The dresser that wasn't.

I wasn't going to post anything about the "dresser from hades" but I've cooled off enough about it to post. More comical now than anything I guess...

I recently purchased a dresser online for the baby's room. I'm not really sure what I was thinking, but I had looked at several and didn't notice the poor reviews for this one until after I had made my purchase. I quickly called Babies R Us and attempted to renig my purchase as it had not yet been shipped. They told me that they'd try to stop the order, but that it was being sent from the manufacturer and they couldn't guarantee the cancellation. A few days later, I received an email confirming the dresser had indeed been shipped. So, Kevin suggested I call FedEx and request a return to sender. I did, and was informed that it would be returned to sender without being delivered. Perfect!

But, a few days later, I had a dresser on my front porch. Frustrated, I spent a lot of time on the phone with FedEx and Babies R Us (BRU) and finally got BRU to return the item at their charge - via UPS at their expense. So we set out the dresser to be picked up by UPS and I breathed a sigh of relief. This was finally out of my hair. Granted, I would have to eat the $30 shipping that it cost to get it to my house, but I could swallow that.

As I arrived home from work that day, I found the worst possible scenario - cementing this dresser as truly the "dresser from hades". There was a note from UPS on my door saying they had attempted to pick up the dresser and could not. The dresser was officially gone from my front porch and some loser was the new proud owner of a baby dresser. *sigh* I've since filed a police report and contested the BRU charge with my credit card, but I'm doubting anything will come of it. Some people just suck.

Aloha, Baby!

My girlfriends Jill, Kera and Melissa threw us a baby shower a few weeks ago. I just got the pictures in to post and I thought you'd enjoy seeing the fun we had. It was a luau theme complete with kabobs, Jill's famous guacamole, a humongous blowup flamingo and a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake (praline pecan flavored... yum-o!). If you notice in the picture, Kevin and I are wearing, yes, coconut bras. We also had grass skirts to complete the ensemble. =)
The shower was actually supposed to be a surprise, but I found out about it a few weeks ahead of time by seeing an invitation for it accidentally left out. Initially I was bummed to have found out, but it turned out to be a cool thing because I was able to find a cheap flight for my parents to come in town to celebrate in the festivities. We had a mini-family reunion of sorts as my aunts and uncles came also.
We got a lot of fabulous things for the baby and felt so blessed by all of our friends and family. I felt like I did at our wedding - it was so anticipated and over so quickly. What a good time we had though!

Jill, Me, Kera, Melissa (new mom to Joshua Caleb!!!)

Currently listening to....

Anberlin's new cd "Cities". My sister got me into this music. Its classified as emo. I'm not sure if it was around when I was in college and I have to say I don't like all of it, but Anberlin is pretty freakin awesome. I've been told by other's into it that there are a couple classifications of emo - the raging, screaming kind and the mellow kind. I think Anberlin is more mellow than screaming for sure, but they won't put you to sleep. So far my favorite track is #4 - A Whisper and A Clamor. Here's a taste.

Big news on the prego front...

Just wanna give a shout out to two friends today in exciting stages of their pregnancy. Angie and Eric have their official sonogram today and will be finding out what they're having. My guess is girl... but that's just because EVERYONE I know is having girls.

Second shout out is to Mike and Melissa. Melissa is being induced AS I WRITE and doesn't know what she's having. She's one of those patient types who can wait 9 months to find out if she needs to buy pink or blue. This is their 2nd child (they have a 3 year old girl). Pray for her today if you remember to. Let's hope this delivery is quick!

Seven weeks, 1 day to go for me. Eeek! I can hardly believe that!!!

Long time... no blog

Hey there... long time no blog. I know... I've been making a conscious effort to de-busy our lives so that we can actually have time for things like blogging and watching movies at home, etc. It seems that we've had something every night for the past couple months and this is the first week free. Excuses, excuses you say. =) Yeah, well. I can try. At least you know I mean well and don't purposely neglect the online community.

So its been an exciting bit of a day. I went for a doctor's visit yesterday and they measured me at 30 weeks - rather than 32 weeks. This is normally not a big issue, but it did cause me some alarm because the last time I was in (a month ago) I was only 1 week behind in my measurements. My doctor recommended I get an ultrasound today to more accurately measure the baby's progress. So, with a bit of fear and trepidation, I went into get a ultrasound today and get the word. Well, God is VERY good and apparently those measuring tapes aren't all that accurate. The baby is measuring just 2 days off of what she should be - not a deal in the least. We also had the tech confirm that we ARE indeed having a girl. As much as we'd enjoy having a boy, he'd certainly be hard pressed to find something in his size around this house. All of the cute infant clothes we have are rather pink and frilly. =) So with that all past us we are able to breathe a big sigh of relief and go along our marry pregnant way. Interesting fact though, the baby appears to be butt down, with her arms down by her sides. However, she must be quite the contortionist, because her legs are crossed in front of her face. Basically she's folded in half, arms at her sides... interesting. Not sure about that sleeping position, but I can't imagine that its comfortable. =)

So I'm including a picture of this 32 week prego body of mine. I'm noticing its getting a bit more uncomfortable as I walk and such and I've got a bit more swelling than before. I can imagine it only gets better!!!

One more cool tidbit before I go: my cousin and his wife just had their twin boys today and they were 32.5 weeks prego. While it was earlier than the doctors wanted, they are both doing very well and are rather healthy (one has assistance breathing for now). They came in at 3lbs 14 oz and 4lbs 4oz. Hard to believe that this little peanut is really that big now... Maybe we should rename her to pumpkin...

Down the OC, hon...

At least that's the way they say it in Mary-land. We're spending the weekend doing absolutely nothing (and loving it) in Ocean City, MD with our good friends Chris and Kera. There wasn't a lot that we could do for my birthday this year - being 8 months prego and all, so this came up at just the right time. I've actually been dying to go to a waterpark - but somehow it didnt seem wise for a fully pregnant woman to hurtle down a waterslide at lightening speed. Although I'm guaranteed to make a big splash, I'm sure that could be cause for inducing labor...

Oh, speaking of which, we've been doing our childbirth classes at the hospital. This past week we saw THE video. The one with all of the detailed shots of that all-important moment. I think all of the women in the video were going au naturale because they seemed to be in a lot of pain. Lets just hope at least - I was left thinking it all looked a lot more painful than the movies had ever let on and that I'd like to consider taking it all back. =) Do they do returns on this sort of thing?

Oh... one more development, we've been looking rather feverishly (ok...I'VE been looking feverishly) for some cherry colored nursery furniture. The only problem that I had run into was that I was trying to be fairly frugal and yet get something that I really liked. So this week we ended our search and found the perfect crib and changing table on craigslist. Have you ever used that site? Its the best since its all local and you don't have to pay shipping. So, now I've just got the dresser to buy (I'm looking around for one that will match) and we'll be set. I'll post a pic of the nursery once we get it put together. I'm so excited! Ha... Did I mention I was nesting?

28 weeks!

Here's the official photo from Saturday.

Kevin and I started our childbirth classes at the hospital yesterday. We have 6 weeks of classes (once a week) where we learn all about birth, caring for a newborn, etc, etc. The first night went pretty well. Kevin volunteered to get up front and wear a backpack on his stomach that the instructor proceeded to fill with 30 lbs of various odds and ends to symbolize all of the extra weight I'll be carrying around. Not sure its the best depiction of what its like to be prego, but an interesting perspective for him, nonetheless.

I've been busy looking at garage sales and craigslist for furniture and other bits of baby paraphernalia. I'm starting to wonder if I should just order some furniture online so that we have it in time, but I can't bring myself to part with the $$ that is required to get a crib AND a dresser/changing table brand new. I'll probably enjoy it more if I hold out for a real steal so I guess I'll keep looking for something used. I can't help but think that someone out there fell for the marketing ploy of "buy the best - aka EXPENSIVE - for your child" and needs to offload it for half the price. Ahh.. I think I'd be frugal even if I was a millionaire. =)

I had a doctors visit yesterday and everything checked out fine. I'm measuring a week behind schedule, but nothing to be worried about. I've had a lot of people come up to me and tell me that they think I'm carrying small for how far along I am. It honestly had me worried a couple weeks ago - so much so that I called my friend who's a resident at Hopkins and asked her about it. She said that there were a lot of reasons women carry differently and as long as my measurements were within 2 weeks of where I actually was, then I was fine. The little bambino has been moving a lot more frequently - so that had been reassuring. I guess I can hope for a smaller (but still healthy) baby after all!

A lot of people have been asking me if I have any unusual cravings. Um... well no. I eat sweets a lot more than before and I know that's not really good for me, but my willpower has gone straight out the door. I've been walking to combat the calorie increase and that seems to help. I tried to run as long as I could (I wanted to run a 5K at 24 weeks) but it was highly unrealistic to think I'd be running very long into my pregnancy. I've heard of women that run right up until their due date, but I'm not sure how they do that. I get a sharp pain at the base of my stomach when I run - ligament pain I've heard. I tried biking and that produced its own pain so I'm just walking. Its kind of funny because my hands and my feet puff up horribly after about 45 minutes and I resemble the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

You know what is interesting is people's reaction to a pregnant woman that is active (exercising or just willing to carry things, squat, do cartwheels with the kids, etc). A lot of people have the perception that you can't break a sweat when you're pregnant because its bad for the baby. If I followed everyones advice, I'd be parked on the couch in the air-conditioning, sending Kevin to the store every 15 minutes to replenish my bon-bon supply. Hmm.. that doesn't sound so bad! =) Honestly, though, I'm not really the sort to have people wait on me - I'm just too impatient. And I prefer to do things myself. Ha! I'd like to be the one lifting, painting, going here and there, crossing things off my list. My body has definitely told me to slow down but I don't think I'll ever completely sit back and be waited on unless (heaven forbid) I'm bound to bed rest. We'll see what these last 12 weeks holds... I've been told that the third trimester is a whole different ballgame!

Nesting

Ok, ok. I know its been a while. I really have no excuse! I have to mentally prepare myself for a blog entry I guess and feel like I have something to say. I've actually been getting a lot done the past couple weeks. Kevin has been out of town for business in Dallas and now is on a guys' fishing trip. I originally balked at the idea of him leaving so soon after he just got back from Dallas, but this is his last chance to get away before the kiddo arrives and I knew he REALLY wanted to go. Strange thing, fishing is. I have absolutely no desire to sit there with a pole in the water and reel the slimy little buggers in. But if that's what makes you happy... To each his own!

I've been a bit OCD in Kevin's absence. I'm a list maker from way back and am constantly scheduling out my time at home to figure out how much I can cram into my evenings and weekends. My inlaws came over last week and helped me install the closet shelves in the coat closet (it looks awesome!). Then, Kevin (in his brief stop at the house between trips) helped me install the baby's closet shelves. (No...we still dont have a name). Of course I had to then organize all of the cute little clothes and hang them up and arrange the room just so. We still dont have furniture for that room, but I have been amassing quite a stash of baby items (swing, pack n play, activity mat, bathtub, etc) that are finding a home piled in the corner. Its all a combination of garage sale finds and generous hand me downs from friends. I've found that baby stuff retails for a ridiculous amount of money so whatever I can get my hands on in gently used condition, I'm happy to have. Its ridiculous that baby items are so pricey when they are needed for only a short period of time!

I've found that I've been staying up late (last night 2am, tonight... 1245) several nights because I've not been tired and I've been compelled to finish a long task list before I finally hit the hay. What could be so important, you ask? Ah, well tonight I went through mail, did laundry, organized everything under the bathroom sink and weeded my old purses for goodwill - all after 10pm. I also ironed some baby clothes... hmmm... I dont even iron my OWN clothes. I guess you call this nesting - this wanting to make sure everything is in order before the kid arrives. I'm even itching to organize my husbands computer room - I must be REALLY crazy! Maybe I'm just realizing that I'm not going to have time to do this stuff after Sept 8th so I better jump at the opportunity.

You know though, my girlfriend Jill was just telling me how much she was surprised that she was able to get so much done since she's had her daughter. And I've recently met a lady at church with 4 boys (one is an infant) and she works full time. So, maybe it wont really be as bad as I think. I still think I'd like to go camping in October (in a tent)... I may really think I'm nuts when that rolls around. I'll keep you posted!

We Love GOOD Food. =)

Alright, Folks! We've been eating at home more to save money and I've been trying to make the meals a little more "gourmet" to make it exciting. Here's a few recipes (some freshly tried and some old favorites) that we absolutely love. Hope you enjoy them too!

Super easy and QUICK Ribs

Yummy Baked Scallops (make sure you read the reviews and cut down on the sauce so they won't be too mushy)

Lauren's Favorite Shrimp Salad (use a little Kraft spicy mayo in place of some of the regular mayo)

Cornucopia Salad
(This is the BEST SALAD YOU'VE EVER EATEN **everyone asks for this recipe** Add shrimp or chicken to it to make it a dinner)

3 Tbsp sugar
½ cup sliced almonds
½ head green leaf lettuce
½ head romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped celery
4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, cut up
1 apple, peeled and sliced
¼ cup dried crasins
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 large can mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ cup oil
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
Wisk together

Melt the 3 Tbsp of sugar in a large, dry frying pan with the almonds. Stir until the almonds are coated and browned, being careful not to burn. Spread almonds on aluminum foil.

Put all ingredients in a large bowl. Add almonds and toss with the dressing.

Sausage Fingers

Tonights blog entry is inspired by my friend Rachel and her fun method of linking items.

Ahh... so I just got back from an hour long walk. I've been walking here the past few days. I had been walking around the park near our house, but its only a mile loop so walking it three times can get boring. I've exhaused many of the loops around our house too - so this is a nice change. I noticed today I got a few funny stares. My t-shirt was pretty tight to my stomach so I'm sure people either knew I was pregnant or were thinking I needed to do a WHOLE LOT more walking. =)

One of the interesting things about pregnancy is the massive swelling that goes on in your body. I definitely think the heat (and the fact that I like salt) aggravates it too. At the end of my walk my fingers were like little sausages and my feet felt rather inflated. I've only really noticed this the past few weeks. That and a pain at the bottom of my stomach - which I've been told is ligament pain. For that reason, I've stopped jogging - it just hurt too much. I'd go out for a short jog around the block and be hobbling around the rest of the night as if I'd run a marathon. I thought riding a bike would be a bit better, but I paid dearly for that the next day - maybe I'm just bit too ambitious about how much I can do. =)

I'm sure at the end of the summer I'll be glad to have my body back, but right now I'm enjoying the aches and pains. I know, call me strange, but I guess after Joseph I'm just glad to have made it this far with a clean bill of health. Its almost as if these aches and pains are signals that the baby is getting bigger and my body is progressing as it should be. I had the realization tonight that I really only have 2.5 more weeks until my 3rd trimester! I dont know where I've been, but these past few weeks have really flown by. I remember the weeks crawling by in my first trimester thinking "am I really only 8 weeks?". I'm envisioning the summer going by pretty fast.

People have asked me if she moves a lot - and the answer is yes. She definitely has times in which she's active, though. The book I read said she has the wake/sleep patterns of a newborn now - which worries me a bit. Currently she's indicating that she's wide awake at 10am and 10pm!. Right as I'm winding down for bed she's ready to party. =)

Well, I'm going to go hit the sack soon. Night all!

25 weeks!!

Well, someone finally knew I was pregnant this week! Let me tell you this is SO refreshing. Its come up in conversations before this week and people have acted surprised when they find out I'm pregnant. Hmmm... not so encouraging since my stomach has been sticking out for some time now. Maybe they just think I have a vice for Ritas. Here's a pic of the 25 week belly...

What's in a Name?

So a lot of people have been asking us if we've picked a name yet (because peanut would be a bit odd). The short answer to that question? No. This has been the great debate as Kevin and I seem to be on opposite sides of the fence about the perfect name. I think that's the hardest part. If this was kid #4 or #5, it might be a bit less important to pick that "perfect" name since maybe we'd already have exhausted our favorites. But since we don't know how many girls we're going to have, this is our ONE shot at the best girl name we can come up with - no pressure!

Generally speaking, Kevin likes names that are bit more commonplace and I like names that are a bit more unusual - but not made up or bizarre (like Moonflower or anything). If you talk to us in person about it, Kevin will be happy to chime in that I thought the name Mordecai was a nice name at one point. Just to defend myself, I thought the name Kai was cute for a boy (although its not my FAVORITE) and I thought that Mordecai was a great character in the Bible. Retrospectively, if I really wanted the name Kai, I'd probably go with Malachi...but we've got girls name to focus on so it doesn't really matter. That's the hardest part - Kevin and I semi agreed on boy's names we liked (except for Mordecai, obviously) and had never really discussed girls names. Ah well, we have 3 more months to duke it out I guess. =)

Oh, just to let you know... we're not actually sharing what the contenders are. We WILL share her name with everyone once we've picked it out, though. It just makes it easier for both of us to weigh the choices in our minds. However, if you have any ideas for what you think her name should be, we're definitely taking suggestions. So, please leave a comment. We can use all the help we can get!

Babified

Last week we did something we had never done - registered for baby stuff. I intended to go with a girlfriend of mine who was educated in the field of what you really needed to get by, but Kevin was determined not to be left out of the festivities and insisted he come along. So we made it a double date - Nathan and Heather (& Ella) and Kevin and me.

As we perused the aisles of highchairs and pack n plays, Kevin quickly became a "deer in the headlights" and proclaimed he was headed to the camping section. Ha! Ah well... at least he lasted 5 minutes. =)

I have to admit to being a bit overwhelmed myself. Neither one of us want our home to be "babified" - a term we use to describe the virtual "taking over the house" by primary colored plastic objects. I'm sure its something that becomes rather innocuous to you after a while, but the idea of having our little cutie pie enter our life requiring much more stuff for a day out of the house than I have ever taken on a week long vacation is a bit horrifying to both of us. Ah, you say... "such newbies". And I have to admit - we really are.

So we've managed to pick out fairly neutral baby gear just to make the initial impact a bit less shocking, but I'm guessing that this kid is going to be like all the rest eventually - brightly colored plastic toys in tow. And I'm guessing at that point (once they're here) we won't really care about that stuff anymore.

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Lib!

Today is a momentous occasion. It's my sister Elizabeth's 1/2 birthday - she's the big 21.5 today! I'm sure a lot of you out there probably don't celebrate half birthday's but my family always made it a point to celebrate those all important milestones with a little recognition, because lets face it - when you're little a year is a heck of a long time to wait! It all really got started from a kids book titled (The Half Birthday Party). You have to remember that we were the family who at one point discovered that the maximum amount of books one person could check out of the library was 100 because we ACTUALLY had that many kids books checked out. =) Celebrating half birthdays is a tradition that just stuck for us and I plan on carrying it into OUR kids' lives. I think that theres far too little celebration anymore. And with the ho-hum of our daily lives, there needs to be a little bit more to look forward to. Twenty-four weeks tomorrow...officially 60% of the way there! Lets have a party. =)

Trip to Good Ole Springfield

During our trip to KC, I travelled down to Springfield, MO to hang out with two of my close girlfriends - Angie and Miriam. Miriam is hard at work being mom to her beautiful newborn twin girls and Angie is enjoying a really cool new house. I'm not sure when I'll be able to make it back to Springfield with a little one on the way, so it was good to catch up while I still could. I'm really dying to go to Silver Dollar City one of these days so (horror of all horrors) maybe I'll be able to talk Kevin into a family vacation to Branson. Ha! I never thought I'd see the day. =)

Angie and Me

Congratulations, Lib!

Kevin and I went to KC this past weekend and witnessed a momentous event - my baby sister graduating from college! Hard to believe that the baby of the family is out of school - we just couldnt be prouder. We all had a great time and my only regret is that we aren't in the same town to hang out more often. Love you lots girl!



Mommo and Poppo and Us

Prego Pic

Here's a pic of me at 20 weeks (officially 3 weeks ago now). But I thought I'd put it up here since I'm constantly getting reprimanded for not including enough pregnant photos. =)

Stuck in West Palm Beach

I, Kevin, am stuck here in West Palm Beach. That doesn't sound so bad now does it? Imagine if you will, some possible way that being stuck a mile from the beach in south Florida could possibly be anything but grand and fantastic. Imagine it! Stuck! Wow that would be great, no? Well, it's true, I'm stuck here, but it's not at all the essense of my hopes and dreams. In fact, the reason it's not so terrific is because I'm on a Boeing 737, with 140 other passengers parked nicely in front of Gate B5 and we aren't going anywhere. Why? Because Baltimore ground has declared us grounded because of "traffic". How do you have traffic in a 3D airspace? Well, we're here for a good while enjoying each other's sweaty stench and cramped armrests while we wait...just to take off. :)

Oh well... I always heard of people being stuck on planes for hours and thought "wow that must be aweful". Yup.

-Kevin

Mothers of Preschoolers

I went to my first MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting this past Monday and it was an interesting experience. Now, before you think we may have a 3 year old that we keep locked in our basement and have yet to bring them up, let me just clarify that MOPS allows women to join that have children aged 0-5. And pregnant women are welcome too. Just wanted to clear that up so you didn't start scratching your heads. =)
I wasn't really sure what to think about the whole affair before I went. In my mind I envisioned women sitting in a circle discussing diaper rash, potty training and Elmo. I was happily surprised when I arrived and found that they had a ladies clothing swap (maternity and non-maternity clothes), a speaker on financial planning, lots of ladies NOT dressed in jumpers, and (last but not least) plenty of good food! Who would have thought?? I'm definitely headed back next month - they're doing a ladies pampering night and there will be chocolate, a coffee bar, paraffin hand dips, a relaxation station and more.

We're having a what???

So we went to Hopkins yesterday for our detailed anatomy ultrasound and we were so excited to learn that the baby is looking totally healthy and normal! We also found out a little bit more about just WHO this little one is going to be...
The ultrasound tech said with a great deal of confidence... "I dont even need to look anymore, this is definitely a little girl!". Both Kevin and I were a bit in shock b/c the doctor at our last ultrasound had told us she thought it was a boy (although it was technically too early to really make out the parts). So we had privately been referring to "him" this and "he" that. We'd even dismissed girl names and focused on the boy names! So... we were both stunned (and delighted!) to learn the news.
I've included some pics for your viewing pleasure. We were fortunate to get a few 3D pics along with the regular ones that really show her facial features well. Enjoy!