Grandma Slane

We had such a nice weekend with my Mama. She came to Austin to check out a few neighborhoods, as my folks are considering a move wanted to look at Austin as a possibility. We have no idea if it'll really happen - but Aurora and I sure enjoyed showing Grandma Slane around the area.

We found some great parks, ate some good food, and all in all had a fun and exhausting weekend which included a couple of meltdowns, locking my keys in the car, tons of hugs, lots of laughs, and a lovely date night for me and Chuck. If my parents don't move here, I hope they'll come visit more often...

I love being pregnant...

I really do. Now that I'm actually starting to show and am feeling the baby move, it's pretty amazing. I'm nearly 17 weeks along now, and this afternoon had my monthly OB appointment. No sonograms, no interesting photos, but I did get to hear a heartbeat which my doctor said was strong at 135bpm.

I also hate being pregnant. I hate this in-between stage where I'm not big enough for maternity tops, but my shirts are just too tight. I HATE how much my chest has already grown. I know this is TMI, but it's just crazy to me... I started as a 32D, 6 weeks ago measured in at 34DD, and last weekend I was sized at 36F. Seriously people. SERIOUSLY. We still have 5 months to go here.

Sometimes I wish this whole process would speed up a little, but I have a feeling these coming months are going to be very full and will fly by. My mom's coming to visit, we're planning a stay-cation, and before you know it, this little cutie will be turning FOUR! She also loves that I'm pregnant...

Perfect

A day off with Aurora is fun, a day off on my own is relaxing, but today I had a day off with Chuck, which was quite a treat! We dropped Aurora at school, went to breakfast, ran some errands, then took 3+ mile walk through our neighborhood. We used to take this walk all the time, but since Aurora came along, long walks just don't happen anymore. In fact, adult conversations rarely happen anymore - Aurora likes to make sure we are only paying attention to her! I'm not complaining - I like paying attention to her, but the quiet time was pretty great. Of course, we still had the whole weekend together as a family. On Sunday we went to see the Secret World of Arriety in the theater, which was such a good movie. Afterwards we shared a smoothy. Chuck took this picture:

And Aurora took this one!

During our long walk, we had time to discuss all the things we want and need to do before and after baby #2 arrives. I suggested we plan a vacation, and asked Chuck where he'd want to go or what he'd want to do. He said he'd like to take a week off while Aurora's in school and have a stay-cation. A whole week just like today. I think that sounds pretty perfect, so if schedules permit, that just might be happening in the near future! In case you're wondering what our long walks look like, here's a pic:

Being in Austin and even seeing our house, you would not think we lived in such a rural area! But just a few blocks away there are goats, sheep, and beautiful stretches of quiet gravel roads. There are also tons of nice homes and normal streets, but the goats. I had to show you the goats.

Gymboree Party

A couple weeks ago we went to our friend Melody's 4th birthday party at Gymboree, and her mom just sent me these pictures. I had to share! I mean, how cute are these girls?

The second photo includes a rare candid photo of me, getting ready for Aurora's turn. And the last picture... well, that's my favorite. Aurora trying to catch a bubble. In her mouth.

Not much on the calendar this weekend, but I can tell you that Chuck & I both have Monday off, while preschool is open for business. What a treat. I'll let you know how it goes!

Valentine's Week

Foggy morning commute. 

Heart-shaped pizza for lunch.

Checking out her Valentine's loot. 

Beautiful afternoon in downtown Austin.

Belly Photos

I've been having trouble remembering how far along I am (yup, second pregnancy), so a friend of mine suggested I download a pregnancy app for my iPhone. Brilliant! Now, not only can I remember exactly how far along I am (almost 15 weeks), I can also watch videos, read articles, and get tips and suggestions for a happy, healthy pregnancy. The app gives me different "to-do" items each day, which have included such basics as: take your prenatal vitamin, drink lots of water, go to bed early, spend time with your partner, and stretch. Today's was: take a belly photo. We took two.

There are all kinds of apps out there that I didn't have last time around. Just four short years ago I used a journal. I wrote things down with a pen and paper. Now I can track pregnancy, breast-feeding, diapering and naps on my iPhone - AND get great ideas like taking belly photos!

What a Week

This has been such a busy week that I haven't had much chance to think about taking pictures or blogging. I'm a week into my second trimester and I think I must have my energy back or I'm not sure I would've made it through!

The week started with a really fun night watching the Bachelor with my girlfriends, before focusing much of time on eBay sales. I sold more things for friends this week than I have in a long time. Wednesday I picked up Aurora and Presley and took them both to dinner, as Presley's mom had to work late. There was a lot of excitement in our car that night.

It was also incredibly busy at work, and we ended the week with a last minute happy hour at Lance's house. I couldn't find anybody to babysit, so we decided to try out a drop-in childcare center a friend had recommended called the Clubhouse. I don't think Aurora loved it, but I'm sure we'll use it again just because it was so convenient, the rates are reasonable, and it's open late.

Yesterday I finally made it to prenatal yoga. It was the same day, time, location, and even the same instructor as I took just about each week during my pregnancy 4-years ago! Amazingly, it was even better than I'd remembered. I felt so good afterwards that I spent about an hour pulling weeds outside, and yes, my legs are VERY sore today.

Not too sore to make smily face pancakes with yogurt hair for breakfast, clean the house, do laundry, run errands, and take Aurora to a birthday party this afternoon... who has time for the Super Bowl?