Fertile like Mesopotamia

So what happens when you don't update your blog in months? A whole hell of a lot, it turns out!

We arrived back in Reykjavik two weeks ago from a fabulously long vacation in the Pacific Northwest over the holidays catching up with family and friends. Elsa took the the Davidson branch of her family like a fish to water, and we all had a wonderful time getting to know her many aunts, uncles, and cousins who live across the sea. It is hard to come back after such a fun trip, but we are re-adjusting to regular life these days, and appreciating how warm the homes are in Iceland (much warmer than in Olalla...believe it or not!)

At the end of September this past year, Tumi and I learned that we are pregnant once again! The best reaction I've received since starting to share our news was a dear friend of the family who said, "Jeeze, girl! Another baby already? You're fertile like Mesopotamia!"

To me, it feels quite different than when I was pregnant with Elsa, since she takes up so much of my attention these days, I often find myself forgetting I am pregnant...Whereas when I was expecting my first little one I could think of little else. We went to our 20 week sonar last week and got to see our new little one. All is going well and looks healthy, and we found out that this time we get a BOY! As the bump grows and we plan for our future, the fact that we will be a family of four in May is beginning to sink in, along with the excitement that having a baby brings.

While there are plenty of fantastic stories from our recent stateside adventures, I will let the pictures speak for themselves (mostly because I don't have the time to write as much as I'd like!)

Elsa and I arrived in Seattle in the middle of a snowstorm. We ended up sleeping at a hotel near the airport for the first night, and then drove to Tacoma on the icy roads very early the next morning. This is a picture from when we first arrived home...Elsa and Marley soon became the best of friends; one so fuzzy and the other smelling so much like Cheerios is a match made in heaven!

Chillin with Grandpa and sampling some fine glasses.

Elsa quickly learned to make this face whenever she saw Marley (in anticipation of the doggie-kisses)

Hangin' with cousin Herron at Thanksgiving!

Happy faces for the camera

Baby in a box...

Elsa's first Thanksgiving

We picked up Pabbi at the airport....it was a very happy reunion for everybody!

The beautiful Christmas tree in Olalla on Christmas morning

Grandpa's wake-up drumming crew. One does NOT sleep in on Christmas morning in the Davidson household!

AFTER the early-morning wake-up drum session:

Stockings!

Santa Elsa on Christmas morning

Opening gifts like a pro!

Strolling in Gig Harbor with Gunnhildur

Gunnhildur all snuggled up in the cold Olalla winter

Elsa with cousins Ellie, Abby, and dog!

Marley is quite a tolerant dog...even when she is used as a pull-up bar

Playing the piano with Pabbi in Olalla

This is what jet-lag looks like when you are 9 months old:

One, two, three, SMILE!

Elsa spends quite a bit of her time standing up these days. Her favorite place to be is the bathroom...so much to explore!