Whirlwind Weekend

Phew! Is it wussy to say that I'm still recovering from the weekend? It was a busy one...

PLANTS:
On Saturday Andrew and I drove around in search of flowers, herbs, and plants to fill the last couple rows in the garden. We went to a Master Gardening plant sale in town and were delighted to find tomatillo plants and some good looking herbs. We also went to a couple of nurseries in the area and ended up with 3 tomatillas, a hearty looking basil, and 2 okra plants. Please, please, no one tell my Dad that we have okra growing in our garden! We would be immediately written out of the will. Ever since I can remember, he's made the biggest deal about how gross okra is, and how it was the "forbidden fruit" that led Adam and Eve into sin. If I remember correctly, when he was little, he was forced to eat some slimy okra and as a result, it's one of the few things he can be excessively dramatic about. ;)

A couple weeks ago I planted basil, thyme, mint, and rosemary in an old tin bucket on the front porch. They liked their home so much that the rate of their growth made me realize I needed to move them into a bigger container. I found an old tin wash tub at an antique shop in town and transplanted everything into it (plus some lavender from a plant sale!). It now sits proudly on our front porch, hosting the herbs and boasting plenty of room for growth. Something about having access to tend and cook with fresh herbs makes my heart sing.

CHICKENS:
Sunday evening, Andrew finished the chicken coop and moved the ladies out into their new abode. They were so overwhelmed with the big, outside world that they didn't quite know what to do. Red is the best behaved of the brood so having been privileged enough to experience the great outdoors before, was the first to start pecking at grass and moving around the yard. The others followed. That night we had our first notable rainstorm (sadly, of the year so far) blow through. We closed the coop door and the girls managed just fine. As of today, they are still apprehensive about exiting their safe haven to venture down the ladder to the yard. Henrietta (the Golden) has been the most curious and has stood at the edge of the ladder looking down...until a big gust of wind kicks past and sends her fluttering back into the coop. The insult of being a "chicken" has new meaning to me.

SUNDAY:
On Sunday we had the opportunity to see some Houston friends who have shed most of their earthly belongings to travel America in an RV. They are a precious family of 7 that are coupling homeschooling with their experiences on the road. Talk about a neat way to learn! They've only been on their journey for a few weeks, but have visited museums, historic sites, and memorable local places in their brief travels. It was a treat to see them as they were passing through!

Sunday also held a wonderful visit with some of Andrew's family, a pregnancy photo shoot at the water gardens in downtown, and a delightful visit with one of my dear friends from college. It was an extremely full day, but a fun and memorable one!

PREGNANCY/BABY:
Sunday night was a doozy for hubby and me. I had throw-up inducing heartburn and kept waking up feeling like I was about to spew. My apologies to you weak stomached readers, but it's the ugly truth. Baby girl also decided that night would be perfect to perform disco moves inside my belly. She was a wild thing for several hours which didn't give her Mommy any rest...and subsequently encouraged Daddy to move to the couch where he might find some peace. By the time morning rolled around, neither of us had really slept and it made for a long day. :-p What's scary is I know this is just the beginning.

We've reached 37 weeks and are now considered "full term". Of course each day is precious to the baby's continued development, but she would be okay to come at any point now and not require preemie treatment. "According to my research" (any Magic School Bus fans recognize that line? lol)...our girl weighs around 6.5 pounds and is about 19-20 inches long! It's exciting to realize that's about how long and much I weighed when I was born.

With a few braxton hicks contractions setting in right now...I'm off to go double check the hospital bags and scan what else I may need to do before "the time" comes. :)