Is it October?

The weather has been gorgeous lately - if not a bit too hot out. I mean, it's middle of October and the temps are still in the 70s/80s. I like the cool fall weather - so hopefully full blown winter doesn't start up before we get sweatshirt and bonfire weather.

As an update, the roasted chicken was awesome. Once I got over the ick factor of prepping a fresh chicken, it was really simple and tasted so yummy. I originally planned on having leftovers, but the Carlsons were able to come over for dinner and we ate almost the entire thing! The squash was also a hit. Everyone was a little skeptical, but all said they enjoyed it. So, now that I've done it once, it'll be a snap to make that more often this fall/winter.

Last weekend we had dinner at Yanni's in Ankeny with Carlsons and Albers. Albers are excited for us, as expected :) I really like our friends. On Saturday we were all ready to lay down grass seed, but after talking to the guy at TNT he suggested we wait a few more weeks. Bummer. But we did pick up all the supplies we'll need. Sunday we had a minor crisis at our house. We could smell gas (to me it smelled like regular gasoline) out in the front yard. MidAmerican came out to check on it and found that the natural gas line was leaking! They dug up the line and found that whoever installed the pipes didn't screw a cap on correctly and it likely had been slowly leaking for 6+years. That explains why the grass in that area never grew in properly, and why the tree out front looks so sickly. When they dug up the ground the soil had a green tinge to it. Thankfully, there was no signs of natural gas up near the house, and we have CO detectors now.

Today I had my second doctor's appointment. It was short and sweet - the routine pee in a cup and check blood pressure and weight. I've only gained 2 pounds since last month (whew!) which I'm happy about. Then a quick chat with the nurse and we listened to the baby's heartbeat. Baby's clocking it at around 150 bpm. This Saturday I'll be 13 weeks, the end of the 1st trimester. I've been looking forward to this purely for the easing of nausea! An update on the baby's growth: Now 3 inches long, about the size of a peach. The intestines are moving from the umbilical cord (where they developed) into the abdomen, and vocal chords are forming.

I've been in a funk for the past few days, but I think I'm finally pulling out of it. It started by finding out my exam results. But I really have sooo much to be grateful for and to look forward to. I have a wonderful husband who is helpful and compassionate and loving. God has blessed us with this growing baby. We have a joyous dog who cannot get enough attention. Our families and friends love us a lot. So see? There's hardly a thing to be sad about!

Coming up: Same old song and dance - studying, walks, Survivor night.