I know, I am such a tease! It's kind of been a slow week here in pregnancy land, pretty much the same old, same old. Swollen feet, achey back, interrupted sleep - all so worth it, but quite boring to blog about and I'm sure even more so to read about. So I am definitely stretching the events of this past weekend to their fullest.
Without further ado, here is the nursery tour video!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Weekend Catchup - Part II
After showing a few people the just-finished nursery, we headed over to C's house for the main event.
I have to tell you, C is the most amazing friend. Almost every day since she started planning the shower, I would get an e-mail, text, or voicemail with questions about my favorite this or that. As a result, the shower was very personalized around my preferences.
This first picture shows you the chocolate fountain where I wish that I could have spent far more time. There were bananas, marshmallows, strawberries, pretzels, and poundcake for dipping. Does this look like a happy pregnant woman or what?
You can see the food table in the background, which included more of my favorite culinary delights: shrimp cocktails, fruits, veggies, and little sandwiches. And, of course, the cake, which C custom decorated! The imprint matches the invitations which she made herself.
After the food, I had some time to catch up with my friends, family, and coworkers. I had a pretty impressive turnout, including my friend from San Francisco, another from Boise, Idaho, and a third friend due that day with her little girl. We took a "comparison" shot just to remind everyone how huge I am!
We played a few shower games and then it was time to open gifts. I was once again overwhelmed by everyone's generousity and love for us and Little Man.
At the end of the shower, C had one more suprise. She had gotten baby pictures from my mom and mother-in-law and created a slide show out of them put to some of my favorite songs. There were some pretty neat pictures and a lot of tears from the moms - I guess that group now includes me!
It is impossible from these pictures to really convey the amount of time, energy, and most importantly, pure love that went into this shower. I have heard from almost every single one of my guests that it was the best shower they have ever been to. I have to agree.
C is definitely a one of a kind friend! I am so glad that she lives just next door and that our sons will be able to be friends, too!
Nursery tour video tomorrow!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Weekend Catch Up - Part One
Sorry it's been a few days. The final preparations for the Big Weekend, plus some last minute work things took my concentration away from blogging for a bit.
Everything worked out for the shower, albeit with a few minor hiccups along the way that caused me some minor stress. Overall, however, it went well and it was a lovely party.
Friday night, we had Stacey, her husband, and their two boys for dinner. We were able to nail down the plans for the boys for the next day which included a trip to the zoo.
After they left at about 10:30, my husband and I got to tackling the one project that I really wanted to complete before my guests' arrival the next day: The nursery. We put up pictures, hung curtains, put the hamper and diaper genie in place, and hung some other things on the walls. One of the afforementioned hiccups is that the bedding did not arrive as promised. The rest of the order did arrive, but without the most crucial part - the six piece set. The only indication as to why it was not included was a little pen mark "B/O" on the invoice sheet that was tucked in the box. I could figure out that meant Back Order, but I could not discern why that was marked or when I would get it. After all, before I placed the order, I spoke to someone at the store who assured me all items were in stock and ready for delivery.
I called the store and was told that the person that I talked to was mistaken and the bedding is back ordered for ten weeks! I was not very pleased by this turn of events (this is actually a very mild version of the actual story, in which I alternated between tears and hormonal rage). After a bit of angt (which included calling both my husband and my best friend sobbing), I put my problem solving into full gear and was able to locate the bedding set in my hometown. With my sister and mom on their way north, I was hoping they would be willing to serve as my personal "UPS" service, which they were!
So that meant that their arrival on Saturday morning was when I could literally throw the bedding on the crib in time for my first guest to arrive for a peek at the nursery. My husband was still hanging the curtains as my first friend came in. We had to chat downstairs for a few minutes, but then all was ready.
I was able to show off the nursery to almost all of the guests to rave reviews. I have taken pictures, but my husband took the camera to work today, so I will have to download them tonight and share tomorrow. It does look pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. Of course, there are still things that I want to do, but we are now 100% ready for Little Man to make his arrival now, should he choose to come early. Of course, I would like him to wait until 37 weeks (just two weeks from yesterday), but anytime after that, we are all ready for him.
The shower itself was incredible - C completely outdid herself. More on that and pictures tomorrow!
Everything worked out for the shower, albeit with a few minor hiccups along the way that caused me some minor stress. Overall, however, it went well and it was a lovely party.
Friday night, we had Stacey, her husband, and their two boys for dinner. We were able to nail down the plans for the boys for the next day which included a trip to the zoo.
After they left at about 10:30, my husband and I got to tackling the one project that I really wanted to complete before my guests' arrival the next day: The nursery. We put up pictures, hung curtains, put the hamper and diaper genie in place, and hung some other things on the walls. One of the afforementioned hiccups is that the bedding did not arrive as promised. The rest of the order did arrive, but without the most crucial part - the six piece set. The only indication as to why it was not included was a little pen mark "B/O" on the invoice sheet that was tucked in the box. I could figure out that meant Back Order, but I could not discern why that was marked or when I would get it. After all, before I placed the order, I spoke to someone at the store who assured me all items were in stock and ready for delivery.
I called the store and was told that the person that I talked to was mistaken and the bedding is back ordered for ten weeks! I was not very pleased by this turn of events (this is actually a very mild version of the actual story, in which I alternated between tears and hormonal rage). After a bit of angt (which included calling both my husband and my best friend sobbing), I put my problem solving into full gear and was able to locate the bedding set in my hometown. With my sister and mom on their way north, I was hoping they would be willing to serve as my personal "UPS" service, which they were!
So that meant that their arrival on Saturday morning was when I could literally throw the bedding on the crib in time for my first guest to arrive for a peek at the nursery. My husband was still hanging the curtains as my first friend came in. We had to chat downstairs for a few minutes, but then all was ready.
I was able to show off the nursery to almost all of the guests to rave reviews. I have taken pictures, but my husband took the camera to work today, so I will have to download them tonight and share tomorrow. It does look pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. Of course, there are still things that I want to do, but we are now 100% ready for Little Man to make his arrival now, should he choose to come early. Of course, I would like him to wait until 37 weeks (just two weeks from yesterday), but anytime after that, we are all ready for him.
The shower itself was incredible - C completely outdid herself. More on that and pictures tomorrow!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Pre-Baby Blues
Thanks for the advice yesterday. I know it seems like a small detail - and it is - but I hate situations like this where I have to be the "bad guy." I love kids so much that I wouldn't have put the "no kids" label on the party, but C's house is at it's max, and she has a "vision" for the party that does not include children. Luckily, most of my guests either don't have children or live locally, so the only issue that I know of is Stacey.
Also, again, Stacey's kids are not really very well-behaved. I love them to death, but she is really bad about keeping after their behavior, especially when she feels that there are others around that can help out. For two years, she was on her own while her husband was in Iraq. I thinkthat a lot of people really felt sorry for her during that time and didn't mind taking the kids off of her hands so she could get some much needed rest - myself included. Now that her husband is back, however, I think people aren't so willing to jump in and help. For me, I don't mind helping at all, but as this pregnancy progresses, I am just not as physically able to do all that I once was.
Luckily, my husband is on board with trying to find a kid-friendly activity. C's son is only a year, while Stacey's kids are 4 and 6, but we'll think of something that they can all enjoy for the afternoon. So, that's hopefully that.
As for doing all that I once was able to do. . . I have hit some sort of wall this past week, emotionally and physically. I really don't know what happened. Not that I didn't have aches and pains and various complaints before, but I really felt that (for the most part) I was handling them with good humor. The last weekend, I don't know, something switched. I feel almost as if I am depressed or something, which is really weird. I have absolutely no energy. I mean none. Even with a full house of people for this weekend, I cannot motivate myself to get cleaning. I am not sad, per se, I almost feel as if I have no emotion.
I think that it's a product of doing way too much. After all, I have been working full time, keeping house, making meals, and then there have been the countless projects that have taken up my spare time. But then again, isn't this what every woman does? Most women I know are pretty darn active right up until their due dates. Right now, I can't even imagine working another week, let alone another five.
And then there is the shower. This is supposed to be a fun event, a time to relax and enjoy all of the important people in my life coming together to celebrate Little Man's impending arrival. Instead, I am stressed and irritated about all of the details and last minute "issues." This isn't me. This isn't my personality. I am not this much of a whiner or a complainer.
Anyway, this is more of a rant than anything else. I know that pregnancy is a roller coaster and I will likely be on the upswing again soon. I just have to hang on until then.
Also, again, Stacey's kids are not really very well-behaved. I love them to death, but she is really bad about keeping after their behavior, especially when she feels that there are others around that can help out. For two years, she was on her own while her husband was in Iraq. I thinkthat a lot of people really felt sorry for her during that time and didn't mind taking the kids off of her hands so she could get some much needed rest - myself included. Now that her husband is back, however, I think people aren't so willing to jump in and help. For me, I don't mind helping at all, but as this pregnancy progresses, I am just not as physically able to do all that I once was.
Luckily, my husband is on board with trying to find a kid-friendly activity. C's son is only a year, while Stacey's kids are 4 and 6, but we'll think of something that they can all enjoy for the afternoon. So, that's hopefully that.
As for doing all that I once was able to do. . . I have hit some sort of wall this past week, emotionally and physically. I really don't know what happened. Not that I didn't have aches and pains and various complaints before, but I really felt that (for the most part) I was handling them with good humor. The last weekend, I don't know, something switched. I feel almost as if I am depressed or something, which is really weird. I have absolutely no energy. I mean none. Even with a full house of people for this weekend, I cannot motivate myself to get cleaning. I am not sad, per se, I almost feel as if I have no emotion.
I think that it's a product of doing way too much. After all, I have been working full time, keeping house, making meals, and then there have been the countless projects that have taken up my spare time. But then again, isn't this what every woman does? Most women I know are pretty darn active right up until their due dates. Right now, I can't even imagine working another week, let alone another five.
And then there is the shower. This is supposed to be a fun event, a time to relax and enjoy all of the important people in my life coming together to celebrate Little Man's impending arrival. Instead, I am stressed and irritated about all of the details and last minute "issues." This isn't me. This isn't my personality. I am not this much of a whiner or a complainer.
Anyway, this is more of a rant than anything else. I know that pregnancy is a roller coaster and I will likely be on the upswing again soon. I just have to hang on until then.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Advice, Please!
So, I have another dilemma relating to my baby shower this weekend. I say another dilemma because it seems that there have been quite a few surrounding what should be a fun event. First, there was the incident where my one friend was offended by the invite and called me a gift grubber - haven't heard from her since. Then, there was an entire issue over my mom and sister not wanting to come (three hours was too long of a drive for them), then shocking me by RSVPing yes. Then, more drama with my sister not wanting to drive my mom (and my mom doesn't drive). Most of it has been pretty silly, and this latest event is no exception, but I want your advice.
I have a friend I will call Stacey. She and her husband have been our good friends for over five years. They have two boys, S and D. Stacey's husband is in the military, so they move a lot. They currently live in San Franciso, about a 16-hour drive from our house. I never would have expected Stacey to make this trip simply for my baby shower, but she insisted on coming, and I was pleased to invite her.
Stacey had originally planned to fly up for the weekend, but then decided that she would rather drive up with her two sons and spend some time with other friends and family that live in the area. Her husband is flying up Thursday to hang out with my husband during the shower and then drive home with them on Sunday. Stacey and the boys are all staying at her cousin's house, as her cousin is currently out of town, and it leaves them a lot more room than trying to cram into our not-so-extra space.
I have to say that I was very relieved that they weren't staying here. I love Stacey, her husband, and sons. But Stacey is not shy about letting them run wild when they are here. She sleeps late in the mornings and the boys will come and knock on our door until I get up to make them breakfast. The boys have no eating schedule and "free feed" all day, so one of them is always hungry. I don't have any problem making them food, but it was almost comical last time. I would get one of them fed, clean up from that feeding, and then the other would be hungry. Lather, rinse, repeat all day. When I am not pregnant, this can be tiring, but I was exhausted after their last weekend stay, and that was back when I was only about five months pregnant. They also climb all over our furniture and pretty much act like kids. This also doesn't normally bother me, but with other guests in the house this weekend plus people coming by to look at the nursery, I would have probably have been a little stressed constantly picking up after them.
Still, that's not the point of this blog. The point is that I had told Stacey that children are not being invited to the shower. There are almost 30 people coming and C is having her own son leave with her husband. I had just assumed that the boys would stay with Stacey's husband during the shower. I apparently assumed incorrectly.
Stacey had asked another local family member to watch the boys on Saturday, but that person is now unavailable. So, last night, Stacey left a message that she will be bringing the boys to the shower. I know that C will not be pleased. She has put a lot of effort into making this a really nice party. Stacey doesn't do a great job of keeping the boys quiet and usually just leaves them to their own devices. I definitely don't want to have them there, irritating other guests, and especially irritating C.
However, I feel a certain obligation to Stacey, too. After all, she has come all of this way. I feel rude telling her that she has to leave the boys with her husband, since that is obviously not what they want to do. I have given some thought to hiring a babysitter and offering to pay for it, but having never used a babysitter, I don't even know where to begin to find one, especially on relatively short notice. If I did find one, they would be a stranger, and I am not sure that Stacey would feel comfortable leaving her children with someone she didn't know.
So, what would you do?
I have a friend I will call Stacey. She and her husband have been our good friends for over five years. They have two boys, S and D. Stacey's husband is in the military, so they move a lot. They currently live in San Franciso, about a 16-hour drive from our house. I never would have expected Stacey to make this trip simply for my baby shower, but she insisted on coming, and I was pleased to invite her.
Stacey had originally planned to fly up for the weekend, but then decided that she would rather drive up with her two sons and spend some time with other friends and family that live in the area. Her husband is flying up Thursday to hang out with my husband during the shower and then drive home with them on Sunday. Stacey and the boys are all staying at her cousin's house, as her cousin is currently out of town, and it leaves them a lot more room than trying to cram into our not-so-extra space.
I have to say that I was very relieved that they weren't staying here. I love Stacey, her husband, and sons. But Stacey is not shy about letting them run wild when they are here. She sleeps late in the mornings and the boys will come and knock on our door until I get up to make them breakfast. The boys have no eating schedule and "free feed" all day, so one of them is always hungry. I don't have any problem making them food, but it was almost comical last time. I would get one of them fed, clean up from that feeding, and then the other would be hungry. Lather, rinse, repeat all day. When I am not pregnant, this can be tiring, but I was exhausted after their last weekend stay, and that was back when I was only about five months pregnant. They also climb all over our furniture and pretty much act like kids. This also doesn't normally bother me, but with other guests in the house this weekend plus people coming by to look at the nursery, I would have probably have been a little stressed constantly picking up after them.
Still, that's not the point of this blog. The point is that I had told Stacey that children are not being invited to the shower. There are almost 30 people coming and C is having her own son leave with her husband. I had just assumed that the boys would stay with Stacey's husband during the shower. I apparently assumed incorrectly.
Stacey had asked another local family member to watch the boys on Saturday, but that person is now unavailable. So, last night, Stacey left a message that she will be bringing the boys to the shower. I know that C will not be pleased. She has put a lot of effort into making this a really nice party. Stacey doesn't do a great job of keeping the boys quiet and usually just leaves them to their own devices. I definitely don't want to have them there, irritating other guests, and especially irritating C.
However, I feel a certain obligation to Stacey, too. After all, she has come all of this way. I feel rude telling her that she has to leave the boys with her husband, since that is obviously not what they want to do. I have given some thought to hiring a babysitter and offering to pay for it, but having never used a babysitter, I don't even know where to begin to find one, especially on relatively short notice. If I did find one, they would be a stranger, and I am not sure that Stacey would feel comfortable leaving her children with someone she didn't know.
So, what would you do?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Busy Bee
I had my 34 (?!?!?) week OB appointment and all is well. I was back to my usual OB, who said that he doesn't even bother to figure out what position babies are in until the 36th week, as they can easily turn and flip before then. He did say that Little Man appears head down, although he didn't want to press too hard to figure it out, as I am still having some contractions. I guess we'll know the final verdict at our next appointment in two weeks.
My blood pressure is still looking great - lower than prepregnancy for me. I was up another 2 pounds, for a total of 27 pounds at 34 weeks, which the nurse assured me is just fine. With the exception of a couple of appointments, where my weight went up pretty dramatically, I have been putting on weight at a steady pace of around a pound a week.
As for the contractions, he doesn't think they are any big deal. They are still coming irregularly and since I am not having any other symptoms of labor, he really thinks that I just need to get off of my feet more. Easier said than done with my job, but I'll do what I can. Work is just getting so busy, for a lot of reasons, probably the biggest being that I am starting to wrap things up to hand them over to the girl covering for my maternity leave.
This week, I am definitely feeling a bit overwhelmed. My final baby shower is this week. We've been so blessed by all of our generous friends and family and this is our fourth event! There really isn't much more that this baby needs and yet 25 people have RSVPd for Saturday, including one of my really good friends who is coming all the way from San Francisco!
The problem is that with so many people coming and the shower being next door, everyone wants to see the nursery. Which means that the nursery needs to be finished and the rest of the house need to be cleaned. It's not as if the house is dirty, per se, just not visitor-ready. My mom is staying for the weekend, my sister and her fiance will be here for a night as well, and my girlfriend from out of town is staying nearby, so we will have visitors every night. I am planning on keeping meals low key, perhaps pizza on Friday night and an easy BBQ on Saturday.
I just am getting so tired. Even picking up the phone to order pizza sounds like a lot of work right now. I keep reminding myself that no one expects perfection. . . except for one teeny, tiny little detail - I do. I want my house to look nice, I want the meals to go well, I want everyone to have fun. And even though I am not hosting the actual shower, I still feel responsible for people having a good time.
These are good problems to have, I know. I really feel so blessed that so many people want to shower us with love and presents for Little Man. I just wish that I had a Fairy Godmother who could come and clean house and make dinner so that I could stay parked on the couch!
My blood pressure is still looking great - lower than prepregnancy for me. I was up another 2 pounds, for a total of 27 pounds at 34 weeks, which the nurse assured me is just fine. With the exception of a couple of appointments, where my weight went up pretty dramatically, I have been putting on weight at a steady pace of around a pound a week.
As for the contractions, he doesn't think they are any big deal. They are still coming irregularly and since I am not having any other symptoms of labor, he really thinks that I just need to get off of my feet more. Easier said than done with my job, but I'll do what I can. Work is just getting so busy, for a lot of reasons, probably the biggest being that I am starting to wrap things up to hand them over to the girl covering for my maternity leave.
This week, I am definitely feeling a bit overwhelmed. My final baby shower is this week. We've been so blessed by all of our generous friends and family and this is our fourth event! There really isn't much more that this baby needs and yet 25 people have RSVPd for Saturday, including one of my really good friends who is coming all the way from San Francisco!
The problem is that with so many people coming and the shower being next door, everyone wants to see the nursery. Which means that the nursery needs to be finished and the rest of the house need to be cleaned. It's not as if the house is dirty, per se, just not visitor-ready. My mom is staying for the weekend, my sister and her fiance will be here for a night as well, and my girlfriend from out of town is staying nearby, so we will have visitors every night. I am planning on keeping meals low key, perhaps pizza on Friday night and an easy BBQ on Saturday.
I just am getting so tired. Even picking up the phone to order pizza sounds like a lot of work right now. I keep reminding myself that no one expects perfection. . . except for one teeny, tiny little detail - I do. I want my house to look nice, I want the meals to go well, I want everyone to have fun. And even though I am not hosting the actual shower, I still feel responsible for people having a good time.
These are good problems to have, I know. I really feel so blessed that so many people want to shower us with love and presents for Little Man. I just wish that I had a Fairy Godmother who could come and clean house and make dinner so that I could stay parked on the couch!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Progress of Belly and More
I feel as if I have been a bit quiet lately. I think the third trimester fatigue is finally catching up with me. Everything is good with Little Man. His movements are slowing down a bit but he still has no problem getting his kick count in and when he does choose to move, there is no mistaking it!
Last, but certainly not least, a picture of our nursery right after it was painted and the crib was set up. The bedding and curtains come this week and then I will be sure to share. We've actually done a lot since this picture was taken, but this will give you an idea of wall color and the crib.
Here are some pictures of me at 33 weeks.
From the side. . .
Other side. . .
Full frontal . . .
Part of the reason for my radio silence is that we were out of town for my sister's bridal shower this weekend. Here is a picture of me and the Bride-to-Be.
Last, but certainly not least, a picture of our nursery right after it was painted and the crib was set up. The bedding and curtains come this week and then I will be sure to share. We've actually done a lot since this picture was taken, but this will give you an idea of wall color and the crib.
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