Happy 3rd Bunniversary!

Today marks three years since we found our bun in Woodland Park! Happy Bunniversary JoJo! I made you a special snack of clover flowers and one whole strawberry!Wow, is that for me?

I love clover!

Mmmmm, a whole entire strawberry! This is worth it, even if I fudge my bed later.

Do I have any strawberry on my lips?

Thanks!

This year JoJo gained some weight, went on a reduced-treat diet and regained some of her figure, got her proper digestion under better control, learned to dance for her bananas, discovered the joys of snoozing in front of a heater, and switched from sleeping in a ditch made out of a blanket to sleeping next to a rolled up "buddy" blanket that she licks and licks. She loves her buddy. She decided that she loves TV, and when we start watching a show in the evening she throws herself into a flop next to her buddy and stretches her bun sticks out (back legs). In nice weather she continues to dig in her gravel pit hole, which mysteriously gets filled in occasionally. That helps her keep her girlish figure.

May we have many more bunniversaries to come!

Baby Hummer

Michael's eagle eyes spotted another hummer tonight. Michael had spotted the guy having a bath in the rain a few days ago. Tonight we were inside watching So You Think You Can Dance, and from our couch he spotted one sitting outside in the bamboo. It looked like the right shape, but when I got up to look it seemed wrong somehow. Too dark. A white spot. Kid of fluffy. We carefully stepped outside to get a closer look and realized it must be a baby! We took some photos, and he flew off briefly followed by one or two adults who buzzed us and took off. The baby hovered in confusion and then resettled on my buddleia. Cute little fella. It's good to know they can happily reproduce around our neighborhood!

Tiny Showers

Yesterday we had a brief shower after weeks of dry weather. A hummingbird had a shower and a bath on some leaves, and a baby chickadee got wet for the first time.

Science Project, Week 32

8 months gone, 2 to go! Sometimes, when I think about how I'm going to keep getting bigger, two months seems like a long time. But then when I think about what comes after birth, two months seems much too short!

Last week at our labor and baby class, a lactation consultant inundated us with information. The most shocking bit? In the first few weeks after birth, I can expect to be involved in some aspect of nursing for 40-70 hours per week! Good lord.

I've had a weird side affect of pregnancy appear about 3 weeks ago: I noticed I have no hair on my legs! Normally, women stop losing hair when they're pregnant, and then about three months after birth all the extra falls out. I first noticed that my head hair had resumed its normal shedding, and then I went to shave my legs, and there was nothing there! My legs look polished, but the rest of me still has hair. When I had an appointment 2 weeks ago I asked my midwives about it, and they had never heard of such a thing. I had my thyroid levels checked, and they're normal, so I guess it's nothing to worry about. Very convenient for summer! The Bean continues to thrive, so my wonky hormone levels don't seem to bother him.

I've been lucky to have a nice long torso to fill up, so I haven't looked or felt over big, but this past week The Bean filled up his vertical space and started coming out towards the front more. I also feel him under my ribs, which forces me to have good posture, since slumping makes my ribs feel like they're bending out. I took the belly pictures and strung them together, and you can see how sometimes he seems to grow a lot more in three weeks than other times.
People keep asking about The Bean's name. Well, we've got a big list on the fridge, but we haven't felt any need to winnow it down. On the 28th I'm going to Fiddle Tunes for a week, and when I come back I guess we can get serious about names, getting the car seats installed, and stuff like that.

Scratch 'N' Sniff Edition

Oh if only there were eSmells! My garden is not an abundant one, but it has some nice old friends in it that are thriving now. The most spectacular is my jasmine vine which is packed with more blossoms this year than I've ever seen. The smell wafts around the yard and in through the back doors upstairs and downstairs. My resident hummingbirds love to sip from the jasmine, although it seems like a lot of work to eat from so many little blossoms. I also have a star jasmine which is getting ready to bloom.

I also have a nice honeysuckle around the side yard, and sweet peas on the back porch. Ahhh, summer!It occured to me the other day that my night blooming cereus should be blooming this year just about the time The Bean is born!