The Snow Wins

3 years ago when we bought our house in the middle of winter, Nate and I enthusiastically (okay, maybe I was the only enthusiastic one) dug into the snow in our driveway with a shovel after every snowfall. I told myself how healthy it was to get out and shovel, and how eco-friendly it was to avoid the gas-guzzling snowblower.

Since I'm pregnant this winter, Nate is on full time shovel duty. Needless to say, it took one big snowfall for him to get online and find an eco-friendly snow blowing option.

He placed the order Sunday night. We are excited for the latest electrical addition to our household, a Toro Electric Snowthrower. We have our friends with gas-powered snowblowers on speed dial just in case we need some help getting our new toy out of a snow bank.

31 Weeks

At 31 weeks, people are starting to say things like "you're due when?!" and "you're getting big!" (some people don't beat around the bush) and looking at this picture I now understand why. If you look close you'll also notice my belly button has taken on a life of its own.

I have developed a subtle waddle and some awkward movements in order to change positions from laying to sitting to standing. Can't wait to see what the last two months bring in my physical prowess.

Despite challenges that come with gaining 25 lbs in 8 months (and darn proud of it!), I'm still enjoying the pregnancy. I'm still walking Kobie daily and have added weekly yoga and elliptical machine exercise. All this is in preparation for my latest pregnancy commitment...we turned in the paperwork agreeing to a water birth today. We'll be going all natural for the birth (as long as the rest of the pregnancy and labor go all right). I am still working through some trepidation around a drug-free birth, but I've done a ton of reading and mental and physical preparation, and will have great support from Nate to get through the challenge.

Why would I put myself through this some of my possibly more sane friends have asked? There are many benefits for baby and mom, which I'll let you read about from the American Pregnancy Association. My overwhelming reason, though, is the reviews I've consistently heard about the experience women have when they birth naturally. Both baby and mom come out of labor very alert and very connected. I think this first hour of bonding is such a critical time, and I want to give it the best circumstances I can.

Going Green in Winter

Nate found two more ways to make our house more efficient this winter, and is making improvements as I type. First, he bought a reusable air filter for the furnace. Once it's installed, you just clean it regularly and then reinstall.

Second, he is insulating the hot water pipes. It's just a wrap that looks like a small version of the insulation you'd put around the water heater; wrap it around the pipes and start using less energy to keep the water heated.

Easy changes that will improve our efficiency this winter.

28 weeks and kicking

It's hard to tell, but if you watch close, you can see our little boy moving around. Every time I started recording, he stopped moving.

He kicks once just after halfway through the video, then there's some movement on the left side (my right side) of the video towards the end.

Apologies for the gross, giant, hairy, white belly...winter doesn't do much to improve the looks of a pregnant belly.

Our Little Speed Bump

To take advantage of the belly, I went to our Halloween party as a speed bump; Nate was a road construction worker.

In green news, our oven busted. My first response was "let's trash it and get a new one." But Nate, always thinking green, suggested we donate it to someone who can fix it. Excellent plan! Anyone know how to fix ovens that don't heat to temperature? We've got an oven for you!