The Mural and the Whale

The mural is done! I started working on it Friday night and completed it Monday afternoon. The image changed slightly from my original sketch of maple like looking trees to palm trees. I had found some wonderful illustrations in a children's book about dinosaurs and thought these trees would go much better with our dinosaur theme. So here is a picture of the finished wall (minus the outlet cover). Bill thinks I should add a moon bear and a cat bear (Mercury and Meow). I said NO CATS! Besides, they are not dinosaurs...
We went to the OB again today. I knew going in that my weight was going to be too high at 24 weeks. My fabulous total weight gain as of today is 23 pounds! What a cow! The doctor said it was a bit high, and ideally I should gain about 30 by the time the whole thing is said and done. Just great. I am destined to be a whale in April. No more cake, candy, or bread! I guess since I rarely ate the stuff before, I felt that I was entitled to it now. Big mistake. Today I ate a bunch of carrots... Oh, on the plus side, my blood pressure was really good!

This week's developments - green walls, dinosaurs, and kicks!

I was a little relieved that I didn't gain any weight this week. I am going to blame the weight gain on my mom's cooking when she was here. One of my goals is to exercise more, even if it's just going for a walk with the dog.
Baby boy is still nameless! I want to decide on a name by the time I go up to WI so I can start telling everyone. Bill hasn't offered any new suggestions. I am going to insist on the name Lincoln. Besides, I have the most say since I have to carry this bugger around for 4 more months and squeeze him out (which I am not looking forward to)!
Other than being nameless, the boy is beginning to move around more. At first it was just a few flicks, mostly at night. Now I feel him during the day at school, always in the afternoon when I am pulling a group of students to read. Hopefully he'll be a good reader! He is almost kicking hard enough that I can feel it against my hand. Maybe in a few days Bill will be able to feel him too:) I've noticed that after exercising, he makes no movement that I can feel. It must put him to sleep!
The baby's room is now a wonderful shade of green. Our neighbor, Claire, worked all day Saturday and part of Sunday to paint the room. She has done a great job so far. Next week she is attacking the bathroom! I'm hoping to get part of the mural up on the wall for the baby's room. I've also made sketches for a dinosaur watercolor painting for the wall. Today I transferred the sketches to the paper. The furniture is still in the boxes in the garage. I would like to room to be set up before I leave for WI, but that is unlikely at this point.

Stroller and Furniture

Yesterday our BOB jogging stroller arrived. It was quick and easy to put together. Bill had to jog through the kitchen with it. Poor Mercury was afraid of it. Tonight we picked up our baby furniture at Babies R Us. Right now it sits in the garage until the room is painted on Saturday. I am so excited to get things set up!

Baby Shower and a Fat Momma:(

My mother and Bill's mother met over the weekend to discuss the baby shower in WI. Invitations will go out Tuesday (I think). Mark your calendars for December 28th! My mom says she is in charge of games, which she complained about because she hates them. If anyone has any fun game ideas, please let my mom know!
After this week's weigh in, I was horrified to see that I have gained 20 pounds so far! There goes my skinny pregnancy goal. Yes, I know I have to gain weight. But 20 pounds at 22 weeks?! I'm only half way there. What will I weigh at 40 weeks?! I cringe at the thought. Mr. big boy and I am cutting out the cake, candy, and pasta from now on.
On a happy note, our baby furniture has arrived at Babies R Us. Bill will arrange to pick it up next week. We also hired our neighbor, Claire, to paint the baby's room. She painted her whole house and did a pretty nice job. The walls will be a light green, with one wall featuring a mural of trees to compliment the dinosaur theme. Both Bill and Claire are confused with my idea, so I have to work on some drawings for them. I am very excited to get this room going (and even more so to send Miss Meow Meow to Aunt Jamie's house - sorry Bill!).

Clear out the closets!

Tomorrow Salvation Army is coming to pick up a ton of stuff! My mom and I went through bags of clothes to donate. I recorded all the items, assigning a dollar amount on average of $5 per item. Along with the set of living room furniture that has been sitting in our garage since last Christmas, I added up over $2000 worth of stuff. What a nice tax deduction! Tonight I took pictures of everything just in case we are audited. With all the clothing out, we actually have closet space in the two front bedrooms! The only thing left to get rid of is the cat...
As far as names, it will either be Lane Steven or Lincoln Aaron. I'm pushing for Lincoln:)

Furniture, Dinosuars, and a Cat

On Black Friday my mother and I ventured out to Babies R Us because we saw an add for a free crib with the purchase of two other furniture items. We were quite excited! Luckily, the store was not too busy. So, $1200 later, we have furniture ordered for our boy's room.
Tomorrow we are hoping to start clearing out and painting the room. I'm pretty sure we will use a light green (which is the same shade for the bathrooms and master bedroom). Instead of simply painting the room all one color, I'm thinking of using a darker shade of green to create the effect of a jungle habitat for the dinosaurs. This should be interesting; I haven't done mural work since my sophomore year in college...
The cat remains a major topic of debate. Bill refuses to get rid of her. Multiple family members have spoken with him regarding this issue. I've offered compromises, which are turned down. I will have to be the big bad wife and take care of this problem myself. I want to have the room painted before next week when the furniture is due to arrive. Once that room begins its transformation, the cat will be gone.

Names and a Grandma

We've been discussing names pretty much daily, now that we know it's a boy. All of the ones I like, Bill hates. He then suggests stupid weirdo names that we would never honestly consider. I think he just likes to agitate me! On the up side, one possibility is Lane Steven, and the other is Lincoln (no middle name agreed on yet). At this point I prefer Lincoln more because of the syllable factor. With Heck being only one syllable, I think the first name should be 2 or more. Bill hasn't turned his nose up at it, so it's a possibility!
Next week my mom is visiting for Thanksgiving, and we are excited to start some baby shopping. I have an idea for the baby's room, so I'd like to get going on that. Fish are an easy theme to decorate for, and I would like to paint some type of mural on one of the walls. This boy's room is going to be awesome!

The Ultrasound

We had our ultrasound at 18 weeks today. Mostly, it was an anatomy check to make sure everything is developing normally. I am excited to say that everything is developing normally and the doctor was very pleased with what he saw. The images showed fabulous detail, right down to the bones in the hands and the pupils in the eyes! The risk of any defects or abnormalities is very low. What a relief!
But honestly, what I really wanted to know is the sex of the baby. I was so sure it was a girl. It's been my feeling from the moment I had the positive pregnancy test. Bill, just to be irritating, said it was going to be a boy. It all came down to the image on the screen between two crossed little feet - we have a penis! Honestly, I was shocked and a little disappointed. All of my cousins have had boys. It was time for a girl, and I was going to be the one to deliver. Oh no, we can add another boy to the mix. I feel bad for being disappointed. This baby is healthy and developing perfectly. I should be overjoyed. Still, I wish we were having a girl...

Clothes, Flights, and a Grad Course

I've finally got something to show for this pregnancy. People we haven't told the news to are beginning to take notice. One day I'm comfortable with the idea of growing, and the next I dread it. I'm at the point where some of my clothes still fit, but a majority of the pants are too tight. Today I ordered some maternity pants online. I hope they don't make me look like a bigger cow!
Last night Bill booked a flight for me to Wisconsin for Christmas. Luckily, we found a direct flight both ways at a reasonable price. I look forward to visiting everyone and seeing some snow! Mercury will be staying with Bill; I don't need the extra hassle of transporting her, even though I would like to have her with me.
This week I have more blood tests to look forward to. My graduate course was stressful due to the fact that I was still figuring out the syllabus. I think it will be alright; writing seems to be a strength of mine (unless the professor decides otherwise).

Gaining Weight and a Cat on the Way Out

This week went better. I've noticed that the nausea has pretty much gone away:) This morning I recorded my weekly measurements with slight growth, nothing too noticeable. I was nervous about weighing my self since last week I was up 5 pounds from the previous week. Today I was pleased to see I was down 2 pounds (it must have been water retention) from where I was before. I've decided that gaining weight is not fun. This is my least favorite part of pregnancy so far. I continue to have the strong feeling that this baby is a girl. With all the names that have been added to our list, Elizabeth seems to be the one that is beginning to settle with me. Thankfully, it's also a name that Bill says he likes. Three more weeks until the ultrasound!
As far as the cat goes, it appears that I have won the battle. As soon as I hear from a friend, she will make her trip to another home, and I can relax. The absence of dirty paw prints in my bathroom sink, along with a retched poop smell gone from the future baby room will be nice changes.

Why am I crying? It must be the hormones.

It seems that this wonderful condition has made me quite emotional. Sunday was spent crying for no reason. Luckily, this fun symptom only lasted the day, and all was well on Monday. So far I really haven't had anything to complain about aside from some nausea and this hormone fluctuation business. Hopefully, things will continue to progress smoothly...

Pregnancy Makes Me Mean!

Our neighbor kids are really obnoxious! They are constantly running through our yard, leaving their toys everywhere, and screaming outside. It drives Mercury crazy, which makes me crazy! Yesterday some of them decided it would be fun to play Ding Dong Ditch on our house. Some nerve since Bill was outside washing his truck on the street and the squad car is in plain view! I had the hair dryer going and suddenly Mercury starts barking nonstop. I scolded her thinking it was just the kids yelling outside again. A few seconds later, more barking! So I go to the front bedroom and peek outside. The kids are riding bikes and chasing each other. Nothing new. I turn on the radio hoping this will drown out some of their yelling so Mercury will stop barking. Then I hear the door bell ring. Maybe Bill locked himself out and needs something. When I opened the door, no one was there. A few seconds later, the doorbell rings again. This time is was pressed several times, and I know this is not Bill. It has to be the kids! Mercury, at this point, is in her kennel clawing at the metal door, and barking. I stand at the peek hole watching for one of the idiots to approach the door. One sneaks up the driveway and up to the sidewalk near our door. My heart is pounding. I throw the door open and yell, "Get out of my yard and stop ringing my doorbell!!!" That little jerk ran so fast, I think he fell over himself! After slamming the door, I realize my heart is racing a mile a minute, and that I'm sweating. Great. Bill comes in asking, "What was that about? The kids asked me if you were serious." Well, duh, what do you think? I bet you didn't think I could yell like that. Apparently, he sees no issue with these kids and the stupid things they are doing. Maybe it's the pregnancy, but suddenly I am the big bad b**** of the neighborhood.

Here's a picture of 'Ima' at 8 weeks.

14 Weeks Pregnant

Bill and I went to the OB for our second baby visit yesterday. We were hoping to see another image of the baby (who we've been calling "Ima Bear"). Next, time, the doctor said. Today we will hear the heart beat. It took a few seconds for her to find it (making it seem like forever), but then it was there at about 140 beats/minute. All is well!
In November we have the ultrasound, where hopefully the sex will be determined, and to make sure the anatomy is developing correctly.