Vacation, Family Planning and More!

We just got back from our first long vacation with Micah. We went to my parent's house at Emerald Isle for the week. We did not choose the best beach week - the wind was blowing hard and the waves were rough - but Micah did great. He slept very well - something he usually doesn't do on trips - and he loved the beach for about an hour at a time. As any parent knows, vacations are not the same once children come along. I love watching Micah experience the things I love - especially the ocean - but I do miss sitting on the beach for several hours with a book in hand.

This vacation gave Jamie and I some perspective in making a few major decisions about our family. Lately we've been discussing how many kids we want (2 or 3) and how far apart we want them to be (2 years or 3 years). We had pretty much agreed on 2 kids 3 years apart, but this trip might have changed that. We are a very go, go, go couple - we love to travel and do things all the time - and although we love the baby stage, we are very excited about all the things we can do with Micah when he's 2, 3, etc. Then it occurred to us that around the time he gets REALLY fun (we're thinking 3), we'll be starting over with a newborn.

So we're considering having #2 soon so that we basically get through the baby stage quicker and then have two kids who are ready for the same activities around the same time. I know if we do this I'll be a crazy woman for awhile (I'm kinda crazy with just one), but I really love the idea of Micah and his sibling being close enough in age to be best friends. So we'll see...

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A quick update on what's new with Micah at 10.5 months:

• finally crawls with stomach off the floor, standing and cruising along furniture
  
• eats about half baby food, half table food
• babbles constantly (da-da, ba-ba, na-na, hey)
  
• LOVES books (I couldn't be more proud!), will stop playing to sit and listen to a story
• more controlled movements (goes gently from standing to sitting, can place objects with control as opposed to always slinging/throwing them)
• understands a lot of what I say
• loves opening/closing cabinets
• loves drinking from a straw
  
• is a most awesome napper/night time sleeper
• goes to Kindermusik playgroup on Tuesdays and will start Mother's Morning Out on Mondays this fall
  

For Micah's 1st birthday on September 5, we've decided to have a family barbecue. We are looking forward to doing a party with friends when he's older, but we ultimately decided to keep things simple and intimate this year (if you call 7 grandparents, 3 aunts and 2 uncles simple or intimate ;-). I can't believe he's almost 1! We love him so much and are so thankful that God chose him to be our baby!