In due time.

Today was Lentil's due date, but he didn't feel like braving the cooler/rainy weather, I guess!
We're trying to wait patiently, but we really want to meet this little guy!

The room!

Here is the babe's room! I'm so excited about it!

It's based off the album cover for Have Heart: The Things We Carry.
Ravi came up with the idea and we both painted (he did the mountains and I did the sun!) and picked things out for the room!
I honestly never thought it would all get done and come together, but it did and I am so happy!

Too fast.

I can't believe how quickly this time has passed.
I seriously remember finding out about Lentil perfectly.
I was pretty terrified and could say nothing but "Ummmmm...." over and over.
We didn't even think it was true and thought our cheap-o pregnancy test was just tricking us.
Nope! Little Lentil has grown and grown and grown.
It has been an amazing experience and I'm a little sad for it to be ending.
I have truly loved every experience.
I keep trying to remember to take in all these last moments we have together, just the two of us.
I love every little movement.
The big movements are a bit more uncomfortable, but I love those too.
I like knowing that he's safe and that I'm the one keeping him that way.
I can't imagine how different things are going to be here soon, but I know that it's going to be amazing.
I can't wait for Ravi to meet him.
And for Sabin to nose him.
And for the cats to avoid him.
And for me to look at this little guy who has totally stolen my heart.
I can't promise that I'll do better with blogging after he's born.
In fact, I'm sure I'll be worse, trying to soak in every moment I can with him!
But, I will definitely try

Crafting!

This summer has been filled with a whole lot of relaxing.

I honestly have not done much besides deep cleaning, organizing, de-cluttering our house in order to make room for Lentil, hanging out with the Sabes and cats, and watching way too much netflix.

I guess it's good that I got in so much alone time since I won't be getting much of that in a couple months!
Although I wish I could have gotten in more good hangouts with friends since those will probably be lacking as well.
Oh well!

I did get in time to work on some crafts for Lentil!
Ravi helped me pick out fabric and I sewed these burp cloths!
I knit this little hooded blanket to cuddle him in!
I taught myself to cross stitch last month, so I made this little guy for Lentil's wall!
And last night I order some fabric that was on sale to make him a few super soft baby blankets! I can't wait to see it!
I'm working on a few other things to put up around his room, as well.
I'm just so excited to meet him!

Oh, and I also made Ravi a "cover" for his new 3DS...um, it looks more like a purse!
Woops!
He still likes it and carries his "man clutch" to work!

Ravi only has two more days of this crazy work schedule and then we'll be able to get moving more on Lentil's room, which will definitely set me at ease!
I can't wait for Ravi to paint the room so we can put the crib together and start making everything nice for him!

Today is super overcast and ready to rain at any second,
but it's so cool out and the breeze is blowing through our house, so I'm a happy girl!

Treats!

On Tuesday, we shared a special late night dinner of some of Ravi's favorite foods!
Essentially, it was Thanksgiving dinner.
And we probably have enough leftovers to hold us over until November, too!
And Ravi got a special treat that he's been wanting!
Sabin loveloveloves to help open presents!

Ravi's parents have been out of the country since August 4th and aren't coming back until the 15th, which has left him completely in charge of the family business.
That means he works from about 8:30 or so in the morning until about 11:00 at night.
And he hasn't had a day off since the 3rd and probably won't until the 20th.
Needless to say, I miss him.
But, I've been staying up extra late in order to get as much time in with him as possible since I return to work next week.
Boo to that! Luckily, I only have to work about two months before Mr. Lentil comes and then I'll have time off in order to love on him!

Okay, and speaking of having babies, Ravi and I were watching TV last night, pausing the show to watch my belly shift from side to side spastically as Lentil rolled around in there.
And he asked, "Seriously, how do people not know they're pregnant before they have the baby?"
And we are just completely baffled!! How does that even happen?!
Do any of you have any ideas?
Please share, because we just can't even fathom.

Ravi!

Every year when this day rolls around, I feel extra grateful that this guy is in my life.
I love him endlessly and am so excited to spend every minute I can with his sweet little self.

Answer!

So...I'm only three months late with this news, that's okay, right?!

I have been an absolute slacker this summer with blogging.
To be honest, I just haven't felt like it at all!
And I think the only reason I'm posting this now is because every so often I'll get a comment saying the suspense is too much!
Or I'll see Ravi checking to see if I've posted anything new!
Haha, so anyway, I want you to picture this cutie:
But as a baby!!!
That's right! Lentil is a BOY!!!!!
(However, if it was a girl, you'd probably still need to picture that cutie but as a girl, because I'm guessing our babes are not going to look a thing like me!)

We went to have our ultrasound and as soon as the image popped up on the screen, Ravi said, "IT'S A BOY!!"
Um...I was totally staring and still trying to figure out where the baby was at that point.
But the technician confirmed (and said it was still a boy when we had another ultrasound a month later!).
It definitely felt similar to the episode of Friends where Ross and Rachel have their ultrasound and she says she sees it but totally doesn't.
That was me!
I did eventually figure it out, so that's what counts, right?!

Anyway, we are super excited and just can't wait to meet Mr. Lentil!
It turns out that I'm actually a few weeks behind what we thought, so my new due date is October 18th.
That means, on Tuesday, I'll be 30 weeks pregnant.
30!
I can't even believe it.
This pregnancy has gone by sososo fast and I just want it to slow down a little bit!
I've truly enjoyed every new sensation, every flutter, kick, roll, hard punch to the ribs--it's really one of the neatest things I've ever experienced, and his way of saying, "Hey, I'm healthy and happy in here."
And while I can't sleep and my back aches a little too much, I can't imagine not having this little baby inside of me anymore.
I love knowing that he's safe and protected and I know it's selfish, but it's time for just us to bond, and I love that.
However, I'm equally excited to share him with Ravi because I just know how much he already loves Lentil and that he can't wait to hug and cuddle him (I swear, his words!).
Plus, there's the fact that I'm terrified of the whole, pushing the baby out thing.
Seriously--insanely scared!

Anyway, I'll be back soon with a few posts of what I've been up to this summer!
Oh, and if you're curious!
Here's a more recent photo of how giant Lentil is getting!
This was at 28 weeks!
Is it possible for him to seriously grow for 10 more weeks in there? My belly skin is sooooo tight already!

Boy or ghoul?

This is totally what we look like when we're discussing whether Lentil is a girl or a boy:
Just kidding...because we're both in agreement that we think Lentil is a boy!
I'm not sure why, but we've got a lot of friends and family who think the same!
In just a little bit, Ravi will be home to pick me up to go and get our ultrasound!
We're beyond excited and can't wait to see if we're right!

Oh, and here's what we'll look like when we find out!
We so would take Sabey with us if we could, because I'm sure he'd be super excited to find out if he's going to be getting a brother or sister to love on!

So, what do you think Lentil will be?
(And Sandy, I'm sorry to say, but puppy doesn't count this time, unfortunately!)

Airplanes.

We had dinner at Little Saigon last night, and while I'm normally so so happy with my meal there, last night was eh!
It was spicy, which hit the spot--but didn't have much flavor to it.
But, they do have the best veggie spring rolls in town, so I happily ate one of those, and wished for more.

Ravi and I went with Sandy and Luke and it was so much fun.
I love all the silly conversations we have.

After that, we went to check out a friend's new tattoo shop that he's opening downtown later this month.
He and his wife currently have two little boys and one on the way.
And when we walked in, the boys (5 and 1) were sitting on the floor ripping apart some packing Styrofoam.
They had little balls of it stuck all over their clothes and heads and it was pretty much the cutest thing I've seen in so so long!
The older boy was calling the Styrofoam "airplanes" and had the fan on so that they would fly around.
Needless to say, we all left with airplanes in our hair.

After that, we went in search of a sweet treat and ended up at Bill's Donuts.
Luke spent the night and he and Ravi stayed up super late being silly boys with video games!

Today, Ravi and Sabes are currently being adorable, doing this.
We have more fun friend time schedule for today!
Luke mentioned eating at Melt, and I took a look at their menu, and couldn't be more excited.
It's insane how much I want to eat. Like every hour.
I'm getting spoiled this weekend with so much fun friend time, but it's definitely exactly what I need right now!

Oh, and here's today's baby bump photo--this is 18 weeks, 3 days, and Lentil is the size of a sweet potato!

Coconut!

It's finally the weekend and I couldn't happier!

Work was quick and Sabey and I got in a nice long walk while the sun was shining!
Sandy and I met up for half-price frappuccinos at Starbucks...and their new coconut syrup is dangerous.
It's super yummy and will probably have me back there way too often!
It was sunny and warm for most of the time, but it quickly changed to cloudy and chilly and sprinkling!
So we're both in our separate places hanging out with the dogs for a bit before doing something tonight!
As long as tonight is filled with hanging out with friends, I don't really care what we do!
Well, it should probably also include yummy food!

Oh, and the other day I was cleaning up a bit and found a comforter I had bought right after Christmas on clearance!
It's perfect for spring!
And I'm not the only one who loves it!
I love finding little hidden treasures that I've forgotten I had--especially when they brighten up our space so much!
Woops! I totally didn't notice the HUGE smudge on my camera lens when I was taking these photos--oh well!

Ducks and feathers!

There has been way too much rain here in Ohio lately.
But there is something good that has come from all of it!
Part of our backyard turned into a pond!
And while I normally wouldn't rejoice about that, the other day I got home from work to find two ducks swimming around!
They weren't just sitting in the water, they were literally paddling around!
It was adorable!!
They were back again today, but there wasn't as much water, so they left pretty quickly.

Lately I've been pretty bored with my hair.
I used to be pretty fearless and willing to do anything with it!
But after I spent a while growing it out, I'm not willing to do anything, even though I'm not thrilled with it!
Silliness.
But, a friend of mine invested in some feather extensions, so I went over today to get a few in to spice it up a little bit!
Even though they're hidden most of the time, I still like the fact that they're in there!

I'm looking forward to this weekend, and there are only two more work days until it gets here!
I plan on
having lots of fun, silly times with friends
lots of cuddle time with Sabes and Ravi
quality time with family
and looking forward to our ultrasound on Monday!
I'm into my 19th week today and Lentil is the size of a sweet potato!
It's so crazy that I'm almost halfway through!
Oh, and here's the bump as of Saturday!
(It seems way bigger to me today!)

Picnics and ballpark pizza!

The sunny weather this weekend was just what I needed!
It's back to cloudy and rainy for the next few days, but hopefully spending all that time outdoors and with friends will hold me over!

Friday was spent getting dinner with friends and then Ravi getting his haircut.
We fell asleep pretty early, but then again, I always do.
I went to bed at 7 on Thursday...I'm older than an old lady. Oh well!

Saturday, I woke up and packed us a picnic and once Ravi was up and ready for the day, we put Sabes in the car and headed to Yellow Springs!
We found a super sunny spot and had a delicious lunch!
Sabes was so sweet and just enjoyed laying in the sun and eating the long pieces of grass.
It was nice to just hang out and talk without anyone being on a computer or cell phone.
Technology can be really great, but way too often, it gets to be too much for me.

After that, we had all sorts of intentions to go hiking for a long, long time.
Unfortunately, we got about 2 minutes down the trail only to find it blocked by fallen trees that we couldn't have possibly gotten Sabin through.
So, we turned around and had a nice drive home with the windows down and had a fun walk around town with Sabes.

Last night, Ravi had to go to an event for his family because they asked him to host Vaisakhi.
It's a harvest festival of some sort, and ever since he made a joke about the Parks and Recreation harvest festival episodes, that's the only image that enters my head.
I wish it was a carnival like that, but the real thing sounded disorganized and dull to me.

Luckily, I got to meet up with Sandy, Erik, and Kaylee for Ballpark Pizza at Dewey's!!!
It's pizza with mustard, mozzarella, sauerkraut, and onions (we left off the sausage)...soooo yummy!!!
I love their seasonal pizzas and can't wait until they bring back the Cuban Pizza!
It's got pickles and mojo sauce--what could be better?!

We also stopped and got ice cream to celebrate Kaylee's birthday and have plans to visit them in Columbus soon!

Today I plan on catching up on a few shows and hopefully finding the motivation to craft/go to the gym...we'll see!
But for now, I'm making a banana shake because I was awoken this morning by the worst charlie horse in my life....I get it, body--more potassium!
I hope you all had weekends that were just as lovely!

25 days.

I officially have 25 days of work until summer break and I couldn't be more excited about it.
I'm pretty close to making a paper countdown chain--that's how excited I am.
I remember really looking forward to summer break every school year growing up,
with the promise of daily swimming, ice cream pie, sleep-overs, camping, and vacations at the beach.
However, my excitement now is exponentially greater.
I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to be an educator's point of view...oh well!

We don't have too many plans this summer as Ravi will still be working,
but we're trying to work in some small trips and fun outings and yummy treats!

Other things I'm looking forward to:
Laying on the cool floor on the hottest summer days with Sabes is a must.
As are picnics and hiking with sweet friends and adorable pups.
And sweet birthday surprises to favorite movies at the theater--what could be better?!
Oh how I hope these days go by quickly!
But until then, I have the weekends!

Tutor.

For the past two months, I've been a private tutor for a third grader who lives nearby.
We've been prepping for the state tests in math and reading.
His mom is pretty concerned about him doing well, because, somehow, I think the teachers have convinced her that his entire future relies on how well he does on a standardized test in the THIRD grade.

It makes me so sad to know that school systems are teaching to these tests as opposed to making sure the students get a well rounded and interesting education.

And let me tell you how much he cares about these tests!
Um, he doesn't.
Because, really, what third grade boy would care?!
But that made it hard to want to go over three times a week for an hour after I've already been at work all day.
But!
After she initially called to ask me if I wanted to work with him, I decided what I was going to use the extra money for.
And having that goal to work towards made going just a little bit easier.

Every time I went over to tutor, I thought:
"That's one more diaper for Lentil!"

I probably could have used that money to buy some new shoes, to go out to eat, to buy cute fabric or shop online, or buy lots of books.
But I'm so glad that I squirreled it away to use for Lentil.

Ravi and I decided pretty early on...if not before we were even pregnant, that cloth diapering was for us.
However, those little diapers cost quite a bit upfront, so having the opportunity to make some extra cash was great.
And, it ended up motivating me to stick out tutoring when I really wanted to stop.
And now we're able to buy these goodies and I'm so excited!
I feel weird for being excited about buying diapers...and calling them goodies, but I guess some excitements will shift just a little bit, and this is one of them.
And I'm perfectly happy with that.

Cloudy days.

These rainy days are getting to be a little too much for me.
I definitely enjoy lying in bed at night, cuddling with Sabin, and listening to the rain against the window and the thunder far away.
(I would say I like cuddling with Ravi, but lately he's been getting up after putting me to bed in order to play video games. Oh boys.)
But when it continues into most of the morning and day, I get a little tired of it.

However, everything is super green and trees are flowering all over our neighborhood.
So, that is one positive thing that comes from it.

And for the past couple of days, the rain has taken a break when I get out of work so Sabin and I can go on extra long walks and my hair can get super tangled from the crazy winds and we can chase the fast-paced clouds.
Oh, and my dress can fly up and give the neighbors a show...well, I had on leggings, but still!

The temperature around here has been pretty perfect, though.
The windows are open and the house smells like freshly cut grass and the oncoming rains.

Oh, and I wanted to share some super sweet gifts that our friends Cate and TJ gave us!
This is a pin-cushion/retractable measuring tape! Adorable AND useful!!
And these were our first gifts for Lentil!
Oh geeze, those shoes are so tiny and just melt my heart!

Bookworms!

At the beginning of the year, I promised myself that I would read 100 books.

And then I thought about it, and realized that would be two books a week, and I just wasn't sure if I could make that kind of commitment.
So instead, I pushed it back to 52 books.
One book a week is much more doable, and I feel a lot less pressure from myself.

So far, I've been able to keep to that, and thought I'd share my reading list with all of you!
January-February
Out of these eight books, my favorites were Narcissus and Goldmund and Uglies.
But The Great Gatsby pulls at my heart in a special way, too.
Narcissus and Goldmund really helped me think. It made me wonder if I'm on the right path. If I'm happy with where and how things are going. It was a lovely read and furthered my love for Hermann Hesse as an author.Uglies was so intriguing. The stories and characters really drew me in and kept my interest for the whole series. I wouldn't say that I loved the whole series, especially Extras (blah!), but the commentary on our society today was spot on.

March - April
My favorites from these eight were definitely The Adoration of Jenna Fox and Ape House.
I thought Going Bovine was a waste of my time, but I've heard others really enjoyed it...
The Adoration of Jenna Fox pretty much had my interest from the first page. It's kind of a sci-fi, futuristic take on medicine and the lengths we'll go to in order to stay alive as long as possible, no matter the cost. It's a little bit young, but the ideas are good.
I really loved Water for Elephants, so I was super excited to see this book on the shelf at work! I work at a high school, so a lot of times the books are either classics, or the new young adult novels. And while I can really get into some of those, sometimes they just don't get my mind going. This book was pretty heart breaking at times, as it discusses animal testing and animal abuse, but it really warmed my heart to read the personality traits of all the different apes. And I also think it's great when mainstream authors discuss such important topics.
Our school librarian just got in 20 new boxes of books, so I'm hoping to find some more great reads in there.
But I definitely think I'll be making my way to the local library for a few books on my list this month!
Do any of you have any suggestions for the upcoming months?
What are your favorite recent (or not-so-recent!) reads?!