We've got movement!

I felt the baby! Well, we both did of course. Steph said she was starting to feel something while she was at work. We weren't sure if it was just gas...or something else. The first time I felt it, it was just like a little pulse.

I wonder what the baby was doin in there....was it a Jackie Chan style kick?

Or was it more like a Mike Tyson punch?

Whatever it really was, I just like the think of it as my little player giving his/her coach a high five.

Remind me after the baby's born that I need to teach him/her that the chest bump and fist dap are much more in style nowadays.

Shopper Stopper Storm 2009

The last time I remember DC being hit with more than 10 inches of snow was in 1996...I was a sophomore in high school. Does this mean it'll be another 13 years before the next massive storm hits? Poppy will almost be 13 years old - excited for sledding, snowball fights and hot chocolate on breaks from the winter wonderland.

While we both wish the little one was already here to play in the snow, we were kids at heart today on her behalf. We went out multiple times to measure how many inches had fallen, debated on whether or not we'll have work/school on Monday, baked a cake and had a mini snowball fight....(well, Michael threw one ball at me, which hit my arm and I pulled the pregnant card).

While Poppy couldn't see it, or feel the snow - s/he made her first snow angel today.....

It's here!

I'm still fitting in my clothes....but it's arrived. The much anticipated baby bump is finally here.

10 weeks....

16 weeks....

Happy Birthday Carrie & Mitchell

I know our blog is about our journey to becoming parents, but I feel like I'm already a mom......just to two little kittuns. It took a LOT of convincing to get Michael to agree to bring cats into our home. After begging and pleading, we started our search. We quickly found out that it wasn't "kitten" season - we were looking in January, and the influx of kittens wouldn't be until May. Determined to extend our family, I continued our search. We finally found someone who had a brother and sister in West Virginia. The boy was nameless and the girl was named "Flower". Based off two pictures, we made our way to Frederick to pick up our new "kids". I immediately fell in love with these two.....

It's been a fun four years with Carrie Bradshaw & Mitchell Hedberg. Some of my fondest memories:

- Their first night in our home - we had dinner plans, so we spent a good 30 minutes barricading them into a small space because I read that letting them loose in your home could be too much at first. Mitchell cleared the 3 foot wall on his first try.

- Mitchell escaping our Rockville apartment, ultimately locking both of us out. I had to take him down to the lobby to get a spare key. That was the first and last time he's ever seen a dog. He ripped a couple of holes in my shirt and skin from clawing into me so deep, fearing for his life.

- (This isn't quite "fond", but I'll never forget it) Michael brought them home after their "big" surgery - Mitchell acted like nothing happened to him, encouraging Carebear to play. Carrie couldn't walk a step without falling over. It was really sad :(

- Watching them chase toys on the hard woods and sliding 4 feet because they couldn't grip the floor to stop themselves.

- Carrie's "rolls" - When she is happy, she'll walk up to you and collapse on her side and roll on her back. I'll know somethings wrong when she stops doing this.

- Their obsession with meme (if you don't know who meme is and are wondering, email me).

- Their first day in our new home. While it's a little bit bigger, it's pretty much the same....just more carpet to destroy.

- Their first overnight trip at Mom & Dad's - which was also their first time they've ever been up or down stairs!

- Their unconditional love. After the worst day, I come home to two kittuns who are ALWAYS happy to see me (it's probably because they know they are about to be fed)....but there's nothing like cuddling with them at night while I watch my girlie shows.

Happy 4th Birthday Carebear & Mitchell - you've caught up with Michael in human years....but you haven't caught me yet....You'll always be my baby shnookes.

Will Poppy look like Michael or Stephanie at birth....

(Michael on the left, Stephanie on the right)

There's no place like home....

For all those that are wondering, we are not moving before the baby arrives. Michael and I live in a cozy two bedroom (with walk in closets)/two bath condo in Germantown. While the "second bedroom" has been home to our OTHER huge flat screen TV and our guests when they arrive, it's the perfect spot for Poppy to call home. She'll have her own bathroom, walk in closet & view of Target to boot! What else could a girl ask for!? (If Pop is a boy, I'm sure he'll be just as excited about the storage space for his wardrobe and to know that Modell's is just around the corner from Target)

We were not the first owners of the condo and when we moved in the carpet was in okay condition. Shortly after we settled in, our beloved cats Carrie & Mitchell started to do a number to it. We let it slide because we knew we'd eventually have to get it replaced when we moved on to a bigger place. Since the housing market has been as bad as the Redskins the last couple of years, we've come to terms with the fact that we'll be at Eton Place for longer than we initially anticipated. As soon as this realization hit me, I started thinking about the floors. Begging and pleading with Michael, he strongly said, "Let's save our money and wait until we move". I reluctantly agreed. Until Poppy came into the picture :)

I think our kid would have died from cat hair inhalation if we let one toe touch the carpet. Not only that - I was getting pretty embarrassed to have people over with the stains/torn up sections (Thank you Carebear). Grinning from ear to ear, we purchased our carpet from Lowes - making our first step to baby proofing our home.

While our carpet was being installed, there was no way that Carrie & Mitchell could have stayed at home. They freak out when they hear a phone ring, so I could have only imagined what they would have been like if they stuck around to see their 1100 square foot scratching post ripped up and thrown out the door. So we packed their things, forced them into their crates and took a ride down to my parents house. Was this a practice round for a weekend away kid-free? Would I make it through the night without having to call and check in?

I failed miserably. They were so scared when we got there they wouldn't even come out of their crates. When they finally did emerge, they cautiously scurried around to get familiar with their surroundings and found comfort in my dad's workroom. After a few attempts to have them come out from their EXTREMELY secret hiding places to say goodbye, I left with a heavy heart. Will they eat? Are they scared? Will they rip up my parents carpet? I fretted about them all night and all day. Of course they were absolutely fine and as soon as I let them loose back at home, they were back to the good old Carebear & Mitch.

Mom/Dad - Thanks for kittunsitting! As much as they looked scared, I'm sure they had a great time exploring a place that is twice the size of anywhere they've ever been. And I'm sure Mitch shed a few pounds going up and down the steps for the first time in his life :)

Now, I know my baby won't be able to hide from me and I know that Poppy will need my parents to make it through the night, but omg! If I was this upset about leaving my CATS - how the heck am I going to be able to leave my KID!? Sigh - I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

So I've heard that people start nesting right before the baby arrives....is that true? Because I think I've probably gone through every inch of our place and reorganized, donated or trashed something since finding out I was going to be a Mom. I guess I'm just a little anxious for the baby to arrive. I'm sure in about 37 days from now, I'll be grateful that I worked so hard to organize. The day we find out the sex - I'll just obsess over the nursery :)