June

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1. Sunshine, blue skies, and flowers (that's really 3 reasons)

2. Another year married to this guy


3. Fresh fruit growing in our yard


4. Nights warm enought to walk through


5. Celebrating the birth of this lovely creature (the man, not the dog)


6. Backyard picnics


7. And the welcoming of my dearest Penny

There's no better month in the year.

Penny Vids

Here are some short videos from our ultrasound. The first one is 20 seconds long and number two is 1 minute.

Watch for her tongue in this one!

Penny has never been very cooperative during ultrasounds, so the U/S tech and I were poking and prodding trying to get her to move.

Finally, Seth jumped in and said, "Let me talk to her. She likes me."

He was right. Every time Seth said her name, she responded with the sucking reflex. Looks like she's gonna be a daddy's girl.

Penny Pics

As promised, here are some ultrasound pictures of my sweet baby.

This is her profile. She's ALWAYS pressing her face into something--my uterine wall, placenta or her hands. This time it's my placenta.

Hiding behind her arms.

Furrowing her brow.

Angelina Jolie lips...don't know where she got those from.

Just another sneak peek at my little Penny.

This one's my favorite. It almost looks like she's smiling.

Ultrasound video to follow. Keep a lookout!

A Big Thanks

To my stepsister Ali and her twin brother Chris. They hand-made some beautiful gifts for Penny.

Behold:

Tiny moccasins for tiny feet by Ali.

Stuffed piggy to cuddle by Chris.

Thanks again. I truly love them.

Oh Yeah!

I'm taking a Hypnobabies class. Below are videos illustrating what my birthing day will look like.

Short version:


Long version:

Looks pretty nice, right? So again I say, oh yeah!
(Only encouraging comments please)

It's Penny!

And her sister....uh, yeah.

We just had our second ultrasound and apparently they can see more than the midwives. Seth has twins in his family, uncles. And now daughters. Hope they don't mind sharing a bed.

April Fools!

Did I trick you? Did I, did I? Please let me know, it will make me SO happy. But for reals, here's Penny. Still just a single child.

(Look at her cute nose! And scary reflection.)

We have another 3D/4D ultrasound next week because her face was smashed up against my belly the whole time. This is the only good picture we got of her.

Tune in next week. No more tricks, I promise.

Needed...

...or really, really wanted.

Want: Baby Wrap for cleaning and shopping.

Want: Baby Carrier for hiking (which I swear I'll do).

Need: Car Seat for obvious reasons.

Need: Fancy Breast Pump so Daddy can help with feeding.

Want: Bouncy Seat so my arms get a break sometimes.

Want: Boppy Pillow 'cause I heard they were nice...

Only 11 weeks left to get everything!

Boo-hoo-hoo

My midwife abandoned me. She's moving out of state, and now I'm left to find another. Look, not even a picture to post on this picture blog, just to show you how sad I am.

Spring Forward

Hooray! Penny's due date was moved forward a week to June 12. That means I am 28 weeks pregnant, so here's the update.

Real belly to show you Penny.

Fake belly to show you Penny.

She weighs about 2.25 lbs., and measures about 14.8 inches long. Her eyes can now open and she can see light through my belly.

Keep growing strong, girlie. Less than 12 weeks to go!

Phase One: Fertilization and Growth

We have a garden. This is pertinent information to Penny's blog because one day she will enjoy the organic goodness. And it's all thanks to her daddy Seth.

See, I told you he was something.

Favorite Pregnancy Reads...So Far

Check 'em out.

Who knows?

Maybe you'll turn into a natural/home birth/Supernanny lover, too.

Girly Things

Look at me being all craftsy. I made headband bows.

Each bow has a clip that can attach to the headband. Clever, huh?

A Rhyming Acrostic

Pardon me while I brag.
Excuse me while I boast, but
Never have you seen a better dad than Penny's, who's the most
Nice and loving, kind and caring, intelligent to boot.
Yes he's charming thoughtful gentle humble & don't forget he's cute.
Steadfast and pleasant, swell and decent, and my, he's nifty, too.
Dependable, darling, devoted, doting. You're jealous now, aren't you?
Affectionate, adorable, and oh so incredible, I'm truly glad he's mine.
Dear Penny, you are one lucky girl--your daddy sure is fine.

(Isn't he just SO cute?)

P.S. I'm not a poet and now you know why this is a picture blog. I still rhyme like I'm in the 3rd grade.

Here's Penny!

We couldn't wait to see what our little girl would look like. We think she's quite stunning.

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Wouldn't you agree?

This is Man's Work

Seth replaced the outdated '70s knobs with sparkly glass ones.

And boy, do they look purdy.

Thanks, sweetie.