Our Little Nate Jr.

(Complete with 2 arms and 2 legs.)

Surprise!  Nate and I just made it back from our first appointment and as it turns out it isn't all in my head... there is a baby in there.  Funny how it takes actually seeing the little booger on a screen before I was 100% convinced (you'd think the 3 pregnancy tests and 2 missed periods would confirm that.)  As we were waiting for the ultrasound equipment I asked Nate, "What if there isn't a baby in there?  That would be so embarrassing."  But I'm officially not crazy.  The nausea, "filling out", weird cravings, light-headedness, heartburn, heightened sense of smell, and frequent urination are legit.  (Although thankfully the "nausea" part is long over.)

We're now looking forward to the 5th of July.  I'm 11 weeks along and the little kiddo is the size of a fig.  (Next week's "lime-sized" was more appealing, but I couldn't wait that long and I didn't want to lie.)  We're really excited... and occasionally nervous.  Especially Nate, who after the initial excitement wore off walked around like a zombie for a week, with money stress written all over his face.  (Which has thankfully been relieved greatly thanks to some hand-me-down baby gear that won't have to be purchased... now all that remains is an excited father-to-be.  And can I just say that he is adorable about it?  He asked me if he could take one of the ultrasound pictures to hang in his cubicle.  I love it!)

So far I can't help thinking it's a boy (a mini Nate is what I always picture.)  I will be COMPLETELY shocked (although not at all disappointed) if I'm wrong.  I won't know until July though because we've decided we want it to be a surprise.

And finally the classic baby bump picture...

Weird... I had to do some scrounging to find a shirt that would "show."  Apparently most of my shirts flare away at the belly... so hopefully I can wear most of them as maternity clothes for a little while.  Nothing too extreme... but there is definitely an emerging baby bump there.  The jeans are definitely a lot more snug... 

Mashed Potatoes

The other day Nate and I were sitting on the couch watching television and a commercial came on.  Not sure what restaurant it was, but there were mashed potatoes.  I said, "Oh man, mashed potatoes sound so good!"  Nate turned to me about ready to get up and said, "Do you want me to go make you some?"  I started laughing.  "No, Nate, I think I'll be alright."  He said, "No, seriously I could just peel and boil a couple potatoes... it's not a big deal.  I can even make you some gravy."

And that, my friends, is why I am the luckiest girl....

Deck the Halls

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the decorating and while we don't exactly have a whole lot of decorations yet (we are still living in an apartment) Nate and I got out our Christmas boxes this Friday and got to work.  We literally spent the whole evening Christmasing up our place while listening to Nat King Cole's Christmas album.  There is something about putting up the twinkle lights, decorating the tree, and hanging the mistletoe that officially puts me in the the Christmas spirit.

In our 5 Christmases as a family we've only bought one Christmas tree.  Not only is our apartment super tiny, but we just can't justify spending $30 on a tree when we're gone half the month anyway.  So this year I got the genius idea to decorate our ficus tree.  The branches are a little weak, so we had to be extra careful about only using light ornaments... and then I remembered some cute fabric I had bought recently.  We ripped the fabric into strips and then tied them into cute little bows.  Nate calls the tree "our Charlie Brown tree."  I think it's pretty cute and it definitely helped our place feel a whole lot more Christmasy.

Nate's parents surprised us this summer with a nativity set that they had found at an after Christmas sale.  We were so excited to put it up and each took turns adjusting this wisemen and that shepherd to better face the baby Jesus.  Again, it's amazing how something so small can make such a big deference.  I love it!

There's still a few more strands of twinkle lights to be hung, but overall I am loving our apartment right now.  Is there anything better than snuggling on the couch with your hubby sipping hot chocolate in the glow of Christmas lights?  I didn't think so...

Nate and I having some fun taking pictures of our deciduous Christmas tree.

What I'm Thankful For

So with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I've been thinking a lot about just how lucky I am to have what I do.  Here's a quick list of a few of those things:

1) Nate.  Seriously, how is it that I got so lucky?  My husband is so good to me.  We are a perfect fit.  I'm being 100% honest when I say that I never get sick of the guy... in fact, I usually feel like I can't quite get enough of him.  I start getting really excited around 4:30 waiting for him to come home.  He's a great guy.

2) The gospel.  Again, how lucky can one girl be?  The truth that I have blesses my life each day.  I know why I'm here and what I've gotta do... and it feels good.  The Church is true, Christ lives, and I know my Heavenly Father loves me.

3) My calling.  I've been the secretary in the Young Women's and now I'm the Laurals advisor and I LOVE my girls.  They are such amazing, bright, smart and strong girls.  I appreciate their friendship and I try everyday to be a leader that will influence them for the better.  I hope they know how much I love them and how much I pray that they'll continue to make good decisions.

4) My family.  I have the most amazing family.  My siblings really are my best friends.  They understand me so well.  I love you guys!

5) The sun.  It was actually sunny today and after 2 days of dark clouds and crazy wind, I needed it.

6) Food.  Whether it's Thanksgiving dinner, Italian food or Mexican, Lindor truffles, homemade stew and rolls, or BBQ chicken... it makes me happy.  (Can you tell I'm anxiously awaiting dinner to finish cooking?)

7) Photography/Hobbies.  I'm grateful for my talents and even somethings that I'm not so good at, but that still make me happy... like singing to music.

Okay, so the list goes on but that dinner that I was talking about is nearly finished so I'd better run, but I just had to take a minute to vocalize how grateful I am for everything that I've been blessed with.  I love this time of year.  We get to focus on what we're thankful for and then we get to celebrate the birth of the Savior... not sure I could make it through winter without the holiday season.