who else enjoyed the heck out of their long weekend?

does anyone else enjoy the word "largish" as much as i do?

 

what the hell is going on in there? baby is keenly aware of my movements (like, say, when i squish my belly with my hands or jiggle him around. it's like an amusement park ride, right?) and sounds. so, when we shout "STOP LICKING" at cooley-dog, baby hears and is becoming used to it. this is great news, because when we shout at cooley after baby is born, he won't be startled by it! yay!

 

what the hell is going on out here? i'm finding it seriously cumbersome to fill out all those categories, so i'm condensing. everything has been pretty mellow on my end. i bought some maternity leggings (holy crap they are so comfortable) and christa informed me that target has my favorite no-waist skirts for sale. sleeping isn't going too badly and eating is normal. i've started reading a book my midwife recommended about labor & birth, which is scary + helpful. also, michael was able to feel a couple little kicks today!

 

we had a HUGELY exciting memorial day weekend. amy & hilary came to visit on friday. we made homemade pizza and chatted and got bakery treats the next morning. i <3 michael's sisters. saturday night we went out to visit with michael's friends seth & camille who were in town for a wedding. we left the house at 9:30pm! and went to a bar! and didn't get home until 1am! (the last time i did all those things, i got pregnant!) sunday, john & christa & john's mom stopped by for a visit on their way back to boulder. it's been forever since we've seen john and christa, so i was very happy.

 

additionally, we planted some tomatoes, took a nice dog park walk, made cookies, and had some really awesome naps. i hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as we did!

what the hell's going on in there?  so, now the baby website people have thrown in a length measurement just for fun. baby's getting taller and fatter - he should be right around a pound. in keeping with the alien theme, his eyes are formed, but they have no pigment in the irises yet. also, he swallows a bit of amniotic fluid each day and so he can use his taste buds to taste what i eat. read that again: this baby can taste the foods that i eat! i heard people talk about this, but i didn't know it was real science! AND he will remember the flavors that i eat and is more inclined to like those flavors after he's born. so, i suppose i should eat less ice cream.

nomnomnom!  speaking of ice cream, which i eat Every. Day. i have been trying to eat more healthy things. luckily, i'm always more into fruits & veggies when the weather gets warmer. so i've been eating a lot of strawberries, grapes, and (get ready mom) fresh green beans. oh, blanch me up some fresh green beans for a few minutes and i will eat them right up!

let's keep this up:  i can feel him moving around and the movements seem to be getting stronger. i hope michael can start feeling them soon too.


let's cut this out: last week i had a crazy first-trimester sleep attack relapse. i was exhausted and took a nap every day. also, i've been feeling back aches more often when i wake up. poop to all of that.


this is fun: i've been brainstorming some ideas for the baby shower activities that my sister & mom are hosting for me. i'm excited to get ready to visit AZ and see family and have a fun party!


this is hard:  feeling fat. i know i'm not fat. i know it's good for the baby. i don't care. mostly, i am dreaded how much bigger i will get. (just looked at the week 12/13 pictures, when i feel huge and i looked like NOTHING. gah! i know this "huge" bump" i have now will also seem like nothing in another 15 weeks, but it's definitely not fun.)

in non-baby business
ONE MORE WEEK OF SCHOOL! OH MY GOD! i'm so thrilled. summer can't get here fast enough. cooley-dog walks in the early morning when it's still cool. watching summertime tv. naps. snacks. vacations. it's going to be so glorious, i can't stand it. michael even said he'd set up the inflatable pool and/or take me to a creek sometime soon to get in some water play. summertime is so my favorite time of the year. 
also, the tweten family came for the afternoon to hang out and emily brought a salad. i need to publicly say how much i love it when emily contributes salads to family meals because they are always different and always tasty. today's had raspberries, jicama, toasted almonds, and feta (which was pasteurized so i could have some!) thanks emily!  

houston, we have a penis

what the hell's going on in there? well, our ultrasound let us know a lot of interesting facts. he's got kidneys, a spine, both arms & legs, a four-chambered heart, eyes, nose, mouth, and a little peen. the tech said he's about 13 ounces (so a little bigger than most websites say) and everything looks good. it was especially neat to see the four chambers in his heart and watch it beat. it was especially weird to see the face-front view where he looks like skelator. i'll take the profile shots, thanks. other than that, the websites report that everything's about the same: becoming less translucent, fatter, and more human-like each day.

nomnomnom! & gr-oss! things are pretty boring on the food front around here. as you can see in the above picture, i will eat all of the things. the doctor says i've gained 3 pounds (and that's okay). i say, you are a crazy lady (does she mean i've gained 3 lbs in just my boobs?), clearly i've got more than that happening. also, i've not had any real cravings or aversions for weeks. so these categories will be suspended until something interesting happens.

let's keep this up: feeling him move is pretty sweet. it's definitely something i notice now and i can even feel him during the day at work sometimes. apparently, baby likes deep sounds (so, michael & and other man voices), is most awake when i'm resting (my movement makes him sleepy), and the movement i feel is actually his *whole body* flipping around (not just kicks/punches). i went to a teacher conference on saturday & sat close to a loud-speaker. the keynote speaker was a man with a deep voice and baby was moving like crazy!

let's cut this out: i missed out on 2 weeks straight of yoga and my back is not happy with me. most parts of it are sore. i feel like, since i'm only 20 weeks, i'm doing something wrong. am i supposed to feel so sore already?

this is fun: i'm halfway there! i told myself that i could start actively making baby-related plans & purchases at 20 weeks. i lurve researching crap, so yay! i picked up some paint cards for the baby's room (michael has banned the word "nursery"). also, michael & i are having a lot of fun using the words "he", "him", "fenner", and "son".

this is hard: i didn't like registering for the wedding & i don't like it any more now. i like to *research*, but i don't like to *choose*. also, michael & i are not having very much fun when we stop to think about reality. you know, things like birth jacking me up, finances, and caring for a human bean.

in regular life:
15 days of school left, yo! 15 days! i cannot even handle it. there is a lot to get finished, but i'm so happy to have summer in my sights. i've been feeling little urges to clean and do projects - which is frustrating since schoolwork is priority over nesting. but i can wait 15 days!! (which, is really and truly more. i work until the 30th, but i'm only counting student days)

It's A...