Poppy seed to lemon

At 14 weeks, the baby is now about the size of a lemon. So strange how the baby is always compared to some fruit or vegetable. We're safely in the second trimester, which has been quite a relief for me. I'm not sure why, but I've been particularly nervous about this pregnancy. Mainly, I felt so much better than I did with Nellie and Annie that I never really believed I was pregnant! Then with bated breath I heard that little heartbeat for the first time at 9 weeks, then again yesterday. Of course, there's also the fact that I already look about 5 months pregnant! Sigh.

So I'm feeling somewhat relieved, and the reality of a three-child family is starting to set in. But I know that the worrying never really stops! At first, it's that risky first trimester, then waiting for the ultrasound, then the anxiety of birth and actually getting the baby into the world. And then it's keeping an infant alive who is completely dependent on you, then keeping a toddler from running into the street, and watching for signs of all kinds of illnesses...and I'm not even a particularly anxious mother! Don't even get me started on the teen years--I've been studying recordings of 8th-grade algebra classrooms and I mostly find myself thinking, "how do I keep my children from becoming that?!" (So snarky!)

Anyway, the point is that the worrying never really stops. But it's nice to know that I can now drink a half cup of coffee or (gasp) a few sips of beer without causing any permanent damage.

Nellie, on Pregnancy (part 2)

I had my second doctor's appointment on Monday--the first after the first trimester, and all seems well, so word is officially out! When I got home, I told Nellie that the doctor had heard the baby's heartbeat and even heard the baby moving. Before I could even blink, Nellie had run over and pressed her ear to my stomach. She yelled, "quiet everyone! I'm listening to the baby!"

I clarified that the doctor needs a special machine to hear the baby. Everyone is coming to the next appointment (well child check-ups for our 2- and 4-year-olds are in order!), and I think we're all excited about that.

Father's Day

I tried to get Nellie to think about things Kevin likes on our way to buy Father's Day presents, so she wouldn't want to buy him a Rapunzel doll or something. Here were her ideas, in order:

• Skittles
• Coffee
• Flowers
• Motorcycle

I told her that daddy probably would like a motorcycle, but they are a little too expensive. She told me she saw someone buy one yesterday and it's not that hard.

Pain in the back

Well, I think I threw my back out. Is that what you call it when you're lifting a ridiculously heavy concrete planter, you hear a loud crack/pop sound in your spine, and then you can't move? Because that's what happened. Now I'm on good ol' regular strength Tylenol, which is harder to find than you might think, and alternating heat and ice.

The hardest part is trying to figure out how to avoid lifting and carrying things (i.e. people). I mean, it is seriously impossible. I think my whole life at home revolves around lifting and carrying things/people. Actually, the hardest part is feeling a tiny bit better and taking advantage of it by hobbling around the house making dinner, vacuuming, dusting, and picking up. Okay, I did that. And now I regret it.

I wish I had slowed myself down instead of the Lord slowing me down by force!

Nellie, on pregnancy

When Lane asked Nellie about the new baby, Nellie said I took the baby with me to California. True.

My grandparents did not know about the baby as of Tuesday, when my grandma asked Nellie if she was excited about preschool. Nellie responded, "yeah, but not nearly as excited about the baby in mommy's tummy!" They know now!

Every day, Nellie asks to see the baby, which means she gently touches my already-sticking-out belly button, kisses my stomach, and asks if she was kissing the baby's lips. Then she asks how big the baby is and says, without fail, "boy, just look at that big fat baby in there!" I'm only 12 weeks pregnant.

Nellie, on Mommy

Here is an interview that our wonderful babysitter Steph did with Nellie for Mother's Day. (With some commentary from me.)

1. What is something mom always says to you?
It's not safe for you to eat trees

2. What makes mom happy?
When I do something

3. What makes mom sad?
When she is at school and misses me so much (TRUE!)

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
From when she says silly things

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Blonde hair and was trying to get in a crib, I saw everything in a movie of Jamie (It made a big impact on Nellie that I was being naughty and trying to climb into the playpen in an old family video!)

6. How old is your mom?
18

7. How tall is your mom?
20 and a half

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Do exercises

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
She homeworks

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
For gymnastics

11. What is your mom really good at?
Being really silly and listening to what I say

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Not doing anything

13. What does your mom do for her job?
My mom digs a treasure (Um, that's actually Dora's mom in the episode "Job Day.")

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Pretzels, pretzels, pretzels

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
making my tv good

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Cinderella (Before or after the visit from Fairy Godmother, I wonder?)

17. What do you and your mom do together?
play together, play all day long

18. How are you and your mom the same?
When we play outside together

19. How are you and your mom different?
When mommy...when I wiggle

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
When it's valentines day, because valentines day is about love

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
the zoo

Eat, Play, Love

That was a magazine tagline I saw today at the grocery store, and it seemed to capture the feeling of this first really summery day. The day started with donuts (when you anticipate a long Saturday of work, you really need donuts) and ended with s'mores. That right there should tell you what a nice day it was. :) In between the donuts and s'mores, we did lots and lots of work. Not the stare-at-the-computer-or-my-probability-homework kind, but the buggy, sweaty, mulch-hauling and flower-planting kind. I alternately thought how much easier it would be to do chores without the girls around, how much more pleasant it was with their "help", and how much easier it all is this year than last year or the year before.

The girls found bugs and bagged branches and weeds. They played in the sandbox and playhouse and watched a movie on the porch toward the end of the day. They ate raspberries and strawberries (lots of them). They fought, cried, and insisted on being held and carried. They made piles of birdseed on the porch so the birds could have lunch.

The bathroom is still a mess from the remodel job that started Memorial Day weekend, and thus the dining room is full of bathroom and construction supplies, so we ate our meals on a blanket in the living room. We are covered with sunscreen and bug spray, and not a little sticky. Annie is still chatting and wiggling in bed while Nellie snores quietly--certainly the product of eating one s'more, two extra marshmallows, a graham cracker, and a square of chocolate.

I think the best part (aside from taming the wild beasts that the front trees and bushes had become) was being together the whole day. Between turkey hunting, Kev's work schedule, the construction, living with Grandma and Grandpa for a week and a half, and my 6-day trip to Berkeley for work, I feel like it's been a long time since we really spent much time together. It also got me giddily excited for the long summer ahead - birthday parties, long weekends at the lake, visits from Dave and Laurel, little sisters home from school, 4th of July, baseball games. It was a day for forgetting some big looming tasks--moving, getting our house ready to rent, writing a practicum...? Ah, well. Save that for another day.