Almost parents

Aron and I in Oz Park after breakfast this morning--we are counting down the days to bebe M's due date now--Dec. 2 is fast approaching. However, given that only 5% of babies arrive on their due date, we aren't holding our breath for the 2nd (though it would be nice!)

Great shots by Matt

Matt and Rachel walked around downtown for several hours on Saturday while Aron and I attended a class at the hospital. These are some of the creative shots Matt took of downtown and I just had to post some.





























Throngs of people shopping on Michigan Ave (would you want to shop in this crowd?!).

Happy Thanksgiving

For the holiday weekend, we have company here from Dallas, our good friends Matt and Rachel. They flew in on Friday morning and we headed for Whole Foods where we bought food for our planned Thanksgiving meal that night. We spent the better part of the day cooking. Shel and Randall (on the right) joined us (and brought a bounty of food themselves) and here we all are (minus my hubby who is taking the picture), albeit candidly, enjoying our feast.
Our menu consisted of:

Ramaki (water chestnuts wrapped in bacon)
Spiced pecans
Holiday salad
Turkey and gravy
Cornbread dressing
Homemade cranberry sauce
Angel biscuits (Shel's famous recipe--delish!)
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potato casserole
Green beans with gouda and bacon
Chocolate pecan pie
Pumpkin chiffon pie
Christmas chex
Homemade ginger snaps

We stuffed ourselves silly and have continued to eat leftovers for the days following. It was much fun to host our first guests over a spectacular spread. Good times had by all.

The rest of this weekend has been filled with just hanging out with Matt and Rachel. We went and saw a movie last night, today we went to eat at a fantastic breakfast spot called Toast (if you come and visit, we'll be going there), and later went to Grace Chicago Church (Shel & Randall's church). The afternoon has been filled with hours of playing Rook (a fun and addictive card game) and a trip to Oberwiess for the best ice cream around. We are now settled in for the night and watching the Bears vs. Patriots game.

New belly shot

Taken tonight, a few days into week 37...less than

3 weeks until bebe M's due date! Of course, she could come any time, but we are hoping she'll arrive sooner than later. A few reflections at this point:

*My appetite has increased more in the last 3 weeks than in the entire pregnancy. I have especially been craving baked goods. Yum!

*Tops are not fitting as well, so note the layering tank. Hands down, it is the single best investment in maternity clothes I have made. It's from Gap Maternity, oh-so-soft-and-comfy, and I recommend all pregnant mothers invest in one (I have worn it every day for 3 weeks; I feel no shame in admitting that; I do laundry). I refuse to buy new clothes at this point.

*Sleep is growing more and more uncomfortable; I wake up at least 5 times each night.

*We had an ultrasound with our new OB last Tuesday and the bebe still looks fantastic. The technician even pointed out several dots on her head and said, "She has some hair!" How cool is that?!

*My urge to nest had grown exponentially; I like the smell of cleaning products. Aron cleared out the baby room and while we wait for the furniture to arrive from California (hopefully, Thanksgiving week), we have the Pack N Play set up, so if she arrives early, she'll have a bed. We are ordering a dresser this week.

*Lastly, Aron says I am more "gooey." This is our word for when one of us is happy, giddy, sappy, cuddley, you name it.

View from our downtown apartment

This is our view when we were residing in downtown. It was lovely!! Now, I just need to get some new pics of our flat, all organized and such, which it isn't...yet. We hope to have it all done by this coming weekend. We are adjusting to life in Chi-town. The most important aspect will be finding a new church and close knit community of friends. We are still on the search, but hope to chose a home church in the coming weeks.