I've found a couple interesting articles lately on boys' education and reading preferences that are pretty interesting

"The Little Men Who Love Little House, Why boys like girls books. " Slate, 9 March 2006.
http://www.slate.com/id/2137789/
According to the author, boys look for books with humor and information more than narrative (which girls are big on) or a male protagonist (which has been the common wisdom for some time). It also recommends the site www.guysread.com, which actually has a few books I really enjoyed growing up. If you're thinking "What does that have to do with Little House on the Prairie?"....apparently, it's the how-to aspect of pioneer life in that series (such as when Pa explains how to load a musket or tap a maple tree) that adds the cross-gender appeal.

"The Trouble with Boys, " Newsweek, January 2006.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10965522/site/newsweek/
This article offers a controversial look at gender and education. It makes a interesting case for the benefit of single-sex education for boys before college, at least at some stages. From an 8,000 student Vanderbilt University study: In kindergarten, boys and girls processed information at about the same speeds. In early adolescence, girls finished faster and got more right. By 18, boys and girls were processing with the same speed and accuracy. Don't think I'm sold on the idea yet, but it's certainly something to consider.

For those of you who have been wondering how big I am now, a photo...
taken last week, so I may be a teensy bit rounder now. I'm 21 weeks along and have gained 12 lbs, which is good for my height/pre-baby weight. I've been sleeping more than average again and feeling a little sick, but nothing like the first trimester. I can feel Indy move every day now, but nothing so strong as a kick.

I bought Indy a crib yesterday that's an amazing match to my bedroom furniture:

http://www.munirefurniture.com/newport_01.htm

It's the rubbed-black color and matches the desk, armoire and dressers already in the room. It won't arrive until he's almost here, but I'd rather have the space in the meantime.

My favorite ultrasound pic

I had my ultrasound on Thursday. My mom and Jonathan both came with me and we got our first real glimpse of the baby now that he looks like a baby. (He was ony 5 weeks at the first ultrasound, and looked more like a tadpole with a giant heart.)

We'd decided on names for a girl or boy beforehand, so as soon as they told us he was a boy we knew he'd be Indy Cole Watts (Cole for Jonathan, Watts for me). We could see his perfect little hands and feet, and long legs. The ultrasound tech kept prodding him for better positioning (causing many unsure glances back and forth between his first-time parents). Indy was merely irritated by the josteling, though, and mostly complied.