Under no circumstances will I ever...

*Cheat on my husband
*Abandon my daughter
*Smoke
*Drive drunk
*Own a minivan
*Eat a snail (already tried)
*Quit my job
*Live in Canada
*Ski
*Skydive
*Buy a PC
*Wear a thong bikini
*Wear a bikini
*Get a tattoo

But I will have another baby.

Funny how things work out, huh? After all my proclaiming, venting and ranting God has blessed us with another pregnancy. I guess he had other plans in store for us and I'm OK with that. I've been feeling pretty miserable lately, this pregnancy seems no different than my previous. In fact, my morning sickness with Natalie was largely the reason I decided I was never going to do this again! But now when I look at her I realize how worth it it was to be sick for those short (ha!) 16 weeks compared to a lifetime of joy. I can only imagine what it will be like doubled!

The Museum

Today Chase and I took Natalie to The Museum of Life and Science in Durham for Rachel's 5th birthday party. Natalie had, as Chase would say, a blasty blast. She dove right in to the birthday festivities, listened to stories and played with fake bugs. She ate cake, danced and had a fabulous time. After the party we took some time to visit the rest of the museum. We toured the butterfly house and Natalie was absolutely amazed. She kept pointing to the butterflies and saying "oh fly". We walked the dinosaur trail, saw bears, lemurs, cows, goats, pigs, ducks, owls and a donkey. What amazed me most, though, was the kiddie area indoors. Natalie's independence is awesome! It was as if her parents didn't exist, she was completely captivated by all the cool new things she could touch and play with all by her self. For those of you wondering, the kiddie area is a space that is completely enclosed, totally safe and designated for children aged infant-toddler. Perfect for Natalie.

It was really special for me to watch Natalie enjoy something so much that had once been so fun for me. I'll admit, I got a little teary eyed watching her run in my footsteps through the exact same paths I had as a child. Most of the exhibits at the museum are old hat to me, I've seen the tornado, the fog machine, the caboose and the seismograph... I've even spent the night there. But nothing could have ever convinced me that all of those things would become so magical to me again. The wonder in her eyes and her ear-to-ear smiles were the best exhibits there!

Holy cow, I cannot wait to take this child to Disney World.