Nursery Pictures

The nursery is almost complete.  I have finished the paintings, crib and changing table are in place, I have ordered my nursing chair, and my roomba has deemed the room CLEAN!  So I would like to thank IKEA, Target, and Michels for making this room possible - along with my genius talent of course :)

Peace,

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"O" - "Z"

Well, the paintings for the nursery are complete!  I feel kinda strange now that I have nothing left to do, but the turned out so well, that now I can just sit back and enjoy :)

Preggo Update - Week 31

Conner:

Size - Conner is about 16 inches long and weighs apx. 3.5 pounds!

Activity – Conner has been really active mostly at night and after I eat. I can feel him all the time now, not just when I am sitting or lying down. His kicks are a lot stronger and he is all over the place, from my hips to my ribs – sometimes both places at once!

Labor signs – Not too much pain or discomfort this week. I am having an easier time moving around as I am getting more used to my size and random aches and pains. Not too many contractions, but I have been taking it pretty easy.

Conner is getting SO BIG! I can feel his body parts through my belly – I can tell the difference between his back and butt and feet and legs. He has been head down for this entire time, so I haven’t felt his head yet, but if he stays in that position forever, that would be fine with me. He can now turn his head back and forth and from side to side. His little arms and legs are becoming more and more chubby with baby fat and his little lungs are very close to being fully developed.

Me:
Size – I am getting SO BIG! I haven’t gained a ton of weight these last few weeks, but I sure feel like I have. My belly is a lot bigger, now measuring at 31.5 cm from pelvic bone to just below my rib cage. My boobs are taking over my life and I think my feet are even a little bigger… my wedding ring doesn’t fit anymore – but that’s OK. I can just wear it around my neck like Carrie from SATC  I think my face looks completely different, but I received a compliment the other day from the lady who gave me my massage and she told me I look like the girl from “The Notebook” so that made me happy.

What I am wearing – Thank god for sisters! Kate gave me a pair of maternity pants that actually fit me and stay where they are supposed to, and they are comfy too. I have been sticking to cute clothes still as I know that I won’t fit into them much longer. It is warming up here a bit too, so I haven’t had to sport my wool coat as much which helps with the not feeling like a semi truck thing…

Strange stuff - Nothing much to report this week except that I feel awesome and am still loving every minute of my pregnancy – so maybe at this point that could be considered weird since most of the women I talk to look at me like I must be miserable. I’m not. I am happy and still laughing at myself.

Food cravings – water, grapefruit (even bought grapefruit scented lotion!), sub sandwiches, cookies, and chocolate cake

Status of belly button - outie

What I miss – energy, my cheekbones, normal bras, jeans that button, high heels, and my friends

In General:
Best movement this week - lots of nighttime somersaults

Most looking forward to – Conner’s baby shower is next week and I am so excited to see all my family and friends that are coming to Eau Claire to share it with me. I have a few cool ideas that I would like to incorporate, and I am really looking forward to spending time with all the women in my life that I love. I just hope I don’t hear a ton of stories on horrible births and nasty pregnancies!

Words to live by – ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS make sure that no matter where you go that there is a bathroom within walking distance of where you plan on spending time and ALWAYS use the bathroom before you leave the house – even if you think you don’t have to go. There is nothing worse than this time of year with all the potholes and icky roads and having to pee so bad you think you might cry. Trust me on this one…

Milestones – Oh man… Conner will be here in 9 weeks! I am so excited and scared and nervous and happy and trying to stay calm. People keep telling me “he could come now any time” or “you’ve dropped!” or “do you think you’re ready?”or my favorite “you’re huge!” – how exactly does one respond to these comments? With a polite smile and gritted teeth and a small prayer that he will come when he is ready and that’s all. I love though how when people see me they have so many questions! The checkout lady at Walgreens yesterday was all about telling me about her first child and how they found out it was a boy and her hospital experience… I was just buying mascara and I sure learned a lot. I love it though, people – “When are you due? Do you know the sex? What about the name?” It has been fun now that I am clearly pregnant and not just fat – I kind of like the attention.

Another week down and nine more to go… I cannot believe how fast this is all going. He will be here before I know it and I have no idea what that means! I know I will adapt though… I can feel it that I will. I am already so in love with Conner that I cannot even imagine how I will feel once I can hold him in my arms and sing the little songs that I have been making up for him. I have come very close to finishing the paintings for his room (I promise I will post pics soon) and the shower is already next weekend. We are so close to him coming home that I can actually picture myself feeding him or rocking him and I get all happy and glowy and calm.

Peace,
Pinner

"K", "L", "M" and "N"!

Preggo Update - Week 30!!!

Conner:

Size - Conner is about 16 inches long and weighs apx. 3 pounds!

Activity - Oh Conner... I love you. He is moving around a lot. I love just sitting in the bath watching him move around and playing "guess the body part" with his movements. I can feel that he is definitely head down which is good for both of us. I am starting to feel his toes tickle right below my ribcage and his hands and arms down by my pubic bone. It is nuts when he moves all his extremities at once - I feel movement all through my abdomen, it is awesome.

Labor signs - LOTS of contractions this week. It was a stressful week so that I thought may have had something to do with it. That and I am getting a lot bigger and things are becoming new to me again (just when I was getting used to the third trimester!) Nothing serious and most of them are either in the morning or when I wake up from sleep as Conner is most active while I am sleeping and I sometimes wake up to some pain in my belly from all his activity.

Conner is getting chubbier and cuter as we speak! He gained about 1/2 a pound this week and will continue at that rate, maybe a little less, until he is born. His eyes are continuing to develop as well as that brilliant brain. I have started my DHA supplements along with my prenatal regimen to support optimal brain and eye development from now through breastfeeding. I found a great website that ships straight to my house and for about half the cost of the drug store. Conner's sense of taste is now fully developed and now more than ever, what I eat so does he.

Me:
Size - I officially feel huge. It really depends on what mirror I look into though. Does anyone else have that? My bathroom mirror makes me look massive while the full length one inside my closet door makes me look at least proportionate. I have gained 28 pounds total so far this pregnancy and am well aware that I will be gaining more before I lose any. I have my sis to look up to though, she looks freaking fabulous and had Greyson nine months ago... there is hope for us all!

What I am wearing - Well, I broke down and went shopping. Damn Old Navy and their amazing sales. I received their flier via e-mail that said "HUGE Maternity SALE". Granted, I was a little put off that they used the words "huge" and "maternity" in the same tagline - jerks - but I got over it once I clicked. I went into the store with my sis and was able to get things that will fit me throughout the rest of my pregnancy. This made me happy. I also went through my closet and separated all the things that I can wear from all the things that I cannot. It was always so tough looking at all my clothes that barely cover my gigantic (fill in the blank). I am feeling good in my new clothes though... as long as I try not to look at myself from the side :)

Strange stuff - Well - the hand pain has come back. I am thinking maybe it has something to do with all the painting. I told Dave though that it was from folding laundry. We'll see how that one goes… I have morning sickness again, but it is very mild. I have to remember not to eat like a cavewoman who only sees food once a week and eat smaller meals more often. I feel like I have to pee all the time, but I don't and my face looks really "full" to me - like my nose grew or something. I miss my cheekbones! Anyway, I am sleeping better and my skin has cleared up - even looks better than it did before I was pregnant.

Food cravings - Soda, water, grapefruit, random chocolate items, and pasta.

Status of belly button - yup, it's an outie.

What I miss - sitting with my legs closed comfortably, sleeping on my back, wine, skinny thighs, painted toenails, talking about things other than being pregnant, spring, moving around without grunting, a clean house.
In General:
Best movement this week - toes poking my ribcage! I have been waiting for that...

Most looking forward to - Spring! I feel like February is like the "hump day" of months. You know January is going to be cold - that is a given - February is the middle month that gets you to March and March is hope. Hope that spring is around the corner and we can begin to look forward to warmth again! This spring will be amazing because Conner will be here and we can pick lilacs and walk through the cherry blossoms and do all that wonderful springtime stuff together.

Words to live by - Make yourself feel beautiful!!! This was important to me because I was starting to get kind of bummed about my appearance and realized that instead of sulking I should do something! I started prenatal yoga that I have to say is awesome, went to get a nice new haircut, had my eyebrows waxed, bought some new clothes, and scheduled myself for a massage. I figure that after Conner is born I won't have a lot of time for myself so I should take advantage now.

Milestones - We are in the single digits now! After Saturday we will have 9 weeks until Conner is here... To me that is completely crazy and it has so not sunk in yet, but I am excited. I finished my first birthing book without feeling petrified and have made some pretty concrete decisions on how I want Conner to come into this world.

Well, I feel pretty awesome in general. I have still maintained the ability to laugh at myself and stay really positive. I am trying to not complain about anything and embrace all that this pregnancy has to offer. I know that there are things that I am insecure about lurking in dark corners and I will deal with them as I come to them. Mostly I am feeling a little self conscious about my weight gain, but I just look in my skinny mirror and put on my size S tops that I bought to give me a little boost ;) Dave has been awesome and supportive and pretty much an all around perfect husband for me during all of this. He even averts his eyes or starts talking to me when a hot skinny girl comes up on the TV... I love him for that. My alphabet paintings are almost half way completed, I manage to read, work, take a nice long bath, yoga, and eat dinner with Dave every night - So I am staying busy. Life is good, weather is turning around, baby is healthy - couldn't ask for anything more...

Peace,
Pinner

"G", "H", "I". and "J"!

So here are my next additions to Conner's nursury paintings!  I am having way too much fun making these and they are coming together really nicely.  I love how these four turned out... I especially love "G" - giraffes are my favorite animal and he was so fun to paint.  Onto the next four for next week!

Peace,

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Lucky Duck

The one thing I have learned to appreciate more so than anything else in my marriage is watching as my husband grows. Not in a childlike physical sense but more emotional and mature. We met when we were both 21. I fell hard for him. I loved everything about him - his smile, his humor, his smell, and the way he walked... I even remember sitting next to him in the car watching him drive and being so attracted to him. We were young and sexy and had worries that today seem so trivial and minute. We were both working unimportant jobs, jobs that allowed some slack. I had my own apartment and so we had our own little haven of privacy. It was the beginning of summer when we met and he was this guy who came out of nowhere and knocked me on my ass. I was not looking for him nor was he looking for me, but when it happened it was intense. I remember telling my mom about a month after we met that he was the man I was going to marry. I was shocked to hear myself say this because I had never thought about marriage before, ever. He was the one. He is the one.


We have had quite a ride. It has been normal by most standards. We have fought, made up, fought about the same things, and made up again. We have worked hard and we have slacked, broken promises and said things we wish we could take back... but we have also built. We have built this monument of "us" that could not ever be torn down and created history together that no one could ever erase. One of the most honest and cherished memories I have is my husband saying to me, "Baby, you sure piss me off sometimes and you make me mad as hell but I love you more than anything in this world and I would not be the same without you". It was so simple and so honest that I was at a total loss of words. That is the epitome of us. We have this uncanny ability to bug the crap out of each other but in the end we are so in love.

My husband has always been the practical one. He is the one that makes sense and I am the one sprinkling fairy dust on top of his practicality and making it pretty. He has adapted and accepted that this is the way it will be and I have adopted some of his common sense. He is a dreamer, one of my favorite qualities about him. He is always looking for ways to make things better, less squeaky - more polished. He takes on things that challenge him and finishes in his own time with this amazing understanding of something new. I have caught myself many times in the past few months in awe of him. I say the past few months on purpose because I have this heightened sense of reality now that we are starting a family and I am so much more appreciative of him and the things that he does. He can fix a car without getting mad, he can put on pair of hockey skates and after 10 years feel at home on the ice but still fall on his butt and laugh, he can look at our snow covered backyard and talk about exactly what he wants to plant in the spring, he can stay home with me on a Saturday night and talk about our plans for our son's nursery while I take a bath and fall asleep early. He can inspire me and he can make me want to be better. He has anchored me, makes me feel safe, and given me this life that I could never have imagined could be this good. All of these things that he can do haven't all come easily to him but he has mastered them and has evolved into this wonderful, strong, honest, happy, kind, and generous man.

I am going to tell him that I only wrote this to see if he reads my blog and he will laugh because he gets my sense of humor and he gets me... I am a lucky duck.  I can only hope we are all this lucky...
 
Peace,
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