Pregnancy: Weeks 28 & 29

My Stats:
 * That scale reads an extra 20 lbs.  I give it the stink eye out of habit.
 * Waistline is 40.5 inches

The Monster's Stats
*He is gaining more energy, thus moving around a lot more. I think he is preparing for the Olympics in there.
* He is now strong enough to grasp a finger.  So I totally picture him grabbing the umbilical cord ala 'Look Who's Talking' and saying "Hey Ma.  How about some more OJ down here?"
* He recognizes my voice now (Mental Note:  REALLY need to stop cussing so much).
*According to the Fruit-O-Meter, we are now the size of a squash.  But between you and me, that looks like a pumpkin. 

Pregnancy Fun Facts:
  Prenatal vitamins make your nails grow like weeds.  I have to clip my talons nearly twice a week.  I have just about given up on nail polish.

As my belly expands, I have noticed that stretch marks I had previously (from puberty) have gotten deeper.  I haven't noticed any new one yet, so that's a good thing!

Energy Level/ Sleep:
  The past couple weeks have been more comfortable.  The night sweats have gone away, and the little guy has started to calm down when I lay down-- either that or I have gotten really good at just ignoring him.  Mother of the year award?  I think so.

Cravings:
 Food.  In general.  Who are we kidding?  That extra 20 lbs didn't come from me eating plain lettuce.

Mood Swings:
  I think I have evened out.  You might want to ask JEGs to be sure though.  In the super market the other day he went to pick up the lettuce and I said "the bag specifically says 'Just Lettuce'" to help him out.  Well, he heard that as " I specifically said 'just lettuce'".    So I guess my bitchasaurus rears it's ugly head more often then I am aware of.  Oops.

Other Stuff:
 I don't feel the little guy kicking as much, but I do feel him moving and pushing.  It's fun/cool/creepy to watch my stomach move as he pushes on it.  I'm also starting to learn where certain body parts are located-- like I can tell if is head is wedge up in my ribs.

I have dubbed JEGs the 'baby whisperer'.  Every time I tell him to come over and feel the baby move, he little guy stops as soon as JEGs' hand is on my stomach.  Daddy's boy.  Pfft.  Whatever.

I passed my glucose test!  Hooray for diabetes-free!

I was watching A Baby Story the other day and as the mom gave birth I started to cry.  This overwhelming feeling of excitement and love came over me.  As much as I am still a little scared to go through this, the idea of meeting my son as started to become a reality.  I hope he likes me :)

Always & Forever,
  ME

Progression: Baby's Room

After listing the 298347928734 things we needed to do for Operation: Baby Drop, I am happy to say we have been quickly crossing things off the list.  Most importantly, a lot of those tasks for the little monster's room have been completed.

First off, the room has been painted.

  I originally wanted to go with Valspar's Cincinnatian Hotel Hannford, however we had a bunch of gift cards to Home Depot, so I went with a similar shade from Glidden called Navajo Sand and I love it.  It is neutral, with a hint of grey for a more masculine feel.  I think the teals and oranges I intend to pair it with (shown in my mood board) will really pop against it.

I realized that Frog Tape is much more powerful then I thought.  It ripped the paint off of my freshly coated trim, and I am not too happy about it.

I guess I'll be adding "repaint trim" to my TODO list. 

The closet was a huge accomplishment for us.  If you'll remember, the previous owners had painted the interior of the closet the same dark blue as the rest of the room.  The only form of storage was some busted up pieces of wood acting as shelves.

At first, I thought it would be primed and painted, but then we realized how rough a shape the walls were in.  When JEGs attempted to removed some of the boards acting as supports for the shelves, the original plaster came crumbling down.

So JEGs did what every boy secretly dreams of doing:  he went at it with a hammer, flat bar and (my personal favorite) his fists.

No, he wasn't just blowing off some pent up steam (ok, maybe it helped) he discovered that by punching the plaster, it helped to loosen it up.  The lathing would bounce and then flexed back into place, causing the plaster to crack and loosen up and making it easier to dig the flat bar behind it.

Something to note, JEGs decided to keep the lathing.  In a house this old, the studs are not always straight and level  The lathing adds another level of surface to screw the drywall to.  He figured he was removing 1/2" of plaster,  so adding 1/2" of drywall would put things back the way they were in relation to the trim.  Also the lathing was in good shape so we saw no reason to bust it up.  If there were missing slats, or we found mold or water damage, he would have ripped it out.  However, as it stood, it was a nice level surface to screw the drywall to, and kept the inner dimensions of the closet the same.  We did get lucky in that most plaster doesn't come down that easy either- sometimes you have to just break out the lathing and plaster together. 

Also, to side on the error of caution, I was out of the house while this demolition was going on, and JEGs made sure the room was well ventilated and he also wore a particle mask.  He also had a tarp on the floor to collect the plaster that fell as an easier way to clean up.

After he had gone all Mike Tyson on the plaster, he re drywalled and primed the interior.

Once we had a nice secure drywall, we returned to our old friend Closet Maid to create functional storage for the bambino's things:

We will store his toys and books on the first two shelves so the little guy can access them with ease.

The next shelf was hung a little higher for his hang-able wardrobe

...and the top two shelves  can store things that we won't need to access often such as extra sheets or off season clothing.

So let's review the list for this room, shall we?

  

• paint
• decorate
• add furniture
• get my dresser out of there and into the master bedroom
• fix the gap between the baseboards and floor.
• remove all the crumbling plaster in the closet and replace it with drywall
• install Closet Maid (so help me jeebus, Closet Maid if you leave another ad in my comment section, I will be contacting you about giving me free stuff)
• repaint trim

Not bad, if I do say so myself.  We feel super accomplished now that the major things are done, and now we can start focusing on the smaller things.

On to the next project!

Always & Forever,

  ME

The Incredible Shrinking Wardrobe

About three quarters of my regular summer wardrobe no longer fits me.

..and to be completely honest, there are probably a few more shirts and dresses that I probably won't fit me, but I refuse to accept.  Denial, party of one please.

Just look at all those pretty hangers, just hanging there with no clothing to keep them warm.

My shoes, you ask?  I don't want to talk about it.  I live my life in flip flops now.

Le sigh....

  ME

Pregnancy: Weeks 26 & 27

My Stats:
 *Weight gained: 17 lbs
 *Waistline is about 39 inches. 

The Monster's Stats:
*Our little Goliath weighs roughly 2 lbs
*No longer are we measuring from crown to rump.  Oh no no, we are a big boy now and we get measured from head to toe-- which is about 15 inches.  They grow up so fast.  He'll be driving before we know it.
*He is starting to have distinct sleeping cycles-- which if this is any indication of what he'll be like when he is birthed, he likes the night life, baby.  He has also started to open his eyes. I wonder if seeing the same thing over and over again is boring;  "Oooo, amniotic fluid.. again.  Woot wooot".  I wish I could at least give him a magazine to flip through.

Pregnancy Fun Facts:
Move over second trimester, the third tri (or as I like to call it, three squared) is here to stay-- at least till baby comes out.

Concentrating is kind of hard.  I'll start telling a story and then I'll loose my train of...
:::blank stare:::
Uhh, what was I saying?

I am in hardcore nesting mode. I want to paint and organize everything in my house (which is good considering all the work that needs to be done).

Energy Levels/Sleep:
Last week I had a problem with night sweats.  I had the AC blasting, a fan blowing on me, and my lightest PJ's on and I kept waking up dripping sweat.  The little guy also keeps me awake with kicking, but I think I have figured out around 1:30 am he chills the eff out and goes to sleep.  I have to say, I do have a lot of energy for as little sleep as I have been getting.

Cravings:
Chocolate milk-- I cannot get enough of it.  Especially Wawa's delicious bottles of happiness that only cost $1.15.  It doesn't help there is a Wawa less then a mile from my office.  That I have to pass on the way home.  The midnight crew may or may not know me by name.

Mood Swings:
Finally made it through a week without bursting into tears.  Booyaaaah.

Other Stuff:
Your self image is a verrrry tricky thing when you are pregnant.  One day I love rocking my bump in anything I wear, and the next day I feel like an amorphous blob.  I don't feel fat, I just don't feel... cute.

I was having a discussion with a friend of mine, who is also pregnant, about the weight gain.  Although I am obviously supposed to be gaining weight, as someone who has struggled with their weight for a good portion of  their life, sometimes it is a little hard to step on that scale and see a number that you promised yourself you would never go back to.  I mean I am a rational person who knows that this comes a long with pregnancy, but there is still that tiny voice in the back that goes "AHHHHHHHH!!" every time I step on a scale.

I promise you guys that I'm not saying this to fish for compliments-- I'm not looking for the "OMG you look sooooo cute" to boost my ego-- I'm just trying to talk about the stuff that I am experiencing that I haven't read on other blogs.  Maybe the cheese stands alone, maybe there are other women out there going "yeah, I totally get you".  I don't know.  This is just me.

Anyway, I think we have our list of names narrowed down to four, and I have my very clear front runner.  My father wants us to name him Ebenezer.  Sorry Daddy-O, that ain't happening. ;)

Always & Forever,
  ME

Operation: Baby is Coming

You guys, my house is like a construction zone.

Since we have t-minus 3 months till this little guy is born, I am implementing Operation: Baby Drop.

What is Operation: Baby Drop?  It is a list of all the things JEGs and I would like to have accomplished in the house before this little bambino turns our world upside down.  I'll even give you the room-by-room play.

Living Room

•  replace subfloor
•  carpet installed

Kitchen

What, you don't have lamps on your kitchen table?  Weirdo.

•  remove living room furniture so we can eat at the table again
•  add in office area to unused nook (see below)
•  Bonus Points:  Prime and paint? (hardy har har)

Baby's Room

•  paint
• decorate
• add furniture
• get my dresser out of there and into the master bedroom
• remove all the crumbling plaster in the closet and replace it with drywall
• install Closet Maid (so help me jeebus, Closet Maid if you leave another ad in my comment section, I will be contacting you about giving me free stuff)

•  fix the gap between the baseboards and floor.  I just imagine creepy crawlers coming out in the winter.  Ew. 

Guest Room

•   ... I don't even want to talk about it.  *le sigh*

Hallway

• I was able to repaint the hallway, but I would love to have the woodwork repainted as well

Master Bedroom

•  figure out if we are constructing a brand new closet, or hanging some bars  and a sheet in that cubby where the dresser is now.

So yeah.. not too much, right?   We can totally get this all done in less then three months, right guys?

..guys? 

Always & Forever,
  ME

Mood Board: Baby's Room

Since announcing my pregnancy, one of the biggest questions I have been asked is how I plan to decorate the baby's room. A lot of people have asked if I will keep with the Dr. Seuss theme from the previous owner's nursery:

Here is the thing:  we aren't going to use that room for the nursery-- we actually plan to put the baby in our walk-in closet.  We talked about it, and we need that bigger room for storage/guest room more then we need a walk-in closet.  Although it saddens my heart to not have that beautiful closet anymore, you sacrifice for family ;)

With that being said, I created a mood board for the little monster's room:

1. I am going with my signature bold color palette.  This is a little room, so I need to make an big impact in small ways!  The walls will go light and neutral with Valspar's Cincinnatian Hotel Hannford.  I would like to pop in bold colors like teal, green and orange with my accessories and fabrics.

2. This bedding has become my inspiration for the room.  I love the modern, simplistic and gender neutral look-- I also have a thing for owls (maybe because it was my high school mascot).  However, it's cah-ray-zee expensive, and not available at Target, or Babies R Us.  To be honest, I didn't want to get a whole set anyway-- I don't love the matchy-matchy look and I will never use the blanket.

3. Since the walls are neutral, I thought a great way to bring some major and not-so-permanent impact into the room was through this fantastic wall art.  The tree mimics the pattern in the bedding, and how much do you love that tire swing?  Doesn't it just scream 'little boy's room'?  Also, since the tree is nearly 6 ft tall, it could totally double as a growth chart. 

4.  I am obsessed with Jenny Lind cribs, and I love the dark cherry finish.  This is a small room, and one of those big honkin' convertible cribs (like the one the previous owners had) would be waaay too much for this itty bitty room.

5. If I can't have an owl in my bedding, dammit, I am going to have an owl lamp.  This little guy from Target is such a fantastic price, I cannot pass it up!  I am not in love with the black shade, but that can easily be switched out.  I also think this could be switched up and placed in another room down the road.  How fun and whimsical would it look sitting in an office or guest room??

6.  I am slightly on the fence about these curtains.  On one hand, the clearly continue the theme of the room, but on the other hand, I don't know if they start toeing the line of getting too "themey", you know?  I got back and forth about just having sheers instead.  Thoughts?  And yes, they are totally the same curtains Sarah Richardson used in her nursery.

Alright, I've got under 100 days.  I should probably get cracking!

Always & Forever,

  ME

Off-line shopping

I love to window shop online, but I rarely ever make purchases.  Depending on the store/ item of clothing/ cut of the garment I can run between 3 different sizes and making returns is a pain in the asssss.

I have been on the lookout for a birthday dress.  I wanted something cute that I would wear casually during the day, and then dress up at night for my birthday dinner.  Oh yeah... and apparently now I need to accommodate a baby bump.

That's when I found this on Frugal Fashionista, and I was smitten:

I zoned right in on the Jetty Dress and was all "miiiinnneeeeee".  I loved the draping and the slight bubble skirt added a little extra fun.  Plus, I die for that blue.  It was pretty much exactly what I wanted, and I already owned similar pieces shown above that I could accessorize with.

I didn't love the price of $79.50 but let's be honest, that's pretty cheap for JCrew.  I  mentioned it to JEGs and he said that he would order it for me as part of my birthday present.  Yaaaaaay husband! :)

Then, we saw this:

 Whomp whomp. :-/

A little later in the week, I had a couple extra minutes before a doctors appointment, so I popped into a local JCrew store.  I thought the chances were slim that it would be there, but it was worth a shot, right? 
I browsed around for a little bit and didn't see anything, so I asked a sales rep.  She clickity-clacked away at the computer and said "Oh yeah, it's in our clearance section".

Not only did they have it in my size, but it was also on sale for $49.99.  If you include the cost of shipping ($12.50 per the site), I saved $42 (nearly half!) and got exactly what I wanted by stopping in the store on a whim.

one day that belt will be around my waist again, and not tucked under my boobs

Sometimes it pays to shop off-line.

Always & Forever,
  ME