Why We Haven't Been Blogging

We/I haven't been blogging for a lot of reasons. If I could sum up why in two words I'd say: very, very pregnant. It's obviously more than two words but two of them are the same so I win. (Just realized why Faith has started saying "I win" all the time -- whoops.) Anyway, here's what we HAVE been doing:

Settling

We've been in the house for a month and all the boxes are officially unpacked (and we no longer have to drink Diet Coke out of wine glasses like we did on the first day)...if you don't count the basement. Our fence is done, much to Howie's delight, and we are working with contractors to frame the basement. Now that my mom painted three of the rooms upstairs, I'll be ready to post some pics soon.

Speeding
On my second day of driving home from work on my new route, I got pulled over. (To add to it, he pulled me over right by a park and when I told Faith we couldn't stop at the playground, she cried all the way home.) Here's how the convo with the "officer" went: Cop: "Ma'am, I had you going 46 in a 30." Me: "Oh, I thought it was 35." Sadly, that was the best response I could muster, which still had me going more than 10 mph over. How pathetic. All I could think was that I probably deserved a ticket. $107 worth of traffic school and four hours of my life later, I've slowed down significantly and since learned that the class instructor's favorite color cars to pull over are charcoal gray and blue --both of which Rob and I drive. Lovely.

Breathing

I didn't think my face was that swollen until I saw this...

 I cannot recommend prenatal yoga to mamas-to-be enough. I hate regular yoga -- I'm not the least bit flexible and don't feel like I work up a sweat necessary to call it exercise. However, I signed up for classes at the Lotus House of Yoga in Omaha to have something to replace running and it was FABULOUS! Suzanne, the instructor, was exactly what baby #2 and I needed on Saturday mornings. It gave me time to focus on lil sis and getting my mind and body in the right mindset. Shout out to my dad for Faith-watching on those mornings while Rob went for his training runs.

Chop-choping
I got mine chopped off not because it's easier to take care of --it actually takes me longer because I have to blowdry and straighten it --but because I think I look better with short hair. What can I say, I like "mom hair" and I'm proud of it!

  

 

Howie also got a trim, which just leaves Rob and Faith to go before baby comes. We all gotta look our best, which means I'm nagging Rob to shave his face daily :) He didn't exactly heed my advice one morning and now this is the mug that greets me when my husband calls.

Marathoning
OK, half marathoning, but damn if I ain't proud of the Mr. for finishing the Lincoln in just over 2 hours. I told him he should try to beat my time in the same race in '09 of 2:10. He smashed it. Can't wait til we can hit the road together again and find a destination race to run. Calling all babysitters!

Rob's sign for the runners of the Council Bluffs half marathon...nothing like a little sarcasm from a volunteer to keep you motivated! 

Showering
I've had the privilege of being pregnant with not one, but two of my bestest friends in the whole world this time around. It's been great to swap stories and commiserate with each other when no one else in the world understands just how freaking hard it is to bend over. Or that you really do need to eat a granola bar at 4 a.m. Or that meat is just disgusting. Thanks, Cari and Summer. It's been fun to shower you guys and your firstborns with love and presents this past month. The belly pics will be so fun to look back on years from now.

 Reading
My new year's resolution was to read 13 books this year. I'm off to a good start having finished the following:
Gone Girl
The Light Between Oceans
The Next Best Thing
Where We Belong
Silver Linings Playbook
Defending Jacob
Attachments

I've downloaded a few new ones on the Kindle (Room and The Art of Hearing Heartbeats) and would love to hear your recommendations for more.

Schooling

Rob been both the teacher and a student for the past year and finished his spring class with another A, even though he forgot to study for his final. He'll be taking two summer classes while Grammy, Faith and I take swimming lessons. Well, just Faith, but we'll be with her in spirit as the teacher attempts to get her to put her head under.

Praying

Last but not least, and probably most importantly, we've been praying for a special little girl lately. Phoebe. Our relation is somewhat confusing as she is my stepdad's nephew's daughter, but in times of need, we are just plain family. Little Phoebe, at the young age of 4, was recently diagnosed with leukemia. The good news: it was caught early and she has great odds of beating this cancer. The bad news: her battle and chemo regimen will last the next two-plus years. This innocent kid is going to lose all her hair and is already experiencing awful side effects from the medicine that is supposed to be making her better. We pray for her, her parents Steve and Kelly, and her siblings, Cason and Meredith, nightly. I hope you will too. If you'd like to follow along on Phoebe's journey, the Facebook page is "Phoebe Carmody Medical Page"

So that's what we've been up to... and I just realized I went a whole blog post without a picture of Faith. Let's remedy that. And then I can call it good!

Playing with mom's jewelry!