Wildflower Weekend

These pictures were from back in July during Wildflower Weekend at Nygren Wetland Preserve (where Greg works). But they remind me what a beautiful summer it has been.

Prairie Smoke

Phlox

Ohio Spiderwort

Pale Purple Coneflower
A Tree Swallow using a Bluebird House
Lupine
The bluebird that probably got evicted from his house

10 Lessons in Choosing a Midwife

Conversations I've had in my head while visiting my midwife:

10. Long purple hair is inappropriate past the age of 30, and especially past 50.
9. Having seven children does not necessarily make you an expert on other people's children, especially if you were a weird parent.
8. In the same vein, having 12 cats also does not make you an expert on parenting. It just makes you lonely and very CCL (crazy cat lady).
7. Even I know it's called a fetal doppler. Not a "thingy so that you can hear the heartbeat".
6. Ok. Birkenstocks are totally acceptable. Scares me a little that I have the same pair. But to qualify that point, I do NOT wear them with striped socks and red pants.
5. "Free spirit" does necessarily mean you need to free yourself from the rigors of daily hygiene.
4. On the contrary, paper work IS sort of important. I know it's a bane of corporate America and all, but gees, I would kind of like my insurance to pay for this whole thing.
3. If you truly feel the Native Americans had the right idea about childbirth and child rearing, why aren't I having my baby in a teepee? (Or maybe I am and she just hasn't broken that news yet?!?)
2. "Midwives are the hallmark of normal births." I'm sorry, but there's nothing normal about this.
1. Though I love cats, cat hair is unsanitary and should not be coating every stitch of your clothing. You are in the medical profession. I'm pretty sure my child will have a hairball upon delivery.

Despite all this, I think I'm going to keep her. At least it'll make this whole thing a little more interesting and I can count on a good, funny story every four weeks when I see her. Plus, I sort of have a special place in my heart for quirky people.

And the canning begins...

My house has been taken over by tomatoes. It reminds me of that cartoon in the early 90s - Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Tomatoes on my dining room table. Tomatoes in buckets on the floor. Tomatoes on my kitchen counter. Tomatoes in my garage. Tomatoes in my office - yes, that's right, my office. My house is one giant acidic ulcer waiting to happen.

Add on top of that my first delectable vegetable and fruit shipment from Angelic Organics. Angelic is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm (think: co-op) in Caledonia, Illinois. When you purchase a share in their farm, you are entitled to weekly shipments of delicious organic vegetables and fruits. This week I received plums, pears, chard, green peppers, cilantro, hot peppers, sweet corn, watermelon, leeks, fennel, blueberries, champagne grapes, celery, nectarines, and more...tomatoes.

Canning. Canning is my solution to what I've deemed a tomato "problem". These invaders will soon be transformed into salsa, marinara, chili, and diced, sliced, and pureed into relics of their former selves. And in mid-December when I pop the seal on the Ball canning jar, summer will come rushing in.

Our little alien

So for those of you that wanted a little more information about the baby, I thought I would do a new post with everything we know so far. I am due on February 15, which means I'm about 3 months along as of now. I've had no morning sickness or any other typical pregnancy symptoms; I've just been a little tired and get headaches from time to time. I've had two doctor appointments so far: my initial ultrasound and appointment, and then my second with ultrasound was today for our NT scan, which is a test to rule out down syndrome and other defects. Both baby and I are perfectly healthy, and although it still looks like a little alien, it is very active and we have been able to see all four limbs and today a hand (one of the pictures). We will be finding out the gender, but probably not until the end of September. I'll be sure to keep the blog updated for those of you that can't get enough baby news.

Babies, birthdays, two funerals, and a wedding

Alot has happened in the last four weeks. So much that I haven't really been able to write about it yet. And so much that even as I write this, I know it won't do justice to what reality has truly been like.

Babies
On June 28, Greg and I found out we will soon be parents for the very first time. Yes, that's right, me - the one who really never wanted kids - is going to be a mom. Obviously, this came as quite a shock considering I was still on birth control, but we are getting more and more used to the idea. Excited, perhaps. Scared out of our gourds, absolutely. Tears of fear, tears of happiness.
Birthdays
I celebrated my 26th birthday on July 17. Without my grandfather, with whom I share a birthday, for the 6th year. Even though he's been gone almost 7 years now, for some reason this year it was harder. Harder because it became all too clear that my child would never know him the way I knew him. Harder because some of the best memories of my own childhood include him. Harder because I'm pregnant and overly emotional. Greg and I chose this night, surrounded by the members of our family we love most (parents, siblings, and grandparents), to tell them we are having a baby. Tears of sadness, tears of joy.
Two Funerals
Not even four days later on July 21, Greg's Uncle Mike and cousin Kyle died in a tragic farm accident. I still cannot write these words without feeling the heaviest saddness I've ever felt. A week full of uncontrollable sobbing, memories, funny stories, pictures, funeral arrangements, visitations, and more people than I have ever seen at a funeral later, looking back I realize it was one of the hardest weeks of my life. And it doesn't get easier. Growing up in the same small town, attending the same school as Greg, his sister, and all his cousins, and being part of his family for almost a decade, I can truly admit that it wasn't any easier for me just being "married into" his family. Tears of loss, tears of shock, tears of memories.
A Wedding
Last Saturday, August 2, we attended the wedding of a friend from high school. Sitting in the church listening to the ceremony brought the last four weeks into focus. Thinking about Greg and I's wedding almost two years ago. Thinking of the wedding that would have been between Kyle and his fiancee Kim. Thinking of the new couple and their potential. Thinking about how old it makes me feel to be married and watch our friends get married. Thinking of our child and wondering if the time really does go so fast that one day they are in kindergarten and the next day they are getting married. Thinking about how all of life's journeys are frought with tears. Thinking about how I don't want to cry like I have in the last four weeks for a long time.