NEW ROUTINES... with more to follow.

My sister in law Kelly and I have a regular outing that we try to take about every other week at least. Sometimes more, occasionally less. We have started just calling one another and asking, "So are you up for "the regular" today? What's your schedule looking like?". This makes me quite happy. The regular just consists of meeting one another at Rembrandt's (with future boyfriend and girlfriend, Benjamin and Leia in tow) because they have free, mostly shaded parking. We, well I, usually grab an iced coffee to go and then we head to the Walnut Street Bridge for a couple of laps depending on the weather and the kiddo's. Then we trek back up to Rembrandt's to share some fruit salad and sandwiches.

A few mornings ago we accomplished 'the regular' and I snapped a few photos of the event.
I left my camera at home though so I'll have to include them later...

Its really comforting to know that these regular events are already in place. I know that there will be plenty for me to adjust to when the baby arrives but these sorts of things make me feel a little more prepared, as little as I am capable of at least. What's even better is that Kelly, Ian and Leia will be moving to St. Elmo as of August 1st so they will no longer be 20 minutes away. It will be so nice to have them in the neighborhood! As I get further into my pregnancy and things begin to feel more real I find myself obsessing about these things. I imagine its normal but my emotions have really tended to flip flop a lot lately. One moment I'm ecstatic, the next I'm terrified and then I'm in tears.

I also started going to an open house of sorts for Moms/Moms To Be (which happens to be the majority of the women in and around St. Elmo) and women in the neighborhood who happen to be home during the morning/day. Grace is nice enough to open up her home every Tuesday morning as an outlet and chance to reconnect with everyone, adults primarily. I found it especially nice to hang out with those that we always intend to invite over for that amazing home cooked meal but never seem to have the planning skills to follow through on. I'm feeling really optimistic. Things are looking up (but just give me about 3 minutes and that might change). I'm working on being more content with Gods plan for me and my family and trusting that even with the bad, there is a reason beyond my comprehension.

a guesstimate of 14 weeks
a guesstimate of 16 weeks with a 2lb gain (i think that looks like more than 2lbs though)
at least i can still see my feet... for now

some reactions...

Our nephew, Preston, was a little shocked to learn that he would be gaining another cousin.
Benjamin was a little slap happy and confused to learn of the news. We'll blame the juice.
Stephen on the other hand was quite freaked out. I'm afraid that his face might get stuck like this. As for our niece, Leia, she wasn't too fond of the notion that she would have to share the spotlight.

mmm

I have been feeling the onset of pregnancy hunger in these last two weeks. No strange cravings yet but all things citrus, cherries, Mexican and strawberry are especially yummy. Oh and cucumbers. It's nice to smell food without vomiting finally.

That's Our Kid Alright...

So this photo is from a month and a half ago by now. I've just been slacking on posting anything new. Truth be told I have been quite frustrated and feeling unmotivated to do anything lately. I am finally out of the morning sickness for the most part but a sinus infection and stress has been beating me down pretty hard. I know, I know. I'm a jerk for not being more grateful for the healthy , hyper active baby in my belly and my husband who loves me. I know this, I just have my moments. So, moving onward. Our kid is extremely hyper. When this was taken the baby was waving, kicking and dancing like crazy. At one point the baby kicked so hard that Stephen could see my belly jump from across the room. The nurse just kept on saying that she had never seen a child quite so active. At our next appointment it took the nurse about 10 minutes to find a heartbeat because the kid was doing some sort of dance routine. She looked at us and sternly said, "Seriously, you two had better prepare yourselves for an extremely active child. This is the most hyper active baby I've seen!" Oh no. That's our kid alright. She also asked if I was feeling all of the kicking and what not. Whats funny is that it felt pretty tame to the usual activity that I usually feel. I'm glad to know that I'm not crazy for feeling a little bruised.