Remember my last entry about our super-talented friends? Well, it happened again. Last week I came home to a package from Sarah Anderson, another precious buddy from my time in Birmingham. Sarah and I worked in adjacent departments at Southern Living, and we rode the waves of work and play together for five glorious months. Sarah’s son Hugo is a mighty handsome 20-month-old — and it has been an absolute joy watching how naturally Sarah took on the role of Mommy. She’s so funny and loving and down-to-Earth, and I wish with all my heart that Indiana and North Carolina were closer on the map.

In addition to a generous box of goodies for me and Baby Eberle, Sarah enclosed an incredible mobile handmade by her sister, Anna Preuschl. I’d seen Anna’s handiwork in a few other nurseries, and when we found out we were expecting, I told Sarah I wanted to place an order. Ever the thoughtful friend, Sarah had already beat me to it.

An artist by trade, Anna carefully selected each precious paper — pretty patterns, sparkles, and even sweet music notes are sure to keep Baby busy. Thank you SO very much, Anna and Sarah!

Want to order one for another baby in your life? Anna can be reached at apreuschl@gmail.com.

Here’s how we’re doing at Week 31:

Baby’s size: Averaging in the 15 to 16.5 inches and 2.5 to 3.8 pounds range.

What’s keeping Baby busy: Growing, growing, growing — and dancing, flipping, and kicking! All five of Baby’s senses are ready to roll…and this current growth spurt is accompanied by major brain activity too.

What’s keeping Mom and Dad busy: My dad and Margie came to town from Minnesota this week, and we’ve enjoyed tons of quality time with them. We took a tour at the hospital, ate lots of delicious food, played hilarious card games, celebrated Margie’s graduation (congrats again!), and worked on projects around the house.

Most notably, Adam and Dad added THIS to the nursery…

That gorgeous fan even includes a remote. What a lucky baby and Mommy! Thank you both for all the hard work!

Cravings: Same old suspects…strawberries, watermelon, grapes, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, and greek yogurt.

Struggles: As sweet Baby grows, he or she is squishing my lungs. The OB warned us that I’d start to get out-of-breath…and that certainly kicked in this week. Just a quick trip up the stairs can really catch up to me! Also — remember that hilarious pillow fortress that worked so beautifully for a few weeks? Not anymore! New week; new sleeping strategy…this time, just two pillows (one keeping me off my back; another supporting the bump) seems to do the trick.

Joys: Baby went on his or her first boat ride on Sunday! Mari-Jo, Mom, Haley, Adam, and I took Mari-Jo’s boat out on Lake Norman for a few hours…and it was sunny and glorious! Captain Adam drove slowly to avoid any choppiness — and the whole trip was mighty relaxing. We sure can’t wait to introduce our little one to the lake (we even registered for an infant life jacket!). Hopefully we’ll  have a water baby!