Weekend in the Country/Week 17

This past weekend will go down as one of the best of the summer. Our friends' parents have a lake house a couple hours into the country and we were invited to hang out with them for a weekend. Our friends, their parents, Grandma, their toddler-aged daughter and us made the best of an unusually cool weekend. We didn't get into the lake at all, choosing fires and 'smores, a trip to the fish hatchery and an Amish community, mornings and evenings playing with Jane. We relaxed, read, ate good food and soaked up the scenery. I've never been to an Amish community, so getting to see their country store, woodworking shop and farmland was marvelous. I would have taken a few pictures, but the Amish are shy about photos and I didn't want to offend anyone. Brian and I dream of eventually living on a few acres with space for a woodworking shop for him and a huge vegetable garden for me.

Brian "reading" to Jane. She currently sits still for about 8.2 seconds. Also, he's going to make the most amazing Dad ever. This picture makes my heart in a million ways. I can't wait.

In the meantime, before our farmhouse dreams appear, we have a baby coming to our two bedroom apartment, so we lingered over the gliders and cribs in the furniture shop. I'm 17 weeks pregnant today, the baby is apparently the size of an onion. (And they didn't even specify what size onion. I mean, onions come in a range of sizes. Just yesterday I bought pearl onions and sweet onions.) But I do know the baby is doubling in size between now and my ultrasound in three weeks and I can tell. As is, my belly is always a little sore or pained from all the growing that is happening right now. My jeans officially don't button anymore, as of last week, so I'll have to go maternity shopping sooner rather than later.

The skirts I bought a couple weeks are coming in handy, though. This one still has room and isn't a maternity piece.

Our first official harvest! A cucumber, a beefsteak tomato, a couple Juliets and a Sungold.

Our garden, week 17. Now the squash (still no fruit) has climbed off the end of the planter. Frankly, I'm not sure what we're doing with it now.

Another cucumber! 

The first eggplant! This is the long Japanese eggplant. I'm so excited. I had to fight with the Brussels Sprouts leaves to get this shot.