Halfway There!

We've had to do some minor renovations around the ol' homestead, thanks to this little guy:
Thory is having what they called "misdirected aggression problems." Basically, this week he's been getting upset when he sees Jonesy on the other side of the glass. He freaks out and hisses and bats at Jonesy, and then suddenly turns and sees Lulu and physically attacks her, thinking that she might be at fault. It's not that different than when humans are driving someplace unfamiliar, running late, and start snapping at their spouses for no reason. Unfortunately, cats aren't very good at apologizing. And they recognize each other more on scent than on sight, so they can be in the same room with a cat they've spent their whole lives with and still freak out.

Thor has actually gotten so vicious with Lulu that he's drawn blood. The past couple of days they've alternating between being just fine with one another and then instants later, they'll be growling and hissing. Thor instigates most of it, but we've definitely seen Lulu start growling for no reason.

So, we're keeping them separated when we need to, and then bringing them both into a safe space to try to arrange re-introductions. No one has been bleeding recently, so I guess they're improving.

And since I can't prevent Jonesy from coming into our yard, or stop Thory from being an overprotective little jerk, the only thing we can do is keep them from seeing each other. The best way to do that?

Newspaper at the bottom of all of our sliding glass doors. Hopefully as a temporary measure.

In other news, here's what I look like lately.
You can perhaps see why dad insists on calling me "his fat daughter."

As of yesterday, I am into my 20th week of pregnancy and ergo, half way done. I continue to be amazed and feel grateful as to how not pregnant I feel. I'm still sleeping really well, I don't have to go to the bathroom every ten minutes, I'm not swollen or bloated (other than just general chunkiness) I can wear my wedding rings, and I can still wear my pre-pregnancy pants with the aid of the Bella band, I don't have heartburn, and I have still gotten through this whole shebang without vomiting once.

The best news is that I'm feeling the baby move on a more regular basis. It's mostly in the evenings, after I finish dinner. If I sit still enough on the couch and keep my hands on my belly, I feel a couple of little bumps underneath my belly button. It's still nothing that I can feel from the outside, and I have to be really still and concentrating, but it's nice to know she's in there (and that she enjoys spicy cheese, apparently.) Tim is definitely looking forward to being able to feel her kick - hopefully that will happen in the next couple of weeks.

We have our Level 2 ultrasound right before we leave for Wisconsin, and until then, I'm just hanging out, growing the baby, and eating every jalapeno I can get my hands on.