Spring

 I love my forsythia right outside our window.  I post a picture of it every year, I'm pretty sure.

It's all over town...

The forsythia and my ultimate fave, the pink magnolia saucer trees, are the first things to bloom in spring here:

 (last year's pic)

The nicer weather means a lot more walks (which are needed since I've abandoned the gym lately).  We like to go by this chicken coop and see our friends.

And the flower shops got some goodies goin' on:

I'm not neglecting my belly: 

(scotch is Art's.)

And yesterday this photo of my niece, Ana and newest nephew (and soon-to-be my baby's bud) Evan made me smile.  Can you believe I haven't squeezed those legs in person yet?  So terri!

And I've started to feel my little man in my tum.  I love it.  It's sorta subtle and I want him to punch me up harder, but I'm sure that's to come soon.  When I feel him, I want to take him out and love him up...but, I can't!  5 more months!  (dang, that's long)
 

Poochy Pleasures

Today marked my first official maternity outfit. 

Yesterday Art and I (he never comes shopping with me (by my and his choice, so I thought it was cute he wanted to tag along for this) hauled it out to Seiersberg mall (which takes us about an hour to get to by public transport), so I could go to the only source of maternity clothes that I know of in this city...H&M.  None of the other 32 H&M locations in this town has the maternity line.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure I'd look pregnant in this even if I wasn't, but now I don't care. I'm wanting to look pregnant instead of like I have a beer belly.

 H&M pulled through as usual.  Got 2 pair of pants, 3 tops and two belly bands for 100 Euros.

The H&M Mama brand jeans are stretch and come cropped and rolled...which I like because it means no hemming and more comfy.

You know I be lovin' this:
(it's gonna be hard to switch back to regular jeans)

That's my Hauptplatz Hamburger Storage Unit.  Hey, I need my iron, k?

And, I promise I won't be posting growing belly pics up here...just this once cause it's new and novel for me.  I'll probably want to torch empire-waisted tops and banded bottoms in a mere 2 months.  My winter puffer jacket's in the cellar oven now.  Our forsythia started blooming this weekend and that makes mama happy.

And...

We're thrilled.

Of course, we'd be happy either way, but it's fun to know.  And, it narrows down the name options by half!  

So Long, Farewell...

Auf wiedersehen, Adieu
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu

(My siblings and I used to crack up at the part when Friedrich sings "to joo and joo and jooooh")

Our good friends Shyla and Grant are moving back to England soon and we're all sad, but we had a fun little shindig to say goodbye on Saturday.

Shyla's from Canada, but moved to England after college, met Grant shortly thereafter, married him up and never moved back.  They came to Graz a year and a half ago, and although we've only known them for a short time, we've had lots of fun together.  

Since Shyla and I don't work (full-time anyways...I do graphic design and she tutors English) we've had plenty of time to be indulgent hausfraus together: sipping coffee, shopping, swimming, eating, buschenschanking, talking and always a laughin'.

More of our homie hausfraus

(sorry Monny, I'm lumpin' you in there)

The hard-workin' hubbies

We'll miss you little British lovebirds!

Every now and then just hop on a Ryan Air flight and "Bob's your uncle and around the corner Fran's your aunt" or something.  

(I will have to get my fix of British slang from Leeee*!)