Today...

Husby is in sales and budget meetings all week, so I have been solo all day and early evening this week. Today I took advantage of the free schedule and did some errands around town. I managed to go to Walmart, Michael's, Target, Ross and lunched at Panera where I stayed to do some homework and reading.

At Walmart, I was able to get some medicine (Benedryl lotion and medicine), and Aveeno sunscreen for the weekend and scored a deal on a car seat cover for $4. It is one of those covers to put over the baby carrier to block our rain and cool weather when transporting the baby. It is black on one side and fleece on the other, plus it can be used for the stroller too. It is supposedly universal, but just in case I am keeping it with the receipt and when we get the carrier and stroller, I will test drive it. I love how it has a small "hole" or window so you can always see Baby.

 *Fleece Side*

*Black Cover Side*

At Michael's, I got the K's company scrapbook album we have been secretly stalking in gift set with some starter paper and stickers. It was originally $24.99, but then I had a 40% of coupon so total cost was $14.99 before tax. Yay me! I behaved and did not pick up anything else, but cannot wait to start scrapping for the Baby.

Target was a spur of the moment trip, but since it was right across the street from Michael's, I decided to wander in. Since they are doing their inventory, it was a bit scary in the Baby section since the "seasons" are changing, they are starting to clearance things out. May need to go there with MIL to see if they have things cheaper up there or more selection of clearance (mental note made). Then I found an awesome long cotton black dress in the clearance section for $10.98, originally $29.99. It fit nicely and the bump looks good in it, so I snatched it. I am taking it with me this weekend, so you will probably see it in photos (as long as I remember to get some pictures). I also caved and grabbed a bag of animal crackers for our car ride (to hopefully reduce our stop along the drive for bathroom and gas breaks only...we shall see how it goes). For $1, I figured it couldn't hurt.

Ross was an interesting stop. I was totally not planning to go there (way off my travel path), but after my earlier successes and our Marshall's success from Saturday, I figured I better pop in and see if I can find any good deals. I found Husby an Adidas Golf shirt which is super lightweight made of the breathable athletic material he likes for his workout shirts. It is white with blue stripes which match his favorite hat and on sale for $14.99, originally $59.99 (remind you: Adidas...so the name brand marks it up). I wasn't sure if he would truly like it, but when he got home, he promptly tried it on and liked it so much, he decided he is wearing it tomorrow to his meeting. Then I found a cute puppy embroidered sleep sack style onesie for Baby G. It was on clearance for $2.99! Major score!

After all the shopping, I got home and straightened up a bit and started organizing stuff for packing tomorrow. Then something got into me and I cleaned the turtle tank, the cichlid baby tank and started in on the kitchen. I was able to mop the floor and was working on the countertops and appliances when Husby walked in. After he got in and organized and comfortable, he helped me finish the kitchen and then cleaned up the bathtub (leftover cleaning needed from when the dogs all got baths) and I was able to take a relaxing oatmeal bath (was hoping it would relieve some of the itchiness, but alas no luck). I plan to do a thorough top to bottom house cleaning to prepare for Baby G's arrival (and because I know we will have guests in and out and I hate hosting people with a messy house). I may breakdown and get the Shark to get a deep clean on the appliances, floors and flooring, but we shall see if I can score another good deal between now and August.

After the cleaning, Husby and I discussed maybe starting to tackle the kitchen floor since he has the tiles already. It would be a staggered project with him first doing the dining table area and then underneath the fridge since the rest of the kitchen cabinets have not yet been replaced. My only concern is that the rest of the kitchen floor may not be done for a while and before we know it, we will have a crawling, toddling baby on our hands. I guess we will see how adventurous Husby is between now and then, but I truly am over the linoleum flooring. No matter how hard I scrub it or how many times I go over it with the Swifter (wet AND dry), it never looks clean. Plus, ever since we moved in, it has been yellowed due to age and gouged in spots (and we have added more spots with the appliances we have replaced ourselves). Time will tell, I guess.

Third Trimester!

So you read it right...I did not stutter, we have made it to the third trimester! Officially 27 weeks and Baby G is doing good. The itchies are back with a vengence, however. I am continuously putting benedryl on my skin (mostly upper body...chest and belly) and at night I am now taking a benedryl. There is not too much relief, but the NP says that may just be the case for me. After showers, I lather my lotion on and wait a while before applying benedryl to specific spots where there are actual irritation spots.

Other than the itchies, I am still experiencing the odd pain in my groin area. It almost feels like a rode a bicycle or horse a bit too long. Since I had a normal appt. on Monday, I made special note to mention it to her. The NP ran some tests to rule out any UTI or other "treatable" issue. Her only explanation is that it is likely due to the pressure of things shifting and since Baby G likes to ride low (he's a low rider!), the pain may result from it. It almost feels like my pubic bone hurts or like a pulled a muscle. Since my actual OB is on vacation, the NP had wanted to talk it over with another OB and would give me a call today or tomorrow about it. Other than the pain and itchies, things are good with the pregnancy. I passed the 1-hour GD test and at my Monday appt. everything measured fine and my BP was still good. Since they were concerned about a UTI, they did decide to run an extensive panel on me PIC sample, but the quick test came back negative, so we are waiting on the lab results.

Next appointment is 7/13, which is also the day of our Breastfeeding class with the Lactation Consultant in my OB office. The Saturday before 7/10 is our Baby Care Class at the hospital, which will probably be a silly class for us to take, but my friend recommended it. Then on Sundays our Childbirth class starts with the first one on August 1st, and runs for 5 weeks. In those 5-weeks we also will have our Birthing Center Tour of the Hospital and our evening meeting with the Anesthesiologist Staff to clear up questions or concerns. I am looking forward to these classes as it symbolizes Baby G will be here soon.

The nursery is coming along well. We have to submit the final payment for the furniture when we get back from this weekend and then schedule the delivery of the furniture, which I think will fall somewhere between the 14th and the 18th. After that gets done, we can finalize some nursery stuff as to where things go and what not. Game plan is to buy the reminder of things needed for Baby G at the end of August unless there is some awesome sale in early-mid August. My goal is to have the nursery complete by Labor Day (a week and Monday after our last CB class), just to be prepared for Baby G's arrival.

We are taking our last long road trip this weekend to visit Husby's family in the Panhandle. Unless the smell is too terrible, we will hopefully get to see the beach and probably be really say to see the oil. I am looking forward to this trip, but also quite nervous of the long drive and then being on the Gulf with a Hurricane in the waters (but tracked to hit Mexico). We are packing the camera and it is my goal to get some belly shots while we are up there and hanging with the family. When I get back from vacation, I need to remember to contact the photographer and finalize the date of our Maternity Photos. Time is really flying by, but the anticipation and excitement is also starting to mount.

Since we made it to 27 weeks (3rd Tri), I need to establish a new milestone for Baby G. It seems like a jump, but my goal now is 32 weeks. I know his eviction notice is being served on 9/29, no matter what, but OB keeps warning me of early delivery and bumping me up, so I really am not sweating having to be induced. Thankfully, Baby G is cooperating and staying put a while longer. This baby needs to cook a while longer and I am so grateful he is listening. His kicks and movements are definitely more distinct and it is beginning to get interesting feeling him move about. I hopeing to have a relaxing weekend, maybe do some baby shopping with the MIL. Otherwise this weekend is set for relaxing, and homework (unfortunately). No planned projects for the weekend since we will be away, but we are planning a trip to Joann's since we have a great coupon and they have a huge sale. We need to pick up some more fabric to finish some projects.

Pregnancy Journals

Tonight while running errands, I stopped by our local B & N and caved into temptation and picked up my copy of The Belly Book. It is a journal for keeping track of the 9 months of pregnancy in a cute manner.

And here is what my view is when looking down at my feet...

or should I say what feet?

Winnie the Pooh Soft Book

Another quick project was completed today. Over the weekend while picking up some necessary supplies for finishing the surfboard and window shade, I found a panel for another soft book. This one is titled, "Good Night Pooh". Since fabric was on sale, I picked it up and today constructed it. I even finished sewing it while I was waiting at the doctor's office today.

Here is the final project:

In between homework this week, Husby and I are going to attempt to construct the Clownfish Blanket. So far we have been able to cut out the patterns and sorted them to what color fleece they belong on. Hopefully later, I will be able to cut out the white pieces since Husby pinned them for me last night. Then it is on to Black and Orange (orange as the most, so we are leaving that one for last). once everything is cout out, then we can start laying the blanket out and connecting pieces together, but that may not occur unil after we get back from vacay. We shall see!

Marshall's Shopping Trip

Tonight, I dragged Husby to Marshall's to look for a hamper for the nursery that we could adapt to our fabric pattern. The trip was a huge success!

We found this gem on clearance:

* The Clearance Hamper*

Although the color is a light blue and white for the fabric and the wood is in decent condition, Husby is going to sand the wood a little and then stain it a dark color to match the furniture. Then we will make a new fabric liner out of the turtle fabric (seen in the photo on the left side in the background). For $5, it was well worth the "investment."

We also found this cutey:

*Baby G now has an adorable Sunhat for our outings around town*

Surfboard

So while I was out to dinner with the girls, Husby constructed the surfboard to hang over the window. Now he needs to measure out some fabric strips to dangle off the board as a border around the window and hang the surfboard. That'll be a little while since we need to first layout the fabric for the closet curtains, and that cannot occur until the closet organization system gets completed.

*Handmade surfboard, constructed of plywood, batting, white leather fabric and black fabric fins*

*Husby decided to decorate the surfboard as it looked "too plain"*
A little bias tape and a Quicksilver patch later...tada!

* Since the Roman curtain still allowed light in on the sides, we had to orchestrate some extra windown coverage with some fabric. We ended up finding the same prismatic colored fabric in a solid and made 2 small strips for the sides to hang off the surfboard to cover the gaps*

*The final product*
Window Decor:
*Roman shade + Solid Side Strips + Surfboard Valence*

ABC Book

I was able to paint all the letters for the ABC book and laid out the first 2 pages of letters and details...now we need Baby G to arrive to take lots and lots of pictures of him for the book.

*Book Cover (Martha Stewart Book)*

*Page 1*

*Page 2*

*Letters before Paint*

*Letters after Paint*

Operation Rocker: Complete!

Hubby finally finished the rocking chair cushions! It was a major task and he is glad it is complete.

*The Final Product*

*Up Close Picture of Cushion*

Gators Bib & Changing Pad

To continue on our mission of completing baby stuff, with the help of Husby the Gaotrs Bib and Changing Pad are now complete.

 *Gators Bib*

*Snow modeling the Bib (as a raincoat)*

*Changing Pad*

*Gator side of Changing Pad*

*Terry side of Changing Pad*

Next on my list is working on the layouts for ABC book about Baby G...game plan for tomorrow is to paint all the block letters for the book after I get my readings and discussion posts
Next on Husby's list is the surfboard for over the window...after he finishes sewing up the pillow

More Projects Completed

Husby is almost done with the Rocker cushions. He completed the bottom cushion, but the back cushion is being a pain. Hopefully, tomorrow he will be able to finish it.

As for me, I have been knocking off more of the Gator material projects.

*Burpcloth*

*Gator side*

*Terrycloth side*

*Wipes Bag or another storage bag*

*Tummy Pillow*

I reused the stuffed animals from the FP Mobile on here

(still need to sew up the stuffing spot, but that'll happen in the morning)

I still have a Bib, Changing Pad, and Shopping Cart Cover to make in the Gators Fabric, but I ran out of thread to finish the Bib and the Changing Pad. Hopefully, I will get out tomorrow to grab more thread. As for the shopping cart cover, I need to go find more fabric, but I'll wait until I get another coupon since the fabric is never on sale.

We are making great progress and looking forward to our July 4th weekend with family.

Week 26

The Weekly 20 (Week 26-June 21st, 2010)
1. The Bump: is feeling tighter each day.
2. Total Weight Gain/Loss: N/A
3. Maternity Clothes: Now that I am home, I am getting by with Husby's workout shorts and tees for the gym and lounge around in tight shirts and PJ bottoms around the house.
4. Stretch Marks: Still doing well.
5. Sleep: It takes a while to get settled into bed, but I am still able to sleep almost through the entire night (waking around 6ish)
6. Movement: Husby can feel Baby G kick now! Kicks and movement are getting stronger and more frequent.
7. Food Cravings/Aversions: no aversions...craving sweets (ice cream, cinnamon) and peanut butter
8. Gender: It's a boy!
9. Belly button in or out: It's still in, but getting flatter lately.
10. What I miss: not bumping into things and fitting through tight spaces.
11. What I am looking forward to: Working on more nursery projects...
12. Weekly Wisdom: "Sleep now because in a few months, sleep will be sporadic and dictated by a baby"
13. Best moment this week: Finishing more of the nursery projects...
14. Number of days you wore the same piece of clothing in a row? 0.
15. Energy Level: Moderate

16. Labor Signs: Nothing yet

17. Daddy to be Status: Working hard on lots of projects for the nursery.
18. Milestones: Husby feeling the baby kick from the outside.
19. Symptoms: I experienced a rash this past week that nothing seemed to work on. Thankfully after a call into the OB, I tried Benedryl cream and coated my body and things were good.
20. Next OB appointment: June 28th (next Monday!)

Rocking Chair Remodel

So far, the bottom of the rocking chair has been completed. There had to be some reworking of the initial pattern since it was way too big for our particular model of rocker. Husby is now working on the back cushion, but again the pattern had to be reworked to fit.

Here are pictures of the bottom cushion:

*It is hard to tell, but there are even cute little buttons on the cushion*

After seeing how well this fabric looks in the nursery, there have been a few more projects added to our list of things to make. This includes:

• Diaper stacker
• Laundry Hamper Liner for a Wicker Basket
• Hanging Toy Satchel

Boppy Pillow Cover- Complete!

Retails for 29.99 at most stores (Target, BRU, etc.)...

Total cost of this project: $15.47

$9.99 for the pillow
$3.49 for the fabric
$1.99 for the zipper

Gators, Gators everywhere!

Another quick project down. I just finished the pacifer case or other small waterproof carrying case that matches the diaper bag.

*Lined with Leather on the interior*

Hanging Organizer

So the organizer for the Changing Area (that will hang on the side of the crib is complete. It did not take Husby long to sew it together once it was all laid out. We haven't attached the straps yet as we are not sure of the railing depth of the crib.

The Turtle Fabric with a Turquoise blue strap as an outline

The Strap we are using to hang or attach the organizer

If we end up not liking the organizer on the crib side, Husby will install a few pegs into one of the shelves and have it hang over the changing area instead.

Nesting...

Since today is my last official day of teaching until mid-August, I figured I should address the nesting factor as that is sure to creep upon me soon. Owning your own home really makes the nesting factor worse, at least for me. Thankfully, Husby has agreed to pitch in when he is home with the cleaning, organizing and what not (especially since I probably should not be going all cleaning gung-ho). I plan to do a little cleaning/organizing each day during the day while Husby is at work along with my grad homework starting end of July, but the list is ever growing. I am a huge list organizer and it helps for me to see a list so I can note my completion.


Look for the list is a future post....but be warned...it will be very long and very detailed and super OCD. Hopefully the house will stay clean for a bit with all the visitors that will be coming after Baby G comes home and with Husby and the trio. I am also being throrough on cleaning since I know that will become a second thought to Baby G once he arrives.

Pacifier Holder/Clip

So a quick and easy 5-minute project was completed this evening. After some fine tuning and adjustments, the pacifier clip was made. This weekend we found a set of Gators pacifiers, so it was a perfect match.

Weekend Update

So this weekend was hectic, yet relaxing at the same time. Husby bowled in the State Tournament. He did bowl over 600 series, so he was happy, but unfortunately the conditions of the lanes were not ideal. We are too sure he will place in anything, but he did win some side bet money, so that is always a plus. We had a great weekend at the tournament with some really awesome friends and are looking forward to future adventures (with baby in tow).

Here is a picture recap of the weekend:

Southgate Plaza

a random shopping center that looked like it belonged back in the 50's or 60's

Beautiful architecture however

Modern stores, not so modern store fronts and marquees

McDonald's

Probably an original sign

Husby looking awesome in his Green Shirt

His Bowling Team for the Tournament

The Entire Shores Team (early squad, late squad, spectators)

Husby and I decided we are going to bowl one more tournament together before Baby G arrives. It is a charity event for Breast Cancer held across the state near Cypress Gardens. Day 1 is a mixed doubles tournament where we have to bowl 3 games together and Day 2 is a women's only singles tournament with a unique format. I have to bowl 5 games on 5 different pairs of lanes. I am really looking forward to the experience of yet another tournament and spending a weekend away from "homebase". It also will be the first time Husby and I have bowled in a tournament together. We bowl league together and do well, but typically we bowl tournaments separate of one another (I bowled the women's county tournament with one of my girl friends, he bowled the state tournament with the guys). It should also be fun to attend this tournament since there is no pressure for ranks and a decent amount of proceeds get donated to a Breast Cancer fundraiser. Plus, the tournament sessions are early, so we will have the rest of the day to explore the area and relax and we are going over with a few of our bowling friends, so we can get some down time.

After Thursday of this week, I will be a pseudo stay-at-home. I am not fully a mom yet, so I cannot take that designation, but I will not be working for the rest of June, July and the beginning of August until classes start up again. Instead, I am hoping to focus on getting all my grad school work done, preparing things for Baby G's arrival (nursery projects, decorating, cleaning, straightening, organizing, etc.) and keeping up with my gym routine. Then in August (depending on when Baby G makes his arrival), I will return to teaching while finishing my final grad class and keep teaching until the doctor says no more or Baby G arrives. I am really looking forward to the break, but both Husby and I are nervous I will burnout at home quickly as I am not a homebody at all. We do have the tournament weekend away, July 4th festivities and then some visitors and all the baby classes to mix up the monotony, but we shall see. Only time will tell.

The Progress of the Bump...

So I figured it was time to put up some pictures of the growing basketball from the 1st and 2nd Trimesters, since we will shortly be entering Trimester 3.

*5 Weeks*

*8 Weeks*

*14 Weeks*

while on vacation with the In-laws in Islamorada (the FL Keys)

*15 Weeks*

*16 Weeks*

*19 Weeks*

*20 Weeks*

Mom does a great job of hiding the bump while we were at an Anniversary party for some family friends

*21 Weeks*

Same shirt I wore in Week 5's picture

I need to take a picture of the Bump tonight at 25 weeks. I took pictures all weekend long, but never got any of myself. Loving the Canon way too much!