Birthdays Are Soooooo Nice

What's one of the coolest animals you could spend your day with on your 25th birthday??

A penguin.

We spent the afternoon at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

I LOVE fish tanks. The beautiful colors, the strange looking creatures, the magical mysterious underwater world (I used to wish I was a mermaid).

My favorite was the turtle. He had an extremely huggable neck and arm area.

We found out at the end of the day that the penguins who were in a "relationship" with one another had matching arm bands. The penguins on this rock were all couples. They were perfectly content to stand still next to one another all day long. These penguins, and my pleasant day with Chris, made me think of a quote from the movie Big Fish:

"A man might travel his entire life and never find a place so inviting.

My journey had scarcely begun and I had arrived.

I can't imagine any place better than here."

The Bump

When I first learned that I was pregnant, 18 weeks ago, I was ecstatic. Yes, I couldn't wait to become a mother. But there was another much more selfish reason: pregnant women are beautiful. I COULDN'T WAIT to begin growing that bump that lets the world know you're carrying a baby; the bump that says, "I'm tired, but strong. I'm scared, but ready. I'm irritable, but happy. I'm 25 pounds heavier than I was several months ago, and I've never looked more beautiful."

Okay, so my bump is far from looking like the bump I long for. But still, I think it's finally worthy of a picture on the blog.

Nisula Girl

I have a dear, sweet, bright niece who is turning 6 this month. As most of you who read this are my family members, I'm sure you would agree. I was watching her and her siblings last night when I was told by my nephew that he found a mouse in Bella's bed in the garage. Well, this niece started wiggling her body, shaking her hands, and jumping up and down. With a scrunched up face she said, "Eew, eew, eew, I HATE INSECTS!"

All I have to say is, you don't have to carry the last name to be a Nisula girl at heart. :)

My Love for the Heirloom Tomato

If you were to watch me during the day, every once in a while you would see me stop suddenly and hold my body very still. A smile would glide across my face. I would wait: feeling, searching, wondering. And the moment would pass as I return to my task. You would be witnessing my reaction to feeling the tiny being inside of me knocking at the inner parts of my tummy. Each time I feel it I'm amazed that there is a baby in there. It does not happen too frequently yet, so whenever it does I am left yearning for more. This morning as the baby let me know three times in a row that he/she was awake I felt the elation that comes with its tapping. And I realized I am falling in love.

I am 19 weeks pregnant; one more week and I will be halfway to meeting my first child. Right now the baby is the size of an heirloom tomato - six inches long, 8.5 ounces. Oh, how I cannot wait to hold my little tomato!

Pregnancy Update

I'm officially four months pregnant!! I still don't look too pregnant yet (sometimes with certain outfits) so I'm not going to put a picture up of my belly. We already had our first ultrasound several weeks ago, and we'll probably get another in a few weeks from now. We've decided not to find out the gender of our little one; I LOVE surprises and can't think of a better surprise to wait for. A few days ago I felt the baby move for the first time which was really cool, but really fleeting. I have no complaints - I feel good most of the time and am completely obsessed with talking and reading about the baby growing inside me.

So Long, Motorcycle

Many moons ago, when we left Idaho, we sold two motorcycles and told ourselves that it would be awhile before we ever owned another. Well, a couple months later Chris bought a bike. But this time it would be a special project of his. He spent hours on this bike and enjoyed his time changing the look of it. But when the project was over, so was the desire to own it. So yet again, we are bike-less people. But something tells me that this time it really will be awhile before we get another. Goodbye, motorcycle.

Rock, Rock, Rock

Chris was at it again. During his kayaking man-paddle with our brother-in-law he picked up a bundle of sticks. Not just any sticks - he climbed up on a beaver hut and dam to select the sticks he wanted to use. He made me a rocking chair, and I'm in love with it.

Our cat loves playing with string--as you can see she decided to help Chris make the seat, but he didn't make it so I could rock her. As many already know, and those of you who don't, Chris and I are expecting our first child in February. I'm 11 weeks pregnant and so excited!