when I almost destroyed the pie.

we haven't been keeping up with our resolution to try new places to eat because when you're growing a human inside of you, it's better to just play it safe and familiar (and all the mommas said amen). we did however feel up to try a new place in mid-city called 3 Potato 4 and we were definitely fans. their big thing is fries, but they're baked and all of the ingredients used in everyyythinnng are very well thought out and healthy. the only thing in the entire place that wasn't vegan was, well, us. (: but no matter. I felt great afterward so I'll for sure be back. it will be a place we can take future visitors because it's something you don't see everywhere.

I definitely succeeded in continuing to forget to take photos, so I don't have anything to show for it. I'll just blame it on the pregnancy brain this time.

which, by the way, I'm learning is totally a real thing, Lord help. and also, hormones. I never really gave them enough credit and I'm still not happy to, but their ability to make a girl sad at the drop of a hat is incredible. if it weren't for the fact that they make this miracle inside of me take place, I'd question what God had in mind there. I'm a firm believer that we have more control over our responses than we realize, but pregnancy throws you for a loop once in a while (it really hasn't been so bad thus far, so please don't think I'm crying all of the time, ha). needless to say, I'm very thankful for grace. (;

speaking of being thankful.. our friends hosted Thanksgiving and a bunch of us pitched in dishes for a big, tasty meal. we supplied the cheesy potatoes and pumpkin pie, which I almost nailed until my oven mitt made it IN the hot filling. I guess all that matters is the fact that it was edible and reminded me of my grandma's pie.

it was a real blessing to have somewhere to gather since our family is in Michigan. we're grateful for friends near and far and that we never really have to be alone.

friendsgiving. complete with flower crowns because, well, those are always a good idea.

hope you all had a great holiday.

love..

on getting bigger and trying to not compare.

the last two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. the really nice thing is that I was able to go to Michigan twice; once unexpectedly for a funeral, but the family time was something I won't take for granted. we will miss grandma Sally, but will continue celebrate her life and the fact that she is no longer suffering.

welp, I jumped into the second trimester and all of the sudden my body decided I could handle this whole pregnancy thing. such a breath of fresh air. I still have queasy moments here and there and obviously life is much different, but I'm feeling better and feel like I can enjoy this time more. I wanted to love being pregnant so bad, so it has been nice the last couple weeks.

anywho. some of you have mentioned that you want to see more photos of the little one making me pack on the pounds. (; I have a hard time willingly posting this kind of thing (you know, photos and such vulnerable info of myself), so thanks for the push. I will try to update more often. here are a few.. twelve weeks, somewhere in between fourteen and fifteen weeks, and then sixteen weeks. little on is growing.

one thing I have been learning about is that all of the sudden comparison sneaks in again. it's something I feel most women deal with in all seasons of life. but once you seem to grasp that you're who you are for a reason and comparing yourself is a big waste of the peace you could be experiencing, you start something new and wonder if what you're doing is right. does that make sense at all? I'll have thoughts that are obviously not productive and then wonder why all of the sudden I care so much. things like, 'she is farther along than I am and I'm way bigger than her already' or 'she is so much more prepared than I am'. getting used to having this belly is interesting and finding clothes I feel good in is a grand task. don't get me wrong, I love it so much and I wouldn't wish it away for anything. and obviously every woman is different and will carry differently, but I think identity can be a struggle no matter where you are in life and comparing myself to other mommies-to-be (which there seem to be a ton of right now, congratulations ladies!) is something to be watching out for.

and then God is like, 'okay, but look down.' and I see my belly for real. and I remember the greatness of what is happening inside of me. that there is a HUMAN in there. a real life baby. and for as long as I'm living on this earth, it is my real life baby and even once it is no longer inside of me I get to keep it.  and it gets to have Chad as a daddy. beautiful.

so the handy little phone app says the babe is about the size of an avocado this week and can start hearing my voice, among many other miraculous things, which has been so crazy for me to think about. I guess that means we need to start being more vocal. but how neat is it that our voices will be recognizable and soothing once he or she is here? that's pretty neat in my book.

love..

little one.

happy Friday, everyone.

I read this week that the little one is about the size of a pea pod (other things have said a peach) and I couldn't get over how incredible and cute that sounded. to think that there is this baby with all of it's vital organs and hair and finger nails, but only a few inches in length, just hanging out in my stomach is unbelievable. so neat.

I'm turning turning the corner in to the second trimester and as many of you have experienced, you know this is an exciting and much better feeling time. (: I'm still figuring out what it takes to make me feel better, but so far it's just to eat. and eat and eat. that's probably been the hardest adjustment because we're just not big eaters and I feel like I have to eat all day long, ha. I'm a little bit tired of food (okay, a lot tired of food), but have to keep it up every couple hours or it's bad news for Ali. so that's life for the last six or so weeks. also, this crazy sensitive nose here. the grocery store is tough. so many smells! but this week has been much better and I can tell things are looking up.

have a great weekend. I'm off to meet Chad for "lunch", because his lunch today is when you should be eating dinner and he'll be working until crazy hours of the night. this job is weird, I tell you. (;

love..