To pass the time...

My mom and I spent the last few days working on a project. Her dog Bjorn needed a house now that its spring and he can't spend his lazy afternoons in our neighbor's pond due to the "we hate dogs" attitude they carry around. So because he must be tethered most of the time at home, he also needs a place to get out of the rain. His old house is just not enough anymore so....we built him a new one! It's an exact replica of my mom's chicken house, only 1/6th the size. We had so much fun. Next are the cedar shake shingles and the siding. Yes, we're pretty proud of ourselves and it gave us something to put our impatience into, while waiting for Elena's baby to be born....and for me to get in an upper body workout with the power drill. It's not exactly baby related, but I like to believe the 'brain strain' projects I do help to grow the baby's little brain too!

Because I was dressed for the party....

I decided to add some new pictures tonight, not because my belly has changed much in two weeks but because I spent the evening at my friend April's golden birthday party and wanted to capture the night...and my cute outfit! What better excuse to post pictures than a good hair day? The picture with my girls is another to add to the album, we've been friends for 15 years and are still the way we were together in high school. Oh and Julie, on the far right, is pregnant too! We're due the same week, although I look twice as big! We're excited to share this first baby experience together!

All things baby...

I've been doing research for baby every day and there are some sites that I must recommend and share! So much wonderful baby accoutrement! Plus they all have registries to save all those favorites little irresistable things. The best for baby whimsy and gorgeous (if not spendy) crib linens: www.landofnod.com. Best for boutique baby gear: www.pacifieronline.com. My favorite stroller, which I hope to be able to afford: www.orbitbaby.com, plus they have really neat videos of demonstrations for their amazing products. For some reason I love watching them. If you want cloth diapers, you can get the best brands here for discount prices: www.cottonbabies.com. Then the best all around store is or course, Target: www.target.com. For names, advice, tips and tools: www.parenting.com is a great site. For modern things and a great array of gear and even some better prices than other places online: www.babyearth.com. This is the place to find ANYTHING you need for baby, plus many items come with free shipping! For great outdoor baby gear, tons of different slings a carriers and free shipping try: www.babyadventuregear.com. This site has some kitchy stuff that may seem impractical, but so fun and unique. The one of a kind onsies are so sweet and affordable too! Plus, how wonderful, useful and adorable are baby leggings? They're for boys and girls in tons of colors and patterns: www.minimebabygear.com. We are planning to go with Adiri bottles because they are the most like breast feeding of all bottles on the market. We may go with Dr. Brown's glass bottles too, but until then we like: www.adiri.com. Have fun searching these sites, if you have reason to shop for babies, or even if you just love all things baby...

Finally halfway there!

We had our 20 week appointment this last week and were able to see our little boy(!) again. The doctor measured his head, spine, femur, stomach and his full length...he is now almost eight inches long and weighs 11.5 oz! He looked so perfect, just like a little muffin baking in the oven. He waved for us, showed us his male parts, did some flips and turns and sucked his thumb. We have a video from the ultrasound that we will post, as soon as we get it saved to the computer so you can all see what we saw. All in all, mama and baby are healthy and happy with more energy than we've had in months. Planning is truly underway for the nursery and we've got some paint chips on the wall to help choose...lily pad green, scotland isle or moss....what to do! Here are some pics we took just after our appointment. I already feel huge, but my doctor says that because I have such a small frame, the baby has nowhere to go but out! Let's hope I can still stand in three months!