Baby it's Cold Outside!

For every little kid excited for the first snowfall Monday morning, there was a commuter dreading the icy roads. And for every downhill skier eager for the fresh powder, there was a homeowner cursing the start of the snowblower season. 

Normally I welcome the first few snowfalls and then the excitement diminishes as the winter cold drags into March. This season however, the first snowfall had new meaning for me. We are having a winter baby, which means the season  had to transition from fall to winter for this pregnancy to feel like it's progressing. Today marks 26 weeks and although I don't want to rush to week 40, I am starting to feel giddy about meeting baby g!  

According to average fetus measurements, little g is the size of a head of iceberg lettuce. I wanted to continue my unintentional weekly photo tradition but who buys iceberg lettuce anymore?!?! 

Little g is starting to feel like an uppercase G! He is definitely growing, twisting and turning. Today the yoga teacher reminded me that a yoga mom births a yoga baby. I liked that image and sometimes think that when I am extended in downdog, our little one is also stretching in happy baby pose. He is so active that I think he will transition smoothly into tumbling toddler classes, followed by ballet (which Dan can't deny since he too took ballet in college!).  

In addition to the first snowfall representing our transition to winter, it also allows me to start embracing the Holidays. And although there are some elements of the Holidays that bring about stress, overall, I love the traditions, family memories and comforts that make the season special.

One of my favorite traditions is one created 10 years ago back in Madison. Our junior year (we think) we decided to come together to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. Now, 10 years later, we still celebrate the holiday and friends drive and fly from all over for this special tradition. Over the years our wine and beer selection has become increasingly more sophisticated (from Point Beer to Craft brews) and our homemade dishes are almost perfected (from canned cranberries to delicious relishes!) We rotate hosts and decided one of these years we might need to rent out a large property to accommodate all the little baby Badgers being born into the group. This year, we welcomed little Oscar Nelson and he visited with us before heading over to his grandparents. We also missed having the Wildenbergs this year as they prepare for their little boy ready to join any day now! (we also missed Barlows, Krakowskis, Flash and Jerusha!) 

I am still annoyed (and baffled) that I didn't take any photos of our gathering this year so I will have to just post a few flashbacks. 

Pre-Thanksgiving ultimate frisbee game in 2008

Thanksgiving 2013 at our home

This weekend was also special because we got to celebrate with Jen at her shower. Luckily I got at least one photo of us at the shower and one of the Badger diaper tower. Yes, once a Badger always a Badger!! 

Jen's Shower (Kristen, Kate, Me, Jen, Meg, Amy)