Friday, September 30, 2011

Friday Mind Dump

A lot of blogs I read have been doing "Friday Phone Dumps" with all the pics they took on their phones for the week. Well, I only took one picture this week (and usually don't take more than that) so I decided to give you a list of the top 5 random things going through my head this week. 

1. Seeing all of my Facebook friends that are having babies is making me very anxious for the arrival of Baby R. I want to see his squidgy little face!! 

2. Being told you're not allowed to do something makes you want to do it more. I know, groundbreaking news. Right now I want to fly pretty much anywhere. This is pretty significant given that I fear flying and much prefer it when I can drink copious amounts of alcohol before boarding. None of the above work in my current state. :-(

3. #1 illuminated the fact that I am excited about meeting Baby R. #3 is my confession that I am scared to death to meet Baby R. Sure, I have managed to keep some house plants and two pomeranians alive day-to-day but the reality that Scott and I are in charge of a human AND for the next 18+ years is pretty overwhelming from time to time. That's when I step back and remember to take it one day at a time. Then I go back to the excited place :-).

4. "My" CU buffaloes come to town to play Stanford next weekend. Suffice it to say, I am stocking up on anything that comes in black & gold. Funny...I just looked over and noticed that the pomeranians are pretty much black and gold! GO BUFFS!

5. The (.) versus the (!). I struggle with these silly little punctuation marks. Especially when chatting with people or sending friendly emails. Sometimes the period just seems so serious and stern. However, the exclamation mark seems a bit over the top and like I am yelling at people. I will admit, more often than not I rely on the ole (!) but maybe I need to dial it back a bit with some more (.)s in my life. While we are on it, I should also cut back on my use of (...). That is all.

Well, there you have it. My 5 random thoughts for this Friday morning. Enjoy your weekend!

The one picture I took on my phone this week. This was our wedding present from Allison & Justin and we found it a perfect home in our kitchen!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Cantaloupe

Good thing I haven't bought the cantaloupe mentioned in the previous post yet!!

Full story available here

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

34 weeks. 6 to go.

How Far Along: 34 weeks.

Size of Baby: 5 lbs. and 19 inches long. This week we will be dining on cantaloupe. ;-)

A comforting note...Scott was a preemie and born at 5 lbs. 5 oz. and he turned out perfect! Just a little peace of mind as we count down the weeks to full term. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Should be about 20 or 21.

Maternity Clothes: Yes and now I am starting to think about post partum clothes. Nursing tanks and such will be a necessity.

Movement: Baby R has officially found my ribs. Along with his Alien acrobatics (I swear an arm is going to poke through soon) he also seems to like to jam a foot under my ribs from time to time.

Symptoms: I had my first bout of heartburn this past week. Nothing a nice back rub and rest couldn't help. Overall I think I am entering into the "general discomfort" stage. Luckily I have had 34 weeks without this feeling and only need to get through 6 more!

What I Miss: Sushi. Haven't really wanted it for awhile but all of a sudden my need for Ebisu has come on strong!

Girl or BoyBoy!

Baby name hint: We are not going to start a Duggar trend...his name doesn't start with a J (thereby ruling out Jedediah and Jesus...sorry to disappoint).

Belly button In or Out: Still holding at flat.

Stretch Marks: Nope. 

Cravings: Still nothing to report here. Still on track to set a record for most animal crackers consumed in a pregnancy though. 

On the food note, we visited the hospital where I will be delivering for a class this week and I have deemed the food inedible. Family & friends, I welcome any non-hospital cafeteria food while in the hospital ;-). 
Best Moment This Week: Heading up to the hospital for newborn parenting class. The class got a little long but it was fun to imagine our little guy and also think about how in 6 short weeks we will be just a few floors up with him in our arms (it was kind of a trip thinking that while we were there someone was likely having their baby!). 

I don't have a weekend update this week as I took zero pictures :-(.
One from last night at our last Giants game of the season.
 

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Nesting

As I am sitting here making list after list and adding 5 items for each one I cross off, I thought I would share a quick post about "nesting". 

With Baby R arriving in 7 weeks or so (I used to think I wanted an early baby, now I am ok with him coming right on his due date so I have plenty of time for the list below) I realized I needed to get some things done NOW or they will not happen for a loooooooong time. 

The current list looks something like this:
  • Buy dimming light bulbs for Baby's room (completed since first writing this post!)
  • Bank:
    • close checking account
    • fix pin #
  • Have termites treated (our house won't be tented or anything crazy, just some things found on our inspection that should be taken care of)
  • Clean gutters
  • Nail grate back down on side of house
  • Buy new trash can (completed since first writing this post!)
  • Finish AP's pet insurance claim
  • Switch pomeranian pet insurance (VPI is a rip off)
  • Hair appt
  • Dentist appt
  • Dermatologist appt
  • Freeze Bar Method for when Baby R arrives
  • Reclaim old 401k
  • Buy nursing tanks
  • Buy nursing bras
  • Fix gutters so they drain further from the house
  • Have spare house keys made
  • Sharpen knives
  • Buy new welcome mat (completed since first writing this post!)
  • Paint end table for Baby R's room
  • Finish packing hospital bag
  • Buy remaining baby registry items
    • Make sure everything is ready to go for his arrival AT LEAST two weeks in advance just in case
  •  Install car seat
    • Have it "approved" by local fire dept?
  • Have car tires rotated
  • Hang wedding present (bedroom?, living room?)
  • Finish 3 year book (completed since first writing this post! AND I started year 4 just to be an over acheiver.)
  • Make wedding album
  • Make honeymoon album
  • Pay Oct. bills
  • Pay Nov. bills
  • Have car brakes checked (they are squeaky)
  • Microchip pomeranians
The items crossed off have either been accomplished or appointments have been made. There are also items that need to get done that I know will not happen before the baby comes so I decided to just leave them off for everyone's sanity (such as, figure out why 1 outlet in the kitchen doesn't work?!). Of course all of these items need to be completed while the house continues to get clean, laundry done, groceries shopped for, Bar Method classes booked, bills paid, visitors hosted, sporting events are attended, pre-baby classes are taken,, pre natal visits attended weekly, blog updated, parties are attended, meals are prepared...ok, you get the idea. 

People keep saying, "enjoy this time before the baby arrives"...I think I might have to add that to the list or it might get missed!

Any bets on whether I will accomplish everything this list before the baby gets here (btw, I am not going to be cleaning the gutters so don't worry about having to rescue the pregnant lady from the roof!)? While I am an old retired lady these days I still don't know if I can outpace my procrastination skills. Let's be honest, in the time it has taken me to write this post I could have probably accomplished two or three items on the list. But, I also have to remember that I am carrying around a pineapple and need to take it easy, so I give myself a little leeway! 

Speaking of the pineapple...I cut it up after taking the picture with it last night...there is something oddly disturbing about cutting up the fruit that represents your child. Just saying...

Ok, ok, I am going to target now. I'll check back in on the list in a few weeks and let you all know how I'm doing. Odds are I will have knocked out 10 and added 20 more...

Ready..................GO!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

week 33. 7 to go.

How Far Along: 33 weeks.

Size of Baby: 4-5 lbs. and 17-19 inches long. Pick up a pineapple the next time you are at the grocery to feel how much he weighs.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 19 lbs. Goal weight gain for the entire sha-bang 25 lbs. Here's hoping!

Maternity Clothes: Yes, although I have now found two additional dresses that are not maternity that are fabulous for the ever growing belly!

Movement: A whole new ball game it seems. It is now pretty much hiccups or very fierce movements that are most definitely hands and feet kicking and punching. The movements are no longer just flicks here and there, they seem more deliberate...such as a hand making its way from one side to the other.

I also learned at the doctor this week that he is likely already head down and will probably stay that way for the duration. His spine is along my right side which makes sense as all of his little jabs seem to be aimed/felt on my left side. 

Symptoms: The only one holding steady is the fatigue. Each day it seems that I get worn out quicker and quicker.

What I Miss:I have finally gotten over wanting a glass of wine in the evening (actually that need was over by mid second trimester) but I still miss being able to enjoy wine with a nice dinner or up in Napa.

Girl or BoyBoy!

Baby name hint: Ok, time for another good one. You can find his name in the Bible. You'll have to wait a few weeks to find out old versus new testament though! 

Belly button In or Out: Still holding at flat.

Stretch Marks: Nope. 

Cravings: Nothing. Kind of wondering if my disdain for certain meat products will end at the end of pregnancy. I feel like I have been pregnant for so long that my current "state" is permanent and not pregnancy related. I often wonder the same thing about my face break outs. Here's hoping in a few weeks I'll be back to "normal". 
Best Moment This Week: My parents visiting and bringing the last furniture items for Baby R's room. A little more painting and a few more must haves (changing pad, etc...) and we'll be ready to bring the little guy home (and share the finished product with you)!
That little white line on my arm is from more DIY projects in Baby R's room :-)
7 weeks to go...here is what I looked like 7 weeks ago. It will be interesting to see what 40 weeks looks like! 

Monday, September 19, 2011

TFWYHF

**100 blog bonus points for anyone who knows what those letters mean!

A post on a Monday? I know, things are getting crazy around here. Actually, they were crazy all weekend and as a result I can't peel myself off the couch so blogging seemed like a good activity.

Thursday night my parents pulled into town after driving, yes driving, to California from St. Louis. They took one for the Koon/Retchless team and brought out a few final furniture pieces for Baby R's room as well as a smattering of other items that were too big to ship that needed to make their way west (98% Christmas decorations!).

I always whine about jamming too much into our trips back to St. Louis and beg for down time, however, this weekend I threw just about everything I could come up with at my parents. We did house work, a trip to Napa, Dad's first visit to In & Out, shopping, a walking tour of Stanford, dog walks, birthday parties, Strand Fam visit, and plenty of great eating!

Maybe once Baby R makes his arrival I will get better at taking pictures but this weekend I only managed to get pictures of our visit to Frog's Leap. This was our first event as members and it was tremendous. This winery has figured out customer service and how to throw a party. We stayed for the entire "open house" (yes, we were those people) and soaked up the summer sunshine and heat!

Unfortunately I had to bid adieu to my parents this morning at the airport. It definitely gets harder and harder to have them leave each time. Missouri is just too far away for my liking!

Now it is back to business as usual around here. More DIY projects for Baby R's room and a social schedule that makes me ready for a nap just thinking about it. As a matter of fact, two fuzzy pomeranians look awfully ready for a snuggle so I am going to return to my horizontal position on the couch and watch the Emmy's red carpet!
Enjoying the cool respite of the barn.
Mom and Dad: aka the Road Warriors (and my personal heroes)
The whole fam at Frog's Leap (that is water in my wine glass).
One funny weekend anecdote...we were trying to get a good picture of Scott and I in the barn but were having some trouble with the lighting. At one point she snapped the photo below and declared, "OH, that's a good one" and handed the camera back to me to put away. It's a good thing I decided to sneak a peek before calling it a day!
Might be time for some new contacts (or less wine...nah, new contacts)!
Time's Fun When You're Having Flies!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

celebrate good times.

This past weekend we celebrated a little bit of everything but mainly Scott's birthday. Since we were in Italy last year it seemed fitting to have friends over this year to share in the festivities. Let's be honest, it was a nice excuse to get everyone together to visit!

Some pictures from the evening...
I opted not to cook this time and just serve apps. Cheese selection above.
Dessert tray with a few other yummies in the background.

The table before all the food covered it up.
Drink stations.
As mentioned, I opted not to cook a meal for 20 people this time around and relied on some apps from Trader Joes. I may never cook again.
The one picture I took during the actual party.
After wrapping up the party with friends and family we hit the hay to rest up for our last pre-baby getaway. We toiled on where to go and ended up deciding to make it a "stay-cation" and save our pennies for travel at a later date. So, we packed up the car and headed north to Napa! It was the perfect vacay. We celebrated our anniversary (again), Scott's birthday, and the pending arrival of Baby R. It truly felt like we were worlds away from home and we were able to seriously relax and enjoy some quality time together. 
Guess where our first stop was?! Oh, and yes, I am slowly converting Scott to be a true CU fan.
The Silverado Resort (where we stayed) surprised us with this in room treat...

as well as a little Mommy & Baby R approved treat
Night 1 we set out for one of our favorites, the Rutherford Grill. Yes, it is part of the Hillstone chain of restaurants but with no corkage and tremendous food we just can't pass it by! We stuffed ourselves silly and loved every moment. 
My handsome husband enjoying the "Summer of Scott" :-)
mmmmm..sparkling water.
The next day we set out for some wine tasting, lunch at Oakville Grocery, fun in the sun, and then topped it off with another delicious dinner.
Wine tasting at Frog's Leap.
A little post swim refreshment while watching the golfers finish 18. The only pool picture is located in my 32 week baby update...it isn't exactly "pretty".
I could get used to this life!
Dinner at Cook Restaurant in St. Helena.
As you can see, we had a tremendous time up in wine country. We both agreed it truly is one of our favorite places and we are so fortunate to have it essentially out our back door. While we are SO excited for the arrival of Baby R, it was fun to spend some one-on-one time together. I sure do love that husband of mine!
And two bonus photos for the week...
Us after a Giants game a few weeks back. Looks warm, huh?
Yes, that is the base of a toilet and our little black Pomeranian peeking around the corner. In case you wondering, whenever fireworks go off, or there is a hint of thunder, behind the toilet is the "safe" spot. Poor little girl...no amount of cuddling or soothing will bring her out of there until she is sure the threat has been eliminated!

32 weeks. 8 more to go.

How Far Along: 32 weeks.

Size of Baby: 4 lbs. and 17 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Probably an additional 15 lbs after our weekend getaway! More on that shortly AND an accurate weight gain update next week. We have officially arrived at the every two week dr visits. 

Maternity Clothes: Yep. Funny story though...on our Napa getaway I brought along the dress seen in the picture below. I figured it was always SO flowy and big that my ever growing belly would fit nicely. UM...FAIL! Good thing I overpacked...we are exclusively in maternity clothes these days.
ok, i realize now you can't really see the dress...it is pretty much a smock!

Movement: Movements are still a combo of tiny flurries and wild and crazy full body flips (that's what it feels like anyway). Sometimes it feels a bit like the first drop on a roller coaster when he moves.

Symptoms: Starting to get the third trimester discomfort. Most of the time, I feel great and don't have much to report, but symptoms creep up from time to time:
  1. Fatigue-I am no longer able to do as much, whenever I want. Cleaning, Bar Method, Errands, Cooking, etc... are no longer all jobs that can be done in one day. 
  2. "Hangover"-If you go back to my first trimester you will remember that I often felt like I had a hangover. This is back and it is really not fair. If I am going to have a hangover I at least want some wine to go with it! 
  3. Hip Pain-Sleeping on my right side causes some serious hip/leg pain. It's like having your leg fall asleep...but different.?

What I Miss: Nothing new. Overall I am a pretty happy pregnant person!

Girl or BoyBoy!

Baby name hint: A man with the same name had a significant influence on history. 

Belly button In or Out: Still holding at flat but I think it creeps to outie from time to time.
See...flat...and a HUGE belly! I took this picture because, as you can see, Baby R was mashed up on the right side of my belly.  The lopsided belly is definitely entertaining.

Stretch Marks: Nope. 

Cravings: Nothing that isn't fleeting. I will have a moment of, "how good does a McDonald's ice cream cone sound?" but it is gone as quickly as it comes.
Best Moment This Week: Our anniversary, Scott's birthday, baby moon getaway to Napa. It was perfect!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

this just in...

Baby R is due 2 short months from today. While I am technically only half way through week 31 he is due on November 8 so I am going with the shorter time frame on this one! Something tells me this will be the slowest AND fastest two months of my life. To celebrate the occasion Scott & I are taking an infant CPR class to learn how to keep him alive once he arrives ;-). Happy fall everyone!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

31 weeks. 9 to go.

Yep, that's right...single digits!!

How Far Along: 31 weeks.

Size of Baby: 3.5 lbs and about 18 inches. Apparently he is gearing up for a growth spurt!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 16 lbs. 

Maternity Clothes: New favorite item this week: B.D.A. pants by Belly Bandit. Scott told me they look "flowy"...I honestly don't care how they look because they feel like heaven!

Movement: Still moving like a break dancing maniac. I seriously love it and it makes me feel so much more calm to know he is happy and moving around regularly.

Symptoms:  While having your hair grow faster is a typical pregnancy symptom from the beginning, I am just getting that side effect now. It is insane how quickly my hair is growing. Also, over the course of my pregnancy my eyebrows have been turning blonde. I have absolutely no idea why since in all my years that my hair has been blonde I have had SUPER dark eyebrows and all of a sudden since I got pregnant they are dirty blonde?!?! I also think my hair on my head is getting darker. It's like the planned a great switch or something...

What I Miss: Nothing new. Overall I am a pretty happy pregnant person!

Girl or BoyBoy!

Baby name hint: (these are getting hard to come up with!!) His name is a true "boy" name. Not one that could be used for a girl too (I guess it could, but I would seriously question the parent's sanity). 

Belly button In or Out: Still holding at flat.

Stretch Marks: Nope. 

Cravings: I determined that I am not actually having an issue with any particular food, it is a quantity issue. As baby R is growing apparently my stomach has less room to store sustenance. So, smaller meals constantly it is!
Best Moment This Week: Two items this week...1. Buying Baby R a couple new clothing items (we have so many hand me downs & gifts I have not purchased a single item) including his coming home from the hospital outfit. 2. Finding a nearby hiking spot for us and the poms to get some exercise. It was like I was instantly transported back to Boulder and enjoyed soaking up the trail, sun, and family outing! 

I've given up on lighting, hair styling, or really any work that might go into these weekly pictures. They are now purely for posterity and to keep people reading these silly weekly posts.

my wall.

As I have mentioned a million times, I have been hard at work on some DIY house projects. Most are centered around the baby's room but one of the major ones you get to see today! It is pretty much my masterpiece and if you hate it, I don't care and I don't want to hear about it. 

I got the idea from my "friends" over at Young House Love. They put together their wall awhile back and I have been plotting mine in my head ever since. When we moved into the new house I found the perfect wall but apparently needed to stare at it for 3 months before actually doing anything about it. Well, I finally tackled it in what became a week long project. Here is my step-by-step (does anyone remember that show with Suzanne Summers from like a million years ago? Is that the equivalent of the TV programming on the Disney Channel these days? I digress...)....

Step 1: Pick out lots of pictures and other random crap-o-la you want to frame for your wall. Once you have assembled all of these random items into frames, lay them out to see how you might want them organized.
The beginnings of laying out the wall (on the floor).


Step 1a: Measure your wall and tape out the section that you want to cover in "art". Then replicate that same space on the floor and arrange your masterpiece (sorry, no photos of this detail).
Step 2: Once everything is laid out on the floor the way you want it, cut out templates of each frame to replicate on the actual wall. I did this with the help of the White House Black Market and Frontgate catalog. This might be the most tedious step as you have to measure each frame and cut the paper to the exact dimensions.
All of my frames covered by their corresponding magazine cut out.
Step 3: Number everything. This might be unnecessary for some people, but it was the only way I was able to keep 34 pictures straight from floor to wall. I went through and placed a number on each frame and a corresponding number on the piece of magazine that was laid over it. 
Number 26: Scott and me on our honeymoon (which ironically we were on at this time last year).
Step 4: Take all those wonderful pieces of paper and begin taping them up as you want the frames to hang on your wall.
Starting to come together!!

Step 5: You might think it is time to just stick some nails in the wall and hang up your frames, but wait...where exactly is the hanger located on the back of each frame and how will that effect the lie on the wall? That's right, time for another fun game of measure everything to the millimeter and get it perfect! At this point you have to flip each frame over and measure from the top of the frame to the point where the hanger/nail will hold. I simply made a list based on the numbers I put on the frames earlier.
Turns out the metric system worked better for this finite measuring project.
Step 6: Take your list to the wall full of paper cut outs and measure out where each nail needs to be placed. Oh, and just to make things fun...you have to figure out where the perfect middle of each frame is and then measure from that point down to get your mark (did I mention this project took a week?).
Black dot marks the nail spot!
Step 7: At long last it is time to hang. Hammer in your nails into the marks you have made and then you can rip the magazine away from around the nail. I would only put 2 or 3 nails in at a time and then hang the corresponding frames to make sure things didn't get off at any point.
The fun part! Hammering and hanging.
Step 8: Admire your finished work of art!
Ta da!!!
Step 9: Continue to stare at it and obsess over it 24-7. I seriously just sit in our living room and stare at the finished product at least 2 to 3 times daily.

While it was a serious undertaking I am so happy I spent the time to do this as it really brings some life to the room and makes it feel like home. Plus, once Baby R arrives there is a bit of left over room to expand and it is easy peasy to switch out photos in existing frames. Also, only about 50% of these frames were white to begin with. My good friend spray paint was a huge help in this project!

Next "project": reading Dr. Sears book on vaccinations. Not nearly as fun and I doubt I'll be posting a book report for fear of losing all 3 of my readers, but that's what I'll be up to this week!