight. I wanted to take a shower before leaving for the hospital, but my contractions were painfully coming in waves every 2 minutes, making it not so relaxing.  We got to the hospital around 12:45am, August 11 th . They took me up to a room and checked my cervix around 1am, hooking me up to the monitors as well. I tried going ...

Expecting another girl is quite the phenomenon. There is no frantic need to cover up purple walls or  exchange headbands for miniature neckties.   Cayden doesn't have a hint of jealousy (yet) and keeps telling me how "baby sisser" is going to sleep in her bed WITH her and wear all her old clothes because Cayden's head is too big for them now.   There are a few things left to do, but really, if baby sister came today,  I wouldn't be worried.  Diaperless, yes, but not worried.   I keep telling myself that my world is about to be rocked, contemplating how I'm going to go to Winco with a newborn and a 2-year-old in tow (where will the groceries fit?) and wondering if I will ever have time for a nap...  There is an overarching sense of peace, though.  While I DO NOT consider myself an expert on girls, I am so thankful that I know at least a little bit.  I'm also thankful that I can take both of my children ...