Doctor Appt & Baby Balooga

Here's the "mixed company" report on my doctor appointment yesterday.

First, since I'm on rotation with the doctors in that office I had a different doctor this time instead of my normal one. She is one Chatty Cathy! Our appt was at 3:15, we got shown into a room at about 3:20 or so, and then the doctor didn't get in there until almost 4!! We could hear her in the next room chit-chatting with patients then later taking a call in the hallway and talking to someone about a woman's induction. She was really nice and personable but I'm glad she's not my doctor. All that waiting at every appointment would probably drive me a little crazy.

She is almost 100% sure that I have gall bladder issues and will most likely need to have it removed soon after the baby comes. She ordered some lab work to make sure my liver is functioning properly and also ordered other labwork that I wish I knew what it was exactly but I just know it's to make sure I'm not pre-eclamptic. My swelling is ridiculous and she was "troubled" by it when she looked/felt my feet. Really, she just had to look at my face - my nose usually doesn't spread out this way to take up half of it. Also, my fingers aren't usually the girth of sausage links and it used to be very common to be able to see the bone of my wrist. Baby Balooga.

Now, I know I'm a woman and women aren't typically the most forth-coming about their weight. Rest assured you won't be hearing any numbers, but my rapid weight gain was also a concern to the doctor...and I hope it's mostly water retention. Through week 18 I gained nothing. All of a sudden in 2 months I packed on 25 pounds. 25. 2-5. I have 5 weeks left...just sayin'.

The odd part is that my blood pressure is great. 110/70 yesterday. Hence, the bloodwork. Hopefully we'll figure out what's going on soon.

:::going to refill my water bottle:::
(that's for D since he said he doesn't see me drinking a lot at home. Honey, I've already had 24 oz today)

The doctor confirmed that Amelia is head down and low in my "nice, roomy" pelvis. Belly measured at 35/36 weeks and baby's heartbeat was 160bpm. Nice and healthy...good girl.

I've been playing the Oasis song "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" for Amelia in the car when I'm on the way to/from work. They say Classical music is good for the baby's brain development. I wonder what a little Oasis can do besides send her subliminal messages about her crying.

My parents will be in town around 5:30/6pm tonight. Very excited about that even though my house is a wreck. I don't think I've been nesting because I've had to force myself to organize, but I took all the junk out of my back guest room closet and now it's all over the floor. It's organized, but it's on the floor. So, I have to stick it all in plastic bins tonight as well as dust, vacuum (which, D actually does for me), clean bathrooms, make beds, etc, etc, etc. The nursery won't be ready completely but that's just the way it is.

My birthday completely snuck up on me this year. I've been so busy focusing on the birth of nieces and the impending birth of my own baby that all of a sudden my birthday was Monday. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but when you have a twin sister and you forget about your birthday then that becomes a problem. But, I found a wonderful solution that I think she will love. She'll be up here with her hubby and their adorable kiddos tomorrow night. I'm going to try out a dessert recipe that she sent me. If it's a success, I'll post pictures.

I really need to get to work. I have a lot to do today. Happy Thursday!

Picture Time!

First, for the record, I'm so done being pregnant. I love this little girl like crazy but I'm ready for her to be on the outside of me. I feel like a blowfish. From my ginormous, swollen, keep-my-husband-awake-with-my-snoring nose to my aching, puffy hands and Miss Piggy feet....I'm done. I think I've decided that June 12th will be my last day of work. That's my hope, anyway. More on that later this week after I speak to my doctor.

We painted the downstairs entertainment room french doors last night. White. They were just plain wood with some water damage at the bottom, but D & I decided they should be white. I got finished with dinner after D because I actually chew my food instead of inhaling it. So I set my dishes down to quickly check on D to see what he was doing since he had been running around the house getting things done all day. Found him in the downstairs entertainment room painting. He asked if I wanted to help tape off some edges that he hadn't gotten to yet so I agreed and went about taping. There was a lot of taping to do...it was many moments of "Oh, yeah, I probably should tape that, too" and "I'm not going to take off the hardware here so let's tape over that". It was nice to work together on a project instead of D just doing it himself. I offered to help paint and he actually let me. He took off to Lowe's for one item that he needed and I finished the first coat and then started on the second. Finished the second and D waited a bit then did the 3rd. We're thinking they might even need a 4th coat.

Here's the "before", and I'll show you the "after" when we're finished. This was a picture I happened to find that was taken several months ago, obviously not for the purpose of showing the door.


Our trip down to Oregon was a lot of fun. We ended up coming back Sunday night but I wished the whole day that we had stayed through Monday. Oh, well. We got a lot accomplished yesterday at the house.

We drove down to Oregon on Thursday night around 7:30pm and had no traffic issues at all - it was great. On Friday we headed over to Lindsay & Craig's to meet baby Kate. Since they live about a block and a half away from my other sister, D dropped me off there first so I could walk with Carrie and the kids over to Craig & Lindsay's. It was so nice to see Anna and Caleb again - I got in a LOT of snuggle time with Anna this weekend and we weren't 20 minutes out of Portland when I told D "I miss Anna already".

Here's baby Kate during one of the few times that weekend she actually had her eyes open. Normally she was either eating or still punch drunk from eating!


Lindsay was feeling up to getting out so we headed to the little park in their neighborhood. It was a beautiful, albeit warm, day so D & Craig played baseball with Caleb while the girls and babies sat on blankets on the grass.


That evening we got together at my parents' house for tacos. I used that opportunity to get a few more pictures of the babies. Here's Kate:

And here's Anna and Kate in the cradle that my great-uncle Glen made that my sisters and I used when we were babies.


Saturday, Lindsay & Craig stayed at home for most of the day while Carrie, Mom, Anna and I went shopping. I had some things I needed to do at the mall and they accompanied me. They bought nothing - I bought lots of great stuff - thankfully mostly with gift cards or returns. We got together on Saturday night again as a family - this time for hamburgers and hot dogs. The weather was still gorgeous and remained so throughout the weekend and through yesterday. Today looks promising, too.

Sunday was wonderful. Worship in the morning, then Happy Panda for lunch with my family and some great friends. During lunch, Carrie and Chris talked about how little Anna let them sleep the night before. I jokingly said "I'll take her for the afternoon so you guys can get some sleep," to which Carrie jokingly said "Ok sounds good, take her". Then she said "You know, you could if you really wanted to". So, that's what we did! D & I loaded her little carseat (that, oddly enough, weighs 75 lbs) into our car and took her to my parents' house for the afternoon. She was such a good girl. D & I played with her for quite a while and she was happy and smiley.

Here she is smiling at Uncle D:


I have video of her, too, but that will have to wait. This post is already out of control.

Sunday night we were thinking we'd head back home after evening worship services but Craig invited us over to see Kate one last time and I couldn't say no to that.
Kate & D (can you tell I'm the only one who ever thinks to grab the camera?), Caleb & Anna, and Chris with a very unhappy Anna.

We headed home Sunday night around 9:15 which means we got in around midnight. D unloaded the car then we both crashed. Yesterday was spent doing random things around the house. I think I should feel like I got a lot done but I dont' feel that way. My house still feels like a mess.

My parents, Chris, Carrie, and their kids are coming up this weekend since some of the ladies at church are throwing me a shower. I'm really looking forward to this weekend for both of those reasons.

This post is ridiculously long so I'm going to cut it off now. Hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend!

Much is happening!

I have some great, albeit old, news!

My sister, Lindsay, gave birth to Kate Mae on Tuesday, May 19 at 6:12pm. If you know my sister, you know she's tall and thin and from looking at her you wouldn't imagine that an 8 lb, 10 oz, 21" long baby could fit inside her cute frame. Kate's a big baby. She's also perfect and gorgeous! D and I are driving down to Oregon tonight to attempt to avoid some of the Memorial Day weekend traffic. I have to work for a few hours tomorrow morning but he has the day off.

I'll quit talking and show some pictures. This first one melts me. Doesn't my mom look like she's about to explode with stars and rainbows? I don't think there was a happier granny in the world when this photo was taken. Mom, make room for one more! Think she'll be able to fit Amelia in there? I've got an inkling that she'll manage!

And here is sweet Kate. First just her cute little face then one with her proud Mom and Dad.


Here's Anna when she was brand new. I think Kate & Anna look similar, although Kate definitely has some of her daddy's coloring.


Onto to less fun things. Since I wasn't able to be with my family when Kate was being born, I decided to keep myself busy and make some pear coffee cake. D & I bought a big bag of pears at Costco but they were too ripe to begin with so they ripened up very quickly when we got them home and soon became unappealing to me. So I peeled and diced them and decided to try a new recipe.

I used 2 bread pans rather than a fluted tube pan just because I wanted D to take a loaf to work and I wanted to take a loaf to work for our respective coworkers. I just watched them but I think they baked for about an hour - maybe more.

Pear Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS
2 cups sugar (I cut back the sugar by 1/2 cup and it was delicious. 2 cups would have been way too sweet for me)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped dates (I didn't have dates so I left these out)
3 cups chopped peeled pears
1 cup pecans, chopped (I used walnuts)

DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda; add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla. Bay hand, stir in coconut, dates, pears and pecans (batter will be thick). Spoon into a greased and floured fluted tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until cake tests done. Cool on rack until cake comes away from sides of pan; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

That's my coffee cake in the picture. It was yummy. D had a coworker eat at least 3 slices then eat the crumbs off the plate and ask when I was going to make more. Then he asked D if he bought the apples (D told him 3 times that they were pears), would I make him some more? Ha.

I have a sweet friend in Texas who sent this for Amelia. Who doesn't love smocking? Really. I'm in love with this little dress - I can't wait to see it on our baby girl!



Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Nursery, Car Seat, etc etc

The chair rail is installed in the nursery. D just has to putty it and use a wax pen to cover up the nails from the nail gun. It looks really great - we're excited. Then we'll be able to hang the valance and I'll have to start thinking about wall decor. I'm realizing how little storage I have in the nursery...I'm thinking about doing corner shelves since they tend to look less "in the way". The room is really small so we need to maximize the space we have... I drew these up in Publisher this morning and am hoping my husband's brother-in-law will make them for us. If not, then I'm sure D can figure out a way to make them happen. I'd go out and buy them but I haven't seen any that match what I'm looking for.

I was able to put away most of the gifts from the shower but it's driving me crazy not to rip the tags off the clothes and wash them all. I know many people say only to rip the tags off a few of the clothes in case you don't use them but how am I going to do that? I love every single clothing item I have for Amelia already that I can't imagine just not using any. And what a pain to want her to wear something one day that hasn't been washed yet. So, I'm torn. I know I still have a few more weeks before I should wash her clothes but tell me what you did with the tag-ripping/washing.

I spent the weekend sick. It wasn't all bad, I just couldn't breathe and I had to blow my nose every 2 minutes. It's much better today although the sore throat isn't completely gone. I knitted a scarf until I ran out of yarn, only to realize it was too short and I took it all apart. So, I started a new scarf. I'm becoming quicker at knitting but purling takes me longer. So the scarf I'm knitting now has only 1 row of purling and the rest is knitting...I'm getting through it much quicker.

Hopefully only about 4 weeks left of work. Woohoo! When I think about the fact that 4 weeks ago was 2 days before Anna was born, I realize how fast the time will fly :)

OH! We went to the hospital where we'll be delivering and took our car seat with us. We met one-on-one with a certified car seat inspector person and he taught us how to properly install our car seat and also how to properly "install" our baby in the car seat. Helpful stuff.

Sorry for the boring post. I'm going to be calling the Puget Sound Blood Center today to let them know that we plan on donating our baby's cord blood. I'm actually excited about it...there are so many people who can benefit from donated cord blood.

We're heading to Oregon this weekend, hopefully to see my younger sister's baby, but if not then Lindsay will be induced Sunday night and will hopefully have a baby for sure on Memorial Day which D and I will stay for.

Better get back to work. Or something.

Showers, Sweaters, & Tess

So we found a pediatrician. She's great. When I called to set up the "Meet & Greet", the receptionist said they only take about 20 minutes. Our pediatrician talked to us for almost an hour! Which, was great! The time went by very quickly - she asked us more questions than we asked her but we were able to get in our questions and she answered them very completely and very professionally. So, that's a big relief to have that out of the way.

On Wednesday afternoon, D's coworkers threw us a baby shower which I thought was really sweet of them. A few of the women he works with set up the room and arranged everything. It was so sweet!



This diaper cake is made of non-chlorine diapers (the reason they're beige instead of white) and had a bunch of really adorable necessities on it which I'm sure we'll get a ton of use out of everything! A few minutes after we arrived at the shower, one of the hostesses threw a blanket over the diaper cake and as a game had everyone try to remember what was on the cake. Well, I was trying not to stare it down because I didn't want people to think I was looking at it and examining everything on it even though I really wanted to! So, I only remembered 4 items. The woman who won the game remembered 10 items!

The pig is a piggy bank - isn't it adorable? It's so unusual but cute! It's wearing a tutu with a big ol' flower on it.



This is D, holding up part of a Janie & Jack sweet pea outfit we got. It's SO cute.







We're so very blessed for the friends we have and the generosity they show to us. I'm trying to stay on top of things by getting thank you cards done for this shower by this weekend. We'll see if that happens!

So, the sweet gal who taught me to knit sent us a gift for the baby. I got it in the mail today and I LOOOOOVE it. I dream of having the skill that she has! I know Amelia is going to get a LOT of use out of this little sweater. The camera makes it look blue, but it's actually a very sweet purple...matches some of the clothes that Amelia has already so it's perfect!


And finally, I took this picture because Tess has taken to laying here sometimes. It's usually while D is gone so I don't know if she's protecting me, watching to bark as people walk by, or if she just needs to use the restroom. At any rate, I think it's cute.

She's gotten much better about her place in the house and realizing that not all dogs get the cush life of sitting on the couch like humans. She still cuddles with us when we're on the couch, but no part of her touches the couch. Right now she's curled up under the coffee table and I can hear her snoring.

I had a doctor appointment yesterday. I turned away from the wall when I was weighed - I don't need to know what that number is...what good does it do me? My doctor scheduled us an ultrasound for 37 weeks which I'm really excited about! They'll measure everything and just generally check on the baby and I'll get to see Amelia one more time before we meet in real life! Her heartbeat at the appointment yesterday was 154 bpm...nice and strong!

Time to fold some laundry and work on my knitting.

My younger sister is officially on baby watch. Her due date is tomorrow so baby Kate can come at any time! Pretty exciting!

I'm Caving

I had a nice weekend. The weather on Saturday was gorgeous so D took that time to cut the baseboards for the baby's room. Tonight, the baseboards and chair rail will be painted as will a few other things for the nursery. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Last week, a very dear friend sent me these...

She sent them to me for Mother's Day since Amelia isn't here yet. If you've never had See's Candies you're missing out - you're missing out a lot. These particular chocolates are my favorite...they're called Bordeaux. This is how See's describes Bordeaux: "A classic favorite, See's Dark Chocolate Bordeaux is a heavenly blend of brown sugar and buttercream covered in rich, dark chocolate." Yeah, it's good. My very sweet friend knew how much I loved Bordeaux so she had a box shipped to me - so very thoughtful of her!

So, I'm going to cave.

I know I said I wouldn't show pictures of the nursery until after it's completed but I don't think I can wait. Well, more than that, I'm trying not to nail myself down to a date of when everything in the nursery will be completed because there's still a lot to do.

D set the baseboards in the nursery as they will be when he nails them into place. There will also be a chair rail around the room but those haven't been cut quite yet so you'll just have to use your imagination. We placed a few of the bedding set pieces around so you could see the bedding with the paint color and furniture. I'm very excited to start putting things into the drawers of the dresser/changing table! We're going to get a glider - we will just have to figure out a place to put it since that room is pretty small. But we'll get it in there somehow!

It's funny to me how different the paint color looks depending on where you're standing and the lighting. D described it at first as looking "Seahawks green" which I thought was funny...I guess it did look a little neon when it was first painted. But, like I said, it depends on where you're standing. There's still a lot left to do in this room so I think once everything is finished it will look much different than these initial pictures. So, these pictures are part of our process. I have pictures of D painting the room, cutting the baseboards, and assembling the furniture that I'll keep for posterity.

Tonight we have a meet & greet with a pediatrician in the area. At that time we'll schedule a meet & greet with another pediatrician in the same office and then decide between the two. I'm hoping that I'll have a chance to put my feet up tonight...my feet are swelling so much that my toes feel like sausages. Yeah, attractive.

Have a great Tuesday!

Mom

I remember thinking when I was a little girl that all the other moms must be just like mine. That she must be doing just what moms do. I wouldn't find out until later that my mom is unlike a lot of moms...she's special. And for some reason God blessed me with this woman as a mother. She's the reason I wanted to be a mom.

Sure, there were times when the job didn't look so fun, but I remember thinking how wonderful it's going to be when I'm a mom and I'm just like her. To be able to cook such fabulous meals (from memory!), to be the woman everyone wanted to plan their baby or wedding shower, who always had a crafty idea, who knew how to tie the perfect bow, who was a social butterfly and was never mean or rude to anyone, who was very involved in my kids' elementary school - always up there to plan the holiday parties or to simply read a story, to keep such a clean house all of the time, and to flirt and giggle with my husband like it was the day we met.

I know not a lot of 27-year-olds say this about their mom, but I want to be like her. I'm not there yet - there are a lot of things about my mom that I admire but that I don't know if I'll ever be. But, I can try! Even though roaming the church building after services and talking to people I may not know as well is outside of my comfort zone, my mom does it and she's great at making people feel special and loved. I want to have that ability. And someday, Lord willing, I will be an elder's wife, just like my mom. I will have children who are faithful to God and a family who is very, very close and love each other very much. If that's not a tribute to what great parents I have, I don't know what is.

My mom is such a great grandmother that it makes me want to cry. She loves her grandbabies so much - and already loves beyond measure the babies who aren't quite here yet. My mom has never been meddlesome in our lives the way some mothers tend to be - she doesn't cling to us needily or try to make our decisions for us. She has always told us to respect our husbands and she doesn't get involved in our marriages, although she loves each of her sons-in-law very much...that is evident. She's still very much our mother but in that she refused to be our friend when we were growing up, she's very much a friend now. I would say she's my best friend. I can always call her for advice or just to talk, and I always want her around.

So, on this Mother's Day, Mom I hope you have a wonderful day. Even though we can't be there, know that we absolutely love you and will never stop loving you. You're such a blessing to us.

And I have to say that I have the sweetest mother-in-law. There are so many married women who have nothing but bad things to say about their mother-in-law and there is so much hate in many daughter-in-law/mother-in-law relationships. My mother-in-law is sweet, giving, kind, and I really can't imagine having anyone better. She and my father-in-law raised a son who is also sweet, giving, kind as well as a hard worker with a love for God...I'm forever grateful for that! So, Mama B, thank you for being so loving and caring of me right from the start. Being your daughter-in-law has been a pleasure and I'm looking forward to many, many more years of learning from you. And I can't wait to see you as a grandma!
Both of my moms on D & my wedding day!

Back to the Grind

Happy Thursday!

I'm back in the office today after a wonderful day working from home yesterday. It was pouring outside all day long. I was so thankful to be on my couch, Miss Piggy feet propped up on several pillows, typing away on my laptop instead of sitting as I am now at my desk at work. I even treated myself to a 20-minute snooze fest...the sound of the rain outside was too inviting. I paused Paula Deen on the TV and drifted off...it was wonderful.

Can't do that today. Today I'm sitting in my cubicle with my feet resting on a metal bar under my desk that has been thoughtfully wrapped and taped with bubble wrap by a very sweet gal in HR. My feet are still swollen at the end of the day because, let's face it, to get my feet propped up at work so that they're above my heart would not be a sight people would want to see and frankly I wouldn't get any work done. At least I can see some blue sky peeking through the gray outside.

I got a very sweet gift from a friend yesterday. I took pictures but forgot my camera at home so I'll post those tonight or tomorrow.

It's cruise ship season once again. I can always tell who the newer employees are because when the first cruise ship docks right outside our window they're always the ones ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the size of the ship and how close it is to our building. I'd take a picture but, again, I left my camera at home.

Tonight, D buys and cuts the baseboards and chair rail for the baby's room. We won't be able to hang it until probably next week, but the fact that we're moving along on this nursery has me really excited. I wonder if D will consider assembling the furniture before putting in the baseboards and chair rail...

Well, Amelia's awake. I love to watch my belly distort as she squirms around in there. She had the hiccups again last night and, from what I can tell, she's still head-down. Good girl, stay that way, please!

I found a fake ring that D bought me off a website that he heard about through a coworker many moons ago. I think it was $3 or something. Anyway, since it was a size 7 it was always too big for my ring finger (or, really any other finger), but now it fits great! I don't know if I should be happy about that or really sad so I'm going to be happy about it. I will post pictures tonight/tomorrow. Be prepared for a picture post!

Wow, for not having anything to say I sure did say a lot!

Check out the giveaway on Stroller Patroller!

Happy Birthday, Granddad!

Why do I feel such guilt when I miss a day or two of posting? I think it must be residual from my March "I'll-post-every-day" stint, because I feel like I need to post every day.

First, I want to give a big shout-out to my Granddad who is celebrating his ::mrrsphfphs:: birthday today! Happy birthday, Granddad! And while I'm at it, happy Cinco de Mayo!

I have to say that it's a nasty day here. Nasty, nasty. Windy, pelting rain, gray, dark, depressing. Plus the I-90 floating bridge has the carpool lanes closed for a few weeks so I got to sit in traffic for a bit today in the wind and pelting rain. I left my house at 6:15 to pick up my carpool partner so we could hopefully get a head start on the traffic. It only worked a little.

I should tell you that we picked a paint color for the nursery. I'm so excited about it, too, I can't wait for D to slap the paint on the wall tonight! It's none of the colors that I previously showed you and to save myself from opinions that might alter the newfound confidence I have in my decorating abilities, I'm going to reveal the color when I reveal the nursery. Hoping to have the nursery completely done by the first of June. Hoping to have the paint, baseboards, chair rail, and furniture done by next weekend. Hoping.

I should mention that Amelia has found my ribs. She doesn't really kick them, she just manages to lodge her knee or foot right underneath them. It really hurts. I'm able to massage that body part (whatever it is) away from my ribs and, like a good little girl, she stays away. She's only hurt me a few times so far.

Last night we took a tour with our childbirth class of the hospital where we'll deliver. It wasn't a fun tour. Mostly because I was embarassed the entire time of how loud some of the people in our class were being while we were walking through the halls. One woman's door was open and she was holding her new baby. Some people literally stopped in front of her door and gaped at her. SERIOUSLY!? Give the woman some privacy! Also, it was hot on the recovery room floor. Crowd 22 people (11 of them being pregnant and having hot flashes anyway) into a tiny, overheated recovery room and it's like a furnace. I just took a drink of water because I was getting overheated just thinking about it again. The remodeled rooms were nice and I'll definitely be using the jacuzzi tub when I'm there.

Could someone please be a lamb and bring me a decaf, grande, extra caramel sauce, extra hot caramel macchiato, please? I don't want to walk to Starbucks in the rain today. Okay, thanks.

Oh, and just because I can, here are my favorite kiddos:

Happy Tuesday!