Other "babies" in neighborhood

We have a ceramic bird house hanging in our Japanese maple tree outside our kitchen window...it is usually uninhabited, but this spring a pair of sparrows have taken up residence and started a family! Recently, the baby sparrows have been visible sticking their heads out of the hole as they anxiously wait for their parents to bring a morsel to eat. After some patient waiting, I manage to catch them on film:

From Pennsylvania to Missouri...

As many of you know, Josh's mom and step-dad have decided to relocate to St. Louis from central Pennsylvania... last Saturday, Josh's mom arrived in this 24-foot long Uhaul that she drove by herself across 4 states! Within 24 hours of arriving, she had found a rental house and the boys (Nate and Josh) had unloaded the truck into the house! What a whirlwind! This week has been spent sprucing up the house and unpacking boxes in anticipation of Eddie (and the dogs) arrival toward the end of the week!

"Cankles"

I have been fortunate in my pregnancy for the most part... no morning sickness, no strong aversions to smells or foods, and only a little fatigue. However, one side effect of pregnancy that I seem unable to avoid is swelling in my ankles. Not sure if this picture does the swelling justice, but it might give you a little bit of an idea of what my ankles look like. A friend referred to them as "cankles"... where you can no longer distinguish your calves from your ankles. Josh hates that word so I don't use it very much, but it is descriptive. The doctor has told me to keep my feet elevated... but there is so much to get done, I have a hard time sitting still for any length of time.

Baby Furniture

Putting the baby's room together has been a slow process for many reasons, but things are beginning to come together. I recently ordered this changing table from Target and am anxious for it to arrive. So many changing table options... who knows which one is best? I was going to opt for the cart type table but read in one of the reviews that toddlers just pull things off the open shelves. So I decided to go with one that has drawers and a cabinet... it is also a little longer to accomodate the changing pad and some other diapering necessities.

We also have a crib picked out but haven't ordered it yet... maybe next week?

7 months and counting...

I’m not necessarily a big fan of the “belly” shot, but it certainly documents the size of my growing belly (especially when you compare it to my last pic on April 29th). My mom took this picture when she was in town last week...I think I look really tired in the picture but I have a feeling that has more to do with the massive amount of work she and I did in the basement that day more so than the pregnancy!

That is not to say that the baby is not making his presence known - my ankles have been swelling the last couple of weeks and the word “heartburn” has taken on new meaning to me of late. Fortunately, school ended on June 1st which allows me to get off my feet and prop them up from time to time. The baby is also moving a ton -- my stomach sometimes seems like it has life of its own. Josh laughs at me and says my new favorite pastime is watching my stomach! It’s hard not to when it seems like there is a dance party going on in there!