29 Weeks

Well, I'm now at 29 weeks and, according to The Bump, Judah is the size of a squash.

Actually, Judah might be bigger than that. The midwives tell me that I'm measuring big. At my appointment last week, I was at 28 weeks but measuring 31. Therefore, next week we have another ultrasound to check his size. Here's hoping the little guy isn't too big, because if he ends up being a gigant-o baby, then I can't deliver at the Birthing Inn! Sigh. Come on, little buddy, don't put on the tons of adorable baby fat until you are out of the womb. Please?

Even though the reason I'm getting a third ultrasound isn't super awesome, I'm still really excited to get one. It is just so cool to see him in there and watch him move around. I hope they give us a dvd of it again.

Some good pregnancy news- No gestational diabetes! Yay! I had my second glucose tolerance test last week. Usually, you only take one test (just week 28), but I had to take two (one at 20 and then again at 28). My asthma medication put me at a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes, so they wanted to test me twice. I'm happy that I don't have it... if I did, I couldn't deliver at the Birthing Inn. So, I'm clear on that front. Now Judah just has to say fetus sized and not 3 month old baby sized and I'm really in the clear. Well, that and I have to deliver between weeks 37-42.

Having work off this week (Spring Break) is just getting me that much more excited to start my maternity leave. It it so nice to be home and getting things done around here. Plus, I am able to work as my energy level allows- which is not-so-much true about teaching. It is nice to still have energy in the evening, as opposed to being completely and utterly drained and not being able to do anything but chill on the couch.

Awesome pregnancy symptom of the week: Stretch marks! So awesome! Yay! Every little girl's dream come true! They are all over my belly. There are a few starting to crop up on my hips. And, inexplicably, one little one on my arm. Wtf, stretch marks? Of course, if puberty taught me anything, it is that my skin is not so elastic. I shouldn't have been surprised to see these angry red tears appear, but, still, I had hoped maybe they wouldn't. And, damn, are they visible on my (porcelain- if you're feeling nice, pasty- if you're not) skin. Oh well, it is all part of the process.

P.S. If you are confused about the 3 year on the photo- it is written over one of our wedding pictures... which happened (duh) 3 years ago.

3 Years Ago...

I married my best friend.

It's been a great three years and I look forward to many, many, many more to come.

Fabric Fun

I spent far too much time (and money) at Joanne's today picking out fabrics to decorate onesies. My first baby shower is down in Oregon this weekend and my mom (who is throwing it along with my MIL) estimates that there will be about 40 people there. That's a lot of people, right? So, I feel totally validated in my buying of a lot of fabrics, right? Of course, not everyone will decorate (or if your feeling fancy- appliqué) a onesie and others will make multiples. Annnnd... this is just shower number one. I will have another one here in Tacoma in May- that one will  be a casual co-ed bbq type thing, but decorating onesies will still be available for all! I'll also have a shower at work- which brings the grand total of showers for me (and Judah) to three. Yowza. That is a lot. Of course, the work one will not have onesie decorating- just fruit, cake, and presents. I cannot even imagine what we are going to do with all the stuff we are bound to get, let alone, where we are going to store it all until the nursery is ready (which better be before shower numero dos!).

Can you tell I have a thing for blues and greens?

I bought nearly 30 different fabrics. Overkill, no? I'm thinking maybe with the leftover bits (because there are bound to be some) I could maybe make a patchwork blanket or pillow for Judah. I got a quarter yard of each fabric, so there will be lots of options for all the designers-to-be at the shower(s).

If Judah was not a Judah but a Lilly, I think there would be twice as many fabrics in the pile. There were sooo many cute girly fabrics. I love me some florals and there were tons of cheery graphic florals.

After Joanne's I hit up Costco. Now I am home. And tired. All that shopping really drained the energy supply. I would like to take a nap... buuut I have to pick up Bill from work in an hour. So that won't work. This morning I envisioned getting back from running errands and then starting in on housework. However, it doesn't so much look like that is going to happen. Oh well.

Accomplished: Stair Treads!

I am happy to report I have been able to check off a few things from my to-do list.

Today I:

• did the dishes
• am doing the laundry
• cleaned off the desk in the guest room
• and attached the stair treads

And I still plan on:

• taking a nap
• making dinner

Oh, yeah.

Also, floors and bathrooms are clean. I can't take credit for this one. It all goes to our lovely and eco-friendly house-cleaners, Brilliant Cleaning.

Here are the stairs before:

And after:

We bought the stair treads on ebay from this guy. We bought the adhesive from Home Depot... or maybe Lowe's. I'm actually not sure, because Bill picked it up when he brought all the nasty old carpet from the nursery to the dump. Anyway, we used Rhino Grip, which is VOC free, so I was able to tackle the job of applying it.

We have been meaning to get stair treads (or a runner) pretty much since we moved in (2 years ago this May). Wood stairs are a bit treacherous. Within a week or two of moving in I definitely slipped going down them and sprained my ankle. Lesson learned: no socks on wood stairs! And poor Ralph- he falls down the stairs about once a month. He is not the most agile beast, and sometimes his giant paws just don't find purchase. He had a tough time learning how to go up and down the stairs when we first got him. It was pretty hilarious to watch him try to figure out when to move which paw where. But, the stair treads should now eliminate any future falls for the big guy. And, with the baby coming we figured the time was now to get this job done.

Here's Ralph demonstrating going up the stairs (and Gert already at the top):

And going down (the trickier of the two for him):

To Do

Things I'm going to get done over spring break:

• Laundry (easy)
• Clean out desk (hopefully get menfolk to move desks around)
• Clean off dining table
• Clean off kitchen table #1
• Clean off kitchen table #2
• Move board games to book shelf/display case thing
• Adhere stair treads to stairs
• Clean off coffee table
• Clean off side table in foyer
• Go through the piled up mail (remember when you were little and it was sooo exciting to get an item of mail?)
• Go through shoes (donate unwanted pairs to Goodwill)
• Cook dinner- as opposed to having Bill cook. I've got no excuses since I'm not at work this week
• And if (big IF here) it is dry out I will work on my sad neglected flower garden

Eh, that is probably more than enough. I'm sure I could make the list longer, but I will feel pretty damned accomplished if I get to check all these bad boys off the list.

Good news- the sanders we already have seem to be doing the trick on the floor in the nursery. We might need to rent an edger though, since it is hard (impossible?) to get in those corners and right flush next to the trim. When the sanding is done we are gonna need to do some mad wiping down in there. There is dust coating the walls and trim- my nice new paint job now looks super dingy and gross. Luckily, it will come right off with no problems. But, man, is it everywhere! The new light fixture looks like it has been in place for half a century with the amount of dust coating it. 

I sure hope we can find a stain/finish that will match the finish in the hall. I know you can get paint samples- can you get stain samples? 

Here a pretty picture to finish up the post:

Here

Oh, would you look at that- it's blue! Shocking, I know.

Pretty Blue Things

It's spring break, y'all! Wah-hoo! I am so happy to have a week off to decompress and rest. It is going to be a pretty low key week. I'm going down to Oregon at the end of the week for my baby shower, but other than that I will just be doing stuff around the house (like napping). Hopefully, I will also be doing things like de-cluttering and cleaning off the desk in the guest room so we can do some desk swapping. The one that is currently taking up space in the foyer  will go to the guest room, that one will then go to Bill's office, and the one in there is actually a folding table that will go... uhh, somewhere. We have a pretty decent amount of storage space for an old house, but it is not used effectively. Maybe I will get at least a few of the storage spaces organized. Maybe.

Did I mention I'm going to nap? Because I sooo am.

Right now Bill is getting ready to test our sanders on the floor of the nursery. We have a couple of smaller models that we hope will be sufficient, but if not then we will need to rent a larger model.

While he is doing that I will share with you some pretty blue pictures.

All of the above images I found on this blog.

And those two are from here.

 Go here.

Here.

And I don't remember where this one is from. Oops.

Ahhh, pretty things... 

Bring It, Third Trimester!

Judah's due date was three months from Friday. Cray-Zee. It seems books and websites cannot agree on when exactly the 3rd trimester starts, but I say 3 months until the due date seems like a fair beginning. So with that, I am declaring myself to be in my 3d trimester!

I certainly am feeling pregnant these days. My belly seems huge and has started getting in the way of things... like bending over. When I eat, I inevitably spill things on it because I have to lean back while eating.  I also noticed I have started making little noises (dare I call them grunts?) when I have to get up from sitting or in/out of a car. Awesome, right?

It is hard to believe that Judah will be here in about 3 months. Bill said that he hopes he comes a little early, but bets that he will be super late (Gee... thanks, Bill.). I'm also hoping he comes a bit early. You have to be at 37 weeks to deliver at the Birthing Inn, so anytime after that would be great. My maternity leave starts May 26th (that would be 2 months and 1 week from today, not that I am counting or anything...). I will need to get my report cards all squared away for the end of the year and after that I am ready. Game on, Judah! I just hope the nursery will be ready before he is (hint, hint, Bill).

I realize that I do not have the best follow through. So here are some updates on previous posts:

• We decided not to hire a personal doula since we will get one at the Birthing Inn anyway.
• Natural Childbirth Class is going well. It is actually super small- only us and one other couple, who are also due in June and plan on going to the Birthing Inn.
• We had two contractors come out the house to look at the porch so far- another one is coming tomorrow.
• My itouch is still not freaking uploading photos to my computer. Which pisses me off.
• I mentioned at one point that we got carpet treads. I did not lie. We have them... And they are sitting in a pile on a chair in the foyer until we get carpet tape to adhere them to the stairs. 
• I finally did the last coat of white paint on the trim (well, except for in the closet, because we ran out of frog tape and the inner part of the doorway to the hall, because the door has to be removed for me to do that). Bill is now up on project nursery with the task of refinishing the floor.
• I still craze Mexican food and still miss sushi. I also cannot get enough donuts. 
• Also, I have not puked again (yay!) but I did have to leave work early last week because I felt lightheaded (Not cool, but once home I just laid down took it easy- and a nap- and when I got up that evening everything was kosher.).
• Ummm... I think that is it. But I could be totally wrong. Baby brain is a bitch.

Oh, and here is a picture of my cute dogs (and me). Ralph has been totally needy lately. Not sure why. Maybe he knows that baby is on the way and the percentage of my time that is dedicated to him will take a drastic hit. He is getting in all the loving he can now. And Gert? Well, she is still a monster (a poop eating monster at that. So gross.).

Porch Restoration- a starting point

We joined Angie's List today. Thanks to their pretty much constant adds on NPR we decided to give them a shot. It is time for us to get serious about hiring contractors to do work on the house. We have felt so lost on where to start and how to find a good contractor, which is where Angie's List comes in. Here is their description for what they are:

Angie's List is where you'll find thousands of unbiased reports and reviews about service companies in your area. Our members share their experiences with each other so that you can choose the service company that's right for your job the first time around.

Whenever you need a plumber, roofer, dentist, electrician, auto mechanic, physician, dermatologist, landscaper (or anyone from our 500+ categories), search Angie's List online, by phone or via fax.

You'll receive ratings and reviews of local professionals who've done work for other members in your area, plus important details about the type of work they've done, prices, professionalism and timeliness.

Once your choice is made, circle back with Angie's List to share your feedback. Your input on any service or health provider will become part of their rating on Angie's List


So, we joined. You have to pay a membership fee, but it is nothing crazy. We payed for the year membership and they had a special going that you saved 20% is payed with paypal, which meant our total for the year was $31. Not a bad price as long as you make good use of their services. I think it will be a good first step for us in taking care of some of the restoration work around the house.


The project we are looking into is having our front deck restored to it's original condition. That involves work on about half of our columns, replacing some floor boards, and some of the railing either needs to be repaired or replaced. Also, the cement steps leading up to the porch need some work, one of the side supports is at an angle and the other side's corner has crumbled a bit. Oh, and I think to be up to code there should be a railing on at least one side of the steps. Ah, and one more thing that I just remembered. The overhead light needs to be redone since it is currently tube and knob wiring. 


Humph, I took some (grainy) photos with my itouch of the porch, but for unknown reasons it is having issues uploading the photos onto my computer. I guess you will just have to imagine what out of alignment columns look like, as well, as rotting floor boards.


I researched contractors this morning and was somewhat pleasantly surprised by the member reviews. In the reviews the members give a description of the work and the approximate cost. More often than not the costs were lower than what I would anticipate for the work done. I know that now is a good time to get work done on your house, since the recessions has really affected contractors and they need to be very competitive in their pricing. I'm hoping that we will have the companies come out over spring break to put in their bids and we will find one that is just right.


The porch project is just one thing in a very long list. After the porch is done, we plan on looking into getting the exterior of the house painted; we are hoping to tack onto that job getting our living room painted. Normally we would like to do interior painting on our own, but some of the lathe and plaster needs to be repaired and there is some water damage that also needs to fixed- all of which puts painting the living room above our expertise level. We are hoping we can get the house painted this summer...


We also need a dormer window replaced. Our fencing needs to be extended and the gates need to replaced. The garage needs works- specifically a new roof, but there is a ton of other things that could be done too- like some siding needs to be replaced and it would be nice to have electricity out there. I could go on and on and on and on about all the things we need done (but who couldn't, right?). 


For now, we are focusing on the front porch. Hopefully, before too long I will be able share with you our beautifully restored porch!


I'm happy to report that our crocuses are up! The poor little guys have had quite the beat down by the heavy rains the last few days, but they are looking pretty cheery when it is a bit drier. The daffodils are almost ready to bloom and there are tons of tulips just starting to get their leaves out. We planted a lot last fall, so I am excited to see what all took.


I'm still feeling pretty blah today. I haven't throw up (winning!), but I have had a few waves of nausea. I'm at least being semi-productive- what with contacting contractors and doing laundry. But... mostly I'm hanging out on the couch watch the BBC series Monarch of the Glen on Netflix Watch Instantly. Honestly, I'm not really being sucked into the story or the characters, but the setting... oh, the setting... It takes place in the Scottish Highlands in the fictional town of Glenbogle. It is filmed a the Ardverikie Estate which is actually in the Scottish Highlands and. It. Is. Gorgeous. I want to go to there.

Barf

As in what I did today. Very. Lame. So, if you are not into reading about puke and gross pregnant lady stuff, I would suggest you stop reading now.

Before today I hadn't thrown up in at least 2 months. I thought I was done with all that. After all, barfing is suppose to go along with your first trimester and I am just two weeks shy of being in my third trimester. But, nooooo. At first, I felt kinda off, then I felt kinda nauseous, then I felt REALLY nauseous, then I ran to the bathroom and yelled at the porcelain. There went all my breakfast. I was sad to see it go. Bonus, because the whole baby business presses on your bladder I also peed while puking. Never mind the fact that I have been Kegel-ing like crazy. All in all, a really great way to get my day going.

I still felt pretty blah after that, so I have had done little to zero today. I napped. I played Angry Birds. I read. I pet the dogs. I watched the crazy online footage of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Umm, I think that pretty much covers it. Oh, and I pooped. Because that is what pregnant women do. Although, as of yet, I am very happy to announce that I have NOT gotten any hemorrhoids. I know that the vast majority of pregnant ladies get them, either while preggo or during labor. So far I am in clear, and here is hoping it stays that way. At least until labor. I think I could deal with them a bit better then, because at that time everything hurts, so a hemorrhoid would just be part of the general pain and unpleasantness down there... but, if you got them while pregnant it would be the only thing hurting down there. I'll take the barfing over the 'rhoid, I guess.

Pretty awesome day, huh?

Also, I've noticed the simple things are starting to get a bit more difficult. Like getting out of low slung chairs, or rearranging my position on the couch or being in any one position for an extended period of time, And, of course, these things are just going to get harder to do. I suppose that is why the third trimester is the weary one (from the saying that the trimesters are dreary, cheery, and weary). Another thing I have going on pretty much constantly is indigestion. Which is something I had never experienced before being pregnant. Oh, and I can't wear earrings. I talked to my midwives about it and it has to do with all the hormones that go along with pregnancy. They can do funny things to the skin, but hopefully the sensitivity will go away after I give birth. I am glad that my wedding band and nose ring are not irritating my skin though. I guess titanium and platinum get the thumbs up of approval from my pregnancy hormones.

Wiggle and a Wobble

This weekend marks the first time Bill got to feel Judah move. He probably would have been able to feel it for at least all of last week, but the times Judah is awake and moving hadn't been very convenient for Bill to feel it- like in the middle of the night or right when I wake up in the morning. He is usually also up and about on my morning walk to school. I'm so busy during the day at work I'm not really sure if he is moving and I'm just too preoccupied to notice or if he just kind of snoozes all day. I know he is up more on the weekends (or at least I feel it more), but I think he is moving more because I am usually moving less and relaxing- and taking glorious naps.

Anywho, the real news is Bill feeling it. It took a couple of kicks before Bill could tell that it was what it was. The movement still feels pretty subtle, thanks to my placenta being in the front of my uterus and therefore muffling some movement.
I'm trying to do my daily exercises to prepare for labor (given to us by our natural birth teacher). I usually manage to do at least some of each exercise, but don't manage to complete them all, since you are suppose to do them throughout the day and usually just do them at night before bed.

We look forward to Judah's movement getting stronger and easier to feel.

A Not Lame Shower Idea- Decorating Onesies

Two weekends ago I went down to Oregon for my good friend's baby shower. She is also having a boy. She's due just a mere 6 weeks before I am. We are both very excited for the serendipitous timing. Our boys are gonna grow up as forced bffs. At the very least they will have a cousin like friendship. They really don't get a choice in the matter. They will love each other, because we say so, dammit! I think know Katy was more emotional than I was when I found out that I was having a boy. I was excited and all, don't get me wrong, but good ole Kates was in tears. hehe

Anyway, at her shower we decorated onesies. And it was super cute. Not cheesy. Seriously, cute. I promise. Her sister-in-law (who is super crafty) executed the whole operation. There was a large supply of onesies in different colors and sizes (some long sleeve, some short, some patterned, some plain, you get the gist). There was also a lot of cute fabric squares and decal templates (as in pictures printed out of the interwebs with a strong outline- think peace signs, animals, stars, et certera). After you picked out your fabric and your design template you pin them together along with fabric interfacing. Then, cut them all out, and boom, you have your decal. Next,  iron it on to the onesies. And, there you have it. Cute, individualized, onesies.

I didn't bring my camera (because, I am a loser like that... well, actually it is because I dropped my point and shoot into a lake this summer and hate to lug around my big slr camera. I really need to get a little point and shoot... would it be wrong to add that to my baby registry? Me thinks, not.). Anywho, here are some photos other people took and I have stolen.

Here I am, crafting away.

Ames, free-styling her cutouts.

Some other guests, working hard on creating cuteness.

See how cute?

A handful of onesies on display. 

I'm totally stealing the idea for my upcoming shower. I would like to add t-shirts to the mix as well. We plan on doing cloth diapers from bum genius, which are pretty darn cute all on their own. It would be a pretty sweet baby outfit to have the colorful cloth diaper topped with a homemade t-shirt. I've registered for a bunch of baby legs, which would really just take the outfit to a whole other level. Bonus? Easiest outfit to change a diaper in (at least, I think it should be, but what do I know?).

Here are some links to similar onesies decorating... They didn't do exactly the same thing as we did, but pretty close. Check it out: here, here, and here.

25 Weeks

Here I am at 25 weeks. Somehow I've started to get really quite big. And, of course, this is nothing to what it will be in another 3 months. It is starting to get a bit tougher to get up and down (I sit on the floor a lot for my job). I need to kind of give myself a boost, as opposed to just popping right up.

We had an appointment with the midwives last week. Everything is going fine and dandy. So far it has been a nice boring pregnancy, and I'm hoping it stays that way!

Exciting news from the midwives: we get another ultrasound! Yay! We will have it at week 30. My next appointment is my last monthly appointment (at week 28), then I go to every 2 weeks, then during the last month it is an appointment every week. Luckily, we have been able to schedule our appointments pretty late in the day so neither of us has to take work off (or at least not a lot of work off).

Tonight, we start our natural birthing class. The woman teaching it is actually an assistant/doula at the Birthing Inn, so there is always the off chance that she could wind up as the assistant at our birth. That would be pretty cosmic...

Well, here is hoping the class is interesting and fast paced (it will need to be to keep me awake in the evening after a full day of work). Also, I'm hoping the other couples are cool (but, I mean, duh, right? Who hopes for lame classmates?).

Ok. Time to get the dogs in, coats on, and out the door. Wish us luck!