oh snap… nursery reveal!

how far along?  39 weeks

development:  our little one is measuring 18.9 to 20.9 inches long and weighs between 6.2 to 9.2 pounds, about the size of a watermelon. not much bigger than last week, but he's still growing little by little, even though he's probably running out of space!

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  is it ok to wear yoga/workout pants everyday? cause that's about all i feel like wearing.

sleep?  trying to rest as much as i can

stretch marks?  not too many

best moments this week:  leaving work last friday. a combo of a wandering 'baby' mind, feeling uncomfortable, trying to train a new employee, and keeping up with a heavy workload during the busy spring trade show season left my mind pretty worn out last week  •  homemade chocolate covered marshmallows and chocolate cupcakes with bailey's irish cream frosting from the local market

miss anything?  my mind sometimes

movement:  the little guy's pretty active in the evenings especially 

food cravings:  sweets... ice cream, starburst

anything making you queasy or sick? nope

gender:  boy… "young boys should never be sent to bed, they always wake up another day older." ~ johnnie depp as jm barrie, from the movie finding neverland

pregnancy symptoms:  almost out of time to complain about pregnancy symptoms  ;)

wedding rings, on or off?  on… although, lately my right hand has been minus the ring i usually wear

happy or moody most of the time?  mostly happy, a little irritated at times

looking forward to:  meeting our little one
notes from dad:  you've heard about all of our hard work, here's our baby's nursery -

^^^ excuse our mess… room in process of being gutted, after the paneling was removed.

^^^ drywall hung, mudded and primed. all new wiring and electric. we're ready for paint!

^^^ scored big on a cozy carpet remnant for the room, it's super soft.

^^^ wall art and graphics by karin, colorful artwork for our little man.

^^^ restored vintage dresser... more work than karin realized.

^^^ is that a green screen covering his name? you'll just have to wait to find out what it is!

^^^ ikea spice racks painted to match the dresser in orange & white, with a yarn wrapped bar for holding books.

^^^ peek-a-boo!

we're technically 1 week out from our due date of march 18!!

weekly doctor appointment, check… things seem to be going as they should, now that we've settled into the weekly routine of monday morning checkups. my blood pressure, weight and belly measurement, baby's heartbeat all normal this week. last week, my blood pressure was a little elevated enough to call it a 'high normal', but blood drawn showed that there was nothing to be concerned about.

not sure how much longer this 'work' thing is going to last. it's been pretty busy lately and whether or not this little guy shows up soon or not, i think they'll have to get along without me next week and beyond. i've had more than a few people somewhat surprised that i'm still working… me, included. well, maybe not, but i really didn't plan on taking much time off before the baby is born. i'm slowly realizing it's just about time to throw in the towel, though.

to do list:

- figure out daycare

- decide on our babe's name

- wash and organize baby clothes, bedding, blankets, bibs, etc.

- pack hospital bags

- hem and hang curtains

- put supplies and hospital bag in car

- wash and sterilize bottles

- set up bassinet, swing, infant seat, etc.

- make appointment to be sure our car seat is properly installed

- attend hospital tour and two child care classes

- write out birth plan (do i need to do this?) and pre-register at hospital

- figure out how to handle maternity leave, insurance, paperwork etc.

- prepare frozen meals for post baby boy

- baby proof the house (mainly - buy new coffee table not made of glass. farewell, panther… we've been close these past 10 years, lol)

- write thank you notes for gifts received from our family baby shower in chicago

- finish thank you notes for gifts received from our most recent baby shower

- start thinking about birth announcements (thanks to shutterfly, we have a coupon already!)

in like a lion, out like a lamb

how far along?  37 weeks

development:  the little one measures about 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs between 6.2 and 9.2 pounds, about the size of a winter melon. he's pretty much ready for birth now, inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking. 

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  trying to stay comfy!

sleep?  ok overall... waking up every few hours to roll over. soon, it'll be waking up every few hours for night time feedings.

stretch marks?  not too many

best moments this week:  meeting the pediatrician  •  catching up with friends  •  showing off the babe's room to a few visitors  •  hearing about and seeing photos of my cousin's new baby boy!

miss anything?  not too much

movement:  i was thinking last night that i'll have a baby to hold in my arms within a few weeks time, but might miss carrying him around as a part of me and feeling his movements (minus the uncomfortable feeling of the extra weight on my belly!)

food cravings:  sweets

anything making you queasy or sick? no

gender:  little boy… "don't wait to make your son a great man - make him a great boy." ~ author unknown

pregnancy symptoms:  being pretty much exhausted at the end of the day, but still having small bursts of energy here and there  •  nesting, trying to keep the house clean and organized

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy overall, been a little emotional the past week or two. i've had a hard time feeling motivated at work... getting distracted and annoyed easily.

looking forward to:  relaxing and enjoying the last few weeks of my pregnancy, trying not to feel too anxious
notes from dad: We are starting the countdown, heck March is here! Before it ends I'll be a dad, Karin will be a mom! We will be parents! I still can't believe it? Needless to say, we are excited for our little mans arrival! We worked really hard on his bedroom, a little space for him. We're really happy with how it turned out. I think we were successful pulling off our original ideas. We scrapped an area rug for the nice carpet we installed and we are doing without our original dresser (for now). Other than that, we pulled it off just like we dreamed. With all his worldly experience, I'm sure he'll like it! (because he has none, lol).
Well little man, the stage has been set. The lights are lit and the seats are full. We can't wait to watch your movie, enjoy your show and experience your life. We wait for the star!

randomness:

wow, this saturday is march! we've made it to his birth month!

i need to get my butt moving on putting together some frozen meals that will be easy to throw in the crock pot later. i've pinned a few sites to pinterest, so i have the recipes - just need to shop and prep!

to do list:

- figure out daycare

- decide on our babe's name

- wash and organize baby clothes, bedding, blankets, bibs, etc.

- pack hospital bags

- hem and hang curtains

- put supplies and hospital bag in car

- wash and sterilize bottles

- set up bassinet, swing, infant seat, etc.

- make appointment to be sure our car seat is properly installed

- attend hospital tour and two child care classes

- write out birth plan (do i need to do this?) and pre-register at hospital

- figure out how to handle maternity leave, insurance, paperwork etc.

- prepare frozen meals for post baby boy

- baby proof the house (mainly - buy new coffee table not made of glass. farewell, panther… we've been close these past 10 years, lol)

- write thank you notes for gifts received from our family baby shower in chicago

- finish thank you notes for gifts received from our most recent baby shower

- start thinking about birth announcements (thanks to shutterfly, we have a coupon already!)

18 more days until his due date... we'll see if he sticks to it. 

kind of a big dill...

since i was kind of a slacker on taking proper photos this week and didn't want to delay this post any longer, here are a few quick pics i took looking all comfy and such.

how far along?  30 weeks

development:  the babe is now the size of a cucumber, 15.2 to 16.7 inches long and weighing in at close to 3.8 pounds. he's growing quickly, putting on up to half a pound each week until his debut. his eyes are in place, and he's been opening and closing them but they're still developing so vision is poor. he's also just about strong enough to grasp a finger.

maternity clothes?  can i say how both comfy and annoying maternity jeans are? sure there's a nice stretchy paneling covering my belly, but nothing to really hold my pants up! my belts are lonely.

sleep?  been getting a decent night's sleep most of the time

stretch marks?  nope

best moments this week:  starting a new year with my love that will be full of new adventures! 

miss anything? wearing a belt and pants with a zipper  :)

movement:  pretty consistent movements throughout the day. i've felt the babe jabbing into my ribs on the right hand side more than once lately.

food cravings:  tried some v8 v-fusion light concord grape raspberry juice and i think the bottle was gone in a matter of a day - so good!

anything making you queasy or sick? no

gender:  boy… "of all the animals, the boy is most unmanageable." ~plato

pregnancy symptoms:  back aches  •  shortness of breath at times  •  feeling like i'm starting to waddle

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy

looking forward to:  being able to finally decide on a daycare  •  hospital tour next week  •  thinking about birth announcements

notes from dad: I am feeling really good this week. Work on the baby's room is in full motion. We are cleaning up from an awesome holiday season. We have been daycare hunting, discussing what crib we want. Baby care classes are coming up soon... all the things that expecting parents do. Already really busy with our little one.

so, it's the first full week of 2014, getting back into the swing of things! it's a bunch of random stuff going on this week...

spent a fairly quiet new year's eve with friends playing mexican train dominoes, listening the guys playing guitar, chatting, munching on snacks and watching the good old ball drop on new year's rockin' eve in times square. happy new year everyone!

yes, i'll admit our christmas tree is still standing in the family room, but it will be gone this weekend.

we're currently making our rounds on a second group of daycare facilities and hope to make our final decision soon. we were very impressed by the one that we saw today, and our last visit is this coming monday. all in all, we will have seen six of them. oh, the things to consider!

still on the hunt for just the right crib - there are a few we're interested in.

i'm very proud of anthony's progress in the babe's room - he's been working very hard, and has even more time now that the bears are no longer in the running for super bowl XLVII! i'm excited that the room is coming together - goodbye paneling, hello drywall and new lighting fixture! still have to • finish up painting • make a decision on how to finish/refinish the floor • all window, door and baseboard trim work • refinish and paint two dressers • cut down/hem two existing light blocking curtains from our old apartment (the babe's room is so bright in the morning!) • decorate

to do list:
- figure out daycare (hope to tie this up next week)
- wash and organize baby clothes
- pack hospital bag
- attend hospital tour and child care classes (already scheduled for later this month)
- write out birth plan and preregister at hospital
- figure out how to handle maternity leave, insurance, etc.
- make up some frozen meals for post baby boy
- baby proof the house (mainly - buy new coffee table not made of glass. farewell, panther... we've been close these past 10 years, lol.)

- write thank you notes for gifts received from our first baby shower in chicago

can't believe we're 30 weeks in. our lives will change for the better in just 10 weeks. 10 weeks til our due date!!