So Curious...

There are those people who fall in love, get married, and everyone has a fairly clear picture in their mind of what their children are going to look like. Grant and I are just not those people. We have received multiple comments from friends and family echoing the same thought - "I just cannot imagine what your kids are going to look like!" Tomorrow we have our 20-week ultrasound, which we are thrilled about, and maybe we'll get a better glimpse of her sweet little profile and whose nose she's going to end up with. But until August, all we can really do is look at the above two pictures and wonder...

Now That's a Belly!!!

So - I posted the 17-week picture late, we skipped the 18-week pic cause we forgot, and tada!! Here's what we get for waiting two weeks... I think I actually look pregnant here!

And I'm heading to bed now, because I'm actually attending my first MOPS get together in the morning to celebrate that I officially look sort of like a mom. :) That's right. I am going to a "Mothers of Preschoolers" get together. Ha! Honestly, it's just an excuse for any mother, whether they have a fetus or an early school-age child, to get together and have some social time. I know a handful of girls that attend and with being a night-shifter, I really need to step up my social life a bit. The occasional coffee dates with the owls and the bats just aren't cutting it anymore.

Wow. MOPS meetings and pregnancy jeans. Life is 'a changin!

Oh, and please keep Grant in your prayers this weekend - he leaves in a few hours to make the long drive to New York for his latte art competition! He is so excited and has poured some really beautiful designs lately. He is getting so good! Pray for safety on the road and a fun time competing... I told him if he wins the $2500 grand prize, the baby will have some really nice furniture from her daddy!

Today's Appointment!

Had an appointment with one of my potential midwives today, Charlotte. She's so great. A true comparison to the wonderful, Southern Paula Deen :), who prays over the room after every delivery she attends. The other midwives that could end up being at my delivery are Christina (a sweet, freckled lady whose strawberry hair Grant would love), Joyce (a very practical, kind woman), or Ginny (the quiet, extremely knowledgeable midwife who sometimes does the nurse's jobs before they can blink). All four would be incredible options. I would probably have the option of asking one in particular to attend my delivery, but I truly do not think I could choose. I am trusting that whoever is on call when this baby makes her entry is just the person for the job. It is so amazing to work with these women every day and know them so well for this journey of my own pregnancy.

My appointment was pretty routine with nothing much to report, except that my baby was sure loving her game of hide 'n seek with Charlotte. We sat there forever before Charlotte found her heartbeat; I was thankful to be in this profession where that didn't freak me out. She appeared alright, clocking in at a mild 146 beats per minute, before she promptly disappeared again! Other than that, all is well. We are scheduled for our official ultrasound the morning of March 12th and we are blessed that my parents will randomly be in town that weekend to attend! So exciting... Stay tuned for the confirmation of whether this is a girl or not! And we think we are decided on a name, which we will reveal after we know the sex for sure!

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!