Mid-week activity...

An article appeared this morning on MSN that referenced a recent study about the diet of the mother affecting the sex of the fetus. If you are not ready to guess the sex of our child, this article may help your opinion. You can look at the story by clicking the link on the right-hand side of the page. Be sure to register a guess as to the sex of the child in the polling box below the link.

Super Saturday

Nima tuckered out. Isn't she adorable?

This was Nima after "helping" Ethan with the kitchen remodelling. She is actually quite scared of the construction and played outside most of the day.
Again, Nima after a hard day's work.

Nima likes to help with computer work. This was Ethan and Nima not long before his comps.

This is Alex Kruse. His parent's are Chad and Maria. Maria and I have been friends since I was born.

Alex is very entertaining.

I had ice cream with Cassandra a few weeks ago. She and I finished our undergrad in nutrition together at UNL.

Cassandra and me being silly.

I went to Lincoln last Friday to stay with my friend Erica and attend a breastfeeding workshop. When I got home, this was what my kitchen looked like.

After some cleaning, here is the new pantry.

A view of the pantry from the door leading into our kitchen.

Our fridge back in it's place.

Ethan posing in the midst of his labor.

Hi! I know it's been a few weeks...we have been busy here at the Mann house. The past few weeks have included Ethan passing his comps (he is now an OFFICIAL PhD candidate), me preparing for finals, childbirth classes, a kitchen remodel project, and some outside time for Ethan and Nima (our yard looks plush and green!). I have been fortunate enough to see some old friends and am preparing for a bridal shower for my college roommate Kellie. Ethan bought a new 'toy'--a new video camera--so we'll try posting some video soon.

We have now been through week 3 of our Bradley childbirth classes (9 more to go). There are six other couples in the class who all seem very nice. Ethan and I are probably the more inquisitive couple but our instructor doesn't seem to mind. We had an introductory class where we watched one birthing video already, a nutrition class (nothing I didn't already know), and relaxation/massage during labor. I have been doing some exercises that are supposed to reduce risk of C-section and prepare my body for labor. In any case, they make my lower back and legs feel good. One great 'exercise' is the relaxation technique where I lay on the floor or bed in a certain position and train my body to relax (we are supposed to imagine I'm in labor). It is relaxing! Our reason for choosing the Bradley method was to learn some techniques to make labor easier and we are getting that.

We are finishing up our kitchen remodel project that we started a few months after moving in to our house. I posted some photos, but will post the end result in another week or so...we are still waiting for a few cabinets to come in. I think I am going through a nesting phase, because I have been slowly cleaning out closets and throwing stuff away; I have also been keeping the house cleaner than normal. The only messy part is the office where I still have classwork thrown all over. Only two more weeks and I will be done for the semester! Anyway, Ethan did a great job in the kitchen. He worked really hard and did most of it himself. I actually did help paint a little.

Right now Nima and I are enjoying this Saturday morning and relaxing. Ethan is coaching at a junior high track meet. He is headed to the Husker spring game later this morning, then we are babysitting for Alex Kruse. He is 11 months and one of the cutest kids. We enjoy anytime we get with kids :).

I have been feeling great! I have days when I get really tired and just have to take a nap. I have my next midwife appointment next week. I'm hoping I'm gaining weight appropriately. I definitely have my appetite back :).

Have a great week!