New Sidebar Links

This is an official notice to let all of our faithful readers know about the recently added sidebar links. We have added links to our registries (Target and JCPenney) as well as links to other blogs and our regular, though sorely out of date, website.

Thank you for your attention. You will now be returned to the regularly scheduled programming.

The New Prius!!!

Well, we got our Prius today! We are officially a two car family. I have to say, the Prius is great and I really didn't want to get back into the Taurus, even to drive it home. We love the Prius! It's brand spanking new and had 13 miles on it when we got it. Wow. We've never owned a new vehicle before. Most of our vehicles weren't even made in the same decade as we bought them. But this one? She's a beauty. We're all giddy about it.

March Belly Photo

Picture taken at 24 weeks 6 days.

Basement Progress

We've been working on finishing our basement for a while now and we're getting very close to being done! Tonight's big basement news is that we have the doors, baseboards, window sills, and fireplace mantle in! Woohoo! We still need fixtures for the doors and to install the bathroom counter and sink, but we're getting closer. We need to get it done in time to move the guest room to the basement. Then we can use the current guest room for the nursery.

24 weeks

We had our 24 week appointment today and everything looks great! "Phoebe" (as the unnamed li'l one is lovingly called) is doing well and growing as she should. Her heartbeat was lower than normal today (128 as opposed to 135-ish) and Leif asked if that was normal. The Dr. said, "Oh, sure. She's probably just being still in there. We can get her heartrate to go up." and poked at my belly with the doppler. Sure enough, Phoebe's heartrate went up to 150 as she wiggled around, probably to avoid being pushed again! It was really neat, though. She's been kicking more and more and I can feel her consistently through the day. She's even developing what seem to be active/quiet patterns, though she likes to be active when I'm trying to be quiet and sleep, usually!

All in all we are so thankful for a healthy baby and a healthy pregnancy. The Dr. said that now that we've hit the 24 week mark, the baby has a good chance of viability if she were born now. Granted, she still has a lot of developing to do, and I hope she goes full term, but it's amazing to me that in our world, even if she's born now, she has a good chance of survival. That wouldn't have been true 100 years ago.

Baby Shower!!

While I was in Texas, my mom threw a baby shower for me. It was all pink and white, very elegant, very perfect. She invited a dozen or so people who have known me for a long time and come from just about every circle of my East Texas life. It was wonderful to see everyone, some of whom I haven't seen in years. It was a beautiful shower and a special time to share with those who have had significant roles in my life. Here are some pictures and commentary on the evening...


The gifts went in the crib - an antique crib my father and grandfather slept in as babies. It was painted white, with pink tuille around the top edge - absolutely adorable!



Instead of cake and mints, my mom served petit fours and raspberry sherbet. It's all about the presentation!



Opening gifts... need I say more?



The gifts - I brought home two suitcases FULL of baby stuff. Oooodles of pink clothing! Scads of pink blanketry! Plus a variety of baby care washes and lotions and diaper creams - and a baby bouncer! Oh - and The Belly Button Book. Don't forget that. Nor the baby sunglasses. "Phoebe" will be the cutest baby ever. If she's not born that way, we will dress her that way and put sunglasses and cute hats on her and she will be the cutest dressed baby ever. :)

Alyse Lenore Allen

I'm back from Texas - and while I was there, I got to see Alyse! She's beautiful and was perfectly behaved during the day I spent with her mother. I even got to see some smiles. The next time I see Alyse I will most likely have a little girl of my own, a friend for Alyse to play with as I did with Charlotte for so many years (and continuing...).

Spring Break!

Woohoo! Spring Break has finally arrived and Elizabeth will be heading to Texas for some quality time with her family. She will also get to see her best friend Charlotte's one month old daughter, Alyse, for the first time. The trip promises to be a good one, full of much ooh-ing and ahh-ing over baby things.

Practice makes perfect

Leif's newest hobby... snatching up other people's babies to hold. It happens frequently, and it's darn cute of him. He seems very comfortable with young'uns, babies and toddlers alike. I don't often get pictures of the many moments he spends holding babies, but he took the opportunity again at the banquet, so I grabbed the camera. This is two month old Tjabe, son of our English teacher and his wife, whose elbow you can sort of see in the corner of the photo. They got him all spiffed up for the evening, bow tie and all. It's great to see Leif with kids, babies especially - particularly because he's not scared of them when they cry. Practice makes perfect, so practice away! The sleepless nights of summer will be upon us before we know it.

Banquet Dress

Petra's fundraising banquet was last night. Robert asked if he could design and make a dress for the occasion - of course, I said yes! It's hard enough to find dresses when I'm not pregnant... This is the dress he made for last night. It fits well and he was even kind enough to make a little jacket to go with it for the cold Montana winter evening.