They say when your baby turns two the desire to have another little one really surges.  I don't know who they are, but I do know they're right.  We found out we were pregnant with Abigail three weeks after Gracie's second birthday and since it takes about ten days or so for a pregnancy to show up on of those high-faluting tests...well, you do the math.  Abigail's second birthday is tomorrow and for the last several weeks, I've been fighting an urge to get down on my knees and beg Steve to let me be the mommy to one more of his babies.  Forget the fact that another child would mean that our 2-bedroom house would be entirely too small (it's too small already, but now the girls don't seem to mind).  Forget the fact that with the rising cost of food and gas, I'd probably have to go back to work to support a third child, which would mean three kids in daycare which would mean Steve & I both would have to take second jobs to pay for the daycare which would mean we'd have to pay for after-hours care, and so on and so on until I could only see the baby that I want so badly for about two minutes each day.  Forget about all that....they say that beer goggles are bad...they are nothing compared to baby goggles - when you're wearing them, you see nothing but cute little baby smiles, chubby little baby hands...

Luckily, Steve is a bit more practical than I am and he hasn't been bitten by baby bug.  And I think the memory of the roller coaster ride that was Abigail's birth and her first week hanging out in the NICU probably is a little stronger for him than me, since I was pretty much doped up for the first 24 hours and mildly doped up for the next several days .  So, calm down, Mama, I won't be having any more babies any time soon.  Partially because I do have at least one practical bone in my body and partly because of a little trip the girls and I took this aftenoon.  We headed over to Fairhope, Alabama to meet who we hope will be the newest member of our family.  Here is Ella Bella


She is a three-week old Sheltie and we found her here.  The breeder's name is Erin and she was as sweet as her dogs.  Gracie and Abigail sat down in the floor and played with all five of the puppies, but the lone little girl won our hearts (okay, in all honestly here, I think we all went wanting a girl doggie...Gracie's having dreams about pink bows and purple leashes, and I'm partial to female dogs since that's all I've ever had...poor Steve, as if he didn't have enough to deal with from the girls in his life already ).  Ella Bella was the softest, cuddliest little thing -  Gracie held her and carried her around nestled in the crook of her arm.  My heart melted on more than one level...




We got to see Ella Bella's mommy, daddy, and grandmommy.  Gracie was so tickled that she got to give the Grandmommy a treat.  Here's the grandmother on the right: 

 Last night, Steve was saying he wished that we could find a Sheltie that had a little more black in her than Belle (our Sheltie that died last summer).  I told him I didn't think we'd find that.  That'll teach me to think I know what I'm talking about


So, now we have to wait three weeks until she's fully weaned and we can bring her home with us.  It will be a long three weeks, but much better than the at least nine months, we'd have to wait for a human baby