20 weeks (two weeks ago)

On July 15th, more than two weeks ago, Little Bean and I hit 20 weeks. That same afternoon, my 20-week ultrasound was scheduled. Jeff got to come with me, and we enjoyed a good, long peek at out little one. So, so cute!

That day was certainly an improvement to our last experience.

We are smitten, to say the least. We can hardly wait to meet this wee little person!

getting ahead of the gardens

(photo from mid-June)

It's so strange. Really strange, considering how I've been longing for summertime during the past few months. But lately, I've found myself looking expectantly toward autumn.

The truly bizarre thing is that we've had hardly any real summer weather where I live. It didn't really get warm and sunny until the first few days of July, and even those days have been rather few and far between. (And I know this won't endear me to those suffering from triple-digit temperatures in other parts of the country!) Largely we've had temperatures around 65 or 70*, and often gray skies, even rain.

But perhaps that's exactly the issue. Maybe all these cool days are bringing to mind the stunning beauty of an Oregon autumn.

Or maybe it's the fact that the clothing stores are transitioning to their fall lines. Or it could be the disenchantment I feel with my growing girth - it's feeling much less charming and much more tubby...and probably on some level I'd feel more comfortable layering on sweaters & corduroys than strolling around in tank tops and sundresses.

And yet... and yet, I still haven't tasted my first summer tomato, or sunk my teeth into a seasonal ear of corn. Last weekend marked our first ripe peaches from the farmers' market, and I am still entirely enthralled with the bounty of summer berries. And I can't resist hoping that the cucumber plants in our garden will produce something worth tasting, one of these days.

There's a lot of good stuff still coming.

So I'm going to relax and relish these days of summer. Flaky weather, retail shops, and weight gain? Forget them. I think I'll take my cues from the calendar and the garden and farmers' market instead.

And when I stumble across my first acorn squash out there, that's when I'll go dig out my sweaters and corduroys...

hello, stranger.

I know, I know. I've someone managed to take an extended blogging break. It was unplanned. And it doesn't necessarily represent any great shift in my life, or emotional struggle, or anything of the sort. First, I was uninspired. Then, I didn't want to mess with taking & uploading photos. Then, I was busy.

The busy part is the biggest issue for me at the moment. Maybe it's the fact that Elise is now down to one post-lunch nap, instead of two naps...? At any rate, it's all I can do most days to manage quiet time, laundry, and possibly an exercise routine. (On the subject of laundry: the good news is, I've finally found a routine which helps me to actually get laundry folded and put away the day I've washed it. The bad new is, this takes up potentially valuable writing time.) That, in addition to the near-constant succession of snacks which I feel obligated to make in order to feed "the masses," ...and, truth be told, pregnant little me. I like my goodies too, you know.

So here's what I can say at the moment: I miss blogging. I'm not exactly sure how I'll manage to do more of it at this point in my life, but I'll do my best. Fair enough?

Cool.