BUMP UPDATE: 18-20 WEEKS

Oh, man.  I'm behind in posting these pictures.  I'm already at 23 weeks, but I wanted to make sure I didn't lose sight of this special time.

How far along:  I was about 19 weeks when these pictures were taken, so I'm calling this the 18-20 week update.

Baby size:  Tomato

Maternity clothes:  I managed to squeeze into this yellow dress that just has a higher waistline.  The zipper didn't go up all the way in the back, so I added the shirt over it.  As I outgrow all my clothes, I find myself wondering if I'll ever be able to fit back into them.  I've been collecting for years, so it would be a pain to not be able to wear a lot of what's in my closet.  

Feeling:  I thought I was all the way through the morning sickness part, so I didn't take my B6 vitamin one night.  Honestly, I thought it was more of a placebo at this point.  Boy, was I wrong!  I threw up a bunch the next morning and have since taken that as a lesson to keep taking the pill.  I'm wondering now if I could stop since I feel a lot better, but am still a bit gun shy.

Cravings:  Breakfast food!  Bring on the scrambled eggs and hash browns!!  We've made quite a few trips to IHOP recently.  It's been the first meal in months where I felt really satisfied afterwards.  Do they put something special in their eggs?  I read somewhere that they put pancake batter in there, because other eggs do not compare.  At least I'm getting some protein since big hunks of meat still turn my stomach.

Random Thoughts:  During this time, we went in for our mid-pregnancy ultrasound.  I was so sure we were having a boy that I was just waiting for the tech to say "boy!" at any minute.  When she got to the right spot, she asked if we were sure we wanted to know the gender.  We said yes, and our mouths about dropped to the floor when she said she was 99.99999% positive it is a GIRL!!  Read all about it here.  The most important thing to us, though, was that our little babe was healthy.  The tech found a small cyst that she said not to worry about and that would most likely go away, but that we needed to go in for another ultrasound the next week.  Even though she said not to worry and the doctor said the same thing, I vacillated between being rational that everything would be fine and very worried.  We went in the next week for the ultrasound, and the cyst was already gone.  Thank goodness!  We felt extremely relieved and thankful that everything looked good and healthy.  I guess the worrying is already starting.  I find myself constantly worrying if she's moving enough, if I'm eating enough vegetables, if some crazy lady pushing on my stomach caused any harm, etc.  I suspect this constant worrying will only intensify once she's actually here, and I have to worry about keeping her safe outside of me.  Geez, Mom!  It really makes me sorry that I would always forget to call you when I got back to college that I was there safe!!  I don't think I could have understood your level of worry until now:) 

OUT AND ABOUT: SAN DIEGO

My friend Kate and I had been talking about meeting up for a girl's weekend for a while.  Living far away from one of your closest friends is hard and with my impending delivery from Mr. Stork approaching, we wanted to make sure we had a fun weekend of good times and uncontrollable laughter. 

So we both hopped on planes in our respective cities and met in sunny San Diego the other weekend.  I always wonder what it will be like when we see each other after such long periods of time.  Being able to talk on the phone is great, but it pales in comparison to being together in person and being able to know what she's thinking just by a look.  Will she have changed?  Will I have changed?  Within an instant of her finding me in the baggage claim, I realized, "Nope!"  I'm still the same girl who gets way too carried away buying souvenirs and she is the same sweet person who always knows just what to say to make me laugh or feel heard.

We started our trip in Old Town with our favorite libation--margaritas (virgin for me).  Luckily they had frozen ones, because we had to spend a ridiculous amount of time on our last trip together to San Francisco finding a frozen margarita.  And even then it was at some juice bar instead of a Mexican restaurant.  Anyways, I got burnt within 30 minutes of our trip since my skin is pasty from not seeing the sun for months and then, true to form, I bought WAY too many sombreros and Mexican textiles. 

It was the next best thing than actually heading into Mexico.  But I really felt the quality of those mini sombreros was superb.  I also bought two embroidered tops--one for me and one for baby for us to wear next summer.  I figure I have about a year to dress her up in all the ridiculous outfits I want before she starts realizing what is happening and protesting. 

After that, we blasted "California Gurls" on the stereo and headed up the coast to one of the smaller beach communities outside of San Diego.  I'm so glad we did, because it was exactly what I thought of when I pictured southern California in my mind.  Cute surfer towns with loads of charm.  We booked our place through VRBO and that was the way to go!  For less than the price of a hotel, we got a whole apartment that was decked out in midcentury modern décor. 

The next few days were filled with visits to the beach, other cute beach towns, fun shops, and delicious food.  It was way too cold to swim, but it was wonderful to see the water.  For the past few years, I've had a yearning to see the ocean, where the sea meets the sky.  My horizon in Kansas is tree lined, so I never feel like I see the sun dipping below my side of the world.  The only bummer of the trip was that we never got a good view of the sunset.  It was cloudy each of the nights we tried.  There's something so romantic about the sun slipping away into someone else's horizon.  Guess that just means I'll have to head back to the beach sometime soon.

We also got to meet up with my long time blogger pal, Devon!  It was a blast seeing her in person and getting to experience her San Diego first hand.  Her pictures are always beautiful, but in person everything is even better.  She and her husband are so sweet and wonderful!  Kate and I may still be suffering from decorator's envy.  Seriously, Devon--you need to come decorate our places:)

The time went by way too fast.  It was simply the best being able to hang out with Kate and talk and laugh...a lot.  I haven't laughed that much in a long time, and it was definitely good for the soul.  It made me feel so fortunate to have her in my life.  Someone who knows me from way back when and shares in so many of my favorite stories, as well as someone who still gets me now and loves me in spite of all my crazy quirks. 

In other words, she's a pretty big whoop:)

After my flight getting rerouted due to weather, I was happy to make it home.  I did manage to fit in a souvenir for Wade, too.  And I know Mr. Maisy sure loves his new sombrero!  Even if he did try to bite it off his head and looks so forlorn in the pictures.  He just has a hard time showing his true emotions:)

THE BEST WAY TO WASTE A DAY

With the clock ticking loudly on the impending arrival of our little girl (!), it's no secret that there isn't a shortage of things Wade and I need to be doing to get the house ready.  Projects we've been putting off for months, alright years, need to get done now.  Things that we knew we could do next weekend or some other time in the distant future when we would have all this magical time in the world.  Now, though, with a deadline, we're starting to feel the pressure.

Not so much so, though, that we didn't waste a perfectly good Saturday afternoon a few weeks back in the best possible way.  I got up and was eating my Wheaties, like I do every morning, gearing myself up for actually cleaning all those dirty dishes in the sink.

As I finished my breakfast of champions, Wade murmured something about going to the park as he absentmindedly gazed out the window at the sunlit backyard.

At the mere mention of doing something outside and enjoying one of the first perfect days of spring, I hopped up and agreed enthusiastically.  Dishes can wait when your husband actually wants to go to the park and sit on a blanket instead of you having to force him.

Another surprise came when he said we should bring Mr. Maisy.  Wade has always been so protective of the little bunny even when I insisted I wanted to bring him everywhere like those rich ladies do when they carry their toy poodles in their purses.

So we grabbed a blanket and put Mr. Maisy in a laundry basket for a temporary cage and headed to the lawn of the Nelson Atkins.  It was a total hipster paradise, with people hula hooping in the grass, flying kites, and us with our pet rabbit.

Mr. Maisy was quite the crowd pleaser.  One guy asked if he was our pet or just a wild rabbit that had hopped up to us.  We told him that there were wild rabbits like this all over the park and chuckled afterwards when he exclaimed, "Neat!" and then walked away.

It was a perfect spring day.  Not too windy, but still cool enough that you didn't swelter underneath the sun.

I felt a bit guilty at first for shirking our home duties.  Wade and I are both notorious for getting easily distracted when it comes to home maintenance projects and cleaning, but I'm so glad we went out and enjoyed the day.  There will come a time soon when just going to the park will require a 2 hour prep period and then might not be as relaxing.

We've been making progress in the weeks since, but I really cherish taking those time outs when we feel like it to just do whatever.  My idea of the perfect weekend is having no set plans and seeing where our whims take us.

This weekend, my whim is taking me to San Diego!  I'm meeting my BFF from college, and I cannot wait to get away for a little R&R and change of scenery.  For the past few years, I've had a yearning to visit the beach.  I didn't think I'd get there this year since I found out I was pregnant, but I feel so lucky this trip came together.