A little of this, a little of that...

A lot of people have been asking us recently what we've decided to name her. I suppose Baby Girl can't last forever...

Yes, we have (I think) decided on a name.

No, we are not going to reveal it until she is born.

The reasoning behind this is twofold: 1) This is the last surprise we get! We found out gender; we've shared every piece of this along the way. Besides, some things are better kept a surprise! 2) Just in case we change our minds once we meet her. I don't want to announce her name only to have to change it when I see her little face.

Amazingly, baby-naming has been one of the easiest things we've done. When we got Brody, we went back and forth about names for weeks before deciding, and he's just a dog!

Casey adamantly refused to have the names discussion with me until we found out her gender. Being me, I found this horrifyingly difficult... I kept asking and asking what he thought of different names, and every time he just as stubbornly refused to talk with me about it!

The weekend we found out we were expecting a girl, we both searched high and low - separately - and put together our "Top Ten list" of little girls' names. When we came back together, we discovered that the same name topped both our lists... so that pretty much decided it!

Somehow, choosing a middle name was just as easy. By the end of the week after the big gender-reveal, we had settled on a name, and it has been that way in my mind ever since.

I highly doubt that it will change - I always hear that baby just becomes her name, right? Plus, it has been fun for the past nearly 14 weeks to call her by her name. Casey has slipped a few times and announced it, but fortunately no one seems to have figured it out!

Lastly, because I can't refuse, here is the tiniest teaser for our nursery, which is now very, very close to being finished and decorated.

Her clothes are clean and put away! Not only that, but her dresser is almost completely full!!

Can baby things be any cuter?

Ever-expanding closet. Now all we're waiting for is the guest of honor...

Oh, Baby!

33 Weeks!

Okay, so we're a bit past 33 weeks now. Our pregnancy weeks turn over on Wednesdays, so I'm a little behind with my post. At 33 weeks, I'm right on track with my weight gain. No more contractions; at least, no more that make Mommy freak out thinking Baby is coming early (a blessing!). Baby is measuring perfectly, and I am still feeling great.

I am always amazed by the way women complain about their pregnancies. I feel so blessed, because I have absolutely loved being pregnant! Yes, it is strange in many ways. Yes, there are many things to adjust to. But overall, it is such an incredible, awe-inspiring and amazing process.

More than that, though, it is incredible to me that anyone could be anything less than grateful for whatever process brings their baby into the world. If it means that at the end of this I get to hold that beautiful little girl in my arms, I would walk through fire to know that she is safe and healthy.

There was a time I thought that dream might elude us, and I can't imagine having to live with that knowledge. So whatever minor discomforts are associated with pregnancy, I can't find it in me to complain. I'll take those a hundred times over compared to the alternative. She is, without doubt, the greatest thing Daddy and I will ever be a part of!



Plus, pregnancy is just fun! Baby Girl is my constant little buddy. I love waking up in the morning and getting to feel her stretch! I love when my students are awed by the fact that my belly is moving as she changes position. I love talking and singing to her in the car (it does seem to be mostly in the car that I talk to her. I tell her about all the things we did that day, and describe to her what the weather or the sky looks like. I'm weird!). I love that she changes position in my belly when Daddy talks to her; she actually moves to be closer to his voice. She melts my heart when she gets the hiccups. Daddy discovered this week that he can hear her little heart beat when he presses his ear to my belly. He doesn't even need our fetal monitor thingy. WOW!

And, she is such a good baby! I don't have much discomfort. Granted, it is pretty difficult to change position or heft myself out of a sitting position. I do get very tired by the end of the day. But really... I'm growing a person! What can I expect?! None of that is her fault. She seems to work with me in any way she can. I suppose that is overestimating what Baby can do, but I truly feel like we have a wonderful, mutual connection. I can't wait to find out which of the little personality traits I associate with her now actually reveal themselves once she is born!

Transformation

I'm posting no pictures. I'm giving nothing away!

Let's just say that when we woke up yesterday morning, the old "office" was still looking rather office-like, and that is no longer the case.

In fact, it now has a new coat of paint, new mouldings, and rather a lot of new furniture. And, it's not looking quite so "office-y" anymore...

It has been two days of a LOT of work (which is not entirely finished), but I think we have a nursery on our hands!!!!! I even washed Baby Girl's bed set - something I have been waiting to do since about September - and it has a brand new place to live; a place where a certain someone will be resting her head in about 7 weeks.

I am SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!

Rest assured, I will post pictures eventually. But for now, some secrets are worth keeping. :)

Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things:

1. Orange Juice - I just can't get enough of it these days!

2. A giant box of hand-me-downs, courtesy of our awesome neighbors. SO excited to get these washed and put away!

3. Being OCD. A friend of ours said that one of the best pieces of advice she ever got was to stock up on diapers before the baby was even born. We took that to heart...

4. The beautiful rocking chair my sister purchased for us. This might be my favorite thing ever.

5. Teeny, tiny diapers that will soon hold a teeny, tiny tushy!

6. Sock(s).

7. Lucky charm. I know it will be too big for her and she may not get to wear it at all, but since we're expecting her on St. Patrick's day, I just couldn't pass it up.

8. The beautiful chest of drawers Daddy painted especially for Little Pumpkin. I am so eager to finish her room and get everything in order! It won't be long now...

9. Mommies have projects, too! My first forray into the girly world of barretts, headbands and bows. SO fun!

10. My wonderful husband, without whom none of this would be possible (and not just because I needed him for the baby part!)

Scare

I had my first-ever round of Braxton-Hicks contractions this week. And it was decidedly not fun.

Monday was Presidents' day, so there was (YAY!) no school. It was a really fun day! I met Jessica for coffee early that morning, which we used to do once a week and hadn't done in about a month. Then, I met my mom and sister downtown for lunch, and we had an awesome time walking around Kelsey's new property and the 16th street mall.

When I got home, I did a number of things in an attempt to get the baby's room in order.

Evidently, I did too much.

My contractions started at about 5:30. I tried to ignore them, and for the most part, I succeeded. They didn't really hurt... or at least, they weren't painful. They weren't exactly painless, either. I was making dinner when Casey got home about an hour later, and I had him look up Braxton-Hicks so that I could decide if that's what I was actually feeling.

I'm pretty sure that's what it was. But then they went on, periodically, not getting worse and not getting better, for about the next three hours. I did everything I was supposed to to help aleviate them - I ate, drank water, took a bath - and they did eventually ease up.

By the time I went to bed, I was totally freaked out. Scared because one of my greatest fears is that she will come early; that thought absolutely terrifies me. Whatever else happens to me during labor I will deal with with gratitude, but I want the baby to be safe and healthy, neither of which typically result from an early labor.

I woke up at about 1 a.m. because I dreamt that my water broke. Then I realized that either a) more contractions had begun, or b) I was so anxious that my stomach was tightening, feeling like contractions. I never did decide for sure which it was.

Needless to say, I never went back to sleep that night. I fully admit that I didn't handle this particularly well. It was a whole, sudden realization of just how unprepared I am; how unprepared we are.

Not only was the fear of premature labor strong, but it dawned on me that, should that occur, we didn't even have a bag packed for the hospital. I didn't have any sub plans lined up. We simply weren't ready to pick up and leave our lives to have a baby! It was overwhelming, and for OCD, type-A me, those thoughts were almost panic-inducing.

Fortunately, I remedied all of those and I feel much better. If Baby Girl decides to come early, we are (mostly) ready for her. Or, at least, we are as ready as we can be if she were to come 2 months early. It doesn't take away my fear of having her early, but it does help me to feel like we can handle it, if that were to be the case.

But I'd still really prefer that not to be the case!!!

Same dogs, new tricks

This...

...is what happens to doggie toys in our house approximately three weeks after being purchased.

Brody and Eva are not exactly the most gentle on their toys. To put this in some perspective, these are...er, used to be... the new toys Santa brought them for Christmas. The little one used to be a tennis ball connected to not one, but four additional "legs." Now, well, you can see what has happend!

Casey and I had a nice weekend. We had a very nice dinner on Friday - which kind of broke our New Year's resolution to be more frugal and wise about our spending since we have such important things to plan for. But it was still fun, and totally worth it!

This little indulgence was followed by another... Dairy Queen! Since we'd already caved, we decided that we might as well do it thoroughly! I asked for a small dipped cone, and came away with the biggest one I have ever seen. It was awesome, and took me about a half an hour to actually finish.

We spent most of the weekend fixing up the little girl's room. Casey painted her chest of drawers/changing table, which I am SO excited to see completed!

I'm getting very anxious and excited to see it all come together! Not to mention, I'm definitely beginning to feel the time crunch. Two months to go! It certainly doesn't seem like a lot, especially considering all that there is left to do. I don't think I can imagine a more important or special pay-off at the end of all our hard work!

So this is love

Reason 629 that I love my husband:

He makes me lunch at midnight.

Okay, that didn't come out right. Perhaps I should explain.

Casey has taken to making both my breakfast and lunch in the mornings before I go to work. It's funny how these roles have reversed, because this was something I used to do for him - once upon a pre-pregnancy time.

We had trouble deciding on something I could actually eat for lunch. Usually I just take left overs, but what to do when there aren't any? I can't eat lunch meat, and I'm not supposed to eat those frozen dinners because of all the bad processed stuff and all the salt. Finally, Casey suggested making me a veggie wrap. Now I absolutely adore these, and I eat them almost every day. They are filled with excellent green veggies and yummy nutrients that are perfect for Baby.

The recipe looks like this:

1 whole wheat tortilla

spread of hummus

1/2 avocado

lettuce

tomato

sprouts

pepper jack cheese

Yesterday, Casey had an extremely long day. He left the house at about 8 in the morning and didn't get back until after midnight. When he finally got home, I was - predictably - asleep. He came to bed, kissed me to say hello and went back downstairs because he "still had some work to do." I'm glad he didn't tell me what he was doing, because it would have made me feel too guilty!

He was packing my lunch for the next day. Because he is the most awesome husband in the whole world. Today I got to take a yummy lunch, complete with snacks, all because my husband decided that it was more important to make my lunch than to go to bed after his long day.

If I ever had any worries about what kind of father he will be (which I absolutely didn't!), I'd say I no longer have to worry. He's just awesome!

Week 31

Week 31

I had a doctors appointment (it seems like these are becoming the bane of my existence!) last Friday, and somehow I managed to lose almost a pound over the course of about three weeks. I'm not really sure how that happened... I think I must have just gained more than I was supposed to over the holidays, so it was kind of leveling out!


The other news from that trip was disppointing: our doctor is leaving the practice and moving to Denver! I was bummed to learn that news, which makes life a little more difficult as we try to find a new delivery doc. At the end of the day, though, I don't think it matters... with any luck, we don't expect to see the doctor except to basically catch the baby, so I'm not too worried about it.


I don't think I have talked about our birthing classes, but about 7 weeks ago, Casey and I began taking a Bradley class. I am adamant about wanting to have our first the natural way, and I think the Bradley method is a great way to prepare for that. As it turns out, I have actually really enjoyed the classes! They give us tons of information, but also awesome things for Casey and I to think over in preparation for her arrival. I like Dr. Bradley's philosophy, too; that childbirth, just like getting into this situation to begin with and the rest of our baby's life, is a team sport. There is a great deal of emphasis placed on the role of the husband during childbirth, which I very much appreciate! It is so neat, too, because Casey absolutely loves the class. He does such a good job, and it is an exciting bonding experience for the two of us to have him be as involved as he is.


All that being said, my only fear about changing physicians is that the new doc won't be entirely on board with our birth plan. We've chosen Boulder - the capital of hippie-liberal-tree-hugging philosophy, so I think a little thing like a natural birth should be okay... but it is somewhat nerve-wracking to be this close to our due date without knowing anything about our doctor!

Make way for baby!

Today was a bittersweet day. Okay, it was mostly sweet, especially by the end!

When we first moved into our house, of course we had the discussion about which rooms would serve which purposes. I really wanted to use one of our spare bedrooms as an office, but I wasn't thrilled about any of the office furniture we could find. So one day I proposed something kind of crazy to Casey.

"What would you say if I wanted to build a desk?"

Casey thought for a moment, and I could see the wheels in his head turning. He nodded and agreed, "we could do that."

Before long, I was explaining this random thought in my head, and he was making sketches and design plans. In a few short days, I had a beautiful, custom desk, designed by the two of us, built by Casey and painted by me. It was such an awesome experience to know that, no matter what craziness I had in my head, Casey would - not only not think I was nuts - trust me and help me to make something truly unique.

Okay, so it was a little messy when we took this photo. We were right in the middle of cleaning it out...

Today it was time to remove that beautiful custom desk so that we can move forward with our nursery. Three years ago, almost to the day, Casey installed it for me, and today, he did this:

I was so sad to see it go!

Hard at work in a very dusty room.

Our awesome desk, cut up in pieces and ready for the trash. :(

Yes, it was very difficult and sad to see that desk have to go away. But I am so excited, and I have so many ideas for the room! It will certainly need some work, but it's well on its way. We even ordered our crib this weekend!

We'll be ready when you are, Baby Girl!

Our clean slate...

Week 30

Week 30!

Yes, the countdown has officially begun. It is amazing to me, even as I say it, that we are at week 30. It feels like just yesterday that Casey and I were secretly celebrating the milestone that was 10 weeks, and now - somehow - we only have 10 weeks to go.

It has all gone so fast, I am just in awe. I can't decide if I am thrilled or saddened to be hitting this important marker. I'm definitely thrilled in most ways, and of course I am unbelievably excited to meet her. At the same time, though, there is a little part of me that will (very selfishly) be sad to reach the end of pregnancy. I LOVE being pregnant! I adore the wonderful, special bond I have with my daughter, knowing her in the amazing way that I do.

Having so many wonderful experiences to look forward to helps to temper that little bit of sadness. I absolutely can't wait to see my husband hold our daughter. I hold that image in my heart every day, and I have no doubt that that moment will be one of the most treasured memories of my entire life. I can't wait!

And so, after all this time counting up the weeks, we are finally winding down. Only 10 weeks left, and still so much to do. I am excited, scared, and anxious about all that we still have left to do. Above all, I can't wait to hold that sweet baby in my arms and know that she is safe and healthy.

Confessions

I confess...

...Our DVR is filled with a) Desperate Housewives, b) How I Met Your Mother, c) Teen Mom, d) 18 Kids and Counting. Hmmm...

...I have officially become obnoxious. I love everything pregnancy related, and, if given the opportunity, I would talk about nothing else.

...I still have not managed to get rid of my aversion to chicken. I may never like it again.

...I miss the gym, but I know I won't even try to go until sometime after March.

...I will call Casey from another room rather than bend down to retrieve something.

...I adore crackers and cheese. YUM!

...I am worried and excited - in almost equal parts - about becoming a mommy.

...I am not worried about labor. I hope that doesn't come back to bite me...

...I love to read the same books over and over again. Currently reading: Harry Potter 3 (for like the 10th time!)

...I can still see my feet, but only if I lean over a bit.

Looking forward, looking back

Welcome, welcome 2010! We are ready and excited that you are here, since you are the year we will welcome our daughter into the world!

Casey and I had a wonderful New Year celebrating with our dear friends. 2009 was an absolutely awesome year, with so many things to be grateful for. Here is my top 10 list of favorite moments from 2009:

10. The Columbine 10 year anniversary, which was healing in its own way.

9. Watching the US Olympic curling trials. Seriously, it was fun - and soooo random!!! We'll be watching this February (probably at like 3 in the morning, but that's what DVR is for!). GO TEAM USA!!!

8. Hosting Jessica's bridal shower.


7. Going to Lake Dillon on the 4th of July. Awesome!

6. The Thursday morning gym-and-coffee routine Jessica and I managed to keep up for most of the year. (I don't think we ever once thought to take a picture of this. It probably wouldn't have been pretty anyway! Instead, here's the payoff of our hard work: running the Bolder Boulder)

5. Watching our friends pledge their lives to one another. This was truly the year of weddings. I went to something like 10 weddings this year, and although it was absolutely wonderful, I'm also glad we don't have to do this again for a while. Frankly, that's just too many!!!

4. Jessica's bachelorette party.

3. Valentines day!

2. Breakfast after our wedding at Blue Moose Pizza, where the friends indulged in the perfect hang-over food: pizza and calzones! We also watched as some weirdos tried to create a pully system from one hotel room to another - across the plaza - so that they could pass each other items without having to walk them through the hotel. I laughed so hard that morning!!

1. Without a doubt, finding out the big news was the highlight of our year!

As the perfect way to cap-off a wonderful holiday season, Casey and I also had a date last night to celebrate our 7 year anniversary. I can't believe we've been together for seven years! It is amazing to see how far we both have come, individually and together as a couple. Seven years ago, we were both just shy college students who bumbled into dating. Now, we have a house, a life and careers, a wonderful marriage, and a baby on the way. We've seen each other through quite a lot, and I am always amazed by how lucky we both are.

And, it was especially nice, considering it will probably be one of the very last dates we are able to have, considering we are about to become a family of three!

Welcome, 2010!!!