Today I am 20 weeks along, which is considered the halfway point! Granted...this pregnancy might go 41 or 42 weeks but typically 20 weeks is considered the halfway marker. Actually, I just read the other day that women of German ancestry can have 10 month long pregnancies. Here's hoping my Norwegian bloodlines overpower my German ones in this matter!

Lovey continues to wiggle, dance and kick. Lately I can't help but think of that scene from Alien whenever she squirms...

Adam has been able to feel her kick, once. It was the same day we had the ultrasound. Mostly we just have issues with timing. Lovey will move. Adam will come to feel her. Lovey will stop moving. We give up and Adam removes hand from belly. Lovey moves again. But such is life.

The other day I spent a good 3 (maybe 4) hours researching diapers. We've known for a long, long time we were going to be using cloth. The extreme financial savings (about $2,000) over using disposables aside cloth is better for the environment and for babies (see links below). I originally had wanted to use a specific kind of cloth diaper made by Bum Genius. It's whats called a "pocket diaper." And this particular brand makes one that is adjustable so you only ever have to buy one size. The beauty of this diaper is that there's no folding or messing with diaper covers. It has the waterproof cover built right into it. And it uses Velcro to fasten on just like a disposable (plus it's stinkin' adorable). But...I wanted to save as much money as possible so I decided to go with prefolds and covers. I spent forever figuring out how many diapers to get in each size and how many covers to get in each size. After I had it all figured out I did the math...it was actually going to cost MORE to use prefolds and covers than it would to use the Bum Genius diapers! So while I'm thrilled that what I wanted in the first place is more affordable I'm irked that I spent all that time planning our prefold system for nothing.

The Diaper Debate 10 Years Later
The Joy of Cloth Diapers
A Tale of Two Diapers

I made a strawberry-rhubarb cobbler yesterday (picture below). YUM! The original recipe calls for just rhubarb...so I worried about the amount of sugar since the strawberries are sweet all on their own. But it turned out really good. I'm glad...because it was a lot of work (mostly because I was doubling the recipe in my head as I went along instead of just writing out all the doubled measurements). The recipe is from the Shumate Family Cookbook. It's satisfying to make something from scratch (even when it is a lot of work). Of course, the best part is enjoying the fruits (literally) of one's labors. My Grandma said she's mailing me a recipe for excellent chocolate cake. I'm looking forward to making (and consuming) it once the recipe arrives! I have to say, recipes amaze me. I always wonder how someone came up with the recipe in the first place. Who figured out that if you mash flour, baking powder, butter, eggs, and milk, with some sugar and salt and make it have a crumb like consistency then put it on top of a fruit filling and bake it that it would turn out so yummy?! And for that matter...who figured out that the LEAVES of rhubarb are toxic but the STEMS just need to be stewed with a little sweetner and they're great?
I guess that's all the latest from the Great White North. We miss all of our friends and family in the States (and elsewhere in Canada). Hope you're all doing well! And if any of you ever want to visit Canada come see us! I'll even make you cobbler!