I Forgot To Show You Something: Elle’s Bedroom

Because today is my 200th post, and because I have been digging around and trying to become a bit better at this whole blogging thing, I have been re-reading my old posts from the beginning. (Not ALL of them).

It’s certainly a trip to see what I was thinking THEN and how it IS NOW. I guess that’s why I wanted to do this whole blog thing – for posterity’s sake and my own memories.

But, I realized that there are things that I wanted and meant to share that I haven’t yet (I think).

One of those is Elle’s bedroom.

It is, by far, my MOST favorite room in the house.

Here is what it looked like on August 6, 2011:

By the following day, it looked like this:

We used Sherwin Williams “Brown Teepee” on the walls. Absolutely LOVE this color. I’ve seen it used in almost every room in a house with great success. It’s a wonderful color!

On August 11, we started adding in my FAVORITE, the Pottery Barn “Morrocan Red”.

By September 3, the finishing touches were the only things required. Here’s a look:

Wall decal from Trading Phrases, Rug from Ikea, Glider from JCPenney, Crib from JCPenny, artwork from allposters.com, Fan from Lowe's, Blinds from Budget Blinds

The quilt was hand made by Kathy to fit in with our Picasso theme.

So, what did I learn in all of this?

JCPenney’s has great deals on gliders and cribs.

Ikea was the place for the dresser, the lamps, the ladybug and the rug.

Trading Phrases had the Picasso dove decal and I found the artwork at allposters.com. The frames came from Ikea, too.

And I’m sure you may be curious to see what her room looks like after having used and lived in it for over three months. I swear I didn’t clean it up just for taking these photos this morning…as you can probably tell!

This was the find of the decor process - a Picasso five-piece set at Ikea. I love these and the Rooster and Summer Bouquet to the right.

Meant it when I said I didn't clean up - notice the middle-of-the-night bottle on the nightstand. Adding the nightstand and the lamp next to the glider were must-have additions.

I'm a huge fan of the light that comes into Elle's room even on the gloomiest of days. A bit bright (and frigid) this January morning.

 

 

 

65 Days To Go: The List Gets Updated

At 91 days I updated this list…that was 26 days ago (wow, how’d that happen?). I started this list with 106 days to go. Seems like time is actually going faster right now – it helps that this is our busiest time of year at work, so I’m definitely pre-occupied with that.

Big update in our lives: Jon is back to work after a brief hiatus, but he had to head over to the west side of the state to work at the nuclear facility there. He just started yesterday. We’re not sure how long he may have to be there, but obviously he wants to be done by October. I’m just glad that he’s back to work. One less stressor in my life…but I found myself in tears as he packed his bag on Sunday night…even though I was packing my bag to hit the road too. I guess I just feel overwhelmed by the idea of all the things we need to get done and now BOTH of us are on the road for work.

Anyway, maybe after an update to this list I won’t feel so bad. Here we go…65 days to go and here’s where the list stands:

1. Clean her room. (Totally did this two weekends ago as we prepared to paint…)
2. Clean floors with vinegar and water in her room. (Did this twice – once before we painted and once after. All the paint spots are up off the floor now and they are looking good. Need to clean them once more now that we used some Pledge on the furniture in the room (yes, we have furniture!)
3. Insullation in the attic. (DELAYED)
4. Remove hardware from the walls in her room.
5. Fill the holes left by the hardware removal.
6. Prime the walls (necessary?)
7. Paint the walls.
8. Purchase the paint for the walls.
9. Order the wall decal for her room.
10. Order the prints.
11. Purchase the frames for the prints. (Heading to IKEA in Bolingbrook tomorrow to do this after work)
12. Frame the prints.
13. Hang the frames.
14. Put the crib together.
15. Buy a crib mattress.
16. Put the dresser together.
17. Move the glider/rocker/ottoman into her room.
18. Finish the rug for her room. (Cut up a lot of fabric last night for the rug so that I can just work away at the rug when I get home without stopping to cut up more fabric. Hopefully this will make that project one that I can finish in the next few weeks).
19. Buy more supplies to finish the rug for her room.
20. Cut up the rectangles for the rug for her room. (ONGOING BATTLE)
21. Find additional fabric for the bumpers.
22. Take the fabric to Sandy’s.
23. Determine a solution for blinds. (Purchased blinds for the front of the house, top level from Budget Blinds in Davison. They should be there to install them in the next week or two!)
24. Determine a solution for curtains. (Waiting on this one until I see what the blinds look like. Not convinced we need the overkill of curtains).
25. Sew the curtain tie-backs. (See #24).
26. Purchase the closet organizer for my closet. (Maybe this will be a birthday present? Hint, hint Jonathan).
27. Install the closet organizer for my closet.
28. Remove all of my stuff from her room into my organized closet. (Shoved it in a downstairs closet for the time being…).
29. Hang up clothes in her room. (Did this, but they are now in the office until we get the final coat of paint on the closet doors and do some final touch ups in the bedroom…but the clothes are hanging, so I’m crossing this off the list).
30. Clean the closet in her room.
31. Paint the closet in her room.
32. Paint the closets in our room.
33. Get the dresser/changing table stocked for arrival. (First shower is this weekend…I have a feeling we’ll be well on our way to being stocked and ready to go)
34. Determine how to get Jon on my approved emergency person at the hospital.
35. Glucose tolerance testing (at some point). (This is happening August 5). (Read all about it in an earlier post)
36. 2nd Ultrasound at Hurley, 7/7
37. Appointment with Nurse at Neubeck’s office, 7/18 (aka 28 week appointment)
38. Molly’s shower – purchase a gift.
39. Molly’s shower – attend (one or two?). (Attending both, I think, it appears that my work schedule will allow this). (See photos from Molly’s shower).
40. Aunt Jody’s 25th wedding anniversary party. (Probably will post photos of this shindig tonight…great party!)
41. Minnie’s baby shower on 9/17.
42. Turn 31.
43. Assemble my new bird table.
44. Read a good book or two.
45. See the new Harry Potter movie.
46. Take newborn pictures of Drew.
47. Fix the bathroom walls (Dad).
48. Re-paint the bathroom.
49. Determine a solution for the floors in the bathrooms.
50. Organize the downstairs bedroom.
51. Consolidate my jewelry into one location.
52. Bring order to the pantry.
53. Paint the dining room table.
54. Paint the railing on the main stairway.
55. Wash the white plastic furniture on the upstairs deck.
56. Clean tracks on the sliding doors.
57. Evict the birds from their nests around my house.
58. Clean the garage. (Half complete – see the rest of it happening this weekend while the weather remains predictably decent).
59. Powerwash the garage floor. (He did one better and epoxy’ed the floor…half of it at least).
60. Determine shelving solution for the garage. (Have determined the solution, just need to make the purchase now that the floor is complete. But, with Jon out of town, this project may get waylaid more than either of us intended. We shall see what the weekend holds.)
61. Return the moving blankets to Aunt Jill & Uncle Mike.
62. Get the paint splatters off the floors in both dining rooms.
63. Vacuum.
64. Organize the downstairs kitchen pantry.
65. Find a pediatrician off the list.
66. Find a comfortable child care solution locally.
67. Determine my maternity leave calendar.
68. Determine what work looks like when I return from maternity leave.
69. Get paint estimates for the upper level of the house.
70. Finish the green blanket.
71. Finish the yellow blanket.
72. Finish the pink blanket.
73. Finish the black blanket.
74. New sales bid at the museum. (Thursday this project is COMPLETE!)
75. Enjoy a 10-day vacation.
76. Enjoy four day work weeks throughout July! (This didn’t happen, I wanted to save all the vacay I could based on the FMLA/leave discussion with my boss).
77. Play golf a few more times.
78. Spend time on the water, in a boat, in the sun.
79. Take my kayak out.
80. Take my kayak out again.
81. Sit on the patio with Jon and enjoy the evening. (Could stand to do this several more times, but it was nice when Frank and Andrea stopped by with Drew a few weeks ago and we just enjoyed the back patio and drinks).
82. Develop content for my new website.
83. Order the mobile for her room.
84. Complete the baby registry.
85. Return the carpet cleaner to Grandma Carpenter.
86. Birthday present for Molly.
87. Go computer shopping.
88. Figure out a solution for a TV in the bedroom.
89. Complete marketing calendars for all 13 accounts.
90. Complete site visits at all 13 accounts before opening.
91. Complete site visits at all 13 accounts after opening.
92. Spray for bugs in the downstairs living room.
93. Purchase a book case for the downstairs living room.
94. Purchase at least one barstool for downstairs bar.
95. Fix the leaky faucet in the upstairs kitchen.
96. Replace the shower head in the big bathroom.
97. Replace the shower spout in the big bathroom.
98. Replace the broken handle in the master bathroom.
99. Fix the slow drain in the master bathroom. (I had Plumbing Professors out to the house, but oddly, the drains are now going just fine all on their own…Murphy’s Law).
100. Figure out how to show pictures on my blog(s).
101. Take out the recycling.
102. Return the bottles/cans.
103. Order new hardware for the closet in her room.
104. Go upnorth to the lake on a non-holiday weekend. (Higgins bound tonight!)
105. Have pizza at the CLB. (TWICE!!!)
106. Relax. (ha!).

Okay, that’s 49 things left on this list. Let me just add today’s list of to do’s for good measure:
– Finish painting the closet doors in the baby room.
– Die the backdrop for the photo stuff I purchased.
– Find some cool props for baby photos.
– Take maternity photos of Molly.
– Shower with the Mason’s on 8/21.
– Purchase table/bookshelf thing at IKEA for baby room.
– Take pictures of the nearing-finalized baby’s room.
– Determine what to pack in the hospital bag.
– 31 week appointment with Dr. Ahmad 8/19

43 Days To Go: The List Gets Updated

At 106 days to go, I created this list. At 91 and 65 days I updated this list…and now, that was 22 days ago (allegedly, my math could all be funky for sure).

As you’ve read, the nursery is complete (five more holes to put in the walls and we’re home free). We’ve got one more shower set for Sept. 17 that will be held here at our house (which I’m excited about, because everyone will get to see her room ready and waiting!).

It will be interesting to update and comment on this list…because it feels like it just keeps getting longer. I also can NOT believe that we have childbirth class this Saturday for SEVEN HOURS! I literally have to pack a cooler. I also realized the other day that they didn’t tell me to print a pillow with me. Isn’t that what they do on TV, all the women come in with a pillow and look ridiculously preggo?? Anyway, I don’t plan on taking one of my own pillows unless someone instructs me to do that. I feel like, again, I’m paying for the service. The hospital can provide the damn pillow at the very least. (For the record, I will be taking my own pillow to the hospital when it’s ‘go time’ because women on other blogs I read recommend that).

1. Clean her room. (Her room has been the cleanest room in the house for quite some time now).
2. Clean floors with vinegar and water in her room.
3. Insullation in the attic. (DELAYED)
4. Remove hardware from the walls in her room.
5. Fill the holes left by the hardware removal.
6. Prime the walls (necessary?)
7. Paint the walls.
8. Purchase the paint for the walls.
9. Order the wall decal for her room.
10. Order the prints.
11. Purchase the frames for the prints.
12. Frame the prints.
13. Hang the frames.
14. Put the crib together.
15. Buy a crib mattress.
16. Put the dresser together.
17. Move the glider/rocker/ottoman into her room.
18. Finish the rug for her room. Ok, this damn rug requires a lot of time and fabric. Not worth it the way I have been doing it. The rug still looks cool, but I wish I would have just spent the money and bought the rug I wanted (which I ultimately did for her room and the upstairs living room). So, the rug for ‘her room’ is done. I bought it at Ikea and it looks great and was easy to do! 🙂 The rug I started, however…that’s no longer ‘her’ rug and I’m not sure where it will go when it’s complete…but for now it’s a good project to keep  my hands busy while watching tv at night.
19. Buy more supplies to finish the rug for her room.
20. Cut up the rectangles for the rug for her room. (Deleting this because it has no bearing on being baby-ready.)
21. Find additional fabric for the bumpers.
22. Take the fabric to Sandy’s.
23. Determine a solution for blinds.
24. Determine a solution for curtains. (Have decided to forego curtains until I see that we need them. I think she’ll be able to sleep just fine in her room with the blinds…or in the bassinet next to our bed. And I think her room looks perfect just the way it is, thank you very much.).
25. Sew the curtain tie-backs. (Not necessary).
26. Purchase the closet organizer for my closet. (If Jon READ my blog, he would have known about the closet organizer…and my birthday would have been a different day I bet. However, the closet organizer is no longer a pre-requisite for the baby. All my clothes are hanging in closets…so I’m alright for now. But someday soon, I’d really like all my clothes to be in the same closet again.).
27. Install the closet organizer for my closet.
28. Remove all of my stuff from her room into my organized closet. (Shoved it in a downstairs closet for the time being…).
29. Hang up clothes in her room. (Did this, but they are now in the office until we get the final coat of paint on the closet doors and do some final touch ups in the bedroom…but the clothes are hanging, so I’m crossing this off the list).
30. Clean the closet in her room.
31. Paint the closet in her room.
32. Paint the closets in our room. (See above rationale…I’m leaving these on the list because I really would like to get the closets done).
33. Get the dresser/changing table stocked for arrival. (Will feel better about this after the 9/17 shower because I know she’ll get lots of great necessities. And what she doesn’t, we’ve got some great gift cards that we’ll fill in with. And then, this will be done. )
34. Determine how to get Jon on my approved emergency person at the hospital. (We are doing childbirth class all day Saturday. I think the following weekend we’ll make a call and go do the tour of the Hurley labor and delivery area. I can ask the question of them then. I’m also going to ask at my next doctor’s appointment about pre-registering and how I do that. One less thing to worry about when it’s game time).
35. Glucose tolerance testing (at some point). (This is happening August 5). (Read all about it in an earlier post)
36. 2nd Ultrasound at Hurley, 7/7
37. Appointment with Nurse at Neubeck’s office, 7/18 (aka 28 week appointment)
38. Molly’s shower – purchase a gift.
39. Molly’s shower – attend (one or two?). (FYI, Molly has realized she’s going to have a small human in less than two weeks. How crazy is THAT?!).
40. Aunt Jody’s 25th wedding anniversary party.
41. Minnie’s baby shower on 9/17.
42. Turn 31. (Did this without fanfare yesterday, but had a great day spending it watching all the back episodes of Boardwalk Empire with my Mom and Trevor).
43. Assemble my new bird table.
44. Read a good book or two.
45. See the new Harry Potter movie.
46. Take newborn pictures of Drew.
47. Fix the bathroom walls (Dad).
48. Re-paint the bathroom. (My Dad is saving the day – SUPER DAD! – and is working on the bathroom. We’re thisclose to having it done…not much longer now).
49. Determine a solution for the floors in the bathrooms. (Dad laid ceramic tile. It looks awesome. I’ll post pictures when it’s done, don’t want to spoil it!)
50. Organize the downstairs bedroom. (Done – I put the cushions back onto the couch (though I find this very uncomfortable, but whatever, it looks good. I also moved everything into closets or into the garage…areas where those items were supposed to go…and some under the bed, because they don’t have a home yet).
51. Consolidate my jewelry into one location. (I am crossing this off the list. I actually unpacked all my bags and travel things and have all my jewelry that is regular-wear in one spot. So, we’ll call ‘er complete.).
52. Bring order to the pantry.
53. Paint the dining room table. (Still needs done, but I bought really sleek linens that drape to the floor, so it hides the need for a paint job. I know, really crafty of me).
54. Paint the railing on the main stairway.
55. Wash the white plastic furniture on the upstairs deck.
56. Clean tracks on the sliding doors. (Eeew…still needs done. I cleaned all the tracks and windows in the kitchen. Will get around to the sliders maybe this weekend. I have vacuumed and swept them out to get rid of cobwebs, etc., but they need a deeper clean than that).
57. Evict the birds from their nests around my house. (Yeah, this one isn’t happening because of me. Weather has turned and I think the birds are migrating. At least I hope so. This battle I’m going to call for myself and then I’m going to prepare to prevent the nests in Spring 2012.)
58. Clean the garage. (STILL HALF COMPLETE. THIS IS JON’S AREA.)
59. Powerwash the garage floor. (Floor is STILL half epoxy’ed. Maybe that will happen this weekend. A girl can dream).
60. Determine shelving solution for the garage. (We went the weekend before Labor Day and bought one thing of shelving and put it up. Will need more, but the rest of the garage needs to get painted and the floor epoxy’ed before we can move further along).
61. Return the moving blankets to Aunt Jill & Uncle Mike.
62. Get the paint splatters off the floors in both dining rooms. (Ok, I spent three hours doing this on Sunday and it looks a lot better, but still have another three hour stint I need to do to have it look GOOD or decent, rather).
63. Vacuum.
64. Organize the downstairs kitchen pantry.
65. Find a pediatrician off the list. (Spoke with Dr. Baig’s office and have him set to be her pediatrician. However, Jon and I are figuring out how to work our insurance and need to double check that he’s approved through whoever his insurance provider is.)
66. Find a comfortable child care solution locally.
67. Determine my maternity leave calendar.
68. Determine what work looks like when I return from maternity leave.
69. Get paint estimates for the upper level of the house. (Jon’s TO DO)
70. Finish the green blanket.
71. Finish the yellow blanket.
72. Finish the pink blanket.
73. Finish the black blanket. (70-73 I’m calling done. I have used the yarn, I have tried to complete them. I am just beyond caring at this point and enjoy working on the gray rug more than the blankets at this point. So, they’re back where they started and some day I’ll add them back on to a list of things to do).
74. New sales bid at the museum.
75. Enjoy a 10-day vacation.
76. Enjoy four day work weeks throughout July! (This didn’t happen, I wanted to save all the vacay I could based on the FMLA/leave discussion with my boss).
77. Play golf a few more times. (Unless I hurry up, this ain’t happening this year).
78. Spend time on the water, in a boat, in the sun.
79. Take my kayak out.
80. Take my kayak out again. (See #77)
81. Sit on the patio with Jon and enjoy the evening. (Could stand to do this several more times, but it was nice when Frank and Andrea stopped by with Drew a few weeks ago and we just enjoyed the back patio and drinks).
82. Develop content for my new website.
83. Order the mobile for her room. (Put one on the registry…but did find a cool one on etsy.com that Jon liked too…not sure what the best route to go is. I may order the one from etsy.com on a whim one day).
84. Complete the baby registry.
85. Return the carpet cleaner to Grandma Carpenter.
86. Birthday present for Molly.
87. Go computer shopping. (Have shopped, know what I want. Not purchasing right now).
88. Figure out a solution for a TV in the bedroom. (No solution for the time being. Maybe Christmas time we’ll make a TV purchase. They (who are they anyway?? Oprah?) say that right around the Super Bowl is the best time to buy a TV.)
89. Complete marketing calendars for all 13 accounts.
90. Complete site visits at all 13 accounts before opening.
91. Complete site visits at all 13 accounts after opening.
92. Spray for bugs in the downstairs living room. (This HAS to happen…found a tarantula down there yesterday. It even gave the garage vacuum cleaner a run for its money as it sucked it up).
93. Purchase a book case for the downstairs living room. (Some day).
94. Purchase at least one barstool for downstairs bar. (Some day).
95. Fix the leaky faucet in the upstairs kitchen.
96. Replace the shower head in the big bathroom.
97. Replace the shower spout in the big bathroom.
98. Replace the broken handle in the master bathroom. (This is Jon’s TO DO…the new handle has been sitting on his side of the counter for months and it hasn’t gotten updated yet. Waiting. Patiently).
99. Fix the slow drain in the master bathroom. (I had Plumbing Professors out to the house, but oddly, the drains are now going just fine all on their own…Murphy’s Law).
100. Figure out how to show pictures on my blog(s).
101. Take out the recycling.
102. Return the bottles/cans.
103. Order new hardware for the closet in her room.
104. Go upnorth to the lake on a non-holiday weekend.
105. Have pizza at the CLB. (TWICE!!!)
106. Relax. (ha!). (Did this for my birthday yesterday and it was lovely).

That’s a total of 22 remaining outstanding items. That does not include taking maternity photos of myself somehow…or attending childbirth class…or the Leadership Academy classes I signed up for in the community. It also does not include the cleaning that still has to happen for the shower at our house, the finishing touches on the bathroom. It doesn’t include getting a birthday present for Jon’s Dad, figuring out our insurance, getting my short term disability set up with work. It doesn’t include two more trips each to Chicago and Indianapolis. There are a lot of things this list doesn’t include.

My tonight’s list, however, includes two things:

– Take a shower

– Go to bed.

 

It’s time to do both now.

More soon,
L

The Nursery: Completed

Well, the biggest project in our lives other than actually HAVING and BRINGING HOME baby (only six-ish weeks!!) is complete. Ok, pseudo-complete. There are three more holes to put in the walls to hang some artwork. But, other than that, it’s COMPLETE. So complete, in fact, that I took some photos to share here. I know you’ve been waiting patiently to see what we’ve done, so here are a few snapshots. Nothing fancy or photographer-equivalent but at least you get the feel for it. It is my FAVORITE room in the house.

So, this first picture is taken from the doorway. The back wall is “Morrocan Red” from the Pottery Barn Spring/Summer 2011 color collection. The other three walls in the room are Brown TeePee, which is the color in Andrea & Frank’s laundry and bathrooms, which I liked a lot. So, let me guide you through the details: The ottoman was from JCPenney’s. The crib is Bedford Baby for JCPenney’s. The artwork on the walls from left to right…the Picasso Peace Dove is from TradingPhrases.com, the long five-sketch Picasso drawings is from Ikea (seriously) and the Rooster and Evening Flowers Picasso prints are from AllPosters.com with frames from Ikea. The blinds came from Budget Blinds. The side table is from Hobby Lobby. The rug is from Ikea.

Here’s a photo that shows a better view of the crib and the floors and you get a feel for the room on the whole. Love, love, love how that Picasso Peace Dove looks above the crib. Originally, I bought it intending it to go on the red wall, but after sitting in the rocker/glider for many hours contemplating, I put it right there. What really made the room feel completed was getting the crib skirt from amazon.com today and getting it on. Trust me when I tell you that while it does not stand out in this photo, without it, you would wonder why there was no crib skirt.

Now, I’ve talked about how we had the bedding custom made by Kathy, one of my mom’s best girlfriends. But, I haven’t debuted it yet. I was saving it. Because it’s a favorite part of the room, too. I have envisioned our Minnie Girl laying on it, playing, sleeping, and all the pictures to come with this as a logical backdrop. But, here you can see the fabric, the patterns and the colors.

 

The breakdown of this bedroom:

Bedford Baby Crib, JCPenney.com
Bedding (Quilt and Crib Sheet)
Bedskirt (amazon.com)
Glider & Ottoman (JCPenney)
Rug (Ikea)
Non-Skid Rug Thing (Menards)
Posters for Walls (All, AllPosters.com & PosterCheckOut.com)
Frames for Walls (All, Ikea)
Picasso Peace Dove Wall Decal (TradingPhrases)
Dresser (Not Pictured, from Ikea)
Locker Basket for Books (Land of Nod)
Side Table next to Glider (Hobby Lobby)
Paint (Two Gallons)
Hamper, Red & Blue (Land of Nod)

 

I have always imagined/envisioned having a Picasso nursery and this is better than I could have planned in my head. It has really come together and just feels like a room I’m going to love being in with Baby Girl whenever she makes her illustrious debut!

I definitely could have done this on a more strict budget than I did — but I also feel like the spot where my budget got busted was in the artwork and frames. The furniture, the crib could not have been cheaper for the quality we got, the glider and ottoman we could have probably gotten something different, cheaper, but on the whole, I’m really, really please with how this whole room has come together.

I can’t wait for Minnie to come home to her new room!!

More soon,
L

Week 17, Day 4 Update

This week, baby is the size of a sweet potato! Craziness, really. It doesn’t weigh quite one pound (yet!) but it’s getting there and it’s only a matter of time.

Due Date: October 27, 2011

Baby Developments: The mini Mason is yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And I’ve felt some of this, but not a lot. Mainly, the movements make me feel sea-sick.

Weight Gain: Ok, doctor’s office today for a check-up/check-in. I stepped on the scale and decided I was just going to own whatever the weight gain was. Seven pounds, I figured, and I’d be in shock and awe. HOWEVER, I am down a pound and a half. Total weight gain over 18 weeks: 3.7 pounds. I feel awesome about that. I’m trying to walk frequently (some weeks are better than others) and I’m not terribly hungry all the time. I gave in to a need for ice cream Saturday night, but that’s about it.

Cravings: Nothing. Well, that’s a lie. Bacardi. Vodka. An ice cold Oberon. But as far as things within the realm of possibility, nothing.

Symptoms: The sea-sickness is a new development. My back/sciatic thing reared its ugly head yesterday after working in the yard all weekend and helping to lift a seemingly lightweight TV onto the mantel. So, no more heavy lifting for me. Other than that, nothing.

I am loving: My tummy getting a little firmer due to the growing mini. But, I’m still in my regular clothes (pants). I’m enjoying the preggo shirts that cover up the fact that I from time to time use a hair band to keep my pants together. Anyway, and I’m loving the anticipation of finding out whether the mini Mason is a boy/girl and the Big Reveal party the following day. Getting our families together at our house is a big deal and I’m really looking forward to it!

Sleep: Not tired other than when I’m supposed to be. And sleeping pretty well. Not having to get up and pee all night long is a relief.

I miss: Drinks. That’s it. DRINKS. Can’t wait for the end of the year and a cocktail or two. Actually, it’s not so bad not having the hangover, but I would like the option to imbibe if I so desired.

I am looking forward to: Discovering whether mini Mason is a boy or girl and double-checking that all is healthy and well. Also the big gender reveal party on the Friday after we find out the boy/girl of the mini Mason. Today’s doctor’s appointment had the mini’s heartbeat at 143-148 bpm, which is higher than the last time (right?) a little bit. In the old wives’ tale pantheon, this makes the mini a girl but last checkup it was a boy. It will have made up its mind for certain when we get a sneak peek at the ultrasound! Only 10 more sleeps!

I am spazzing about: Not much. Ordered the crib, the glider and ottoman and picked up the dresser/changing table. We have to paint, but we also need to do some work in the attic and the only access is through mini’s room. So, not in a big hurry to get the room put together. The crib doesn’t arrive until June 8 and the glider at some point thereafter, so in no big hurry. Do need to work on the pediatrician thing, though, and have a recommendation from Dr. Neubeck on that one, so am going to check her out soon.

Best moment of the week: Feeling the baby move.

Milestones: Nothing. Other than my Mom saying I looked pregnant and two sort-of strangers touching my belly at a birthday party. I’m sorry, but I don’t look THAT pregnant that you should be touching my mid-section. And even if I were that pregnant, it doesn’t make it ok.

Movement: Yup, more and more. Doctor said today that most movement comes three hours after the largest calorie intake of the day. Is that like a challenge to eat more or something? I don’t know…I won’t accept that challenge!

It’s a….: baby. Only 10 sleeps til we know for sure!

Exercise: Lots and lots of yardwork and a few walks. Nothing too extravagant, but with my weight staying steady, I feel pretty good about how things are going thus far.

Diet: Eating the same ol’ stuff I always do.

Goals for the upcoming week: Get the house cleaned and ready to go for the gender reveal party; get some work accomplished; get some homework done that’s due today and work ahead so I’m done with classwork by the time the party rolls around. Have the bathroom mudded and sanded and primed by next weekend. Decide what we’re going to do for Memorial Day weekend (need to stay home and get stuff done for the party, but going to the lake for a day sounds nice, too).

Week 5, Day 4

Holy moly — last night was a NO SLEEP night. That’s getting old.

But yesterday was a day — McGee died. McGee has been the best kind of dog, a kind of stop-gap in my family’s world. When my grandparents died 4 1/2 years ago, the dog survived and my parents became McGee’s new Mom & Dad. By proxy, he was my cousin/brother. Admittedly, I felt a little bit Mormon. But, it was on McGee’s back that our sorrow and loss rode for the last 4 1/2 years. I feel, a little bit, like maybe he waited until he knew we had something else (a baby!) in our lives before he let himself succumb to whatever was taking over his body.

But, in the last two months, McGee just wasn’t himself. He lost five pounds — 25% of his weight — in two weeks. He couldn’t control his bladder. The vet said it was diabetes and there was organ damage. My Mom and Dad were with him when they said good-bye. I said good-bye in the morning at my parents’ house. I was sad all day. I’m still sad. McGee was quite seriously someone I looked forward to seeing — and he to me. I called him “Bubby”, my pet name for him. I’m so sad that he’s gone.

I’ll admit that I was more glad than ever that there is this little life growing inside of me. Not that it can be equated to the dog, at all, but it’s the continuity of life that brings me peace. It has always made me sad that my Grandpa Jerry, Grandma Judy, Grandpa Carpenter, Grandpa Carrell, won’t meet my children. And now, no pictures of cute McGee with the cute baby. But, it means that life continues (thankfully) and that there are great things to look forward to. Also, this means my Mom gets  a break from taking care of the dog before she goes on Grandma-babysitting duty 😉

So, back to being pregnant. Last night, it was like period cramps. But, can’t take Pamprin, so had to just battle through it. It’s been a looooonnnngg time since I had cramps that I couldn’t take anything for. So, I got in the shower at 2:30 a.m. (this after researching and googling ‘cramps, six weeks, pregnant’ for about an hour). What else is a girl to do? It helped and by 4 a.m., I was finally asleep. However, that was short-lived. I was up by 7:30 a.m. ready to go and get my homework done by Noon MST. Ran to VG’s, got donuts and coffee and milk and oj for ‘breakfast-in-bed’ for Jon. Man is he lucky.

Anyway, began researching some strollers last night. What a big decision that is. It can be a purchase of $200 or $500, plus all the attachments. You can read great reviews on them all — and opposite opinions on them all. The only friend I have who has a semblance of what is good/bad is Jay and she’s in Florida (not the same needs as someone in the snow all the time). So, right now the frontrunners are Phil and Ted’s Explorer and the BOB Revolution. I like the idea that it can work as a jogger/walker, can navigate smaller spaces and, the Phil and Ted’s can be adapted for both an infant car seat and as a dual stroller. I feel like, though the initial price tag may be steep, it will be a good long term investment. However, if I’m dissatisfied with the stroller, it will have just been a huge waste of money. What a big decision.

I also started looking at cribs. Another overwhelming experience. I’m pretty committed to a 4-in-1 crib that can go from a crib to toddler bed to a double bed. BUT — what color? What style? Do I even bother purchasing the whole kit and kaboodle (dresser, etc.) or just wing it? See — lots of questions.

Oh, and gliders. The ones that don’t look like your typical Babies-R-Us purchase, that look like a piece of furniture that is intentionally in your home, but not for babies specifically, are pretty pricey. I haven’t done justice to shopping those out.

My goal: to have all of the stuff I’m putting on a list-of-things-I-need/want chosen (boy-specific and girl-specific) so that in 14 more weeks, when we know what it is, we can be raring and ready to go on making choices and getting stocked up. Actually, that 14 week mark will be the same time I’m finishing my MBA! Woohoo!!!

Ok – enough rambling for this a.m. I’m feeling better now that I’m upright. Hopefully, sleep comes my way tonight!