Sorry it's been so long, I'm still alive I swear! These last few weeks have been super busy with work, out of town guests, Christmas shopping... you get the idea! :) I actually finished my Christmas shopping today, I feel so accomplished! There's so much to write about, so much going on in the last few weeks... hope you're ready for a long one!

Kyle and I have never really decorated for Christmas (we're never actually home on Christmas, and it wasn't as fun in an apartment), but since this was our first year in our own house, we wanted to do it up right! So one day we went out and got tons of Christmas decorations, lights, etc. The house looks great!

All of our cute little lawn ornaments...

The house!

Stockings hanging by the fireplace! This is our little makeshift tree... we planned on getting a tree this year but haven't had a chance to get one yet because our work schedules are so different... Kyle's been working a lot of nights and weekends, and I work days (and of course the day I worked a double was his day off)... so we figure this works ok for this year, and next year we'll cut down a big one for baby Hall's first Christmas!

It feels so Christmasy around here, we love it! It's fun to think that next year we'll have a little one who will find all the lights and stuff so fascinating... I bet it will be her favorite time of year too!

Last weekend my friend Elena came down to visit me, and I had SO much fun! I'm usually able to see her when I go to Gig Harbor for a visit, but it's been years since we were able to spend any extended amount of time together, so it was so awesome to spend the whole weekend with her! Kyle had to work most of the weekend, so it was just the two of us... it felt like old times. :) She arrived Saturday morning, and after lazing around the house and chatting for a while we decided to go do what we do best... shopping! The mall was pretty crazy, but we still had fun and bought some cute stuff... we ended up matching a lot of the time lol.

Matching dogs...

... and sweatshirts! The funniest part is that later that night, she walked into my room pulling on another sweatshirt that I recognized... because I had one too! Same color and everything! I thought for sure she had just borrowed mine, but nope! Great minds think alike! :)

Elena stuffed her belly so I didn't feel like the big one in the picture... she's such a good friend! :)

Belly shot!

On Friday night I'd made some sugar cookie dough from scratch so that we could make Christmas cookies... and even though I kind of messed up on the recipe (shocker!) they were so much fun to make, and turned out delicious! A little too good in fact, I couldn't stop eating them...

Getting ready to cut them into shapes...

Ready to go into the oven!

Probably the best part... decorating...

The finished product! YUM!

On Sunday we woke up and Elena cut and colored my hair while we watched Christmas movies on TV and drank coffee... it was a great morning! My hair needed it pretty badly, so I was so glad she was able to do it. We didn't do anything crazy, she just trimmed it, and put in more blonde highlights. I love it!

After we were finished we got ready and met her friend Kara at P.F. Changs for lunch... Elena and Kara stayed at McMenamins Edgefield on Sunday night, so we all drove out there and I hung out until about 9pm. I was really sad to leave, but I had to work early in the morning so I had to drag myself home. It was really cold, but fun! I hung out with the girls while they did some wine tasting, and then we had dinner and walked around the hotel. McMenamins are really neat because they have so much to do, including a movie theater, golf course, not to mention lots of little bars and restaurants you can check out.

Wine tasting! I only got to taste the water though :)

I broke down and bought my first pair of maternity pants this week! I tried them on and they were so much more comfortable than the band I've been wearing, so I thought I should probably just suck it up and buy them! Other things have been getting bigger as well, I'm starting to get a little swollen... I can't wear my wedding ring anymore, so I just went out and bought a temporary band to wear until I deliver, and the other night when I took off my socks, there was a big indentation in my ankles! Oh well, the joys of pregnancy! :) I feel so awkward because I'm pretty much all belly, and you can't even tell I'm pregnant from the back, but I stick way out in front... and all on stick thin legs!

Almost 28 weeks!

I missed two weeks, so here is what happened at 26 and 27 weeks:

The network of nerves in baby's ears are better developed and more sensitive than before; she may be able to hear my voice, and even Kyle's too! She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for her lung development. These breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and starts breathing air. She weighs about two pounds now and is about 14.5 inches long with her legs extended. She's waking and sleeping at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and maybe even sucking on her fingers. Her brain is very active now with more brain tissue developing, and although her lungs are immature, they would be capable of functioning (with a lot of medical help) outside the womb. That's a freaky thought!

This weekend was pretty relaxing, Kyle worked and I finished shopping... his birthday is tomorrow, so we're going to go celebrate by taking him out to dinner and a movie! He's 25, which is so crazy to me... I met him when he was 20! Time has seriously flown by... we'll have been together 4 years in March, almost exactly when the baby will be born... it's been the most amazing 4 years! :)

I have another doctor's appointment this week, so I will let you know how that goes... I also have my glucose test this week to check for diabetes, wish me luck!