Spring has sprung! Or, at the very least, it's trying its best to spring. Our rescued bulbs (saved from being mowed over again and again in a friend's yard last year) have pushed up and started blooming already. I don't think they realize that winter might not be over. They've been duped by the surprisingly nice 60-74 degree weather over the past few days. Being from the Midwest, I know that expecting the worst is always the best answer, so I expect to be out covering the several hundred little plants with a large sheet some night soon. All well worth it because they are so nice to have, and they have worked hard to make it. Somehow, I have developed unusual empathy for the little flowers.

In news of other blossoming, the baby belly continues to expand. I'm still surprised to be able to see inside my belly button when I look down at my stomach -- that used to be something I'd only see in a mirror. It's sticking out further than ever, but I'm still feeling small compared to the other women in the childbirth class. I delight in the small joys.

The new baby talent from this week is the power kick. I was sitting in a training session, wearing my keys, jump drive, and ID on lanyard, when everything started jingling. I wasn't the one moving. Our little friend had kicked so hard that he was making my keys clatter. The people at my table looked at me, as if I was being rude, so I pointed at the offender and mouthed a "sorry" to them. They looked appropriately confused and embarrassed. Again, small joys.

Mr. Busy seems to like to move from one side of me to the other--pivoting, usually, with his head down so that I can see his baby butt move across my stomach, just under my ribs. Once he moves, then he can kick at the side that he was letting rest. So thoughtful. Since he is getting bigger, the big turns remind me of a semi trying to make it into an alley. Apparently unsafe at any speed, but... they seem to somehow make it work. The full flips and stretching out horizontally (in an attempt to pop out my belly button) are obvious to me and anyone who looks at my shirt while these antics go on. The good news is that watching this happen is free entertainment, so I'm really never bored. Not a bad situation at all.