February

So far February has been a busy month for Jim and me.  During our free time you can usually find us house hunting. Our little home in Barrington has served us well for our first year of marriage, but our lease ends April 30th and we are moving on. Lord willing, we will purchase a home before the baby arrives early May.  We've seen close to three dozen homes and are still searching. We'll keep you posted on any new developments. 

In other news, Jim had the not-so-fun task of replacing the struts on his car. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars to have them replaced, he took advantage of my very handy father. Jim and Chris had some major "bonding" time as it turned out to be quite the project. Something like a 12 hour project. Turns out Jim's struts were corroded which made removing them tricky. They succeeded in the end, saving us a bunch of money. Thank you dad for helping us out! We owe you big time.

 Working hard

 Even little Lisa helped out

 Other things we've enjoyed this winter are walks with Gracie. Walking is the only form of exercise I get so we try to make it a daily thing. Walking has been a great way to unwind after a long day and discuss baby names. Yes, we are still discussing baby names. Here is Gracie enjoying a weekend stroll:

 I have to brag for a minute about my very thoughtful husband. He made our first Valentine's Day as a married couple a very memorable one. When I came down in the morning he had roses sitting out for me with a very sweet card, yoga mats, and a heating pad. Because of the extra weight, my back has been so sore. When Tylenol isn't enough, a heating pad works wonders. I have also heard that yoga can help and I am willing to try anything. Anyhow, after work he surprised me with a clean house and dinner plans. He showed me how much he loves me by taking us to a vegan Vietnamese place. Jim loves meat so going to a vegan restaurant was a big sacrifice for him :).

Friday and Saturday mornings Jim plays basketball at our church. I get to be the proud wife on Saturdays during the games. This is a picture of him in action... sort of. I was taking pictures with my phone and there is a bit of a delay.

Here is the latest belly bump picture. I am definitely getting bigger. I feel great aside from the sore back. I think I am either 28 or 29 weeks now. I am starting to lose track. I usually just say 6 1/2 months :).

That wraps it up for now. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this rather mild Chicago winter!