A View of the Nursery

Baby's crib, with Welcome sign my mom made for the shower.

Yes, the title of that post implies that the nursery is done.  I guess it kind of is.  We still have stuff to move around and eventually we will move swings and bouncy chairs and stuff to the living room (sure not going to make the baby bounce in his chair in his room all alone), but for the most part it is pretty organized.

This organization is completely due to my over-the-top, amazing, wonderful friend Sarah.  Everyone needs a friend like her.  Yes, she is the same friend who helped me pack boxes, clean my apartment, move my stuff, etc.  It's crazy how many favors I owe her.  We try to repay her with lots of dinners and a few movies, but it's not really adequate payment for all the help she has given me.

So, after trying to get organized all by myself and failing, I called her to come over on Saturday and whip me into baby-ready shape.  And that she did.  Here is the "before' picture, just in case you forgot!

The "before" nursery

And of course, while we are trying to do this I get more visitors than I've ever had in my life and yest again was a bad worker.  My sister and her family come over to visit Dolce (so I hung out and chat with my sis and made sure the dog didn't eat the kiddos' new toys while Sarah tried to put a big, complicated swing together - with the help of my 3yr old niece), and then about an hour later our golf friends stopped by to pick up hubs for a favor (they needed some boxes moved) and we chatted with them for a while (while Sarah kept working hard). 

We had promised her Honduran enchiladas for dinner as repayment but didn't get them finished until 8:30pm.  I think Sarah had had about enough of us and was really itching to leave, but I forced her to stay for dinner.  That's what a great friend I am!

So, what did we do?  We washed up the last bit of clothes, washed the last bit of diapers, boiled the pre-fold cloth diapers, put the bouncy chair and swing together, organized and washed all the bottles and their accessories, organized baby stuff into categories of first aide, my stuff (like breast pads), toys, things that go in the changing table (swaddle blankets, diapers, cloth wipes, blankets, etc.), put up the co-sleeper, made the crib (i.e. put some sheets on it), etc.  Yup, it was a bit of work.  However, I am SO happy it is done.

Changing table with hanging blanket.

Then, last night hubs and I tried to finish the rest of the stuff - we put a lamp in the baby's room, I put on all the washed pieces (i.e. covers for the bouncy seat and swing and sheets on the co-sleeper, etc.), I put all the diapers and towels into the changing table, we moved the changing table to its permanent spot, hung up some decorations, put stuff away in the closet, arranged stuffed animals, displayed some books, cleared space in the kitchen cupboards and put the bottles away, and I think that's it. 

Baby's dresser and swing (and closet)

I know you are probably thinking that I am "nesting" but I don't think I am.  I sure didn't feel motivated to do any of this - hubs was in his "nesting" mood though and there is no stopping him.  So, unless I wanted stuff hung up crooked, and things put away in weird spots, I had to help out.  I am *hoping* that the "nesting" that comes with almost-about-to-give-birth is a bit more exciting and filled with motivation.  We'll see I guess!

I know most people on the blogosphere (and most people I know) get way into the nursery - they pick a theme, paint walls, buy a ton of things to put on the wall, hang up curtains, etc. - so our nursery probably looks pretty boring and plain to most.  My sister put up a wall mural and so many little decorations and her nursery was so adorable.  We didn't really have money to do this and although I was thinking of a cow/barn/farm theme for the nursery we didn't buy a ton of stuff to do that.  My mom made some things with that theme (the Welcome sign, the blanket hanging on the wall, the pillow in the crib, and some stuffed barn animals), but we didn't go all out.  We had/have so many things to buy that are necessities (diapers, wipes, baby/dog gates, etc.) that I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a nursery the baby would never remember.  So, pretty much our nursery is a mish-mash of things that people gave us. 

And to tell you the truth - that's pretty much what our life is like too! 

I hope you've enjoyed the tour anyway!!

Fill in the Blanks Friday!!!

I haven't done Fill in the Blanks Friday is so long!  I missed it so I decided to participate again.  If you want to join up, visit Lauren at the little things we do and link up.  It's super fun!  And enjoy my blanks!

1. The best thing to do on a hot day is eat lots of watermelon, run through sprinklers, and drink smoothies.  I love hot days and don't mind sweating, as long as I'm not trying to look "professional" or "sexy".  I don't mind just sitting in the shade on a super hot day and enjoying the heat.  I know, I'm crazy!

2. The best place to be on a hot day is somewhere with lots of shade and drinks.  I remember as a kid we went to Pompeii in Italy and it was super hot and we were surrounded by stone structures and stone streets and NO FOOD/DRINK stands.  It was so hot and miserable.  I like to sit in the shade and drink cold drinks.  A nice park or my balcony or something of that nature.  The woods are a nice place to be too.

3. The best thing to eat on a hot day is watermelon!  As I said above - watermelon and smoothies are so yummy on hot days.  Fresh strawberries too.  When I lived in Honduras they always had hot soup when it was really hot - which made you sweat a ton more but then you felt cool afterwards.  For some reason I love BBQ foods when it's super hot too - hamburgers, mac and cheese, potato salad, etc.

4. Hot days are the best.  I love the heat.  People think I'm crazy but I'd much rather be hot than cold.  I don't really mind hot days as long as I don't have to be doing something.  For example, if A/C didn't exist then trying to work in an office building when it was 100* out would NOT be fun.  Nor would  school.  However, if I am just lazying around, a hot day doesn't bother me.

5. My go-to uniform on a warm summer day is a loose-fitting summer dress or a skirt.  Of course, since getting pregnant my thighs like to rub together so dresses and skirts are NOT comfortable without some sort of shorts action going on underneath (does anyone else have this problem???).  If I'm at home then I love a nice soft pair of cotton shorts and a loose-fitting tank top.  I don't leave the house in those types of clothes though!

6. The scent that reminds me of summer is that thick scent of humidity in the woods.  It's hard to describe, but here in Maryland it is SUPER humid and there is a special way that the woods smell when it's super hot and humid.  When I walk the dog through the paths in the neighborhood that head into the woods, that smell always reminds me of summer.

7. My favorite thing about summer are the long days.  I love that the evenings are light for so long.  I also love summer-time activities like golfing, picnicking, BBQs, walks in the park, movies outside, lakeside concerts, etc.  I used to love being off during the summer but now that I have a job and I'm not in school, I don't get to enjoy that aspect of summer anymore!

There you have it!!  

Hope you have a wonderful Friday!!!

Bump Shot: 36 Weeks

I seem to have grown a LOT in the last few days.  My shirts are getting a tad bit too small.  It is hard to find something that covers the bump appropriately!  Luckily I don't have too much time left at work, so I only need outfits for three more weeks.  Then I can wear the same thing every day.  :-)

Here are some thoughts on Week 36:

* Still sleeping fine.  This is amazing to me.  I sometimes have to get up around 3am and use the bathroom, but that's about it.  I pretty much fall asleep ten seconds after crawling into bed and hardly wake up at all.  And when I do wake up (i.e. to switch sides or cuddle with hubs) I just fall back asleep again.  And this happened even when I wasn't pregnant, so I can't actually blame it on pregnancy.  My body is going to go into shock when I am awake all night with Maple Baby.

* I have been feeling nauseous every once in a while.  Not sure why, and not sure if it's pregnancy-related, but it's annoying.  It's especially annoying on the bus.  I hate feeling sick on the bus.

* I am tired all the time.  Ugh, this is the worst.  I have so much work to get done and prep to do before taking leave and this is not the time to want to crawl under my desk and take a nap.  I have been trying to beat the sleepiness by taking walks every day and standing up and shaking around (I think my across the alley - window mates thing I'm crazy).  It's not helping all that much.  It also hasn't helped that hubs and I have had things to do every night this week.  Makes for a tired evening too.

* I will never get tired of people being nice to me.  Yesterday while walking around the White House a stranger came up to me and said, "What a beautiful baby you're going to have!" and kept walking.  How nice!

* I will be happy when people stop giving me their opinions on everything.  The rude comments on my size have stopped, but people still constantly tell me that the baby's dropped or the baby hasn't dropped or the baby's big or my belly's pointed, and numerous other things.  Of course one person says one thing and then two seconds later someone else says the exact opposite.  I just politely agree with everyone.  And then people keep asking, "How do you feel?" in a way that makes me think they are waiting for me to feel horrible.  I always say I feel great - even if I feel horrible - just because I don't want to give them the satisfaction of thinking that I feel horrible.  I know they are probably just trying to be nice and I'm SURE I did the exact same thing to other pregnant people, but now I know to not do it!  Or maybe I am just extra sensitive.  I did read a story about a man floating his arthritic dog and shed a few tears.  It's possible my hormones are out of whack.

* On Tuesday hubs and I met with our Doula(s).  We actually have two.  They were both really nice.  I'm still a bit apprehensive about having extra people in the room while I'm giving birth and writhing around in pain, but if they can make the experience a bit easier than I guess it's worth it.  And people say that modesty goes out the door during labor - so hopefully that's true.  I wasn't going to have a Doula except that the birthing center recommended it.  Johns Hopkins School of Nursing has a community doula program for metro DC/Baltimore so we don't have to pay anything.  We never could have afforded $300, which is the going doula rate in the area.

* The baby room and hospital bag still haven't been accomplished!  I tried hard to get it done and did buy a few items to put in the bag.  And I washed a bunch of our diapers.  So that was progress, right?  Oh, and I put our baby clothes in the dresser.  I think that was about it.  This weekend I'm gonna make some more progress.

I am still in a bit of disbelief that I am so far along.  I just have to make it to 37 weeks and I can give birth in the birthing center.  And then I have to make sure the baby comes out before the 42nd week!  I can't wait to meet the little guy!

My failed Pinterest recipe...

Before I get started, I would like to say that I think I'm getting hot flashes.  Is this a result of pregnancy?  I NEVER get hot, especially in my office.  However, a few times today I've started getting really hot and even a bit sweaty.

But I cooled down and now feel normal.

Not sure if the heating/air conditioning is playing a trick on me or if my body is finally starting to heat up a bit with this pregnancy.

Just thought I'd mention that.

This weekend I decided I would make some soup that I could freeze and easily bring to the birthing center to eat while laboring.  Remember, since it's a birthing center there is no cafeteria.  Or even someone who cooks.  There is a kitchen, but you have to do your own cooking.

Since Ivan doesn't cook much I figure I better have some stuff prepared so that I don't starve.  There is a grocery store kinda close by and across a busy street there is McDonalds and Subway.  So we aren't completely in a food wasteland.

But, anyway, I figured this Gnocci, Sausage, and Spinach Soup that I found on Pinterest looked so yummy and was filled with carbs, fat, and veggies.  What a great thing to make.  Here is my versions (next to the real version):

Source: Picture on right is from Reeni at Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice

Yeah, I'm not sure what happened.  I'm still really curious as to how Reeni (from Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice) got hers to look so much tastier than mine.  And redish colored.  Hers looks like tomato cream and mine looks like alfredo.  I skipped the roasted red pepper but that was it.  Is the pepper what gave it such a richer color?  Did I pour in too much cream?  Hmm, not sure.  The soup isn't bad, it's pretty tasty actually, but I think it would taste better if it looked liker hers.

It's a mystery!

And since I have nothing else to talk about, here are some more pics of my lunch:

Lovely fruit

According the the Bradley Method nutrition guidelines, I'm suppose to eat a citrus fruit at least once a day.  So, every day I try to have an orange or grapefruit.  It's suppose to build strong membranes (so my water doesn't burst prematurely).  I've eaten so much citrus my baby will probably come out in it's bag of water!  And who can resist $1.99 lb cherries?  YUM!

Tricking myself into thinking I'm not drinking water...

In an attempt to drink more water, I decided to buy these sparkling waters with "essence" of fruit.  This one is raspberry and the other one I got was lemon/lime.  Hmm, "essence" doesn't actually mean a ton of flavor.  It's ok, but I sure would like something that tasted a bit more like Orangina, but without sugar or too many calories, of course...since the midwives told me to avoid drinking too much juice.  I think my body's too smart though - it doesn't really crave these drinks like it does Pepsi or real orange juice.  I guess it's better than water though.  And since my pee was the color of my bridesmaids' dresses, I better get on the drinking bandwagon!

Oh, and another tidbit of info.  Check out my new work shoes:

I am a fashion queen!

Yup, I have resorted to wearing tennis shoes every day to work.  I lost my work shoes last week (can't remember if I told you that or not) and had to wear flip flops and tennis shoes.  Then I found my work shoes and wore them but they were so tight I decided to wear tennis shoes instead.  And I haven't turned back.  Everyone in my office thinks I just got back from a walk and everyone in the street thinks that I changed out of my high-style pumps into tennis shoes (at least that what I pretend they think, since I don't actually know).

My feet are so much happier.

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What did you have for lunch today?

Have you ever made a recipe that you found on Pinterest?

What do your work shoes look like?

Spots of Happiness V.4

Is it really Friday again?  My how time flies these days!  I guess having so much stuff to organize and get ready makes the time go by much faster than normal.  This week was full of happy spots, so let's see if I can remember them!

* Another baby shower!  My co-workers threw me a very lovely baby shower at work this week.  It was so fun and beautiful.  They even had a theme: Pea in a Pod.  So cute!  The entire conference room was decorated and there was a huge cannoli cake and food and presents.  It was amazing.  I felt so loved!  My coworkers are AWESOME!

* We also had another party at work - but a going-away breakfast.  Not quite so happy, but I'm happy for my co-worker because she is embarking on a new adventure.  I imagine it's scary to start a new life path and I think it's amazing when people do.  So, although I'm sad to see her go (we've worked together for almost five years), I'm happy that she is getting an opportunity to fulfill a dream.  And I know it will work out!

* While on the topic of being happy for other people, I'm happy for my best bus friend because I am pretty sure she's getting a new job!  I'm sad for me, because she won't be on the bus anymore, but I'm thrilled she found a job that is only SIX minutes from her house!!!  For those of you who don't understand, we commute 3-4 hours a day for work.  That's a LONG time.  It takes about an hour and twenty minutes to get to work in the morning and about two hours to get home.  Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes it's shorter (but not often).  Either way - it's TOO MUCH TIME.  I am so happy that she has found a new job that she really wants that is soooooo close.  Her life will drastically improve!  I, on the other hand, will be stalked by scary, sketchey old men again.  Boo.

* I am very happy that I have an umbrella the size of a small house.  It was pouring rain this morning and everyone else was getting soaked (in their tiny umbrellas that barely cover their heads) but I was completely dry because my umbrella was so big.  It's a golf umbrella and people always make fun of me because it's soooooooooooo huge, but really, it works so great.  And this morning, no one made a comment at the bus stop about how large my umbrella was.  I'm sure they were jealous.

* Dress Rehearsal!  Hubs and I took a Dress Rehearsal class at the birthing center.  Basically they go over what to expect during labor, when to call the midwife, what to bring, what to do, etc.  It's exciting and scary at the same time.  It could literally happen any time (but we're not ready, so don't happen yet!).  I also heard from my doula so we are meeting next week.  I am hoping she's nice, experienced, and doesn't make me feel awkward (since I will have to birth a baby in front of her).  Actually, I am hoping that labor makes all my modesty disappear because I am a little apprehensive about giving birth in front of people.  I feel awkward already.  Maybe once the pain starts I'll get over it.  At least I hope I will.

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What spots of happiness have you had this week?

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

 - Getting baby's room organized!

Do you have a huge umbrella or one of those tiny ones?

Are we ready for Maple Baby?

So, one question I get a lot is, "So, are you ready for the baby to come?" or "I bet you can't wait for that baby to come out!".

Umm, actually, no we aren't ready and yes, I can wait!!!!

I think I am mentally ready - I'm super excited to meet Maple Baby and hold him and take care of him (although I realize he's much easier to take care of in my belly than out).  I am not tired of being pregnant yet, so it's not like I want him out for that reason.  I'm actually content with him inside of me now and I know I'll miss his little kicks and his twists and turns.

But, really, the reason I want him to stay a tad bit longer in my oven belly is because of this:

Yup, that is Maple Baby's room.  Looks like it's all ready for him to move in!  Yikes!!!

Hubs said he was going to try and work on it today, so we'll see if he does.  It was all nice and neat, but then we had the baby shower so I put all of the baby stuff in there.  And then we got a stroller, so that went in there too.  And then yesterday our golf friends gave us their antique (is it an antique if it's only 20 years old?) dresser and changing table, so that got piled in there too.

The furniture is beautiful though.  I love it!  It's such great quality and will work out so well.  Eventually I'm going to do a post on all the things in my house that were given to me.  It's includes pretty much everything.  I think the only things we actually bought were our sofa and our TV stand.  Everything else was gifted to me/us from friends and family.  And it's worked out so well - we have lovely furniture!  And this new baby furniture is great.

So, no, we are not "ready" for Maple Baby to show up yet.  I mean, I haven't even packed my hospital bag yet!  Or finished reading my birthing books!  Cook for a tad bit longer Baby - I promise we'll get organized soon and your room won't be a safety hazard for too much longer....

Bump Shot: 35 Weeks

 

This is a nice comparision shot - in the bottom right corner you can see my belly from Week 29 (about 6 weeks ago).  I, personally, don't think it looks that much bigger now.  However, it FEELS bigger.  And in my mirror it looks bigger.  So, I'm not sure if it really is or it's just my imagination.  I can definitely tell that Maple Baby is getting heavier in there.  My thighs are pretty tired after climbing four flights of stairs to my apartment - and they really shouldn't be.  I wonder how much easier walking/running is going to be without an extra 30+ pounds inside of me.  I'm not sure if that's how much weight I've gained, but it's got to be something like that.  So my legs are probably getting stronger, right?  It's like walking with a weighted vest or something.  Or so I'm pretending.

Although things haven't gone completely downhill, I must admit that pregnancy is getting a tad bit more difficult.  Here are my thoughts on Week 35:

Minor Dislikes

* My feet are swelling more.  I haven't really had much of a problem with swelling up until now.  I think my feet have been swollen a few times, but nothing too noticeable.  Well, now they are swollen almost every day.  Sometimes all day and sometimes just at night.  I lost my work shoes last week (don't ask) and had to wear tennis shoes to work (and it was glorious).  Well, I found my shoes on Sunday so wore them to work yesterday - and it was painful!  My feet got swollen and my shoes felt so uncomfortable.  I wanted to take them off all day but was afraid if I did, I'd never get them back in my shoes.  And I didn't have another pair so I would have had to walk barefoot to the bus!  So, I kept them squished inside my shoes all day and the walk to the bus stop was quite miserable.  I am back in tennis shoes today.  I think maybe God hid my work shoes for a reason and they should stay hidden....

* I have to go to the bathroom at night.  Yup, I went 35 weeks without having to pee in the middle of the night, but that has ended.  I now wake up about 3am-4am and have to use the loo.  The worst is when I wake up at 4:30am to pee and I have to get up at 4:45am to walk the dog.  There is nothing worse than waking up 15 minutes before your alarm is going to go off.  What a bummer.

* I've had more headaches.  I think this is related to not drinking enough, and not some medical condition.  It's annoying though because I'm trying not to take any pain killers.  The headaches I get during pregnancy are nothing compared to the horrible headaches I get when I'm not pregnant (the type that never go away and keep getting stronger and stronger until you can't take it anymore).  It hasn't been hard to avoid Tylenol, but a headache is never really fun.  I took so much Tylenol in my second month of pregnancy when I had that horrendous sinus infection that I feel I shouldn't take another pill for ten years.  I'm trying to drink more water instead!

Those are the main "complaints" I have - nothing too grand and really, nothing to complain about.  Everything else is still pretty much the same.

Likes

I am still liking pregnancy, even with the minor dislikes addressed above.  I always felt that my body was made to birth babies for some reason and so far it has been good to me during pregnancy.  We'll see whether it was made to actually birth the baby in a few weeks! Here are some pregnancy positives:

* No heartburn - yay!

* No problems sleeping, although I miss sleeping on my back.

* No problems walking - I am still walking about 2 miles a day and then about 5 miles on Saturdays.  It still feels great to get moving and work my little body out. It will feel so great to go on my first run after recovering from labor.

* I really love how people/cars stop for me all the time.  If I need to cross the road, cars always stop and let me go.  Seeing as how stopping for people in crosswalks is becoming a dying art, I am always surprised when people stop and let me cross the street, cross parking lots, cross anywhere.  It's great.

* I am still LOVING feeling Maple Baby move.  Sometimes, for a split second, I feel like I have a parasite living in my belly and it catches me by surprise.  I'll feel this whirling going on and then I'll remember it's Maple Baby twisting and turning.  It is so fun and weird at the same time.  And hubs LOVES to rest his hand on my belly and feel him moving his hiney from one side of my belly button to the other.  He would be so shocked if he knew just how much moving around he did in there all day long.

Fears

As the birth of little Maple Baby approaches I feel like there are a few things that are getting me a bit nervous.  I am so excited to meet Maple Baby but I still have a few fears....

* I have a fear, as I'm sure many do, that I'm going to go into labor early.  I can only give birth at the birth center from week 37-42 and so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can hold out until at least week 37.  I won't be devastated if I can't give birth in the birthing center, but I really don't want Maple Baby to come too early.

* I'm also starting to get a little nervous about actually giving birth.  I'm hoping that's normal.  It is kind of a scary unknown - something that I'm hoping I'm ready and able to do, but since I have no idea, it's still a bit scary.  How will it feel?  How will I do?  Will I regret not having some sort of pain management?  It's exciting and scary at the same time.

* For some reason I also have a fear of developing postpartum depression.  There is a lot more talk about postpartum depression these days (which is great, since it isn't something that should be swept under the carpet and ignored), but all the talk makes me nervous that it's something that could happen to me.  I have not enjoyed having crazy mood swings during pregnancy (where I go from happy to super sad in ten seconds - I think hubs likes it even less) and I know there will be a big decrease in hormones after the baby is born and it will be normal to have some baby blues, but I'm hoping that that is all that happens.  We shall see.

Ok, this post has gone on for way too long!  That is my Week 35 update - nothing too new and exciting but hopefully somewhat entertaining.