Caribbean Cruise-3rd Anniversary Trip

Cruise was so much fun! I didn't do real well with the ship, rocking back and forth, but I made it through and would totally do it again! It was great to get away and just be with Shaun. We stopped in Key West, Fl on the first day and just walked around and shopped a little. I got my first coach purse purchase at an outlet store. A small wristlet, but that is what I like to use anyhow. I love it! We got some cool hats to keep the sun off when we get to Cozumel!

That night was our anniversary and coincidently formal night on the ship. We dressed up, had a nice dinner and a show. It was a wonderful way to spend our 3rd anniversary. Shaun had surprised me with a rose in our room! He is so sweet!

Next day we had fun in Cozumel, Mexico. We did a sail, snorkel, beach excursion. It was a ton of fun. I had never snorkeled before so it was new to me. First in the water I couldn't breathe, but I was able to acclimate pretty quickly and had some fun. Apparently there was a big hurricane several years back that was centered right over the area and the reef was bleached. No fancy colors, but still super cool!

Then we sailed for about 20 minutes to a private beach. It was so hot and we are not really beach people. We played in the water some and layed on the beach for a while, but it wasn't long before we had to escape to the shade. This momma sure can't handle the sun for long. Plus I didn't want to get dehydrated!

The next day was an at sea day, so Shaun and I took it easy. He got a chance to go behind the scenes and take a tour of the ship. It was only open to 16 people total, so he really wanted to do it. He is a total geek and loved every second of it. His words not mine. I love my total geek! I rested while he was gone, and then in the evening watched another show. The next morning we were back at Miami, and headed home to see my baby! I sure missed him so much. I think he missed us too, but just can't quite say it yet. "Bapa" (what he calls Grandpa) said he was asking for us all day.

Cruise Day

Cruise Day has arrived. We leave early Monday morning to Miami, to board our first ever Carnival Caribbean Cruise. We will be leaving Oliver, which I am very sad about, but I know we will have fun. I will post pics and stories when I return! Have a great week all!!

Kathleen

Cruise Countdown

T Minus 6 days and counting...

We are taking an anniversary cruise to the Caribbean. Just two stops (Key West and Cozumel) but 4 nights. I am super excited, but a little bummed cuz we aren't taking Oliver. Grandpa ("Bapa" as Oliver calls him) is coming to watch him. I know he is in good hands, but I am gonna miss my super dude!!

Neither of us has taken a cruise before so we a really looking forward to it. We are cruising Carnival Imagination. I understand it is an older ship, but we have nothing to compare it to, so we were cool with that.

Leave Miami on Monday and return Friday. Only one more day at work for me, Saturday, then we are off!!

Official U/S

Hi All,

We had our official 20 week anatomy scan on Tuesday. I am pleased to announce our little girl is still all GIRL!!

We couldn't be happier. She is 11oz and measuring right along with the due date of Aug 30th. All finger, toes, etc. checked out. She is perfect and we can't wait to meet her.

Oliver seems to get it more and more each day, but he is only 21 months, so I know that he doesn't get it fully. (Of course!). He does point to my belly and say baby...of course he still sometimes points to his belly or my chest too, but mostly my belly.

He is getting so big and so smart. He knows most all his body parts and his vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds daily. He can say so many things and points to things and knows what they are. Some things I didn't even know he knew. He saw an owl in a book the other day and knew what it was. Weird, an owl of all things. I am so proud of him.

I am humbled

I am pleasantly surprised by the fact that I still have readers. Thank you! I will try to keep posting, but I am bad at it.

I have my 20 week anatomy scan on Apr 12th and am scared to death they are going to tell me that my little girl is now a boy. I know the lady that did my scan was 100% sure and I could even tell it was a girl, but I still have this gut feeling that my dream isn't going to come true.

We have fallen in love with our little girl. we have named her (although I am not announcing it on the internet, just in case we decide to change it-I doubt it though since I have already ordered 2 personalized items with her name on it). I will be devastated because although I will love another boy, I have gotten used to the idea that my little miracle is a girl. I will keep you all updated in two weeks on that note.

On another note, I am in New Orleans (pronounce N'awlans) this week. Shaun had a medical conference and since I needed to be off work anyway, I thought I would tag along. It is a great little city. I just wish my belly thought so too. Two meals, and twice my belly has not agreed with it. I am hoping it will pass since the food is good. Shaun pretty much gets after 5pm off, so Oliver and I do a few things then we all go out in the evening. The weather is great. High 70's, low 80's and a slight breeze. A little humidity, but not much compared to what I am used to. Makes me more excited to go on our cruise in a month. Caribbean weather will be warmer and ready for beach and swimming. I brought my suit, but they have an outdoor pool. Mom never let us swim unless it was 80 degrees or warmer and now, I understand. 80 really isn't that warm...when you talk about swimming in the pool. I might take Oliver down to the pool anyway, just to see if it is warm water.

Sorry, rambling. Next up...trip home. I have been dying to go home. I haven't been home since Sept, and I miss my family and friends terribly. When I was home in Sept, I didn't really reach out to my friends 9except my best friend, Suzy) because I had just gone through a miscarriage, and I guess I just didn't feel up to it. I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back I am guessing that is why. Needless to say, I need my friends. I am hoping to go home before Baby M#2 arrives, but I just am not sure when I will be able to make the trip. It is super expendy and living in Maryland sucks the life and money out of you! I so cannot wait to be done.

That is all for now!

Baby Mierzwa #2 on the way...

Hello All,

I am not even sure that I still have readers. That is fine. I just want to put this somewhere, so that I can get it out. We have had quite a crazy year of getting pregnant, then losing it. In May I got pregnant, but then about a week later found out it was gone. It was hard, but I realized it was so early that I am sure that my body was taking care of things. We moved on. In July, we found out we were pregnant again and elated the kids would be about 21 months apart...my ideal. Well, we went for our 8 week ultrasound only to find the baby never grew, it was just a sac. So I needed to have a D&C, that was Aug 30th. It took me a few months to heal-both emotionally and physically. My body needed time to heal and get ready, cuz in December we found out we are expecting, yet again. This time, I am reluctant to be happy. At least until I know there is a heartbeat. Well, in January we got our wish and we had a heartbeat. Now, I am excited. Wishing, wondering, hoping. Well I am now 16 and a half weeks along and baby is perfectly healthy so far with a strong heartbeat. I even bought a Doppler so I can listen to the heartbeat anytime that I want. And I do, probably 3-4 times per week. It is so calming and reassuring that I have a little miracle growing inside of me.

On St. Patrick's Day we decided to schedule an extra 3d/4d ultrasound and found out we are expecting our first daughter. She asked if I could tell what it was before she told us. I was hoping for a girl, but preparing myself for another boy. I said "boy?", she said, nope it's a little girl. I was shocked. "Really?, you said girl? I am having a girl?". I can't believe it. We wanted a girl so bad, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I still have a small percent of me thinking that when I go in for our 20 week anatomy scan, that they will tell me my girl is now a boy and my dream will be crushed. But she said she hasn't been wrong in years and she checked multiple times throughout the ultrasound and at different angles, and she was 100% sure it was all girl!

We have thought about some names and have a few top runners. But, just like with Oliver, we will have a few picked out and constantly change 1 or 2 here and there, but eventually one will stand out and it will be for sure the name. Oliver and his little sister will be about 25 months apart and will be sharing a room. We only have 1 and a half more years left in MD, so we are just gonna stick it out in this 2bdr condo until we move.

Oliver is of course too young to understand, but we talk about his little sister all the time. I am hoping by the time she comes (due Aug 3o, 2011 by the way) he will get it, sort of.

So that is my great news that I just had to share.

Other than that...Shaun and I are doing great. Celebrating 3 year anniversary in May and taking a short 4 day Caribbean Cruise. Shaun is almost done with school and the ARMY. When he is done we are moving back to WA and never looking back. We, especially me, HATE Maryland and can't wait to get out.

Oliver is great too. He is 20 months and growing like a weed. He is so smart and learns things that I have no clue where they came from. He is 3 feet tall and only 28lbs, but just keeps growing. I bet he will be 6'4" by the time he stops growing. Wow! I can't believe my baby is almost 2 years old. Time sure flies by!

To Grandmother's house we go....

Oliver gets to take his first plane ride. We are headed home to WA on Saturday morning. I cannot wait to be home. I haven't been home since April for my baby shower. Way to long. Of course after this trip, I think my next will be in September for my nephew's 5th birthday. I wish I could go home more often. But with the little one, and more to come some day, I just can't travel across the country that easily anymore.

I am hoping for an uneventful flight, but I am just not sure what to expect completely. I hope Oliver does ok. He is normally a pretty content boy, but 10 hours in airports might make a baby a little cranky. I know it makes a mommy cranky. Well, it made me cranky before I was a mommy, so I am sure it will make me more cranky!

On another note. Oliver is already outgrowing his car seat (Max 22 lbs, 29 inches-he is passing the inch mark rapidly), so we had to go searching for a convertible car seat. It holds up to 65lbs and is able to be rear-facing up to 35. But, because the current car seat barely fit in my car without the front passenger kissing the dashboard, we needed to get a new vehicle. So, I have entered the ranks of mini-van mom. We traded in my Mazda3 for a Chrysler Town & Country. It is fully loaded, but used. We just could not afford nor justify spending $30k on a new one. I totally love it. Everyone we talked to who has a van swear by them. Of course I am not 22 anymore (shush, don't tell anyone), I am not so concerned with how it makes me look. I was searching for comfort, room, and ease of use. When we have more kids, we will need it anyway.

It is a burnt orange color, almost red-orange. It has leather seats with seat warmers. DVD system. Navigation system (which isn't really that cool, but it might get me home in a pinch if I am lost), and CD changer. Stow'n'go seats which are really cool if we want to transport large items, we can fold down all the seats-even the third row. Flat. So Nice!!

Oliver is growing lots as I mentioned above. He got a jumperoo for Christmas from his Grandpa, and he loves it. I also love it, because it is making his legs stronger and he is getting used to putting weight on them. That will help with walking and standing soon. He is almost 6 months old at the end of January and he is just such a big boy. His hair is almost all grown in and is just so cute. Still looks a lot like his daddy, but I am shining through a little. At least I like to think so!

I will post a few pics for your viewing pleasure!!

Olivers first cereal. He loved it and has been doing great with it since. We started at 5 months.

Aunt Deanna was able to come visit for Christmas. This is Oliver all dressed up in his church outfit.



I wanna open this one...Oliver's first Christmas was great. He sure made it more fun for us!




Christmas 2009 Family pictures. Santa was great!





Thanksgiving 2009 with Daddy!

Next up....My birthday! Yay!!

2000: A Decade in Review

After reading Brooke's post about a decade in review, I want to review my decade too. So here goes...

2000: I was working at McDonald's during this time. Quit in March. Went to a Certified Nursing Assistant Class and so my nursing career began. My first job as a CNA was in a nursing home, which quickly was replaced by Kennewick General. In Fall, I took a class to become an EMT.

2001: Left KGH, moved to Spokane. This only lasted 3 months and I was back home. I worked for my Dad as an electrician until late June when I got mono. I am still not sure how I got it, but I did. I spent the next 7 weeks in bed, literally. Then in Sept, started back at KGH as a CNA. I had been there for one week and I remember hearing the news of 9/11 on the patients tv's. I was working nights. I called my mom at 7am and told her, she thought I was kidding. I wasn't.

Also finished my AA degree this year.

2002: I was still going to school, taking pre-requisite classes for nursing. I also joined the fire department and became a volunteer fire-fighter. I loved it. This is the year I started running. I ran my first 26.2 mile marathon in October. It was in Victoria Canada. Very pretty.

2003: Accepted into the nursing program and started in the Fall. Still working at KGH as a CNA, but once nursing school started, switched to working as secretary for better hours. Also started picking up hours in the ER.

2004: 2nd 26.2 mile marathon in the spring. Whidbey Island. Very hilly, but beautiful. Nursing school very demanding and time consuming. Not much time for anything else. Still volunteering at the fire dept when I can!
I moved out of my parents house in March and moved in with a friend from work. Also got my doggie Charlie. He was a mini-dachshund. So adorable!

2005: What a great year. Graduated nursing school. Moved to Portland, Oregon. Welcomed my first nephew Grason into this world. What a cutie patootie!! I started work as an RN in a community hospital in Hillsboro, OR in the Critical care unit. Tried to continue on for my Bachelor's, taking online classes, but that proved to be too difficult. Trying to learn an advanced skill in a new field and try taking online classes didn't mix. I figure I will try again later.
Meanwhile, Shaun joins US ARMY after being a high school science teacher for last few years.

2006: I start learning photography. Continued nursing in Portland. Ran my 3rd 26.2 mile marathon, this time in Portland, OR. Best route out of the 3, in my opinion. I guess not a lot happened this year. Welcomed 1st niece, Kaitlyn.
Shaun was in Washington DC at Walter Reed for most of this year, and transferred to Fort Detrick in Frederick, MD in December.

2007: This year my (our) life changed forever. I will have to break this year down by the month.
January: Decide to break my lease, quit my job, and try my hand at travel nursing. I wanted to go so many places I didn't care where I started. My first job ended up being Hagerstown, MD.
February: Arrive 6th. Join match.com 8th. Get first email from husband 14th.
March: Meet in person 3rd. Spend 14 hours together for our first date exploring Baltimore/Hagerstown area and all it has to offer. Fly to NYC for the very first time ever. Explore NYC by myself for 3 days (LOVED IT). Go to NC with Shaun and meet his friends. Shaun moves in by St. Patrick's Day
April: Work, dates with Shaun
May: Fly to WA with Shaun to meet the family. Drive my car back across the country.
June: work, dates with Shaun
July: Engaged to Shaun, 2nd Nephew Beckett joined us.
Aug: Fly home, pick out dress. Move from Hagerstown to Columbia, MD. Take new nursing assignment.
Sept-Nov: work
Dec: Buy a condo. Get a puppy. Get new job in ER at Howard Cty Hosp.

2008: Got married in May, Honeymooned in the Poconos. The puppy we got in December turned out to not be a good fit for our family and she went on to live in a new home. Loving my job in the ER, except working nights at this time. Found out in Nov, we were expecting our first child! Switched from nights to days in December. Shaun turned 30. 3rd Nephew Kyler was born just 6 days after our wedding.

2009: I turned 30 in January. Shaun and my family threw a big surprise party. I loved it. Flew home again in April for Baby Shower. Oliver is born in July after weeks of mall walking trying to get him to come earlier. He is growing so big and learning so much! He loved Christmas and I am sure will love it more next year.

2010: I hope this year brings some great things. We hope to expand our family at some point this year. When we do, that will bring more things to look forward to, including selling the condo and moving to Fort Detrick. Don't wanna buy in MD again, since in 2012, we look forward to moving back the Tri-Cities to be closer to my family.

Hope you all Have a Happy New year. A few resolutions for me: continue on my weight-loss journey. I have lost all baby weight and even down a few more lbs. I hope to be down another 40-50 before Oliver's first birthday. I also want to start exercising more regularly. We have a gym membership, so I really just need to go. Last, I want to try harder keeping up on my blog. I am not sure if I have any readers left, but I will keep writing and maybe someone will peek in and take a look!

Hands

I think Oliver is discovering his hands. At first I noticed him staring at closed fists. Thought it was a fluke, he is only two months old after all. But over the next several days, he has been doing it increasingly more and more and also finds it necessary to try to put them into his mouth. It is so cute. We tried to get it on camera, but of course, the second film starts running, he stops! Classic. We will keep trying and will post it online if we get it.
Other than that, Monday is his two month appt. So excited to see what kind of weight/height gain we will see. He is getting so big. Still very long and skinny, but I can tell he is getting bigger!
He is also "talking" lots. Still very calm and content. Only cries when he is hungry.
I am doing great. Haven't started exercising like I wanted to, but will keep trying. I have to resume working on Monday as well. Not looking forward to it, but it might be nice to get back to some socializing.

On another note. I have been learning lots at my avon business. Trying hard to make it a great opportunity for extra income. Please do not hesitate to check out my website if you would like to order anything. I can also mail you a catalog if you would like. Just send me a comment!

AVON

I have become an Independent AVON sales representative. If you wanna order anything or would like a catalog, let me know. I will be glad to mail you one!

Also you can visit my website and order there. For free shipping use code FIRSTREP.

www.youravon.com/kmierzwa

Thanks!

6 weeks and counting

So Oliver is almost 7 weeks old now. I have to go back to work in a couple weeks. Not sure how I am gonna like being away from my boy for 12 LONG hours, but I guess I have to do it. I wish I could stay home all day everyday. Maybe once we have another child, then I will be able to stay home. Once you have 2 or 3 kids, it is cheaper to not work then it is to put all three in day care.

Luckily, Shaun gets to stay home and do school work this semester, so we don't have to think about day care for a few more months! He has to go back to work full time in December!

We are planning on coming home to the TC in January. So, be on the lookout for us, if you wanna come visit!

We just got a new computer, and haven't transferred all the data yet...I will post a few pics, and will try to get a video up soon. I don't know how to do the video stuff, Shaun does all that!

Wow how time flies. Oliver was born over 5 weeks ago. I cannot believe time has moved so fast. He is doing great. Growing and getting strong. He has been sleeping through the night since week 2. Anywhere from 6-8 hours straight, then another 3-4 hours after a feeding. His neck is getting stronger daily. His last appt he was 10lbs, 10oz, and 22 1/4 inches long- both in the 75th percentile. He is just so long and skinny.
He is very alert during the day and very content. He really only cries to tell us he is hungry! Here are a few of the things we have been up to...


Shaun's Dad came to visit. This pic is great, all three look exactly the same.



This pic is right before my mom left. She came, but had to extend her trip a few days longer because Oliver took his sweet time arriving. It was great to have you here mom, we love and miss you very much! She made yummy home cooked food for us everyday she was here...we really miss her!!



Suzy came to visit for two weeks. It was great to finally spend some quality time together. Living across the country, it is so hard to get good time in during short visits.
We went to DC for the day and also to Inner Harbor. I wish I could have showed her more places, but too difficult with a newborn.
I do try to get out daily though. Even if only to the store or for a short walk. It has been great! Oliver learned to love his car seat from day 2 on.



This is our family pic in DC!

My friend, Ruth, wanted to come over for a photo shoot. We tried to go to Picture People when he was 8 days old, but none of the pictures were worth paying $18/sheet. So, when Ruth came over, I pulled out and dusted off my trusty D70 and had a photo shoot of my own too. It was great to get behind the camera again. I miss it, and need to get back into doing it more.

My brother also came to visit. It was actually a surprise for me. What a surprise it was. I had no clue until he was on the plane and almost here. He was able to stay for a few days and join us on the DC trip and the Inner Harbor trip. We had lots of fun! Thanks for coming Matt!

Shaun's sister Deanna came for 4 days too. She was here middle of August. She got to meet her first nephew and spend some time. She lives down in Alabama, and will be moving to Oklahoma in December, so she won't get to see him much!

I am surprised I had no photos of my brother or Shaun's sister with Oliver, but I think all were taken on their own camera's.

I have to head back to work at the end of September. Not looking forward to it, but I am sure I will survive. We won't have to think about daycare until December, but we are considering a nanny until he is 1 yr old. It just isn't worth it to pay for all week infant care in daycare when we only need 7 hrs a day for 2 days a week. Plus, one-on-one care when he is still an infant I think is best!

Shaun's Dad will be coming back to visit in mid-September for a week or so. Looking forward to having grandpa here again!

I was able to finally use a Christmas 2007 gift card for spa day. I had a great massage, pedicure, and hair cut/style. It was my practice away from Oliver. He had to take a bottle for the first time ever and did great. I think he missed me, but I was only gone for 5 hours, and he loves spending time with his daddy!

He also loves sitting in his bouncy chair and watch us in the kitchen. He is content just sitting there, as long as he is in the same room as we are. So cute!!

Oliver Quinn Mierzwa

Hello All.
Oliver Quinn Mierzwa has arrived. He joined this world at 3:45 am on July 23, 2009. It was quite a long road through that birth canal (I pushed for almost 3 hours), but he made it. Safe and sound. He was 9lbs 3.6oz. 22 inches long. Full head of hair and looks just like daddy. If I didn't carry him for 9 months and push him out, I would swear he wasn't mine. He is a great baby and we are loving every minute of him.
We are still at the hospital until Saturday morning. Jen was not able to stay long enough. She had to leave when I went into the hospital to get induced. I was 41 weeks and so ready for him to be out. He must have had the same idea, beacause I started contractions once I got there. Mom decided to extend her stay. Otherwise she would have had to leave before we left the hospital. She gets to stay until Tuesday. So good for us all. We really need an extra hand, and of course, I need that extra hand to be my mommy! I am sure it will be really hard to say goodbye. She is already planning a trip to come visit with Papa in Sept or October.
Well, here are a few pics...


Daddy's favorite picture. Our precious little boy.

Nana with Oliver

Daddy and Oliver

Mommy and Oliver

Perfect Feet and 10 little toes


Cuddle time after eating

First family photo-"The Mierzwa's"

My friend Marina, "Aunt Rina"

Still Nothing...

Mom arrives Monday night. Hoping to go into labor that night and have him July 14th. That is my ideal situation. I am tired of being pregnant. I was supposed to work through July 11, but Friday night I left early at 7pm instead of 11 and called myself off for Saturday night. It was getting really hard to work. Pelvic pressure everytime I stood and a very slow pace does not equal good ER nurse. I was miserable and I didn't really feel like I was helping being there. Although I didn't make it to my last day, I still feel I did pretty damn good. I worked for the entire 9 months, and only called out 1 time during my pregnancy. Also, did 12 hour shifts until month 8.
Here is our last pic of me being pregnant. I am pretty sure he has dropped and we are just waiting for labor to begin!

Cooked....almost burnt

I am so done! This pregnancy is getting really hard now. I haven't made too many complaints, until today. Can't lay flat anymore...stomach decides it wants to be in my throat. Can't find a comfortable position to sleep in, even if I can lay flat for a few hours without said heartburn. My pelvis hurts. It hurts to sit on my butt in my wonderful new rocker! Grrr.
My feet are all swollen (BP is fine though). Worse on evenings that I work.
I know this is all par for the course and everyone tells me "its almost over" and "we all go through it", but it doesn't help! I want it to be over NOW! He has decided that it is all cozy in there, and I swear he will never come out.
Shaun has to put my socks on because I can't lean over anymore. Before I could do it with lots of shortness of breath, but now, just can't get there.
I am so exhausted but I sleep almost all day most days...it just isn't "good" sleep.
Come out come out wherever you are!!!

No Labor

No Labor yet. We are almost full term (tomorrow), so he can come anyday as far as I am concerned. Of course, being our first, he may just wait until due date or thereafter to come. I am hoping not, so he isnt too big!

Didn't get a 35 or 36 week pic, so I guess I will just have to post a final, right before we leave for the hospital pic. Don't know when that will happen! :)

35 weeks

4 and half weeks and counting. I will get my 35 week pic posted...after I take it. Doing great though. Feel tired, and don't get good sleep anymore, but feeling pretty good. I am still working, plan to up until I go into labor or July 11 (Sat before I am due), whichever comes first.
We have decided on a name, but will wait to announce it here until after the birth. Only our close family and friends have been given the name.
I am having some contractions here and there, but only Braxton Hicks. I know, because they don't hurt, have no regularity and they go away. For the last few weeks I have been having maybe 3-5 a day, now I am having them more often, but still not real contractions.
My next appt is Wed, when they will check to see if I have started dilating. I then go in every week after that. I will try to keep things updated.
We think we are ready. We have prepared and gotten everything ready that we can think of. Car seats in the car and everything. Just need to pack my bags in the next week or two so they are ready to go when baby is!
Birthing classes are going great. Learning some good techniques. My plan is to have a natural (non-medicated) labor as long as I can handle it. I am willing to accept an epidural if it comes down to it.
We took a tour of the birthing suite last Wed. Looks like a nice place. My mother is coming a few days before I am due, so if he comes on time, then she will be here to help me labor along with my loving and amazing husband, Shaun.
T-minus 4 weeks and 3 days and counting!!

Pics of the Nursery, so far!

A little dark, but I had to close the shades to take the picture or it would be too washed out. This is the view from outside the door. The rocking chair will replace the fouton when we get it. In the meantime, at least I have a place to sit when I am in there!

I tried to get the whole room, but the room is too small, and I couldn't back out far enough for the angle on the camera. Oh well. You get the point. Changing table in the corner, only needs to have the door on it, but I gave Shaun a break and said he could finish that when he gets a chance to. At least I have a workable table. Can't wait to put baby on it!

Of course our crib. We know not to have the comforter in there, but I like the decoration for now. We will use the bumper in the crib until baby can pull himself up or move around more freely.

Close-up of the Changing table. He did such a great job. He is so handy.

This is a close-up of the dresser that he made. We had bought some baskets and decided they would be good for a dresser, so he designed a great dresser around that idea. It was either too short or too skinny with just the baskets, so he added a couple drawers. Really makes it complete. We even have little monkey drawer pulls!

Well there you have it. That is our nursery. Ready for baby. Due in 6 weeks now, and counting! Can't wait to have people come see the place in person. Trying to get the rest of the house together too.

Shaun's Dad was here this weekend, and decided to get us the jogging stroller we wanted and the highchair we wanted. Wow, he is so generous. We knew he wanted to get us something, just didn't know it would be both things! The highchair matches our dining room perfectly. Couldn't have asked tried to make it match better. Like it was meant for our place.

Jogging stroller is great too. Can't wait to get out running with him. Of course, he needs to be a bit older (and born first) to be able to hold his head up and maybe sit up. It does lay down for comfort, but don't want a poor newborn bouncing around in a jogger too early. Shaun would take him out on day 2 if it said it was for newborns. Thank goodness it is rated for 6 months+. Hehehe.

Of course, that will be a nice incentive to get me out more and get moving more. I have really been longing to start running and train for another marathon. I probably want to because I can't (we always want things we can't have), but still. Goal post-baby is to get active again, and lose lots of weight.

I haven't gained too much weight with this pregnancy, but I did gain more than the 15-20 I was hoping for. Let's hope I don't end up with a 10lb baby! Ouch!

Long awaited Updates

Hi all. So Sorry for the lack of posting. I guess with baby, work, etc just have been too busy. I think the real excuse is facebook. I update there so frequently, that I forget to update my blog. Evil Facebook!!
So, Baby. I am almost 33 weeks now. I have something like 52 days to go until our little monkey shows his face and greets the world. Look out world, this ones gonna change the world and be amazing!! So far so good, no complaints. I am getting bigger of course, but no complications and growing just as I should. Here is a pic from 30 weeks.

Of course, because I am behind, that was 3 weeks ago now. Oh well. I will try to get another posted, but not sure it will make it up here. I have started to nest now. I am getting things in the baby room as organized as I can. Shaun is making our furniture and getting it done slowly, but it looks amazing. He really is one talented guy (everyday he amazes me, and I am glad I snatched him up), and will be an amazing father. Here is a pic of the dresser that he designed and made from scratch. It is done and in the room now! He is working on a changing table next. He found one he liked in an ad, but it was from Wal-mart and the reviews said it was very cheap and the boards were really thin and not sturdy. He said "I can make that", so he designed one and voila...he is making it. When it is done, I will post a pic of that. It is a corner one, and is bigger than I expected, but will give us lots of extra space for things to go in there. Here is the dresser...

I am able to finally put some stuff away and get them out of bags. Today we are headed to the store to buy dreft (hypoallergenic laundry especially for babies) and get some newborn stuff washed and ready to go. Of course, we know not to take tags off everything in case he can't wear them or grows out of them too fast. We don't have that many clothes, but a few newborn sizes. My worst fear is that I end up with a 10 lb baby, and he doesn't fit into anything that we have. I just hope for a healthy baby, but not one that is 10 lbs. Of course, since I plan on having a natural birth, 10 lbs would totally suck to push out too!! :)

As for my baby shower. Rachel (one of my best friends since the 5th grade-yeah, over 20 years now-crazy) took all the pics. I will post a few here. She is getting really good with that camera of hers! Thanks Rachel, you are the best!!

The three of us have all been friends since middle school and we haven't had a picture together like this is years. It was great to be able to be together in one spot long enough to get a snapshot.

My wonderful cake. My sister and mom threw me a wonderful shower. I was able to see lots of family and friends during this trip home. Wish there were more trips home, but now with baby...I will be lucky to make it home at Christmas next.

Ashley got me this. It is such a cute tank. I got so many great gifts that my baby is already pretty spoiled!!

Cutest little outfits. He will be best dressed on the block everyday starting from day 1.

Blankets, I love blankets! If he is really my child, he will love them too!!

Hmmm, what else. Work is good. I changed to 8 hour shifts in early May. Was gonna go in late May when the new schedule started, but I turned in my doctor note and Cindy (the ER manager) said, lets start this effective immediately. So, I have been working 24-32 hours per week, but only doing 8 hours instead of the 12 hours I usually do. 8 hour shifts are much nicer. I have found I have more energy on my days off and am able to make it through an entire shift without hurting at work. My plan is to work up until baby comes or July 11. Whichever comes first. Being due July 15 and Mom coming on July 13, I didn't want to push it. I am taking the 3 months off after baby though, so that will be nice.

I have great plans to start running again. Of course, I can't start now, but am really motivated (now, lets hope it continues) to loose the weight and then some and get moving. I need to be able to keep up with this little guy when he starts moving on his own! I might start training for another marathon next spring. They have lots of good marathons in the fall, so starting next spring will give me time to get back into the running thing and not put too much pressure on me at first.

At the suggestion of Brandi, I have created a ticker at lilypie. Here it is.



Well, there you have it. I will try to do better. Can't wait to see all who are planning to visit. I will get pictures of the nursery when we are finished with it. It is looking great so far, but we still have a long way to go! We ordered a rocker chair, but it isn't supposed to be ready until early July. It takes 8-12 weeks to make and ship. Grrr, wish I had that, but at least it will be here when baby arrives!!

Stay tuned...

Baby shower pics to come.

30 week pics to come.

Updates on baby room/furniture to come.

Stay tuned, it will all be here soon!

Under Construction!!