As we finish our conversation, Trevor walks over to the remote, presses one button and turns Pandora off, leaving Fox News on.  My kids are amazing.

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Trevor also surprised me this afternoon when, out of nowhere, he began talking about his cousin Owen’s birthday party last September, five months ago.  Essentially, he told me:

Owen wore his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse shirt.  And he had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake.  I ate the frosting off [Mickey's] ear.  It turned my tongue black.

This is true and accurate reporting.  Just like Fox News.

Daddy, why you have polka dot owies on your face?

The artist at work

He was so excited to share them with family, a couple of friends, and his preschool class.  Before passing out a card, he’d exclaim, “It’s Valentine’s Day!”  And then silently and shyly hand over the goods.

We’ve decided it’s Cindy Lou Who-esque

I’m pretty sure this was a brand new stick.  It makes me cringe, but, hey, maybe it put some fat on his bones.

T (very sweetly): It’s okay sweetheart.  Charity, you hurt yourself, this will make you feel better.

Me: That’s very nice of you, Trevor.  How did Charity hurt herself?

T: I knocked her over when I was standing on one leg.

I guess that’s one way to have someone else hurt yourself.

That’s what Derek told his brother when he called right after supper last night.  Why he told the butcher we wanted all of the “parts” I will never know, but we have a freezer full of bovine heart, tongue and liver.  You don’t have to say it.  I know.

I slow cooked the tongue for 7 hours and it was fall apart, melt in your mouth tender and the kids gobbled up their “chicken.”  I served it on corn tostadas with a homemade warm tomato, hot pepper and onion pico and topped it with cilantro and sour cream.  If I hadn’t known what it was or maybe even if I had known but hadn’t had to skin it myself (I still squirm a little when I think of it), I may have liked our tacos de lengua.  But it’s hard for me to say it was really good when I couldn’t bring myself to eat a second one and am certain I won’t make it again.  I pride myself on being open to different foods, but Derek and I both decided there was too much of a gross out factor for us.

I smiled to myself last night when some of my bunco friends were talking about their vegan lifestyles.  I just thought, if they only knew what I had for supper tonight :0)

Here at 23 weeks, 4 days, you are a very active little person.  A few weeks ago, half a day would go by and I’d begin to worry because I couldn’t recall feeling you move.  When I would take the time to lay still you’d always pick up the pace and reassure me you were ok.  But I worry about that no longer because you are always on the go.  Sometimes you set my belly to bouncing, but often you make just small movements that only I know about.  It’s amazing being the one person to know your every move.  I feel so privileged that God chose me.

Every time we see the good doc for a check up, your heart beat is nice and strong, always somewhere in the 150s.  Speaking of the good doc, he started me on progesterone at my last appointment to see if all of my early braxton hicks contractions, which started at about 19 weeks, are an indication of low progesterone.  I’ve never been on it with any other pregnancies but that doesn’t mean my levels weren’t low; and we don’t even know, for that matter, if they were low before I started supplementing.  For as many women that I know who were found to have low progesterone during pregnancy, many after multiple miscarriages or other significant issues, I often wonder why it isn’t standard protocol to check this with the early pregnancy labs.  I think it has helped me a bit but I still have days with multiple, back to back contractions.  Nothing super regular or consistent, but frequent all the same.

For a while I thought I was in the beginning stages of major issues with GERD and even asked Dr. McN. for a prescription for what worked for me during my pregnancy with Charity.  There’s still plenty of time, but it seems to have backed off for now and I’m just hanging on to that prescription.  Only complaints at this point are the colds I am getting every month (along with the coughing that makes me wet my pants every time!) and the shortness of breath that comes with any level of activity, including tying my shoes.

Here I am (and here you are) at 23 weeks, 3 days.  I love how the shadow tacks on a few more inches of girth.