Contentment

Ah, vacation. In just 26 hours we will be headed to the airport and starting our 24-hour (give or take) journey to Australia. It has been over 2.5 years since we have been to Ben's 'homeland' and I know we are both very excited. This will also be Adelaide's first trip there, and although she won't remember it later on, we will have a very fun time with her cousins, grandparents, and uncles and auntys.

So in the next 26 hours, I need to work on keeping my head on straight! It is a bit stressful having to pack for two weeks in another country, as well as the 24 hours we will be living out of a carry-on suitcase. Adelaide has also been teething this week and her bottom incisors are coming through (one already has and I suspect to see the other one within a couple of days), so hopefully that will not add a damper to our travels.

I am definitely looking forward to 'getting away' for a bit, hoping for some relaxation in the midst of enjoying time with family. It will also be so nice to have Ben away from work for so long! We were very spoiled when he worked for Toby, as he would often have two or three weeks of no work. Last year when he started working at Verizon, he was afforded no time off since he worked as a contractor. Holidays were just unpaid days spent at home. And he has only taken one day off since now working at Cello, which was for our four-day weekend over Labor Day, but again, he was working for three of those days at the festival (and they were long days - 6am-midnight). Two weeks away with no work is going to feel most glorious.

I will be 30 weeks along on Sunday. I still feel very good, except for some heartburn, and the fact that I get worn out after holding Adelaide for just a few minutes. It is definitely a blessing that she can walk now, and she does very good to always hold my hand when we are walking anywhere outside of the house. She settled into one nap several months ago and while it was nice to have two naps, I love how consistent her routine is now and how happily she naps. People have mentioned to me before that she is an 'easy' baby, and I must say that I don't disagree with that, even though I have nothing to compare it to :) That will change soon!

Others are often amazed at how well she talks and I used to be able to say "Oh yes, she says over 50 words" or "Her vocabulary has reached at least 100 words," but now I just tell people that she says everything, and she basically does. She loves repeating everything Ben and I say. Her pronunciation isn't perfect on everything, but I almost always know what she is saying. Ben and I still lay in bed and laugh at night at the funny things that she did during the day. It's so nice to have someone who enjoys her silly little attributes as much as I do and I can't imagine raising Adelaide without Ben - it definitely would not be the same. I don't take for granted how blessed I am for such a good husband and a great father to our child(ren).

Very soon we will be a family of four. I feel so blessed to feel like Paul in Philippians 4, "for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."