Virtual nesting?

For those of you who have been here before, you'll notice things look a bit different. Apparently nesting has spilled out onto the internet.

It was time for a change.

I've got little else to report.

Pregnancy update: Am huge. Also being kicked internally ALL. THE. TIME. Less than 6 weeks to go.*

Nesting update: Bathroom is nearly complete. Back splash is painted. Baby clothes and diapers have been pulled out and coo'd at but still need washed.

*The Plan (version 1): If I go into labor naturally before the due date, and it progresses, I'll try for a VBAC. If not, we're going in after her on her due date (aka a c-section). I am not waiting nearly 3 extra weeks a second time. If you're interested, there is a TON of blog material on Mr. Man's refusal to enter the world, the birth plan that went completely off the rails, and how I ended up with a c-section after a zillion hours of labor.

**The Plan (version 2): The hospital and my OB might not be ready to do VBACs by the time this baby chooses to come...it's a long story and we'll leave it at that. So, we'll just hope she doesn't come early. I admit, this is not the best plan ever. I plan on planning more.

Tweet Chirp Squawk

What do the birds outside my window and I have in common? We are both nesting like crazy! Seriously, this nesting has taken on epic proportions.

I have been painting my kitchen back splash in my spare time. Though I've never liked the back splash, I've put up with it for 4 years. Most of the time, I don't even notice it. It's cream-colored tumbled limestone, set with cream-colored grout, and is just kind of there.

But getting our appliances replaced has triggered something in my pregnant brain and now the tiles are intolerable! The atrocity that is our back splash can not be allowed to remain in our kitchen.

So, I'm painting it. And not like you'd see if you were to Google, oh, I don't know, "paint porous stone tile." Those people had the good sense to use a roller and latex paint and do it all in one go. But, I, I hate taking the easy way out.

Instead, I am using a mini foam brush, some indoor/outdoor craft paint, and a watercolor brush, and I am painting each tile separately. Each tile is its own special unique snowflake of color (which, in all instances, will be some variation of the same brown paint with different amounts of water added to it). I am carefully avoiding the grout to allow for maximum contrast.

This means that I am having to stretch, squish and contort my pregnant self over the kitchen counters to get this done. I am doing it for short stretches at a time and it is taking me more than a week to finish, but so far I am happy with the results. The paint really allows you to see the pocks, cracks, and imperfections in the tile, which I think are beautiful. Also, it helps blend in the ornamental metal flower tile thingies that the previous owner put into the back splash. They now seem complimentary, rather than a stark juxtaposition with their cream surroundings.

This pic shows the painted tile on the bottom, the unpainted tile on the top (that's the paper towel holder hovering in front of it), and the ornamental metal flower tile thingy. 

Here's a pic of a section that I've completely finished. Most of our kitchen stuff, like containers etc., are white and completely disappeared into the back splash before. I'm really pleased with how they now stand out. Also, look at how the outlet cover now blends in!

I achieved the different colors by watering down the craft paint to varying degrees. Also, some tile just soak up the paint better than others. Check out this one.

Pretty cool, right? And it cost me about $8 for mini foam brushes and craft paint.

The new paint job mostly compliments the counters. Not perfectly, but I don't expect this to be a permanent fix. In the not-too-distant future we'll be painting the kitchen cabinets. The honey oak cabinets are another feature that I've never been fond of but am living with. When we paint those, we'll most likely replace the back splash. 

Anyway, operation update all the things is moving right along. We are buying a new toilet this week, the last bit we need to renovate our main bathroom, which is happening next week. Yay! Plumbing! Demo! Something sure to go horribly wrong! So exciting.

It's spring and I'm still nesting

So much has been done and so much still needs to do. Top of the to-do list is stop adding to the to-do list!!

On the bright side, my yard looks great* because I was out there pulling weeds and tiding up plant beds. I ran out of time and stamina and didn't get to planting the flower bulbs I had purchased and it turns out that I dodged a bullet on that one, since it has been a wintery mix ever since. The weather cycles between snow, rain, and hail, with the occasional burst of sunshine and a rainbow here or there. It's very much spring, but maybe not warm enough for flowers just yet.

*Great is a relative term reflecting my own standards of yard maintenance and not those of my neighbors.

And can I take a moment to bask in my own accomplishments? I have purchased flower bulbs. I feel like such an adult! Like, I can take care of plants well enough inside my house (most of them stay alive, so I'm counting that as a win) that I have expanded to include outdoor plant responsibilities.

I'm toying with what we'll be planting in our garden beds this year. Last year I had this fabulous scarlet runner tepee and we are definitely doing that again.

Glorious. glorious bean tepee!

Let's just hope that things warm up enough to plant before this baby arrives!

My new exercise routine is nesting

With my first pregnancy, we focused on getting everything we needed for the baby...okay, and a bunch of cutey stuff we probably  definitely did not need. This time around, we have all that stuff. Sure, there have been a few purchases (I obsessed over Etsy until I found the perfect baby quilt for tummy time), but really we don't have much we need.

You'd think that was a good thing, right?

Since all the baby stuff is pretty much taken care of, my husband, who gets into nesting almost as much as me, and I have turned our focus elsewhere. Basically, we are remodeling our house.

Alright, that's an exaggeration. We're only doing a makeover on the main bathroom. And painting our bedroom. R also created a new place for the cat litter and food downstairs that cannot be accessed by infants. And we started creating a series of cat shelves on a wall downstairs. I suddenly HAD to sew some curtains for my office - using burlap, the most difficult to work with fabric known to man. Oh, and we are in the midst of upcycling a used piece of furniture as a media console. Also we got all new kitchen appliances and a new car. So...yeah...maybe gone a bit crazy since we only have 10 weeks until this baby's arrival is eminent.

Good job taking it easy, selves. Wouldn't want to go and get yourselves overwhelmed or anything.

As a justification, many of these projects have been on the to-do list for a good long while or were hanging over our heads because "Have you heard that weird sound the fridge has been making?" We've also been saving up for a new car for quite some time because kids take up way more space than you can imagine. But still, entering into the third trimester apparently pushed us over the edge. Quick, for the love of all that is meaningful, we must do ALL the things! All the things must be done!! Right NOW!!!

You should see the length of the to-do list I have posted to the fridge. Legendary.

So here I am, swollen and hippo-sized, squatting down to apply painters' tape to the trim in my bedroom when I'm not waddling around home improvement stores looking at toilets and furniture hardware. Unfortunately, it has done nothing to reduce my bulk. I'm at that point in pregnancy where the baby is gaining a 1/2 a pound a week and I'm gaining something like 10.

Recently I saw a pic of me when I was overdue with my first and Ewww! No! I don't want that again. I don't want to be so big! HOW was I SO big!?!?*

*I went on like that for quite a while.

Now here's a pic of my 2 year old splashing in puddles to remind me why it's worth it:

Making a Baby: Weeks 35 through 38

Apparently the best way to get your readership up is to talk about your imminent baby and then disappear from the Internet. Haha! You have all been had. I'm not even having a baby. This has all been an elaborate hoax including photographic evidence of an increasingly scary/huge belly and a false double chin. (If you believe that, you deserve to be lied to.)

Okay, so I haven't written in a while because I've been staying away from my computer. I started maternity leave earlier than expected due to a colleague's personal problems, which would be great if I still had lots to do to get ready for the little guy's arrival. But I don't. And the long list of Things That Must Get Done is completed (bath dogs, paint stars on nursery ceiling, build furniture [no, not a metaphor or exaggeration], get the garden planted, prune trees, etc.). R keeps ordering me to the couch, where I sit for .05 sec until I've decided that the front room must be re-dusted, or that I should hand wash some dresses I won't be able to wear for another 3-4 months, or I notice that there are spots on the master bathroom mirror (and by notice I mean imagine, because I was sitting on the couch, remember?). Basically I'm failing at the rest/relax/put your feet up thing. But I'm TOTALLY winning at nesting. So there.

Also, I've been alternating between my sweet self and my crabby alter ego because baby get OUT! And R keeps muttering some nonsense trying to remind me that we haven't even hit his due date yet. But I'm swollen (if you comment that I'm swollen because I'm not staying off my feet I swear I will jump through this screen and strangle you with my sausage-like fingers), and I'm having a gazillion contractions, and my family members are calling me every day to ask about progress. Also, my mom has graciously made this about her, because she is tired of waiting, and she things things are taking too long, and she is lucky that I'm too bowling-ballish to successfully slip into her apartment and kill her in her sleep.

So tra-la-la. End of pregnancy is so glorious and wonderful.

On the bright side, I am dilating and effacing more - so sayeth the doctor yesterday. I am having tons of contractions and am officially in prelabor. Which means a baby will be coming...eventually. It could be today or next week or by the time I'm 90. Whenever.

With that tidbit of grumpy over sharing, I present to you, 4 weeks worth of belly pictures:

Week 35

Week 36

Week 37

Week 38

Oh, and fun fact. I have been reassured by not one but three different doctors that we don't have to worry about the baby being small. Because that's obviously reassuring. Though looking at these pictures does lend support to their statement. 

Dang! There's a baby in there!

Impending Baby Update

FYI: Progress is being made. Dilation and effacing are going on. So...things are progressing.

What does that tell us?

That a baby will definitely be coming, sometime, eventually, who the hell knows when.

So. That.

And there will be more belly pics posted. Probably. If I'm not too busy dusting the back of the entertainment center.

Until next time,
Swollen Ankles, signing off

At 38 weeks and counting

In case you were wondering, still no baby, just lots more contractions.

We now have all the things we need, and a good many we do not, for the baby's arrival. We have no real idea when the little guy is coming. We did not get an internal exam last week because the doctor was like, "Eh, false labor, pffff." Not like an internal exam could really tell us when he's coming, but I am curious to know if I'm effacing and dilating and all that. We'll find out on Wednesday. Until then, I've decided to ignore the contractions - since I can't feel them, that's pretty easy to do*.

*I tried to explain to the doctor about not feeling my contractions and how my mom never felt hers and had to be forced to the hospital by my dad (where she arrived at 6-7 cm dilated each time!)...but he kind of ignored that. He did tell me that I should go to the hospital when I'm feeling lots of downward pressure...so, um, okay**.

**Side note: We own a Subaru Forester. We have joked that if the baby is born in the car, we'll give him the  second middle name "Forester" to commemorate the experience. You know, so we don't forget.

In the meantime, we are keeping busy prepping for the baby. You'll be happy to know (though not nearly as happy as R) that the car seat has been installed. R has also put together the highchair...something we were going to wait to get because the little guy won't be eating food for 6 months, but this highchair is admittedly awesome and we'll be able to set him up in it to watch us cook dinner, etc. (by etc. I mean, it's high enough that the dogs won't be able to lick him in the face). R has also spent much time mulling over the fancy-ass video monitor we just had to have (he supplied researched and well thought out arguments when he first suggested it...it's like he knows me or something). Additionally, R has checked off many yard-related tasks that must be accomplished before the baby arrives.

I have been happily prepping all the diaper changing areas (one upstairs, one downstairs, and our diaper bag), folding and refolding tiny diapers and basically squealing with delight over innocuous items like fleece butt liners. I have also gone a bit crazy in the yard and can happily report that the several bushes have been deadheaded, plants have been re-potted, a tree has been pruned, and much weeding was accomplished. Just so you know the full story, I was later chastised for this level of activity and sent to the couch to put my feet up. I also got several baskets (yeah for baskets! I don't fully understand my obsession, but who cares, because BASKETS!) and made R screw them to the wall in the nursery. I realize that sounds weird, but I'll post pictures and you will see the genius; the adorable, adorable genius.

Speaking of pictures, I realize I'm behind on posting belly pics. I have them, but I have to download to the computer, and not my work computer but the other laptop, and then I have to go through them, and really? That's time I could be using to refold cloth diapers or scheme on my next cloth diaper purchase.

Also: cloth diapers. I am TOTALLY going to write up a post (Okay, who are we kidding? Probably a lot of posts) about cloth diapers. I spent a lot of time reviewing brands and am anxious to see what works. I also took a chance on some Etsy purchases, and if they are as good as they seem like they will be, I'll pass along those sites - support small business! And also, save money! But first I want to make sure what's working out so I know which diapers are working best for our newborn, which diapers are a pain to care for, and which diapers self-detonate like a James Bond message.

Until next time...um, I'll be contracting I suppose. (I really need some sort of sign off phrase.)

Making a Baby: Moving into the home stretch

Part of my brain is in a coma and all I want to do is snuggle on the couch and read the second Harry Potter book (approximately once a year I read all the Harry Potter series because I DON'T KNOW, that's why).

Monday was a busy day filled with baby. We had an OB appointment where it was once again announced that I am having a fabulous pregnancy and am the epitome of a healthy pregnant woman with a healthy, kicky fetus. Also, it turns out I am still small, have no more room for a baby, but I was assured that he'll make room. Awesome.

Then we ran errands before our Bringing Baby Home Class. This class is provided by a labor and delivery nurse from the hospital. She had a British accent, which made it more tolerable when she said blatantly incorrect or outdated things, like "newborns sometimes have swollen breasts and genitals because of excess fluid," rather than the correct answer, which is that baby's have been exposed to mommy's hormones. I was very proud of myself when I did not correct her and usually didn't whisper the correct answer to R. Usually.

On the bright side, we learned more about the specific hospital procedures we can expect during and after delivery. Also, R finally understands just how much the baby affects me because I have no torso. Oh comparison, you are a heartless bitch. You see, one of the women (honestly, she was probably 10 years younger than me and I wanted to be like: WHY are you doing this now?? Because she specifically said it was planned and her husband, who was an outstanding example of humanity and had courteously placed his nametag over his penis, making me wonder if he had nicknamed his genitals Collin, agreed wholeheartedly...but I digress) is due in less than 2 weeks and her long torso has almost hidden the baby. Seriously, her belly looked like mine did 10 weeks ago. After the class R kept repeating, "Really, she's due at the beginning of May?? Really?," and then he would stare meaningfully at my monstrous belly that was swaying and bucking because the baby did not stop kicking me all day Monday.

Next, we met with a pediatrician, who, thankfully, is awesome and we feel perfectly fine letting her stab our baby with needles for the next several years. So that finally got crossed off the list.

The following day (yesterday, in case you need reminding like I do) was filled with work-related madness. There's been some uncertainty about whether I will have much work to do next month. Basically, my schedule was cleared so I could write yet another grant, but the grant hasn't come out yet and now we have to worry about me having enough time to complete it before the baby arrives. Part of me is REALLY excited about the possibility of not working. I could read and relax and browse Etsy! Part of me, the part that also likes money and knows I need to avoid Etsy, is worried that I will drive myself crazy if I don't keep busy. After all, there isn't a lot left to do to get ready for our kicky monster (see what I did there? I made myself laugh. Yep, that's how tired I am).

R is terrified that if I'm not busy I will come up with a gazillion things for him to do. He's really afraid I'll want him to repaint the livingroom. Honestly, he should stop using that as an example, because it's giving me ideas.

Anyway, I'm still pregnant. Am starting to get super tired and run down. Heartburn and bathroom trips are seriously cutting into my sleep, and there's probably something else, but I forget.

I am so ready to have this baby.

My world in a diaper, I mean nutshell.

There's got to be stuff to talk about that isn't baby-related*. Like how it's spring, which means crazy weather that somehow shocks people every year by being crazy and unpredictable. It's almost as if spring is a transitional season or something.

Or the government. Nothing's getting accomplished. Inter- and intra-party fighting. All. The. Time. What is with that??

Or...I don't know. I'm having a hard time thinking about anything else because the baby is always kicking me.

As his arrival gets closer, I am really finding it harder and harder to think about anything else. It's not just the excitement of finally getting to hold the little guy, though there is plenty of that. My physical condition (lack of space to do essential things like breath and digest food, the ever-present need to pee, waddling, a fairly inflexible torso, and sporadic fetal kicks/rolls/elbows/hiccups/thrashing) kind of forces the fact to the front of my mind.

All our free time is spent preparing for the baby. Birthing classes, cloth diapering classes, infant CPR, baby registries, baby shower, hospital tour, doctors' appointments, making food ahead for when the baby is here...we could almost be a really bad reality TV show. "What happens when you take two chronically over-prepared people and point out that their first baby will be here in less than two months? Watch as the hilarity ensues!" Except it would be pretty boring - though thoroughly informative - as we make check lists and research different types of reusable wipes (anyone have strong opinions on fleece vs cotton? Besides the 1,100 people who left discrepant reviews online, I mean).

Also, it's all anyone wants to talk about. Two-thirds of the population I interact with brings it up directly and the other third stares. SO, it's not really my fault.

Still, I feel like I should be able to come up with something. Not just for this blog, but for my life, which has become very baby-centric and the little guy isn't even here yet. I mean, how many times can I marvel over the same tiny little socks? How many more final touches can I put on the nursery? (For the record, I have not only done these two paintings, I have made curtains, a mobile, hung several things, had R paint the nightstand, and framed/matted a batik print, in addition to the sorting and organizing that goes on continuously. I won't even discuss the organization and rearranging that is occurring elsewhere in the house.) Yet, such a life altering change is coming our way, and we are so excited for it that it seems impossible to ignore, even for a moment.

Any other pregnant women experiencing this?

*I wrote the majority of this post before the Boston marathon bombing occurred. This event is unfathomable to most of us and the level of pain and panic that it has caused is nothing to skim over. I am deeply sorry for the devastation brought to so many lives. I chose to continue this post in the vein in which it was started, however, because a pregnant woman can only focus so much on tragedy.