More house progress

Last night we bought the rest of our window treatments for the house, so all of the windows will now be covered. Good thing, too, since we now know our neighbors can (and do) look into our upstairs windows. I guess that's what happens when you have older neighbors that stay home all day. I'll have to train the cat to put on a show for them during the day. I'm sure they'd love to watch her clean herself - she'll spend hours doing that, see?

We also cleaned the upstairs so it's ready for the carpet cleaners to come work their magic. Tonight is the final painting night! We're focusing on the living room, the dinette and the downstairs hallway. Then, we can spend the rest of the week packing - which is oh so much fun.

Not much going on in baby world. I still wake up at least once a night and get heartburn all of the time. But now that the baby's getting bigger, I feel it kicking and moving around in there all of the time. It really gets excited when it's meal time. My belly button is slowly being stretched and feels weird when i touch the top of it. It's pretty weird, but what else is new?

"Shocking upset"

For those that missed yesterday's game...

SI.com:
Jim Zorn will go down in history as the only Washington Redskins coach with a perfect regular-season record at Texas Stadium.

Better yet, the Redskins are going into October as a legitimate contender in the NFC East.

Jason Campbell threw two touchdown passes and Clinton Portis ran for 121 yards, leading Washington to a 26-24 victory Sunday that gave the Dallas Cowboys their first loss and made the toughest division in the NFL even more interesting.

Hail to the Redskins!
Hail Victory!
Braves on the Warpath!
Fight for old D.C.!
Run or pass and score -- we want a lot more!
Beat 'em, Swamp 'em,
Touchdown! -- Let the points soar!
Fight on, fight on 'Til you have won
Sons of Wash-ing-ton. Rah!, Rah!, Rah!
Hail to the Redskins!
Hail Victory!
Braves on the Warpath!
Fight for old D.C.!

Almost done

Thank you to everyone that came out Saturday and Sunday to help paint our house! All of the bedrooms are now painted and look great! We only have to finish the living room, downstairs hallway and dining area. Everything looks so clean - you wouldn't even recognize the living room now that the baby poo yellow is gone.

We'll start packing this week and hopefully be ready to move on Saturday. I have ditched my original plan of moving on Friday night - I'd rather have an extra night to pack, especially since we'll take a night this week to finish the painting.

23 Weeks

Whoo-hoo! 23 weeks and I'm exhausted! But at least I'm not tired from being pregnant - just from working on our house. This pregnancy has been really easy so far (knock on wood) and I hope that continues. My belly is getting a little bigger every day and last night I noticed my belly button is slowly popping out. There's a nice ring of stretched skin around my belly button. Which is probably why tattoos and piercings in that area are a bad idea (told ya, Jennifer!).

I still have no feeling at all whether we're going to have a girl or a boy. The other pregnant ladies I work with have been having crazy pregnancy dreams, but I haven't had any. Probably because I'm so dead tired my body just doesn't have the energy to come up with them. I can't believe I only have 119 days left until my due date. Let's hope I don't go too far beyond that (again, Jennifer thinking I'm going to go 2 weeks late!).

Okay, here are the weekly pictures you've been waiting for - no new fruit this week - I'm stuck on the papaya for a while.

whattoexpect.com

Belly Shots

(okay, I know I look tired in this next pic, but that's only because I AM!)

A day of rest

We're taking tonight off from our new house because we are in desperate need of a good night's sleep. We'll go back to the house tomorrow night to get everything ready for Saturday's painting party. I'm excited to get everything painted and looking new. Not so excited about packing though. I wish I could just wiggle my nose like I Dream of Jeannie to get things done.

Okay, enough complaining. At least it's already Thursday!!!

What's that baby up to?

According to everything I've read, it should be sleeping 12-14 hours a day, but I'm not so sure it's getting that much shut eye. I swear every time I sit down the baby starts moving around and kicking. It probably appreciates all of the cleaning I've been doing - hopefully all of the movement is "rocking" it to sleep occasionally.

We've finally finished with the majority of the cleaning at our house. We just have to mop out the workroom a few times with bleach. We're going to start prepping the walls with Killz tonight and will finish the prep work each night this week. I wish we were given "new house leave" at work - just 2 weeks when you buy a new house. Wouldn't that be great? We could get everything done at once and not feel as exhausted.

Now to leave you with some pregnancy humor. I know some women take the dos and don'ts of pregnancy a little too seriously and most of the time end up making up their own don'ts. I'm pretty laid back about everything so I think some of it is funny.

You sure there aren't 2 in there?

Seriously? You're asking me if I'm sure I'm only carrying one baby?!? It's not like I'm the size of a house! Learn some tact, people.

Big ticket items

Refrigerator? Check.
Dishwasher? Check.
Microhood? Check.
Washer? Check.
Dryer? Check.
Bank account? Took a hit.

All of our appliances have been purchased and will be delivered on Saturday. We ended up getting everything in stainless, except the washer and dryer, since there wasn't a huge price difference. The only problem now is where am I going to put all of my magnets from our travels? I'll just have to get a magnetic board for the kitchen that they can go on.

Right now, we're watching the Redskins game (please win, Skins!) and then we'll head over to our house again for more cleaning and wall patching.

Homeowners

Well, it's official. We're homeowners! We spent the entire day today cleaning our new house. I scrubbed the kitchen for the majority of the day and Tom did some handyman chores and cleaned the bathrooms and the upstairs. I have fallen in love with the amazing cleaning power of vinegar and baking soda. I'm exhausted, but happy after taking a nice hot shower.

We're off to Sears tomorrow to order our new appliances. Then, it's Redskins time and then back to the house to finish the cleaning. We'll be ready to paint next Saturday, so mark your calendars!

Closing, finally

Today's a big day for multiple reasons.
1. I have reached the 5 month mark - 22 weeks!
2. I finished writing this woman's assessment and can finally put that to bed.
3. It's ice cream social day! And who doesn't love free ice cream?
4. It's National Talk Like a Pirate Day
5. We close on our house at 5:30 tonight!!!

I'm so excited that our closing is tonight! I'm also a little nervous and anxious, but I guess that's to be expected...it is a pretty big deal. So after we sign our lives away (now Tom's really stuck with me forever), we'll have the keys to our new house. We're planning on spending all day tomorrow cleaning the house and changing the locks. Then Sunday is Redskins day at Uncle Pat's. Pleasepleaseplease, let the Redskins win.

22 Weeks

Yay! 5 months! Or should I be saying AHHH! I only have 4 months left!!! The baby's still pretty active, except when Tom tries to feel it. I swear it knows the difference of his hand and my hand on my belly. I'm feeling great for the most part. I just get heartburn all of the time, no matter what I eat. Tums have become my new best friend (and the baby's too - it'll have nice strong bones). Here's what baby's been up to this week according to the nest.com.

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

And here are the weekly pictures. No more new fruit pictures for a couple of weeks, I'll be stuck on a papaya until the 6 month mark.

thenest.com

whattoexpect.com

Belly shot

It's only Tuesday?!?

Ugh, I wish this week were already over. There is way too much going on at work on top of trying to get our closing done this week, too. Speaking of our closing...we were schedule to close on the house tomorrow afternoon. Both Tom and I took time off of work so we can be there. Well, last night we found out that the underwriter hasn't completed everything and most likely wouldn't have it done in time for Wednesday. Needless to say, they got an EARFUL from this frustrated pregnant lady. I really hate when things don't go as planned.

So Tom and I will find out tonight what the deal is and when the closing will happen. The good news is it has to happen by Friday since that's what's in the contract.

On to happier news - the baby! It's kicking all of the time - except when Tom tries to feel it. It's a really sneaky baby. We'll trick it one day soon. =]

Let the busy week begin...

First of all, HAIL TO THE REDSKINS! That win will definitely make the week a little easier.

Tomorrow I have a new team member starting and will take him out to lunch after orientation and then walk him around to meet everyone. Wednesday's our big day - the closing. I've been practicing my signature so my hand won't cramp up in the middle of all of the signing (just kidding!).

Thursday I have an all day team off-site that I've been planning for about a month. We're going to the National Zoo for a fun activity. We'll break into 10 teams and each team will have a pre-assigned animal to research. Each team will have to redesign the exhibit for their animal by creating a diorama (the size of a moving/book box). Then, we're going to have zoo volunteers judge the exhibits. Tom and I went to A. C. Moore today to pick up the majority of the materials for the dioramas. I can't wait - I think everyone's going to have fun putting them together. Then, Friday I have a fundraiser for Light the Night - Extreme Rides. We have people bring their "extreme ride" to work and have a mini car show and ice cream. People donate money for the ice cream and to vote on the cars. I'll be so happy when that's over - it's been a pain to organize and I just don't feel like harassing people to bring their cars in.

Other than all of that, we've still got to transfer the utilities to our names, order our appliances, change the locks at the house (after the closing, of course) and start packing. Saturday (September 20) we'll spend the day cleaning the house so we can start painting the following weekend. We're hiring professionals to clean the carpets for us. Hopefully we can spend a couple of hours after work each day to prep the walls for the big painting day on September 27. I'm hoping we'll be in the new house by Tom's birthday.

Wish us luck!

21 Weeks

Another week has flown by and now we've hit the 21 week mark. Here's what baby's been up to:

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

Good thing I've made sure to eat a lot of ice cream this week. The baby's going to have one giant sweet tooth! I'm waking up almost every night to go to the bathroom and I can only imagine that it will get worse as the baby gets bigger.

whattoexpect.com

thenest.com

Belly Shots

practice makes perfect

hey mom, dad! i've been practicing my soccer skills in utero. maybe one day i can kick as hard as this guy.

Active baby

Wow, I kept wishing to feel the baby move and now it's moving all of the time. I don't think this baby actually sleeps because I'll feel it moving all day - first thing in the morning, while I'm eating breakfast, sitting at my desk... Maybe it'll tire itself out by the time it's born and then it will sleep through the night. I know, but I can wish, right?

Bowl full of jelly

I've spent most of the night resting on the couch, watching TV and feeling the baby kick. Well, some of these kicks seem pretty strong for such a small baby so I decided to watch my belly while the baby kicks and guess what? I can SEE the kicks! It's just a small movement, but man is it cool! They say if you flash a flashlight on your belly the baby will kick where the light was. I think I'll have Tom try that tonight to see if the baby will respond. But first I better get back to my ABC family TV special.

Dr. Appointment

I just got back from my monthly check-up. She said everything looks great and the baby is measuring right on track. I gained almost 2 pounds in 4 weeks putting my total weight gain at 3 pounds. I know that sounds crazy low, but I think I lost a bit and then gained. And since the baby's measuring healthy and the right size, they say I'm where I should be. The baby's heart rate was at 160, a little high because this baby is ACTIVE! It was around 151 at the ultrasound almost 2 weeks ago. I could feel it kicking today as she was looking for the heartbeat. I asked about the cord blood donation, but Fair Oaks hospital doesn't participate in the public donation banks, so we won't be banking our cord blood. My next appointment is in October and they'll be doing some blood tests for gestational diabetes and anemia (both of which I shouldn't have). I've now met 2 of the 3 doctors that will be seeing me (and could deliver the baby) and I love them both! They're both really laid back which makes me feel relaxed and comfortable. I meet the last doctor at my next appointment and I hope I like him, too.


The baby's kicking the crap out of me right now - I think it likes the McDonald's I just fed it.

We're home

We had a lot of fun spending time with Matt, Loula and the kids this weekend and wish they lived closer to us (read: move to Virginia!). Our closing date has been set for September 18, but we're going to see if we can move it up a day. I have a big offsite meeting that I have been planning and will be running on the 18th and would rather not miss it especially since it's at the ZOO!! And you know how much I love the zoo.
I have my monthly check-up today with Dr. Pickford. I haven't met her yet, but have heard that she's great. The baby's been kicking a lot at night and it's so cool to actually feel it on the outside of my belly. Even Tom felt a couple of kicks on Saturday night.
I started reading Marley and Me yesterday on the flight home and am loving the book. I want to laugh out loud reading about Marley's insanity.

20 Weeks

Today marks the official halfway point of the pregnancy. Can you believe I'm already halfway there? I can't! But 20 weeks from now our little baby is due. Last night while I was laying down reading I felt 3 outside kicks! It was really really cool! Hopefully Tom will be able to feel one soon. My next appointment is on Monday, so I'll get to hear the baby's heartbeat again. Here's what's going on with baby this week.

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

And here are the weekly pictures.

whattoexpect.com

thenest.com

Belly shot

We're still in Chicago hanging out with Matt, Loula and the kids. I've been working form their house and hanging with my new buddy, Lucy. She's got a lot of energy and loves to roll and crawl around.

Jennifer's Big Day

Happy birthday, Nash!

Off to Chicago!

Not a lot has changed since our last post. We spent Sunday with Pete at the Sterling house to get the inspection done. He came up with a few things that we'll need to take care of, but most of them Tom can manage. We're still waiting for the HOA papers so we can read through all of the rules and regulations and decide if we're comfortable with them. I met one of the HOA board members on Sunday and while she's a bit nosy, it'll be smart to stay on her good side. She was telling me all about all of our neighbors. I loved getting all of that information! She also said there was a board member and secretary position open for this HOA. I told Tom that one of us should join to stay involved. I'll keep you guys updated as things progress.

Tonight we're off to the windy city to visit Matt, Loula and the kids. Hopefully the Skins will pull out a win tomorrow night so everyone's in a good mood for the weekend. =]

Hail to the Redskins!