I don't know about this white stuff

We took Simon out to play in the snow yesterday.  He was extremely deadpan about the whole experience.

The Big Boy Crib

The crib is completed and has made its way to our home on the top of Grandpa's car.  Grandpa and Daddy put it together yesterday and I'm pleased to say Simon is sleeping in it at this moment.  I'll say it's a masterpiece and a truly amazing gift for our little boy.  As we were getting ready to put him to bed Daddy said that someday Simon's firstborn will use it and so will their firstborn. 

Thank you, Grandpa, for the gift and delivering it in person.  We love you.  And we love Grandma, too.

Another Baby

I know this has nothing to do with me or Simon.  But I read this blog Dear Baby and the mom posted this announcing she's pregnant again.  Their family is so lovely and sweet and so is this video.  I've never met them, but still it made me cry real tears of joy for them.

Dear Everyone

I'm snuggly!

My sleepy boy

One of my favorite ways to pass the time is when Simon falls asleep eating and I get to hold him while he sleeps.  I can sit like that with him for hours.  I can't ever get enough snuggle time.

This morning the husband and I were sorting through his clothes and packing away what is too small.  It's so sad for me to see all he's outgrown because it means he's not that small anymore.  Sometimes it breaks my heart knowing that someday I won't be able to hold him while he snoozes.  I won't be able to hold him at all one day.  But for now he's still my "special little guy", to quote Marge Simpson.  He doesn't feel like a baby anymore.  He feels like much more of a little boy.  I hope I'm doing a proper job of enjoying him being little while I can.  There just never seems to be enough time; enough hours in the day.  That's what pictures like this are for.  They'll be my reminder one day that there was a time before he was too "grown up" for his mommy.

I'm a monkey!

Simon lived through his first Halloween.  We went to Toys R Us in the afternoon and unfortunately didn't find any toys but did find an awesome monkey bib.  Then we went home to get ready for the big event.  Simon made a very fine monkey.  The weather was even cool enough that he didn't sweat too bad in his fuzzy suit. We didn't have that problem in Michigan usually.

We went to Trunk or Treat at church and wandered around there.  Simon collected a Tootsie Roll and a glow stick.  Trick or treating will be much more fun when he understands a bit more and actually gets to eat the candy.  We saw some cousins and an aunt and uncle.  Then it was off to Grandma and Grandpa's house where they had a very special treat of peaches. 

Today we celebrated the actual Halloween by going to church and not napping all day even though we took a walk in the stroller.  Here's hoping we get some sleep tonight.

I has a toof!

Simulation.  Not the actual tooth.

This morning Simon was chewing on my hand when I felt something sharp.  I poked around with my finger and sure enough, I found a tiny point of a tooth peeking out from his lower gums.  My dear boy is growing up.  Maybe now he can stop being grumpy.  He has started sleeping better lately.  Last night he slept 8 hours straight.  I can deal with that.

I really has a Mommy

Gratuitous Simon Photo

Last night about a half hour after Simon went to bed he woke up with a horribly loud shriek and then started crying.  I went in and tried to soothe him for a few seconds without waking him up but he'd have none of it and let out another shriek.  I picked him up right away and he immediately quieted down.  I have to say it was just about the first time I've felt like an honest to goodness Mommy.  I had flash-forwards to nights when he'll have bad dreams and Mommy will be there to let him know everything will be alright.  It wasn't a big deal but it was a very sweet moment for me.  He's growing up so fast.  He really feels like a little boy to me when I hold him rather than a baby.

I Has a Crunchy Mama

Yesterday I had a pretty crunchy mama moment.  I was making Simon some baby food: organic applesauce, while wearing him in the Moby.  I don't wear him as much as I should but a lot of that is because during the week most of the time I spend with him is busy time; feeding him and/or me, cooking, bathing, etc.  As I found out yesterday, it's pretty hard wearing and doing anything in the kitchen.  Using a knife with his head blocking half my view is not exactly safe, but he was being fussy and dad was cleaning.

We've also started teaching Simon sign language.  I have to admit it's fun learning with him.  The goal is to have him be able to communicate with us in that window between being old enough to sign and old enough to talk.  Plus, right now his mind is a sponge so we may as well take advantage of it.  Someday we hope he'll be the guy in the corner on the news depicting horrible car crashes in sign language.

I'm 4 Months Old!

Four Months Old!

Today was Simon's big 4-month birthday.  To celebrate we had cereal this afternoon.  I was really not feeling too well so I almost didn't do it, but my headache subsided enough to break out my old baby spoon.  We invited Grandma & Grandpa to the party via the webcam.  They miss him and I thought it might be a good way to include them in at least this one milestone.

We set up the laptop and camcorder on a tripod to capture the event.  Mommy got the first try at feeding him.  He ate like a champ.  He even leaned in a bit to get more of the noms.  After mom had a go it was dad's turn.  He ate and ate and ate.  I'm not sure how much of it made it all the way down the hatch, but hopefully most of it did.  Here's a photo of the aftermath:

So Big!

We had a quick trip to the park a couple of weeks ago.

Simon is really starting to reach an age where he's changing quite a bit.  Last weekend he rolled over all by himself while doing tummy time.  I was picking up stuff to throw out and had my back turned for a minute while he did it.  I turn back and he's on his back.  I knew that wasn't how I left him.  So I called the husband out from the bedroom and showed him Simon was on his back.  I'm sure he was thinking "That's quite a trick.  Whatevs."  I stammered out that he had rolled over and I missed it.  So we flipped him on his tummy again and he rolled over for us.  The next day he did it again when I wasn't looking but hasn't done it again since.

He's also getting pretty good at using his hands.  He's all about gnawing on Sophie and he can hold her like a champ.  He still doesn't play with toys a ton, but that will come.  And he can hold his bottle if the mood strikes him.

To celebrate all of this and his big 4-month birthday tomorrow he gets a treat: RICE CEREAL!!!!1!  We're gonna give him his first solids and boy, we're starting with the big exciting one.  As I told the husband, it's one part cereal to 98793874 parts formula.  But hey, we all gotta start somewhere.  I'm sure there will be more on that to come.

I got 2nd place!

The mommy board I frequent is having photo contests and I entered Simon.  Normally I'm not into this sort of thing, but this picture is so darn cute I couldn't resist.  I just feel like showing off a bit.  The gals at church can't get enough of him.  My boy is already charming the ladies.  I know he's charmed me.  I also hear about what doting parents we are.  But come on, how else could we be with such a sweet baby. 

Our Saturday

We had such a busy day.  I got some cleaning done... the really nasty scrubbing the bathroom floor around the toilet.  I can't imagine why I loathe it so much.  Then I did a photo shoot with my favorite subject. He was in a decent mood but wasn't really in the mood to smile.  But I took lots of pictures and experimented with the camera a bit.  With the flash the pictures are at least in focus and clear, but the colors are neon and the flash is too harsh.  But I defy anyone to get a non-blurry photo of Simon without one.  So I was covering the flash with various amounts of cloth diaper.  Mommy needs a better camera.

After that we went to the mall to find a white Oxford.  He was in such a good mood.  He likes the mall, I guess.  Me, on the other hand, could do without it.  Too many kids, I say.  Bah...  We did score a victory in our last store, Baby Gap.  I cringe at the thought that I went in there, but I was desperate.  And now Simon can look like someone who works for Old Man Johnson in his Oxford and tie.

Toys R Us!

We went to Toys R Us tonight.  I have no doubt that Daddy had more fun than anyone.  Simon still doesn't care much for toys.  But Mommy accomplished one goal: Simon now has a real honest-to-goodness teddy bear.  They're actually a bit hard to come by.  Other sorts of animals are a dime a dozen, but for some reason the bear seems to have fallen out of fashion.  Daddy also accomplished one of his goals: a plain red bib.  Let's just say it's to wear with a Superman onesie and red shorts.  Photos are no doubt to come.

Dear Simon

My Dear Simon,

I love you so much and am so glad you're here.  I'm grateful you're strong and healthy.  I was reading about a mom whose son was born with a bad heart and he didn't live long.  The two months he was on earth were spent in the NICU hooked up to all kinds of machines.  I don't think I could handle that if it were you.  There are too many moms that only get to hold their babies for a short time.  It's sad to hear about but it also makes me appreciate you more.  Sometimes I can forget how lucky Dad and I are.  You're so good-natured and sleep so well.  Sometimes I grumble to myself when you don't sleep past 5:00.  But there are moms who would be thrilled their baby slept 8 hours.  And there are moms that would be ecstatic if their babies were still here to wake them up at any hour.  Thoughts like that make it easier to deal with getting up at 5AM with you.  Thank you for picking us to be your parents. 

Love,
Mom

We went shopping!

Today Simon and I went out with my visiting teacher.  We took in a sort of farmer's market.  It wasn't quite the sort of farmer's market I was hoping for.  I'm more into the locally grown sorts of foods.  I was hoping to find some veggies to start making Simon's baby food, but just wasn't feeling it.  It was hot and crowded and there were car fumes everywhere.  Then we went to a Mexican bakery.  I'd never been to one before.  I've never felt so Gringo in my life.  I picked a few things, not really sure what I was getting, and some churros.  I was told the tortillas are excellent so I grabbed a bag of them.  On our way out I had to get a photo of this case of Fud.  It's apparently a brand name and it was all over sausages and meats and I don't even know what.  I didn't want to feel like a friggin tourist so I quickly snapped a picture without looking at everything.  My husband will appreciate, as fud is one of our kinda inside jokes.

At The House of Pies

Then we decided to get some lunch.  So, sorry daddy, Simon got to go to a restaurant for the first time without you.  We went to the House of Pies.  Mommy had fish n chips and Simon had a bottle of their finest formula.  They did have to ask me what kind of potatoes I wanted.  I thought, "I did order fish n CHIPS, no?"  So I politely said fries.  Simon was very well behaved.  He only fussed a bit when he was hungry and Mommy practiced eating with her left hand.  It brought back memories of Mr. Steak and the little fuzzy animals with clippy arms they'd put on your straw.  I totally had a koala.  It also reminded me of House of Flavors by Grandma and getting red pop sherbet.  Good times.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Simon loves his bath time.  He kicks his legs like a mad man the whole time and lately it's gotten kind of out of hand.  He gets a very serious and determined look and kicks with everything in him.  It's adorable.  He never does it as well when the camera comes out.  He's definitely a little camera-shy.  But we have a joke around here that I need to get one of these slickers for when I bathe him.  Water ends up everywhere.  It's a great way to get some wiggles out just before bedtime.

I'm teething.

Sophie the wonder teether!

Yesterday Simon gave Daddy all the business and then some.  Of course when I got home he was all smiles for some reason.  Then this morning he was also giving Daddy a hard time.  Grandma Leavitt got to babysit today and she (along with Grandpa) said Simon is definitely teething.  That might explain the rotten mood yesterday, the constant drooling, the spitting up more than usual, the omni-present fist in the mouth.  The thought had crossed my mind, especially with the drool, but I didn't expect that until later.  That's the good thing about having people watch Simon who have actual experience with these things.

So, right now Daddy's out buying Sophie and Mommy gave Simon an extry-long bath.  I figured he could use a little more time in his happy spot.  Let's hope Sophie does the trick.

My mommy's a prankster!

I have some little memories I need to capture before I forget them and this is one...


I got Simon up one morning after he'd slept through the night.  We're talking 8 hours.  And much to my surprise/horror his diaper was bone dry.  How does he not wet a diaper all night???  Is something wrong?  Is something stopped up?  Being a nervous first time mom, I wanted to check things out.  What better way than putting his hand in a bowl of warm water.  Sure enough his diaper was soaked about 5 minutes later.  I'm just getting him ready for Scout Camp one day.

I'm 12 Weeks!

A lazy Sunday morning

It was 12 weeks ago this morning I woke up feeling very groggy and realized I was about to have a baby.  I've really grown into motherhood.  I know I'm going to have to get up at 5:00 most mornings to feed him and get him back to sleep just in time for me not to be able to go back to bed.  I love watching Daddy play guitar for him because he loves it so.  And I love watching him grow and holding his little hands.   My thoughts aren't terribly coherent at this time in the morning, but I feel so lucky to be his mommy.

Mommy's in real trouble.

Simon when he was just a baby.  His newborn onsie was BIG on him!

Tonight I was feeding Simon and he was more awake than I cared for at 9:00 at night.  I'd read him Corduroy.  I also had Goodnight Moon, but was saving that for when he was really falling asleep.  I decided I should sing to him.  I started thinking about what I could sing and immediately lost it for a few seconds.  Memories came flooding back of when he was just a little baby and I had a time getting him to sleep.  I'd rock and sing and rock and sing.  Now we've got the routine down pretty good.  He gets a bath which cures whatever ails him, then swaddled, then one last bottle, then off to bed.  He's usually good from about 9:00 - 5:00.  He sleeps like a champ. 

So, if I'm this weepy and nostalgic for the days when he was tiny and he's only 11 weeks old now, how bad is it going to be in a year, in 10 years, in 20?  Yep, I'm really in for it. 

The Birth

Our first family photo

I suppose it's about time I record the particulars of Simon's birth.  It seems so long ago now.  I was due on April 22nd and they let me go until Monday, May 3rd before inducing.  I had to show up at the hospital bright and early, but first we went out for breakfast... a sort of last meal, if you will.  Our server at Denny's was a bit... special.  I ordered French toast and she kept trying to push extra powdered sugar on me.  It was kind of like the kid in front of Ralphie in the line for Santa.  "I like powdered sugar.  It's really good powdered sugar."  Yeah, whatever.  I'm about to go do the scariest thing I'll ever do, but I'm sure an extra sprinkling of powdered sugar will help.  When she found out we were going to the hospital she told us she wants to see the baby.  Again, yeah.  Actually, not on your life. 

So we get to the hospital and check in.  They're prepping my room and Blaine and I had a couple of minutes to kill.  We started talking about baby names, even though we'd already picked them out.  Somehow I mentioned Donkey Kong Leavitt and man, did that ever crack me up.  I kind of scared Blaine because this was before I'd had any medication.  Finally they called me back to my room.  They hooked me up to the monitors and put in the IV.  I still wasn't dilated so they had to give me something to soften me up.  I flipped through the crappy daytime TV and oil spill coverage while the contractions began.  It was great fun to watch the monitor and printout of my "labor".  Toward the afternoon I started to get pretty uncomfortable.  I was trying to breathe through them but it was getting harder and harder.  They got bad enough that I was crying out in pain.  I'm really doing this, or so I thought.

Mom and Dad were coming in the next day.  I was really hoping to have a baby for them when they got there.  That evening they checked me.  No dice.  I wasn't doing any better than when I came in.  I was pretty frustrated I went through all that pain for no visible benefit.  They came in and gave me some pain killers that night and I went nite nite pretty darn quick after that.

Tuesday was much the same as Monday.  Start the meds to dilate me.  Price is Right.  Oil spill.  Malcolm in the Middle.  Ouchie mama!  Speaking of mama, Mom and Dad came to hang out with me in the hospital.  It was good to see them and though I was sorry they were stuck hanging out at the 'Taub, it was pretty cool my mom got to be there to watch her only daughter take labor like a wuss.  I have no pain tolerance, mind you.  Every time I'd have a contraction I would tense up and people would tell me to breathe.  I was also dealing with a large foot in my lung and a blood pressure cuff that would go off every 10 minutes and would pump up entirely too tight.  That almost hurt worse than the contractions.  So I was starting to get a bit, shall we say, testy.  I was trying to inform the nurses that I was well aware I need to breathe.  I've heard it a hundred times.  I get it.  I'm just in a tremendous amount of pain and my body reacts thusly.  That evening I get checked again and still nothing.  At that point I start to get really testy.  I start to think a C section isn't sounding so bad. 

The night shift comes on and my new nurse was awful.  I admit, I'd pretty well had by then.  I'd definitely lost my good nature.  I'd been "in labor" for two days with nothing to show for it and no real end in sight, so far as I could tell.  I had to have someone unhook me to go to the bathroom.  I'd seen about 400 hours of local news and updated my Facebook status some 94 times.  I was ready to be done with this nonsense.  This new nurse told me to breathe.  I told her, "I know.  I'm trying."  So she sez, "No, you're not trying."  This is where Gretchen looses her freaking mind.  On a good day I don't like people making assumptions about what's going on inside me and this has been less than a good day.  Any good humour I'd had about the situation was gone.  Give me my freaking pain killers now or I won't be responsible for my actions.  Blaine got pretty upset with her because she was arguing about the meds and I don't even remember what.  But guess what... I got a new nurse.

The midwife came in that night around maybe 8:00 or so and said since I wasn't dilating they'd like to use a foley bulb to force my cervix open.  I agreed I'd been there long enough with no progress.  Let's do this.  Keep in mind, I'd hollered in pain every time I got checked.  When she tried to insert the bulb it was even worse.  Plus, she couldn't reach far enough so she called someone with longer fingers.  That nurse couldn't get it.  So they called a third.  She was able to reach and informed me I was at 3!  Holy cow, now we were cooking with grease.  No bulb for me, I was doing this all on my own like a big girl.

They started the pitocin and gave me something to relax me.  I was offered the epidural but wanted to wait.  It had taken 36 hours to get to 3.  As far as I could tell there was no way of knowing how long before I was 10.  I woke up about midnight in horrible pain.  Luckily it didn't all register with me.  It was very odd.  But I was ready for that epidural.  About 20 people came in to do it.  I was very out of it which was good because I heard one guy telling this gal how to do it.  Great, I thought.  A trainee.  Luckily all went well and it didn't hurt nearly like I was afraid it would.  I went off to sleep and woke up in the middle of the night to have my water broken.  Luckily they did it there at the hospital because they found some meconium in the water.  If it had happened while I was home or wherever I might not have noticed. 

I really woke up later on that morning.  I could feel pressure but no pain per se.  Then about 9:00 I felt a LOT of pressure and told the nurse that I thought I had to push.  Sure enough, I was 10.  Blaine called my parents who were on their way anyway.  I pushed like a champ.  Once I felt the head with my hand and said I couldn't feel any hair.  Blaine was at my head holding my hand.  He encouraged me on.  It was at this time they told me about the meconium and that they'd have to rush the baby off as soon as (s)he was born.  I didn't like hearing that.  The one thing from my birth plan I was adamant about was I wanted the baby laid on me as soon as it was born and I wanted to nurse right away.  That wasn't going to happen.

Finally, at 9:43 I saw this little red and white covered body shoot out of me.  I couldn't believe it.  It was over.  I'd done it.  I'd birthed me a baby.  The first words out of my mouth were "I made a baby!"  I didn't hear any crying and said so.  They assured me all was well.  They were suctioning the baby off and I finally asked, um, excuse me, but what is it?  I was told it was a boy and they held him up for about .0003 seconds before running off with him, Blaine right behind them.  He nearly ripped out my epidural in his scramble to get out.  While they were vacuuming my son they finished up with me. 

I'm new!

Everything after that is really a blur.  There are a few short film clips and in one I mention how dopey I felt.  When they brought him to me finally I just stroked his cheek.  It was terribly surreal.  I felt like I was in a movie.  It hadn't sunk in that this was my baby.  This is exactly why I wanted him on and with me right away.  The way it happened it took me a few days to really bond with him.  Maybe it would have been the same either way.  I'll never know.

After we'd held him, Blaine went out to tell Grandma and Grandpa Ringel.  I wish I could have seen their faces. Apparently mom mom was pretty excited.  They came and held him.  I got moved to another room, and then another.  Grandma and Grandpa Leavitt and Aunt Kim came by.  I was totally loopy, tired, and drugged.  Everyone left after a bit and I zonked out.  The rest of my stay in the hospital was awful.  We could hardly wait to get out.  While we were waiting to be discharged Blaine was sleeping.  I picked up Simon and sang "You Are My Sunshine."  I still definitely didn't feel like we'd really bonded, but maybe we were starting to.  

Trying out the car seat.

Having a moment with Mommy.

Hey! That smarts!

Simon sleeping it off

Yesterday we took Simon for his two month check up.  The doctor looked real hard but couldn't find anything wrong with him except for excessive amounts of awesome.  He's 24 inches and 12 pounds.  She remarked that he's going to be a tall one.  The best part of the whole visit was he got his shots!  What little kid doesn't love that?  The whole time we were there he was all smiles and cooing.  It was kind of sad how blissfully unaware he was.  Then the nurse left to get the shots and I started to get upset. 

I started to feel really guilty for poisoning my son with vaccinations.  I know it's highly debatable whether or not they can cause Autism, but even the anecdotal evidence is enough to scare the bejeezus out of me.  All I could think of is what if this is the last time I get to hold the son that I know.  He truly is an exceptionally cheerful and happy baby.  I don't want to lose that.  I still hope I made the right decision.

He managed to survive his shots.  He screamed and turned red, but he survived.  And so far he seems to still be himself.  After the doctor, I had to go back to work while Daddy got to bring the little guy home for some Father-Son time.  Apparently Simon objected to the shots the rest of the afternoon, screaming his poor little heart out.  I was implored to please text rather than call when I was leaving work to keep from waking Simon up or disturbing him.  And could I please, for the love of God, bring some children's Tylenol with me.  And Daddy has a migraine.

When I got home Simon was finishing a bottle.  We gave him the Tylenol and he fell asleep.  That's when I took the picture above.  When he woke up he couldn't have been more cheerful.  It looks like the medicine really did the trick.  Daddy was so glad to see his boy smile.  He loves his son a powerful lot.  I pray all will continue to go well.  It would break my heart a million different ways if I were to lose the happy Simon I love.

Bath Time!

I've really come to love bath time.  It's pretty much my favorite part of the day.  If Simon gets a bath and swaddled, he'll sleep better.  He's been sleeping from about 9:00 to 5:00.  He always wakes up at 5:00 exactly.  Because it helps him sleep, I've been giving him a bath every night.  He loves it to no end.  He doesn't laugh tons, but he just looks at me with little smiles and is totally focused on my face.  He's also calm no matter how much he was fussing before he went in the water.  It's good on mom's end, too.  There's nothing distracting me... not the cats or the tv or anything.  Dad doesn't feel up to giving him a bath, so it's Mommy - Simon Time.  We totally bond and it's especially nice if I've been away from him at work all day.  I love being his mom. 

Father's Day

We had a really great first Father's Day.  Simon insisted we get Daddy a new tie which he proudly wore to church.  Then we came home for some quiet family time.  Simon was in a really good mood and Blaine took advantage.  He played with Simon while he was in his rocking chair and Simon ate it up.  Then we went to dinner with family and had a great time. 

I think Blaine would be the first to admit he struggled a bit the first few weeks with Simon.  It was an adjustment learning how to care for a newborn.  But since Mommy has gone back to work and the two of them get their alone time, they've really started to bond.  Then Father's Day and yesterday Simon was just so darn happy and good for Daddy it's all started to fall into place.  I had to get out the video camera on Father's Day because it was so neat to see Daddy and son have that much fun together.  There is so much love in our home.  It's getting really hard to go to work now that Simon is more alert and active and chipper.  He's such a blessing and a joy.

Pictures

I've decided that I need a much better camera.  It's so hard to get good pictures of my sweet little guy.  I pretty much have to use the flash, which I hate.  Also, if I don't make them black & white he turns out a funny shade of purple and I'm not good enough at photo editing to properly correct it.  Yep, B&W is my friend.  I also haven't gotten around to getting any professional pictures done.  I'm sure I'll regret that, but I've been a bit busy.  I have gotten a few shots I really like.  And I'm glad I have the Flip but I really regret not getting the HD version.  That said, here are a few of my favorite photos.  Enjoy.

4 Weeks

So, I had a baby 4 weeks ago.  He's a boy.  His name is Simon.  He's 4 weeks old today.  Today we took a walk to the office to get a package for daddy's 30th birthday.  One of these days I'll write all about my wonderful labor and stay in the hospital.

Oh, my achin body

So this is pretty much me all the time at night.  Junior seems to get a real "kick" out of squirming all over in the evenings to the point where it gets really painful in my pelvis.  So I lay down which seems to settle things down.  Then I wake up in awful pain in my hips from laying.  After a good many minutes I can get up and take my break from laying.  That's when I say, "Thank God for the interwebs."  Otherwise I might have to do something productive.  But to be honest, this is about as much as my brain can handle at 1:54 am.

I'm due Thursday.  Yea!  Sorta.  I'm really tired of the double takes at work.  People are so shocked to see that A) the baby hasn't been born yet, and 2) I'm still working.  I think when they ask when I'm due I'm going to start telling them August.  I hobble a bit more and avoid stairs as much as possible, but I'm still perfectly capable of working.  And when I don't get fancy benefits like "paid maternity leave" I think I'd rather take my time off after I have the baby.  It could be another two weeks before anything happens.

I had another dream that the baby was a girl.  She looked like Jim & Pam's baby, but with this crazy hair.  I was also hanging out with Robert Downey Jr. so I'm not sure how much credence the dream holds, but it was the third time I dreamed of having a girl.  Blaine thinks it's a boy.  I keep asking him if he'd like to make it interesting, but he never takes me up on it.

We have the nursery pretty well done.  It's the prettiest room in the place, for now.  Just don't open the closet.   We definitely need more storage.  But all the clothes are washed and put away along with the blankets, burp cloths, booties, socks, mittens, hats, bibs, etc.  Here's a photo of its humble beginnings.  It still looks like this, just with more stuff and the boxes hiding almost out of view are gone.

Now we just play the waiting game.  I think I'm just about done waiting.  It's kind of like ripping off a band aid.  It's gonna hurt but you just gotta bite down and rip it off.

Rolling in the Belly

Today at work I took a few minutes to just watch my belly undulate in waves.  It was a nice little diversion from work.  It seems that this is an innocent time.  I'm sure I have no idea what life will be like in a few months.  Right now baby is safely tucked away where little can harm can come.  I expect this will be my only pregnancy so I need to enjoy it while I can.  Life and especially work keep me so busy that it's easy to not notice sweet moments.  When the baby moves like that I try to figure out how the heck it's laying and moving and I have not a clue.  It just makes me happy that there is some movement and it's even better when Dad gets to see and feel.  He loves it as much as I do.  Maybe more so because it's a rare treat for him, where as I feel it all through the day when I'm lucky.