Ten for February

10. February holds three family birthdays for us--two brothers and a nephew.  We had a lot of fun picking and pairing presents this year, which led us to a few gems.  My running brother received a hydration waist pack, since my running is currently done vicariously through him.  Another brother received Roast Beef Bubble Gum (among other things), which apparently led to fun times with friends and a cameo on Facebook.  Then, my nephew received candy legos--which I secretly wanted for myself.  I love to pick out presents for family, so three in one month was pretty fun!

9. In my last post, I mentioned the flowers that Devin spontaneously brought me.  I have loved having them around.  Seriously, I think it's one of the cutest and most thoughtful things when he gives me something "just because."  I'm a big fan of surprises, so this works out pretty well for me.  Even better, the flowers didn't loose their first petals until day 24 in our house!  I love that 7 day guarantee!

8. We celebrated Valentine's in the most wonderfully low-key way ever.  We made pizza together.  I made Devin a giant cookie.  He gave me a box of lindor truffles.  We watched some Netflix wearing pajama pants.  We both said thoughtful things and reminisced a little.  We ignored our phones.  Honestly, with how busy things have been lately during the weeks, it was the perfect day.

7. I frequently refer to the Moose as being "on crack" these days.  It's a great excuse whenever he's acting particularly odd.  But, he's also taken to sniffing the tiny gaps between our hardwood (original with the house from 1926) to try and find something of interest.  We have a few stray cats in the neighborhood that occasionally go under there, so we're guessing this is what he's trying to catch a whiff of during these super sniffer sessions.  It's pretty hilarious unless it's been going on for half an hour or more...or it's time for bed, and he won't stop.  Blue joins him on occasion, but mostly it's Moose who loves his crack.

6. I'm re-learning how to sew.  Last month, I said I might go buy a needle and thread.  Well, I've bought that and a whole lot more!  While I haven't actually taken the machine out of the box yet (tomorrow, maybe?), I have a plethora of basic sewing supplies and an assortment of fabrics.  I've already got a couple of projects lined up, and a bunch more I want to do if those turn out okay!  Pinterest has been a great help here...I'm pretty much addicted to that site these days.

5. Last week, the new kids (they might be 20) who just moved into the rental next door decided to leave their new LCD tv box in front of our house for pick up so that no one would know they had a new tv worth taking.  I was livid.  But, I practiced a great deal of self control and left it for Devin to deal with when he got home.  He talked to the kids, intimidated them a little, and broke down the box for recycling.  I think I would have yelled a bit more, cried in anger on their front porch, and generally made a hormonal mess of things.  So, I'm proud of my self control for not doing any of the above.

4. Devin is now in his pediatrics rotation.  He enjoyed the pace of outpatient clinic, and was able to get a lot of practice in during the two weeks.  He especially enjoyed advocating for some of the ADHD kids who came through.  Now, he's moved over to inpatient.  The days are much longer, but he's doing equally well.  Yesterday, a six year old girl gave him and iCarly thank you note telling him he did a good job.  It was adorable!

3. I love getting surprise mail from sisters!  For Valentine's day, I had one sister send me cute socks, tear-and-fold Valentines for me and the baby, and a giant bag of Smarties!  Just before Valentine's, I received an envelope with three new maternity shirts from my sister who is also pregnant!  She'd found a deal and decided to share the wealth.  And, it gave me a new pink shirt to wear on the 14th.  Add to that a glider that came in the mail yesterday and a crib that was delivered on the first (both gifts!), and it's pretty easy to see why I love seeing what's come when I get home from work!

2. Devin's prepped the grill again for the good weather season!  Last week, all the Boy Scouts from the troop he works with came to our house to learn how to grill.  So, he spent a Saturday clearing the patio of leaves, raking the back yard (in preparation for spring planting!), and re-seasoning all the grill grates.  When they arrived Wednesday evening, a delicious meal of steak, barbecue chicken, shrimps, and vegetables was grilled and served.  We've since had salmon and just bought some more foods to grill as well!

1. I'm now 24 weeks along in this pregnancy!  We are pretty excited to hit this milestone, as it increases the chance of having a healthy baby even if I go into preterm labor.  However, baby and I are both doing fine, so this isn't a huge concern--just a nice reassurance!  It also make the big day seem less distant as well.  Our nursery is taking shape, and we've been organizing the whole house in an effort to get ready for the big arrival.  June is feeling a lot closer these days!