spring is in the air

I can hear it, I can feel it, I can taste it! Although February tends to drag on and on and on and on and on after a cold, dark winter (despite the fact it is only 29 days long), it is actually one of my favorite months. Not only does it precede my birthday month, but certain signs of spring start to pop up.

My absolute favorite is the length of sunlight we see in a day. A few weeks ago I noticed as I opened the garage door to leave for work that the sun was starting to peek out. Last week as I left the gym at 5:45pm, it was still light out, for the entire 5 minute drive home...full on sunshine! Seriously, there are days that I might not even see a glimpse of sunlight as I have an interior office.

And on Saturday morning I awoke to a bird chirping. Yes, a bird!!! Only two days before it was 10 below zero. On this wonderful Saturday the temperature rose to 40 degrees and birds were chirping. The pavement was wet as the snow slowly started to disappear. My tired, dull, wool winter coat felt too warm for a 40 degree day, and I craved something grilled- a hamburger or cheesy brat (with a beer, but that will have to wait for a few months).

While I am not naive to the fact that Minnesota will be bombarded with a snowstorm and a string of cold days, there is hope...spring is just around the corner. It is inevitable, it will come!

And this year, as I notice Mother Nature's little miracles- the grass starting to turn green, the budding trees, robins nurturing their eggs- I will anxiously be awaiting my own little miracle.

finally- a few photos!!

Hank the Nook Thief looking oh, so innocent. So far he has taken a baby blanket, a stuffed animal, and a nook from my bag of baby items.

Phil playing Guitar Hero III- he rocks!

Angie and me at her baby shower in DL.

The Beginning of the End

Today I am 27 weeks along- the start of my 3rd trimester with only 13 weeks to go! It seems like so long ago that I found out I was pregnant that I don't remember what it's like to be NOT pregnant:) At this point 13 weeks still seems like an eternity, but in my head I think things like "Easter is only 6 weeks away, and by then I will only have 7 weeks left." Every little milestone helps.

We have a lot to do before the baby comes so I really shouldn't wish the time away too quickly. For example, we need to buy a crib- the baby has no where to sleep yet! Currently we are working on finishing the basement after the latest sewer water issue in September. The tile floor is being installed as we speak, so hopefully we will have that room back to normal in two weeks. After that we have to finish our half bath and finally we can get to the nursery. Actually there isn't much to do in there except get rid of the spare bed and everything stored in the closet. We really don't have much extra space, so I guess this will be another round of spring cleaning with multiple trips to the Goodwill. I have no idea how we accumulate so much crap! Of course we have had months to prepare, but Phil and I definitely work better under pressure. He was painting the basement walls last night until 11:30pm so they would be ready for the floor installation today.

As for me, I am still feeling really good, at least as good as a gal can feel at 6 months pregnant. I have lots of energy and am able to sleep (except when Hank roams around the room at 3am). I can still tie my own shoes and paint my toenails. Oh, and no back pain! This, I know, probably will not last but I am optimistic.

The baby is about 2 lbs. and 14 inches long. He/ she wiggles around constantly, and the movements are especially strong when I am sitting down, so I feel them all day long at work. It's pretty cool but also a little alien-like.

Today my good friend Mel and I are going to Babies "R" Us to register. If you've never had a baby, selecting the suitable equipment is a daunting task. Evidently we need not one nursery, but two to store all of the things needed to properly care for an infant. According to the checklist I have, we need not one stroller, not two, but four (full-size, umbrella, jogging, and convenience)!!!! A bit extreme in my opinion.

I will try and post a picture of me with my baby belly soon! Remember I broke the camera, but I hope to get a new one this weekend:)
Cheers,
Jenn