I’ve thought about how to start this post a million times because there’s so much to say, but have finally decided that there’s no good way to start this other than just to say that we’ve had some big life changes in the past few months because:

1. We’ve moved from Louisiana to California (the Bay Area, specifically!).
2. We’re 2 months away from delivering our little boy, due October 17th.

Life. Is. Happening.

 

Baby #2

Finding out we were expecting a few months after Sofia was born was a whirlwind of emotions – there was the joy at finding out we were pregnant again, but then the questions and self-doubt started to creep into my mind: Can we do this? How am I going to watch a mobile 1 year old and a newborn at the same time? How will I be able to help nourish each child and help them grow if I can’t give each one my undivided attention? Should I quit working now that we’ll have 2 children at home that are close in age?

And then those questions started to dissipate and were replaced with acceptance and excitement and gratitude. We started to shift our focus from “Can we” to “We can,” and realized how special it’ll be for us and our growing family to meet this little boy and how wonderful it’ll be for Sofia to have a built-in best friend so close to her age.

This pregnancy has been similar to Sofia’s in that the first trimester was a bit tough with morning sickness, but the remainder of it has thankfully been normal and thus far, uncomplicated. I remind myself weekly that the aches and pains that come with your later trimesters are something for which to be grateful and the little kicks and stretches I feel are an experience that many wish to have. As we are less than two months away, we are slowly starting to get prepared for our newest little arrival (just ordered a double stroller – ohmygoodness!), all while embracing the time we have with our little Sofia Clare.

 

Roadtrip Out West

We decided to send our furniture and boxes through Storage PODS and then Tyler (willingly, may I add) opted to drive the 30 hour cross country road trip with a 10 month old, 2 dogs, and a pregnant wife.

God bless that man.

We mapped out our trip to make several stops along the way, driving no more than 5-6 hours daily, and staying with family or in AirBnBs. We spent nights in Fort Worth, TX, Lubbock, TX, Albuquerque, NM, Flagstaff, AZ, and Joshua Tree, CA.

 

Our roadtrip was really fun, really chaotic, and really exhausting. Though we sang nursery rhymes more often than we listened to our planned audiobooks and though we stopped more times a day than we had anticipated, it was a journey I wouldn’t trade for anything. (Sidenote: Why are so many nursery rhymes so morbid and depressing?!) And before we knew it, we had arrived to our new home.

 

California Livin’

California has exceeded our expectations and, in the short month we’ve been here, has been really good to us. The weather is beautiful, our neighbors are friendly and welcoming, and the people we’ve met around town have been so kind. Our neighborhood is full of runners and dog walkers and parents teaching their children to how to ride a bike. We’ve unpacked most of our boxes and have settled in to our little 2 bedroom house that is starting to feel like home.

We’ve been able to take some time for ourselves on weekends and explore nearby areas, whether it’s lunch at a small off-the-road diner, walking to the Farmers’ Market, sitting on the beach and watching the crashing waves at Half Moon Bay, or driving into San Francisco for an early Mass and a quick coffee from a nearby shop.

So that’s it in a nutshell. Life is good. Life can change quickly, but life is good. So bring on the new experiences and new surroundings and bring on the baby bottles and sleepless nights, because if there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that the days are long but the years are short.

…And we are ready!