20 Weeks

There's a baby in there!  We went for our 20 week ultrasound and everything is on track.  Crazy!

In all of my (five months of) infinite pregnancy wisdom, I thought I'd share some suggestions I have for things you should say to someone who's pregnant.  Not necessarily to me, just any pregnant woman you meet.  She will love you for it.  Even if it's a lie, here are some you might try:

"You look tiny!"

"You are so small, I would never have guessed that you are even pregnant!"

"Have you even gained any weight?"

"Do you even need maternity clothes?"

These are just a few ideas for you to gain major points with any pregnant woman.  I would avoid words such as large, huge, twins, big, etc.

And if you are going to tell a pregnant woman story about a friend, I would make sure that it ends with your friend having a really easy labor and a healthy baby.  Maybe avoid stories that end in dead babies.

And remember, it's okay to lie!

Otherwise, we are enjoying the last few days of summer.  Poor Trooper has been very allergic lately and had to go to the vet for a round of steroids.  He is okay now, but has a few open spots that his dad is tending to every day.  Poor pup!

My lovely husband made me pumpkin pancakes and took me to the apple orchard this morning.  What a guy!  I loved the orchard and was able to get about 25 minutes with my dear husband and got him back in the car before any signs of crankiness even set in!  I call that a success!

(Almost) Autumn

The members of the Zika/ DiVerde household have been loving these autumnal days (even though it's still technically summer.)  I am always grateful for time with my lovely husband and after working all week we both love spending time together.  (I hope....)

The weekend was crisp and lovely.  Both Saturday and Sunday morning, my phone said Sycamore had temps of 39 degrees.  Jim turned the heater on when he woke up and I love the smell of it when it is on on the mornings.  (When I told him this, he said, "What?  Burnt chemicals?")  By mid-morning we opened the windows and let the fresh air in.  We took Trooper on a few nice walks and I rode my bike, trying to get in a few more rides before summer officially ends.

I was also very into festively fall cooking!  On Friday night I made grilled cheeses with bacon, cheddar, dijon mustard, and Granny Apple slices.  They were really good.  I also made pumpkin/ chocolate bread.  (I love quick breads in the fall.)  And for tonight, I already cooked some Sausage and Lentil Soup.

I hope you are all enjoying the change of seasons!

Soup and Sammies

One of the best things about summer in the Midwest is the fresh tomatoes.  They make those weird things that they sell at the grocery store the rest of the year seem like mealy flavorless things.  Today I pretended I was an Italian grandmother and peeled and deseeded a big bunch of fresh tomatoes to make this Tuscan Tomato-White Bean Soup.  I skipped the croutons as I am making grilled cheeses to have with it.

I am at Week 18 and feeling well.  The second trimester seems to be pretty comfy so far.  I don't know if I posted that my blood/ urine/ etc came back all normal at my last doctor visit a few weeks ago.  We opted to not have the genetic testing done and are taking an ignorance is bliss approach.  I go back in two weeks for my next check up.  I am still exercising and keeping busy.  I even rode my bike to the gym this morning.  I have started looking for maternity clothes.  Right now dresses and skirts have been working fine, some of which are from before I was pregnant.  However, the weather will be getting cool soon (60s next week!) so I guess it's time to think about pants again.  Why aren't leggings appropriate for all situations?