This entry is the first being written from our new house in Wilmette, IL. We're so happy to be settling into our new home! Moving is always a big undertaking, and when you add in an active toddler, a mom who's due in 6 weeks with baby #2 and a dad who needs a hernia repaired, we made for an interesting bunch. Our moving process was different than some in that we still have our old house on the market, staged with all of our furniture. So moving really only involved bringing over boxes of "stuff" at our leisure. It was actually pretty nice to have time to spread out the process, but we eventually got to the point where we needed to have all of our necessities in one spot - so a couple weeks ago, we made the switch and are so happy to be in our new home - even if the furniture hasn't made it's way yet! (Cassie loves the empty space - she makes tables out of our moving boxes and lines up all of her "guys" in rows on top.) We got a lot of great help from all of our parents, siblings, and neighbors and we're so grateful for that! We have Cassidy's room all set up and the kitchen too, and the rest is easy to be without for a short time. Thankfully, our old home is under contract and we should be fully transitioned within just a few weeks. Hooray!We've been having so much fun exploring our new city. It's a small town that's only about 5 miles wide, so getting around from place to place is easy and quick. The downtown area is set just off Lake Michigan and has an old-fashioned feel to it, with the train station running right through the middle. Cobblestone streets surround it, with quaint shops like a barber, butcher, flower shop and bakery found on each corner. To me, it feels like I'm taking a step back in time. The village has such great character!
One of the activities we've started up since arriving is gymnastics class for Cassie. It's for 1-2
year-olds. The class begins with everyone sitting in a circle for stretches. Somehow, nearly every other toddler sits patiently and follows the instructor with each stretch. This amazes me. Cassie will sit down with me for a total of about 7 seconds - and then she's immediately up and running towards the foam pit. No amount of bargaining will get her to sit with the class - she's too mesmerized by all the equipment and fun playmats! The teachers all smile and quietly mouth to me "It's ok!" as 
they see me desperately trying to get her to stay in our circle - they're all very sweet and understanding. After 5 minutes of stretch time, the kids are supposed to line up behind the balance beam and each take a turn greeting their teachers for attendance halfway down the beam. If Cassie gets someone slow in front her, it's bad news, she just jumps off and goes elsewhere. Patience is not her thing at the moment! Once attendance is over, it's open gym time (thank goodness!). The kids can have a turn on the trampoline, the foam pit, and anything else that's within their reach. Cassie loves every second and takes an extra-long nap on gymnastics days!Since we're on the topic of little Cassidy, I have to mention that in the past few weeks, she seems to have grown up so much! With baby #2 arriving soon, I've tried to start calling Cassie my "big girl" - and she's living up to it, both physically (97th percentile for height, she's really tall) and developmentally. In the past 3 weeks, she has gone from saying only single words to now having full on conversations with us. She will repeat absolutely anything. Last night, I said to her, "OK, all done with your bath!" and she proclaimed, "All done wif my baf!" We're having so much fun chatting with her throughout our days. It provides us with a lot of laughter!
The countdown is certainly on for our next bundle of joy - we just can't wait to meet him or her! Whenever I tell people that we actually have the gender written down on a card in a sealed envelope (courtesy of our ultrasound tech), they can't believe we haven't peeked. But we've
stayed strong! Erik never intended to look - he has always wanted that surprise. I was on the fence, and decided to have it written down so the option was there for me to find out if I really wished to. Of course, it would be for my knowledge only - wouldn't have wanted someone accidentally spoiling the surprise for Erik! But in the end, I let the practical side of me slide and decided to get in on the fun of the surprise. We'd be equally thrilled with a boy or a girl of course, so this is the best type of surprise I can imagine! The baby's room is painted sage green (here's a pic of Cassie helping!), and we've pulled out all of the neutral-colored clothes from Cassie's baby wardrobe. We've even got the newborn diapers piled up and ready. So, I think we're as prepared as we can be! I'm ready to speed through the next 6 weeks and meet this little one!This past weekend has given us some extra time together as a family. Erik finally had that surgery last Thursday (all went perfectly!), so he's been home recuperating for the last 4 days. Cassie has loved having Daddy around - they've been very busy building Lego houses, playing with play-doh, having tickle fights, and reading books together. (The main obstacle is that it hurts Erik to laugh, and Cassidy is constant comedy!) And I've been able to have some extra time to unpack boxes and get organized in the new house. Tonight is Super Bowl Sunday, so we're relaxing on the couch. We've ordered in some deep dish pizza and we're gearing up for the week ahead. It's been a busy month, but a really wonderful one too!
