Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Nursery

I think we are finally just about finished with the nursery. We've had most of it done for quite some time, but hadn't gotten around to putting anything on the walls. Now that is done, too, and everything from the shower is put away. We're thrilled with how it turned out and neither of us can resist just going in to look. It's not something you'd see in a magazine, but it was done with love!













Thursday, September 23, 2010

Birthday

So, today is my birthday. I have to say, I hate birthdays. Well, I hate my birthday. I like other people's birthdays just fine. I just never seem to really enjoy my own. I am most comfortable when I can celebrate my birthday with someone else, a birthday buddy if you will. Fortunately, for most of my life I've been able to do that. My friend Laura was born on the same day as me (in the same hospital, even), and we grew up sharing our birthdays at school. Then I married someone whose birthday is 10 days before mine. Now I even have a co-worker whose birthday is two days after mine, so I am very content. It helps keep the attention away from me!
Of course, there was some speculation about whether I would have a new birthday buddy, namely my daughter. It appears that this will not be the case. Jane seems content to stay where she is for at least another week or two. That's fine by me. While it would have been fun to share a birthday with her, I really want my October baby.
I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. There hasn't been much change since a week ago. I'm still 1-2 cm dilated, but the baby has dropped considerably and her head is down nice and low. Everything else looks great! Hard to believe we only have a couple of weeks left until she will finally be here!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

What's better than zombies? Zombies in 3D!

Yesterday was my husband's 33rd birthday. In celebration, we went out for dinner and to a movie. It seemed meant to be that there was a zombie movie showing (Resident Evil: Afterlife), considering how we both love those. Not only that, but this would be our first 3D movie. What could be better than zombies in 3D?
The answer to that question, unfortunately, is more zombies in 3D. While Resident Evil: Afterlife wasn't a bad movie, it certainly could have benefited from more zombies. What movie couldn't, really? We were both looking forward to some crazy zombie action, particularly zombies jumping out at the screen at us. There was a shocking lack of this type of activity, however. The directors, instead, seemed more concerned with giving us Matrix-like action. That's fine, to an extent, but this is Resident Evil, and I expect zombies! I was expecting to come away scared, but the scariest part of the movie was the idiot two rows down who laughed really loudly at really stupid times.
I will say that the baby seemed to enjoy the movie. She exhibited some rather nice kicks to my left side. I remember a time when we would go to a movie and she'd be still throughout. She's definitely not shy like that anymore! She doesn't hesitate to wiggle no matter where we are.

Baby shower





I had my baby shower on Sunday afternoon. There was a great turnout and we received many wonderful gifts. As I expected, since we're having a girl, we got lots of clothes! That's okay ... she'll just be a very well-dressed little girl. We also got a lot of necessities, such as a bath tub, bouncy seat, crib pad, baby monitor, bottles, and other items that we needed. One thing that surprised me was that we did not get was toiletry items—baby wash, lotion, and such. I thought those were pretty standard shower gifts so had not bought any yet. I guess I will have to or live with a dirty baby!
We got some very special gifts. Highlights include a handmade quilt and wall hanging from my grandmother, a handmade quilt from my best friend and her mom, a sweater made by my husband's grandmother, and an afghan crocheted by my aunt. All of the gifts were special, really, and I am touched at the generosity of so many family members and friends. We are so lucky to have these people in our lives and our daughter will be lucky to have them in her life as well.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Productive weekend

We got some major nesting accomplished this weekend. Several projects were completed that needed to be done before the baby arrives.
We did get some relaxation in as well. I didn't go back to work after my appointment on Friday, since I had plenty of hours in already and had to work for a couple of hours on Saturday. Instead I shopped for my sister's birthday gift and then my husband and I went to a few garage sales. I picked up a cute outfit for the baby and a sleep sack set.
We went for a walk later that evening. The next morning we hit more garage sales, then headed home for lunch before I had to work. I spent the afternoon taking pictures while my husband installed the new programmable thermostat we'd bought at a garage sale. That night we enjoyed a movie and relaxed.
Sunday was when we really got down to business. My husband went to work in our bedroom closet. The ceiling had begun to fall down in there, so he fixed that and sorted through clothes. Afterward he rearranged our bedroom to make room for the baby's cradle. We are both absolutely thrilled with how it all turned out. In the meantime, I spent the day taking down all of the knick-knacks downstairs, dusting, and putting up fall decorations. I contemplated not doing it this year, but figured everything needed a really good dusting anyway, and I will be taking everything down at Christmas time anyway, so why not? Besides, I just love my fall decorations, and fall in general. That's why I'm so excited to have a fall baby. By the end of the day the house looked great.
On Monday we just had a few minor things to finish. I'll admit that my husband did most of it - vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom. I'm so blessed to have so much help from him. I'd never be able to do it all by myself, especially now! Pooh on lazy husbands! I'm glad I don't have one.
After everything was done, I think we both had a feeling of accomplishment and a sense that we are pretty much ready for this baby. Well, at least the house is ready. Now the panic is starting to set in. What on Earth are we going to do with a baby? I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Pleasant surprise



I was expecting my doctor's appointment on Friday to be rather dull, like most of them have been in recent months. The typical routine is to get weighed, have my blood pressure taken, listen to the heartbeat, get measured, ask any questions I might have, and head on my merry way. This appointment started out that way, but then I got a pleasant surprise. The doctor said he'd like to get me in for an ultrasound to check the baby's position and size. I couldn't believe it. I wasn't expecting to get any more ultrasounds this pregnancy. How exciting! They were able to get me in right away. I tried to call my husband but he didn't think he'd be able to make it for 20-30 minutes. He ended up missing it, but we did get some pictures.
This was probably the most fun ultrasound I've had. The first one I just felt a sense of awe and relief. To see that little heart beating and think that the little bean in there was really a baby was amazing. The second one was long and drawn out, as the techs measured everything. We did get to find out the baby was a girl that day. This one was indescribable. To see her little hands and feet, her little face, and her funny little movements was like a glimpse into the future. I was looking at what I'd be holding in just a few short weeks!
The baby gave us quite a show. She was very wiggly (tell me something I didn't already know) and demonstrated how she likes to press her big feet up against my left side. The ultrasound confirmed that the baby is head down, and at the time she was facing to my left. She peeked out at us from behind her hands, and made little kissing motions with her mouth. I was amused to see that she appears to have my husband's nose. Adorable! Her heart looked great, and she even did some practice breathing for us. Absolutely perfect.
She's also a little chunker. According to the ultrasound, she weighs an estimated 6 pounds, eight ounces already. That puts her in the 85th percentile. (Of course ultrasound estimates aren't always the most accurate, and can be off by a pound or so.) I knew she was getting big in there! It's good to know, really, in case she should happen to arrive earlier than later.
All in all it was an exciting day. I was so happy to get to see her one more time, and I'm even more eagerly anticipating her arrival with each passing day.