Washington DC!

You certainly have done a lot of traveling... First up to the Catskills after the wedding, down to North Carolina to your ancestral home and now, Washington, DC! I had to go for a conference and Daddy decided to come with me because he had never been before.

USDA demo veggie garden

 So, we had a lovely time, I met LOTS of people who are doing the same thing I am- helping people eat better and making sure everyone gets to eat the yummy fruit and veggies that grow near them.

I have been SO busy with work, everything has kind of fallen to the wayside at home.  I had trucks to bring hither and yon, and all kinds of Earth Day events to attend. But, yesterday I spent time doing laundry, sweeping, and scrubbing everything so that we had a nice clean house again! Finally...feels good to have a day off to just get things done! Yesterday was also my 3rd Holistic Birthing class.  In class we spoke about our fears and what we were scared about; by saying and accepting them we can overcome them.  I'm scared that I will end up having to have a C-Section... that all this preparing for you to come naturally into the world will all be for not because something will go wrong.  I'm also scared Daddy will be scared... he says he might be, but that its okay... he'll get himself together enough to help me. Being pregnant, all sorts of things have come up that I thought I had dealt with and moved on.  The Yogi said this is normal... women go through a new metamorphosis during pregnancy and in giving birth.  The physical one is the most obvious, but also and emotional one... wondering if we will be good mothers, knowing that nothing will ever be the same again.  I've been a pet mom 3 times now and I've always known that I am responsible for their doggie and kitty lives and health.  But, you... you are different.  You will grow up to be a real, live human being... someone who has to be responsible for themselves, who may have a family of their own.  I'm confident that Daddy and I will be able to instill in you all the important qualities you will need to be successful in whatever you choose.  But, it's still scary to think sometimes... I'm going to have a BABY!!!  ME!!!

Your room is almost finished being painted, just a few small touches left and we built your crib! All your stuff has been stored in the closet for now and we have this great rolling cart for all your diaper and care stuff.  We have some pictures that we need to hang up.  Some things will have to wait until after you are born because your dresser is on back order... you'll be living out of the closet for a month, but that's okay. We found out that with the crib we bought, the company will plant 10 trees in your honor! We have to wait until your born to register for it... because we don't know if you are a boy or a girl!!! We want to make sure the certificate says the right name and your birthday.  Today, we have to go to the doctor for a test and the first of my now biweekly checkups.  At the last one, the doctor was very happy to hear how active you have been.  I've been counting your kicks and you are so ahead of the game! I have to take a glucose test and I need to ask about some special shots Daddy and I may need to make sure we don't get you sick. 

There is so much going on these days, baby.  I'm trying very hard to keep everything on schedule and not forget anything that has to be done.  I have a great calender that reminds me of things that are coming up (as long as I remember to put things in there!) I've been getting so much done and there is still so much to do I feel like time is started to get short and there is so much I have to do before you come. But, I know I need to take time to relax, breathe, eat right and take my vitamins. It's hard sometimes... it's very important that I do... trying to be super mom isn't good for either of us <3

You are 28 (or 27, depending on who you ask) weeks now... you have grown so much and you kick and push all the time (like right now!). I play music for you from time to time, when I'm laying down in the evenings (haven't had much time for that lately!) You like instrumental Hip-Hip, the Barenaked Ladies Kids albums and Daddy found a Pixies lullaby album which you also seem to like. You are a great combination of the two of us.  Just you wait, kiddo... there's all kinds of great music out there!  I'm warning you now... your music education is VERY important to us, no Justin Beiber or Lil Wayne.  Sorry, baby... I'm all for letting you be who you want, but that is just asking too much.

I'm going to leave you with a pretty picture of a flower I saw 2 weeks ago at a garden.  I love you!

i don't know what it is!

And now for the weather...

You are the size of a Mango!

A-lo-ha!

How fortuitous, because this just happens to be the week of the Philadelphia International Flower Show and the theme is Hawaii! See? Already, you are right there with the trends!



I am feeling you kick! Or rather poking at me! Especially when we play music or Daddy taps a rhythm on my stomach.  It mostly just feels like "poke, poke" but it's still reassuring, and now I can tell the difference between gas and a kick. We have another ultrasound in a week, and we cannot wait to see how much you've grown. I definitely have a "bump", but since I am still wearing jeans and sweatshirts, it's not too obvious to the general public.  Which is nice, because I am NOT looking forward to perfect strangers offering me unsolicited advice and touching me without permission!

Seriously...

Also, as you may or may not know, we bought a new (to us!) car-- a 2004 Honda Element! Perfect for hauling babies, plants, beer supplies and animals around. We are counting down to Baby Shower here with our adopted family and then the trip home, I know I will need the refresher before the Markets start up at the beginning of May... so excited about that!  I have worked out a leave of absence from work and hopefully afterwards, Daddy and I will be able to take turns taking care of you while also taking care of the brew store, the markets and all our other responsibilities! We are also still thinking up names... we've FINALLY made a list and will be whittling it down (ooh, whittling! Can't wait to teach you how to whittle, squee!)

Anyway, just a quick(ish) update on all that is happening.  I know I haven't been updating, but there isn't as much to tell the Internet world as there was in the beginning... things are just moving along at a nice, steady pace... which does not make for interesting blogging!

Ok, baby... there's really no new news out here, other than you are now at about 14 weeks (though I think you are farther along), I've had to go up TWO holes in my belt and a lot of my pants don't fit anymore. I hope you enjoyed me playing music for you the other day. You seemed to like Tribe Called Quest, which is great because they are one of my favorite music groups. Soon, I'll introduce you to Beastie Boys!

I've been looking at all sorts of cute things for you, like your first bacon!

"I'm bacon!"

 You see, little pistachio... bacon is a wonderful food.  I'm sure you will love it.  See all that cuddly fat and yummy meat? It comes from a magical animal called a piggie and piggies make all sorts of yummy food like bacon, pork chops, pulled pork sandwiches (the bread comes from grains like wheat and flour, but that's another post) Someday, you will meet some piggies and we will make bacon :)

Plus, I've picked out some colors for your room! I hope you are doing okay in there and you are excited to see the world when you come out. I know it's going to be quite a while, but I am just so excited!!!

Plants!

Another thing I love, baby, is plants.  All kinds of plants, but I especially love plants that make food! Right now, its cold outside and food doesn't grow very well.  There are special places called farms where they grow lots of food and have big buildings called greenhouses where they can grow food all year around.  There are plants that do better in the cold, like potatoes, beets and green leafy plants like kale and collard greens and they can be outside. I work at a farm and we grow food plants!

I go to school at a place where I learn about trees, which are BIG plants, and pretty other plants that are not for eating. I am able to get small pieces of trees and other plants and bring them home to grow them to make the house look pretty from spring to fall. I also get food plants from work and grow them so we can have fresh food from right in our backyard.


Here are some of the plants I've gathered:

I can't remember what this plant is called, but it's very unusual with it's spotted leaves and I love the little purple flowers that have come up all winter.

This is called a Cissus dicolor, Begonia Vine.  I love the stripes on the leaves and the red veins.  The underside is red also.

This is a Persea americana, an Avocado seedling.  I grew it from that seed you see in the bottom of the picture. It's going to get to be a big tree!

Soon, we'll be out digging in the dirt, planting little seeds together and seeing what grows.  It could be something tasty, or beautiful or both!

Here's a fun song about plants!

Oof

Little sore today, baby... I was told my muscles would get sore, but I was still surprised by this.  Seems like we're doing things a little backwards.  My emotions are a roller-coaster and since I've had this cold, I haven't been feeling well.  Here we are going into the 2nd trimester, the so called "honeymoon" trimester and I am not feeling great while some of my yoga lady friends have said they were jealous of how I didn't have any morning sickness. 

Good thing today is a day off and I have some puttering around the house to do.  I have been taking your fur sister Sydney out on longer walks, which she seems blissfully unaware is beneficial to all 3 of us. It's okay, she is really smart for a furry kid, but as far as humans go, she seems happier being ignorant.

Your Grandma Iline sent me this great pregnancy book that I need to look through which would be a nice, relaxing thing to do today as well.  Daddy and I downloaded a whole bunch of cool kid songs for you as well.  We are going to get some big earphones and strap them on my belly for you to listen to while you are growing.