And suddenly it's the third trimester.

I distinctly remember a moment on our New Orleans trip this spring, browsing a bookstore with several finds stacked in my arms and saying to T, "I really want to read a lot while I'm pregnant." I also remember seeing a huge sun hat somewhere and thinking it was perfect for pregnancy, an accessory that would balance my belly while luxuriously lounging on a beach somewhere, aforementioned books sprawled on the towel below me.

Hahahahaha.

This summer has gone by in an instant. Our already-tough homeowner luck in July got even worse with new rounds of AC and washer repair. Then my dad discovered a crumbling wall rotting with mold in our then-office (blocked since we moved in by a desk, something we never would've seen if not for the nursery switcheroo), and that required immediate action. And so on.

And then there's work! We are two tired pups. Overworked, overstressed, you name it. For both of us, it's been a summer of increased professional accolades and responsibility, which is wonderful. The downside is, well... all of this. And the unfulfilled promise of that ridiculously huge beach hat that I never bought for exactly this reason, dangling there in my mind while all my social media feeds burst to the brim with photos of your vacations.

So we've been a little bitter this summer, when we had time to stop and think about it. But I can't complain a bit about this pregnancy, even now. My body continues to amaze me, to show me that it's built for this, that it gets it. Every week I think maybe this is when I'll feel worse than before, and every week proves that nothing is worse than living with fertility medication side effects for years. This stuff is (so far, knocking on all wood available) a breeze.

Here's the catchup, bringing us to the third (!) trimester. Crazy.

 

There is one exciting personal life development, though, in the midst of crazy work stress. Let's take a closer look at some of those photos and the toll of it all in ultra-flattering office bathroom light:

 

 

That's right, folks, we've finally smartened up over here and stopped trying to power through the summer vacationless in order to save money and maternity leave. The realization that there will simply never be a good time to break away from work demands and take time off is an important one; sometimes, we just have to stake our claim. We'll be spending next week in the spot where we were married four+ years ago, and I can't even begin to describe how much better I felt as soon as we made the decision.

 

I like to think when I get back - tanned, rested, and ready, as it were - I'll be back in the blogging mindset too, ready to share house projects and other odds and ends. Time will tell. But until then... I have a large beach hat to buy. Ready yourself for sparkling ocean pics courtesy of moi this time, coming soon to an Instagram feed near you.