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:)