This Girl!

Who has completely given up the pacifier? This big girl! So proud of her and myself, I think we were both addicted to it in many ways. There were some tears but we pushed through. Lydia woke up this morning and said "Don't worry pacifier. I fine, pacifier." I just hope she wasn't really saying "I find pacifier." Come to think of it, it probably was the latter. Megan

Name Reveal

I have hit the milestone of 34 weeks in my pregnancy. Time to announce Baby's name (though most of you already know or could have guessed). "John Kenneth IV," continuing the Rauschenberger tradition! We plan on calling him "Jack," my grandfather's name, to reduce confusion in our house. I love both names. Megan

First Flight

This photo was taken after John completed his first flight with the Coast Guard! So excited for him, this also marked the halfway point in his flight program. Megan

Home Sweet Home

I wasn't sure how it would feel returning to San Diego after having had such a great time in Navarre. It feels like home! All of Lydia's toys and books are here, which keep her smiling. Lucy is back from the petsitter, who reported that she was the most well-behaved dog she has ever watched. If you have met Lucy, you know why this is amusing. Autumn weather has finally arrived and we are focused on only good things to come. Megan

Navarre Beach

Our time in Navarre Beach is sadly wrapping up. It has been an awesome three weeks and totally rekindled my love of this special place. Lydia and I made it to the beach and pool almost every day. Pictures of a tan toddler coming soon! She has become so confident swimming in the pool with her water wings that I can hang out on the side with just my feet in (the water has become a tad chilly for grown folks). Lydia never tired of playing in the sand, chasing the seagulls or running down the sloped beach until she could kick water. My favorite moment of the entire trip was watching John swim in the Gulf with Lydia, both of them laughing as the waves rocked them around. The Navarre dolphins are alive and well, as we saw them more frequently than ever. I am already looking forward to our return next year. Megan

Imperfect Parent

I read a great article this morning about the joy of parenting and how it has nothing to do with being a perfect parent.  Looking back at Lydia's first six months of life, this is certainly my greatest regret and something I do not want to repeat with the new baby.  I constantly compared myself to others and held myself to too high of a standard. I often need to be reminded that no mother is perfect.  Facebook and Pinterest don't help to covey this, nor do blogs like this one.   You only see the highlights, especially since it is a gratitude blog. So here are some of my imperfect realities:  I have made no headway what-so-ever with potty training, mainly because I don't feel up to the challenge.  Lydia still sleeps with a pacifier.  I was planning on kicking the habit during our time in Florida.  Now I am chickening out, thinking it might be quite useful on our flight home.  Five fruits and veggies a day, forget about it!  And only two hours of TV a day, are they joking!?!?!  I vow to work on accepting these imperfections rather than beating myself up over them.  Megan

Trunk or Treat

John didn't want to miss out on the Halloween fun so we celebrated early by going to the YMCA's trunk or treat (the same as trick or treat but done from decorated cars). Lydia was not a fan of her fairy costume at first and I considered skipping the festivity all together. However, we are pleased we enticed her to keep the costume on. Once we got to the event, she changed her tune. This child loves being around other kids and the candy made it an even sweeter deal. Megan