Little Mango Baby: 20 Weeks

How Far Along? 20 weeks on Sunday! Five months and counting. Baby's Fruit-Size Equivalent? A mango! I wish I had a Mango Madness flavored Snapple right now. Maternity Clothes? I've worn a couple of maternity shirts, but they are still a little big. Comfy, though! I can still wear my old clothes, but they don't look as good as they used to ;) How Are You Sleeping? Pretty well! But I have some very vivid dreams, and wake up every five minutes to pee. I don't love it. Best moment this week? Having my mom and sister in town. They are completely spoiling me and the babe. Also, we had our 20 week ultrasound, and we got to see our little monkey! Limbs were examined, junk was identified (DEFINITELY a boy). From the front, his little face looks possessed. However, his profile continues to be adorable. We prefer the profile shots. Even better, he appears to be perfectly healthy. Weird pregnancy moment? Just how much I've changed in the last couple of weeks. I wasn't really showing much at all, but then a little gut just kind of appeared this week. I haven't popped completely, but there is definitely a bump. And I get sharp little pains around my abdomen, as the ligaments start to stretch. It's weird and sometimes uncomfortable.  Any Movement: Yes! It's like bubbles inside my belly. I can't wait for Colt to be able to feel it on the outside. Anything making you queasy? Luckily, no! Hopefully the nausea is gone for good. How About Cravings? Scotchy scotch scotch, down into my belly. Just kidding! Toast and jam.  What I'm Looking Forward To: Having the echocardiogram in September. Apparently there was a miscommunication when they told us they would do it at the ultrasound this week. Sheesh. So, we will have a detailed scan of the baby's heart in a couple of weeks. Can't wait to have that behind us.

My Happy Place

This may be a little weird, but whenever I flash my membership card and step through the vast entrance of Costco, all my worries and fears, all my problems and stressors, seem to immediately melt away. I inhale the scent of spacious warehouse and cardboard, and I feel home again.

I have vague memories of being pushed around Costco in their huge shopping carts as a small child. I remember shopping with my mom and playing pretend with my sisters amongst the vast aisles, searching for sample stands as the rain poured outside. I remember getting a slice of pizza and a churro with my dad after shopping on Saturday mornings, eyeballing the big table full of books, looking to see the new seasonal muffin flavor(I still do this, obviously).

It's so comforting to me that no matter where you are, Costco always smells the same. You can find literally anything in there. Costco polish dogs and pizza taste the same in Pennsylvania as they do in Utah or Oregon, and their relish is always delicious. I love the samples. Costco has sold me on many a product by offering up a tiny portion of a delicious substance (mango salsa, mojito-lime seasoning, organic bean and rice burritos, chocolate mousse layer cake, jalapeno yogurt dip, etc). And their prices. Oh, the prices! It's all so comforting.

Additionally, the warehouse appears to be exceptionally sturdy. I feel quite safe in there. 

In the event of an apocalypse, you'll know where to find me. I'll be kicking back on one of the sectional couches in the center of the store (just behind the boxes of thick socks), a polish dog with extra relish in one hand, the other tearing enthusiastically into a six-pack of Streusel Lemon Blueberry flavored Costco muffins, watching movies on a huge flat screen T.V. You're welcome to join me, but you'll have to find your own couch. 
Don't worry, there's plenty! 
Because you're at Costco, my friend. 
The land of many comforts. 

Just Sittin'

I'm currently watching Shark Week with Colt. Sort of. 

We're trying to watch one of the two full-length Shark Week shows that Discovery.com has so generously shared online for free, for those of us too cheap to pay for cable but are sad to miss out on the annual shark extravaganza. But "Blood in the Water" keeps freezing on us. 

"NO!" We shout in protest.

But "Blood in the Water" refuses to cooperate. So we will be viewing "American Sharks" instead. I can already tell by the upbeat tone of the narrator's voice that "American Sharks" will not be quite as enthralling as "Blood in the Water." But, also probably a lot less scary. You can't win 'em all, I suppose.

I saw and felt the babe hiccuping for the first time...and maybe some movement. My whole stomach was rhythmically twitching for about 15 minutes or so. I asked my mom about it, and I googled, and both confirmed that this sounded like an episode of the hiccups. His hiccups are a lot cuter than my own, which are often a cross between a convulsion and a burp. It's fine, Colt married me anyway.

It was a nice reminder that the baby is really in there, though. Just hanging out. 
The movement is like tiny, almost unnoticeable twitches that I can see more than I feel. I think he's trying to entertain himself in there.

Dear Baby: Sorry life isn't more interesting right now, little man. Just keep swimming. Love, Mama.

Colt has an interview for a full-time position in Auburn, Washington. It's next week, so we will see how it goes! Keep your fingers and toes crossed for us, if you please. 

Here's some old pictures. I don't even know when or where some of these were taken. 

Little Sweet Potato: Week 17

 How Far Along? 17 weeks. Baby's Fruit-Size Equivalent? A sweet potato. Weight Gain? Probably a lot, given the amount of Chinese takeout I ate this weekend. I won't be surprised if I give birth to a large piece of sesame chicken. Maternity Clothes? Not so far. How Are You Sleeping? Pretty well, lately. It's starting to get just the slightest bit uncomfortable to lay on my tummy. Best moment this week? Going on a fun bike ride along the river with Colt. I'm not sure how much longer I have until I'm too big to do those kinds of things! Weird pregnancy moment? I've gotten kind of clumsy these days. I bump into door frames and corners. I drop things and spill my drinks. It's not ideal. Any Movement: Nothing I've noticed, although we've seen him moving on the ultrasound. I heard first time mama's usually don't notice movement until a bit later, because early kicks are easily mistaken for stomach flutters or hunger pangs. Anything making you queasy? Not so much. I only feel sick if I go too long without eating. How About Cravings? Nothing specific. Salty things still hit the spot better than sweets. Very strange for this cookie monster. Gender: A little boy! What I'm looking forward to: My mom and sister coming to visit next week, and having the echocardiogram on the 26th to check our little guys' heart. Hopefully everything is ok, but if it isn't, at least we will finally know for sure.

Ye Olde Amish

On Saturday, we hopped in the car and drove an hour and twenty minutes out to the country...Amish Country!

We looked up a few things to do, but in the end we just decided to drive out and explore a little. In my opinion, that's the right way to do Amish country.

Our apartment in the borough in feels like it's in the middle of a forest, which isn't bad, except you almost never know exactly where you are. But once you hit the country side, everything opens up and you have a gorgeous view of all the rolling hills and sprawling farmland. 

Amish country isn't just one little town, like I thought. It's a vast area with several different towns, and in each town there is a mix of Amish and everyday citizens. For some reason, I thought the Amish would live in tiny little log cabins like the pioneers, but their homes were really pretty modern. Some of them were gorgeous, and all of their yards were immaculate and well cared for. Most had a main house, and then a large separate structure, a mixture of a garage and a barn. It must have been laundry day, because almost every home had a wash line strung up with old fashioned clothes and sheets blowing lightly in the breeze.

We arrived in a small town and picked up some lunch. We turned up a side street and stopped at an intersection, and there at the other stop sign was a horse and buggy! Just driving in the road normal as you please. We saw several throughout the day, driving in the road, parked in parking lots and driveways.  It was really neat, actually. They just live so differently. Although I have to say..a buggy seems like a lot of trouble. It's small, and bumpy, and you have to hitch it up, etc. If I were Amish, I think I'd ditch the buggy and just ride the horse. 

There were little kids in Amish outfits and reflector vests riding scooters on the side of the road completely alone. There were handmade signs on the side of the road and at the ends of driveways advertising fresh flowers, homemade root beer floats, puppies, ice cream. It was all just really quiet and quaint. 

At the tiny town of Bird-In-Hand (which is located right next to the town of Intercourse...heh heh), we stopped at an archery store so Colt could have a look around. Then we went to an indoor farmer's market just down the road, where the Amish sell their crafts and goods. We bought a loaf of homemade bread, a jar of handmade blackberry jam, and some really delicious peanut butter-chocolate fudge. I think I could live happily off of that bread and jam for the rest of my life. We also stopped at an Amish furniture store to look at their handmade rocking chairs, tables, toys, dressers, etc. I think Colt wants to be a wood worker now. 

We didn't take any pictures, we just kind of enjoyed the day. But if you're in the area, we highly recommend going to Amish country. I'm taking my mom and sister out when they visit in a couple of weeks. We share a love of kitschy farmer stores, homemade treats, and fresh jam, so I know they'll appreciate it as much as we did.  

I think our visit out to Amish country is my favorite thing we've done since moving out east. The area was so quiet and spacious and seriously beautiful. Colt and I were reminded of how much we would love to live in a little quiet country town. Not Amish country, and not one where you're completely isolated and two hours away from the nearest hospital. But an area where you have some space. I would love to live somewhere where I feel safe letting our little boy ride his bike by himself through our neighborhood without having to tether him to my fanny pack. One with enough property that Colt could make a dirtbike track in the backyard and teach our kids how to ride, where we could have a garden, and a big porch. And where we can't see and hear everything that's going on at our neighbor's house, but we are still close enough to wave hello. 

Doesn't all that sound nice? 

Dreamers gonna dream.