It’s hard to believe that on Wednesday I will be six months pregnant! It is so fun to feel our boy in there every day. Jeff got to feel him for the first time on Friday, which was very exciting for both of us. We have warned the baby that we will stop exhorting him to “kick Daddy” once he is no longer in utero. Yesterday we bought paint for his room, and this weekend we have been working on sanding a changing table that we’re going to repaint. Mostly Jeff has been doing this, but I did help a bit. Thankfully today was sunny and pretty warm so we were able to sand on the patio in comfort. It also gave Jeff a good excuse to buy an orbital sander, which was money well spent.

Because I can’t swallow the giant prenatal vitamins, I take an assortment of pills each evening (per my doctor’s instructions). Tonight I got out the pills and then went in another room for maybe 30 seconds. I came back to the kitchen and the folic acid was missing. Dory (one of our kitties) was sitting nearby licking her lips. I think I know where the missing pill went…now, if we had to get Dory to take a pill that was actually prescribed for her, it would be a challenge nearly beyond imagination. Don’t worry, I won’t leave any pills in reach once our son is here!

Here I am at 23 weeks:

It’s hard to believe I am 22 weeks pregnant already, more than halfway done! This week our son is the length of a spaghetti squash and weighs almost one pound. According to my weekly Baby Center email, his irises have developed but are currently colorless. Jeff finds this really cool, but it kind of freaks me out. Then again, those who know me know I have some eye issues. That’s one thing I hope our boy doesn’t inherit from me! We’re guessing those eyes will be blue when he’s born.

We’re planning out his room, tomorrow we’ll take a trip to Ikea to look for a white bookshelf. Hard to believe, I know, but the kid already has enough books to need a shelf! I am enjoying re-reading some of my favorites from childhood, including my vintage 1979 copy of “Hippos Go Berserk.”

Here I am at 22 weeks:

We recently had our ultrasound, and thankfully all looks good with our baby. We were hoping to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl, and were very happy that the tech was able to tell. We are having a boy! Jeff and I both thought it was a boy, so either we have great parental intuition, or we just lucked out on that 50/50 chance. Now we can really start shopping for all those cute baby clothes! I’m looking at paint for the nursery, it’s lots of fun to think about how to decorate the baby’s room. Of course the room is pretty small, so I can’t get too carried away. In other fun news, I have recently started to feel our son move! Right now it just feels like bubbles, it will be fun once I can really feel him moving around in there. So far Jeff has not been able to feel anything so we are hoping that happens soon.

I definitely look pregnant now! The baby is now as long as a banana, and weighs about 10.5 ounces. Here is a picture of me at 20 weeks, taken a few days ago:

It’s a beautiful weekend here in the Pacific Northwest…sunny and crisp, great weather for being outside. This afternoon Jeff and I continued our tradition of visiting a corn maze each fall. This was a great maze, there was some flattened corn from the high winds we had here a week ago, but for the most part the corn was tall and dense, and we definitely needed the map they gave us! Thankfully Jeff is an excellent navigator and we found our way through. Then we wandered around the farm a bit, and discovered (much to Jeff’s great delight) that the farm does “punkin chunkin”….they have two pumpkin cannons to launch your pumpkin into the field. A really good launch will send the pumpkin into the creek. It was a great way to spend a fall afternoon!

I would like to add a disclaimer to the above photo: I do not normally wear my jeans that way, I had them folded up because the maze was quite muddy.

Okay, so it’s not really a turnip…but our baby is now the size of a turnip, according to Babycenter. They send me an email every week detailing what’s going on with the baby’s development and they always helpfully compare it to some food item. Last week it was an avocado, as of today, a turnip! Also in today’s email: the baby’s skeleton is now becoming harder and not so rubbery, and it weighs about 5 ounces.

I’m definitely expanding a bit. From this:

To this (taken today):

We had a great vacation in the Midwest, spending time with family. We managed to see my Dad and Helen, Jeff’s parents, and the Wagenaar family, all in one trip! It did entail a fair bit of driving, and I was reminded of how much I don’t miss that Southern Ohio heat and humidity, but overall it was a wonderful trip. It was so nice to not have to go to work, to sleep in, and most of all to see the people we love! Here are a couple photos from our time in Oxford (my hometown).

With my dad on Miami University’s campus

My childhood home…note the curvy driveway. It was built that way to preserve the tree you see in the center of the picture. It made for a very challenging time when learning to drive and trying to back out of the driveway. Note also the lamppost towards the bottom left corner of the picture. See its proximity to the driveway? Imagine being a brand-new driver and misjudging your path just a bit…in theory, one could back into that lamppost. Perhaps on your way to high school one morning….I’m just theorizing.

My 30th birthday was a great day. I slept in and Jeff brought me “Keri Coffee” (half milk/half coffee) in bed. Then we headed east and stopped in Monroe for breakfast before continuing on to Wallace Falls. This is a great hike, with gorgeous views at the lower, middle and upper falls. The day ended with a yummy seafood dinner at Anthony’s on the water with Jeff and my mom. Plus of course there were presents and cake. An excellent birthday!

Here are some photos from the hike:

And, just in case you didn’t know: