Week Eighteen

Greetings from Baby and Mama!  Baby's a whoppin' 5.6 inches long and 6.7 ounces (roughly the size of a sweet potato :) ).  Here are some verbs that describe our little sweet potato this week: yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing and also...kicking!  I felt baby kick for the first time!  I had just laid down last Wednesday night when I felt something like popcorn popping in my stomach; I had never felt anything like it.  It happened for only a few seconds when I realized it was baby kicking; I told Josh and he put his hand to my belly just in time to feel baby's kicks too!  It was a special moment to experience together.  Since then I haven't been able to detect that same "popcorn" feeling but I look forward to more kicks in the coming weeks :). 

                                                                                                Wishing you all a Lovely Evening,
                                                                                                           Jen

Week Seventeen

Hello Friends! 

I have entered into my seventeenth week of pregnancy.  Some exciting news: I'm 90% sure I felt the baby move this week!  I was cleaning up my classroom after school and immediately stopped when I felt my stomach do little flips.  It felt like when you drive over rolling hills in the car.  I actually laughed to myself because it felt so funny!  Since then I have felt a similar feeling every so often (I still smile every time).  So what is babycakes up to this week?  Well, baby is five inches long and 6 ounces.  Baby has mastered simple reflexes like swallowing, sucking, and blinking.  Babycakes could even get a bout of the hiccups!  I hope you are all having a lovely week and enjoying the little things in life.

                        Much Love,

                    Jen   

Saturday in St. Paul

Last Saturday my sister and I journeyed to St. Paul for a morning of coffee and catching up.  We started off at Nina's Coffee Cafe.

After a luxurious morning that led into lunch we went downstairs to check out Garrison Keillor's bookstore "Common Good Books". 

Before we traveled back to Minneapolis we walked along Summit Avenue and took in the beauty of the warm winter day.

I love sister dates :).

Week Sixteen

Knitting- that's what's going on this week (and the previous weeks and the next five months to come).  God continues to knit our sweet babycakes together.  What a marvelous thought: the God of the universe personally stitches together each little life. 

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

-Psalm 139:13-14

Valentine's Date

Josh and I had an early Valentine's Date on Friday.  We took a trip down memory lane as we traveled down the streets of St. Paul.  We went to a restaurant on Grand Avenue called Brasa.  This neighborhood is special to us because it is where we lived our first year of marriage.  We have many fond memories of walks on Summit Avenue, ice cream stops at the Grand Old Creamery and laundry days at the Sel-Dale Laundromat.  We had never eaten at Brasa; it was delicious!  The food is described as "comfort food inspired by the creole cooking traditions of the Americas and the Caribbean".  Josh and I shared: poblano pepper dip appetizer, 1/2 rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, romaine and mozzarella salad, and a chocolate torte for dessert.  We would highly recommend this place!  I'm sure we will be back soon.  Here are a few pictures from our lovely evening:

Happy (early) Valentine's Day!

Fifteen Weeks

Good afternoon friends!  I'm currently at Nina's Coffee Cafe with my lovely sister Justine.  We are drinking good coffee (decaf for me) and catching up on life.  It is a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  I'll have a more detailed post with pictures of our time together later this weekend. 

The week is almost over and has almost slipped by without a "pregnancy post" :)!  This week marks my fifteenth week.  The baby is the size of a navel orange.  Baby is 4 inches long and weighs around 2.5 ounces.  All four limbs have functional joints and babycakes is said to be squirming and wiggling like crazy (even though I haven't been able recognize it yet).                                                                                  Things I'm loving right now: mashed potatoes, pink lady apples, and the bodyshop's almond body butter.  

I hope you have a joy-filled weekend.  To all of you Minnesotans, enjoy the 40 degree weather tomorrow!  

Love,

Jen   

Date Deals

Saturday the hub and I went out on a "day date".  Josh surprised me last weekend by rounding up all of our giftcards from the past year and planning a maternity shopping date (swoon :) ).  Even though I cleared out my closest a few weeks ago I realized my clothes were not quite fitting like they used to so I happily made a little more room for a few clothing purchases. 

First Stop: Blacklist Vintage
I had sold a dress here this summer for $10.50 in store credit.  I scoured the racks to find "vintage maternity" and didn't have luck.  The gal working ended up looking too and found a black skirt from the 60's!  I love it.  It is simple but the small detail of buttons on the back gives it a fun look.

Next Up: Lakeshore Learning
Yeah I know there aren't any maternity clothes here but sometimes you have to run errands on dates too :).
Next Up: Panera
Josh had a "free bakery treat" to use.  We indulged in a chocolate croissant.  He sipped coffee and I enjoyed my box of milk.

Next Up: Anthropologie
I didn't have any giftcards here and did not end up buying anything but wow, what a place to get inspired!
Here are a few pretty things from Anthro: latte bowls, paperclips (the most adorable ever made)

Next Up: H&M
Thanks Beth for the giftcard!  I bought two sweaters (not maternity, but they button in the front so I think they will work out for awhile) and a pair of black tights.
Next Up: Gap
No giftcards here but we were glad we stopped in; every clearance item was another 30% off!  Here were the purchases:

For Dinner: We stopped at Culvers for a couple of kid's meals (Thanks Jackie for the Culvers tickets!).  A hamburger and ice cream tasted so good :).

And so ended our day of deals.  Total Savings $68.00!