Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hello! It’s been a crazy week, but we’re making insanely good progress on the house, thanks to Scotty (my awesome little bro) coming out to help and Luke taking a few extra days off work to keep up the momentum. The Nursery is now finished- we only need to stock it. A bonus mural is in the works, but I’m not going to stress out if it doesn’t happen. We can say now that our kid will live in a draft- free, flaking lead paint- free room. The furniture we’ve picked up along the way all fits and looks great! Here’s the pic for the week:

I’m solidly in the whiny phase of the third trimester. I don’t feel like I’m that big while going about my business, but then I take the pictures and realize that yes, I am much larger than a few weeks ago. It makes sense that Luke has to heave me up off the couch, Scotty or Luke has to pop my back at LEAST once a night, and that the wedding rings are officially off. That was a sad one for me, but it’s for the best. The swelling isn’t obvious to anyone but me, but I’m down to a few pairs of shoes as well. It could be much (MUCH) worse, so I’m trying hard to take it all in stride.

The GOOD parts about the last week have been getting a TON of stuff done around the house and yard, hanging out with my little bro, and watching Grey tumble and twist and fight against an ever decreasing space.

Also, depending on where Grey is bunched up, I have the beginnings of an outie. Speaking of Grey bunching up, he is still enjoying a diagonally horizontal position. Not ideal for a safe and normal delivery, but he likes it so much, I think I’ll let him stay awhile longer. We’ll see how stubborn he is in the upcoming weeks. 😉

30 weeks seems like a really big milestone for some reason. I’m only 7weeks from full term, feeling great, and have a full blown monster-baby living in my abdominal cavity. He’s approximately 3.3 lbs and 16 in long. If he were born today, he’d likely be perfectly fine, and only need the hospital for growing prior to coming home. What a cool feeling!

He’s adding to his repertoire of movement, now he had rapid fire kicking, hiccups, rolls (getting uncomfortable), pokes, nudges, and scootches. He’s still a busy little guy, moving all day and sleeping most of the night. Fingers crossed that he keeps the pattern!

I feel great, sleeping a TON (like 11-12hrs a night), and enjoying mine and Luke’s time together before our life goes nuts. We’re making great progress on the house. As soon as I find my real camera I’ll take some pics to share.

Anyhoo, I’m off to enjoy this beautiful weekend with Melissa (who’s up from NC) and Luke. Toodles!

I’m finally pulling myself out of the haze that engulfed me following my week of driving and flying. I can’t believe how much tougher it is to sit: in a car, on a plane, on a bus… you name it, this little guy fights it. It’s still incredibly cute when he pushes on the seatbelt or bulges out of my side on the airplane. What’s NOT cute is when he startles me and I get “she’s odd” looks from fellow passengers. The thing is, I get those all the time. Not just when I’m pregnant. =)

The baby shower was so fun! It was incredible to see so many people there to celebrate such a little person. The food was delicious, the company lovely, and the arts and crafts project was a total hit! Here is a link some of the pics:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/104116218452154936280/albums/5721819592709687073/5721819593714615490?authkey=CJPggpnQ-uyAtAE

Carol and I had a ball driving back and forth from Roswell to Cottonwood and back- this is a big accomplishment considering it was a full 24 hrs of driving. We were able to kidnap Amy from Phoenix for the night as well. The shower was on St Patrick’s Day, so we spent that night at a wine bar listening to my little bro, Scott, play guitar and bongos and sing. No wine needed to enjoy that night!

I found myself wishing I had a week long shower just so I could spread out the love! But isn’t that always the case?

I came home and jumped right into the house- it’s looking fantastic! The baby room will be done in the next few days- here are a few sneak previews:

Luke broke thru the wall into our master bathroom closet... it's all about the easy access!

We're keeping the old floors... OF COURSE!!

Pressed tin ceilings- now free of lead paint flakes! =) A big thank you to my exasperated and patient husband for helping me save what I had deemed a "critical component" of the perfect nursery!

Here’s as close as we’re getting to a “cute” belly pic:

A pic taken just a few minutes ago from my throne... one I don't intend to leave until I need a potty break and another snack. Give me about 4minutes. =)

I’m still nice and round. No big changes in the past week. I went to my MD appointment this week and am totally on schedule with everything. It’s so funny how each week varies. Between weeks 26-28, I gained 6 lbs and had all the energy I needed to pull off the trip. Between weeks 28-29, I didn’t gain an once and can’t function without at least 11hrs of sleep a day. I’ve been rolling with the punches, and Luke’s been a great sport. Obviously, I still have the innie and no stretch marks (might as well get the bare belly shots while I can!!). No real cravings but a huge increase in the amount of dairy I’ve been eating. No physical activity, and I’m not sorry.

I have a few things to look forward to- in the next 2 weeks I’ll have one of my best friends (Melissa) and my little Bro (Scottie) out to visit. Both very exciting!!

Ok. It’s time for my snack. It’s 10am, so that means…. brownie! No, yogurt! Nooooo…  eh. I’ll just go stand in front of the fridge and figure it out. Wish me luck!!

Hey!

Some big news: My job is over!! Wooooooo!!!! I can look at it now and say it was worth doing, but I have to say, it’s really nice to be focused on the baby and the house. I’ll probably be eating those words in 6 months, but for now it sounds pretty fabulous.

The nursery is coming along- the ceiling is no longer flaking chunks of lead paint (a good thing), and the walls are nearly drywalled. Hopefully I’ll return from the baby shower to a room ready to be painted (you hear that, Luke?). I’m incredibly lucky in so many ways for my wonderful husband, and one of the bigger ones is that I do NOT have to worry about house stuff not getting done. It bothers him WAY more than it bothers me. =)

Speaking of house stuff, the floors are done and almost totally cured. We and the cats have been on them for over a week, and the dogs will be joining us soon. We’ll soon be able to travel freely through the house without replacing barriers at every juncture! Well, until Little Maximillian is cruising.

Our kid is growing in chub and personality by the minute. I finally decided I was feeling hiccups too- I’ve been feeling them for several weeks but I just wasn’t sure. His movements are all so differentiated now that it’s easy to see the little “jumps” vs his little scootches from one side to the other or when he stretches out, or when he’s performing complex calculations and needs to use his fingers and toes to keep count… I could go on. He’s up past my ribs now and in the mornings he scoots up as high as he’ll go and I can feel the little 2 lb log perfectly. I consider this snuggle time and rub his little head and back. Really, I’m sure he’s just taking advantage of the horizontal space. Tomato, To-mah-to.

He’s over 2lbs and about 15inches long now- Bigger than our Colton was when he was born perfectly healthy (just small). That’s a crazy thought.

I had to buy my second round of maternity clothes. I’m officially out of pretty much all of my pre-preg clothes. Even my mat tanks and t-shirts are short enough to let my belly hang out. My sleep shirts don’t cover it up. The 3 person 3 season tent I pulled out of our gear is barely doing the job. 😉

The belly is hard and round ALL the time now, the belly button is still in, the rings are still on, the heartburn is still there, the stretch marks are probably on their way but have yet to arrive. I’m SO psyched for this week- I get to see so many of my favorite people, it’s unreal! It still just surprises me in a great way that all these people will come together to celebrate one tiny little person. So much love. I’m also psyched to be in the 3rd trimester. I’ve heard it’s when I get to start gaining weight… wait. KEEP gaining weight. I knew I had that wrong. =P

Ok. I’m off to pack for my cross country adventure, do some laundry, and stock Luke up on milk and cereal. Don’t worry, I’ll cook for him when I get home. He’ll survive. =)

I just HAD to try out the bay window, now that it’s been finished. The tung oil is dry for sock traffic. Soon we’ll be moving the furniture and the fridge back into the kitchen. Happy me. We’ve emptied out the nursery and Luke’s already tearing the walls out. It’s going to be a full remodel as well. Maybe when THAT’S done we can relax a little.

In the last week of my 2nd trimester, I’m really rockin’ the bump. Well, ok. The bump is rockin’ me. I’m starting to have some real issues when it comes to dressing: I have to be careful to look in the mirror or I may feel a draft and realize my shirt is only covering the top half of my belly. Also, I was putting on pants the other day and wasn’t paying attention- I bent my leg to stick my foot in and it literally bounced off my belly and hit the floor with a thud. Talk about rebound. I’m sure it scared the crud out of kiddo.

I’ve gained about 20lbs, still mostly in my belly but I’m starting to see it spreading out as well. I’m not the least bit worried about the weight, I’m just glad it seems the swelling has gone down. Weeks 23-25 were NOT fun for my hands and feet. Our little devil plays exorcist most nights- it’s a little shocking at times, but so (SO) fun to watch. I’m still wearing my wedding band, still have an innie (although it’s alarmingly shallow), still loving cottage cheese and pineapple, peanut butter, and water. Next week I head back west for some much needed time with my Roswell, PHX, and Cottonwood Loves. That is definitely what I’m most looking forward to. I’m LEAST looking forward to my gestational diabetes screen in a few hours. The good thing is that if I have GD, my diet won’t have to change too drastically. If I don’t have it (which I’m counting on) I’ll be very relieved.

Regardless, Heather is taking me out for pancakes after the test. =P

On another note, we got a bunch of snow, then freezing rain the next day. It did a really cool thing to the snow- super crunchy with this weird smooth glaze over top. Paired with the sunny day, yesterday was remarkably beautiful.

Alright. I’ll preface this post by saying it’s gotten a little better, but we are having a HECK of a time managing all the pets with this floor refinishing process. It goes a little like this (Tuesday morning):

0612: Wake up to a quiet thumping coming from attic.

0613: Remember that’s where you left the cats last night.

0615: Shuffle up the stairs to retrieve 2 antsy balls of fur, who are insistently talking about how you “never feed us anymore” and how they’re “going to move out if you keep starving us” Blah blah blah.

0617: Head to bathroom (this is a recurring theme). Be joined by 2 cats and a golden retriever. Push cat off lap. Push cat off lap again.

0619: Walk dogs through doorway to living room, saying, “Back…. BACK…. baaaaack” the whole time. Waggle foot at Black Tiger and the Apple Smuggler as you shut the door- they are NOT getting out.

0620: Put dogs out the front door. This isn’t the usual exit door for them. Watch as your black dog enters the street in the dark. Spend approximately 5minutes trying to verbally steer them to the side yard without having to go out there in bare feet.

0626: Bring dogs in [Baaaaack! Baaaaackk….] and head to bedroom, where cats are panicking with starvation.

0628: Find cat food in closet [of course. Where do YOU keep your cat food??] Reach over stacks of folded towels and plastic drawer units [that used to be in the bathroom closet before your husband ripped a hole in the back of it to make easy access to the front of the house] and place cat food in bathtub.

0628: Feed dogs their kibble and commence with “HUMAN getting ready time”

0635: Chase cats out of bedroom and up stairs to attic. Attempt to shut attic door. Protect face as Black Tiger and the Apple Smuggler go AWOL, running past you and straight under the bed. Curse loudly.

0636: Stare at bed. Attempt to levitate bed with super powerful thought. Sigh and accept the fact that the cats know you don’t fit under the bed any more and are mocking you on purpose. Mumble a few more obscenities.

0638: Rattle food dish in bathroom and trick cats into joining you. Turn bathtub faucet to a drip, and spend a moment enjoying the cats’ utter amazement at this dripping phenomenon. Pat self on back for entertaining kitties and not having to attempt under-bed evacuation.

0643: Head to living room, look at clock and realize you did all of that in 31 minutes. Pat self on back [again]. HEAR A LOUD CRASH. More obscenities.

0644: Realize that the cats didn’t knock down the plastic shelving or towels in the bathroom, but that Buddy found the cat food you had inadvertently placed within reach of a doggie snout. Pick up Every. Single. Piece. of dog food because Damned if he’s gonna be rewarded! Place cat food on dining room table on way out the door.

I know that was long, but I had to get it out. Today was better, except for the part where Darwin (Black Tiger is his code name) darted past me and straight through the kitchen. I got him back with only one additional trip across the newly finished floor, which is pretty good I’m thinking (sorry, Honey!).

Everyone knows that herding cats is tricky business, but worth it in the end:

Still lots of snow up here, but the weather has been beautiful! We’re expecting 10 inches over the next day so we’ll see if I’m ready for spring after that hits.

When I look down I can still see the tips of my shoes. Not much else. =)

These pics were both taken on the same day- I was about 50miles south of home for the red-shirt pic, waiting for them to finish Chuck the SUV’s spa treatments. The first pic is in our backyard.

25 weeks and feeling great! We’re in a hold-and-grow pattern. I hold my belly and it grows before my eyes! I’ve got to work on the new Tung oil post so this one will be short, but I promise NEXT week I’ll do something on time and entertaining. By then the floors will be done and we’ll be somewhat back to normal. Whatever that means.

Love and Hugs from the New Hampshire Staffords!

The floors are stained with Early American, and we paid the dogs in kibble to give it a nice distressed look. 🙂 We then vacuumed all the hair up. Now ready for 4 coats of tung oil. I get a free pass because it’s toxic, so I’ll just have to keep myself busy until I can come home at bedtime. It’s going to be BEAUTIFUL! This next pic is through the new hole in our ceiling:

The doorway in the first pic leads to my new pantry.

This next pic is one of our *current* pantry:

In order of appearance: refrigerator, TV, then food… Any bachelor (or pregnant lady)’s dream!