Drumroll Please....

Well the nursery is finally done. Or at least as complete as it is going to get before the baby gets here, I think. Tim attached the changing pad to the dresser and installed a dimmer on the light switch (although it makes a weird buzzing noise which concerns me and I think Grandpa Mike is going to have to assess the situation on that one), and I finished painting the murals. We still need some more stuff on the walls (pics, etc) but I'll fill in with those once the baby gets here. I also need a little side table to put next to the glider for the lamp and things I may need while nursing. I'm not having much luck finding one, though. Even the cheapy ones at Target are $100. After all the $ we've spent getting ready for this baby I'm not about to drop $100 on a stupid little table. We'll see...

Anyway, I think the murals turned out really cute. I really like the lion and giraffe, especially. The only one I'm not totally pleased with is the monkey. He's a little gimpy. I just think the structure of that shape was not as suited to this kind of thing as the others. He's still cute, though, in his own little way, and I like how he hangs over the dresser/changing table so he's sticking around. Also, the thought of painting anymore makes me want to cry so, sorry baby, you're pretty much stuck with it :-)

I also like the little giraffe and zebra hooks hanging next to the changing table

(courtesy of Aunt Rachel). They're very cute and I think they'll come in handy.

I have also included a picture of the over-priced closet shelves that Tim installed. They turned out really well and I think it's going to be a big help to have them.

The only really major things left to get done are going to the firehouse to get the car seat installed, picking up the stroller when it comes in this week, and packing the hospital bag. Everything's been washed and assembled. Now it's just waiting...

We've been slacking on the weekly pics of me again. It's on the to-do list to take the 38 week (+ 3 days) picture tonight and I will post. I'm definitely getting huge. Starting to worry about how big this baby's going to be if it keeps 'cooking' for 2 more weeks!

Very Late-in-Coming Shower Pictures

Since pregnant brain kicked in and I forgot to take any pictures at the shower for my mom's side of the family, Rachel (the hostess of said shower) was kind enough to provide me with some pics so that I could share.

Shower with the Kirkwoods

Mom and Rach had a shower for me today for my dad's side of the family. It was very nice. We had great food, very yummy desserts, and beautiful flowers. It was a small group so we got a lot of time to visit and chat. I also got some wonderful gifts. Lots of useful stuff like onesies, baby laundry detergent, hangers, etc. It's perfect timing because we're just finishing off the nursery (the furniture came yesterday and Tim installed our closet shelving today) so it's a great time to start filling in with all of those little (but very necessary) things. I think the only really big items left are the car seat and stroller. We'll be going to get those along with all the little stuff we still need next weekend. After that I think I'll be all set other than just washing clothes and getting a bit better organized. Still a few weeks to get that done, though. Here's some shower pictures.

36 Weeks

Wow! Only 4 weeks left. I can hardly believe it. Next week I'll be considered "full term". Of course, that doesn't mean that the baby will necessarily make an appearance that quickly, but it does mean that it could, realistically, be any day now.

I had my first weekly doctor visit yesterday. It was the first visit that wasn't just a tummy-check so they checked my cervix, etc. He said the baby is definitely head down, has started to drop (which I've noticed because I've been breathing a bit easier but having to pee a lot more), and that I'm 30% effaced but not dilated at all yet. At least things are moving in the right direction.

I've now gained 33 pounds. That's a lot! I do feel better about it, though, because Dr. Gerwe told me that women who are tall and skinny (like me) tend to gain a lot more weight than others. He says I can gain up to 45 pounds and be fine. It does make sense, though, that I should be able to gain more than an average-sized person.

Crib is coming tomorrow! Yeah! We bought some shelving for the closet last weekend (which brought with it some serious sticker shock) and need to install it tomorrow. Then we will be mostly ready to go. I just need to start washing clothes, blankets, and bedding. I think once the nursery and everything is ready, though, I'm going to start getting really impatient for the baby to come.

Speaking of sticker shock... We bought some diapers tonight. I got some for one of my showers too so at least we have enough to get started. I'm sure we'll need tons more, though.

Also haven't packed my hospital bag yet...

Some Miscellaneous Pictures

I have a few random pictures that go with previous posts but which I didn't have when I made the other posts. So I figured I'd post them in their own post.

The first one is the bootleg picture of me finishing the Hyde Park Blast. Obviously, I am not running... Also, you can hardly tell I'm in a race because you can't see my number. I had to wear it on my back because there was no area on my front flat enough to pin it to :-)

We determined that this is actually the fourth race the baby got to be in. The first was the Thanksgiving Day 10k, although we didn't know about the baby quite yet when I ran it. I was only 3 or so weeks pregnant. I also did two at Christmas: the Jingle Bell Run and the Egg Nog Jog. I ran for several months after that (up until 27 weeks - May or so) but didn't do any other races. I'm not even sure if this one can count since I didn't even run it. I'm really hoping I can run the Turkey Trot again this year, but it may be a stretch, especially if the baby comes late.

The next random pics are two from my first shower. The first is an 'action shot' of the ring test they did to determine if the baby is a boy or girl. I guess the premise is that you dangle the mom's wedding ring over her belly and depending on whether it moves in circles or back and forth it shows which sex the baby is. I'm pretty sure that this test also indicated that we're having a girl...




Finally, here's a good picture of me with my friend Samantha (I met her when I worked with her at DHL) and Jean Green (who came all the way from Toledo for the shower).