Great Expectations!!

As many of you already know, Andy and I are expecting our first baby on January 14, 2010 (although I'd like to aim for 01-10-10...if nature is kind enough to take requests). I had an appointment yesterday and the doctor listened to the heartbeat and said that everything seems to be progressing just fine. I had scans done at 6 and 8 weeks and the baby has been growing at a normal pace.

Needless to say we are very excited and know that our lives will be forever changed. I feel extra fortunate because I have been feeling so well. I honestly thought that one of the ways women knew they were pregnant was when they woke up one day and had to throw up! I assumed that EVERYONE threw up as one of the first signs of pregnancy. I think there were a couple days in Paris where I felt a little nauseous, and I think that's because of the time changes and the difficulty in being able to eat immediately after you wake up when you're traveling. So I can honestly say that I have no major complaints. For the first couple of months, I was HUNGRY. All. the. time!! That has subsided somewhat, but I'm also really quite tired all the time. I'm still trying to get used to the idea that it's OK that my "fat pants" don't fit anymore or that I can feel my tummy touch my shirt at times.

I've made a follow-up appointment for August 17th so we can find out if we're having a boy or a girl. What is your guess? Do you think we'll have a boy or a girl?

The Fruits of our Labors

It seems like it's been a long journey, but we finally harvested some cucumbers. They taste good, but we figure they cost us about $25 each at this point.

About two weeks ago, we noticed that our tomato plants and beans had suddenly been given an unwelcome 'haircut' of sorts. When Andy noticed hoof prints in the dirt, we identified the culprits as deer! It's hard for me to comprehend that we live about 15 minutes

from the beach, but we can have deer in our backyard. To make things even more curious, I spotted a small crab on our back patio a couple days ago!! A CRAB!!

We seem to have put a stop to the midnight salad bar free for all by setting up some orange mesh construction fencing around the door to our garden and along the shorter sides of the fence.

The good news is that although our butternut squash seem to be taking over the entire garden, we are starting to see several squash growing. We had to build a trellis in order to keep all the vines from choking out our tomatoes and other plants. We also have a few very small watermelon starting to grow.

One thing's for sure, we will be better gardeners next year. We will know to start earlier and to start seedlings at different times so that we don't get a barrage of any one type of vegetable all at once.