It's a girl!!

On Friday we had the long-awaited ultrasound, and we found out that Lydia gets her wish for a sister! Of course, Aaron was sort of hoping for a boy, but we are still very excited about another sweet little girl. And even more importantly, the doctor said the baby looks very healthy! No signs of any problems. We had been told that a blood test I had showed a high risk for down syndrome, so we're especially thankful!

I didn't know if I wanted to post this next picture, because my belly looks so big already, but here it is- the first "belly picture." I can't believe I still have 4 months of growth to go! (I'm holding a rose that my wonderful hubby gave me for Valentine's day!)



Today I went to try to register Lydia for a kindergarten next fall (it's called that, but it's really a preschool.) I had to go to the Education Department for our district, which was a little intimidating, trying to figure out which office and how to go about doing it. But when I found the right office, the ladies there were amazingly kind and patient with me and my terrible Russian language skills. I eventually figured out most of what they were trying to tell me. They said that the kindergartens near us all have full day programs, and Lydia would have to go every day, from 10am to 5pm. That's more than we wanted her there- we were hoping for 3 days a week. So, we need to decide what to do. We're going to see if we can still somehow work it out that she doesn't have to be there every day. I don't want my 3-year-old gone all day, every day.

Yesterday was a holiday here called Defenders of the Fatherland Day, also known as Men's day. It's a little like Father's day, but all men are recognized. We had a special lunch at our organization's office, prepared by us ladies. We also played some fun games afterward. The kids had a chance to write down and say what they like about their dads, and here's what Lydia said when she was asked:
My dad can jump up and touch the lights.
It's funny when my dad tickles me.
My dad loves me.

A nice two-year-old tribute to her Daddy! Here she is enjoying the time with one of her friends.


And lastly for today, here is Lydia this morning, helping me make some homemade granola. She loves to dump in the ingredients and stir them up. Here she's doing a pretty good job of not flipping it out onto the counter!