40 Weeks and Counting

Due date is here…but no baby yet! She is moving like crazy though and I feel like she’s  getting ready. Either that or she really likes the chocolate pudding I am eating right now and the Bachelor. Which would be fine too as it would show her great taste! haha

I never noticed how much champagne they drink on the Bachelor until right now — probably because I want a glass so badly!!

Hope the freezing rain storm holds off tonight…I’d like baby and then some pretty snow, in that order, if you don’t mind!

P.S. Is it just me or is Michelle on the Bachelor totally crazy???!!! Why don’t the other women talk about it more?

 

Snow, Malls, and Beef

Due to cold weather and snow (from our mini-storm), MJD took me to Tysons Galleria today to walk around. It’s just too gross to be outside for very long, but we have got to start using the tricks to get this baby excited about coming out! I understand walking is supposed to help, so we walked for an hour at the mall – how suburban!

After a our  mall tour (where we could not find me new pumas), we found yet another delicious Vietnamese restaurant called Present (here’s a more recent review as well). I had a pork and tofu soup, while MJD had the Cow on the Open Field beef dish. They were both good, but Cow on the Open Field was great!

Now we’re home, watching TV with Artie, and I am trying to stay awake. 39 weeks and four days…I’m trying not to get to frustrated!

DC's mini storm

Drive to work on Friday

Nursery Decorating Update

So far I am really excited with how the nursery is turning out. MJD and worked through the office issue, we got a new smaller desk and moved it so that it’s no longer the focal point of the room. We also got a really nice, warm picture of Eastern Market (from Eastern Market) to hang over his desk. Then we made the other two walls about baby. I think it all actually works well together!

Once we go the furniture figured out, MJD hung the Land of Nod curtains (that match the crib set) and I ordered a decal for over the crib, and adorable pictures for over the changing table (currently being framed).

The decal is from Etsy, a shop called SmileyWalls (it looks like she’s on vacation right now), and the woman is so great to work with. She went back and forth with me on colors and I love how it looks! My mom and sister actually came down for a little visit and hung most of it up for me (I get frustrated with craft projects very easily!). We have some more flowers to put up – I am hoping my sister does that when she comes to meet the baby, but I love it!!

The prints I will share once they are framed. So, here are some pictures so far. The lighting is not the best, but I’ll post better pictures when we are done.

Oh and we painted the room yellow a while ago.

I can’t find a picture of the office set up as it has been since we moved in, but here is the room as we unpacked.

When we moved in

curtains after MJD hung them!

Starting the process

Tree is mostly up!

Wall for the new prints

Office area

Do you like it so far?

18 days

Eighteen days until we hit the official due date. That doesn’t mean baby comes in 18 days, but after 37 weeks, that seems pretty close. The nursery decorating is in full swing. My mom and sis came to visit and hung a fabulous decal over the crib.

We are going to get prints framed this weekend to hang over the dresser/changing table.

And then we have to buy and wash some sheets and the changing pad cover, but at that point, we will be pretty decorated. I just can’t believe a little person is then going to use the room…a little person we haven’t met yet. What will she think of the decal? Will she like the pictures of her dad hanging curtains and her aunt and grandma decorating with decals?

It’s all very exciting and overwhelming, and I still have trouble imagining it.

SO, instead I will continue to make lists of things to do and post pictures soon of the decor so far. Much easier!

 

 

TMI Thursday

One of my ankles is swollen.  Just one. And I am at work in a skirt. It’s unfortunate.

I was going to take a picture but figured no need for anyone to have to see that. Then I googled swollen ankle images and that was just nasty.

Figured I’d share and maybe hear from someone else who spent their last month of pregnancy all lopsided. Anyone? I mean why one ankle only?! Ha!

I would like some Ben and Jerry’s now.

My January Resolution

January feels like it might be a tough month to get through. With baby due in February the days are crawling by. But there is so much to be thankful for this year, of course our pending arrival, but even before she makes her debut. So, my January resolution is to not rush this time but to treasure it. Here are a few of the things I will be focusing on during the next month (or slightly more).

• The next few weeks of work before routine and order become a long lost memory from the past!

• The Washington Monument and the Tidal Basin on my way to work…not everyone has such a pretty commute.

• My DC friends for the upcoming baby shower that is getting me through this week of work – it’s so wonderful to have friends willing to hang with you on a Sunday afternoon, even when you are a crabby eight months pregnant.

• Visits from family who are more than willing to help keep me entertained, run errands, and hang decals in the nursery.

• Pedicures – need I say more.

• The quiet time to watch In Treatment marathons and Up series documentaries with MJD.

• Long strolls with MJD and Artie while we have no time frames and Artie dictates where we walk.

• The tenacity of kicks and jabs that surprise me every day. I’m pretty sure this little girl has some strong opinions about things.

• My generous and patient husband who spent his holiday days off installing a car seat, building a desk, rearranging the nursery, hanging curtains, etc…And then remarked that we would look back at the nursery renovation pictures in 20 years and treasure this as an amazing time in our lives. And it is.

Artie and the Blueberry bonding before they share the house

Pick what annoys you the most on the bus

I had to repost this look at DC bus riders from The 42. I have a long history of aggression directed at DC buses, and laughed out loud reading this one. Here are my favorites but you have to click over for the whole list!

The Traveler – You refuse to take a cab to the airport, despite having to utilize all 5 bags of your 5 bag luggage set. You can barely carry (drag) them all, but you know you can save some cash by taking public transit. Even though it will take an extra hour. You take up, at the very least, two seats.

Aisle Squatter – When the bus starts to fill, and you are standing, you should start moving to the back of the bus. It’s just nice. People can’t walk around you in the aisle, and the front of the bus is really crowded with standees. The back is literally a ghost town. Just remember that. And it looks bad from the outside.

DIY Project

Or at least a “do-it-himself” success for MJD!

While I provided moral support, MJD took to the ladder last night and hung curtains. He’s the best! The room is starting to come together, the bassinet arrived, I’m finally going to start washing all the clothes, sheets, and towels. I have to say that I am very impressed about everything we have accomplished during our time off.

Now that we have the furniture and a lot of the basics, we can start decorating (curtains were a big step!). We have a matching crib skirt and sheets from Land of Nod, and some new art work that is being framed, and hopefully it will all be done some time in January. Hope you like the direction it’s all going!

Hard at work!

Decorating has begun

Is this considered nesting?

Just gave away more than 10 shopping bags worth of clothes, shoes, books, and purses. I feel so accomplished. Somehow we still don’t have room for my remaining shoes and bags though! At least there are a few empty shelves for baby now.

Next step, clean up a bit and shove a bunch of baby stuff into the still unorganized baby room, and we should have space for all of our family to chill this weekend in the living room. Who knew how huge these bounce chairs and swings would be? This little baby takes up more room than we do and she’s not even here yet!

Look at those bags!

 

Stress Relief

Tonight was our final baby birth class – we came home exhausted and overwhelmed by information. There so many tips and facts and possibilities to remember, and we just needed a break. So we watched the Office and took pictures of our decorations (or at least I did the latter!).

A stress reliever:

Santa Time

Other Stress Relievers:

Getting holiday cards in the mail

Listening to Christmas music at work

Hot Chocolate

Hopefully the pregnancy body pillow that MJD just ordered me from amazon

The smell of our wreath when we get home