Pregnancy Progress

I'll be 27 weeks pregnant on Monday, but here is a pic we took a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, this is only the 2nd time we've taken pics this pregnancy. But I'll be honest, w/ Sophie we decided to take pictures of me in the same clothes from beginning to end, and these are not pics I enjoy looking back on. If you ever decide to do this, choose something that is a bit more flattering than a tight white camisole and velour yoga pants. By the end of the pregnancy, I just look like a woman with a big gut coming out of the bottom of my shirt. So we're going for something a little different this time. These pics make the baby "bump" look more like a baby "poke." Not sure what's going on, but I do seem to be carrying lower this time. The bottom pic is from 25 weeks w/ Sophie. I don't have a good profile shot, but you can at least see how young we used to be :). Oh, and peek at pic #2 for the big name reveal.

Meeting Sophie's "Boys Cousins"

A few weeks ago we went to Erik's grandmother's house about an hour from Nashville to see some of his extended family. Sophie also got to meet 5 of her boy cousins, which was so much fun. She's the only girl and seemed right at home in a boy's world. Thanks to Jack and Luke (the 2 oldest boys) she has learned quite of bit of Taekwondo, although it looked a little more realistic when the boys did it. It was great to see the mommies and kiddos (and Aunt Lee), and Jen and Pete were there also, which is always a treat. Somehow we didn't manage to get a pic with Granny and the kids, which I was pretty bummed about. But here are some others:

Sophie was pretty sure that a baseball mitt needed to go on her head.

And while the boys played baseball, she played with dandelions.

A little playtime with Uncle Pete

Clearly Sophie is missing something about the rules of "Wall Ball"

Playing with Reed - she's going to be a great big sister!

Gran & Papa Visit

Here are some pics from when my parents were here a couple of weeks ago. My dad couldn't be here the whole time because of the conference he went to, but we enjoyed having him around a few days and loved having Gran here for a week. I work at our church's Mother's Day Out program on Thursdays, and Sophie goes to class there while I work, so Gran accompanied her for a pony ride on "Rodeo Day." I was actually surprised that Sophie rode the pony - I thought she'd be too nervous, but apparently that was not the case.

Of course, she's not exactly smiling, either.

The adorable outfit my mom made

While they were here, Gran & Papa took Sophie to her favorite place, Rainforest Cafe, so Erik and I could go out for my birthday. She had a great time, as usual, and they also walked through the mall to Bass Pro Shop and the Aquarium Restaurant, which has a carousel and a stingray exhibit. And it's a good thing they went while they could, because now the mall is under water (apparently shoulder-height in parts) and I just heard today that some piranha survived the flood and are swimming freely around the mall. So our Rainforest days may be over for quite some time.

Sophie and Papa pointing the way to the Bass Pro Shop, which I understand is nothing compared to the one at Pops & Gigi's house.

Waving at the stingrays

Already plagued by paparazzi. This was one of 4 carousel rides - apparently you pay a flat rate and can ride as many times as you want. And grandparents are pushovers for such things.

The Robot?

The night before they left, Mom & Dad took us to dinner for my birthday. This is Sophie's first attempt at photography - not too shabby.

Sophie and Papa - I love this one :)

For those wondering where the baby bump is in previous pictures, as you can see here he's clearly in my face.