I painted this picture yesterday of a dead butterfly I picked up somewhere in Central America (well, part of a butterfly). Wingspan across the top is approximately 3.75 inches. It may not come out in the painting, but the large grayish spots on the upper and lower wings are clear windows you can see through.

Edited: I found out that it is a moth and not a butterfly–the antennae were missing and I had to guess–so was much of the body, which I slimmed down a little more than necessary. It is called “Forbes’ Silkmoth” (Rothschildia lebeau forbesi) or “Cuatro Espejos” in Spanish.

Eugene, Oregon

Cheshire, Oregon

Mom (Cheryl) picking peppers in her garden.

20 Weeks. The one corner of our new apartment that isn’t a total chaos of dust and boxes.

19 Weeks. Interstate 5 Mt. Shasta Vista.

Just got back from the 20-week ‘fetal survey’ ultrasound. I can safely say that I have never, ever enjoyed a doctor’s appointment so much in my life. Getting to see inside your body is so damned cool; plus, you have a lot of time to contemplate your internal organs and those of the baby because the technician spends around 45 minutes looking closely at everything like the chambers of the heart, checking blood flow to vital organs, measuring brain parts, and counting fingers and toes—presumably to save me the trouble in the delivery room. The good news is nothing looks wrong and everything looks right. And bonus, she told us the sex: it’s a girl.

AWWWWWW. Here’s hoping that this is the only time the kid’s girl-parts are ever posted on the internet.

Our technician was very efficient and seemed to very good at what she did. She was also a bit brusque, which we found amusing (we’re not the sensitive types). If an arm or whatnot was in the way of a good shot, she’d jab at my belly with her index finger saying, “Hey! Move it Baby!” Poke poke poke poke poke poke poke.

That’s the profile of the head, again helpfully labeled, chin down on the chest. I think. The crazy thing was the movement—the baby’s wiggling all over the place and I can’t believe I don’t feel it. Well, mostly I don’t feel it—I did feel one of the head-butts but most violent motions I can clearly see on the monitor go unfelt.

I asked if we got to keep some photos from the ultrasound and she looked at me like I was a crazy person . “Can you EVEN imagine what would happen if I tried to send a pregnant woman out of this room without photos of her baby?”

I wonder if there’s a seminar or something in ultrasound school covering pregnant lady psychology that tells you which ultrasound photos will win the most brownie points. Because here’s one to get you:

Left foot!!! How adorable!!! It’s an inch and a half long. “Which one of you has a longer second toe?” asked our technician.

It’s me. Right foot though.