Week 24

Life just seems to moving right along at this point. Now that we will soon be heading into the third trimester and this baby is getting bigger by the day, thoughts about the birth and life with a newborn are ever present on my mind. Of course they range from sheer excitement and anticipation to fear of the unknown. We should find out about birthing classes at my appointment next week and I do think that those will help out with at least helping me to feel more prepared about what lies ahead.

For the most part I have been feeling good and have really been in the mood to prepare our home for the arrival of our baby. It would really be nice if our furniture came in early so that we could set it up while I am still feeling energized. Also, after Marshall and his cousin Matt so graciously bought the huge rocker recliner, carried it up to our second floor apartment and set it up last week, I decided that I no longer thought it was comfortable! Marshall told me that's what he was trying to tell me at the store, but I don't know why I didn't listen! I really tried to like it since it would be such a hassle to repack it and bring it back (we even had to "rescue" the box from the recycle bin!) In the end though, it really wasn't working for us so Marshall and Matt brought it back, so I am glad that is done and over with!

Other than that I have been working hard this week on obtaining my CPA licensure for the State of California. It is a detailed (and expensive) process, but I really would like to have my license before going out on maternity leave. The last big piece is completing the ethics exam which is actually much more challenging than I anticipated. I hope to get it done in the next two weeks here (on my own of course, unlike this person who posted on Craigslist who will never get their license now!)

Getting ready for our baby girl...

Whew...we have accomplished a lot this weekend, and it is only Saturday! We finally bought our crib, dresser/changing table and crib mattress today, which was exciting. I had looked up a lot of cribs online and so when we went to the store I was looking forward to seeing all of the options in person. What is funny is that we both ended up loving the one from online and that is what we ended buying. While I really like the darker colored cribs, we recently bought a desk in that color and I can't believe how incredibly dusty it gets! Because of this we ended up going with the honey oak color which we really like a lot. The nice thing about the crib is that it is convertible, which means that it can be used as a toddler bed and then a full size bed (we bought the conversion kit to do this as well). At the store, we talked to another mom buying the same crib (for her twins) and she advised us to go to Costco since they had rockers and recliners in stock. So we headed over there and ended up finding a great rocking recliner in a pretty green color, which will go well with all of the other stuff in the baby's room. It feels like we got a lot accomplished, so that is nice. We still have to wait for the furniture to get here as they said it could take up to 12 weeks to arrive, but that is fine because we were looking early.

This week I have been feeling relatively good, except that the back and sideache pain is getting to be a lot more intense. What is hard is that just sitting down doesn't seem to alleviate it at times, so it is hard to find a comfortable position. Also, I gained a little more weight this week than usual, but it really does feel like I have gotten a lot bigger in the last two weeks. I am beginning to feel like that girl in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory who blows up into a blueberry!

Our crib and dresser

Week 22

I am so happy to report that my first appointment with the midwife went incredibly well. I really felt a connection with her right away and instantly noticed a difference in the level of care. The waiting room wasn't overloaded with people, I wasn't made to wait for a long time and she sat down with me and made sure to answer my questions. It felt so much more personal and much less "business-like". I am bummed that Marshall wasn't able to meet her, but I think that he will really like her once he does. Everything looked good at the appointment and the midwife was able to find the baby's heartbeat quickly, so I was happy about that.

Tonight Marshall and I bought and assembled the bassinet, which was fun. Now it is set up in the room just waiting for a little baby to sleep in it! Overall this week has gone well. My biggest symptom still continues to be a stretching feeling in my sides - almost as if I am walking around with two major sideaches. Other than that, things are good and time seems to be going by more quickly!

The bassinet

Picture Update

So to anyone who has been following this blog, you may have noticed that I have gone through a series of different programs in order to post my weekly photo. It has been a bit frustrating since I haven't been able to find one that does everything I want. However, today I think I finally found the one that works for me, since it lets you scroll between all of the weeks. Also, if you click on any of the photos, it will take you to the actual album with all of the pictures side by side. It is amazing to me how much has changed in the last few weeks. It definitely makes me curious about what lies ahead in this final stretch!

Marshall and I just got home from the store where we bought a really nice digital camera and a camcorder, both of which were high priority on our list of things we would like to have in time for the baby. Right now we are waiting while the batteries charge, but it will be fun to test everything out... Marlee better get ready! Also, I just had to post about what goes on "behind the scenes" during our weekly photo shoot. As you can see, my biggest fan never misses a week!

"Regular" Photo


Behind the Scenes


Cutie Pie

Happy New Year!

I think that New Year's is one of my favorite holidays... only because it makes so much sense! The whole celebration is at night and then you actually get the entire next day off (I say this in my sweats having just finished a bowl of peanut butter Captain Crunch at 10:30 in the morning...) We had a nice time last night and went out to dinner with our friends Matt & Samantha. The drinks were definitely flowing at our table, only they were water, milk and coffee so that goes to show how our party ended up. I am surprised I made it to the actual countdown as I have been feeling really tired trying to catch up on sleep since we flew back home late Sunday night.

I am really excited that it is officially 2009 as there are so many wonderful things in store for us. Not only do we get to meet our baby girl in May, but also Marshall will at long last be receiving his doctoral degree in June! It has been a long haul for him and I couldn't me more proud of his hard work, spirit and dedication in achieving this goal. Also, this year will also "reveal" where we will be settling down (once Marshall gets his first job) and also might even end up in us purchasing our first home together. All of this is so exciting and I just really want to enjoy the journey of it instead of being fixated on the destination. Happy New Year to everyone!