Merry Christmas!

Here's a photo of the three Greens (Baby Green is still hiding in Momma's tummy).

We're especially bleary-eyed this morning so forgive the uncombed hair and PJs.

We're rocking out our new webcam, courtesy of the Arizona Grandparents-to-be. I imagine we'll have lots of fun showing off the newest addition to the family on the web cam with them when it arrives. For now, we'll content ourselves with this morning's first attempt to take a web cam photo.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tacoma Hibernates

From today (Sunday, December 21), the first day of Winter.

And today is also Ron's (aka Charlie by his family) birthday- Happy Birthday Dad! Another year younger but as wise and funny as ever. I'm such a lucky daughter-in-law.

Inside the house, staying warm are Kevin, Crystal, Baby Green, Ginger and Bailey. And I'm typing away at this overdue post in the freezing office on the second floor.

SNOW:
We've had snow off and on all week, the last bit accumulated last night, a good 2-4 inches. It's hard to tell how much of it is new snow and how much of it was existing. Nice work if you can get it, as long as you don't have to go anywhere. Except for the treks to Safeway on foot, we haven't. The car hasn't left the garage in days.

CRYSTAL:

Momma's been under the weather all week and has been recuperating in her warm feather-bed with lots of sleep, in addition to Kevin's diligent nursing. It's been a good few weeks in the making with late nights, a ridiculous work schedule, not enough sleep, and far too much stress. Her poor body put Crystal in detention for not taking care of herself well enough and lapsed into the flu. She was supposed to go to the doctor on Thursday, but the doctor's office called to cancel- they closed because of the snow! Goodness. The rest, as well as the absence of stress, fluids and meals prepped by Kevin have done wonders. She's sick of her bed though.

Now I'm going to stop talking about myself in the third person because I've already annoyed myself.

KEVIN:

Kevin has been working from home since Wednesday which has been a wonderful and unexpected boon to our household because now the house is completely clean from top to bottom. Isn't he wonderful? And he does all this in the evenings after he puts in an 8 or 9 hour day at the computer. Not having a commute seems to make a difference in his energy levels. Even I have to admit there are times when I'd love to work from home or at least in the same zip code.

Kevin has accomplished more alone in the last few days than the two of us have accomplished in a month of weekends.

Christmas tree decorated-check
Lights up - check
Bathrooms cleaned- check
Kitchen organized and cleaned- check and check
Closets organized- check
Dishes washed daily- check
Food made daily- check
TV stand painted white- check
Dresser, three coats of polycrylic- check
Christmas boxes put away- check
Drawer pulls purchased and put on the baby's dresser-check
Realized we didn't buy enough drawer pulls so back to Home Depot for more- check
3 Movies rented and watched- check, check, check
Bills paid- check (Okay I did this one)
Guest bedroom readied for any winter visitors- check
Multiple-multiple loads of laundry accomplished-check
3 trips to Safeway for lunches/dinners- check, check, check
Path for the dogs shoveled in the backyard- check
Hooked up the cable box and DVD Player- check (after three months of waiting all I can say is thank god)
Dogs snuggled, cuddled, petted, played with, fed, pottied, watered- check all the above

Left on my honey-do list:
Three pictures hung on the wall
Floors cleaned
Wash, fold and pack old clothes/drop off at donation center
Trace the quote on the nursery wall and outline with paint

I'm feeling grateful.

BABY:

I'm sure folks are wondering how the baby is doing. It's a jazz musician (moves to jazz, utilizing those baby jazz hands), a soccer player and a sprinter. Very physically talented. Very kick-y. Very mobile. Doesn't let me sleep, sit, walk, bathe or stand comfortably but the movement is reassuring. Baby woke Momma up in the middle of the night using the uterus as its personal drum set. Boom-boom boom-boom boom-boom boom-boom in rapid succession. Definitely enough to wake a body up. Baby likes it when Momma reads aloud James Herriot's collected stories at night and frankly, so does Kevin. I wonder if I'm allowed to share that last piece of information?

NURSERY:

The baby's room is getting closer and closer to being done. The next paycheck will allow us to purchase the bookcase, the shelf, the ceiling light and a lamp. We've been pretty determined not to spend much on the nursery and have been very budget conscious. If there's a way we can do it cheaper, we do. Having most of the furniture purchased second-hand, lent to us, re purposed from existing furniture we already had, purchased for us by the folks, not to mention having talented family members who make the bedding, paint the walls and trim, as well as paint a mural... all of this has made a huge difference in our ability to make the nursery exactly the way we want it. We couldn't have done it without everyone pitching in and we know how lucky/blessed we are to have many hands welcome this baby into the world.

Steal of the month- my sister found a hanging bird nest for 3 dollars at Pottery Barn Kids. Imagine?! Three dollars! It's going to look great suspended in the corner above the chair against the backdrop of the tree mural. Now I need to figure out what to put in it.

MATERNITY CLOTHES:

Okay I gave in. I went to Goodwill and bought a pair of maternity jeans and black non-maternity stretchy leggings that set me back only 13 dollars for the two items. Not bad. I've made it to 31 weeks without maternity clothes. Most of my clothes are pretty maternity-friendly and have worked overtime to keep me dressed. But some cannot stretch any further and most of my pants have become uncomfortable in the extreme.

WEIGHT GAIN:

I haven't gained very much weight yet at this point. Although my belly is HUGE. Next person to ask me if I'm sure I'm not having twins is going to get special treatment ha. Although I have my moments of worrying the exact same thought myself.

The first trimester I lost a good 10-12 pounds and it took the entire second trimester to most of that back. Going into my third trimester I was still a couple pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight. But I should be steadily gaining from this point on- under strict orders to gain at "least 10 more pounds" from the doctor. I think the first trimester nausea coupled with a pregnancy-developed abhorrence of meat definitely played a role.

But the doctor isn't overly concerned because the baby is gaining weight and every time I get my fundus/uterus measured (they use a fabric measuring tape on my belly) she always says "Oh my goodness!" Which is annoying in the extreme because that's not what you want the doctor to exclaim, however sweetly she exclaims it. She is very sweet, I have to admit.

The measurements should equal the number of weeks along- 29 weeks = 29 centimeters and so on. The last three visits I have consistently measured 3-4 centimeters more than expected. Which is the equivalent of 3-4 weeks ahead of schedule. So the baby is growing big and growing fast. To reassure me she says "we will let you deliver vaginally up to 12 pounds." I'm hoping it just means I'm further along than estimated.

THE TWELVE POUND EFFECT:

You know what gets my goat and gives me multiple pauses about the whole natural birth thing? The whole "we'll let you deliver vaginally as long as it's not more than 12 pounds." I'm stunned by this. Maybe even a little bit horrified. That's the benchmark?! I don't think so! I'm all for a natural birth (vaginal, no drugs) and plan to have one (keeping my birthplan extremely flexible however). A 10+ pounder is enough to give me second thoughts and reconsider a C-section or at least lots of drugs.

THE BIRTH PLAN:

I should save this mammoth post for several smaller entries- but knowing myself, I might never get around to it.

As I've mentioned, the birth plan is in a state of flux and very simple, in other words: flexible. It goes a little like this.

Crystal, having never done this before, would like to have a go at it naturally. You know. No drugs. Vaginal. Very heroic-like. This will be her first attempt at super-mom/womanhood.

But if Crystal asks for drugs, please give them to her. She's allowed to change her mind.

In the room- terps and Kevin for sure. We'll add to the guest list as we go. Read above clause- she's allowed to change her mind and kick out or welcome anyone she pleases. Don't get pissed or bring it up at Christmas next year.

Crystal has every intention of using the jacuzzi and shower. Because she is a freak for warm water. Do not deny her water privileges or it will get ugly.

OVER AND OUT:

Kevin just stopped by to ask if I was writing a novel... which means I've been punching the keyboard too long. So to save your eyes and to save a little something for next time- have a great week everyone! Stay warm and safe!

Reason Number 27

There have been a hundred reasons why blogging has slowed down. Reason number 27: putting up the Christmas Tree.

The holiday season is in full swing and so is the Green household.

We're doing great, the house is a wreck, and somehow we're not yelling at each other about it. Yet.

Here's a picture of me, putting up the star. We broke tradition and put the star on first instead of last. That's how we like it in the Green household. And because we were too pooped to finish decorating the tree and we both wanted some instant gratification.

Until we get back into our blogging mode... enjoy the photo.

We're in the last trimester

Last week marked the conclusion of Crystal's second trimester and the start of the third. The blog countdown says we only have 81 days left! It's hard to believe in less than three months we're going to have a third person in this family.

Crystal's sister, Kim, came over a couple weeks ago and painted a mural on the nursery wall. We're very happy with it.

Things are coming together nicely.

Pictures of the Crib, Bassinet and Dresser

While I was out of town over the weekend, Kevin put together the crib and the bassinet. The bassinet will be moved to our bedroom at some point and in its place will be the green glider chair.

See the green paint in the closet? We'll paint the "Birds on a Telephone Wire" mural in there.

In the crib (hard to see) is the print we still need to frame and hang under the light sconce.



The sheepskin rug is from Prescott. Ginger and Bailey would like it to be their new dog bed as you can see from Ginger's picture.


Kevin repainted the dresser with another coat of white- it looks great if I do say so myself. The 5 stretched canvases resting on top of the dresser will be another project for another weekend.



Well... there's a lot to do still, but we're getting there!

This Mama Voted

Taken on the morning of election day.
24.5 weeks pregnant!

Don’t forget to vote (with your guess of the baby’s gender)

Don’t miss the new poll at the top of the page. I placed the first vote, putting me on record of guessing the baby is a girl.

Update: It looks like the poll only allows one vote per computer. If a household wants to place multiple votes, the votes have to be cast from different computers.

More Baby Pics

We had another ultrasound this week. The doctor wanted a second look to get a better view of the baby’s heart and kidneys. The doctor says everything looks great. Baby Green had a heart rate of 162 and is now an estimated 1 lb., 11 oz. The baby is now in the 88th percentile for size, up from the 47th percentile 3 weeks ago.

We asked if the rapid growth was anything to worry about. The doctor didn't think there were any problems and reassured us that Crystal wouldn't be giving birth to a 12 pound baby. The doctor did say fast growth was sometimes an indicator of diabetes, though Crystal’s tests have consistently ruled out diabetes as an issue. We'll continue to monitor the baby's growth rate but the doctor noted ultrasound measurements are less accurate the further into the pregnancy we get.

Here is the latest ultrasound picture. It’s a decent view of the baby’s face and little hand. Again, I uploaded two images for the same picture to help you figure out what you’re looking at.

We’re still excited and a few short weeks away from the last trimester. Yikes it’s going fast!

Designing the Baby Room

The baby room, despite my best intentions, officially has a theme- birds and trees done in silhouettes with modern-stylized fabrics. Our colors are periwinkle blue, soft-lime green with white and brown accents. I've been pulling together various inspirations and my vision has slowly begun to materialize.


Some visual stimulation is below....

Fabrics:
Below are some of the fabrics we picked from the Amelia collection. Lots of blues and greens- the one on the top is the panel we will use for the crib quilt. There are other fabrics but for now- these should give you a taste. The blues are more powder-blue than what we have on the wall, but it should work out okay. The greens are pretty dead-on though.


Window Treatments:
I love the branch look. I knew I wanted sheer curtains paired with a roman shade but was stuck on what kind of curtain rod to get. I think this will add the perfect touch of whimsy that I'm looking for. I'd like to add roman shades as well. The walls are a pale periwinkle bluish-purple and the room will have soft lime-green accents. I'm still debating colors for the curtains and roman shades. For now, I'm content with white sheer shades and a soft lime-green roman shade, both in solids/no patterns.



Fabric Bird Mobile (free template from Spool Sewing):
My mom has generously and graciously agreed to make the mobile for me. At first I didn't like the branches but since seeing the branch curtain rod above, I've changed my mind. If they were painted white, I wouldn't mind so much.

Mine won't have the dead-hanging off bird at the bottom of the mobile either. That's just creepy.

We'll use the Amelia fabrics to make the birds. Cuteness! Wonder if I can get my mom to make extras- they'd make great rattles, don' t you think?



Bird Silhouettes:
I've been scavenging the web for silhouettes and have found a few I like. In particular, I really like the swallow silhouette below. Some uses for it - painted on the walls or on the crates I plan to paint.


Painted Murals:
The reading corner with the soft lime green chair will have a tree mural (done as a silhouette in either white or a couple shades darker than the wall color). I'm still hunting around for a template.

The closet, the opening which you can see from the room, will have another silhouette painting- birds on a telephone wire seen below.




Chair:
The color is similar to the one we picked- but ours has a rounded back. And we picked out an ottoman for it as well. Big thanks to my folks for purchasing it for us! It'll be super-comfty.
It'll go in the corner of the nursery with a low, long bookcase next to it with a reading lamp. The tree mural will be behind it.

Rug:
We found our rug in an antique store in Prescott, AZ while we were there in October visiting with Kevin's family and then attending my brother's wedding. I' m so glad we were able to find something from Arizona to incorporate into the room. The photo below is remarkably similar is color, shape and size (3 by 5) to the one we found. It's now occupying the middle of the nursery floor.

It is incredibly soft and plush, decadently so.

I have two walls semi-planned out- the dresser/changing table wall and the crib wall. See each below:

Changing table wall:
We will use our white dresser as a changing table. The changing pad will be strapped/secured onto the dresser and will likely be done in some kind of sage-lime-green minky fabric. I will have baskets lined with green fabric for diapers, creams, etc.

The Ikea shelf we plan to install will hold several more baskets, lined with the same green fabric and will contain toys, stuffed animals, etc.

Under the Ikea shelf we will hang four 6"X 6" bird silhouettes done in black with the canvas painted the same color as the wall. The middle (fifth) canvas will have the initial "G" painted in black with the canvas color painted the same green used in the closet for contrast.






Crib Wall:
The crib wall will have the closet displayed on the right with the closet interior walls painted a soft lime-green. See the birds on a wire mural above? The birds will be peeking out from the back wall of the closet.

The painting is called "kindred spirits" and is of 5 women, looking downward (in this case, looking down at the baby in the crib) with green leafy vines growing behind them and 5 yellow love-birds on various branches. I love the colors and the imagery of women as benevolent guardians.

The quote above the crib says (in case you can't read it):
To our children we give two things: one is roots, the other wings.

I like it- it seems to tie together the trees (roots) and birds (wings) theme nicely.

Practicing Gratitude

There are things that have come to light during my pregnancy journey, both great and small, that I am grateful for and no longer take for granted.

My appreciation for the following continues to deepen with each day:

1. First and foremost, my partner.

For all that he does and all that he is. Kevin has made me countless meals, gone to the grocery store a hundred times, tucked me into bed on days when I can do no more than crawl under the covers and sleep. He has walked me to the bathroom in the middle of the night at 3 am because my back and hips are so sore it makes it impossible to walk unaided. Kevin has picked up my slack around the house (cooking meals, cleaning, taking care of the dogs, working in the yard).

He has gone with me to my doctor appointments, has felt the baby kicking, has cleaned up after me during my bouts with nausea, has gone to Baby's R Us (and likes it!), has picked out baby clothes, has watched me model my maternity clothes as my tummy grows, has told me I look pretty (when I feel so very unpretty), has read alongside me books on pregnancy, birthing and parenting.

He has been so kind, considerate and involved that it truly humbles me. He'll say things like "you should be pregnant for the next 20 years" and seems to mean it. Now I don't want to be pregnant for the next 20 years but the fact he wouldn't mind and would enjoy it, makes my heart melt.

2. My doggies Ginger and Bailey
They continue to be a source of delight for both Kevin and I. Their energy & zest for life, their sense of humor (they make us laugh at any rate) and the affection they have for their humans makes me eat humble pie every day. Having two furry heads to pat when I get up in the mornings, having them watch out for me and let me know what's going around in and outside the home, and having them cuddle with me on days when I feel overwhelmed by the enormity of everything are all things I am truly grateful for. Dogs really do give us far more than we could ever give back to them.

3. My family and friends
What would I do without them? They lift me up, inspire me, guide me and embrace me every step of the way.

4. My mom
She gets her own category because of her fabulous-ness. I continue to have new-found appreciation for her as I begin my own process towards motherhood.

5. Baths
I am so grateful for the luxury of baths. It is a guilty pleasure but one that I have the utmost appreciation for. Taking a bath for an hour or longer, with a book, is at the very tippy-top of my favorite things. There is no bodily ache, no worldly worry or mental stress that cannot be alleviated by soaking oneself in warm waters.

6. Books
I read every book as if it may be my last. I am completely aware that I may not have time to read like I do now when I have a baby and so I cherish each word. I read slower (really I do!) and savor every page, grateful that someone was inspired enough to express their creativity on the page and share it with readers like me. To all you writers out here, thank you!

7. My home
I feel lucky and privileged to live under the roof of my home. It isn't perfect and I far too often focus on its flaws and the things I want to improve, but more and more, I am grateful for the fact it shelters me, and provides for me a safe sanctuary and a place where I will be able to raise my family.

8. My health
I am grateful that I have been healthy most of my life and that this pregnancy has continued to be healthy for me and the baby.

9. Bowel movements
Now you wouldn't think I'd put this here. I'm not trying to be funny. Constipation during pregnancy is not funny. Anyone who has been pregnant understands what I'm talking about here. I am deeply grateful for bowel movements. They are a cause for celebration and deserve mentioning.

10. Sleeping through the night
This has started to become a thing of the past, but getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is something I am grateful beyond measure for. Being able to sleep on my back (a different category but getting lumped here just the same) is something I won't take for granted anymore now that I'm required to sleep on my side, which makes my hips and back ache, despite mountains of pillows/body pillows. Not having to get up every three hours to pee, is something I miss too. Both of which (sleeping on my back and not having to pee every three hours) are things that enabled me to sleep through the night.

11. Veggies
I like veggies. I like them on pizza. I like them on sandwiches. I like them an awful, awful lot. Mushrooms. Olives. Green Bell Peppers. Carrots. Onions. Taters. Tomatoes (a fruit I know). Cucumbers (another fruit). Lettuce & all manner of leafy greens. Squash. .... Thank you veggies and the farmers & laborers that grow them so I can have a happy, healthy, nutritious pregnancy.

Week 22: Things are kicking!

The big news of the week is that Baby Green is kicking! Even I, dear ol' dad-to-be, can feel the kicks. Crystal has felt the baby adjusting itself or practicing the backstroke for weeks so this is old news to her.

Poor Crystal's lower back is hurting her. She's not used to having a second person in her belly - but then, who really is?

Baby Pics

Crystal's latest update is below the ultrasound photos. I'm including 2 versions of each photo to help you figure out what you're looking at. The first set of photos is a zoomed out shot of the torso and head. The second set is a zoomed in shot of the face. It was amazing to see it all live. The baby was kicking and waving and might have even been doing a little dance for us.

Week 20: Halfway There!

Today we had our big ultrasound!

The baby is doing great. Everything looks very healthy. He/she is in the 47th percentile for weight, coming in at approximately 12 ounces.

During the ultrasound the baby kicked up a storm as if it was running a marathon in place. Kevin appropriately called the baby The Little Runner. I can only imagine what it will feel like when I start feeling the kicks. Yikes!

As witnessed on the ultrasound, the baby is moving quite a lot. I can feel it moving several times a day especially in the evening hours. It's truly a wonderful, albeit weird, sensation.

We may end up going back for a second ultrasound since the technician wasn't able to get a good view of the heart.

We'll go back to the doctor this Thursday for a regular visit and see if Momma's gained any weight yet.

20 more weeks to go!

18 Weeks

We’re 18 weeks now and Baby Green is as big as a baked potato. Not one of those dinky little red potatoes; a real baked potato - a honkin’ 5½” seven-ounce tuber!

Crystal can feel the big ol’ tater adjusting itself in her belly every once in a while. No big kicks or anything, but she says there’s something in there.

We went to the doctor last week and everything is going well. Baby Green’s heartbeat was 155 beats per minute, a healthy rate. Crystal was able to dish out her daily dose of I-told-you-so’s my way with assistance from the doc. Yes, vitamin water is safe. No, Crystal patting a little drumroll on her belly isn’t hurting anyone. Yes, Flintstone chewables are still a good alternative to the prenatal vitamins Crystal can’t stop puking up.

I admit it, I’m a worrier.

Here’s the latest pic of Crystal. Friends are telling her she’s showing now.

Is this normal?

Do pregnant ladies often stick fake bellies under their clothes to see what they'll look like in five months?

The liminality of pregnancy and the mother journey

I've conversed with many, many women the last few weeks about their experiences with pregnancy, birthing and motherhood. Each woman's experience is so very unique and yet, shared in a universal mother-tongue that is readily understood. I'm absolutely fascinated by the different archetypes that all these women embody through the telling of their own stories: the suffering/martyred mother, the earthly grounded mother, the protective warrior mother, the life-bringing mother, the free-spirited mother. The shape-shifting between dual roles and multiple archetypes is amazing and awe-inspiring to me, the idea that we can hold all things within us without having to be everything to everyone.

Much of pregnancy that I can tell is journey inward, a journey towards darkness or the underworld really- a winter's hibernation within one's body, something akin to a death but without the despair- a loss of what we once were, and the rebirth of what will be. I find it hard to not think be aware of death and my mortality when the birth of a new life cycle is so near. The changes in my body are like the changes in the season, slow but sure, steady and unrelenting in that march of time. My childhood was my spring, my young adulthood was a heady summer and now I am entering the glorious autumn of motherhood, where the harvesting of possibilities and the unleashing of new destinies will take place.

I am curious, now more than ever, about the feminine as well as the masculine- what energies exist in this world that allows each of us to shape-shift throughout our journey as we evolve from a spark of hope in the womb to what the world sets fire within us to become. The place that calls to you is “... where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Frederick Buechner.

Pregnancy seems to be, to return to my Irish studies, (for those of my fellow Ireland Program peers, you will hear me well) a very liminal space. Our dear-dear teachers Patrick, Dorrane and Sean each spoke so eloquently about the liminality of in-betweenness, the shape shiftings, the veil between worlds- the neither here, nor there... the swinging in the balance between life and death represented by sickness, pregnancy, births, menstrual cycles (where you bleed, but do not die). Places that are liminal pull us all at sand shifting shores and mountain tops where water, ground and sky kiss, and at all the doorways and windows of our lives. Much of our lives are defined by such liminal events and places.

As I stand on the cusp of becoming, the mask of motherhood lies before me- that mask which does not belong to me alone but is passed on from generation to generation, from woman to woman, in a long, endless line of life-bringers before me and stretched out far ahead of me, I am aware of accepting stewardship of a new life, of becoming a safe, guiding and nurturing hand in someone’s destiny; a person and a destiny which does not belong to me but one that I can watch unfold and if I am very lucky, walk with for a short while.

“Your Children are not Your Children

They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.”

© Kahlil Gibran, 1923, 1973.

Found in Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Early morning sickness and the nursery (to keep my mind off my morning sickness)

The picture Kevin posted of me with some chain-saw looking contraption (it's actually an electric hedge trimmer) warrants explanation. This past weekend I worked in the yard. I weeded, planted some fall flowers, and hacked the heck out of the ivy hedge in our backyard. It needed doing!

Kevin was thrilled to see his pregnant wife actually doing real-down-and-dirty work and wanted to capture the moment.

How am I feeling now? Of course I went and jinxed myself yesterday, I couldn't help myself. I made the mistake of raving about how spectacularly awesome I felt and how I had all this energy and hardly any nausea to speak of.

The universe has a twisted sense of humor and likes to keep me humble.This feels familiar!

You know those spots on your face you get from the broken blood vessels created by too much vomiting? Well they've multiplied exponentially this morning. Vomiting for a couple hours will do that to ya. I fear I've ruined my complexion permanently. I look like I have some scaled down version of chicken pox, especially around my eyes. My worse fear is having a blood vessel in my eyeball burst. I'm seriously done with this morning sickness, so I wish it would just stop, please. This is my experience in the physical realm these days- a back and forth between sickness and vigorous health.

But on an aesthetic note, the fabric samples have arrived (last night!), thanks to my mother. They're wonderful and exactly what I wanted. I'm looking forward to sharing them here soon.

My mother will use the fabric I picked out to make bedding for the crib, a cushion & pillows for the window seat, as well as pillows for the reading chair.

Kevin and I walked through the nursery last night, mentally placing all the furniture and discussing all the projects that need doing. We'll paint first and then start putting the furniture in the nursery as we acquire them.

I am such a tactile and visual person that I can't imagine not working on the nursery now. I love the process of creating an environment that is aesthetically pleasing for myself, as well as stimulating and engaging for my child.

No matter who we are, however young or old, we all need our own place, a retreat from the world, a center where we experience peace and grounding. It's an incredibly symbolic process for me to create within the home this space for a child.

The nursery used to be my dressing room, which was ill purposed for it anyways and never really gelled. But the letting go of what was solely mine and the embracing of what will be a new life for all of us is similar to the ebb and flow of the tide and the moon. I'm relearning what it means to give, to nurture, to create life and in the process of working on the nursery I am able to physically articulate that very internal journey towards motherhood.

16 Weeks Pregnant and Lookin' Good

Our new floors

Hey! Kevin here. After a week at the in-laws, I came home last Friday to check out the floors and air out the house a bit before the momma-to-be came home. As soon as I opened the door, I started crying... and coughing...and gasping for precious air. Wow what strong fumes! It was like walking into my first gas chamber on Fort Benning 10 years ago. I was so not prepared for the strength of these fumes!

I held my breath, closed my eyes and scrambled around the house to open any doors and windows I could find during short sprints around the gas chamber broken up by gasps for fresh air on the back porch.

After the fumes dissipated enough to allow me to walk around with my eyes open, I checked out the floors. We're pretty happy with the results. We knew a few of the stains would remain; these are, after all, 84 year old floors. The stains look nothing like before so we're pleased. Here are a few before-and-after pics.

The living room before:


The living room refinished:


Our bedroom before:


Our bedroom refinished:

The bedrooms were in pretty good shape already. They're even better now!

Me pulling up carpet in the hallway:


The hallway with no carpet and no tiles:


The refinished hallway:

I spent most of the summer in the hallway. When I first ripped up the carpet I was greeted with ugly yellow tile. I panicked and thought the wood floors in the hall had been replaced with these tiles. After a minute or two of with a hallway of ugly yellow tiles, I pulled one up and saw hardwood. (whew) The tiles were only sticky tiles and had been hammered on top of the floors. I'm sure somebody had a reason to nail down sticky tiles at one point in the house's history, but wow what a pain-in the ass project to undo. Between pulling up the carpet, the tack strips, the staples, the tiles, the glue residue and sinking the nails, I'm sure I spent well over 20 hours prepping the hallway to be refinished. Yay- it turned out good!

Momma Guilt (gone to the dogs)

Tonight, after work, Kevin will go home to check out the now re-finished wood floors, air out the house for a couple of hours and most importantly, pick up Bailey from the vet where we had her boarded this week.

We've felt guilty all week about boarding Bailey and naturally we've made things worse by talking about it at length and discussing various scenarios:

1. Bailey probably thinks we abandoned her like her last family did.

2. Bailey is confused and wonders if she did something bad and is being punished...

3. Bailey is going to be really-really mad when we pick her up and never forgive us.

4. Bailey blames Kevin and not me because he was the one who dropped her off but she blames me for not saving her.

5. Bailey was so excited to go for a car ride with Kevin and go to the vet (really she loves the vet) and feels betrayed and tricked, and is so scarred from it she'll never be excited about going for a car ride or to the vet again.

6. Bailey is sad, lonely, scared, hungry and bored.

Boy if you could've seen our long faces when we talked about Bailey, you'd see how pathetic and sad we were about the whole thing. I can picture someone reading this post somewhere and thinking to themselves "They're just dogs..."

I think a sign that dogs are more evolved than us is they've figured out that guilt is the most useless of all emotions. I wonder if we're going to worry about the baby in the same way. Stupid question really- of course we are.

I have plans tonight in Seattle and I am sleeping over in Kent one more night ::snaps fingers:: so I won't be able to join the welcome-home committee for Bailey. I'm bummed but in some ways I'm relieved that Bailey won't associate me with the vet-boarding experience. But I can't wait to see everyone tomorrow (especially the dogs) when we head to Shelton to spend the weekend at my mother-in-law's. A week without my dogs is too long!

Oh yeah, I'm excited about the floors too!!!

More Nursery Inspriations

Thanks Mom for the heads up!

The Better Homes and Gardens website has some great nursery photo galleries and I found one nursery, courtesy of my mother, in my color scheme, - blue & green, that I just adore.

Check out the link to the B&H web page and view both pages of the Calm & Collected Nursery photo gallery and descriptions.

http://www.bhg.com/decorating/kids-rooms/nursery/calm-and-collected/

Cute huh? I'm really digging the tree mural and have already tagged it as the perfect project for my sister. I'm also going to do a similar version of the window bench storage box. The rugs aren't to my taste, but I have to admit they're cute. I will definitely be on a mission to find the perfect fluffy white rug. I anticipate white isn't going to be the most practical of colors but I can't help it.

On the second page of the B&G Calm and Collected nursery, I'm drooling over the reading/nursing corner with the soft green chair and the hanging lamp shade. Babies R Us has a very similar chair that I have my heart set on. Kevin and I have tested it twice now and we both agree it is the most comfortable, plush chair we've ever sat in. It's pricey though so it's good thing we've started saving!

Check out a couple options from Babies R Us online:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3096499

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3096516

This is fun!

Nursery Inspirations

Because we're not finding out the gender of the baby, some have suggested that decorating the nursery will be a bit of a challenge.

Hardly.

One of my favorite bloggers of the blog Becoming-Home.net has another blog Becoming-Mom.net and I fell in love with the color scheme for her nursery. Soft, muted greens and blues.

Check out the link below:

http://www.becoming-mom.net/2008/07/29/nursery-tour/

The room we've designated as the nursery already has the same soft blue on the walls (in need of a fresh coat of paint), nearly a periwinkle blue. Very neutral, if blue could be such a thing. I especially adore the soft lime roman shades on the Becoming Mom nursery tour photographs and how the green of the shades plays off the blue walls, white trim and hardwood floors, all things that we have in our nursery. The faux animal print rug in the photos is something I'm leaning towards, but I almost prefer something softer, more fluffy, and akin to a sheepskin rug (faux of course).

Fortunately, I have the benefit of a creative sister and a talented mother who will each have a hand in shaping the final result - helping me make bedding, curtains, find just the right lamps, etc.

I can't wait to start on the nursery- I suspect after the floors are refinished, the nursery will be my next big project.

Kevin says what I really mean is that the nursery will be his next big project. Well, he's halfway right. I'll purchase the items and he can put the crib together, paint, etc. Go Teamwork!

Have pillow, will travel

One of the cooler tips in my Pregnant Lady Bag-o-Tricks is to always keep a pillow and blanket in the car. I'm sure legions of pregnant women have discovered exactly how handy it is to have a nap-kit ready at all times.

For me, it has been a life saver. Naps are an unpredictable thing- it's hard to predict when you will need one and harder still to predict when you can actually take one.

Having a body pillow and a soft blanket lets me sneak away to my car at the best of times and sometimes at the most desperate of times to comfortably nap.

Sometimes I'll have time before meeting a friend for lunch for a quick snooze while parked in the mall parking lot, or at someone's house (someone's very understanding house, mind you) when I've gone visiting and the urge to sleep overcomes me.

I've spent countless lunch breaks at work napping in my car. Once, I napped under my desk after work before my evening commute home to recharge my batteries.

Like I said, have pillow, will nap.

That bitter taste

For the last 36 hours I've had an extremely unpleasant bitter taste in my mouth. Imagine letting an aspirin tablet dissolve on your tongue and having it linger for two days. That's the kind of bitter I mean- medicinal, nasty, gag-inducing.

Drinking and eating food masks the bitterness momentarily but as soon as you swallow, it comes back. But the problem is I'm so far from hungry that it's an effort to even eat bacon. I never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd have a hard time getting excited about bacon. I LOVE bacon. Just not in my mouth right now.

I've been completely ambivalent about food the last couple of days but I know I need to eat something. I'm willing my appetite to return! I have Top Ramen (not the best thing I know, but it's my chicken noodle soup of the moment), fruit, vitamin water, crackers, more fruit... The protein thing I'm still struggling with but will start tackling this week, I swear!

My last doctor appointment I had lost over 12 pounds in one month. I got a "get out of jail free" card because I was in my first trimester and lots of women do lose weight the first three months.

The doctor did ask me if I felt okay, and if I was having trouble keeping food down- at the time I felt great and no, I had no trouble keeping food down. I was completely mystified that I had lost weight, the only thing I could thing of was that by eating smaller meals throughout the day, I ultimately was eating less food quantity-wise and eating more healthy to boot.

Well now I feel crappy, don't' want to eat, and can't keep food down. I'm starting to feel panicked and am crossing my fingers that by my next visit, I haven't lost any more weight. First time in my life I'm actually grumpy about losing weight. This pregnancy thing has turned everything topsy-turvy.

If the past two days are any indication of the next few weeks, I'm in for a bumpy ride. I keep telling myself it's temporary, and it means my body is working to make a baby- so it's all good, right?

Still I get that nagging thought - the second trimester is supposed to be when I start feeling better, not worse!

But at the end of the tunnel, I'm going to have a darling little Green who is hopefully just like her/his daddy and a wee bit like me. February feels so far away!

Just when I post an entry about how easy this pregnancy has been, I have a not-so-easy afternoon.

Really I'm sure I'll look back on this and laugh.

Kevin and I went to Burlington Coat Factory to chase down a rumor that their baby furniture is significantly cheaper (not true) and buy a plastic bin at Target for me to store some odds and ends as we finish up getting the house ready for the floor re finishers.

Well in an attempt to get me to eat protein, Kevin and I made a hop and skip over to The Ram. I was supposed to order a hamburger and share it with Kevin. But it was only 2:30 and while I had yet to eat lunch, I wasn't in the mood for a hamburger. So we ordered cheese sticks. I ate 1.5 and Kevin ate the rest.

Almost immediately I became tired and wanted to go home.

We get home and I had this pressing urge to run into the house. Where upon entering, I had an even more pressing urge to run into the bathroom.

But I didn't make it in time. Puking on the way there (in my mouth)... I puked all over the toilet seat (didn't stay in my mouth), then puked on the way to the sink. And then because my poor bladder was so full from all the Sprite I drank at the restaurant and weakened under the constant heaving... I peed myself.

Fun.

Now I get it, the 9 months of preparing for a baby, the momma-to-be loses control of her bodily functions and regresses to infant-hood.

I cleaned up what I could, showered and headed off to bed- leaving Kevin to finish up the job. Poor guy. Him and bleach have become buddies.

Turns out I clogged the drain so well and good that I backed up the plumbing into the walls (Kevin took it apart, vomit-goo and all)... so now we're in need of a plumber. More fun. Wonder if they give pregnant lady discounts. Kevin tells me its' okay, and it's fine, and don't worry about it honey. Wait until he gets the bill.

New house rules: chew my food better or puke in the toilet. Well I would've except that the toilet seat was DOWN.

New amended house rules: leave the toilet seat up AND chew my food better.

Kinda glad I didn't get the hamburger though, that would've been especially gross.

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14 Weeks begins and Crystal's hungry

This past Thursday I began my 14th week of pregnancy. It's surreal to be three and a half months pregnant. The whole thing still has a touch of surrealness to it- but day by day the pregnancy becomes increasingly tangible.

I'm still waiting to feel the "quickening" or the baby moving around. Some feel it as early as 10 weeks. I'm obviously one of those who feel it later- still nothing. Someone told me the sensation is akin to swallowing a live fish or having a fish swim around in your belly (interesting!), another person said it's like butterfly wings beating inside your stomach. Once I thought I felt something, but turns out it was a gas bubble.

Oh yeah. People don't tell you how much gas pregnancy gives you. Just ask Kevin. I've turned into a gas machine- If I drank soapy water, I'd be making bubbles all the time.

People often ask how I'm doing and how I'm feeling. Quite honestly I feel pretty lucky to have a relatively easy pregnancy so far. Sure I was falling over tired the first three months and going to bed at 6:30 or 7:30 at night was a pretty typical event. My nausea didn't kick in until week 10 but it was of the come and go variety and could be prevented as long as I ate something every two hours. That's right every two hours. If I woke up in the middle of the night and it had been more than two hours since I'd eaten, I'd have to go get something to eat.

Now that you have the impression I've been eating nonstop let me state that while my desire to eat more often increased, my ability to eat large quantities of food fell off dramatically I can only eat a few bites before becoming "full"- leaving Kevin to finish whatever is on my plate. We quickly learned to cook for one person around here- letting me start and letting Kevin finish the rest.

I definitely have more energy and am less tired now I have entered my second trimester. But Kevin is still finishing my food for me ha. Good thing I'm not craving pickles on my ice cream yet or he might start complaining.

I don't have any particular, repetitive cravings or specific turn-offs- but I always know what I want to eat, and I want it NOW. Not in an hour. Not in ten minutes. Right. This. Second. Now. Then I feel bad because I only eat two or three bites. It doesn't help that it's something random & specific- bruchetta, bahn mi sandwiches, mizithra pasta. Kevin wishes I'd crave PBJ sandwiches because at least guaranteed we have it and it's easy/fast.

I've made progress in that department though. Thursday night I craved Top Ramen. Easy. Fast. Cheap and a quick run to the grocery store away.

But last night I relapsed and decided at 7:30 pm I HAD to have rice krispie treats, rice krispie chicken AND a baked potato. Between the food shopping, the marinating of the chicken in buttermilk and the baking... it took over 2 hours to get the food ready. I ate four bites of course. It was 10 o'clock by then.

Another piece of good news and progress is that I'm back to cooking my own food, praise Garlic. One less thing for Kevin to have to do.

At least one of us is taking the "Eating for Two" more literally. Kevin's eating enough for the both of us. When he talked about eating fudge sundaes at 2 am in his previous blog post, please don't make the mistake of thinking he was teasing or worse, exaggerating. Anyone who knows Kevin, knows what a chocoholic he is, and how much he likes to eat. He's been truly enjoying his "sympathy" symptoms and apparently gets nauseated if he doesn't eat every 2 hours too. Ha.

You know- obviously I'm thinking about food, a lot. And because I can't eat too much food I started a companion blog to this one where I can talk about food to my heart's content. You'll find me posting there often because well, that's what's on my mind of late. www.tacomaeats.blogspot.com

Hello from Momma-to-Be

Okay now that was embarassing- our dogs used to treat our bed like their personal couch. You can even see my little foot in the lower right hand corner of the picture of Ginger sleeping in our bed back in the pre-pregnancy days. She looks comfortable doesn't she?

We're so used to the dogs being our children and so it's interesting to demote them in a sense.

I do wonder if they can sense my pregnancy? Ginger definitely cuddles more and looks me in the eye for long periods of time.

Bailey has taken to the increase in her training regimen quite well and with an enormous amount of patience on her part. I say patience because we instruct her to sit, stay, come, heel, no-get-down multiple times a day. She's much bigger than Ginger and has a habit of jumping on us when we arrive home- something we've now put a stop to.

These are the things we've been thinking about these days- getting the dogs and the house ready for the baby. We haven't really focused on getting ourselves ready because we're still wrapping our heads around the idea of being expectant parents.

We're having a great time announcing our pregnancy and responding to everyone's well wishes and congratulations. I especially love listening to the advice and words of wisdom from those who are mothers. You can bet I'll be asking tons of questions! You know who you are smile.

Eventually we'll start to get the nursery ready, think about our birth plan and all of those logistics. For now, we're content to dwell in the newness of our pregnancy and sharing our joy with loved ones.

GingerBailey in Bed

With news of a baby on the way, we decided it was time to implement a new house rule: No dogs on the bed. Prior to the whole getting pregnant thing, the standing policy in the house was no dogs in bed when we’re sleeping, but anybody who wanted to lounge on the Tempur-Pedic was welcome to do so.

After a few weeks of gentle consistent reminders about the new policy, GingerBailey are finally starting to accept this rule as something we might be serious about.

Ginger is the 8 year old beagle-basset. Bailey is the 5 year old yellow lab. Together they are GingerBailey. They’re easier to talk to as one creature. Anybody who stays with us long enough will hear the same exclamations again and again: "GingerBailey, you ate my sandwich!” or “GingerBailey, it’s 4:30 in the morning – go to sleep!” or if Crystal’s talking, “GingerBailey, who wants to cuddle!!?” You get the idea.

One of the more daunting tasks on our long list of baby proofing preparations is to baby proof the dogs. We’re taking it as a challenge to refine…okay develop…a set of parenting skills as we actively work to undo all the behavior we laughed at, applauded and even encouraged in GingerBailey.

No longer is it acceptable to do running long jumps over us as we sit on the couch. No longer does a fly in the house warrant mad fits of barking that would make neighbors think somebody’s tail was on fire. And yes, no dogs in bed.

Big Changes

Hey hey, we're online! This past weekend we finally came out and admitted to being pregnant. We made it past the first trimester and decided it was safe to make the announcement before people started asking about our constant hunger/nausea.

I should probably disclose that I don't actually have the baby in my belly. Most of the pregnancy books we stocked up on say that not only do I get some of the credit for making a baby, but I also get to have sympathy symptoms. I'm taking full advantage of this new sanction. If I want a fudge sundae at 2am, it's fine...we're pregnant!

You don't want to hear about me though, you want to hear about the newest little Green. She/he/it had a healthy heartbeat of 162 beats per minute during our last visit to the doctor. All the books use fruits and vegetables to describe the size of the baby and in week 13 it grew from a large lime to a regular lemon. Referring to the baby as a piece of produce was a little weird at first but we got used to it.

We don't know the gender and as many of you know, Crystal is set on not learning until the little watermelon pops out next February. I'm working on changing her mind. My current tactic revolves around the logic that once we know, we can buy appropriate clothes. If we do decide to learn the gender, the doctor can tell us at our Sept 25th ultrasound.

Oh yeah, the photo. That's a photo of our niece, Alyssa. Alyssa found out she was going to be an older sister in May. My sister Jessi, let Alyssa make the announcement. Jessi and her husband Dustin are expecting their second child January 24th, less than four week's before us. Crystal is due February 19th.