Made by Memilyrae

Well, getting ‘er done is more like it. I’m feeling very good about all the things on “My List” – at least with what we have gotten done so far…we have the really important stuff taken care of – a place to put the baby to sleep, ride in the car, kids are settled, etc, etc, etc.

I took pictures of the crib/dresser/curtains…and yes – I understand there is pink in the curtain and that we’re having a boy…but you have to realize that when I buy for baby stuff I like to have it fit for both genders. If you can see the bug design on the crib bedding, it has all the colors of the curtains – including pink! So…yeah…I see the pink and it’s okay…even for a little boy.

And now here’s the scary picture…I have 3 1/2 weeks left and I’m DYING to get this kid out of me! Spencer was only 2 weeks early so I know I’ve been this far before, it’s just been years and I forgot how big I get! Ugh! I had Steve take this using my cell phone so it’s not the greatest but no matter if it was with my cell phone or not, I’d still be huge! Yowzers! (sorry…I didn’t rotate it before I uploaded it)

…wash material from baby car seat, swing and bouncy chair. – COMPLETED 7/15/10

…wipe down base of car seat, swing and bouncy chair – COMPLETED 7/15/10

…put away baby clothes – COMPLETED 7/15/10

…sort through (keep, store, throw away) office stuff – all sitting in my living room – PLANNED 7/17/10

…swap kids bathroom stuff with downstairs bathroom – make upstairs bathroom a guest/visitor bathroom – deep clean both – COMPLETED 7/15/10

…hang up posters in the kids room (downstairs) – need to attach them to something or put them in frames – PLANNED 7/17/10

…find KitKat a new home/family – COMPLETED 7/15/10

…give away remaining cat supplies – COMPLETED 7/16/10

…organize diaper bag – COMPLETED 7/15/10

…design “Don’t forget to…    wash your hands        brush your teeth       brush your hair       wear a smile”  wall decor for the kids’ jungle bathroom – COMPLETED 7/15/10

Not too bad if I might say so myself! 🙂

So, today is one of those happy yet sad days for me. I was able to find KitKat a new home. The woman and I spoke for about 15 minutes about KitKat and about her home and I feel pretty good about them. They have another cat that’s 1 year old as well, also fixed, and they want to find him a friend. They have lots of cat stuff know to keep KitKat around until he gets a good feel for their home and family (they have a cage/crate thing to start him off in). KitKat has really mellowed since getting fixed so I really hope he’ll be good around a new cat. When I put KitKat in the carrier, KitKat smelled the other cat and gave a little hiss, but only one and then seemed to calm down a little. The kids and I said good-bye and I was feeling okay with it. The kids are doing fine too – they know that finding the animals (birds first, now KitKat) is okay and that other families will enjoy them too. Then I told Steve that he was gone and I started getting teary eyed. I really do love that cat! AND he’s gotten a ton better in the past week/two weeks. BUT, with that cat outside that always fights and the new baby, I know it’s going to be best for him to have a new home. I just pray that this one will work out!

Love you KitKat!

I cannot believe how great it feels to get things from “My List” crossed off…and especially since this little guy isn’t here yet! It’s great! We’ve had SO much help from family and friends and we are SO grateful for everything! THANK YOU!  So, here’s the updated list:

MY LIST

…wash material from baby car seat. put in trunk until needed. – PLANNED 7/15/10

…put away baby clothes – PLANNED 7/15/10

…sort through (keep, store, throw away) office stuff – all sitting in my living room – PLANNED 7/15/10

…swap kids bathroom stuff with downstairs bathroom – make upstairs bathroom a guest/visitor bathroom – PLANNED 7/15/10

…hang up posters in the kids room (downstairs) – need to attach them to something or put them in frames – PLANNED 7/15/10

…get shelves above washer/dryer

…find decor to put above kitchen cabinets

…get baskets for socks to put above washer/dryer

…get shelves put in the closet by the front door

…move food storage onto shelves in the closet by the front door

…borrow a bassinet

…re-caulk bath tubs

…re-tile all bathrooms

…get downstairs toilet to quit rocking

…paint little bookshelf to cover up crayon marks

…find KitKat a new home

…put chair railing in master bedroom

…paint living room

…put up bead board in living room

…buy new couches

…build new shelves in garage

…wire in a light above the stairs

…big clock above the stairs

…open handrails for stairs

…wood floors upstairs

…better wall decor for living room

…wash sheets and pillow cases

…buy new egg carton cushion things for both beds

…move food storage out of the garage COMPLETED – 7/1/10

…canvas of wedding day in front of temple COMPLETED 7/12/10

…have kids sort through toys – give away toys they do not play with  COMPLETED 6/23/10

…check kids room for coax connection. COMPLETED – IT’S THERE! 6/23/10

……if there is one, move computer stuff out of office and put upstairs (Steve) COMPLETED 6/26/10

…clean carpets downstairs COMPLETED 6/26/10

…move bunkbeds downstairs COMPLETED 6/26/10

…move kids dresser downstairs COMPLETED 6/26/10

…clean out kids room – get rid of extra toys, minimize amount of clothes, etc COMPLETED 6/23/10

…clean carpet in ‘nursery’ COMPLETED 6/26/10

…put up crib COMPLETED 7/14/10

…buy dresser for baby COMPLETED 7/12/10

…get newborn baby boy clothes from Annette’s house. COMPLETED 6/24/10

……wash COMPLETED 6/25/10

……fold COMPLETED 6/28/10

…get other baby gear from Alec & Pat’s basement COMPLETED 7/13/10

…switch sides of bedroom with Steve COMPLETED 7/2/10

…use Magic Eraser on crayon mark on all doors and walls from previous owners COMPLETED 6/26/10

…sew up kitchen chair cushions – COMPLETED 6/22/10

…get KitKat healthy COMPLETED 6/29/10

…find decor to put on shelf in master bedroom COMPLETED 7/6/10

…accessory tower in master bath COMPLETED 6/23/10

Yep…I totally set myself up for having an early baby. The good news is, there is no trouble in the womb to make this one come early like there was with Evie. Bad news is, I kept hoping to go early for more reasons than one and now it’s not happening. But, the other day I decided it was okay. Yesterday was my nephew’s birthday so I’m glad I didn’t have the baby then. Steve has a test this weekend so I’d like to wait until he gets that done. And then I figure, I went 2 weeks early with Spencer and that wasn’t so horrible, so 2 weeks early wouldn’t be bad. THEN I decided that if it came to it, Steve would have his wish for an 8/9/10 birth date and that would make him happy. SO, I guess I’m good for anything EXCEPT going late. I really don’t want to go late. And, with 8/9/10 set up as the date to be induced, I’m guessing that won’t happen. So I’m good.

Pat and Alec (my in-laws) were so great – they found us a dresser to put the baby clothes in AND fixed a few minor things that needed to be fixed. It’s great having a handy man who doesn’t mind taking care of things like that for us and in-laws who are always on the look-out for things we’re in need of. Thank you guys!!!

Tomorrow I’m hoping to finish sorting through the pile of office junk we have…get rid of what we really don’t need/want and put the rest away. Then we can start setting up the nursery/office in the room next to ours. We grabbed baby gear from my in-laws’ basement yesterday. I guess my first priority should be to wash the car seat material and base so we can actually bring the baby home when he gets here! After that I’ll worry more about the swing and bouncy chair. I’ve already washed crib bedding and clothing so that’s a plus. Wow…a lot of this I thought I would have done in my 2nd trimester. Boy was I dreaming! I’ve left it down to the wire!

At my last appointment my Dr said I was still measuring at 33 cm (I believe that equals out to about 33/34 weeks…but I could be wrong). I have noticed that little man has dropped and I’m assuming to greet us with his presence in the next while. Unfortunately his feet (or whatever he’s poking me with) find its way to my ribs more often now. Not very comfortable!

Here’s what they say 36 weeks is all about:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He’s shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he’s in a head-down position. But if he isn’t, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an “external cephalic version,” which is a fancy way of saying he’ll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

We’ve had a busy 2 weeks lately. I’ve updated where I am pregnancy-wise but I haven’t said anything about much else. My mom and dad came to town on July 1 and just barely left this morning (okay…so it was only 12 days, not 14). It seemed like we were mostly busy, but had some great kick-back days as well…and crazy enough, I only ended up working 2 days while they were here. Thank you holidays!!!

One thing we got accomplished was adding a little more color to our bedroom. Mom, Annette, Steph, Nicole, and me…plus Lauren, Kayley, and Gavin (Oh, and Mike – Steph’s friend) went on a girls shopping trip. We found lots of neat Italian-esk decor for the shelf in our bedroom that’s been very dull and plain for the last year of us living here. This is one of the shots I took…ladder and fan in the way, of course! 🙂 There is a little difference than the final product. No little candle on the suitcase (on the right), looking for a rod iron easel for the painting to bring it more forward and a different type of easel to hold up the Sempre Famiglia plaque (or however you spell “Always Family”). So, not completely done, but definitely better!

We also added flowers that went with the painting to our dresser to bring the color down. I have 2 canvas pictures being mailed to me with Italian scenery that also bring some of the color in for our walls on the opposite side of the room. Needless to say – I needed my girls to help me do ANYTHING to my room (did you notice in the picture below that we still have not bought and install the chair railing that is supposed to go over the line where the two colors meet? lol)

On July 3rd (since we did not celebrate on the 4th since that was on the Sabbath Day), we had our ward 4th of July Breakfast, went shopping (see above) a BBQ and then went to see the fireworks over the Stadium of Fire in Provo. Cute kids, huh? Wish I would have pulled my camera out and taken more!!!

On July 4th we attended our good friends, Jed and Leona, baby blessing for their daughter, Adair. She’s so little! They are moving in 3 days and I’m going to be so sad! But Spencer will probably be even sadder than I am – his best buddy since birth, Reid, is their son so he’s moving too. 🙁

We spent time that night at a fireside given by Kim Black Olsen (my mom’s cousin) about the service her son provided and the sacrifice of his life for our country. It was so touching to hear about Nigel and  his life and character. Kim is such an amazing woman and is such a strong and loving mom! It was great to hear her speak.

On Monday me and the girls went and saw Eclipse (YAY!) It was actually nicely done – much better than the last 2…probably because they had more money to use. It’s funny cause the 3rd book was my least favorite but I like the movie the best out of the 3.

Afterwards we went to my mom’s Uncle Richard and Aunt Pat’s house for a BBQ with them and their children. All the kids seemed to find someone to play with and we adults had a good time talking and hearing stories from Uncle Richard’s younger years with my Grandpa Frank Black. Unfortunately, Kayley and Cassidy messed with a plant that did not treat them very well the next morning! These were taken 3 days after the event – it was much worse before the medicine. Kayley was beat red and had blisters and a rash all over her face and on some of her arms. Cassidy had it bad too…she had gotten it in her eye and on her eyelids and the blisters and swelling made it hard for her to see.

Here’s the evil plant – meet Euphorbia Myrsinites

We did a lot of hanging out and little things here and there throughout the rest of the week. Last Saturday we celebrated Mr G’s 2nd birthday…it was a construction party and Mr G seemed to love it. They did a fantastic job on the cake and decorations and the kids seemed to have a great time. I can’t believe he’ll turn 2 tomorrow – that’s just nuts! (When I get pictures off of my camera, I’ll post them so you can see how cute it was!)

This morning I had my 35 week check up. And since my mom and dad are in town, I invited my mom to come with me. It wasn’t one of those ‘big’ appointments but I still liked having her with me. Things are going good so far – I’m at 35 weeks but still measuring 33 weeks…which honestly I’m a bit okay with…AS LONG AS HE’S HEALTHY!!!  At the last ultrasound they made an estimated guess on his birth weight if he was going to go full term… 8 lbs 8 oz. Ouch…that number just hurts, but I know it’s really not THAT big. I mean, I was 10 lbs 8 oz. – BIG BIG. But, if he’s measuring a little small…and is healthy…then that’s okay with me.

Dr Young asked if I wanted to schedule an induction date – I really don’t think I need one but I figured why not – especially since Dr Young says that it’s best to schedule it early so the dates don’t fill up. SO, TO BE NICE TO MY HUBBY – I scheduled it for 2 (Yes, only TWO) days before my due date to shoot for Steve’s wish of an 8/9/10 birthday. (You’re welcome sweetie!) I sure hope I go before then but just in case, I’ll help Steve get his wish. LOL Love you sweetie!! (Dr Young doesn’t think I’ll make it to the induction date…I sure hope he’s right!!!!)

On another note – Pat & Alec (Steve’s parents) found us a dresser – Alec is going to reinforce the insides of the drawers but other than that it looks pretty good. So I’m excited to get it home and put the baby’s clothes away. Now we just need to finish the room – getting the office stuff sorted, getting the crib up, the dresser and clothes put away, etc.

Next – I need to pack a hospital bag (yep – still haven’t done it yet), buy diapers and wipes, etc.

So I’m totally fooling myself and I know it. I came to terms with it last night. I won’t be meeting this little man for a few more weeks instead of by next Monday when mom and dad leave town. And that’s okay. I guess having Evie early (and then getting into my pre-prego pants 3 days later) makes it hard for me to want to go full term but I know he needs to be healthy so I’m okay with it. I do, however, hope the next few weeks fly by super fast so I can get out of this uncomfortable and hurting stage of pregnancy.

Your baby doesn’t have much room to maneuver now that he’s over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it’s so snug in your womb, he isn’t likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he’ll spend the next few weeks putting on weight. (Babycenter.com)

And, you know, since we don’t have the ‘nursery’ set up yet (no crib, no dresser, etc) then I guess it’s okay that he’s not here yet (then again…maybe it’d help us speed along the process instead of us putting it off like we are! LOL) I just hope Steve won’t be right on the date – he wants him to come on 8/9/10 – which would be a cool birthday, but that’s only 2 days before my due date. I think I’d die. LOL

Well, at least I’m not longer delusional to think he’ll come in the next few days, but I’m sure I’ll still be whiney with the things that make me uncomfortable – so be prepared! LOL