I Can Blog Now...

...Wish I had more to say.

Jess invited me to this blog about five seconds after the white stick had the number of pink lines on it it that means that you need to buy another stick to be sure. For some reason, I have only become able to post as of ten minutes ago. Google. [sigh.] Me. [doublesigh.]

Here is a list of thing about Jessica that have not changed even though she is pregnant:

• She does the vast majority of the housework.
• She does 99% of the cooking slash food preparation.
• She is, as described by Sam, a "monster in the morning."
• She smells nice.
• She is bringing home 70% of our income.
• She has great style and zero confidence in her style.
• She applies toxic paint to things constantly and for no reason.

As I have said many times before, I am hoping that this new little human will be much dumber than Sam--making all of our lives easier and him ultimately happier.

Here is a picture of Sam looking at a ridiculous plastic boat we littered into a storm ravine:

The Red One Is Winning, But Really We Are All Winners.

We put a blue one in there too. We called it a "race" for essentially no reason. It was a great experience. Rivers can entertain for hours.

I Told You There Was a Blue One. Sam Is Wearing the Same Clothes,
Proving Incontrovertibly That This Occurred on the Same Day.

That "river" is literally full of shit.

This is what it looks like when I blog. See why I shouldn't?

TEAM DIAMOND!

24 weeks and more chickens

Pregnancy is boring. Let's talk about chickens some more!

Though we were lead to believe (by the internet, of course) that chickens are basically living composters, we've tried feeding them all kinds of goodies and they've turned down all but one. Watermelon, corn on the cob, bread, grass clippings, and herbs have all been turned down. The one thing they agreed to eat?: peaches that I canned three years ago and have been afraid to eat because what if they have botulism?! Eek. They were alive this morning, so it looks like at least that jar of peaches was safe.

We also spiffed up a the coop a bit in between rainstorms. Here's how it looks now with the added flowerpots and mulch. Also, I had to share a picture of Wilson's chicken lovin.'

On the pregnancy front, Sunny Meadow is becoming more active and much bigger. I've gained about 10 pounds, which doesn't feel great, but as Wilson likes to remind me, this is the best it's gonna be for a while. I don't have another appointment until the end of July, and I'll likely skip that one since these appointments in the middle are pretty worthless when everything is going fine.

I came across KiwiCrate today which sells these adorable little crates filled with activities and crafts for kiddos and I thought Sam would really enjoy it. I may have to try out one - their Summer Discovery Pack looks like a good time.

23 weeks (and chickens!)

Feeling pretty crummy this week since I've come down with a summer cold. Not being able to breathe at night coupled with not being able to roll over or find a comfortable position has made my sleep terrible and I'm really worn out this morning. Wilson assures me that it'll start getting better quickly, so here's hoping for that.

Despite the family illness we did manage to get many things accomplished this weekend around the house, including one thing we've been prepping for months - the chickens!

Wilson built the coop out of almost exclusively materials we demo'd from our TV room renovation (plus some latches and hinges from spares in the basement. We did have to buy the chicken wire for the run, and the slats for the frame, and a big piece of pink foam insulation for the inside, but all told I think we spent less than $50 on the coop. I'll admit I got a bit carried away at Tractor Supply on Saturday and spent over $100 on the feeder, waterer, food and bedding (and a kids puzzle book with a chicken theme that somehow ended up in the cart).

We bought our chickens at Poultry Hollow Hatchery, which is about 45 minutes from Nashville in a really pretty part of middle Tennessee. The farm itself was super disorganized and understaffed, but the people were actually really nice and the chickens were well taken care of and the selection was pretty good. We didn't mind messing around the farm for a while until someone could help us get our silly small order filled (they had all kinds of livestock: a donkey, an alpaca, peacocks and crazy birds galore). We opted for three different birds: an Ameraucana (the light brown one), a Rhode Island Red (the dark brownish reddish one), and a Barred Rock (the black and white spotted one). They're all supposed to be good urban layers and relatively friendly. Ours are between 9-10 weeks old and should theoretically start laying around 20-22 weeks, assuming they are actually ladies (I'm not yet convinced).

Sam is pretty into the chickens, though we're all still a bit nervous about holding them - we haven't clipped their wings yet so they're a potential flight risk. Also, they are DUMB. Like, really dumb. I'll have lots of examples of that shortly, I'm sure.

Mom & Dad (and random cat)

Here's a picture Sam took at our farm stay a few weekends ago. Girl has some skills.

Week 20

Technically 20 weeks, 3 days, which puts us right smack at the exactly the halfway point.

With just over 4 months to go, I feel both over-prepared and under-prepared. Last night we set up the crib (which I painted white over the last couple of days, much to Wilson's confusion), so that's a big check off the list. However, our next door neighbor asked to borrow some of our baby stuff since they have a visiting baby in a couple weeks, and I panicked that I didn't own a single thing she needed. And if she needs it for a visiting baby, I guess I probably need it for a permanent baby. So to calm a bit of anxiety, I started an Amazon Baby Registry (link in the sidebar).

I feel good, up about 5 pounds, noticeably pregnant, mostly wearing elastic waist skirts, feeling kicks every now and then (but not as often as I'd like, and not nearly as often as with Sam). We found out the baby is a BOY - did I mention that yet?

I will now share a conversation that Wilson just had with Sam.

S: Dada, help me get my sock on.
W: I would be happy to.
S: Dada?
W: Yes?
S: You're the best.
W: Aww, that is really sweet, Sam. Thank you.
S: Why did you say 'Thank you'?
W: Because you complimented me. You said something very nice and so I said 'Thank you.'
S: Ummm. Then you say something nice.
W: So you can practice saying "Thank you'?
S: Sure. Here we go. Dada, you're the best.
W: That is sweet, Sam. Thank you.
S: Okay. Now you.
W: Sam, I think you are a really really great kid.
S: I know I am. [Leaves room.]

Belly - nearly 17 weeks

Week 16

Here's a quick update, since it's been a while.

Weight gain: I'm up maybe 2-3 pounds from normal, though I only lost that same amount in the first trimester, unlike the 10 pounds I lost with Sam.

Food: I'm back on food! The only exception seems to be mushrooms, which I honestly don't like anyway. I could seriously eat a whole pineapple and a jar of peanut butter every single day.

Movement: Yes, finally. Once a day or so I feel some little taps and rolls. I think that feeling the baby move is pretty much the only good thing about pregnancy, so I'm glad to have the little one starting up the action.

Most people at work seem to have figured out that I'm pregnant this week, and I've had two people just come up and ask, which must mean that I'm showing.

One of my many birthday/Mother's Day presents was a family weekend trip to visit Stillwaters Farm in Henderson, Tennessee (about 2.5 hours from our house), we're heading that way this afternoon!