guess i should start shopping

been trying to post this since yesterday, but since eric is out of town until late this evening - i've been solo this weekend w/the baby... it's gone pretty well considering it's just like any other day - i just don't get a break in the evenings which i do appreciate and miss incredibly... i love my little boy, but sometimes i just need a break from holding him, or changing his diaper, or trying to stop him crying... thankfully, he's taking a nap right now so all is well in the weakland household (for now anyway)... :)

the past week has been busy - deck went to both our offices for a visit... eric's department threw us a baby shower last friday so it was cool seeing him walk around, showing him off (like any proud father should!)... this past friday, i took deck to my office so he could meet everyone - i am SO lucky to have my own office and used it not once, but twice, to nurse... there's been a lot of construction going on so it was cool to see the progress, as well as catch-up on what's been going on, have some lunch, and then head back before rush hour started... considering this was deck's first trip on metro, he did awesome! :)

i went back to the doctor on tuesday to have deck's weight checked again - he is up to 8.11 and right on par for gaining at an average rate (1/2 ounce a day)... he's still on the low-end, but doing fine and all the concerns/questions that i raised were answered... this is basically the hardest stretch because he's not just sleeping and eating anymore - he's more awake, but not old enough to keep himself occupied... i'm finding that we have to hold him more in the evenings because just rocking or the using the pacifier doesn't cut it right now, and everything i've read said there's nothing wrong with comforting him... so that's what i'll keep doing... :)

yesterday, i ran up to my mom's for a while - she hadn't seen deck since thanksgiving so i was glad that she had some grandma time w/him... we were laughing at how deck was trying to find his thumb and trying to talk at the same time - so cute! :)

today has been rather boring though i FINALLY finished our wedding album and placed an order for 2 books (13 months late!)... i also managed to do laundry, wrap one of eric's presents, take out the trash and recycling, and watch some football (steelers won and skins lost)... i spoke to eric as well and he is anxious to come home and i can't wait to see him! :)

since eric is taking off tomorrow, i'd like to go to the mall and get deck's photo taken with santa... i'm HOPING that going during the week will be better than a weekend so wish me luck! :)

happy sunday...

back to the drawing board

friday was not a good day - we went back to the doctor for a weight check and deck had lost 2 ounces since tuesday... i literally cried in the room after the nurse weighed him and felt like a complete failure... and to make matters worse, he hadn't pooped for 2 days either and the doctor said it was because he wasn't getting enough nourishment.... i can't even feed my own baby, how sad is that?!?! i really felt like he had been eating better and i was making more of an effort to watch him while he nursed, but i guess i wasn't... ugh, this is so frustrating! so the doctor said to start back with the formula again and bump it up to 1.5-2.0 ounces for the next few days and we'll have his weight checked again on tuesday morning... i'm terried that he'll gain and once i go back to just nursing - he'll lose again... :(

so we're back to the nursing, pumping, and supplementing schedule - thank god eric is still home and can help me because i'd be lost w/out him... he has been such a great help with feedings and is even getting up during the night to do the formula part (what a trooper!)... deck's latest thing is peeing on him when he's getting fed - have no idea how it's happening but i swear, it's like every time... pretty funny... :)

the weather has been so nice here in maryland - hard to believe thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away... i took deck out in the bjorn earlier and liked it, though i had to make sure and walk slow so i wouldn't lose my balance and fall (since more weight is in the front)... then again, maybe i'm just being paranoid...

i finally put up deck's name/letters and some decals in the nursery today... i've already changed my mind about the one wall (with the dream & family words) and will put up his monthly photos instead... i think that would look nice and it will be cool to see how he changes each month, right before our eyes... :)

well, it's almost time for another feeding, then we're making pizza for dinner, and watching the steelers/patriots game... still hard to believe that around this time, 4 sundays ago, i was in labor and about to give birth to deck... damn time flies! :)

happy sunday...

week/weekend are one in the same

happy weekend, everyone... the weather has finally started to change here in the DC area, and it's rather on the chilly side today... i was out briefly this morning w/deck - had to run something up to my mom's friend's house so he was introduced to a bunch of people (he was sleeping and stayed in his car seat)... i was able to nurse right before we left, so he slept both ways - can't imagine what it will be like when the trip is longer than 2 hours...

eric went to the john stewart "rally for sanity and/or fear" so i was by myself all day... guess this will be good practice for when he goes back to work in a week or so - i know he can't stay home forever, but the mere fact that he's here with me has made all the difference in the world... he can't help with feedings, but has been great with everyone else and knowing i'll have to handle everything, on my own, is terrifying... i get upset just thinking about it... i get upset after my mom leaves too, but i think i'm just over-emotional right now... i haven't had any other bad feelings so i'm hoping they pass soon and if not, then i will talk to my doctor (have my 2-week checkup on monday)...

my mom came over on thursday which was nice - i've been enjoying her visits because it's nice to see her with deck and to get advice, even if i don't agree with everything she says... she is old-fashioned about so many things - covers, tummy sleeping, baths, etc. and doesn't understand why they say not to do this or that, so i have to explain what the pediatrician/books say... she just rolls her eyes... she did some cleaning and laundry, then we got out for a walk since the weather was so nice... i made spaghetti for dinner and then she went home, which like i said above - made me very sad... course i get sad thinking about her not being around when deck is older too, but that's just me... :(

nighttime is still a challenge - he gets rather fussy at night and then doesn't want to settle until midnight or 1:00 am... then we're up between 3:00-4:00 and again around 7:00-8:00, then it's the normal feedings/sleeping during the day... i've been feeling pretty decent during the day and haven't napped, but will do so when i feel the need... i guess i'm doing okay on the 5-6 hours that i've been getting so far...

a friend of mine stopped by for a visit earlier today - she brought homemade sauce, pasta, and a bottle of wine which was very thoughtful! it was nice having company and someone to talk too - deck was awake for a little bit, but then had lunch and went to sleep... she snapped this cute shot of us before leaving and thought i'd share... :)

happy saturday...

last day until january 2011

this could be my final update (who knows at this point):

• current weight: 206.4
• gained so far: 35.6 pounds
• how many weeks: 38

today is my last day in the office... besides random people stopping-by to say goodbye and wish me well, it's been pretty normal... i was able to get my last big project off to the printer AND my boss was able to tell me that i got a 9.9% raise! holy cow! during my review last week, she mentioned that HR was going to do this salary-comparison thing and apparently, it worked to my advantage... i will say some extra thank-you's in my prayers tonight because i feel really truly blessed to have a good job (in this economy), a great boss, and awesome coworkers... :)

in pregnancy news, i felt pretty bad yesterday - lower back pain, tired, and sluggish... i really thought "this could be it" but of course, it wasn't... when i got home - all i wanted to do was take a bath so while eric made quiche for dinner, that's exactly what i did... then we watched some tv, and then i layed down on the bed and watched 'alien' for the 100th time... it had to have been almost 1:00 by the time i fell asleep, but not waking-up during the night helped and i've felt okay today... so far, so good... :)

weekend plans: breakfast at a friend's house tomorrow morning and then i told eric that we should take some things to goodwill... the weather in DC sounds amazing - sunny and in the lower 70s - so i hope to enjoy the sun for a bit, or at least be outside for a while... maybe i'll go for a walk too since they said that can help "move things along"... i haven't exercised in a while and really should because i certainly won't be able too after this guy is born (for a few weeks anyway)...

well, that's all i have for right now... hope you're having a good friday and have a fabulous weekend! :)

hurry up

I AM SO READY TO HAVE THIS BABY!!!

okay, maybe not READY ready, but i'm tired of feeling uncomfortable, and not being able to move around, and getting up to pee during the night, and feeling like a stuffed-pig... enough already... i have my weekly appointment tomorrow so let's hope i've progressed since last week (1.5 cm) - stay tuned... :)

this weekend was really busy for both eric and i... we started off with breakfast at the diner on saturday morning and then i headed to the salon for my day of pampering... i got a bikini wax, haircut, and pedicure, and boy was it nice to just sit and relax for a change... i heard all sorts of baby/kid stories during those few hours so that was pretty fun... i also made my next two appointments including foil-highlights in december so i'm all funked-up before coming back to work... :)

on my way home, i stopped at the mall to have some security tags taken-off my nursing tops i bought last week then went to target to pick-up a few things... i needed to pee and upon doing so, (TMI) found some brown spotting/mucus and high-tailed it home... i knew since it wasn't bright red that i was okay and i hadn't been feeling crampy or back-achy so upon reading, it was probably the passing of my mucus plug... i WAS a bit freaked-out when i got home and told eric, "i'm not ready" and he goes, "yes, we are - stop worrying"... and that i did and proceeded to clean the bathroom, do laundry, organize more stuff in the nursery, and swap our summer/winter bedding... on sunday - i was still pretty motivated and went to the grocery store, made banana bread, did more laundry, and then my mom came down to help iron/hang curtains and do some final organizing in the baby's room... we watched both the steelers and redskins game, and then eric made ham, potatoes, and green beans (from our garden) in the crockpot for dinner... my back was really hurting by the end of the day so i took a hot bath and then sat in the chair with the heating pad for a while... needless to say, i slept like a baby (pardon the pun)... :)

as for work - my last day is friday so only 3 more days to go... i finished a big report this morning and technically - there's nothing else pending or on my plate right now... my boss told me on friday (during my review) that's she's not sure what they'll do without me, and says to call if i get bored... ha, right... i have too many projects on my to-do list and worrying about work doesn't even make it to the top-20... ;)

so that's it for now... hope you're having a good week!

at least the baby will have a place to sleep now

happy monday, especially to those in the DC area and if you're a redskins fan... what a great game last night! i was pretty much pacing back and forth during the last 5 minutes, but what an exciting and awesome game! and i'm also happy to report that the steelers won yesterday, so our household is 1/1 for now... i have made jokes that depending on what team wins each week, that is the outfit the baby will wear on sundays... :)

and speaking of baby - we finally finished putting together the furniture yesterday and overall, i'm pretty happy... there was only one piece that was damaged/cracked, but i was able to contact the company and order a replacement piece... hopefully, it will come sooner rather than later... norman has already slept in the crib and on the dresser by the window, but we have every intention on making it clear that it's no longer his room... the only other big thing we need to do is hang the new mini-blinds and curtain rods, but compared to the furniture - that will be easy... :)

we also found/bought a chair for the living room on saturday - after showing eric the two, oversized chairs i had looked at a few weeks ago, we sat down and discussed who/what the chair was really for... since we use the LR for pretty much everything (den, tv room, family room), he said that he would rather have a recliner so that's what we bought... it's actually pretty nice and it will go well w/my couch and chair... cost-wise - it was only a tad bit more than a chair and ottoman combined, so i think we did pretty good... :)

besides the chair and nursery, i did some quick shopping on saturday night and picked-up the end tables for the LR, but will have to go back for the sofa table since neither my friend or i could lift the box... and of course - the wicker storage bins that i also bought are on sale this week - wonder if they'd let me return them and buy them back... saturday night, we had a friend over and made grilled pizzas again - this time, we each made our own and they were awesome! yesterday, we had chili for the games and tonight - eric's making quiche... it's so nice to be cooking at home again... :)

well, that's all i have for now - hope you have a great day! ;)

less than a month to go

i was in the shower this morning when i realized that i forgot to weight myself before eating breakfast and having coffee.. according to the doctor's scale - i'm up a few, but would rather go by what mine says at home (stay tuned)... my appointment was going well until the doctor came in only to find no paper was coming out of the stress-test machine... the baby/contractions had been really active too, so i was a bit bummed knowing i would have to lay there for longer... i also had a nurse basically yell at me for laying on my back (which the 1st nurse said was fine to do) so i let her stuff a pillow under my right side and when she left, i took it out... i realize it's probably not the best position to be in, but i know he moves more when i'm laying flat and not on my side... when the doctor came back, she said everything looked fine and that they'll need to start looking at a date for my induction... {gulp}

traffic sucked last night and we had to make 2 stops on the way home, so no crib-assembly... i was, however, thrilled that we had a home cooked dinner for once - i made breaded, parmesan chicken, risotto, and beans from the garden... tonight it will be fish tacos! yum! :)

so excited about football tonight and this weekend, AND i'm also looking forward to our first batch of weakland beef chili... weather looks to be on the cool and cloudy side, so what's more perfect than snuggling on the couch and watching tv... :)

not much else to report on - i'm dragging eric with me on saturday to look at oversized chairs and that's all we have on the books for now... i'd like to get the rest of the nursery furniture put together and then maybe help eric organize his office area in the basement... oh, i forgot to mention that he BOUGHT A TREADMILL last week... not sure what inspired him, but it was good deal on woot.com, he said, and knows we have talked about getting one... i think it's great since i'll be home w/the baby and can start working off my pregnancy-gain w/out having to leave the house... yee haa! :)

happy thursday...

at least the cats like it

sorry for the lack of posts - i've actually had 'work' to do here and we were away for the holiday weekend... we had a good visit with my sister and with eric's family in pittsburgh - his sister announced that she, too is expecting, but not until next may... though it's rather early, i guess they couldn't wait to share the good news with everyone esp. since all the siblings were together on sunday... the weather was downright chilly at night (low 50s) and i was loving it - i'm so done with this hot weather! i went for a walk outside yesterday and though it was only for 35-minutes, the heat and sun really did me in... :(

last thursday, we had the hospital tour after work and it was quite interesting... out of around 8 couples, only one was having a girl so i thought that was pretty funny... we were able to see the 3rd floor which is where the 'birthing rooms' are found... there's a bed, a couch/chair, bathroom w/shower, and all the necessary equipment for mommy & baby... the suites are on the 4th floor and again, the rooms are nothing fancy, but they are private at least and contain all the usual things... i can't say that we saw anything that was shocking, but when you're actually there and see nurses and doctors running around - it becomes more real that you're having a baby (surprising, right?)... maybe all expectant parents go thru this, but i found it rather eye-opening... ( o )( o )

in other baby news - i finished painting the stripes last week and after 3 rounds of touch-ups (because i'm a perfectionist), i called it a day... the windows and floors were cleaned on monday when we got back and the rug was delivered yesterday so that was put down last night... and even though i had cleaned the mini-blinds - eric found that one was broken so i'm just going to buy new ones... so now that the room is ready - we can begin assembling the furniture... yay! :)

hope you're having a good week and happy hump day! :)

up to my eyeballs

re: my previous post - i will be getting a glider for the nursery and am looking for an oversized-chair for the living room... since we'll only have a couch & chair - i feel we need one more piece of sitting furniture and loveseats just seem too big... then again - some of the chairs i looked at were almost as wide, so we'll see... i'm all about comfort and support and will make sure that is a priority for sure... :)

re: the nursery - the horizontal stripes were taped-off last night and a coat of each (green & brown) was completed... i already know that i'll have touch-ups to do, but am hoping they are minor and that the white stripe in the middle will need minimal fixing as well... i had a bit of a meltdown while doing the other trim (because of the pressure i put on myself and feeling overwhelmed) so eric stepped-in and finished for me... i'm still getting used too not being able to move around like i used too, so moving around on the floor is hard, if not just plain uncomfortable... i'm going to see if the white trim REALLY needs a 2nd coat tonight and then do the 2nd coat on the stripes... it would be SO great if all the painting was done by tomorrow because then i will have made at least part of my deadline... :)

re: iphone case - got it at the apple store (last year)...

part of the meltdown was a result of just getting back from visiting my friend in allentown - i had driven 3+ hours w/out stopping and then came home to a room that still needed a lot of work... feeling overwhelmed is totally self-imposed and i know that - even eric said, "if the little guy comes tomorrow, we'll be okay" and i know that too... it was just a combo of a lot of things and i just had to let loose...

my short weekend trip was good - this was the first time i had met the twins and they are quite the handful... she gave me 2 boxes of infant clothes, a bag of diapers, and 3 shopping bags full of maternity clothes... since it will be warm for another month or so, i think i'll be able to use most of them and then have minimal shopping to do towards the end... the babies were great, but between 3-hour feedings and changings - it felt like it would never end... she gave me lots of pointers/advice and am so lucky to have friends that are willing to share their own experiences... on saturday night, we had dinner w/another friend and then had some time to just hang-out and relax... my eating wasn't the best - yesterday, she had bought donuts and bagel-twists for her hubby and another guy who was working on the house... i will refrain from telling you how many of each i had, but for dinner last night - it was back to cereal so i think everything evened-out in the end... :)

here are some iphone pics of the boys, they are MUCH cuter in person... :)

happy monday...

ta-da

our weekend was consumed with carpet-cleaning, but i'm happy to say - the rug doctor came thru and our rug looks new again... we had to move everything to one-half of the basement so we could start on that side saturday... on sunday, we moved everything to the other side and tackled that portion next - we were done by 12:45 and back to the store it went! this was after a yummy breakfast at the local diner, of course... the carpet looks better than it did, that's for sure, but you can still tell where the high-traffic areas are... even though it was cheap to rent, we may consider buying our own steam cleaner esp. once the kid gets older and starts crawling around... can't have dirty carpets for that! :)

i was going to go chair shopping w/my mom, but that was put on hold until after the basement was done... no progress on the nursery and i'm trying my best not to get stressed or freaked-out - it's not like he's going to know if it's painted or if all the furniture is together... i just want to enjoy my last month of pre-baby w/out having to worry about stuff that needs to be done (it's just how i'm wired)...

after finishing the basement on sunday, i tackled the bathroom and kitchen, and then we called it day around 1:00... it was nice being able to relax w/the hubby, while watching pre-season football... at one point, i had turned on the cooking channel and tyler was making a basic cheesecake... eric asked me, "do we have all the ingredients for this?" and i said, "yea, why"... and he goes, "cus i want to make you a cheesecake!"... and he did, and it was very yummy... thank you, darlin! i'm going to make you watching the cooking channel with me more often! :)

last night, we had an appt. with an in-home daycare not far from our house - the woman was very nice and it was definitely an "in-home" setting... she doesn't like to have more than 4 children total, and is very into teaching kids the basics - rules, manners, structure, no tv, lots of reading, etc.)... the only downfall would be is that she's not sure if she'll have an opening in january, so we'll keep looking and get back to her...

tonight i'm doing dinner w/some girlfriends that used to work here - should be fun... nothing else planned for the week besides my weekly appt. on thursday where i'll need to get more info on this whole induction thing... i just want to know what ALL my options are...

happy tuesday...

show-off

it's always something, i swear... there was a huge storm that passed-through the DC yesterday - actually 1 in the morning and then 1 more in the evening - and it rained so hard and so fast, that our window wells filled-up and flooded our basement... i was looking out the window and told eric, "wow, it's like a river on the side of our house" and he goes, "maybe i should check downstairs"... not 2 minutes later, i was grabbing every towel i could find as water literally poured down the wall, under both windows... this is the same wall where i had just moved 2 of my bookshelves this past weekend, as well as the wall where my desk/computer live... if we hadn't been home, things could've been much worse so for that - i am very thankful... eric's gotten a lot of the water up via a dry-vac and fans, but the carpet is stained in some places... that will be our project tomorrow - renting a carpet cleaner, which really needed to be done anyway... so much for making progress on the nursery... :(

besides the flood - i also had my OB appt. yesterday - everything went as well as can be expected, but i learned that because i'm on lovenox, i will be induced at 39-weeks... apparently, this is pretty common but i need to do more research and find-out if it's really necessary or if it's more of a safety issue in-case i have to have a c-section... i've read some things online today where many women said they didn't have any problems being induced, or were switched to heparin closer to delivery since that wears-off much quicker... i asked what happens if i go into labor before i'm induced and she said i just wouldn't be able to have an epidural (because i could bleed-out)... either way - we're looking at the weekend of october 11... holy cow, people - that's like 9 WEEKS AWAY!!!

today i had my weekly sonogram and eric tagged-along since it was at a different office and their equipment is much better... we were able to see the baby's face more clearly (kind of freaky, actually) as well as his private-parts, which he shows-off at every chance he can get... the tech also pointed out hair/fuzz on his head which i find funny since both of us are blonde and i was expecting the baby to be bald (or look that way anyway)... measurements were fine and she said i was looking more like 31-weeks and he's almost 4 pounds already... then she added, "babies usually gain 1/2 pound a week" and i hope that's not true or i'm going to have an 8+ baby... holy crap!

weekend plans will be to get the basement back in order and do some shopping for a LR chair... and maybe take a ride with eric (if i can fit my belly on the bike)... oh, and tonight i'll be watching the skins vs. the bills pre-season football game - i cannot WAIT for the season to start... :)

have a great weekend!

2 is better than 1

might as well start-off with a confession - i had TWO donuts today... why? because they were there... i know things even-out in the long run and i've been to the gym twice this week (and will be going today), but still - i am struggling with eating enough of the good stuff... we've been doing green monsters in the morning, but i was feeling crappy, hot, and big last night so eric goes, "lets grab a gyro" on the way home... i didn't argue - the last thing i wanted to do was make dinner... then all i wanted to do was lay on the couch (even though i have a good excuse)... i hate complaining/whining/bitching, but some days are just - hard... :(

i've started contacting in-home daycares and that hasn't been going too well (shocking)... most places are full (MD has a law where you can only have 2 infants in your home under the age of 2) and/or tell me to call back in oct/nov to see if they have an opening... that just makes me uncomfortable... 1 woman wasn't sure if she could wait until january to fill the spot, but seemed very nice so we may go talk to her... and 1 place is literally 3 blocks from our house (in the same neighborhood) so we're going to check-out that place tomorrow night... that would be the most ideal situation because if eric had to go into work early - i could drop-off the baby, come home, and still walk to the metro to get to work... we'll see what happens - i still have about 8 people that i haven't heard from and who knows if i will if they don't have an opening... :(

lets see, what else has been going on... eric and i finally went to see 'inception' on saturday - it was really, really good and we both agreed that we need to see it again... so much going on, but also so very interesting... highly recommend it...

eric also made progress on his office in the basement and moved his desk/computer down there on sunday... there's still much to remove from the soon-to-be-nursery so i'm hoping we make more progress this week/weekend... i'm going to look at furniture tonight and then will make my decision - i like what i've found online, but just want to make sure i'm buying good quality...

i'm pretty sure that i mentioned having my couch & chair redone - the place that i had THOUGHT was going to do it, told me that he still had a job to finish-up, then would be going on vacation, and then still had some other jobs ahead of mine... i spoke w/him back in june and he never told me this, so i was pretty pissed... luckily though - i kept the info from another place that i had contacted and they was more than willing to take the job AND matched the estimate from the other place... we will be dropping everything off on saturday so bye-bye to our LR furniture... we will still have another couch, but i want to get rid of that and buy and oversized chair & ottoman, along with some tables... i'm tired of not having anything that matches (eric thinks otherwise, but he's a guy and could care less) and we need more storage/shelf space... so this has been my project this week - trying to find a nice sofa table and end tables that match... :)

that's about all the updates i have for now... i have my weekly OB check-up tomorrow and then my sonogram on friday... maybe i'll have a better pic to show you since their equipment is much better than my doctor's...

happy hump day...

TGIF

so what do you think of emma watson's new cut? personally i love it, but i am biased since i've had short hair since college... one would have to believe she is thrilled to NOT have the hermione granger hair any longer... ;)

i received my jean-lounge pants yesterday - eric said to me, "you will be forbidden to wear those in public after you have the baby"... they are very comfy and will be perfect for around the house and for when my belly gets bigger... :)

speaking of belly - my weekly appt. went well... the glucose results were perfect, he said, and same for my measurements and weight... i will be starting non-stress tests/monitoring soon so that should be interesting... i also spoke to the doctor about the whole cord blood issue - he basically said that if you can afford it - it's better to have it and not need it... he gave me brochures on two companies so eric and i will be sitting down this weekend and making our decision... research has also been started on daycare which i should've started-on months ago (i know, i know)... i would never think of asking my mom and would feel more comfortable with an in-home environment over a 'center' type of place... out of the 3 places i've contacted so far - 1 doesn't have an opening, 1 has a 12-18 month waiting list, and 1 isn't open past 5:30... okay then... :(

plans for the weekend - we need to start clearing-out eric's office so i can finally begin the nursery... i've spent the last few hours redebating my furniture color since i got the new IKEA catalog yesterday and really like one of their dressers (see pic)... unfortunately - chocolate brown is one of the colors in my bedding so i don't think it would look right with black furniture... guess i should stick with my original plan and just order everything in expresso... /sigh/

we also may try and see 'inception'... i really wanted to see 'predators' but waited too long and it's not showing in our area anymore... oh well... and besides the usual cleaning, grocery shopping, and laundry - sat/sun should be pretty nice... just what i need... :)

hope everyone has a nice weekend! =)

i made it

i'm happy to say that july went-out with a bang - the party was a success, everyone had a good time, and i didn't have a meltdown (amazing!)... eric had to go back into work friday night for a system upgrade, so i took advantage of being home alone and made him a carrot cake (from scratch) as well as got most of the food ready... some of my friends brought dishes as well and we had just enough, thank-god - i hate running-out or having way too much leftover... 2 of his siblings came from pittsburgh, as well as my brother and mom, and the last of the guests left around 11:30... all in all, it was a great time... =)

sunday, was THE most perfect day i've had in months... we did absolute nothing besides watch some movies (kick-ass and hot tub time machine) and i did a few loads of laundry... party clean-up was a breeze since i did most of the kitchen/dining room stuff on saturday night, so we were just left with taking down the tiki decorations, gathering the trash & recycling, and putting away what alcohol was leftover (not much)... i cannot TELL you how nice it was just to lay on the couch and do nothing... not having a project to work-on, or errand to run, or something to clean was priceless! =)

and speaking of kitchen, here are the before/after shots that i promised (still owe you the bathroom ones, sorry)... enjoy! =)

TGIF

happy friday! thought this week would never end, but there's still much to do before tomorrow's party... i spent the better part of last night cleaning the basement and doing laundry... tonight, i'll need to do some grocery shopping and then clean the dining room since that's where the food will be setup... tomorrow - there's much to do in the backyard/patio area, but that will be eric's job and i will be stuck in the house cleaning and making food... a few friends have offered to bring something, so i don't have to worry about EVERYthing, but still - when you host a party, you want to make sure all the bases are covered... and ontop of all this - 2 of eric's siblings are coming from pittsburgh - perhaps i'll give them a job since they're family... either way - i know it will be a good time and the weather is looking fantastic (mid-80s)... yay! =)

yesterday was my 28-week check-up as well as my glucose test - it really wasn't that bad (taste) but the nurse, as usual, had a hard time finding my veins... seems they are "deep and thin", she said - just like my mom... the little guy was really kicking during the sonogram and at one point - he kicked so hard, it made the wand move off my belly and the nurse laughed and laughed... everything looked good, she said, and according to my doc - i'm measuring well and i didn't get yelled at for gaining 3 pounds since the last time... between my scale and their scale - there's a 2-3 difference, so my numbers below are from home... not ideal, but i think i'm doing good... perhaps if i was exercising more, but that's another story... :(

weight-update: 192.6
total pregnancy gain so far: 21.8 pounds
how many weeks along: 28

i've updated my pic in the sidebar and also took one from the front... the women in the cafe downstairs at work couldn't believe i was due in october... one of them is expecting in september and she's huge - guess i'm looking small to them (yay!)... eric, on the otherhand, was shocked when i told him what my weight was - he really has no idea when it comes to stuff like this... ;)

anyway, i hope you all have a nice weekend... :)

thought we were done w/camping

our power has been out since sunday around 4:00 - some major storm came thru during the afternoon and we've been suffering ever since... they say it may have been a tornado, but who knows... there are limbs down everywhere which has caused streets to be closed, traffic lights to stop working, and major power-outtages... we're doing okay, considering - eric managed to find some dry ice yesterday but unless the power comes back today, we may be out of luck... i could care less about the fridge in the kitchen - it's the stuff in our chest freezer that i'd hate to see spoil... stuff like meat from his parent's farm, berries that i've been picking this summer, the top to our wedding cake... still, things could be worse and i'm just thankful that it hasn't been hot like it was on thursday, friday, and saturday - just unbearable... anyway, here is the most recent map i could find - we live in the red area and they have no idea when power will be restored... =(

UPDATE: i called the hotline and they said power could be restored by 11:30 tonight (fingers-crossed)... and thanks for the concern, but it really hasn't been that bad/hot in the house - we've had multiple people offer us to stay their houses, so i think we're okay... plus, we have the kitties to take care of and if they can manage - we can too! =)

so besides all this excitement - our weekend was rather busy with house/kitchen stuff (story of my life, as of late)... i finished painting the trim and we swapped-out all the hinges, handles, and knobs on the cabinets... and thanks to mom - we spent a few hours cleaning/polishing them and boy do they look great! almost brand-new! eric finished grouting the tiles that he fixed and once we do the sealant tonight, that's it... well - i still have SOME work to do (putting things back to where they belong) but overall - the kitchen is done... i also got my haircut (very short, aka Pink) and bought party supplies for this saturday... on sunday, we worked on the front and side flowerbeds and started on the backyard, but didn't make it far since it was too hot... i hate that we let the beds get so overgrown, but there just hasn't been time to keep-up... such is life...

yesterday was eric's 40th bday, but because we went to dinner on sunday and the power was out - we opted to stay home... instead of celebrating - we spent the better part of last night weeding the rest of the flowerbeds in the backyard... tonight, we'll finish what we missed and then tackle the garden which looks horrendous... since we have a covered patio in the backyard, that is where most of the party-activities will be held (hence why we're doing so much yardwork)... we also have a new patio set that has to be put together, maybe that will happen tomorrow or thursday... eric will be doing an upgrage overnight on friday (for work) so i need to get as much done, with his help, as possible before then... i'm not too worried about getting the house ready or decorating because that's what i'm good at... ha, that's what i say now anyway... =)

so that's pretty much what i've been up too... haven't been to the gym in a few days but will try today - work has been crazy and today has been the first day things are normal... hate when that happens...

happy tuesday...

ready for fall & football

thought i should drop-by before the weekend comes & goes... everything is just a blur right now and i'm hoping once this kitchen is done and eric's bday party is over (next saturday), i can start focusing on "me" stuff again... it's been VERY hot and humid here - today over 100 and same for tomorrow, if not hotter... good thing i have a lot of projects to keep me busy... =)

vacation was okay - i can't say it was great or perfect because it was hot and buggy and i was pretty miserable... i never used to mind the heat but since becoming pregnant, this summer has been hard... we usually go camping later in the year so even if it's warm during the day, it will cool-off at night - not the case this time around... trying to sleep in the back of a truck, with no breeze, is just not my idea of fun (and neither was getting up to pee!)... i finally reached my limit on monday and had a meltdown on the beach... we were huddled under the umbrella and it was so hot, that i felt like i was suffocating... and because the bugs were bad, i was wrapped-up and that just made things worse... i knew there was nothing eric or i could do, but i just had it and cried for a good 10-minutes... thankfully, it was a bit better on tuesday but since we had to pack-up and leave around 2:00 - i dealt w/the bugs one more time... it was bittersweet leaving since it was the last time it would be just us... next time, the rugrat will be with us and i can't wait to start making new memories as a family... =)

pregnancy update: i've been feeling bigger, that's for sure, and my ankles started swelling yesterday (or maybe i just haven't been noticing)... i'm sure it's the heat, but i've been trying to drink more water which is still such an issue for me (i know, i know)... the little guy has been moving a lot and it's not just at night anymore - there are plenty of times when i'm sitting here and all of a sudden i'll just feel "something" move down there... i've also been getting side-cramps when i walk - again, i'm guessing this is normal?

kitchen update: we found more loose tile/grout this week so eric replaced 3 of them yesterday (i told him IF have to redo the whole floor, i want wood next time)... the new granite counters were put in on wednesday and they look awesome - i couldn't be happier (finally, something that went right!)... last night, i finished the painting the walls and just need to do the window trim... slowly but surly, it's beginning to look like a new kitchen - shelves, pictures, etc. will go back up next week and then it will be done! yay! =)

can't think of much else... we have a busy morning tomorrow and then i'm off to get my haircut and buy party supplies... since it's going to be so hot - i want to get everything done early and then stay inside for the rest of the day... we MAY venture out and catch "predators" but that all depends on how much we get done - an early evening break may be just what we need...

hope you have a great weekend... =)

TGIF

a lot of progress was made on the kitchen floor yesterday, but there's still much to be done - grout, sealant, and trim all the way around... we thought that we had a home depot-free night, but that wasn't the case... the grout we ordered with the tile, wasn't enough, and it would've cost a fortune to get another container... so off to HD we went, which meant picking a new color - who would've though that there were 30 colors of grout? i stuck with something neutral (not white and not black) and think it will look pretty good... the cats have been exploring and laying on the floor - my guess is the tile is nice and cool... anyway, to be continued... =)

i promise to post pics of the bathroom (i didn't have any good "pre" shots on my iphone)...

as for this weekend, we have much to do and since we leave for the beach on thursday - we have to go thru all our camping gear and see what we need to still get... i got the bathroom mirror yesterday so hopefully we can put that up and once the doors are painted, i will consider that project done! the kitchen floor should be done by sunday (hopefully) and that will have to be cleaned and put back together before we leave as well (appliances must be in-place for the new countertop which will be installed on the 21st)... then the kitchen will have to be painted... and then we'll be done with project #2... *whew* =)

i have a to-do list that's about a mile long, but will spare you from the details... tonight is "date-night" and we'll be going to maggianno's which is this great restaurant in chevy chase (italian) and come hell or high water - no house stuff will be involved... i'd also like to go see 'predators' at some point, but we'll see where that falls on the list... oh - i have to paint the baker's rack for the kitchen too... so much for my list not getting any shorter... =(

have a great weekend, everyone...

i need a nap

i want my 3-day weekend back WITHOUT working the whole time... man, i am tired and there's no end in sight until we leave for the beach next thursday... and yes, it was my idea to get all this "house" stuff done before eric's 40th bday AND before the baby, but jesus - this is exhausting... i told eric that my goal is to have nothing to do in september besides plan for the new edition (though i'm sure things will come up)... =)

i will try and keep things short and sweet, since you're all probably sick of hearing about the damn bathroom (me too)... on friday night - i discovered a crack in the brand new sink and had another meltdown... i am pretty sure that i would've noticed it after they installed it, but i can't be 100% sure... eric, being the wonderful hubby that he is, ran next door to talk to the guy that does kitchen/bathrooms and asked if would help us swap out sinks, if we got another one on saturday... the guy said, "sure" and by saturday afternoon - things were back to normal and the bad sink was returned to home depot...

on saturday morning - we went to pick-out our granite slab which was fun... i had gotten 3 prices for black and ended up liking the one in person, that i had liked online (shocking)... i brought one of our cabinet doors to make sure and the tiny specs of brown will look nice... after that - we looked at their tile and got some prices before heading to another place where i found something i loved even more AND it was cheaper! the guy let us bring home the sample tile and when i layed it on our existing floor - i knew it was the right choice (see pic below)... the paint color i had also chosen will pull everything together nicely - so excited! =)

on sunday - we were super busy as well... i had told eric that we should paint the front/back screen doors since the house was painted... that was a chore, but i'm glad we did because now everything looks brand-new! i also cleaned the bathroom from the ceiling to floor and we were finally able to enjoy it that night - incredible! if anyone is looking for a new shower head, i can recommend a great one! for dinner - we tried grilled pizza (thanks to alton brown) and then watched the DC fireworks, on tv, in bed... =)

yesterday was probably busier than sat/sun... we put up the screen doors and then my job was to finish cleaning the house which meant wiping down everything and anything close to the bathroom... i also vacuumed all the furniture and cleaned the hardwood floors - it's so nice to be dust-free again! i also started tackling the kitchen since the guy will start this week, and that involves removing everything that's on the floor - fridge, stove, baker's rack, table, and chairs... just saying that makes me even more tired... in between all the house stuff - eric has been trying to finish putting the harley back together and last night he finished the bags so we took it out and had some dinner... after we got back, i said, "it was too hot, i was very uncomfortable in the seat, and am more paranoid than i used to be"... not sure how much longer i could fit anyway so i told him that any time he wants to go out, please do - no need to ask me... =)

the last pic is of a mocha frappe that i made yesterday... we are addicted to the ones from mcdonald's so i made my own and they came out really good (and were way-less fattening too!)...

happy tuesday...

ready for the weekend

it's friday and i'm staring at a 3-day weekend - what could be better? oh yea, maybe having our bathroom finished would be nice (hopefully that will be today)... it's been a long and agrivating week - first it's one thing, then it's something else... last night, the guy was installing the tub/shower door wrong so eric got pretty upset... then as they were doing it - i thought to myself, "wow, that looks shorter than our other one"... and it is by 3 inches... but we'll live with it for now, though i'm not sure how long is long since it will bother me... also, our old mirror is a tad too large to fit over the sink and next to the cabinet, so that's my next purchase though finding something other than a standard size is going to be challenging... i may just need to go to a hardware store, have them cut a mirror, and then buy a frame-kit (totally doable)... besides painting the rest of the trim, hanging the towel racks, and sealing the grout - i think that's it (for him anyway)... i will need to find a new window valance and possibly a new rug since the one we were using is on the small-side... just another excuse for me to go to homegoods and tjmaxx tonight... yay! =)

weight-update: i'm back down to 185.8 (down a pound from last week)... lets just hope i can keep things steady until my next OB appointment which is on wednesday... this whole "2-pounds a month" thing is really haunting me...

total pregnancy gain so far: 15 pounds

how many weeks along: 24

the weather in DC has been incredible this week - low 60s at night and low 80s during the day... i may just need to go for a walk outside again today... and spin class will be tomorrow morning at 8:00... =)

weekend plans: pick-out our granite, have our existing counters measured, find tile for the kitchen, decide on a paint color, find a bathroom mirror, paint some spots on the DR wall that eric fixed, clean, laundry, grocery shop, and hopefully - go for a ride on the harley... eric just about has it put back together and it's looking pretty spiffy... the tins are all painted and the chrome has been polished - can't wait... =)

hope you guys have a wonderful and safe 4th of july...