The weather has finally gotten the hint that it’s Spring around here! I’ve taken advantage of it and gotten outside to do some much needed yard cleaning. I slacked off last Fall and didn’t do much raking or mowing of the yard, so I paid for it now. But most of it is cleaned up and looks so much better! Adam built a large 18’ x 9’ swing set for the children about 2 years ago on the side of the house where the driveway is. We have decided to more it to the backyard since we now have so many deliveries of food we are doing for the county ~ our commercial kitchen is in the back of the house and it would be so much easier to have the van parked back there to load the food from the kitchen right to it. As it is now, we have to carry things almost to the front of the house. We also have a trailer for the catering that needs to be parked somewhere out of the way. Our driveway isn’t very long and we eventually want to extent it the entire length of the house, which would be about another 30’ or so, right through the space where the swing set is now. And the mud!! Oh my, it’s horrible! This year is not the year to pave it, so we will be ordering gravel. But we hope perhaps in the Fall or next Spring/Summer, we can do it. Being so large, it will be interesting to move the swing set, so we are going to have to take it apart and move it piece by piece. We also have a sand box by the front door that will also be moving. It’s not in the way now, but if/when we pave the driveway, I don’t want the sand box so near the pavement, for then it will be so much more hot than it is now.
We have some old spruce trees on our property (they are around the same age as our house, which is 102 yrs old) that we are going to be taking down sometime this next week. 2 of the trees are in the front and the other is in the back, on the other side of the house than the driveway. We will be cutting the front 2 down to about 8’ off the ground and then using the “stumps” for a “lattice garden”. We don’t have much of a lot (due to our house being so large) and we are wanting some more garden space without taking up too much of the land. So we are planning on put a beam across the 2 topped trees (I think the span is about 15’ – 20’ apart), attaching a net to one side on the ground, looping it over the beam, and attaching it to the other side on the ground. We will then plant things that are vines, like tomatoes, squash, pole beans, etc. , and they will grow up the net. Being in the front, we are hoping it will get more, if not all, the sunlight during the day then they did in the back yard. For the other tree in the back yard, we will be building a fort of some sort for the children to play on around/to it. Having 6 children playing on a not-so big yard, we need somewhere for them to go. It was Maacah’s idea and we agreed to it. They are all very excited about it! When it’s done, I’ll be sure to post some pictures. Having the tree fort, the swing set, and the sand box in the back yard will be good.
Of course, I’ve been busy with other things, too. I got TONS of sewing done in the last 2 weeks ~ a dress for each us girls (4), a baby book that is all piece meal and applique (ugh!), a car seat bag (for airline travel), and the 1st of 3 baby quilts. Whew! My poor machine was just a’ smokin’! School is still going on schedule, which is good. I’m still having more good days than bad days, so the laundry and cleaning is being kept up with. When I’m down, the older children do a good job at helping, but there’s a satisfaction in knowing that I can still take care of my family and not rely on my children all the time.
I’ve been feeling movement more and more, for which I am grateful for. I still don’t have that “baby belly” that other women have by this time. That’s a bit disappointing to me, considering this is my 7th child. I know that every woman carries differently, depending on her build. But even at 25 weeks, strangers (and some who are not strangers!) don’t even know I’m pregnant. I suppose it could be what I wear, which are long, loose dresses. Perhaps if I wore tighter clothes is would be more obvious. I don’t ever get that for sure “baby belly” until about 8 or 9 months.
I saw my OB this last Wednesday and everything looks good! I’ve gained a total of 7 lbs thus far, at least on my records. I reality, during the 1st trimester and months 4 and 5, I lost and gained the same 5 lbs. several times! By bp is good, as usual. The nurse said that’s it so good that I’m obviously made to have babies. 
I’m not having any issues with swelling and my next app. I will have the glucose test. I’m not worried with that, though. I’m hypoglycemic, so my numbers are always low. Remember that I had an ultrasound at 21 weeks but was unable to get any pictures? Well, because of it, I was able to get another sneak peak at our little one! We got even better pictures this time and the tech was able to see things that they couldn’t before ~ like the upper lip to rule out cleft lip, all 4 chambers of the heart and the outflow of the blood. We also got another shot at the sex of the child and it’s hasn’t changed! 
But I’ve decided to keep it a secret. I’m only telling a select few the sex and the name (which will definitely give it away) and the others will just have to be surprised!
I am including a picture of the baby’s face. I have written on it to help you understand what it is that you see. Once you get orientated with it, you’ll see that it’s a really good shot at the face. It’s better than all the other ultrasound picture that I’ve seen.
It seems to have taken F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to get to 25 weeks. I’m hoping that with the busyness of Summer, the rest will just fly by!
Jennifer