There's an Egg in the Nest!

Chris and I have been crazy busy lately. Not only is it winter in Minnesota (which is naturally the best time for tackling big house projects), but we also have a little extra motivation for kicking things into high gear...

Yep... we're expecting our first baby! Before I dive into all the changes we're making around the house to get ready for our little bundle, I'll fill you in by answering all the common questions.

When are you due?
May 1... which puts me at about 29 weeks (or 6 1/2 months)

Do you know what you're having?
Yes - it's a BOY! We wanted to be able to decorate the nursery and buy clothes accordingly, plus I really feel like knowing the baby's a HE has helped us bond more over the pregnancy and get excited about our little family.

How did you tell Chris and was he surprised?
I got a positive test on a Saturday morning and we had a very busy day ahead... first a brunch gathering with a group of friends then an afternoon wedding. So my window to tell Chris the good news was limited. He slept in while I snuck off to the grocery store. After he got up and ready, he was greeted by this...

And yes, he was surprised and spent the rest of the day smiling at me all sly and cute. Later at the wedding, he had to drink my wine as well as his so his smiles got bigger and bigger!

How have you been feeling?
All in all, I've been blessed with a very easy pregnancy. I was fortunate not to have any major nausea in the first trimester and even felt good enough to go on a three-day backpacking trip in northern Minnesota over Labor Day (a.k.a. my 30th bday weekend).

The second trimester flew by without a hitch as well until 25 weeks when I had a pre-term labor scare. Since then I've been closely monitored and put on partial bed rest, but the baby is thriving and everything is checking out fine (phew!). It's definitely been hard to cut back on my activity, but I know it's for the best and won't last forever.

Have you had any big food cravings or aversions?

Early on, I didn't want anything to do with sweets and opted for more savory foods. My usual guilty pleasures like mac and cheese and cheeseburgers still call to me, but luckily those hankerings have been balanced out by more healthy cravings. In no particular order, my cravings have included Simply Orange Juice (no other kind will do), fresh fruit of all sorts, hummus, sushi (cooked only of course) and fresh salads. Lately I've been really big on vanilla frozen yogurt topped with fresh raspberries and a crumbled chocolate granola bar. Mmmm...

Are you doing anything special as a last hurrah before the baby?

Not really. No official "babymoon" or anything. We've been checking things off the pre-baby bucket list for a while now by doing things we wouldn't have time or energy for after a baby. Like our trip to Ireland last Christmas, which we knew would (hopefully) be our last big vacation for a while.

And hosting our first Thanksgiving for both families at our house this year since we know we'll probably appreciate being just guests again next year.

Are the grandparents excited?

Yes on all counts. This will be the first grandchild for Chris' parents, first great grandchild for his grandmother and the first male to carry on the family name so everyone on his side is very excited to meet the little man. My parents have two granddaughters, but are thrilled to be getting their first grandson.

So what's this mean for the blog?? 

Well, this isn't going to turn into a full-blown baby blog and will still involve a lot of the same content, but honestly there are only so many house projects left and we're working frantically now to wrap up a lot of them (more on that later) so we can chill out and enjoy time with our wee one when he gets here. We're about to embark on one of life's biggest adventures and as our roles change, I'm sure the blog will reflect that. I do hereby promise, however, not to post about the birth process or breastfeeding or anything else my dad wouldn't want to read. Some things are just better left private after all...