{Home Tour} Upstairs Updates

I think it's time for a few updates on our lived-in home! Let's start with the upstairs because I'm really excited about Truman's big boy room. It's the only room in our house that is totally D-O-N-E and the first with anything on the walls at all. So it's the first to be revealed here for you readers, obvi.

I kept all of T's bright colors from his nursery and all of his decorations, too. But with the light gray paint (that really doesn't seem so purple to me anymore with all of the bright colors added in) it really does look like a different room. A BIG boy room. And most importantly, Truman adores it and loves to show everyone his new space as soon as visitors arrive at our doorstep. He'd do the same if you were here, too, don't you worry.




The transportation decals are new and I bought them off Amazon a few months ago. He is mostly obsessed with the trains--go figure.




And I pared down the number of frames we had in his nursery and like the cleaner look to the room, since there really is a lot going on with colors and different elements.



And of course, his Roman shades! I picked this red striped fabric which is by Dr. Seuss and absolutely love how they turned out. I asked my mom (aka the Roman Shade Master) if she would send me some written instructions of how she made all of these babies for our house and she will! So sit tight! But just know that they are amazing. We added a light-blocking liner for both Truman's and the baby's rooms and it makes a HUGE difference.


And I found this awesome dresser on Craigslist for just $40. It's super heavy and gigantic, so big that we don't even have enough clothes to fill it up (what a great problem to have) combined with our bigger closets in this house. I can see this being a great dresser for Truman to have as he grows up. And man, I love Craigslist.





Master bedroom:
Oh yeah, we have a bedroom, too. It's definitely not as well-decorated as Truman's room but it's very comfy and happy just the same. Combining the yellow wall color with the gray and white in our curtains and bedspread makes me smile. And for the first time ever, we have two matching side tables, with matching lamps, and only ONE dresser in our room. That would be because our closet is seriously three times the size of our old closet. And so we get to share this massive closet and also the dresser. Score one for sharing.




I want to get two huge prints to hang above our dresser: one of our family picture from Truman's newborn shoot, and one from when baby girl arrives. Other than those two big pictures I might do one more big print on the empty wall next to the big window. But we'll see. It might be nice to have a cute rug on the floor and some fun throw pillows on the bed, too, but eh. Why is it that the master bedroom always comes in last for decorating priorities?


Full Bath:

This room takes the lowest priority of all house projects right now, but I will go ahead and show you pictures anyway.



It's a good size bathroom and we are LOVING having one full and one half bath all in the same house. But I really dislike all of the yellow speckled tile in here and after seriously considering getting it refinished to white, we are just going to suck it up and live with it for now. Someday we might just tear it all down and start fresh with new tile but that is SO not on the radar right now. So I found a shower curtain that is cute and sort of pulls in all of the yellowish coloring in the room. And Nate got a new sink, faucet, and white cabinet which all make a huge difference in the room compared to the ugly 1970s stuff that was there before. Nate did tear down a little bit of the tile behind the giant ugly mirror, which is what you see on the greenish plaster walls. So I plan to sand that wall and then paint all of them an aqua color. Then I will paint all of the horrid yellow woodwork white and make one more beloved Roman shade for the window. And our neighbor is going to make us a medicine cabinet that fits flush into the wall, too---don't you love the little black one we put in the hole for now? Oh, and the odd above mirror lighting will be replaced at some point, too. It's funny to me that this bathroom was SUCH a huge deal at first and I was ready to pay $1000 for resurfacing the tile. And now we really don't care that much and are living in an extremely unfinished version of a full bathroom without issues. Goes to show that a lot of home renovations can wait and aren't that important in the grand scheme of things.

The only other room upstairs that I'm neglecting to show is the nursery, and I promise I'm not being a tease on purpose. I just want to get a few things up on her walls and then it might be ready for the final reveal. I'm in full 'nursery decor' mode right now and absolutely LOVE it, as expected. And I really have no idea how I ever decorated our duplex without the help of Pinterest. Man, I love that site. :)

Up next: the main floor!

35 weeks: A honeydew melon

Thirty-Five weeks: 4.25.12







Photo Thoughts: Definitely getting lazy over here with 'self portraits in mirrors' lately. No time or energy to get Nate and T in on it, let alone go outside for a photo shoot. Maybe sometime in the next 5 weeks that will happen again. Also, my belly is big and veiny.

Size of baby: A honeydew melon according to BC, or a butternut squash according to TB. Pretty darn big. And just so you know, this week's melon was SUPER expensive at $5 but I am so freaking close to finishing this frickin project, I splurged anyway. Aren't you proud? I don't even like melons.

Cravings: Still getting that overly full feeling after every meal. But come on, like THAT really stops me from enjoying all food:) This week I was really into juice. You know, the frozen concentrate kind that we buy for Truman as a 'treat'? Yeah, I'm downing it all by myself. The Strawberry/Apple/Banana flavor is my fave.

What I love: Being so freaking close to the end! Giant belly. Huge kicks. Marveling at what my body can do to grow this little girl. Did I ever mention that I love being pregnant?

What I'm looking forward to the most: Having her. Plain and simple. Isn't that a given for this point in my pregnancy?

Worries: Still nervous about my BP acting a fool in the next few weeks. Also, on Thursday (April 26, the day before my birthday) I have an OB appointment which would normally be really exciting for me. But instead, if you do recall, that is the exact day that we had our bad ultrasound with Wren last year and so I have a lot of anxiety and worries flooding back to me about that time in our lives. I know this is a different pregnancy and we are most likely going to meet a healthy baby in a matter of weeks. But this big 'anniversary' is a tough one, still. I also worry that she is hiccuping too much again and one day I even thought she flipped around breech because her hiccups were literally under my ribs instead of being down by my crotch. I've also had a few times when I....ahem....leak a bit after peeing and although I'm sure it's just left-over pee, I still wonder if it could be a slow water break of sorts. Ugh. So many worries, so little time.Very glad I get weekly appointments with my OB now, if nothing else but to ease my troubled mind.

What is different this time around: I love that I kept a blog with Truman because I'm dying over these posts---so many memories! Last time I was already dealing with high BP, we had just finished up the last of our 5 showers, I was getting ready for my maternity pictures with Andrea, and I was feeling more tired. This time we've obviously had no showers and (thankyougod) no high BP issues, but I am definitely feeling more tired lately. And I think my belly might still be a little bigger this time around but I don't know---that 35 week shot from last time is no joke, either! Maybe this is the 'point' in my pregnancies where I really do start to look 'huge' and somewhat normal in the belly bump department. I sort of love it though.

Symptoms: Upper belly pain, sharp kicks in the ribs, very uncomfortable while sitting because of my upper back and belly, difficulty getting up from the ground or from laying down, and for about the third time ever, I actually woke up in the middle of the night to pee. Can you believe that I've lucked out in that department and really don't have to wake up for the nightly treks to the bathroom? Well, I almost peed myself one night at about 4 am and it felt SO good to make that potty trip. Maybe this means little girl is getting bigger and heavier on top of my bladder. But I really do think my bladder must be made of steel because everyone else I know has to make numerous trips to pee at this point. Not me! Should I worry about this? (wink wink)

Sleep: Still good, but last week it was a little more rough just because Truman had a cold and was up each night for a few hours. Which made me REALLY tired and then subsequently frightened. Because seriously, waking up one time for a few hours in a night? Nothing compared to what lies ahead and I was in a really bad mood each morning from lack of sleep. I hope I can toughen up a lot before she arrives!

Movement: Crazy girl is all over the place. I definitely see a pattern in her movements though---not much in the morning but then by mid afternoon she is a nut and in the evenings/middle of the night she won't slow down, either.

The belly: Gigantic (for me). Love it.

Milestones: 35 weeks down and 35 days to go, means I'm at that glorious 35/35 milestone!! Apparently my uterus has now grown to '1000 times it's regular size' which is both fascinating and kind of appalling. I mean, where do all of the other organs go?? As a human anatomy lover, this part of pregnancy astounds me. Baby girl is 17-18 inches long and 4-6 pounds now. She won't get a whole lot longer but will fatten up from here on out. And supposedly her hearing is totally finished developing now, too. Sounds like a real baby in there!

Amusing comments from the general public: I can't think of any doozies from this week, but I didn't really work too much with my family in town all weekend. And of course they only had nice things to say about my size because they are family and know I'm really sensitive to being 'too small'. I did have one guy say, 'OH, are we expecting?' while rubbing his belly. When I said that I am, indeed pregnant, he said 'with a girl, I see.' Um, yes. But I find that very weird that a random dude can tell she is a girl in there without me confirming that. I guess there is a 50/50 chance to guess right, but now that I think of it a lot of people have said things like that before. Very odd.

Best moment of the week: I spent all weekend with my mom, my dad, and my Aunt from Texas working on house projects. Many more blog posts in the works but we had a SUPER productive weekend and lots of Roman shades to show for it! Also, I bought my second round of adorable baby girl clothes for miss lady. This means she will NOT be naked for the first few days of her life, although her wardrobe still has a lot more room to grow. I got about 17 different items for $50 at this amazing consignment sale and am loving it all. Not only did I buy her outfits, but I got the first pack of newborn disposable diapers, a crib sheet, a trash can for diapers, and splurged on some Aden and Anais swaddle blankets (something I always wanted for Truman). This means that I'm about 1000x more prepared for her than I was last week. Combine this shopping with the fact that I painted her crib, reassembled it, set up the brand new rocker we ordered, and started putting things into her dresser and closet? I'm feeling SO much better about our preparedness. Still many things to do in the next 5ish weeks, but man---looking into her nursery and seeing all of her furniture in there is priceless. I'm feeling so proud of myself for finally getting prepared that I even made out a 'hospital bag list' on my phone---starting to think about what I'll need to take with me. Talk about making this whole thing VERY real!!


Since I've never even had an excuse to post anything 'fun' or 'baby-prep related' in these weekly posts yet (since it's been all house business and bland), wanna see a sneak peek of nursery things? I wish I was ready for a final reveal but since I literally JUST started on her nursery this week, I guess that will have to wait.

Her Roman shades my mom made (LOVE):



 The amazing quilt my mom sewed for her! Who loves chevrons?? I wish this picture did it justice...



A sneak peak at her PINK painted crib (a project I actually did myself!):


I so want to post more pictures of my little project but want to wait for a 'final reveal' to really get your heart rates going with all that pink. :) Plus painting it was a lot more work than I thought, so I think a separate 'how to' post is a must, don't you?

And finally: the new badass glider and ottoman that are seriously blowing my mind.



Yes, they were a major splurge but oh, so worth it. I could (and should) do a whole post on this bad boy. Perhaps when I do the official nursery reveal post I'll spill more deets if you care. But for now just know that it's the Baby Letto Nara glider with the Kyoto ottoman in Ecru both purchased from My Urban Child with free shipping and an additional 10% (discovered by my deal-hunting husband after lots of research). SCORE. This is the most comfortable, highest back rocker I've ever had the pleasure of sitting upon. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find an upholstered rocker/glider that is cute, less than $1000, and has a tall back? This was the one 'new' thing I really wanted for this nursery--a comfortable, tall back rocker that would let us rest our tall heads on it during the countless hours of rocking baby girl. With Truman's nursery we just used an old wooden rocker that I repainted and made cute cushions for, but it was never really that comfortable and I couldn't effectively rest my head on the back. And now that we have a rocking ottoman to go with this glider, I am literally in heaven. We plan to move our beloved glider and ottoman to the main living area when she is finished with her rocker because it's very modern and not at all 'babyish', in my opinion. Okay, so I just posted all of the details you'd ever need. Whatever. Can you tell I am obsessed?


And a few of the most adorable outfits I snagged at the sale, which are all washed and packed into the appropriate drawers!






Could you die? I could. I never knew the wonders of shopping for girl clothes but wow, it's so much easier to find them over cute boy outfits!


How's that for an informative post? Belly shots, updated on the pregnancy, pictures of her nursery AND clothes? I deserve a nap. :)

34 weeks: A Cantaloupe

Thirty-Four weeks: 4.18.12









Photo Thoughts: I'm big!! But I love our house. :) {not to be confused with the phrase, 'I'm big as a house'.}

Size of baby: A cantaloupe or a durian fruit, take your pick. Not sure about you but I have no freaking clue what a 'durian' is and I have no energy to find out. And so, a cantaloupe she is!

Cravings: Not a thing. Still love food but I'm definitely running out of stomach space in there. Every time I eat I feel 'Thanksgiving Stuffed' and uncomfortable. Not fun. Especially when you are already wearing the stretchy waistband pants 24/7 without relief.

What I love: Being 6 weeks away from meeting our girl (give or take a few weeks, of course). I just can't believe I'm this far along already. And I really love feeling her move inside of me, I love rubbing my belly, and I still love being pregnant. Lots to love these days, I suppose.

What I'm looking forward to the most: Her birthday. I am seriously so excited to see how labor and delivery pans out this time. My heart rate speeds up every time I watch Baby Story, when The Moment happens: holding the baby for the first time. Cannot.Wait.

Worries: Still nervous that this final stage of my pregnancy won't go as smoothly as I'd like. Once I hit 36 weeks, when my OB won't stop labor from progressing, I'll feel a little better. But let's be honest, I will ALWAYS find something to worry about even after she is born. Isn't that a part of being a mom/Type A worry wart? :)

What is different this time around: At 34 weeks last time I had my big blood pressure spike along with a 6 pound weight gain since my 32 week appointment. I was finishing up the nursery and I saw a big growth spurt in my belly. And this time around my BP is good so far!! It was 110/70 despite my total overanalyzation of the 34 week appointment. I did have a 5 pound weight gain since my last appointment but whatevs, I guess. I'm still 7 pounds under where I was with Truman so I guess that is good but I'm not going to lie---it really sucks to watch that scale spit out such astronomical numbers at me. I really don't like feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and I especially dislike my chubby cheeks and swollen thighs. But I am still able to step outside of my own head a bit and realize that this is all temporary and I WILL get my body back someday. It will be worth it to have my healthy girl outside of this foreign body. Also, I'm just getting started on this nursery and can't wait to paint her crib this weekend. Did I mention that Truman's white crib will be hot pink for his sister?

Symptoms: Upper part of my belly is still super sensitive and painful at times. I'm getting that really full feeling after eating and my upper back hurts after sitting down for too long. Yep, I'm pregnant and feeling it finally! Not a whole lot of BH contractions this week though, which is fine by me.

Sleep: Still sleeping comfortably. Don't kill me. :)

Movement: Crazy. Big old limbs sticking out. And there are times when she is laying on one side of my belly making it totally asymmetrical and I sort of love/hate that visual of my lopsided belly. Her kicks are starting to get a little painful at times and will totally catch me off guard

The belly: Big. Possibly even bigger than with Truman. And that outie belly button still makes me laugh sometimes--like a little nipple sticking through my shirts or something.

Milestones: She is 18 inches and anywhere from 4-6 pounds. And I just surpassed my scary 34 week pregnant mark without blood pressure issues. Holla!


Amusing comments from the general public: 'You are SO tiny'. 'I looked like you when I was 13 weeks pregnant'. 'There is no way you are 34 weeks'. Etc Etc Etc. And I just flip a coin to decide which standard response to throw at them: either, 'I'm measuring right on track according to my OB' or 'I'm lucky that I'm so tall with a long torso because I don't get huge with pregnancy'.

Best moment of the week: Having a good OB appointment. And then getting my nasty hair cut for the first time in FIFTEEN WEEKS. That is no joke, you guys. And Nate told me I was becoming one of those moms who becomes an 'old hag' that never does anything nice for herself. Next up? Mom jeans and baggy tee shirts. Totally.

33 weeks: A Pineapple

Thirty-Three weeks: 4.11.12







Photo Thoughts: Who needs to take pictures outside when you have a brand new house with great light indoors? And Truman hasn't been in my pictures that much so he had to come out and play a bit this time. Looking pretty big, huh? I didn't realize baby girl had such a growth spurt until I looked at these pictures compared to the past few weeks. Woah.
 
Size of baby: A pineapple according to BC or a honeydew melon according to TB. I love pineapple and think it was one of those fruits that seemed SO big, way back in my first trimester. And now I'm here!

Cravings: Had another fabulous burger/fries/custard combo last week that was divine. But no true cravings around here, other than just loving the taste of all food.

What I love: Settling into our house, so that I can focus on the remaining weeks of this pregnancy! Love that this is where we will raise our kids. Love spending time with my little family of three before everything changes with baby girl's arrival. Finally feeling relaxed and content after our big move.  

What I'm looking forward to the most: Holding my girl for the first time. I just can't freaking wait, you guys.

Worries: I'm starting to worry more about high blood pressure, just because I know mine spiked at 34 weeks last time. I realize it might not even happen this time, but I'm starting to get more nervous about that whole annoying process again. Also, during our big move I was sure I'd overdone it physically. I was really really tired, having more BH contractions, and feeling super uncomfortable. I'm really not the best at just chilling out and 'directing' things, as I'd really prefer to get in the middle and do it myself. But after Friday's chaos, I knew I had to slow it down a bit. And so far baby girl is behaving. Really don't want to have this child anytime soon.

What is different this time around: Last time with Truman's pregnancy I was a nesting fool who was deep cleaning the house and organizing and decorating like crazy. I'd just completed my last baby class on breastfeeding and was looking obviously pregnant. This time I'm still into the nesting thing, but only because we have been unpacking boxes and organizing our entire lives instead of 'just' the nursery. And I still look obviously pregnant, and I believe my belly is still bigger right now than it was last time.

Symptoms: Finally starting to get a little uncomfortable up in here. My upper back hurts if I sit too long, my belly feels incredibly heavy at the end of the day, I find it difficult to get into a comfortable position in almost any chair, and my stomach is so freaking tight and stretched I think it might pop soon. Obviously, with the move last week, my back has been hurting and my calf muscles have been on the verge of cramping up, too. Not too pretty for someone who has been flying in this pregnancy without any aches or pains for the most part. But still, really not too bad for being 33 weeks pregs.

Sleep: Like a rock. Although it's a little harder to roll over and my legs keep trying to cramp on me. And I won't have to pee at all but then in point two seconds I will be ready to burst. Very odd.

Movement: I think I can tell where her little butt is right now, wedged under my left ribs. She is still making those big, slow movements consistently but I really only notice it when I'm not walking around. Her busiest time is definitely in the evenings, so I'm picturing myself with a fussy baby from about 6 pm until 10 pm in a few more weeks.

The belly: Large. High. Belly button out. And extremely round. Still with that sensitive skin at the top of my bump, too. I have no idea how much longer I can go before I get stretch marks. Inspection of the belly region (the part I can see) happens daily, though, and so far so good!

Milestones:  She is now 18 inches long, and about 4-5 pounds. Can that be possible? That's like a real baby!! Apparently she is all about brain development this week, along with hardening bones and practice breathing. Eek!


Amusing comments from the general public: I didn't work a whole lot this week with the move, so I avoided a lot of my common traps of annoying comments with patients. But I'm still getting a lot of wide eyes when I say my due date. It never gets old, I suppose. :)

Best moment of the week: Moving into our first house. I feel so incredibly blessed and overwhelmed and excited for the memories that my family will have inside these walls that it's hard to explain. I sort of can't believe we survived. And now to get working on that nursery...

We survived the move!

I'm alive! We all survived the move and maintained whatever sanity we could claim before this monumental event. And 'exhausted' doesn't even come close to describing my current state but you better believe it's all worth it.

Thursday of last week was our last night in the duplex and although I thought I'd be sad and nostalgic, I was mostly just stressed beyond belief. Nate and I took a gigantic car load of boxes to the new house once he got off work, after I had spent the whole morning packing like a maniac with Truman's help. I'm pretty sure we took about 5 full car loads to the house before the movers arrived on Friday, which really helped us keep the cost down. But it still sucked. And then that night after Truman went to bed (for the last time in the only home he's ever known...sniff, sniff), Nate and I came back over to the new place and cleaned like crazy. I could not handle all of the random tools sitting out across every surface of the house and the dust in the stairway and the floors was horrendous. It felt SO good to get everything in tip top shape, ready to house all of our belongings the next day. And we didn't go to bed until about 11:30 that night which is unheard of in our family, but we were pretty amped up.

(this emphasizes car seat safety, obviously. One of the ridiculous car loads...)


Friday morning we all woke up and got to work right away. My friend Erin offered to watch Truman for us that day, since Lori was off and we knew T would not enjoy seeing the movers haul away all of our stuff. I took Truman along with some Starbucks over to Erin's at 8 and was totally shocked that he didn't.even.cry when I left! That little stinker is always proving me wrong, since I was convinced he'd be a mess with the changes of the move and me leaving him with someone other than Lori or family. He ended up having a total blast and was a little entertainer over there, falling in love with all of Henry's toys and behaving like a good boy. So proud.

(just a small load ready to go)


(helping me pack up random baby items...)


So anyway, I got back home and the movers had already started loading up their giant truck. Nate seemed a little stressed out when I got there because he was on box organization duty---pulling down our things from the attic and basement so that the movers could easily take them away. I mostly directed the guys on what to take and what to leave while attempting to gather up the totally random stuff that could never fit into a box. I really HATE that final load of stuff---the small kitchen appliances, vases, pots and pans---how do you even transport it all without using 486 boxes? It only took the two movers about an hour and a half to get everything loaded into their truck. And then we were off! I took Henry with me as he was freaking out as expected, and Nate followed us over with more stuff in my SUV. And then it only took about an hour for the guys to totally unload everything. So all together, they were with us for about 3 hours which is SO much better than the 8-9 hours I feared we'd have to pay. I'm not sure why I assumed it would take so long, really, other than the fact that we really do seem to have so much more stuff than we thought. And we have had two more loaded car trips back over here since we left the duplex, and I'm sure we still have more random stuff stored away that we'll just have to deal with later. But yes, the movers were amazing and as I ALWAYS say after a big move: that was money well-spent. They moved the heaviest boxes for us and then all of our big furniture and we handled the rest, but again---worth every penny.



After picking up Truman around noon, I was totally shocked (again) that he only slept for 10 minutes in the car on the way to our new house and then he was NOT having the rest of his typical 3 hour nap. We had his bed all set up for him in the new room and I think he was just too excited to play and look around because he keeps saying, 'new house?' over and over again before he sprints around in excitement. He somehow managed to stay awake and in a decent mood all day on Friday, too, so I guess I can't complain. But my big napper just wasn't having it on moving day. :)

We started organizing and unpacking Friday afternoon and by the evening we were pretty spent. I even tried to sneak in a nap in Truman's bed since it was the only one set up because I hit a freaking wall around 3 pm and thought I would die if I didn't rest my eyes. But of course, Truman was not going to allow THAT one and I pushed through. Tony and Lois came over for dinner and we just ordered a pizza that night to 'celebrate' our new place. Not going to lie, it was a little bittersweet to have them over to OUR place, knowing that our amazing time under the same roof is over. They are about 5 minutes away and we've seen them every day since the move but it's still sad to move on. We are so lucky to have them in our lives and I know we would not be living in this amazing house without their support and help---both physically with all of the renovations, and by watching Truman for us during the time we've owned the house, and of course just letting us live above them for the past 4 years made a HUGE difference in our finances and what we could afford for our first home. I'm such a lucky girl to have married into a wonderful family like this one. We owe them more than we could ever repay, so I hope they will accept our humble gifts of grand-babies and lots of visits and dinners together as repayment.

Anyway, we slept fine on Friday night but both Nate and I were up by 515 on Saturday with too much on our minds. We got a TON done that day and also on Sunday (after sleeping much better on Saturday night, thank goodness). I cannot believe I'm typing this, but almost every single box has been unpacked, broken down, and stored away. Everything is set up in this new house of ours except for a few minor things (like waiting for our brand new couch to arrive in 2 weeks !!) and it really does feel like home. We still have house projects to do, of course, like more painting and finishing the kitchen and bathrooms beyond just the 'functional' side of the renovations. But overall we are here and settled!

So let me break it down for you about the favorite parts of this house so far, okay?

Number one has to be our badass dishwasher. I cannot believe we went 4 years without one of these lovelies. And I will never go back to doing all of our stupid dishes by hand, three times per day. Love it.

Number two is our garbage disposal---we are still getting used to the idea of scraping off plates of food into the sink instead of throwing it away, but we are learning how to be modern slowly.

Number three might be the fact that we changed cable providers and therefore we have DVR now. Uh-oh. Going from a house hold that has virtually no 'must see shows' to watch to one that can record any and everything Mind blowing!

I also adore having a giant washer and dryer that are both so high-tech (ie way smarter than me), it's actually somewhat confusing to use their touch screens at times. Also high-tech and awesome? Our fridge that has an actual ICE MAKER in it. I've never been the best at refilling ice trays, as Nate will tell you, and so I know this new feature is one of his favorites. And let me just tell you that having a full basement and a full attic for storage is doing wonders for this pregnant lady's need to organize and store. I LOVE having tons of space and am probably a little psycho about keeping all of the baby/kid stuff together, the office stuff, the grown up clothes, etc all organized in one place. Love it. Not to mention we have our very own two car garage now, so long gone are the days when we have to share the driveway with Tony and Lois, arranging our cars in the driveway each night before work. Glorious, I tell you.

(spacious attic)


(organized baby items)


Pictures of the house updates to follow, since I know that is probably what you want to see anyway.  I want to wait until our new couch arrives, until we get our second TV for the sunroom/playroom (Nate's demand, not mine---I'm fine being a one-TV family, but whatever), until we get our awesome new rocker that we ordered for the baby's room, and until the kitchen is totally 100% finished. And I should really show you our two bathrooms and their updates. So yeah, a lot to show you once it's all done which should be pretty soon....I hope.

Overall, we are all doing great: Truman loves his new house and can't get enough of his very own playroom. Henry is still a nervous-nelly at times but he adores running up and down our stairs all day long, exploring along the way. And Nate and I just smile and give high-fives all day because we did it. We are in our first home. And it's even better than we expected.

(on Easter Sunday, settled enough to make it to church with our boy!)

32 weeks: a jicama

Thirty-two weeks: 4.4.12





Photo Thoughts: I hate that I had to resort to iPhone pictures this week, but I knew this was the only way I'd even document week 32. My camera is packed away along with my tripod and truth be told, we are getting to the 'freak out' mode of this move and have 0 free moments to take belly pictures. The pictures aren't as nice and I feel like they make my bump look exceptionally small but whatever. It's done. And come on, a jicama? Is this the smallest food EVER or what? Pretty sure Wisconsin jicamas are not as big as baby girl. This project is sort of getting on my nerves right now, just like everything else in the entire world (see? that's the packing/moving talking. I'll recover soon enough)
 
Size of baby: A jicama according to BC and still a squash according to TB. I just discovered The Bump's new/revamped timeline for fruits and I'm not that impressed with these remaining fruits. I suppose it's hard to keep things fresh for 36 weeks of fruit-picking, though.

Cravings: Not much. We had the most AMAZING dinner at Kopp's the other night (my Milwaukee girls will understand). It consisted of a big fatty cheeseburger, fries, and then the best chocolate custard ever. We rarely eat out but it was a little treat for our family and oh man, it was divine.

What I love: Being able to say, 'I'm due next month' (!!!)

What I'm looking forward to the most: This week it has to be our big move on Friday. Small steps. Once we move I feel like I can look forward to all things pregnancy a little bit more, but for now my head is all 'moving-related'. I'd like to be at a point when I can mentally relax a bit---that would be nice.

Worries: Pre-term labor. No real reason to worry about this as my OB did not see a problem with my BH contractions from last week. But I just worry that we are so close yet so far away to baby girl being born, and I just don't want her to come out too early. It's amazing to me how first trimester worries morph into third trimester worries with time. I still want baby girl to come out totally healthy and fully baked, bottom line.

What is different this time around: Last time at 32 weeks I had just converted to my giant-knocker C-cup bras, my belly button was on the verge of popping out, and I was really into my pre-natal yoga. This time I have had my belly button poking out people's eyes for a few weeks now and I'm pretty sure my belly is still a lot bigger right now than it was last time. In fact, I was looking back over my old posts and feel like my belly is as big at 32 weeks as it was at 35 weeks for my maternity photos with Andrea.

Symptoms: Still a little hard to move around overall and I can definitely feel that I'm slowing down with my energy levels. Maybe that is because I'm sure I'm pushing myself too much with the move and packing and house projects but man, I'm just tired. Sort of reminds me of my first trimester.

Sleep: Love it, need it, and have been squeezing in naps many days per week. Like I said, I know I'm probably staying up way too late each night and should be kind to my pregnant self so I'm really trying my best to back off a bit. No problems with sleep around here, though. I think I'm a pregnant rock at night that doesn't move a muscle for a solid 8 hours.


Movement: She is nuts and I love it. I finally got a half-way decent video of her movements if you care to watch. And Truman is pretty cute in this one, of course. Check out the kicks on the left side of my belly.





The belly: As you've seen, it's pretty big. Linea negra is there, belly button is out, and skin is super sensitive. A little nervous about getting stretch marks this time around because I just don't see how skin can stretch this much.

Milestones:  For me: I started wearing my Big Girl C-Cup Bras this week! Yes, my pre-pregnancy A-cups are packed away and I hope I don't see them again for at least a year. For baby girl: she's 16.5 inches and almost 3.5 pounds. And isn't it a milestone to make it to 'the month before the due date'?

Amusing comments from the general public: Overall a lot of people are asking when I'm due and commenting on the fact that I am, indeed, pregnant. My favorite conversation went something like, 'When are you due again? (me: May 29) You are SO tiny. You will have no weight to lose after the baby comes (me: HAHAHAHA!!!) Most people don't carry a pregnancy so well, you are lucky.' Isn't that the sweetest?  I even had one patient tell me that I looked really nice in my work outfit and my top was very flattering. I will seriously hang onto ANY positive comments at this point because they are seemingly rare, and most people prefer to say that I'm 'too small' and therefore my child must not be healthy. I really hate when people ask how much my son weighed at birth, which basically means: Do you just grow small, unhealthy babies each time, or what? You'd think that by me saying I'm measuring right on track with this pregnancy they'd back off but whatever. I guess it will just be my 'thing' to deal with during pregnancy when it comes to other people's comments.

Best moment of the week: My OB appointment because 1. Baby girl is head-down!!, 2. My blood pressure is still fabulous at 122/70, and 3. I've 'only' gained 24 pounds so far (was up to 30 at this point with Truman). Also, baby girl is still measuring right on track and after my next appointment I will start WEEKLY appointments. I just can't believe how close I am (yet so far away). 


Wish us luck with the movers on Friday! We still have a LOT to pack and there are dozens of projects to complete at the new house once we are there....but this is a GOOD event in our life and I'm trying to look at the big picture.