Look at this baby I birthed.

Veya Rae was born Dec.  27. She's perfect.

I like pregnancy.

You can tell based on the amount of photos I take of myself.

In all seriousness, though, the thought of having a little person who's half Chris and half me is starting to become very exciting. Duh, it was already exciting, which is why we chose to embark upon this weird and scary and fun journey, but the closer it gets to her arrival, the more real it becomes.

I've chosen the best person in the world to procreate with. Honest. And that alone makes me giddy to get to know this girl who spends her days wedging feet in my ribs.

I complain a lot about pregnancy. I'm uncomfortable. My bladder is weaker (it was already tiny and feeble). I'm a cry baby. It hurts. My ass got large. But really, I only bitch so much because I have an amazing support system and they're always encouraging me to bitch. They say I deserve it. Which I sort of do, I guess.

But the truth is, I am loving this. Way more than I ever imagined I would. My body is an amazing instrument of which I have endless amounts of respect. My baby is already cool (she loves to listen to The Beatles and she's a great kick boxer). My dogs are being less naughty. My husband is helpful, kind and patient. My friends and family are accommodating and spoiling me like there's no tomorrow. It's all just great, and I am happy.

Somewhat human.

I have an appetite. My morning sickness is gone. I'm feeling somewhat human again. For a minute there, I was wondering what I'd gotten myself into. Now, though, I've entered this magical phase of pregnancy that I've heard so many talk about: the second trimester.

I'm six months pregnant, and with the exception of frequent pee trips to the restroom and uncomfortable belly situations while I sleep, I'm feeling amazing. The whole experience leaves me in awe every single day. Feeling her move (it's a girl!), seeing her face during the ultrasound, getting to know her sleep schedule and what music she likes--it's sort of the coolest thing I've ever experienced.

You know when you hear those pregnant women complain about strangers touching their growing stomachs? I'm not one of them. The attention doesn't bother me; in fact, often I grab hands of curious bystanders and place them on my tummy. Feeling her movements is just too amazing not to share. It's a miracle in every sense of the word, and how could I not want to share that miracle with everyone around me?

Funny things happen when you're pregnant. I will write about some of those funny things at some point.

Baby shower!

This is kind of late...but I still wanted to post some adorable pictures from Winter's baby shower a couple weeks ago. I hosted the family shower with her mom and it turned out awesome.

Here are the oreo truffles I made. SO EASY and no baking required (which means it would have been very difficult for me to screw up!). That's my kind of treat! Want the recipe? Here you go...

Working diligently :

These are the nutter butter balls (I covered mine in pink coconut):



I did it all by myself!


These matching display plates may be a little overboard, but Judy didn't give me very many tasks...so I had to go above and beyond with my duties.


Over-the-top index cards for the advice game (like I said, she didn't give me enough to do!):


Diabetes Fest '09

TONS of people came--she went away with a lot of sweet gifts.


She's writing parent advice to herself


She only has 3.5 months left.


One day maybe (far far far far from now) she will host my shower.


Mother/daughter moment = sweetness

Winter's bump

Since she hasn't posted any belly pics...I WILL! I just think it's too cute NOT to.

17 weeks

In three days I will be in in AZ taking lots more pics! Here's the cute bedding she picked out:

It comes in pink/brown for a girl and green/brown for a boy.

Yeah I know I am over-the-top excited about this! But she's my best friend! What'd ya expect?