Getting some spring in my step

Man, was this one long winter or what? Looking back, it feels like the sun didn't come out from December through March. Luckily, my memory is short, and the past several weeks of warm and breezy conditions have all but erased from my mind those dreary days. MP and I have been enjoying dinner most evenings right here...


The past few weeks have been spent hanging ferns, spreading mulch, and filling planters in an effort to make our porch and yard a nice place to spend time. I will, for the remainder of my life, aspire to ferns that grow as beautiful and full as those on Gary & Keith's front porch - so please wish me luck in my fourth year of trying! We've also been working on training the dogs to stay on the porch with us as we sit at the table...apparently, our neighbors with small children don't take too kindly to a Tipper and Riley style greeting.

I have also been taking advantage of the nicer weather by going on several hour-long dog walks each week. I had been running regularly up until shortly after becoming pregnant, but somewhere between moodiness, the weather getting cold, my breath getting short, and my belly growing large I lost the willpower to keep it up. I did manage to maintain a yoga practice through the winter, but ever since the sun's been out, I have just wanted to be outside. I hope to keep up the walks as long as I can, even if I have to divvy them up into two shorter ones each day as the weather heats up and BBP takes up even more room in my ever-growing belly. Speaking of the ever growing belly - see evidence below (...and celebrate with me that we're officially in the third trimester!!! Only 12 more weeks to go.)

MP and I welcomed his parents last weekend for a visit, and Grandma came bearing many gifts. She brought clothes new & old for BBP. I can't wait to dress him in some of the same things his daddy wore as a baby. Especially this hat:

(Special thanks to Peter Rabbit for modeling.)

You may be wondering from the picture, but yep(!) that is a feather in his cap. BBP is going to be one authentic retro hipster. Who needs some vintage online clothing site or store, when we are lucky enough to have parents who saved the originals for us?!?! (Note, Nana did the same, only she just had little girl things of mine to pass along. Perhaps one day BP2 will be the lucky recipient of these fashion relics.)

We had a great time showing Grandma & Grandpa Pulle all around CoMo. They were able to see where MP spends most of his time, check out downtown, visit a couple of our favorite places to eat, experience walking around Rocheport, and finally.... the A-Frame at Les Bourgeois. A fantastic time was had by all...

Not only do we find ourselves in the homeward stretch of pregnancy, but MP is wrapping up his 1L year. We expect the coming weeks to fly by, and have much to do yet in preparation for BBP. But first, MP will finish up classes, finals, and a seven week clerkship in Nashville, while I am going to try to get our freezer stocked, BBP's nursery ready to go, and also plenty of rest in anticipation of that which will be foregone in the months to come.