38 Weeks

It's hard not to get your hopes up at this point that it could be "any day now". I did that at 36 weeks with Natalie and each day was a bit of a disapointment as she didn't come and didn't come. Having her come two days late was absolute torture.

Unfortunately, I'm kinda in the same gear now. As long as I don't go into labor on my birthday (hey, a girl's gotta have her OWN birthday) then I think I'll be fine. Anytime after that would be JUST FINE though. =)

Wow... I found this 38 week picture from 2007. I'm definitely smaller in it. And younger-looking....YIKES!

End of a Decade

Today is my last day as 29.

This was not how I planned on celebrating it.

For starters, I feel huge. I'm exploring numbers on the scale I've never before seen and it's not fun. /Sigh

I also wanted to be splashing my way through a water park, but not just ANY water park...the MAC DADDY of water parks. However, I don't think that's recommended for women 2 weeks away from their due date. Hmm...that MIGHT be a good induction technique though.

I guess I thought I'd leave my 20's with a bang... but instead I feel like I'm just sort of sliding into 30, like it's just another day. Being in my 30's just sounds kinda weird. I mean, 39 is still in the 30's and I feel so far off from almost-40. But, then again, the more time I spend with people in their early 20's I realize that I'm eons away from that group too.

I wish I could say I was doing something to celebrate this last day of a decade, but alas I'm off to go make some dinner.

They say the 30's is the new 20's... maybe I should be excited.

Resolutions for this next decade: Do something EXCITING. Run a 5K. Visit more wineries. Brush up on my swing dance skills. Maybe even rekindle the Japanese I took in high school and in college?

And DEFINITELY. No matter what...make it to my water park and ride ALL the rides.

We Didn't Kill It ALL!

This year is our first attempt at a garden. Mostly, it's Kevin's garden. I like to claim ownership, but I really only helped set it up the FIRST time. It's been Kevin who replanted everything when we realized we planted too early and frost claimed a number of plants and him, also, who waters and weeds on a regular basis.

But I digress.

Monday, after being away all weekend at the beach, Kevin wandered out to water and found this full grown pepper and zucchini ready to pick and eat. YEAH! Besides the one cherry tomato and two itty bitty strawberries we've picked, this is our first REAL harvest. I'm excited now for the rest of the summer!

Down the Ocean, Hon!

This past weekend we went a place Marylanders call "Down the Ocean, Hon!", also know as Ocean City, MD. We had a blast and, fortunately, I didn't go into labor amongst all of the 4th of July partiers also at the beach. It would have been a nightmare getting out of there. I was envisioning having a baby in a crowded Ocean City emergency room right next to the drunken college students and not-so-bright firecracker newbs.

But, I didn't. And for that, I'm thankful!


Natalie had a good time playing in the sand and in the water; however, she didn't really understand the importance of not roaming the beach and checking out what other people were doing and what toys they had to play with. It seemed we were chasing her around the entire afternoon telling her to "come back" and "no, those aren't our things" and "please stop throwing sand at the neighbors". *Sigh* Maybe next year will be a little bit different.

We actually stayed near Bethany Beach, DE - which is only a few miles from Ocean City. We really enjoyed walking the boardwalks at both beaches, eating lots of junk food, playing in the water and the sand (although I got a killer burn on my back), watching movies and taking lazy naps back at the beach house. I'm sure it's the last hurrah before we have the new little guy, so it was a welcome get-away.

Kevin and I were scratching our heads at what was up with the name for the bay in the area. Click on the photo to get a closer look at the inset I highlighted. I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't want to be the woman the "little" bay was named after???

I debated putting this picture up. I thought they all were horrible of me, and alas I'm saying "cheese" in this one. I settled for cropping my bottom half out of the picture. Uggg...

Kevin on the other hand is steadily losing more and more weight. He's been swimming and doing a South Beach-ish diet for the past couple months. It's not so fun to cook for, but he's seen great results. Granted the food he isn't eating just gets gobbled down by me, but hopefully I won't keep that up for long. I mean he even LOST 2lbs on vacation AND he cheated just a little. Grrr... WHO loses weight on VACATION????

The Room is Done!

For the past few months I've been working on putting together a new room for Natalie. Moving her into a new place made more sense than making a new nursery since the nursery is already blue and also the smallest room of the house. Poor little boy... already getting the shaft! I figure he won't know the difference, though, for a couple years at least.

So I've been assembling her room piece by piece from treasures I've found at yard sales and Craigslist (trying to save a bit of $$). The inspiration for the color scheme came from a piece of scrapbook paper that I really liked and I just kind of ran with that. The fact that it really all came together was an exciting surprise - I definitely found myself at times wondering "did I make this too hard?"


This is the view from her doorway. All of the furniture is a second-hand find (except for the bookshelf, which we already had, and the beanbag cushion, from Walmart). Did I mention that I found the little table and chairs for only FIVE dollars? It was a natural color and Kevin lovingly spray painted it for me.

The wall is covered with removable vinyl clings that I cut myself using my Cricut (that Kevin got me for Christmas). I really love that thing and use it way more than I thought I did. It was definitely WORTH it.
The cubby shelf with baskets is a toybox of sorts. Obviously she's not tall enough to reach the top baskets, but it's useful for storing things with little pieces we don't want her getting out on her own. I'm excited because it means fewer toys in our living room. Maybe that means it can actually look like adults live here now!

The dresser was by far the hardest thing to find. I had a specific price I wanted to spend and nothing new was within that range. I scoured Craigslist until I came up with it.

And as for the window seat cushion, I wish I could say that I made it myself, but I'm just not that talented. That was actually a gift from a friend.

I did, however, repaint this little doll bed and make a new mattress and pillow for it to match the room. All in all, the whole thing was a fun project. I honestly can say, though, that I'm glad I'm done!

Ms. Potato Head

Natalie is obsessed with Ms. Potato Head earrings. Any time she finds them in the Potato Head bucket, she insists that you put them on her and that you hold her up in front a mirror. Yesterday she wanted me to wear them.

Ahhh... this girl needs some dress up clothes!

Cheyenne Kathryn

My friend Jill (who WAS due 4 days ahead of me) went into labor yesterday and gave birth to a beautiful little girl, Cheyenne Kathryn. Just look at all of that hair!!We had a great time holding her and reminding ourselves just how small they start out!

On the way home Kevin and I were all "I'm not ready for this, I'm not ready for this, I'm not ready for this!" Is it possible to be excited and scared all at the same time?!?!?!!

Heroes Day

This past Saturday, our church had a "Heroes Day" for kids. It involved a fire truck, several helicopters, an ambulance, the mobile library truck, etc. I'm sure Natalie will get more out of it next year, but we had fun this year nonetheless.


My friend Kera and her 3 year-old twins, Callie and Sienna, came along for the ride. The kids have gotten that the idea of the whole "picture" taking thing is to smile so therefore, they insist on doing the exact opposite! These were the few pics I could salvage from the bunch I took. Ahhh well...




This is the same kind of helicopter Kevin got to fly for his 30th birthday. Needless to say, the pregnant woman and the 1 year old were NOT in the air this time around. =)

On a Walk

Natalie likes to go on walks these days and push her baby down the street. It takes the work out of having to push her around myself.

Hmm... I'm wondering now if I can teach her how to change diapers before this next one comes along?

It's Summer Time!!!

You should have seen the diaper she had for me after playing in the pool. Needless to say we drained the water. Uggggg...

35 Weeks

I'm 36 weeks tomorrow... these pics are from last week.

Cha-ching Cha-ching

Uggg.. when it rains, it pours. Lately we've had a lot of pop-up expenses... tires for the car, tires for the truck, engine work on the SUV, three rounds of new vegetables for the garden (we keep killing ours). And we've had some not so pop-up expenses: yard work, basement steps refinished, double stroller (used) for the new kid, furniture (used) for Natalie's new room, window seat cushion, baby carrier, another carseat for both kids, etc, etc, etc.

And today?

The garage door opener quit working. Just stopped. And it's only three years old.

Sometimes you just want to pull your hair out and say ARRRRRRGGGGG!

Wheels Before the Age of 2

Lately my little one has been astonishing me with things that she says and does that are indications that she's definitely leaving the "baby stage" behind. She can count objects (up to three) and can "babble" count up to about 15. Then she'll sing her ABC's (although we're working on pronounciation) and she's saying more and more words (i.e. "bye bye wawa" to the water down the tub drain).

This weekend my Grandpa Frank came to visit from Pittsburgh, PA and brought with him a handmade gift for Natalie that cements her transition into the toddler years: a car! It didn't take her long to figure it out and she had a good time steering it all around our kitchen and back patio. I'm envisoning her running over her brother with it in a few months when she decides she's sick of sharing Mom and Dad's attention.


While my grandpa was in town we went up to Havre de Grace (a water-oriented burg not too far from here that was a leading contender for the nation's capitol at one point). If you move to this area, you'll quickly learn that the correct pronounciation of this little town is "HAVE A DE GRACE" (no French accent please). The people here looked at me like I had two heads when I tried to pronounce it the French way back in 2001.

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant where we got to witness an honest-to-goodness brawl between the owner and an apparent rival (now you know these are REAL Italians). There was a scuffle, a tackle and a lot of cursing and Kevin hopped right up to help steer the commotion outside and hold off one of the guys from beating the other into a bloody pulp. Go hon! Quite the excitement for the night!

Then we went to the park and Natalie did the swing (weee as she calls it) and attemped to slide down wet slides (it had just rained). Finally we strolled along the promenade (a non-commercial boardwalk of sorts) looking out over the bay. It was a beautiful night.

All in all it was a great visit. Thanks, Grandpa Frank, for making the trip and for thinking of Natalie!

Swimming With Friends

On Friday a friend of ours invited us to their pool. Natalie decided to start the day at 530 am that morning and I thought we were going to have to skip the afternoon pool play date for all of her crankiness. However, she held out like a champ and we ended up having a good day. She definitely is more fond of the kiddie pool, though, than the larger pool.

In the morning, before we headed out the door...

Ready for some wa wa (as she calls it).



You'll notice there are no pictures of me in my bathing suit. And yes, that's for a reason. No one needs to see my pasty 8 month prego body sitting poolside for all of posterity. No one. Hopefully the high schoolers in their cute little bikinis got ONE thing clear when they saw me busting out of my swimsuit: abstinence!

Surprise!

Last night my friends got me good.

Kevin suggested we go to PF Changs for dinner. He's been doing Atkins and claimed he was frustrated with his progress and just needed some "good food". To be honest, I haven't been cooking as much as I normally do since cooking for him these days involves steaming some veggies and grilling a side of beef. Not a very fun dinner. So I totally believed the story.

He dropped me off at the door to get our name on the list and I waddled my ever-growing self inside to get a table. As the hostess was getting menus together a camera pops out behind her and some of my girlfriends started waving! They'd all been in on planning an impromptu baby shower for me and I'd had no idea. I've never been this surprised before!

We had such a good night. I completely stuffed my face at Changs. We ate our favorite lettuce wraps. Then I tried the Singapore Street Noodles (SUPER spicy) and had my favorite garlic spinach. After that we went back to my friend Laura's house for presents and this super delicious strawberry trifle dessert (of which I ate a large helping). They wrapped up the night with having me share my prayer requests and praying for me. What a blessing these women are!

I remember moving here (to MD) like it was yesterday. I knew no one and it was SO overwhelming. I'm such an impulsive person and the move to the East Coast sounded so glamorous when I was planning it. I thought it was going to be full of SO much adventure and excitement. What I found when I moved here was that I was pretty lonely for a good while and that it was going to have to be ME sticking my neck out in order to meet people. No welcome wagon showed up at my apartment door to ensure I was well taken care of.

I prayed a lot those first few years that God would bring friends into my life and slowly, one-by-one, I've met my husband, tons of people at church and each of the ladies I hung out with last night. It's cool to see that, 8 years later, I'm surrounded by such good friends that are genuinely here with me through it all.

I'll have to post some pictures of the party last night when I get them off of everyone elses cameras. I, of course, didn't have one with me.

So, Kevin still hasn't been to the particular PF Changs he took me to. I HAD been excited for him to go and thought it would be good to have Natalie try to eat out a at a "real" restaurant. As it was he ended up taking Natalie to McDonalds. Awwww... I did feel a little bad about that.

How Are You Feeling?

Well, I get this question a lot these days.... so I thought I'd tell the world.
In a word, the answer is PREGNANT. I think I'm about ready to have this little one (except for the fact that I have yet to find the dresser to complete Natalie's new room). The sleep I get at night is sub-par at best. I'm always hot and end up freezing Kevin out in order to fall asleep. I'm up 3 times a night to pee and I limp when I get out of bed as though I were 80 because my hips are all out of whack. I mean I know I'll be getting less sleep once this little one arrives, but I might be willing to trade that for what I've got now. Check back with me again in a few months on that one when I'm up every three hours for feedings.

I get heartburn from everything these days. Seriously, one almond can have me running for the Zantac or the Tums. All nuts and pizza sauce are right out. And apparently my body doesn't like something in the new Special K whole wheat crackers I bought yesterday. Heartburn from a cracker? Really, people.

Added on to all these things my back hurts and my feet and hands are swollen so sitting or standing for long periods of time are equally uncomfortable. All in all you've got yourself a woman about ready to will herself into labor.

Ok, so technically I have 6.5 more weeks till D-Day so it's too early yet, but I was told earlier this week that my due date COULD be as early as July 14th (rather than the 21st). I went in for a sonogram because my doctor thought that the baby was measuring small. I wasn't too alarmed by this news because Natalie was small and, believe me, she hurt plenty! She was also healthy at her small weight, so it wasn't a bad thing. But when I went in Tuesday to get the sonogram they told me the baby is looking pretty tall and skinny with a big head. TERRIFIC. Big head is NOT what I wanted to hear. They sent me home with some pictures that I will NOT be posting as they are rather alien-like (they took them looking directly at the eye sockets). The 3D sonogram does such a better job producing cute pictures, but alas the lab I was sent to this time did not have that capability.

Ahh well... I guess I'll just have to actually wait another month and a half to actually see this kid in person. I'm REALLY looking forward to it.

Yard Sales 2009

So, any of you who know me well, know I love a good bargain. I seriously crave yard sale season every summer and make a list of things that I'm looking for. This year, the list includes things like a wooden play kitchen, play food, another infant carseat (the same model we already have), a Sit N Stand Stroller, books for Natalie, a few baby boy clothes, a white dresser (for Natalie's new room), a crib (for Natalie's new room)... and the list goes on.

So far, between Craigslist and yardsales, I've found several things (and then some). Today, I scored big and found:

- several books (Dr. Seuss & Berenstain Bears for 50 cents a piece)
- another infant carseat in *mint* condition WITH a base ($25)
- a huge basket to store toys or blankets for under Natalie's crib (50 cents)
- 6 wooden puzzles with a cute little puzzle rack to hold them (for $4)
- an infant boy's winter coat (for $1)

This past month I also found the stroller and the crib I was looking for on craigslist (and a stand-up freezer to replace our small chest freezer in the garage). So my last few *big* purchases are a white dresser for Natalie's new room and a wooden play kitchen. I not only think FINDING what I'm looking for is exciting; I'm excited by the search.

Is anyone else addicted to craigslist and yardsaling like I am? Or am I the only nut out there?

Gramma...and the Bip Update

Kevin was gone last weekend to visit Gramma (his dad's mom) in a nursing home in North Carolina. It was a tough trip. Gramma is 95 and has recently been admitted to a unit of a nursing home for patients suffering from dementia and Alzheimers. She's the oldest of all of our grandparents and had such a full and busy life before she was robbed of her husband in the late 90's and then of her health little by little since then. This latest move out of her daughter's house and into the nursing home has been so difficult for her as she's not able to do all the things she once loved and be around family all the time. Kevin grew up with his grandparents living in the in-law suite attached to his house and loved being surrounded by his extended family, so it was especially hard for him to see her and wonder if it was the last time they'd see each other again.

Gramma lovingly sent back some gifts for the kids (craft projects she had done) and I hope that we're able to convey to them just how special she has been to us and how her strong faith helped shaped their grandpa and their dad. Thanks, Gramma!


While Kevin was gone last weekend, I decided to be brave and try to get rid of the "bip" (our name for the pacifier). I was leery that it would work - or that I would get any sleep. But, suprisingly, Natalie put up very little of a fight. We had already worked our way down to using it only at bedtime, so it just made that time a bit more of a trial. However, it was NOTHING compared to what I THOUGHT it would be. So, we're good for night-time sleeping now, but a new phenomenon has presented itself which I did NOT anticipate. Natalie has decided that she doesn't really NEED to nap anymore. Grrr... I've tried coaching, playing a cd, having her cuddle with stuffed animals, etc, etc. I finally decided that as long as she "hangs out" in her crib for at least 2 hours every afternoon, I'd have to be fine with that. Maybe the nap will come back... maybe not.

30 Weeks

So I'm only 3/4 of the way to d-day and the thought that I really have a whopping 10 weeks to go is staggering. It feels like I should be having this baby any day now!! I've been waddling for months and my stomach has already reached the size it was with Natalie at the end. Mentally, though, I definitely need more time. I've entered "panic mode" thinking about all of the hurdles of trying to care for two kids at such different stages AND work AND take care of the house. This weekend I've been setting up Natalie's new room (I'll get pictures up when I'm done) and attempting to de-pacifier her. Getting rid of "the bip" (as we call it around here) is actually going MUCH better than I anticipated and we've only had minor tantrums at bedtime rather than WWIII.

Next stop? Potty training.

I'm determined on this one. I've decided that the next rainy weekend we have (meaning I can't yardsale for much-needed items for the kids) I'll be letting her run free on the main floor (no carpet there) sans diaper. Should make for an interesting weekend.

I'm not so sure I should be so optimistic... but wouldn't you think that 3-4 days of no pants should work? I mean, I have STICKERS and BUBBLE WANDS and SINGING POTTYS and am prepared to do backflips and jump up and down and make myself go into labor over success on this one. Oh I know you're on the edge of your seat. =) I'll keep you posted!

The Relatives Came....

Last week my parents came to visit. I would have updated sooner, but work has been SO hectic and this is the first chance I've really had to breathe. Lately my mantra has been "better late than never". I'm sure that's what I'll be telling this little boy when he demands to know why HIS baby pictures are all still stuffed in a shoe box and his sister has a neat baby book chronicling her first blink, sniffle, hiccup and breath. Such is life kid, such is life.

Of course Natalie was the star of the week. And it's good, because I'm not quite as entertaining as a 20 month old anyway. Being fully prego and tired does that to you.
My parents spent the majority of their time doting on Natalie and doing my bidding (er... helping me with fixing up her new room and doing my dishes). Mom and Dad, I'll just say that you're welcome to come back ANY time. You sure did earn your keep! =)

We did manage to squeeze in a few fun outings throughout the week. We hit up the Inner Harbor in Baltimore to tour a couple of historic ships docked there, the USS Torsk and the USS Constellation.

The Torsk is a Naval Sub from WWII. Here's some shots from our tour...





The USS Constellation is a war ship used in the 1850's. The people must have a been a LOT shorter back then because my dad kept banging his head on the rafters in the hold.



Then, last Saturday we all went to the Broadway Diner for breakfast. They were featured on one of my favorite shows, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (on the FoodNetwork). *Kevin was there, but he was taking the picture.*

Then we rounded out the week with a visit from my dad's brother (Uncle Dave) and his wife Jennifer and Natalie's 10 year-old cousin, Kate.


It was such a nice, relaxing week. We're really looking forward to seeing my parents again in a couple months when this baby decides to make his appearance.