Bear cub

The high school kids in our youth group have a plethora of nicknames for Steve including but not limited to Bear Arms and simply The Bear. These nicknames were born after instances like this...

So I thought it was appropriate to buy these t-shirts...

when we found out we were having a little bear cub of our own.

That's right friends. We're expecting! Baby Norris due 8/8/14. Do not be deceived by the color blue. We have no idea if we're having a boy or a girl, and we don't plan to find out the gender until baby arrives.

We are overjoyed and praising the Lord for this good gift. And we continue to trust Him as we hope & pray for continued health and development.

These guys have no idea what's coming...

 It snowed here in Richmond... 5 times!

And although I'm not big on belly pictures, here is one to satisfy my loving mother:

 Hope this is sufficient mom. You're not getting bare belly on this blog.

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Pregnancy/baby FAQs:

How many weeks along are you? 
17

How are you feeling?
Pretty good. In the first trimester I experienced a fair amount of nausea and fatigue. Both have subsided for the most part although I'm still ready for bed around 8pm each night. And it's haaard to get up in the morning. I have to peel myself out of bed. I'm still running, which I'm so grateful for. In fact, I will be running a half marathon in 2 weeks. Call me crazy. I certainly don't feel like my normal self, but again, I'm grateful to be active and SO grateful and humbled to have a healthy pregnancy and baby so far. Each day is a gift.

Any food cravings or aversions?
Oh yeah! Cravings: Chick-fil-a spicy chicken sandwiches, bagels & cream cheese, fried eggs, popcorn, refried beans. Aversions: mushrooms, bacon, coffee, sweets, those are the main ones, however the aversions have been random and unpredictable. For example, we were having dinner with family, and I was thoroughly enjoying my turkey pot pie. About halfway through I'm like, "I can't eat this anymore." Steve's like, "Great! I'll take it." Thanks for the sympathy babe ;)

Do you think you're having a boy or girl?
Boy?

Do you have names picked out?
Yes. If she's a girl, Samantha, and we'll call her Sam. We're not settled on a boy name yet, however the front-runner at the moment is Calvin. For the middle, we plan to use family names.

Will you continue to work once baby arrives?
I will not continue to work on staff here at WEPC. The plan is to be home full-time with our little one. Steve & I are both thankful that I am able to do this. It is a real blessing. I will certainly be sad to leave my awesome job and co-workers, but I am very much looking forward to being home.

Will you continue to serve in youth ministry?
Yes! I understand our roles, especially mine, will look different, and I'm trying not to have expectations. Our goal is to be as involved as possible. Again, who knows exactly what that will look like. Side note: the high school girls are already excited to babysit. Score!