Bean Goes Swimming!

Today was Bean's first dip in the pool. We took her to family swim at our gym, and she seemed to enjoy herself. Her dad is enthusiastic about her potential as a future swimmer. She even made a friend in the pool, a happy, pudgy little baby named Elanor, and she gained an admirer in the locker room, a toddling little fellow named Sebastian, who liked to point to her head, give a big smile, and say, "baby!" which delighted Bean.

Tummytime

Look at me holding up my big, heavy head!

Happy It's-Supposed-To-Be-Your-Birthday!

Why is Bittersweet Bakery a favorite spot for us very, very, very pregnant Chicago ladies? According to urban legend, the flourless chocolate cake will entice even stubborn little babes to come out and enjoy the sweet life.

We figured, why not? On our way home from work on August 13, we stopped by Bittersweet and picked up a cake in hopes of celebrating our little one's BIRTHday.

After dinner, we put a candle in our little cake, sang "Happy It's-Supposed-To-Be-Your-Birthday" to Bean, and enjoyed her BIRTHday cake ourselves.

Merry Christmas Grandma & Grandpa!

On December 20, 2007, we got our first glimpse and photo of this amazing new little bundle of life, and her nickname was set -- Bean.

Two days later, at Grandma and Grandpa Conry's, we broke the news. We barely got a corner of the ultrasound photo out of the envelope and Ken and Mary -- a radiologist and a nurse -- knew exactly what it was!

Grandpa and Grandma Burton -- an accountant and a math teacher -- were not as quick to catch on. We emailed them the picture and message you see here and then called, and my mom thought I had meant to send this...whatever it was...to my grandparents. To their credit, it didn't take more than a few seconds to get it. Needless to say, they were both overjoyed, as we all were!

PREGNANT?!?

I woke up on Monday, December 3, 2007 very tired after a night of restless sleep. That is not unusual for me on a Monday morning after staying up late and sleeping in all weekend, so when Sunday night rolls around, I just can't get to sleep. Pete, who usually gets up before me, was still asleep, but I had given up on trying to sleep and got up to start my morning ritual. This morning started a little different than most. I had a "First Response" test waiting in the drawer, and figured I might as well get the facts. Though I knew there was the scientific possibility I could be pregnant, I was certain I couldn't actually be. I didn't have to wait more than a few seconds to see two very distinct pink lines, which undeniably meant one thing: PREGNANT!

I poked Pete and before he could really open his eyes, I said, "Hey, I'm pregnant..." , my disbelief obvious in the emphasis on that word...PREGNANT! We were both surprised and happy...and tired. I immediately decided that now that I was sleeping for two, the only responsible thing to do was to call into work for the morning, miss my weekly department meeting, and climb back under the covers and get a few more hours of sleep.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Adventures of Bean! We have some catching up to do, so let's start at the beginning...