Just a Few Pics From The Shower Yesterday

Here are just a few pictures from the baby shower yesterday hosted by some of the ladies at our chuch. We have over 125 pictures, but I didn't want to upload them all! Anyway, I'm running late for work. I'll post more later on.

The Nursery Is 99% Done!

Joe was able to get the nursery "cosmetically" done tonight. He bought some new 2" faux wooden blinds and a curtain hanger so we could hang up the curtains. I put out the baskets that he spray painted. The only things missing now is a rug, smoke & carbon monoxide detector, and two new outlets. We've been having a difficult time trying to find a rug that matches the color and decor. Anyway, for those of you who haven't seen it yet, I'm also throwing in one other "tummy" picture....

Birthing classes are going good, but Joe doesn't like them.

Well, enough for tonight. It's bed time. More later!

Doctor's Appointment Today

Well, the doctor's appointment went well today. Although I'm still contracting, there's no dialation taking place, which is good. I asked the doctor if he felt that maybe we're off on the due date. He still says we're measuring on target for a September 24th due date. The baby's heart beat was measuring at 141 & sound good. The doctor told me I just need to make it through the next two weeks. Anything after the next two weeks, they'll let me go as far delivery goes. My next appointment is August 29th at 2:15 & it'll include an ultrasound, so we'll have new pictures to post! I can't hardly wait!!!! I called Joe and asked to see if he could get time off work to go to that appointment with me since they're doing an ultrasound.

It's getting closer to the big day!

Well, today I'm at 34 weeks. Yesterday I had some issues with the pregnancy. My regular two week check-up was scheduled until today, by yesterday morning I was having some contractions this with cramping & pressure. I called the doctor and spoke to the nurse. She asked me to come in to get a check-up. She asked meif I was having any pain with the contractions. I told her in the morning I was having menstrual like cramping. It wasn't unbearable at all, but on Monday I had one contraction actually doubled me over it was so painful.

The contractions yesterday morning were about every 20 mins. Doctor had me come in at 1:30 PM to check things out. When I got there, they hooked me up to the non-stress machine (external fetal monitoring system), which measures the baby's heartbeat and my uterine contractions. It's what they hook you up to at the hospital when you go into labor.

Anyway, the baby is doing great and they confirmed that I was having contractions. They didn’t tell me exactly how many, but I could feel them. After they were done monitoring on the machine, the doctor took me in to the exam room to check my cervix to see if there was any dialation with the contractions. Fortunately there isn't any dialation.

The doctor then checked to see if he could feel the baby's head. He was able to feel the baby's head and was able to push on it and the baby would bounce up, which means, he's head down and in position, but not so far down in the pelvic area to give any concern right now. So the doctor told me to keep my appointment for today and he'll check my cervix again to make sure that I'm didn't start dialating over night.

One thing I learned in birthing classes is that if you have 4 or more contractions in an hour to call the doctor. Dr. told me that I could have that many and more in an hour, but as long as I can laugh and talk through them, no need for concern. It's when they hurt and cramp that I need to call the dr. office about it.

So everything is going fine right now. I'm having pre-term contractions, but fortunately not pre-term labor. I'm going to go into the doctor's office again today at 2:15. I'll let you know tomorrow after my doctor's appointment then how things go.

One thing he said was that if I do start dialating at 34 weeks, they'll give me medication to stop it. If I do deliver pre-37 weeks, they'll make me deliver at U.T. Hospital rather than the hospital we intended to deliver at simply because of the neo-natal ICU. The baby would have to stay in the NICU for a little while to make sure the lungs are doing well & he's strong enough to go home. If I go into labor any time past 37 weeks, they won't stop it and I can deliver at the hospital near our house. There would be less of a chance of Jace having to stay at the hospital longer than me.

While I was at the hospital yesterday for my dr's appointment, I went ahead and pre-registered. That way if we do deliver at the hospital we want, we can go straight into L&D and not go through registration.

Well, I'll have more info for you after my doctor's appointment this afternoon. I may not be able to post until tomorrow though, because Joe and I have a class tonight from 6:00 until 9:00.

We have the bedding together!

Well, the nursery is still in progress. Still we haven't painted or tore down the wallpaper border, but I'm sure we'll do that soon now that Joe is out of school. By the way, he passed his finals & ended with a B in the class! He's so thrilled to be done with that algebra class & to have gotten a B! That's great!

Anyway, since the last post, I did buy the unfinished wooden letters and Joe painted them. I had received a large basket for Christmas last year and I had Joe paint it to match the room. It's full of diapers. Also, we received a nursery gift basket that Joe painted and I put a new ribbon through the loops. We have two stuffed animals in it.

Joe & I bought the mattress for the crib and so I had to fix the crib up with the new bedding to see what it was going to look like. I'll update more pics as we finish off the nursery.

Pictures of Nursery - Work still in progress!

We still have work to do in here. To make a long story short, we had to put the furniture in before we paint. So in these pictures, the walls haven't been painted & the wallpaper border is still up. Our plans are to paint the nursery a classic taupe color and remove the border. The barn stars on the changer/dresser will be hung above the dresser, not left sitting there. Above the chest of drawers I'm either going to hang a wooden sign that says "Thank Heaven for Little Boys" or buy unfinished wooden letters that spell out Jace. I'll paint them to match the stars and hang them at alternating heights by ribbon. Once the nursery is completely finished, I'll post more pics.

Nursery is Underway!!!

This Saturday, Joe went to pickup the furniture for the nursery. We cleaned out the computer room and Joe ended up having to clean out the laundry room, too, to make some storage room. Anyway, we got the room all emptied out and I had enough time to clean the baseboards and the floor before the furniture had to be brought in. It looked like we were going to get an awful storm and the furniture was under our carport in cardboard boxes. We were afraid it would get wet, so we brought it all in and got it put together. It's all in place, but we still have to take down the existing wallpaper border and clean and paint the walls and ceiling. Joe would like to change out the light switch because it makes too much noise flipping on & off. It'll wake the baby up for sure! We've picked out the wall color of a classic taupe. I have clothing in the drawers as I did baby laundry on Saturday, too, while we worked. I also bleached and cleaned the bassinet we were given to use.

Friday night after work, we went to Babies R Us to finish up the baby gift registry. I felt completely lost in looking at all the different selections. They gave us a list of what we needed and the quantity, but I just felt lost trying to compare one brand to the next. Oh well. We did the best we could to register for only things we need. The house is way too full as it is now for big stuff or things we can't use. It's going to be interesting adding a third person into the mix!

After having fun at BRU, we went to dinner at Sam & Andy's and then went to see a movie. We saw Wall-E. It was so cute. I was completely uncomfortable in their chairs, though. I had a lot of pain from my pants cutting into my belly. I couldn't wait to get home.

Sunday was a day of rest and finishing laundry & dishes. Joe did some studying and we both napped! Lol... We better get used to not getting any naps, huh???

Needless to say, the computer is tore down right now and waiting for a new home (spot in our house). Once we find a place for it, we'll get back on-line and get things up to date with pictures of the nursery and stuff. Well enough for now. It's time for me to go home!

4th of July weekend in Ohio

Whew!! What a weekend! It was so nice to get home and see the family. I missed seeing a few folks, but I'll see them again next trip once the baby comes.

Thursday night we made it to Daddy's house around 8:00. Jodi and Eric came over and we all had dinner. Before dinner, Daddy showed us what he bought for the baby. It's a wooden Harley Davidson rocker. It is absolutely darling. It matches the wood in our house perfectly! I can't wait to see Pod ride it!

Daddy fixed steak & gravy and potatoes for dinner. We sat and gabbed and caught up, then off to bed we went once Jodi & Eric left.

Friday rained all day long. Jodi & Eric, Joe & I went to visit Grandma Jean. It was a quick visit. We ran out of time. It was good to see her. She had a difficult time hearring us, but was pleasantly suprised to see my tummy. She got to feel the baby move.

Daddy fixed smoked turkey, smoked ham, and Amy fixed macaroni salad, pink stuff, deviled eggs, and baked beans. Everything was delicious! Jodi & Eric, Chris & Sheena, Aunt Tami & Uncle Sam, and Kelsey came over. We all had dinner before Aunt Tami had to leave for work. Aunt Tami cried when she saw me for the first time!

After dinner, Dad introduced Joe to the game Corn Hole. Joe and Eric were a team and went undefeated all night. So I'm married to a Corn Hole Champ.....
They also played Bullseye Washer game. It was a similar game, but a little more challenging. After everyone left, we all went to bed.

Saturday Joe & I got ready to go over to Jodi's house to meet up with mom for the day. When we got to the house, Jodi had a cute little banner across her front door that said, "Welcome Baby". When we walked in, we found clothes hanging on clothes lines diving the dining room from the kitchen. It was all clothes for Jace! Eric's sister graciously gave them to us for the baby. Jodi picked through them and chose things she thought Jace could wear. Joe & I were so excited! There were pants, shorts, onesies, Ohio State clothes, camoflage clothes. Two pairs of shoes and some swaddle blankets. I couldn't believe it.

Mom came in and couldn't believe my tummy. I think it was more shock just seeing me pregnant more so than anything else. She had to call the Ohio State Patrol because someone had run through Grandma's yard while Grandma was with Aunt Darcy in North Carolina visiting Aunt Kelly. Once that was over with and Christmas / Mother's Day in July was over with, then Jodi gave Joe & I a gift for Jace. It is a darling primitive pillow that says, "Dear God, please tell mama that little boys don't take baths." She also got him a cute little blue suede hat.

We all then piled into Mom's truck and headed to St. C for a quick lunch at Wendy's. Then it was off to Oglebay. We walked all over the Good Zoo & got to see the bird exhibit. Mom got to hold some birds and so did Jodi & Joe. I wouldn't have anything to do with those things. I hate birds. I like to look at them, but I don't want to have anything to do with holding them! Then we took the most fun train ride ever! LOL We saw ostriches, weeds, trees, and a bull dozer. The train engineer grunted at mom when she told him we had wrist bands. Most of the train ride we spent looking at pictures on Eric's cell phone.

After the train ride was over, we left the park and went to Schenk Lake. There Joe & I and Jodi & Eric pedal boated while mom watched from the shore. It was tough on me after doing all that walking up and down hills at the zoo, but I managed. Then we all went over to play 19 holes of miniture golf. I was the big fat loser with a score of 69, which is only 27 over par! I believe par was 42. Oh well.... I can't remember who won, but I think Joe did, then Jodi, then Eric, then Mom, then me. By the time we were done, I felt like crap! I was exhausted and so hot I couldn't hardly stand myself! We had to make a potty break at the lodge, but then we got in the truck and headed over to Cabella's. We all decided we were hungry and maybe we should eat first, so we went to Cheddar's and the wait was only supposed to be 30 mins. So off to the bar we went to get something cold to drink. I had a virgin pina colada, which was oh so yummy! We ordered our dinner and by the time we were done eatting and the server took our checks so we could leave, Cabellas had closed. Joe was so disappointed. I felt bad for him.

We went back to Jodi's house and Joe & I opened our gift from Gail, a woman my mom works with. Her mother had made a beautiful, soft, blue baby afghan and a matching hat. It was gorgeous! They trimmed it in matching blue ribbon and adhered plastic blue cars to the corners for detail. It is darling! Then mom decided she was going to leave for Cleveland and so Joe & I left, to go back to Dad's. Jodi had to work the next morning. The next time I would see Jodi & mom will be with a baby! They have decided they're not going to come down next month and will wait until after the baby is born.

We got to Dad's and he & Amy were watching the Nascar race. So we all talked and watched the race. Once it was over, it was off to bed because Joe & I had a long day of driving to do on Sunday.

Sunday morning Daddy fixed eggs, potatoes, and sausage patties. We ate breakfast, packed our stuff, said our good-byes and headed for the road. Joe & I made it home around 6:30 last night. Once we got home, Joe had to work on the dishwasher, which was a royal pain in the behind. I designed our Thank You notes for the baby's gifts. We heated up a couple slices of pizza and headed off to bed. I was up most of the night from heartburn. I should have known better than to eat pizza before bed! So needless to say I'm exhausted today!

This afternoon I had a normal check up at the doctor's office. The baby is still measuring on target for the September 24th estimated due date. My blood pressure was 112/70, my iron in my blood was a little low, but nothing to worry over. Doctor told me just to eat a little more red meat & continue taking my prenatal vitamins. The urine test looked good, the baby's heartbeat is still measuring in the 140's and I'm still gaining weight.... Up to 171 now... GOOD NIGHT!

Oh well, that's everything in a nutshell for now. Joe just got home and dinner is about done, so I'm going to sign off and relax for the rest of the night.

Talk to you all later!

Sunday update

This is a 27w4d tummy picture taken outside of the reception hall last night.

Doesn't the baby on the left-hand side look like he has a headache? ha ha ha I bet that's what Jace is like since he has to listen to me all the time! :)

Yesterday was Joe's friend's wedding. It was small and simple. Not too much to it. The bride, Lynn, looked very pretty and Steve looked handsome, although Joe was the most handsome one up front! The wedding began at 5:00 and we were home by 8:30. The reception consisted of a sit-down dinner with your choice of chicken or ribeye. They cut the cake and then everyone left.

This morning we met up with my cousin Chris & his daughter Abigail for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. It was a nice visit with them. Joe had never met Chris.

After breakfast we headed over to the mall to take back the tuxedo. I had to run into Sephora to get some make-up I was out of. Then we stopped in a few other stores to browse and then headed home. I noticed on the way home there was a used child's clothing store that appeared to have furniture, etc in the window to. So Joe turned around we went in to check it out. I'm glad we did.

Joe spotted the cutest walker, jumper combination. It looks like a car. It is darling. Joe asked if they would negotiate on the price and we got it for 10% off. Although it was in the used children's store, it was brand new. The tags are all still on it and the wheels didn't look as though they had seen the floor! So the lady got out some batteries, put them in so we could see that it does work. The neat thing about it is the front (where the car hood is) comes off and under it is actually a tray for the toddler to eat off of. Also the seat folds completely under the tray and the baby can walk behind it. It's really neat. It's so cute! Here are some pictures of it:

I Almost Forgot

Joe's mom called me yesterday and told me they've set my baby shower date for August 24th. I'm not sure what time yet, but it'll be at my church late in the afternoon (2-4 or 2:30-4:30) I think is what she said.

Nursery Furniture Purchased

Well, another item off of the checklist of things to do... I got a call yesterday from Babies R Us. They had 4 cribs in all of the BRU warehouses. They asked if I wanted one and if I did, I needed to come in an put a deposit to hold one of the four. So I went right over and got the dresser, chest, and crib. Now all I have to do is wait for the furniture to be shipped to BRU for us to go pick it up! I'm so excited... now if only we could get this room cleaned out and be ready for it! We've just had so much going on. Joe studies whenever he is at home and not eatting dinner because his class is difficult this semester. We've got a wedding to go to this weekend. Once things like that get over with, we should be able to put in the time to get this room done. We need to clear it out completely, strip the wallpaper border, clean and paint the walls and trim, & clean the wood floor. Then we should be ready for furniture. Sounds much easier than it is, I'm sure! We haven't gone to pick out the paint yet. We still need to do that. Fun times ahead!!!
I'm getting really excited about our trip home next weekend. I can hardly wait. Time seems to drag by. It'll be here before long though. Just under a week now!

Another weekend passes

Joe & his friend, Drew, left Friday afternoon for a weekend of camping in Cookeville. They seemed to have had a good time & came back this morning around noon or so. Joe is completely worn out. He and I both took a nap this afternoon!



After he came home & showered, we went to Babies R Us to purchase the furniture for the nursery and found that it is all on backorder. They took my name and telephone number and said they would call me when it was available, but they have a waiting list. I asked if I could put a deposit down to hold it, but they wouldn't allow it. I have a 15% off coupon for the furniture, too, which expires 07/03/08. I'm kinda disappointed that I have to 15% extra now since they don't have it in stock. I think I'll call the manager and ask about it tomorrow. That doesn't seem right.

I thought I would look on-line to see if this particular set is sold anywhere else, but it seems as if it is only carried by Toys R Us / Babies R Us. So I'm kinda at their mercy right now.

I found a cute rug and valence, too. I'll post a picture. The rug is small, but I've seen folks on decorator shows take four small rugs and sew them together to make a room sized area rug. I think that's what I'll do. I started to crochet a rag rug, but I wanted it in the colors. Finding rags in the right colors wasn't working so well. So I think I might just forget about it for now and put it as a project to finish later.

This coming weekend Joe's friend, Steve, gets married. So we'll be busy Friday & Saturday. Then we get to come home the following Thursday! I can hardly wait! Mom said she would be in town on Saturday, so it looks like we'll be spending Friday with Dad and Saturday with Mom. We'll be staying at Dad's house all weekend and leaving on Sunday morning.

Oh and I almost forgot to post a new tummy picture.... Well I have put on a TON of weight. I look like I have a beachball for a head. My face is so round now. Anyway, this tummy picture was taken this past Friday.

Trip to Ohio

Well, Joe & I talked about coming to Ohio before I can't make the trip. Since we're both off on the 4th of July, we're going to plan for that weekend. We intend to leave work 1/2 day on July 3rd, which would put us in St. C. later that evening. Then we'll spend one day (either Friday or Saturday) with Mom and one day (the opposite day) with Dad and then drive back to Knoxville on the 6th (Sunday). I guess which day we spend with Mom & which day we spend with Dad will depend on which day Mom is able to drive down to St. C to meet us. We'll stay the nights with Dad.

I know it's a quick and short visit, but I'm so excited I can't hardly stand it! I can't wait to come home to see everyone.

Okay - gotta run, I'm going to go get supper started!

Thought for the day....

Why is it that maternity dresses look like mumu's with an empire waist? I have two weddings to go to this month. Today I spent the day looking for a nice dress that doesn't resemble a mumu. It was quite a challenge! I finally found one that I could settle on & look half way decent in. This is crazy! Someone needs to step it up a bit in maternity clothing styles.

Today's Doctor Appointment

Today was not only my normal 4 week appointment, but also the glucose testing for Gestational Diabetes. They said no news is good news. So if I don't hear anything from the doctor within the next week, then I've passed the test. However, if they call, then I failed and I have to go back for a 3.5 hour test. The drink was awful! It was a normal styrofoam cup filled 1/2 up with what looked like tropical punch Kool-Aid. It tasted like a fruity, thick flat pop with 5 lbs of sugar in it. It was awful; just awful. Ugh....

The doctor put me on restrictions at work... no climbing, no crawling, and no fire scenes. So the roof claims, crawlspaces and fires are out. Guess I'll be a desk jockey for the rest of the time I'm working until I deliver.

So as far as the rest goes, Jace's heart beat was 142 beats per minute, which is normal. They would like to see the BPM to be between 120-160, so Jace is right in the middle! YAY!!

My blood pressure is normal 128/70, so they're not worried with that. The growth of my belly is right on track to document the growth of the baby. Everything as far as Jace is concerned is going great.

The only thing that isn't going too great is my weight. The doctor said I gained 12 lbs since my last appointment four weeks ago. He didn't get mad or upset. In fact, he mentioned that it couldn't possibly be because it doesn't look like I've put on that much weight. He mentioned heavy breakfast, heavy lunch, snack all day, light & early dinner. It will be hard to eat earlier in the evening since we don't get home from work until 6:00 and two nights a week Joe doesn't get home until 8:00 or after (depending on class). So, we'll see. This is the heaviest I've been in my whole life & it's rather depressing. I told Joe to paint my face yellow, put a black smiley face on it and I'd be a great candidate for the Wal-Mart mascot.

Speaking of Joe... Good news! He found out today that he got the job he interviewed for earlier this week. That's fantastic news. It's with the same company, just a different position. It's actually a promotion for him. So I'm so thrilled for him & very proud.

Well, enough for now.

New Tummy Picture - 24w2d

Saltbox House Nightlight - DIY

As you all know, I absolutely adore primitive decor items. I wanted to do Pod's room all in primitives, but it's been hard finding "baby items" in prim decor. One thing I talked to Joe about, though, was doing a salt-box house nightlight. When I visited our local primitive store, I found the cost of these lighted salt-box houses to be between $150-$400. So I almost gave up!

One day while out shopping, Joe came across this salt-box primitive birdhouse. It was unfinished. He painted it in the colors to match Pod's room. Now I'm just waiting to order the light kit for it. Once we get it, Joe will drill the hole for it and it will be a birdhouse turned nightlight! We'll probably set it on the dresser or someplace like that. It's large, not something that hangs from the socket while it's plugged in. Joe has done a fantastic job on it! See for yourself!

Once Joe puts the light kit in it, the light will shine through the windows and door. I can't wait to see it finished! This is one DIY project I'm really excited about. The good news??? Paint and birdhouse costs were less than $20.00!!!

New Tummy Pictures - 23 weeks & 2 days

While We're Talking Bedding....

Here's the furniture we picked out for the nursery:

We Got The Bedding Today!

Joe & I decided on the bedding we wanted for Jace's crib. We ordered it online since we don't have a Pottery Barn Kids in our area. The closest one is 3.5 hours away. With the cost of gas, we thought we would order and then pay to ship back if we didn't like it. Well, when Joe came home, the box was waiting on the carport for us. He waited until I got home to open it. I absolutely love it! The color is ivory - it's all organic cotton, so there's no dye or anything like that. The pattern is called Organic Dots. It is so soft and thick. It's very pretty. I can't wait to get the crib and set it up so we can see how it's all going to come together. Of course we've got a long way to go before we get there. This computer room has got be cleaned out of contents, the walls and floors cleaned and then freshly painted. Then, we can put the furniture in here.

So until then, here's the picture of the bedding we got (bumper, quilt, and bedskirt):

We will have dark furniture, ivory bedding, beige walls, and accents of aqua blue (see the plane color a few posts down). I've heard it called Tiffany Blue, Robbin's Egg Blue, and Carribbean Blue. Whatever it's called that's the accent color we're using.