Half Way There!

Yowza! Today marks the end of week 20! Wes and I cannot believe that we're half way there already! In just 20 weeks (give or take a couple of weeks), we'll get to meet Ralph and give him or her a proper name...

(click here to read about the name Ralph)

The End of an Era

As many of you know, I have been extremely resistant to updating my beloved cell phone for the last 7 or 8 years. I love my old Nokia. The battery life is amazing, it has a really simple design, and most importantly, it works! I've dropped it more times than I can count, even in water, and it's kept on ticking. Well folks, the time has come. 

This Christmas, my mom bought me a new cell phone. When she asked me what kind of phone I wanted, I said anything that had speaker phone and a camera. Oh yeah, and it couldn't be a space-phone, the kind that so many of you have. I'm a simple girl who likes her simple electronics (which is why I'm a Mac user). Here it is: my new Nokia! Thanks mom!

Doin' the Mango Tango

This week, we're doin' the mango-tango. The start of week 19 has brought us a little one the size of a mango. Ralph is now about a half a pound (i.e. about 8 ounces), which is a lot considering that just three weeks ago, Ralph was only about 3 ounces!

I had a doctor's appointment today and everything is right on track. I have a normal blood pressure and weight, Ralph's heartbeat is strong, and we scheduled our ultrasound for February 12th! Everything seems to be moving along quite nicely!

(click here to read about the name Ralph)

Did I mention...

... that I'm only 18 weeks along?

It's so big already!

At least to me it is :)

The Story of Ralph

Some of you may have heard me or Wes call our baby "Ralph" in recent months. And, if you didn't get the back-story, you were probably a bit confused. Well, here it is:

My dad was always really bad at remembering people's names. He would always remember you, just not your name. When I was little and would have different friends over to the house, my dad could rarely remember their names. So, instead of saying "hey, what's-your-name," he would call everyone "Ralph," including me and my sister at times. Being little girls, we all thought that it was hysterical that he would call us by a boy name, and an ugly boy name at that (sorry to any of you out there named Ralph). This was such a frequent occurrence that anyone who grew up with us (like Rachel pictured with me and my sister below) likely remembers my dad yelling "hey Ralph!"

When Wes and I found out that we were going to have our own little one and then decided not to find out the sex of the baby, it only seemed natural to call him or her Ralph.

So, in case you were wondering, that's "The Story of Ralph."

Belated Congratulations!

On Christmas day, one of my favorite individuals on this planet got engaged to her boyfriend of 8+ years. Wes and I wanted to give a belated congratulations to Steph & Tony from the bottom of our hearts! We know that you two will have an incredible, love-filled marriage for many decades to come! Let the wedding planning begin! (just kidding Tony...haha)

An Afternoon Smoothie

I've been writing all day and needed a snack. Last week, I got this cute little mixer for Christmas, so I decided to test it out.

One scoop of whipped cream cheese, 8 strawberries, & a handful of grapes later...

...I had a delicious afternoon treat! Thanks Rosier fam!

The Results

What once was a poppy seed

From the size of a poppy seed, to a sweet pea, to a raspberry, to a lime, to a peach, and finally, to the size of an avocado; our little one is growing up fast! 

Yesterday marked the end of my 16th week of pregnancy and we can't believe how quickly the time has flown by. Among other things, our little baby's legs are now longer than his or her arms and s/he is moving those arms and legs frequently (unfortunately, I still can't feel those little movements). The baby's fingernails and toenails are also growing now; and if our little one take after his or her mom at all, s/he'll be biting them off in no time. Interestingly, our baby's eyes are moving now and, though the eyelids are still sealed shut, they are sensitive to light. If we put a flashlight up to my belly, the baby may begin to shield his/her eyes with his/her hands. 

So many changes in so little time.

Pottery!

Today, Wes and I went to the local paint-your-own-pottery store and painted all afternoon. And, when I say "all afternoon," I mean it! We were there for 4 hours! Although we didn't get to bring our projects home with us, we did take pictures of what they each looked like when we left 'em.

We're excited to see how they turn out!