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!

Plantin' and Paintin'!

Woot!  Wow baby, can you believe it was just a short time ago that we were at the beginning of this journey?  It seems to be going rather quickly, even though I am so anxious to see you and get you outside!

Funny how these fruit and veggie size comparisons are matching up with things on the outside right now.  Eggplants are ready to be planted!  Usually in this area we wait until after Mother's Day, but we've had a weird, funky winter and a dry and temperature fluctuating spring.  Speaking of planting... We prepped the "farm"!

it looks small, but you'd be surprised how much can grow!

We're planting tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, carrots, another kind of beans, radishes and strawberries! Hopefully, the strawberries will get strong and we can pick them together next year! I kept telling myself to keep it simple this year and grow only a few things... I don't have as much energy as usual, work is going to be a bit hectic... I have a BABY coming! But, in the end, we borrowed a tiller from work, and because of all the hard work we put in last summer getting the weeds under control and putting the ground "to bed" for the winter, it was actually pretty easy (Daddy may not say that, but he seemed to like running the tiller A LOT!) In that box over on the right, I seeded in carrots and radishes. This week, we have the tomato, pepper and strawberry seedlings to put in and then a few days after that, we will plant the cucumber, lettuce and bean seeds.  By the time you are ready to see it, it will be overflowing with beautiful, tasty food which we will then can, sauce, pickle and freeze for winter and make into yummy baby food for you and tasty meals for Daddy and I.

I took my first "Holistic Birthing" class on Sunday; it's the first of 4 classes and  and the last one Daddy will come to so he will know what he needs to do when it's time for you to come.  There were about 9 other ladies there in various stages of pregnancy and we talked about our Momma Bodies and all the things that are happening inside as you are growing, kicking and getting yourself situated. I learned how to keep my lateral abdominal muscles in shape so I can help get you out when its time and also to help me get back in shape afterwards!

We also started painting your room this week:

your crib will be in this corner!

A cute little pond!

We have some detailing work to do, get the decals in place and then start assembling your crib and all the other fun stuff that will be your new home.  I hope you like it! So... VERY busy since we got home a little more than a week ago. It's been A LOT of work and some other things have been pushed aside... like house cleaning and school for me... not good things :(.  But, this is all important and I know in the next 3 months, I'm going to have less and less energy and time to get everything ready for you, so I'm getting as much done now as I can.  I'm sore all over, but happy.

Love you, kiddo!

20 Weeks!!!

It's a milestone baby!!! We are halfway there :)

You are the size of a cantaloupe!

Everything is as it should be according to the doctor, although you were pretty stubborn; curling up and turning your back on the ultrasound technician while she was trying to measure you, tsk, tsk.

That top right picture looks like you are planning something...

Anyway, the rest of this week's post is going to be pretty pictures I took during a trip to Morris Arboretum. I was playing with some filters on my digital camera, and I think they came out rather interesting. 

                

                  Cornus officinalis Japanese cornelian cherry

Metasequoia glyptostroboides Dawn Redwood

Crocuses

Mermaid with Scarf and Mittens

 

I can't wait to take you there!

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!

pretty picture

pretty flowers