Big Day

Josh was extremely lucky to be able to take today OFF work! Unfortunately, he didn't take a vacation day to do fun, relaxing things. He took the day off in order to work on the nursery! So, it's a big, productive day around here... lots going on in the woodworking and painting department. I'll post pictures at the end of the weekend to show the progress we've made.

I am hoping to help out as much as I can today... but (yet again)
I had a miserable night. I was wide awake and tossing and turning from 3:30-5:00 this morning... not a clue why. :( Hopefully, I can sneak in a nap sometime today because I am so exhausted and it's only noon.

Laura's Got A Big 'Ole Belly... Oh, Yeah!

Josh took a couple belly pictures for me tonight... I can't believe how huge I look! I honestly don't think I'm that big until I see myself in pictures. When I saw these particular pics, I shouted, "I'm SO FAT!!" Josh laughed and just reminded me that I am indeed pregnant. Anyway, enjoy!

Nursery Progress

Just thought I'd share a few pictures with you from the progress we've made in the nursery. Josh worked his butt off last weekend doing tons of little stuff in the room (way too many items to list) and I have been working this week on the border. The border in the room is not complete... it will eventually have suns, moon, stars, and abc's in the squares. Josh is going to add a white piece of molding along the top of the border as well.

Holy moly, I went through tons and tons of painter's tape to get all those squares made yesterday! I love the look, though, and am excited to touch up and start the stenciling. In our 1890's home, we don't have a single wall that is straight. So, in closeup pictures, don't point out crooked lines or plaster bumps and grooves... it gives the room character! ;) What do you think? It's coming along nicely, huh?

Ugly Belly Picture

Here I am... just took this pic with our webcam. I am pretty sure this will be the last bare belly pic I post. My stretch marks are just not very attractive at all. LOL Anyway, this is how I appear at 30 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I'll have Josh take a better picture of me later this week... for now, enjoy this ugly belly picture (not sure why my skin coloring looks so off). I'll also put my 10 week preggo belly pic here for comparison.

Strombolis and Big Foot

Sunday morning, I woke up really early with a craving for strombolis. This past weekend was the first year I've missed my hometown's festival and I especially missed the food. The thing is that I get the same delicious items from the same vendors every single year... one of my favorites being homemade strombolis. So, I made it my mission to buy all the ingredients I needed to concoct my OWN strombolis... and that is what we had for dinner today. YUMMY! Josh and I both agreed that our home smelled like an Italian restaurant tonight.

In other news, I broke down and bought a new pair of shoes yesterday. The change in weather is going to make me pack my flip flops away pretty soon. I'm pretty sure I won't be comfortable wearing open-toed shoes all the way until my due date in December. So, I got some black corduroy mules... a full size bigger than normal.

It's a known fact that many pregnant women never go back to their smaller shoe size after they give birth. I truly hope that's not the case for me because I feel like Big Foot! Hmm... that would mean lots of new shoe shopping, though. ;)

Week 30

So, today... I am 30 weeks pregnant. I am 3/4 of the way of the way there! I am considerably getting bigger overall (wish I could say I'm gaining weight just in my belly, but that's not true). :( Isaac kicks like mad sometimes and I get suprised by his strength. This weekend, I had my hand on my stomach when he kicked and my hand actually bounced up off my stomach from the force. We joked this weekend that our little guy wants to be a kicker for OSU. However, I think he may be a bit big for that when the time comes... more like a tackle like his daddy. Sleep is still an issue and from the sounds of it, it won't necessarily get any better. Every book I read seems to tell me cheerfully how well-prepared I'll be to care for a newborn since I'm already used to being sleep-deprived. I guess that's one way to put it.

Your Baby's Development:

Your baby has probably reached three pounds and about 14 inches in length. He’s also filling out a bit as he continues to gain weight, and these layers of fat help him to appear less wrinkled.

As practice for breathing after birth, your baby is mimicking breathing movements by repeatedly moving his diaphragm in a rhythmic way. This can trigger hiccups if he inadvertently inhales amniotic fluid.

• Baby's head continues to grow, and brain growth speeds up even more.

• Baby's hearing is improving; nearly all babies can react (by movement) to sound by this week.

Man At Work

And so the weekend begins... Josh has his "punch list" as he calls it and is upstairs working already. He plans to get a lot of work done on the nursery this weekend!! I will continue to do some small organizational projects around the house and try to take it easy. We are getting rain today and that means we'll have two big furry obstacles to contend with while we try to get some work done. Otto and Sophie hate rainy days.

So Sweet

Last night, Josh suprised me with flowers! Gerbera daisies... my absolute favorite! But, that's not all... he also brought home M & M icecream sandwiches (very tasty), a supportive and uplifting card, and a foot massager! I was so happy and gave him a huge hug! Josh has just been great putting up with all my complaining and the little gifts were so sweet. I know that it's such a blessing to be pregnant and I can't wait to meet our son. But, it's not a secret to anyone that I've had a difficult pregnancy so far. I thank God for Josh because he's been so wonderful through all of this.

As an update, yesterday was a better day. I stayed off my feet and elevated them a lot. I did lots of projects I could do while sitting down and that was key. I think I'm going to return the foot massager b/c no one really uses those little contraptions after the first few times anyway (although the thought was very sweet, I'm trying to declutter the house). The best thing for swollen pregnant feet is to keep off them and drink LOTS of water. We both woke up a few times last night do to the strong thunderstorms in our area. But, that's okay! It's almost the weekend and we have plans to work on the nursery together.

"Just Leave Me Alone"

Ugh, I had a very cranky night last night. I won't list all my complaints here, but just know that overall, I was just not comfortable. My biggest impairment was my horribly swollen feet (I think I overdid it with painting on Tuesday). I was not a very happy camper last night. Josh kept asking me if he could do anything to make things better. The first time, I asked for ice cream. Then, Tylenol and cream for my itchy stretch marks. Lastly, I just told him "nothing." I think my answer was actually a very b*tchy, "Just leave me alone. Unless this chair doesn't turn out to be comfortable. Then, you can get off the couch so I can lay down." Oh, my! LOL What a saint for putting up with a cranky pregnant wife. I just knew I wouldn't be sleeping well with all my ailments. As it turns out, I got up at 2, 4, and 6 in the morning. I went to bed at 11 and got up at 9. Fun, fun! Sorry to be so cranky yet again this morning. Is it December yet? Just kidding! Today will be a better day (I hope!).

A Milestone

Yahoo! My teeny tiny little blog has hit a milestone today: 1,000 visitors! Not too bad for just having about 25-30 hits a day from family and friends. Thanks for helping me start this, Jess. It's been fun keeping everyone updated on my pregnancy! Thank you all for visiting and reading my blog!

Otto and Sophie

Everyone seemed to like the dogger pic from earlier this week. So, I thought I'd post some more today... here they are, in all their mutt glory! Enjoy!
P.S. Otto and Soph both think the title of this blog should be "And Isaac Makes FIVE!"

Faux Finish Complete

Today, I added the lighter yellow color to the nursery. I mixed it with a faux finish glaze and sponged it on top of the original yellow. The new color really toned down the "holy moly yellow" and looks good (I think)! With the old plaster walls in our house, any kind of paint finish that can isn't flat does wonders for hiding all the bumps and blemishes. I'm pretty happy with the way the room is turning out! Next up: some spackling on the green border, sanding, and touchup. Then, I can finally start to work on my border! It was kind of hard to get a decent picture of the sponging because it's a dark, dreary day outside. The nursery does not have any overhead lighting yet (That's on Josh's to-do list, of course, and we already have a fixture).

Oh, My...

I had a revelation the other day... one that made me freak out. I can't see my own feet anymore! Yep, my belly has gotten so big that when I stand up and look down, all I see is a beachball belly. I can't look to see if my toenails need repolished or how swollen my ankles are. It's depressing in a way, but also humorous. I really wonder how huge I'll be by the time my baby showers come around next month and you all get to see me.

29 Weeks

I can't believe I'm at 29 weeks already! Isaac's kicks have increasingly gotten stronger and more frequent. Yesterday at church, I was leaning up against Josh and he felt a big, swift kick against him. He laughed and asked, "Did you burp or was that a kick?!" Hee, hee!

How your baby's growing:
Now that organ and nerve development is almost complete, your baby will start gaining weight very quickly this week — mostly in the form of body fat. In addition, Baby's brain continues its important developmental work this week. In fact, it is growing so quickly now, it may cause his flexible skull bones to swell slightly. By this time, your baby may weigh just under three pounds and is a bit less than 14 inches long.

Other important developments in the 29th week include:
• Insistent kicking action will occur as Baby's muscles develop. Later in this trimester, these movements will slow down as Baby gets bigger and the uterus gets more cramped.

• Baby's skeleton will continue to harden.

• Baby's lungs will continue to mature.

• Toenails will continue to grow.

• Retinas will continue to develop.

Some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage again. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows your digestive process, which can cause gas, especially after a big meal. (Josh can vouch for that! LOL)

Highchair!

We were so excited to receive a very generous baby gift from Joel and Jamie in the mail this past week. Josh put together's Isaac's highchair and it's very nice... although it does make things seem a little bit more "real" having baby stuff pop up around our house! We really like the highchair! It looks great in our dining room and will hopefully work out well for feeding kiddos.

Painting Progress

I have lots of pictures to share with you from this weekend! Josh and I focused on getting some paint up in the nursery! We finished painting the ceiling, got two coats on the beadboard, and got two coats on the walls. As you will see, the colors really brighten up the room! When we put the yellow on, Josh exclaimed, "Holy YELLOW!" LOL The color is very bright, I agree. However, it's really just an undercoat to the faux finishing I'm going to do. I am going to be sponging a lighter, buttery yellow on top of the bright yellow. It will tone down the room a lot. The blue painter's tape will also obviously be coming down.

The green border will have a piece of white molding running along the top of it. The border will be sun, moon, stars, and abc's in shades of teal, blue, purple, and yellow. The corner armoire needs shelves, doors, and molding and it will be white. Overall, we are very happy with the progress in the room. The dogs were not very happy that we were working (and gasp! not paying attention to them!) and wanted to be a part of everything. I'll post a pic of them here, too... right in the middle of all the mess. If you want to see the pics a bit bigger, just click on them one at a time.

Cross Your Fingers!

I am hoping that this weekend, we make some progress in the area of PAINTING! Both the bathroom and nursery still need some prepwork first. But, once Josh has that completed, I hope we can get some color on the walls this weekend! Of course, home renovation projects hardly ever go as planned. Some sort of obstacle may come up that will take a lot longer than expected to delay our painting party. Cross your fingers that we get to open some paint cans this weekend!

Organization... (err, "Nesting")

I've got lists. Don't make me use them! Josh came home yesterday to find the house in pretty bad shape. It's a work in progress as I dig deeper and deeper into anything and everything that I want to go through and organize before Isaac comes. I have this little voice in my head that is asking me, "Shouldn't you just do this now? When will you have time to do it with a newborn? Wouldn't it be nice to have that done?"
Sooooo... I'm on a "nesting" mission as Josh likes to call it. I'm getting the house ready for baby as best as I can. Don't worry, I have my husband carry the heavy boxes and move the furniture. Although it's been a ton of work, I know I'll be happy to have our little house a bit more on the organized side before our lives change dramatically. I've got such a mess on my hands now... but, just wait! A few more weeks and our "nest" will be ready for baby.

A Look Back...

I found out I was pregnant on April Fool's Day.... seems like SO long ago now that Fall is here! I thought I'd share a few pics with you from the big, exciting day! I told Josh by putting a "note" from the baby on the nursery door. I would post a pic of it here, but it includes our last name and don't want that info. on the blog. The note said:

Dear Daddy,

Congratulations to you...
Wishes really do come true!

What a special day to remember
Hope you can get the nursery done by Novemeber!

Love,
Baby W-----

*Positive Pregnancy test 4/1/05*
This is NOT an April Fools' Joke!

He stood there letting the information sink in before saying, "Are you kidding? How many tests did you take?!" We hugged and smiled and it was such a happy moment that I'll never forget!

Later that night, we told my mom in series of pictures online... we were on the phone with her as she opened each one! It was so great to hear her react as she heard/saw the big news! We then called Josh's parents to share the news with them and the rest is history.