Attack of the Cicadas

They are noisy and creepy and they are taking over this city!! They are here again....the cicadas!!!

Thirteen years have gone by and it's time for the cicadas to show themselves again. They crawl out of the 67 degree ground close to older, more mature trees. They mate for about a month and a half, and then drop their eggs into mature trees or on the ground close to them. Then in thirteen years, those cicadas will emerge and the process will start all over again.
This is the first cicada experience that Brad and I have had since they only emerge every 13 years, and we have only been here for four. I know that they don't bite or sting and therefore really aren't harmful, but they still gross me out.
Since our neighborhood is fairly new with new trees, we really don't have that many close to our house. Today, we were at the Cheesecake Factory at the Green Hills mall with some friends and they were all over the place....SWARMING!!! One flew into my hair and then two minutes later one landed on my arm. Call me a baby if you want, but I was not happy!! Ewww!!! I literally ran to the car when we left.
I think they are only here for a few more weeks, and it won't be too soon!! I am definitely not a fan of cicadas....as harmless as they may be!! :(

A stork is on the way!!!

The big news has finally been released... we're going to have a sweet precious baby!!!! Ahhhhh!! We are so excited!! Brad and I, along with our immediate family, have known for a little over three weeks, but we wanted to wait to tell everyone else until after our first OB visit. That took place on Monday and the doc says so far so good!! Today I'm 8 weeks and 4 days along and due on Dec 31!!! What a crazy New Year's Eve it will be. Ha! We also had our first ultrasound done on Monday and seeing our little bean for the first time was absolutely AMAZING!! His/her heartbeat was at 171bpm, in which the nurse informed us was normal and good. We weren't able to hear the heartbeat yet, but that's on the adgenda for our next visit in 4 weeks. Can't wait!!

Lucky for me, I've really been feeling okay. (Yes, I am knocking on wood as I type this.) Really, just a little queasiness every now and then and a little headache and fatigue when that happens, but I've learned quickly to keep my stomach full and the nauseas feeling rarely happens. It's so hard to make myself eat even when I'm not hungry or nothing sounds good, but if it will keep the nausea away I'm totally for it!

We are so excited about becoming parents and we are just praying for a safe and successful pregnancy. Our families, friends and co-workers are just as excited as we are, which makes it that much more fun and exciting for us! We are so grateful for this little blessing in my belly and we are looking forward to all of the new adventures that lie ahead!!