Here are some raw photos I took (BTW: Raw means I haven't prettied them up in Photoshop so you think I'm a better photographer than I am):
Lemon Creek Winery. They have the second-largest acreage of wine grape vineyards in Michigan. They also make a lovely Chardonnay. Mmmm.
Barbott Farm and Greenhouse has an amazing retail market (and HOT greenhouses not fit for pregnant women to stand around and listen in them). They do their best to make sure they have what the big box stores do not--a very cool marketing strategy.
Mmmm. Michigan strawberries. I ate about half this many on the bus after purchasing some at our second stop. These aren't mine though, they belong to Earl's Farm Market in Fennville.
And finally, Crane's orchard in Fennville. What you see are apple trees on the right. To the left (outside the shot) is an amazing grove of black walnut trees where they have a nice picnic area. Hutchins Lake is just beyond the far treeline. It was breathtaking.
Baby Cute enjoyed the tour as well, particularly the blueberry-cheese strudel pie I enjoyed at the pie pantry. I got kicked through most of the deliciousness.
I drove a motor pool vehicle to the tour, which was pretty nice; a 2007 Chevy Impala with only 1400 miles on it. I don't think I've ever driven a car with that few miles. It was odd, and had new car smell (even odder). While I enjoyed being without the quirks of Belinda the Bonneville, the Impala has literally NOTHING outstanding going for it. It's a car. A car that drives fine with a radio and air conditioning that works quickly. Otherwise, I got nuthin. Cross the Impala off the list for future car shopping endeavors!
David was kind enough to strip the yellowy paint off a corner of the floor while I was gone so Dave can get a better look. I think it looks pretty amazing, but I am no expert.
David was also kind enough to pick up, vacuum the entire house and Swiffer the kitchen. Thank goodness for central air, and hooray for division of labor in the house. It was so nice to come home to a clean house.
I am getting together with my friend Kate tonight for ice cream and girl talk. I am very excited! Tomorrow is also our next OB appointment, so I should have more news about whether or not we're going to have another ultrasound scheduled... More tomorrow.
I'm finding it a little silly to say "23 weeks" these days when people ask me how far along I am, so I have taken to saying "almost 6 months." This is weird, ladies and gents. Weird. I am definitely pregnant, my belly is expanding daily, but to be SIX MONTHS pregnant? Wowee. I'm as shocked as ya'll are. Or maybe you're not shocked and I'm just in some state of wonder/amazement/denial/whatever. Anyway, here are the 23 weeks stats on Baby Cute and yours truly. Reading the updates, I realize there have been a few times when the baby's been "startled" and kicked me extra hard... Fascinating!
Baby Center: Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. His skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. He can swallow, but he normally won't pass his first stool (called meconium) until after birth. Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb.
Baby Gaga: At this point, you’ve pretty much adjusted to the fact you’ve got a moving little gymnast inside of you, but now they’re going to kick up the party a notch because they can hear and react to sounds from the outside world. Sounds from your alarm clock, a thunder roll, or that darned car honking at you across the intersection can actually jar their little ears enough to elicit a kick or violent bout of squirming. Of course this also means that their little ears are picking up the sounds of your voice and those near you. So go ahead, sing a lullaby to your little angel—if they start kicking, it’s likely they just want you to stop… or maybe it was a kick of approval? You decide. Their little pink taste buds are still growing and their bones are continuing to ossify (harden). Your baby's tiny veins are visible through their translucent yet wrinkly skin. (Think of it this way: they’ve been swimming in the equivalent of a long hot bath for the past 23 weeks, so you can’t blame them for being a little prune-like.)
I thought it would be interesting to note that a lot of those "in the womb" pictures you've seen were taken around 6 months, where Baby Cute and I are right now. Pretty cool, huh?
And this is what my body looks like internally. It takes some imagination, but basically, there's a baby growing inside of me. Whoa.
No comments:
Post a Comment