Not That Impressive...

So here I am. Like I said, not that impressive. We have hardly taken any pictures prior to this because of the lack of anything to look at. And, sorry, but you won't be seeing any pictures posted of me with my shirt hiked up over my exposed belly - just not one of those girls - even if it was skinny and tan! Despite the lack of much of a bump showing above, I personally feel like I have one! You all just might have to wait a bit longer to see it. Until then, squint real hard.

Tonight was the first Bradley class for Grant and I to attend. The Bradley method is an approach to labor and childbirth that largely focuses on the goal of having a natural childbirth with as few interventions as possible. We have a fun, talkative group, and we both learned several new things. The topic for tonight's class was nutrition, so we celebrated afterward with a trip to Steak 'n Shake to have a burger, fries, and a cookies 'n cream milkshake. Lol... We really do look forward to attending these classes together over the next 8 weeks. I look forward to being the student and not the teacher of the class, while Grant is excited to learn about what his role will be in coaching me through labor. I could tell from tonight that he is going to be absolutely perfect and just what I need. I am so thankful for such a supportive, caring husband.

Off to do homework. Oh, to be pregnant and in graduate school...

Our Little Sweet Potato

Yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing - these are the activities of our sweet little veggie right now. The bump.com has a fun portion of its website where it compares the size of the baby to a fruit or vegetable each week. I won't be 18-weeks until Friday, but the edible option to compare her to today is an onion. Just couldn't do that do my little darlin'. A sweet potato sounded so much... well, sweeter.

Two weekends ago, I had such a wonderful time, as I got to spend a couple of days in Kansas City with my family. Well, I should clarify that 99% of this time was with my mother. The reason for the trip was to shop. And shop did we ever! Let's just say there was a woman on the loose who was smashing those winter sales into pieces... to protect her identity, we will simply call her Mimi. :) We had such a blast, dreaming about decking this little girl out in pink and butt ruffles. But girly wardrobe or not, I believe she'll be the cutest potato this side of heaven!

The Kicking Has Arrived!!!!

We officially have a new little kicker in the house, folks! A couple of weeks ago, I felt some little popcorn bubbling in my tummy, which all the girls at the hospital said was definitely the baby, but it was a little faint for me to confidently announce it. Today, things changed! I was on the phone with my great friend, Jenny, when the baby CLEARLY kicked me twice in a row. Jenny was mid-sentence when I rudely interrupted with an uncontrollable squeal and the fabulous proclamation that a human being inside my body kicked my stomach!! A strange reality when you think about it...

I felt her on and off the rest of the day and I'm still wondering what this is going to be like on a day-to-day basis. I have quickly come to believe that over the next five months, it is not an unreasonable request to ask anyone who is around me to stop what they're doing and recognize this miracle going on. How could I be expected to not announce every single movement felt by this tiny, 4-ounce human?! I will try to keep a lid on it as much as I can, but dang... surely this is not meant to be kept a secret. :)

Maternity Jeans? Check.

I wish that every one of you could have seen Grant's face tonight when I modeled my new maternity jeans for him. Shock. Bewilderment. Confusion. Disbelief. He had never seen anything like them. I busted out laughing at the face he made as he bulleted forth questions, "But, where is the zipper?! You need a zipper! How are you supposed to zip them up?!" He has clearly never been down this road! Obviously, I have not either, but I know what maternity jeans look like! It is such a joy to make this journey together and stumble upon these small, memorable discoveries...

Before I go, let me PROUDLY ANNOUNCE that my wonderful husband was one of forty people to be selected to compete in the Millrock Latte Art Championship Contest in New York!!! It is the first weekend of May and I am so thrilled for him. He has really grown in his craft and I'm excited to see him pursue something like this. Below is a picture of a drink he poured the other day - so talented!