month of loves?

Well, clearly I'm not cut out for the daily blog post. I wrote in my journal nearly every day during junior high, and I remember people seemed to be impressed by that. At the time, I didn't see why, but I certainly came to understand. Too bad junior high wasn't more interesting; I've got a very detailed record of it.

Anyway, I gave up on completing the "month of loves" posts formally, but my 3/4 of a month of loves inspired me to post more often and include more memories and thoughts in my blog. I'll try to keep up that habit.

In the mean time, here's a little update since this month of loves started. I'm just over 24 weeks pregnant. I'm feeling great most of the time with just a few achy back moments and the occasional mid-sleep leg cramp. I feel the baby move often and Sam is able to feel her now, too. We've bought a car seat, stroller, and pack n' play, so we'll be allowed to take the baby home from the hospital and we have somewhere for her to sleep. I know it's a little early to have those things, but I like not thinking about them anymore.

I've started substitute teaching. For all the hassle of dealing with students who are trying to take advantage of you, I think the flexibility is very worth it. I also appreciate that our school system lets you arrange your whole schedule online and up to 10 days in advance. No early morning phone calls for me!

Marriage has just gotten better and better and Sam and I love doing things together. We've gone on lots of walks, bike rides, and shopping trips together. Two weekends ago we went to see Lucy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It really was amazing to see how complete the skeleton was, and I liked learning how she related to other homonids that have been found. The exhibit also included a large section on the country of Ethiopia, where Lucy was found, and I was especially fascinated to see depth of religious history there. We finished our date with a trip to a newly opened Panera. I forgot how much I love their baguettes.

This last weekend we got to go on the youth temple trip and had an adult Valentine's Day dinner and dance. We had lots of fun talking with other couples from our ward and then dancing to all the slow songs. I'll admit it's a tiny bit awkward to step forward to dance together and having my belly reach Sam first, but that wasn't enough to keep us off the dance floor. We're celebrating our 1.5 year anniversary today, and we're glad there'll be another one in the family by the time year 2 comes around.

I don't know how to wrap this post up, so I'll just end with a picture of how we're teaching our baby, in utero, to be green.