Frequent Flyer

By the time Daphne was five months old she had traveled by plane five times. She did great every time, with only a little crying once or twice. Now she is seven months old and getting ready for her sixth plane trip. I was feeling pretty good about it until my mom reminded me that now she is able to crawl and probably won't be content to just sit there, as on all the previous flights. Now I'm a little worried. Fortunately we got upgraded to first class so she'll have some extra wiggle room. Wish us luck!

By Popular Demand

Here are some recent photos of Daphne...

Helping Aunt Kelsey sort through her music...

Trying to climb the stairs...

Jumping with Grandpa...

Reading with Daddy...

Looking adorable...

New Beginnings

So Daphne got a cold almost immediately after we moved to Washington. Being sick, she would wake up a few times at night. Then she got better. But she still wanted to wake up a few times at night. After about a month we finally whittled it down to just once a night, but couldn't get rid of that one. So last Friday when she woke up at 2:00 a.m. we just let her cry herself back to sleep. Problem solved.

Now that I'm starting to feel human again, I can focus on more than just sleep. For example, posting on my blog after almost 2 months! Oops. So here's what we've been up to....

We moved to Washington! The move went so much better than we ever could have hoped for - especially with such little notice beforehand. We had huge help from Steve's parents, who voluntarily flew out to help us pack and drive the big van. Thank you Mom and Dad! Once we arrived we got settled pretty quickly, putting most of our stuff in storage since we plan to live with my parents while we save and look for a house.

Living with my family has been fun, but different. We've found it can be distracting - we keep forgetting that we're here to stay - so sometimes we just sit around talking and talking and get nothing done, which is okay if I was just here for a long weekend - but day after day is not good... So I made a list of daily minimum requirements - one of them is to be dressed before Steve gets home. I'm getting pretty good. But seriously, I think the list is helping me get back into a productive lifestyle (and most are slightly more challenging than just getting dressed).

Steve likes his new job, especially now that he feels more comfortable and competent with what he's doing. We both like the new hours - he's often home before 4:00 p.m. He got a gym membership and is happy to actually have time for things like that now.
My mom and I have been having fun planning meals every week - including one "foreign night". So far we have done Italy, Germany, and Jamaica. This week is France. For the other days of the week we wrote down everyone's favorite meals and rotate them throughout the month so we all get something we like once in a while. So far it's working pretty well. And we try a new recipe now and then.

I am taking piano lessons! I have had two so far so I'm just about ready for my first recital - NOT. But I'm excited to be learning and I like having something each week that is just for me.

Steve and I are searching for favorite restaurants on our weekly dates. We found a good Pho place and a decent Mexican restaurant. I liked the Thai restaurant we tried but Steve is hoping for better. Can't seem to find a good Greek cafe though. Nothing could beat the one we had in California. Unfortunately.

Now for the baby update...

Daphne is learning new tricks everyday. She started army crawling when we first moved here - which was perfect because Steve's parents got to see it. Now she is "real" crawling (on hands and knees) most of the time, unless she needs to get somewhere fast. She is sitting up and pulling herself up on anything taller than the floor. She likes tags and making noise and sneaking into the kitchen when no one's looking. Though she's not much of a "cuddle baby" (WAY too active and busy to have time for that) she's still a very happy baby and loves all the attention from her grandparents, aunts and uncles. She smiles all the time and laughs often. She's seven months old now and weighed 14 pounds at her last check-up (6 months).

She started solid foods just after we moved in (rice cereal at 5 and 1/2 months). She ate it like a pro, not even making any kind of face at all. She has made some faces and gagging noises with the other new stuff (yams, peas, carrots, apples) - but usually gets over it after the first try. I am making all the food myself (except the cereal) so that has been fun for me, way cheaper than buying the little jars, and so much easier than I expected.

There's probably a lot I'm forgetting, but it's hard to catch up on everything after so long. So that's it for now!

Sick and Tired

Daphne got sick for the first time this week. A nasty cold. As a mom with a baby who started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, I am definitely spoiled. Now I get to experience the joys of waking up every 2 to 3 hours. To be honest I mostly felt sorry for myself, at first. Yes I know, my baby is sick and all I can think about is how tired I am? What kind of mother am I?! Then I caught the bug. Then I REALLY felt sorry for myself. It took me a couple days of being sick AND tired to learn my lesson. I think Heavenly Father wanted me to empathize with my daughter more than I was. Somehow it clicked last night that maybe I wasn't the only one suffering, and I've been handling it a bit better since then. But we are both still sick and tired... and now Daddy's joining in the "fun". Just in time, too, as his first day at his new job is Monday! We're praying that this will all be over soon and we can get back to being our happy, healthy selves.

Two Weeks Notice

We are moving in two weeks. TWO WEEKS. And we just found out (for sure) yesterday. Life is about to get crazy.

Here's the story: Steve began the job search a couple months ago. We wanted to be closer to family and he wanted a better work/life balance. After two trips to the Seattle area for interviews, he got the offer he wanted. Now we just have to get there in time! (Fortunately they changed his starting date from October 25th to November 1st.)

We are very excited about this. It will be sad to leave the friends we've made here, but we feel it's the best thing for our family. There was a time we thought we'd stay forever - we almost made an offer on a house just a few months ago - but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

So, yes, we've known for a while now that this might happen, but there's only so much you can do to prepare for something that might happen. For example, a few weeks ago we made a list of everything we would have to do IF we were moving. I guess I better go get started on it...

The Best Medicine

Laughter is contagious - especially baby laughter. And of course we think our baby's laugh is the cutest - so we've been trying to get a video to share with everyone. But she's tricky. She never laughs at the same thing twice. And she usually stops as soon as the camera comes out. So this is a real treat... (And I would just like to clarify that my sister is the one grunting and dropping the pillow. I did the filming. Ok, now you can watch.)
 

In other news - Daphne's four month check-up was a breeze. The doctor pronounced her "perfect". She weighs 12 pounds 13 ounces and is just over 25 inches long. I was expecting a guilt trip because she's not really a fat baby, but apparently she is big enough. And just for good measure, she peed all over the scale. You go girl!

Here are some of my most recent favorite pictures of her...

Funny parenting moment: Daphne pretty much lives in the same five outfits. All one-piece. All sleeveless. While dressing her in one such outfit, I thought, "Shouldn't I be putting her in clothes with sleeves, to encourage her to be modest?" Then I thought, "She's not even wearing pants!" Silly me. We'll work on the modesty thing in a few years...

This Little Piggy Went to the Market

The Pleasant Hill Market is amazing. I got everything in this picture for $21.57. A pineapple, a mango, four plums, eight apples, six bananas, four zucchini, five tomatoes, one head of cabbage, three broccoli crowns, two cucumbers, six carrots, one bunch of celery, one bunch of green onions, six sweet potatoes, five yellow onions, and three red and three green bell peppers. I love this place.

Why Are Spiders So Scary?

It's one in the morning. I've just finished feeding Daphne. She fell asleep in the process so I'm grateful to be able to put her right to bed. There's just one problem. On the ceiling directly above her bed is a spider. It's moving - so I wait for it to crawl far enough away so that if it drops while I'm trying to kill it, it won't drop onto her. I get on a chair, armed with an empty cereal box. I saw Steve kill a spider like this just the other day. He made it look so easy. Just smash the box up against the ceiling. Problem solved. So I go for it. The spider's too quick! It dodges the box and drops to the ground, then immediately crawls under Daphne's bed. My heart is pounding. I have to find that spider, so I turn to the pantry for a flashlight to help me on my spider hunt. To my horror, I find this guarding the pantry door!

My first thought is - how did he get there so fast?! Then I realize the awful truth - there are TWO spiders! Luckily this one does not have the ceiling advantage. It's a quick kill, but it still sets my heart racing. Of course, by the time I've disposed of the second spider and retrieved the flashlight, the first spider is nowhere to be found. It's late, I'm tired. I'll resume the hunt in the morning...

Photo Update

Some facts about Daphne...

She is getting better at tummy time - as long as I keep it under ten minutes. Or maybe five.

She smiles for anyone but the camera. Here is an almost grin. It's the best I could get!

She has a love/hate relationship with her bottom lip. Half the time she's sucking it in. Half the time she's pushing it out. She's also showing signs of becoming a potential thumb-sucker. But it's too soon to be sure.

She enjoys bath time, but enjoys the cozy afterbath even more.

She will do anything and everything in her power to watch TV, twisting herself into the most uncomfortable positions in order to catch a glimpse of even just the top corner. Last night we had to practically build a fort around her to block all possible viewpoints.

She is either too big or too smart for her swaddle wrap and therefore always working her way out. But we're still using it. She's typically pretty happy when she wakes up, and enjoys a good dramatic stretch. Then she realizes she's hungry.

She loves her Dad more than anything. I think the feeling is mutual.

Bragging Rights

Our kid is amazing. She smiles all the time and hardly ever cries - only when she's very hungry or very tired. She's been sleeping through the night (7-10 hours) since she was 6 weeks old. And now she has decided to put herself to bed. All I have to do is wrap her up, lay her down and leave the room while she drifts off to sleep. I wish I could brag but it's really nothing I've done. We're just blessed with a perfect baby.

False Alarm

I decided this blog doesn't really need to be private. More of a hassle than it's worth. Kind of like a seatbelt. Sure it might save my life, but in the meantime - it's really bugging me! Eventually I might switch back, but for now... I'm living on the edge. Hopefully you don't read about me in the news one day as one of those dummies who just didn't buckle up... (Metaphorically, that is. I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt!)

FYI - I've resumed posting on my other non-private blog
5 days 5 ways.

Monochromatic

Sometimes when Daphne messes up her outfit in unspeakable ways, I just give up on the cute clothes and put her in a plain white onesie. Here she is propped up by her equally white boppy pillow (white because the colorful cover had to be removed after being dirtied as well.)

But I guess messing up only her clothes just isn't enough sometimes... On days like today, she'll settle for no less than complete coverage - of the pillow, herself and myself... in poop. Still... she's pretty darn cute.

Unfortunately, when we take her out like this, people often mistake her for a boy. So when Steve comes home from work and sees that Daphne's dressed in white, he calls out, "Hi Little Boy!" Oh well, she doesn't seem to mind. Or does she...?

Really I think she's just upset that she lost her ball. Grabbing toys is her newest trick... she's getting pretty good at the initial grab, needs a little work on the follow-up hold. Don't worry, we practice every day!

New Role, New Goal

In my new role as a mother, I'm finding significantly less free time. My days of reading 100 books a year are definitely over. But reading is still important to me. So I made a new goal. Fifty books a year. Still ambitious, but not impossible. And I won't be guilty of child neglect.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

If you were a three month old baby, you would probably be content to just lay around and soak up all the love you get for simply being alive and adorable. Not Daphne. She wants to earn it. She has traveled by plane, train and automobile - from San Francisco to Denver to Idaho Falls and back. Then from Oakland to Salt Lake City to Brian Head (Utah) and back! She has met all her grandparents AND surviving great-grandparents. Six out of her seven aunts and uncles. And won the hearts of them all. She is an excellent traveler (only crying a tiny bit on the plane and then quite a bit in the car when she wanted to eat and we were in the middle of Nowhere, Southern Utah). Basically, she's amazing.

As her parents, we like to think we're pretty amazing as well - braving hours on airplanes and in cars with a three month old and (at the time) two month old baby. Really, we consider ourselves blessed and lucky that she was so well-behaved. It could have been so much worse. It was great to be able to see everyone (two reunions this summer, hence the Idaho and Utah trips). And to show off our little girl. But we did learn that traveling with a baby is SO much more complicated. And "vacations" with a baby are not the same at all. Much less carefree, but enjoyable all the same. Especially the fact that everyone wants to hold her so you actually get a shower every day! That was nice. Okay I manage to shower just about every day anyway, but still - it was a lot easier.

Despite her current outstanding travel record, I am still a bit nervous for our upcoming flight. This one will be just me and Daphne. No Dad to help out. And trust me, he was a HUGE help. So I'm hoping we survive this one...

Breakfast of Champions

Ask me what I had for breakfast...

2 slices of leftover birthday cake!

Do I feel guilty about this? Not a bit. Confused? Well then, ask me what I accomplished in the three hours that followed this breakfast binge...

I cleaned the kitchen, swept and swiffered the floors, took out the trash, vacuummed all the carpets including the stairs, dusted all the furniture, cleaned the bathroom including scrubbing the shower and tub and floor, read from the Book of Mormon AND posted this story on my blog!

So no, I don't feel guilty. In fact I'm pretty pleased with myself. Of course Daphne helped a bit by sleeping the entire time. But now that the battery in her swing is dead, she'll probably be waking up soon...

Going Private

I've been meaning to do this for a while now, I guess having a baby makes you more concerned about safety. Anyway - this blog will be private by the end of the week so if you'd like to still be able to read it - please give me your email address so I can "invite" you. Thanks!

Two Hands Are Better Than One

Look at this overachiever! She is not about doing things halfway...

Baby Fat

Everyone loves a baby with chubby legs and a double chin. But on her mother? Not so cute. I gained a total of 36 pounds during my pregnancy. 16 pounds just melted away within the first two weeks of giving birth. I've been hanging on to those remaining 20 pounds ever since. Time to lose my baby fat!

"Tummy Time"

If you're a mother, you know about "tummy time". Because babies are now supposed to sleep on their backs, it's recommended that they be given time on their bellies. Babies are supposed to use this time to strengthen their arms, neck and back - with the eventual goal of learning to crawl. Daphne seems to have a much different goal. Trying to fit her whole fist in her mouth. Well at least the time isn't totally unproductive!

A Bit of Light Reading

I started reading a book a few days before going into labor. I read almost half of it. Then I had a baby. I don't think I read a single page in the first month after Daphne was born. It has taken me up til now to read the second half (almost 8 weeks!). That is painfully slow for me, but finishing that book was awesome. It was like proving to myself that yes, I'm a mom now, but I'm also still ME. On top of that, I had no idea the book was actually the first in a series, so when it ended I was like WHAT?! what happens next?! I love that feeling. I've missed reading! (The book, by the way, is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I recommend it.)

Very Unexpected

I'm supposed to "sleep when the baby sleeps." I try to. But at some point, things need to get done around the house. Most days I do all right as far as getting enough rest. And I don't have too much trouble putting sleep before less important things (like dusting the furniture, for example). But I know I'm really tired when even eating becomes a chore - one more thing I have to do before I can take a nap. And though I never expected to feel this way, sometimes I find myself wishing I could survive without having to eat so much! SOMEtimes... but then Steve comes home with a pint of Ben&Jerry's ice cream and suddenly I'm very grateful to be allowed 2500 calories a day. Gotta love breastfeeding!

The Hardest Thing

Before having a baby, my life was pretty easy. In fact, last year while sitting with a few other women from church (all mothers already), someone asked the question "What would you do if you had one day where you could do whatever you wanted?" and when it finally came to me, I honestly answered "I pretty much do whatever I want right now." Everyone responded with comments like "oh that's nice" or "that's lucky" or "enjoy it while you can" but probably they really wanted to kill me. Now I know why!

Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom - but it is absolutely the hardest thing I've ever done. And when you're pregnant and people with kids are telling you how hard it's going to be you really have no idea what they're talking about. You can think "hmm, so it's going to be tough. well, I can handle that." Yeah, you can, but just barely - and not without tons of help!

Luckily we did have tons of help in the first few weeks - first from my mom and then from Steve's mom and then from both of our families. That was nice. SO nice. I don't know how we would have made it through those weeks without them. Then it was time for reality. Steve went back to work and it was just me and Daphne.

Now here we are, almost 7 weeks after she was born - FINALLY just beginning to feel like we've got this breastfeeding thing down - after wanting to quit like a million times. Finally getting her to nap during the day (she would go 4-6 hours without taking a nap, one day she went 10 hours without sleeping for more than 5 minutes at a time. I thought "there's no way I can survive this, motherhood will kill me, and quickly". Then someone introduced us to "The Happiest Baby on the Block". It works. Hallelujah! She's sleeping! which is the important thing - and I didn't die! which is a nice side benefit.)

Yes, it's the hardest thing ever. But now I also understand what people say after they tell you it will be hard. "It will be worth it." Feeling like I'll never have time to myself again, and realizing how difficult it is just to leave the house, and not wanting to schedule anything because I feel like I can't depend on any kind of predictable schedule... no, it's not easy. But with one tiny smile, all those bad feelings and all the diapers and crying and 3:00AM feedings - they are totally worth it.

Daphne's New Trick

Her pediatrician said to expect smiles around 6 weeks. She did it at 5. Pretty good, huh?

I like this one because I think she looks like me - which is rare. She's definitely her father's child.

Can't help but love her...

"Okay Mom, enough with the camera, I'm getting sick."

"Seriously Mom! That's enough!"

Just Some Pictures

Happy Mothers Day

If you're wondering why I haven't blogged in a while,
I promise I have a good excuse...

Daphne Lynn

Born May 9, 2010 at 8:59 p.m.

She weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces and was 20 inches long

Thanks to the epidural, the actual labor and delivery wasn't so bad. I felt lots of pressure but not too much pain and only had to push for 57 minutes. Because I had a slight fever towards the end, Daphne had one too so they put us both on antibiotics and wanted to watch her in the Intensive Care Nursery for six hours. As six hours turned into 10 days, we found it hard to be patient and have faith that she would be all right, but the prayers and fasting of our family and friends worked a miracle and she was finally able to come home last Wednesday. The doctors never really found anything wrong with her. They were mostly worried about her very low resting heart rate, but as time went on it gradually increased until there was nothing more to worry about and they let us take her home. Everything has been better since then.

Define "Prego"

1. Italian for "you're welcome" - the typical response to the Italian grazie ("thank you")

2. An American brand of pasta sauce

3. Another word for "pregnant"

4. The pizza with a reputation for inducing labor (if you can't read it, it says "The Prego Pizza: Our world-famous, labor-inducing masterpiece. It really works!!")

Even if it doesn't work, it was pretty tasty.

The Plan

Here's how it's going to happen...

Steve finishes work.
We pick up Mom from the airport.
We come home.
Have a late dinner. A few contractions.
10:00pm - my water breaks.
We show up at the hospital around 11, have a restless night of labor (not too painful of course, just exhausting) and then she'll arrive sometime tomorrow morning!

So that's the plan! Now everyone just stick to it, ok?

D-Day

It's here! The official due date. Seems like it might just pass by without any excitement though. Except of course for the tacos we'll be eating for dinner. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Nesting and Resting

Sometimes I have so much energy to do so many things. Last week I cleaned just about everything in the house. It was awesome! On these days, Steve says I'm nesting.

Other times, I just feel like sitting around all day. Like today. I'm resting. I suppose this is a good thing too, because every mom I talk to keeps telling me "rest while you can" and "enjoy the peace while it lasts". But I feel so lazy!

Song for Baby

To the tune of "Leaving on a Jet Plane"

Our bag is packed, we’re ready to go
We know the way to the hospital
We hate to rush you but it’s almost time
If my water breaks in the early morn
We’ll know that soon you will be born
Already we’re so restless we could die!

We’ll kiss you and smile for you
Tell you that we love you too
Hold you like we’ll never let you go
‘Cause we really want to meet you
So much we want to teach you
Oh babe, we love you so

I’m not sleeping well, have to pee all the time
But other than that, I feel just fine
A couple stretch marks showed up yesterday
So the doctor says you’re moving down
Says that soon you’ll be in town
They tell me now, it could be any day

We’ll kiss you and smile for you
Tell you that we love you too
Hold you like we’ll never let you go
‘Cause we really want to meet you
So much we want to teach you
Oh babe, we love you so

Now I’ve swept or vacuumed every floor
Scrubbed the tub and wiped the doors
You won’t find a cleaner place to lay your head
To dream about the days to come
When we won’t have such a clean home
But we’ll be happy to have you instead

We’ll kiss you and smile for you
Tell you that we love you too
Hold you like we’ll never let you go
‘Cause we really want to meet you
So much we want to teach you
Oh babe, we love you so

So Popular

"You're so popular!" Steve told me last night, as we were driving away from Walmart. It's true too. We got swarmed by about 4 or 5 ladies in the freezer aisle, all at the same time, all smiling and telling me how cute I was and wishing they were pregnant and cute like me. I'm somewhat of a celebrity these days. There was probably someone hiding behind a clothes rack, snapping paparazzi pictures of me.

It's a bit overwhelming, but funny how everyone notices me now. People who would never talk to me otherwise. And I would never bother talking to them.

Not sure how I'll handle it when the baby is here and SHE'S the popular one. I hope I can graciously give up the attention and not turn into a jealous monster mom.

OK, I'm not really worried about that. But still it's interesting how certain circumstances bring us out of our normally accepted antisocial behavior of completely ignoring the people we don't know.

The Best Two Years

Yes, I ripped off the movie title. But this has nothing to do with missionaries. This is about US.

Two years later and even more in love than we were to begin with! I'm so happy to be married to Steve and sealed to him forever. Best decision I ever made.

The second best was my dessert selection at the Cheesecake Factory last night. Mango Key Lime. Delicious!

And for the record, our anniversary was yesterday. But I was too busy celebrating to blog about it on time.

Steve surprised me with TWO bouquets of roses (one for each year) and then took me out for dinner. It was perfect.

Favorite moment: when our song started playing in the restaurant. Magical!

Least favorite moment: looking at the picture our server took and realizing how puffy my face is. Oh well! We'll work on that later. Happy Anniversary!

Five Days Five Ways

check out my new cooking blog!

http://www.5days5ways.blogspot.com/

Bad Mother

What's the worst thing a mother could do to her baby? Drop it on its head, right? Well according to the nurse at my last check-up... I did just that! AH! I'm failing already!

Well... Apparently she is head down and has officially "dropped" into position. That's how they describe it. And it's actually a good thing. And I actually don't think I'm a bad mother - yet.

Food Blog

I love cooking, baking and otherwise experimenting in the kitchen. I've been wanting to start a food blog/cooking blog to document all my adventures, but haven't been able to come up with a focus for it - until now!

Here's my idea: "Five Days - Five Ways". Basically, I'll have a theme ingredient each week and try to come up with five different recipes that use it (one recipe per day, Monday through Friday). The theme ingredient will be whatever is on sale that week at our local grocery store/produce market.

The point is that sometimes there are great deals on fresh fruits, vegetables, deli and dairy products, but then I stock up on these items, don't know what to do with them (or get sick of eating them the same way) and they spoil. Then the money I saved is actually money wasted. This would force me to use up all the groceries, and help me be more creative.

So, what do you think?

Craigslist Virgins

Steve and I purchased a secondhand stroller on craigslist pretty much as soon as we found out we were pregnant. Then we discovered that everyone wants to give you stuff for your first baby and ended up with a brand new stroller (which we obviously preferred). SO yesterday I finally set up my own craigslist account, posted pictures of our secondhand secondhand stroller and... it sold! For $5 more than our asking price even. I'm satisfied.

Baby Shower

My friend Jessica hosted a wonderful baby shower for us last Saturday. I think the cake speaks for itself - she's amazing!

We got so many presents - much more than we hoped for! And we're so grateful to all our friends who came to celebrate with us. As more than half the guests were Steve's coworkers, we felt it was appropriate for him to be there, though he did endure some heavy teasing for it. Still, I love that he was willing to come.

Of course, being the super-excited-first-time-parents that we are, we went shopping right afterward and bought even more baby stuff (mostly just the essentials... plus a little extra...) We THINK we now have everything we need... but only time will tell.

Ice Cream Maker

My new favorite toy. Steve found me one for $20 at TJMaxx (normally priced at $80!). Even more amazing than the price is the fact that I had been wanting one for several weeks but didn't mention it to Steve because I felt it was an unnecessary luxury. Somehow he figured it out anyway. He's brilliant.

So far we have made vanilla ice cream, orange julius, and strawberry frozen yogurt. They have all been good but vanilla remains our favorite. The trick is to get REAL vanilla - not that imitation flavoring. Mix it in with some sugar and half-and-half (half cream/half milk) and you've got yourself one delicious dessert!

Here's the official recipe, for any fellow ice cream maker users...

Vanilla Ice Cream*
1 1/2 cups half-and-half, plus 3 cups
1 1/8 cups sugar
1 1/2 T. vanilla extract

Blend the 1 1/2 cups half-and-half with the sugar on low speed until sugar dissolves (1-2 minutes). Then gently mix in the remaining half-and-half as well as the vanilla. Pour it all in your ice cream maker and let it churn for 25 minutes. Eat immediately (soft-serve consistency) or freeze for later ("hard" ice cream). Makes 7 cups. 100 calories per 1/2 cup serving.

*A note on this particular recipe: this is not a custard-style ice cream. It is very light and refreshing, which is how we prefer it, but if you like thick and creamy you might want to look elsewhere. And I'm pretty sure you'll have to use eggs. Good luck!

Time Flies When You're Having a Baby

I can't believe I am only four weeks from my due date! But these pictures don't lie...

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

Please note the shape and height of my belly. Pretty much everyone thinks I am having a boy because of it. Total strangers say to me, "Oh, you're having a boy!" (It's never phrased as a question.) But we just had a second ultrasound with a second confirmation that it is, in fact, a girl - no matter what the sample lady at Costco says! (She really tried to convince me that I'm having a boy. I listened politely but didn't believe a word.) With less than one month to go, we are getting very excited to meet our little GIRL!