What Do You Crave?

1. Roast beef and mashed potatoes. Really, any meat will do, but roast beef really gets me fired up. With mashed potatoes. The real ones, not the box kind. Mmmmmmm.

2. Scrambled eggs with salt, pepper and cheddar cheese.

3. I'm popping these suckers like candy.


I would be a happy prego with just these foods in my life right now.

Moms and moms-to-be: What did you long for in the wee hours of the night??

Whatcha Hidin' Under There?!

Those of you who see me frequently may be surprised to learn that I have quite the burgeoning belly hiding under the baggy clothes I've been modeling lately. After reading a post from my prego friend Michelle, I realized it was high time I posted some pictures.

The reason I haven't done this yet is plain and simple: I am only 14 weeks along and I have to admit I'm a little bashful over the fact that I already require maternity pants. This is why I haven't joyously pulled out the empire-waste tops but have instead clung to my old college t-shirts (and subsequently why I look like a bum pretty much everywhere I go).

When deciding to take pictures tonight, I thought two things. First, "I'll wear the same shirt I wore in my first pregnancy pictures last time!" My second thought was, "I think I was 14 weeks along then, too, although my stomach was quite a bit smaller."

I was correct on two counts. Yes, it was the same shirt. Yes, my stomach was quite a bit smaller. However, I was actually 17 weeks along. Sheesh!

You can compare for yourself.
The first pic is me today, at 14 weeks... yikes! The second one is me 1.5 years ago at 17 weeks (there was hardly anything there!!).

Another comparison. First picture: me, today at 14 weeks. Second picture, me all those months ago, at 21 WEEKS!! Hold the presses - it almost looks like the same stomach!

All bellies aside, I have to say thanks to God my Father. I am so full of praise that I am getting to experience this a second time around.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..." James 1:17

Sophie's First Date

Sophie and her little friend from church went cruising tonight. Well, they tried, anyway. He got cold feet at the last minute, and wouldn't push the pedal. Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest; they were taken on Ben's cell phone.

I just love the progression of happenings.

First, Sophie looks very unsure - "Daddy, I thought you said I wasn't dating until I was 30?"


Next, she's checking out her buddy's foot action - "You men are so full of hot air - you promised a ride and all we're doing is sitting here!"


Last, they're both ready to bolt. It didn't go quite as anticipated by the planning committee (i.e. the adults).


Addendum: Sophie is not wearing Mickey Mouse ears - that's part of the Jeep.

Even When She's Sick...

That's right, she still performs, even with strep throat. We went to the doctor today, and she definitely has the nasty stuff. While there, the nurse practitioner asked me if Sophie had a cough, to which I answered no. Little did I know I was about to be shown up by my 13-month-old, who promptly coughed without missing a beat (might I add, this was definitely on purpose).

If you haven't seen her performing this one, go here.

Momma's Little Helper

You might see the pictures below and ask, "Just how is this helping?" Sophie loves her two cabinets that she gets to play in, and this will keep her entertained literally for 15-20 minutes. That's enough time to paint the bedroom, take a shower and run to the store in Momville. (Okay, please don't call Child Services, I'm really not leaving her at home!!)

It's also great because I teach her about putting things back. Now when I tell her, "Okay, let's put it back," she knows what it means and back it goes. As you can see from the 3rd picture, those may not be the most beautifully arranged of my shelves, but it's fun that she can have her little area in the kitchen.





Thanks to some wise blogging advice from Rachel, I also have been looking for other ways for Sophie to help around the house (if interested, read her post about Miss Angie). Yesterday Soph and I put some laundry in the washing machine together. She thought it was such a fun game! What a great way to get Sophie started early on helping out at home!

**For those of you wondering, yes my daughter lives in pj tops and diapers when we don't go anywhere. I'm not ashamed to admit it!

I Always Said She Would Only Sleep In Her Crib...

Today we spent the morning at the zoo as part of my ten year high school reunion. We expected to leave around 12:30 for Sophie to get a nap. By the time we made our exit at 1:45, she'd taken matters into her own hands.

What Happens at Grandma's Stays at Grandma's

I swear when we dropped her off she was fully clothed...

As If Dancing For Attention Weren't Enough...

Now my 13-month-old has started posing for the camera. She is SUCH a cheese-ball. (A few of these were practiced before, but not all of them!)

Here is when I asked her, "Do you love DaDa?" And she put her head to the side while I said, "Awwww....":


Here she's showing off how she says "please:"


Here she just took a bite of a cereal bar and she's saying "Mmmmmm" to her DaDa behind the camera:


In this one she's just finished blowing kisses at the camera:


And the real kicker was this one - when Ben first pulled out the camera, she started cheesing for it and made this hilarious face (totally spontaneous!):

Circa 1957

So, did those of you with a keen eye for decorating notice the turquoise bathroom tile in the pictures from my last post? It's turquoise, very turquoise. I guarantee it's the original tile chosen by June Cleaver when she had this house built.

Space, Glorious Space!!

We've only been in our house for a week, so I can't say that we're fully unpacked or making full use of our space yet. I do have to mention, however, how wonderful it is to have a house and not just a room and a storage unit. When we had all our things in a storage unit, we would constantly ask the question, "Where is...?" We would immediately answer ourselves, "It's in storage! Aarrgh!"

Among many other moments of rejoicing to have something back, last night was one of those times. For the last 4 months, I've watched Sophie quickly outgrow her tiny baby towels, and I've lamented the fact that all her cushy, big-girl hooded towels were in storage. Yesterday I finally had them washed, and Sophie was able to be wrapped up in cuddliness after her bath. Thanks, Rachel, for the great towel - we love it!