And then there were four!

It's hard to imagine that another child could ever bring the joy, laughter and happiness that sweet little Isabelle consistently brings into our small family, but we are about to find out! Ben and I learned that our family would soon be expanding on Fathers Day and waited as long as we could before sharing the news with the new big sister. We knew that 9 months would seem like an eternity to a young mind so at least 6 months would be slightly less painful. Isabelle was certain from the beginning that she was going to have a baby sister, so when the big ultrasound day arrived she was thrilled to be in the room when Dr. Theis announced that she was going to get just what she hoped for...a baby girl! She had threatened beforehand that if it was a baby boy, she "would not let him in!" She actually said right in the exam room "Come on, let's go shopping!" Ben is definitely outnumbered now and he couldn't be more excited to be surrounded by girls! I echoed Belle's enthusiasm and we quickly went to Target where Jelly made her first purchases for her new little sister!

It has been fun to get excited about a baby again and to watch Belle's interest grow as my tummy starts to expand. She is sure the baby will come any day now since she cannot imagine me getting any bigger...and at 26 weeks I wish I was done growing rather than just beginning. Every time we are in a clothing store she picks out two matching outfits, one in a toddler size and one in a baby size, and coos "oh, look how cute me and my baby sister will be!" We are expecting our newest family member the very last day of February/very first day of March and so far Baby Cosby measures right on time which thrills me since I was pregnant with tiny Belle nearly 42 weeks! We still have much to do to feel prepared for our next adventure, like choosing just what we are going to name our new baby girl, Isabelle was such an easy name choice naming her after my Great Grandma, but time is passing quickly and with the busy holiday season beginning we know that our family of three will be a family of four in just a few short weeks...regardless if we feel ready or not!

It's Autum Time, It's Autum Time...

Somehow October has already come and gone and the weather in San Antonio almost has a true fall feel. We enjoyed a busy month as usual and tried to remember to grab the camera to document some of our fun. Belle loved going to a local church's pumpkin patch and picking out some nice round pumpkins for our porch, but when we cut one open and tried to get her to help us carve it, she told us it was too icky and wanted nothing to do with it. She went into the next room and told us to yell to her when we were done!

Ben and Belle have a Saturday tradition of making an early stop at Krispy Kreme after their morning exercise. Jelly is always excited when the donuts are decorated with festive sprinkles and especially looks forward to her latest addiction, chocolate milk! She has daddy to thank for introducing her to all the yummy parts of life.

We have usually been out of town over the Halloween holiday and missed all of the trick-or-treating fun so Belle was thrilled to learn just what this time of year was all about. After first wishing to be Angelina Ballerina she finally decided to dress as Doctor Cosby for the festivities which suited her perfect since it is her favorite game to play. (She even told a few doors that she was not just a doctor but actually an Obstetrician.) She definitely got her fill of candy after attending our Ward's Trunk-or-Treat party and then trick-or-treating around the neighborhood on Halloween night. She actually does not have much of a sweet tooth and after an entire week surrounded by candy, she ate one sucker and drank a juice box she received in her bucket. After dumping all of her loot out on the floor, she separated it herself into 4 piles: a dad pile, a mom pile, a Jelly pile and a pile to give away. Her pile by far was the smallest consisting of only smarties, suckers and M&M's and it was interesting to see what she thought both Ben and I would enjoy.



One of Belle's favorite moments was the American Heart Society's Dog Costume Parade at the hospital Halloween morning. We had seen advertisements for the event and Belle was determined to be in attendance. Although Ben thought that maybe she and I made the whole thing up, it didn't disappoint with over 50 dogs in full Halloween costumes parading and competing in several categories. The only disappointment was for poor Jelly who wished so bad she had a dog herself to march proudly around the parking lot wearing something silly.

It was a speedy month but we were happy to be home to participate in some of the usual holiday traditions that go along with the month of October. Now it is November 2nd and we already have all of our Halloween decor put away and are looking forward to being grateful with Thanksgiving!