1-derful You!

So I've finally finished retroposting, and we now have entries beginning shortly after we found out we were having a baby (yay!). Most of the preggo pieces are not Ansley-directed anyway, but I wanted to go ahead and get them up so I could actually feel like we started in the right place. But since Ansley is pretty much the most entertaining and interesting part of our lives, it's still all about her [see below].

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I cannot believe how quickly the past year has gone by and how much you've grown and conquered and what a mini-person you are! This time last year, mommy was putting the finishing touches on the nursery and swelling with pride (and fluids) at your imminent arrival. And now you're about to turn one; run-tottering toward me with arms outstretched and a huge toothy grin. Believe me, munchkin, I have never been more proud of anything in my life. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. (You and your daddy, of course ;)

Though it pains us to see (only because it happened so fast), you're walking around all "no big deal" now. I can barely catch you on camera.

"What? Pshhh, I came out walking." 

My favorite time is when you're getting sleepy and you stumble around looking intoxicated and losing your balance. You are constantly trying to pick things up and walk with them (even things that are supposed to roll and/or support you), which gets significantly more difficult when you're sleep-wasted. And for some reason, tiredness also makes you think you can lift items that are 3 times your size. Which you can't. But it's cute to watch you try.  ;)

We send you off to school sporting shoes every day now, since I think you forgot how to sit still. For some reason, you find it incredibly hilarious that this produces 'stinky feets.' Like, for real. When we catch a whiff and reel back in (semi-)mock disgust, you giggle like you totally did it on purpose. 

Your personality is starting to emerge in little pieces. You imitate and respond to us more often when we ask now, giving kisses and pointing out your parts (specifically head, nose, tongue; with varying accuracy).



Apparently, you entertain everyone at daycare with impromptu bouts of interpretive dance (quite possibly a contributing factor to the stinky feet syndrome). But mommy does love that you're now old enough to perform So-You-Think-You-Can-Dance-esque lifts and flips. We try them out in the playroom when daddy's not around to get any ideas... (just kidding daddy!)

You have recently begun to scream erratically, often when frustrated (like a high-pitched siren-style scary movie scream that we're hoping will die down once we learn to communicate a little more efficiently), and I think you're going to be a bit of a daredevil. You absolutely love to be surprised/mildly scared. We play hide and seek and "I'm gonna get you!" like they're going out of style. You get a big kick out of running away and then turning back to make sure you're being thoroughly chased. 

You're beginning to show interest in books, if only the continuous opening and closing of them. We still read to you.. well, let's be honest... at you. Sometimes you're just tired enough to let us finish a whole story. So clearly you won't be smart. But at least you're pretty.  ;)   Just kidding I'm sure you'll be smart too. And if you're not supersmart, you'll definitely be an athlete, as evidenced by your 'Action Ansley' running, climbing, dancing and tumbling skills. And intense practice of said skills.

Since you usually only let us read whilst you are otherwise occupied, mommy will occasionally just pick up a book and simulate storytime (in vain hopes that you'll suddenly take to it). Last week when I got to a passage about mischievous monkeys, I made the "oooo-ooo-oo-aah-aah" sound and you dropped down to all fours and began jamming out as though headbanging. Totally ignored the rest of the book, but you must really like those monkeys...

After a little coaxing and several unsuccessful attempts, you've even grown to enjoy the tree swing handydad hung for you last month. Though mommy is much more cautious and tends to remove you from a situation if you don't seem to like something, daddy's philosophy is "try it until she likes it." Surprisingly, this makes for a good balance. If we don't confuse the crud out of you.

You now randomly approach Bo and envelop him in sweet hugs, which is the most adorable thing ever. But Hannahbelle is beginning to catch your attention, too, and you find it comical to play the "I'm gonna get you" game with her. Except you like to be the chaser. Although Hannah is very good at evading capture, she pauses to let you think you have a chance and makes you laugh when she feverishly spins her wheels and takes off again. You also enjoy tempting one or both of the dogs with whatever puff, pretzel or cracker you have in your hand and then swiftly revoking it like "Oh here do you want some? Syke. This is mine, dogg."

Your favorite field trip to date is Emerald Pointe. Or as we like to call it "the giant bath tub you get to stand up and walk around in." You aren't so much into splashing, but you frolick and float as if you and water are BFFs. The first time we went, you rode the cyclone and almost instantaneously zonked out. As it was church youth day and there were no free chairs to be had, mommy and daddy took turns holding you up in the kiddie pool. I'm sure it was quite humorous to passersby to see a baby in a lifejacket all passed out and suspended in the water, but you float-slumbered for a good hour, powered up and were ready for round two of bath/playtime.

Though I'm sure you could care less what you're wearing, mommy likes to pretend you're her life-size doll and dress you up in at least two outfits per day. Since your current wardrobe rivals that of Mariah Carey, this is not hard—except that you hate the process of getting dressed. And forget putting a bow in your hair. If you spy or feel its presence, it must die (or be yanked out at once). Apparently ribbons are generally offensive, since you also try to pull them from other peoples' hair.

(just before you caught wind of that evil hairbow...)

You're still teething like crazy, and were actually out of school right after you turned 11 months for the fever that accompanied the teething. Which is no small wonder because you were getting four new teeth at the same time. You have since popped two more, for a total of eight (four top and four bottom). Since you absolutely love the taste of Tylenol, we survived. Barely.

In other happenings:

Another one of your future crushes, Cooper Samuel Morrison, was born on July 13th!

Isn't he just so precious you want to snuggle him for hours? Well too bad; you probably won't be allowed to date him either. (Just kidding). Maybe his G.I. Joes and your Barbies can ask your dads if it's ok and then date.  ;)   

Ah who knows if or which any of you munchkins will end up together. But as Aunt Jaclyn pointed out, you and Jake may be destined to become "future power couple Jakesley."

And if you don't, Jake will always protect you.
Just like he does his big sister:

(by screaming profusely at the offending party)

Separationally-Challenged

Daddy is still resistant to your growth. I mean I'd like to keep you a baby as long as possible, but am aware that at some point, Peter Pan, everyone has to grow up. So I said to your (normally intelligent, fairly rational) father "I mean I'd like her to stay little too, but what what do you want to do, block her development?" His answer was a firm and immediate "yes." Okaaaaay...

Then as we prepared you for bed, he tells me "I love that I can just tap her on the bottom randomly and it's not weird because I'm her dad." He is so going to purposefully embarrass you when you get older. Can't wait for that.  ;)

Speaking of love taps, you (little miss bright eyes) have been contracting quite the attitude lately. Mia says it's because you're so intelligent that you're reading us and trying to figure out how to get what you want. I just think you get frustrated and don't know how else to communicate. But honestly, there are times when you freak the h out. The most notable example stems from your recent love-affair with Bo. Though he remains wary of your tiny presence, Bo has grown more tolerant as of late. He graciously allows you to pat, climb, pull and mouth him with as much zeal as your little body can possibly possess. You love to play the "mess with Bo until he lumbers off and then chase him to another location and repeat" game. I'm not sure Bo knows you're playing. If we at any point interrupt this bonding (by picking you up), you thrash and whine and twist about as though set on fire. I would think you were in pain if I didn't know better. Current tactics to disarm this bomb include distracting you with whatever toy or person is available, removing you from the room/situation, and bribing you with food. Just kidding about the last one. Taking you away seems to help, but it's tough. It's crazy to me that we're having to deal with this already. Aren't you supposed to stay a baby a little longer? I may be starting to see daddy's point of view on this whole not growing up thing...

Maybe with our own stubborn selves, we should have known you'd be strong-willed. But if this is your first challenge, bring it on. We will nip it in the bud, my little diva. A battle of wills. 'Cause you know what princess? We can out-stubborn you. 

I'm sorry to do it and you may hate me for it sometimes, but you can't always get what you want. If you cry sometimes, though, you might find you get what you need.... 

(I'm joking. We will always try to meet your needs. That's what parents are for.)

The other side of this strange, misshapen parenting coin is that you've also been experiencing bouts of separation anxiety. You have a few favorite people in the world and everyone else is just scenery. Scenery that does not hold the baby...

The preference tier is as follows:

1. Mia

2. Daddy / Bo

3. Miss Alecia and/or Miss Nevona

4. Mommy

5. Granny

etc. (you get the picture)

For one reason or another, Mia is the absolute apple of your eye. To you, no one is more glorious and deserving of your love than your Mia Sally. Well, daddy might run a close second; but if your beloved Mia is around, you only have eyes for her! We discovered this during our week at the beach when you would cry for Mia if mommy took you and reach upside-down-backwards in search of her embrace. 

And hey, where's the "I don't love one parent more than the other; I love them both equally" filter, kid? Aren't you supposed to be born with that? At times when daddy hands you off and I want nothing more than a hug or snuggle, you scream bloody murder (and a pathetic "dadada" on a loop) to return to your fave. I'm sure this makes daddy feel good, but I have to secretly squelch the tears because admitting it hurts my feelings is ludicrous. You don't mean anything by it, I know. But I want so badly for you to love me. I mean I'm sure you do, but I'm emotionally high-maintenance and need the reassurance. Blessedly, daddy and Mia understand and give mommy extra hugs for support. And daddy had a wonderful suggestion of greeting one another before we greet you. That way we can show you the correct hierarchy. It's mommy and daddy; then you. I think the theme here is "this is our world, and we're fitting you in."

And now (since I've mainly written about your noncompliance so far and am feeling a tad guilty because it's really such a small part of your world), I'd like to share some of the things I love about you at almost 10 months(!):

• When you pull up on something and then turn around and wobble a step or two towards me I get so excited (but then I realize that walking = toddler and you're not my little baby anymore, and it makes me less anxious... ). Daddy's probably thinking of any way possible to keep you from taking those steps, but I'm afraid it's imminent.

• You're eating everything (thank daddy for that) with your pinschers, which is basically the most adorable way I can think of to get your dietary allowance. We like to lay it out on the tray and let you go for the gold. Puffs and breadcrumbs turn up just about everywhere, but I'm sure some of it actually lands in your mouth...   The most recent of daddy's ill-conceived food tasting choices? Dorito cheese straight from the finger. Am I on television?

• If you happen to be sleeping and wake up to a face you love (see list above), you burst into that shining smile and start waving hello. That floppy little gesture just melts me to pieces.

• Evidently, you can now produce dog sounds. Miss Nevona shared with me today that you have the "ruff ruff ruff" down pat. You are becoming quite proficient in jibberish as well. I bet you and Bo have secret conversations..

• Often when we play, you create your own obstacle course just so it will require you to climb over us and back again. You particularly enjoy shimmying monkey-style up daddy's chest while he's sideways and rolling over to his back. Gymnast? Maybe. Daredevil? Clearly. I'll start practicing the fastest routes to the hospital.

• At daycare, you have a sleep mat (on account of the pulling up in your crib thing). Daddy and I find it impossible to buy that you actually fall asleep there and stay still, but your teachers insist. When daddy picked you up yesterday, they divulged that you were so ready to nap at 2:30, you voluntarily dragged yourself over and laid down on your mat without prompting. Aw!

• You're loving water (aside from the ocean waves, but they scare me too so we're not counting that). Daddy waded with you at Aunt Jennifer's 30th birthday Tie-Dye and pool party, which was your first time in a big girl pool. You do have precisely 9 bathing suits—several of which are bikinis that may or may not be wildly inappropriate for a baby—so I certainly hope you continue this water infatuation. I'll put some beach pictures up asap.  :)  

Click here to view these pictures larger

• You also have a preference for water from a plastic bottle (sadly, I am not kidding—but I think it's because you find it necessary to envelop the opening while drinking). If it's not in the bottle, a straw will do the trick. And despite daddy's major sippy-cup resistance, he is happy to teach you to use a real cup. Observe:

• You dance. Not that I'm shocked in any way, considering the 2 bachelorette parties, 2 weddings, numerous dance dance revolution battles and countless super baby dance parties of your "youth." And you love music. Granny contends that country is your fave. Traitor. You are my baby, right? I'm hoping to catch you on daddy's phone because corroboration exists only on the camcorder at this juncture. But it is too too cute. 

No, you're not in that video, but I'm just sayin'.. I won't be surprised if they contact you for the next one.

In other news, Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Jay recently welcomed your future crush, Graham Nance Weaver, just over a week early on June 9th. 

Isn't he great at his job? (sleeping)

He is as little, beautiful, and sweet as can be, and I have to apologize in advance that you will not be allowed to date him, as apparently this would be awkward for your father and Uncle Jay. (You can take it up with them). But I'm sure you'll be great friends and you can show him all sorts of good stuff like how to fling pacis and eat sand. Jake still has your heart for the time being anyway.*   ;)    

*I really am joking about these things. But it's only because I so want you to bond with your non-related cousins. I know you're all very popular in your own circles, but mommy and your aunts are kinda close. So if you wouldn't mind humoring us, playing with one another and at least trying to be pals, we'd greatly appreciate it. And I bet you'll have some great stories when you're older (you know, when you're all about to graduate from UNC).

Little Angel

Disclaimer: This and several of the posts before and after are just snippets of life shortly after Ansley blessed us with her awesomeness. They are copied from a journal I kept on my phone, through a program called "Total Baby" - one the most useful apps ever created (imho). It also houses stats, doc appointments, sleeping and bath schedules, and (cue choral music) helps you keep track of nursing/feeding frequency and duration. Anyone who's had and b-fed a baby will echo my sentiment that this, my friends, is magic.

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You are just so flipping adorable! I can't get over how attached I am to you and you've only been here a few short days. I think Jon said it best that the reason it's so different with a baby is that you love them instantly. The bond is there from the beginning. I even felt protective of you right away. And with a partner, it takes time to develop - no matter how strong it becomes. 

It's amazing, though. How can I not look at Jon now and think what an incredible gift he gave me / that we made for each other? I feel closer to him now than ever and that is a hard thing to accomplish.

Speaking of daddy - not only has he been so helpful with you (changing diapers, positioning you for feeding, distracting/holding you so I can do things myself), but he's been very attentive to mommy's needs as well. He's drawn me baths, gotten me food, and even made a special trip to Sonic for a huge bag of my favorite soft ice like the kind they had in the hospital.

Yeah, there are some hard parts and not everything is perfect or comes naturally of course, but right now I am loving this babycation. Spending time with our new family is such a gift from God.

*I think you have a few other admirers, too..
(The grandparents, aunt Jenna & uncle B were also there constantly, and I'm sure you'll see the thousands of pictures you took with them so I won't repeat that here). 


Some of your early visitors: 

your godmother, aunt Heidi

aunt Jaclyn (look! there's Jake in her tummy/natural boppy)

uncle chad and brooklyn came to see you after we got home, too.

uncle Jay's not too sure yet, but aunt Jennifer is smitten

(sometimes before men have their own babies they're a little afraid of holding other babies, despite the promises that you won't break  ;)

aunt loryn

(uncle lee was sick, so you didn't get to meet him right away)

aunt Marisa (with Nora Kate hiding/just getting started in her belly!)

uncle nick. he lives in charleston now (it's actually June 2010), 

but we're trying to keep in touch.

Shower the Love

So last weekend in Winston, we attended the best baby shower ever in the history of the world. Coincidentally, it was ours. :)

Unfortunately, unless you were there, you just can't fathom the level of awesome achieved by the hard work and creativity of Ansley's soon-to-be aunts and uncles. But maybe pictures will help. 

(No, really: we didn't plan that. We're just ... matchy. In general ;)

 "The six." As the boys like to point out, we have 

about 65 pictures in this same general configuration. 

Maybe they'd care to give us some 

"surprised face; hand gesture" posing lessons...

 Mama holding mama holding mamatini. Mmmm.

Bumping bellies with my bro (Uncle B)

Playing "don't break the water[balloon]" - coolest shower game of all time

(No, I'm not in labor. 

Just pelted my mom and Adam with a rogue water balloon. 

Maybe not so cool for them. 

Sorry!! That's my bad.)

Hey! Now that I see this hug, I'm a little suspicious that they may have been trying to squeeze Ansley out!!

My beautiful girls (and Jake!)

 The crew

And speaking of my peeps:

I just wanted to write you all a quick note to let you know how much Saturday night meant to me (and Jon ;) We had the best time surrounded by our favorite people in the world. I thoroughly enjoyed basking in the glow of such supportive and excited friends and family, and I'm not sure I've ever felt so loved and attended to. The food was awesome... the drinks were wonderful... the decorations were perfect... the games were so much fun. I don't know how you thought of everything and then went above and beyond to make it even more special. You are just amazing to have put together such an incredible night. I'm pretty sure if any of you decided to take on another career, it could be catering. Amongst the cheesecake bites, cupcake rattles, fruit "carriage," mini foods and specialty drinks, I can't pick a favorite. I could have drank 8 pina coladas and mamatinis - it's probably good I stopped at 2 of each(!). And I think I may start eating my burgers on Hawaiian buns because the size and sweetness just somehow made it better. I can't believe you did all of that for us, and I'm so thankful that I have such thoughtful and extraordinary friends. I am still in shock and awe of your generosity. And not only did you organize every last detail, but you took the time to be there (some of you from quite a distance and at quite an inconvenient time) and then gave even more.

I am going to try my best to let Ansley know how lucky and blessed she is to have this family of friends in her life (though I don't know how I'll do you justice!). Hopefully it'll be enough for now to tell you that I know how fortunate I am. I can't even convey how much I cherish your friendship. You make everything better when you're there. Life would be so much less without you in it, and I would be so much less without you. You are simply awesome. Stopping crying at my computer now... I love you all so flipping much!!

(Since this blog probably won't go public for a while, I'm sending that thanks via Facebook, too).

Aliens Among Us

{stork watch: week 25}

We've breached the threshold. Lying down the other night in MiniMac's favorite chair and in her favorite position, I looked down at my belly and actually saw her move. Jon and I were so captivated by the strange alien poking, we probably sat there for a good 30 minutes just staring. It's kind of like a little fishy disturbing the "water." She's still being rather sneaky, though. And only with certain people. She'll let the grandmothers feel her, but my dad has yet to catch her in action. She seems to be playing hide-and-seek with Aunt Heidi (and she's really good at the hiding). I'll feel her rolling around one minute, and the second they reach out a hand she converts to stealth mode. Unfortunately, shoving and verbal threats seem to have no effect at this point.

Isn't That Just Pregcious?

Ok it is way cute to know what people think of the idea of us having a kid. My brother has taken to calling me every couple days or so just to "check in." This is what my dad already does, so it's looking like the mini-Stevenson has brought out the mini-Tim in B. Jenna said he im-ed her the other day and wanted to set up a time they could go to Babies-R-Us at lunch together. "Just the aunt and uncle." (cuteoverload.com!)

So I must share with you some of the things we've already received for and about baby S. I mean how cool is it that this little bit is already so celebrated and cherished and it's not even done forming yet?! I have to say, I've been a little hesitant to purchase/receive/accept any baby stuff just because everything seems so unsure at this point, but it is totally exciting anyway. 

Observe, my current fav article of clothing, courtesy of granny mac:   

And the most amazing book from aunt heidi:    

(An excerpt):  

             

And naturally, natural items from my mom (mimi):      

Mimi is like me and doesn't want to "jinx" anything by getting into the baby-celebrating biz too early. If you're wondering what the olive oil is for, apparently its moisturizing (specifically chest- and belly-moisturizing) properties are exceptional. Just ignore the rash... jk.  ;)

Coincidentally, I'm still freaked out about the fact that I'm not sick, not showing and can't feel anything yet. I know every preggo woman with morning sickness and a belly at 5 weeks would curse me, but I can't help it - it makes me nervous. I feel like I'm not "tuned-in" yet. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful and blessed to feel normal. I just need to know this little peep is growing and everything is progressing along as it should. And wondering when it'll actually feel like I'm gonna have a baby (aside from the massive pain and pushing part)?

It's all fun & games, 'till someone pees their pants.

The best part, by far (and so far, since it's radio silence from within at this point) has been telling people who have no idea and watching their reactions. Totally awesome. And we must be good with the surprises because as far as I know, we caught everyone off-guard.

My goal was to make someone pee their pants (just kidding I would never want that). But it did kind of feel like covert ops coming up with some stealthy way to slip it into a conversation or a "mock-fight" that would end with the big reveal. Of course, Jon was busting at the seams to tell someone, so we didn't quite make it to the end of the first trimester with the parents (or Heidi. or Nick).

Heidi literally fell to the floor; Nick actually did a happy dance; Loryn got sick and left (just kidding Loryn I know that was not due to the announcement); my dad broke down in the middle of a restaurant (I felt really bad about that one actually, but it was sweet to see how touched and excited he was); my mom just repeated "oh my gosh!" - sounding strangely reminiscent of me after Jon's proposal; Jon's mom hugged me and forgot to hug him; and my brother shook my hand. Those are just the highlights. They may not be overjoyed with me for doing so, but I'm going to post the ones we recorded below. I am so glad we have these!

How we broke it down. 

My dad: Finally shocked with a little help from the help at Tex & Shirley's. 

Apparently, "Grandpa T" had been waiting for this news for about 2 years. He'd actually gotten a card and kept it in his car for the day we might hit him with it because, in his mind, anytime we invited him over for dinner or to hang out, we were about to make "the big announcement." But when Hannahbelle arrived in November, he figured there was no way we'd want to expand the family further after just adopting our furry new baby. So we invited he and my grandmother out to breakfast and when it came time to go, Jon took the waitress aside and asked her to play along. She dropped off the check in front of my dad and said "I was told to give this to the new grandfather, since these kids are gonna need to save their money." And my dad picks up the tab totally nonchalantly and is like ok sure I got it. Of course Jon and I are staring at him like 'dad - come on - that wasn't obvious?' So the waitress, trying to be helpful, repeats her "line" again and my dad responds "Oh they don't have kids yet."  At that point, I had to step in. So I said "Seriously dad - we're trying to tell you something here." He was so stunned, I think there was a bit of an emotional overload and the tears started flowing. My poor dad. Probably not the smartest place for us to have done that. I think we could've used a little privacy. But they were tears of joy, so the mission was a success. After 2 years, however, he did have a little trouble locating that card. 

My mom: Opening "the Christmas present we forgot to give her on Christmas" 

[actually a record book from grandma to baby]

Jon's parents: We used the "forgotten present" trick on them, too.
 

Jenna: Slipped it into the conversation (twice) until she noticed. 

We wanted to tell the siblings asap after the parents, but logistics didn't quite work out. So when we ended up at Ham's for a family dinner, Jon nudged me and said "Let's tell Jenna now!" Our first casual mention went unnoticed, so we tried again when Jon pushed his broccoli in my direction and firmly stated "You need this. Eat it." Recognizing the setup, I went with "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I have to eat everything green in the neighboring vicinity." But Jenna completely blew it off and was like whatever you're not pregnant. And since Jon had recently tried to deflect on numerous occasions by asserting that Jenna was just as likely to be with child as the two of us (evil brother), we had to lay it out there in more blatant terms before she actually believed it. Of course, when it registered that we were for real, she squealed just as we'd hoped.

Bronson: Totally unphased, even after the pictures. 

I had borrowed a CD from B some time ago, and I think it was Jon's idea to put the first ultrasound pics inside and give it back to him one morning at breakfast. We tried to act normal and wait out a good part of the meal because someone we knew was at a neighboring table and we weren't quite ready to take the news public, but after we ate, I slid the CD case back to Brons; sure that he would open it and inspect the contents. True to form, he cracked the cover as soon as it was in hand and we paused for a response. Before I could even say "Do you know what those pictures are?" he goes "You're pregnant?" - and honestly I think it was more of a statement than a question. He said it so calmly! Then he reached across the table to shake my hand in congratulations. Classic.

Heidi: Blindsided by a "random" discussion/argument wherein Jon tried to assert that he was the better gift giver (ever-loyal Heidi unfailingly backed me up). 

We went back and forth with the "I got you this; I got you that" until Jon cut to the chase with "Oh yeah well what did I get you this year?" which was my prompt to respond "Pregnant." It took her a second (there may or may not have been alcohol inolved), but then she screamed "WHAT???" and had to grip the countertop to keep from falling to the floor too hard (so great was the shock). No suspicions whatsoever. It was magnificent. Though in hindsight it may have been better (at least for Heidi's health) to let the toastiness wear off before dropping that little bomb.

Nick: Caught off-guard in a Guitar Hero battle. 

Unfortunately Jon's newfound skills were no match for the seasoned veteran, and Nick was in the midst of a beatdown when Jon tried to even the playing field by throwing out "Hey, dude... Mckenzie's pregnant." Sadly, this did not stop the battle, but Nick kept glancing back and forth trying to determine if that was just a distraction tactic or if we were actually trying to tell him something. I refused to confirm until after the slaughter. But we definitely should have broken out the camera for that one because Nick's happy-dance-with-tiny-videogame-guitar was priceless.

The friends: Surprise by spaghetti. 

Just before the 3-month milestone, we managed to get a large group of friends to our house under the guise of dinner and hangage (I mean we actually did have dinner and hang, but there were ulterior motives). Though nothing like that can ever go perfectly and we were missing a few key peeps, we figured it was the most we could get together at one time. Jenna and Nick came early to help set up while I nervously waited for the big moment and gagged at the hideous stench of the meat/garlic mixture on the stove. When we were finally ready to eat, we gathered together in the living room for a quick prayer. Jon led us with the usual "Thank you for bringing us together and for the food we are about to eat. Bless those less fortunate" and then added "And please watch over the tiny baby in Mckenzie's belly for the next 6 months and beyond..." I believe he continued for another 15 seconds, so I can only imagine the peeks coming our direction before he was done. And when the prayer was finished, I felt about 12 sets of eyes staring expectantly, so I affirmed the news with "Yes, I'm pregnant!" I really wish I'd had a picture of that moment and been able to see everyone's reactions at once, but the two faces I noticed were Jennifer and Loryn. The mixture of shock and excitement was awesomeriffic.