Announcing Our Second Peanut!

Vic, Grace, and I are happy to announce that a second Lipsey peanut is on its way! We will (hopefully) know whether it's a girl or a boy in October, and he or she will arrive in March. There's already been one photo session, during which the newest Lipsey wiggled like crazy, and this is the best shot:


For those like me who are ultrasound-photo-challenged, the baby is the light area within the dark. Its head is at the top, legs at the bottom, and a little hand is up by its face.

Other than increased queasiness and tiredness, I'm doing okay, and the doctor says all is going well with the little wiggler, so we're very thankful. Given the increased queasiness, we had some thought early on that there might be more than one baby getting comfy in there, and the doctor enjoyed teasing us about that possibility. Newborn twins and a one-and-a-half year old. Wow. But it looks like just one, and, for the sake of our sanity, we're okay with that.

We look forward to preparations for this new little one. There are decisions to be made about names (watch for a poll to be taken here on the blog), space to be cleared for the baby bed, things we'd like to finish on our house, and at some point we hope to sell my VW Golf and get a slightly larger car (one car seat and stroller fit just fine -- two won't). For now, we're just taking one day at a time and enjoying the end-of-summer weather, a relaxing weekend here and there, time with friends and family, and Grace's laughter.

Melinda

What to Do with a Cupcake

Grace before

Grace after

Happy Birthday to You!

Today marks one year of Grace in our lives. We're thankful for this little girl who makes us smile, and pray that the coming year will bring lots of growth and learning (for her and for us).

Happy birthday, Peanut! Your cupcake is on its way...

Is This Odd?

Some people like the idea of having enough money to literally roll around in.


Grace apparently has no such aspirations. Diapers will do nicely, thank you.

A Seven-Year Doughnut Drought

Yep, when you realize that you'll need to eat wheat- and gluten-free in order to feel good and be healthy, doughnuts are a thing of the past. It's not like they were my favorite thing -- I only ate one maybe two or three times a year. But they represented something I couldn't have, which, of course, made me miss them.

Well, not anymore. I had a dream last night about cinnamon sugar doughnuts, and woke up motivated to try making some. There are numerous recipes online, so I chose the one that seemed most likely to produce the closest thing to a wheat-full doughnut. Turns out doughnuts are not very difficult to make. I even made the holes.

Result? Yum.

**edit** For those seeking the recipe, it can be found here.

Melinda

Summer is Here

Well, it's finally arrived. It's definitely summer. Sunshine beams into our home, making us smile (and open the windows to cool off). Our grass is mostly brown because we can't remember which days we're allowed to water. My parents have arrived from China. Salad instead of soup is on the family menu. The popsicle man (with his music-box, can't-get-it-out-of-your-mind music) passes by daily. Grace wakes up from naps all sweaty. And, strangely enough for Seattle, it's been dry for long enough that we've stopped asking whether we should take a raincoat when we go out.

We continue to work on the house, although we took a week-long break to fly to Texas for a Lipsey family reunion and for Vic's parents' 50th anniversary celebration. We had a great visit! It was great to see everyone, to meet new people, to catch up on each others' lives, and to introduce everyone to Grace. (On the way down, Grace was the crying baby no one wants to be near on the plane. On the way back, she was decidedly less fussy.) But we're glad to be back where we can't fry an egg on the sidewalk.

Some of the latest photos of our little peanut...

Melinda

Grace's First Hike

Vic and Grace gave me a much-needed break yesterday, and hiked up Rattlesnake Ridge near North Bend. Great afternoon hike -- not too long or strenuous, but enough to work your muscles well and give some great views at the top. It sounds like Vic and Grace enjoyed the time outdoors, and I certainly enjoyed the time puttering at home.

(Pardon the cellphone picture quality, please.)