summer break is almost here...

Only 3 and a half more school days until summer break is here! We would've been out two weeks ago if not for the huge Ice-storm of 2009! Travis and I went up to my classroom today so that he could help me pack my classroom up to get it ready for the summer. I usually handle it on my own but since I'm nearly 9 months preggo and shouldn't be lifting things/climbing ladders I thought it best that he lend a hand! He was sooo good to help and he got almost everthing put up on the shelves for me! Now if only I have low student numbers this week to help the time fly by...Here are a few really crappy pics I snapped with my phone this afternoon!

Family Movie Night

Last night all four of us piled into the bed to watch "Hotel for Dogs". Tucker LOVES to watch dogs on t.v. so we knew this was right up his alley! He was soooo enthralled with it! He watched most of it! Maggie even glanced toward it several times. He only jumped down and barked when a big dog came on the screen that he didn't like! I cried several times during it (sad, I know) but the abandoned dogs just kept pulling at my heartstrings! It was a cute movie though and I even took it to school today for my kiddos to watch!

Nursery Tour!

Over at Kelly's Korner, there is a "tour of homes" going on each Friday! So far I haven't joined in on the fun but this week I just couldn't resist. It's nusery/kids rooms!!! I'm just so proud of Essie Claire's nursery that I thought I would give ya'll a tour one more time! It's almost finished. There are a few more little accents that I still need (a book holder that my dad is making & some artwork) but other than that it's ready for our little girl!

We went for a "shabby chic" look for her room. I found an inspiration room on this website that I loved and went from there. I knew I wanted stripes with two shades of pink & I am lucky enough to have a husband who worked his booty off giving me those! Here is the view into her room as you walk in the door. My very talented hubbie also made that beautiful cornice board that is hanging on her window!

I found the main fabric (the blue floral) that I loved at a little boutique here in town...although I did find it much cheaper online later. I had my very talented friend Lori make all the crib bedding and it turned out beautifully!
The painting that hangs abover her bed was made by a co-worker/friend and it matches the room perfectly! The leaning ladder shelf in the corner was made by my dad several years back and we repainted it to match her room.Here is another view of the back of her room.
The right side of her room holds a changing table, rocker, & little pink table. The chair we got as a Christmas gift from my parents. The changing table was a discount find at a little furniture store back in Batesville. And the little pink table we found at a flea market and painted it pink! I cannot wait to sit and rock Essie here and read books to her!
The view looking at the door. One of my favorite things in her room is the chandelier. We found it at Lowe's of all places!The bow holder we made for her...she just cannot have enough bows! It hangs on her closet door.

Just a peek into her closet. I finally got it all organized by size. Poor thing doesn't have a thing to wear! The back of this closet door hold her bags. And the back of this door holds all her shoes, headbands, and pacifiers!We have had the best time planning and decorating her nursery! It's hard to believe that she'll be here to enjoy it in just a few short weeks! Thanks for checking her room out and be sure to check Kelly's Korner tomorrow to see all the other nurseries and kid's rooms!

doctors and cuteness

I had my 35 week doctor appointment. I'm going every week from now on. It was also my first "physical" examination. I am happy to announce that I am not dilated at all...I wasn't quite ready to be dilated just yet! She is head down which is wonderful news! I measured a week ahead again (36 weeks) and lost another pound. The exam was a PIECE of CAKE! I was really sweatin it today...worried how painful it would be. Everyone has been telling me how awful it is... but I couldn't tell ya that he did anything! But he's so quick with everything that I'm sure that helped! I got my group b strep test today along with some bloodwork (that was the worst part!). I go back next Friday!

On a totally different note...the other babies got groomed yesterday! They look soooooo cute! They even came home wearing matching accessories...his bandana matched her bows!

35 weeks

Whew...35 weeks for some reason this was the "scary" stage for me. I always thought that when I got to 35 weeks that I would freak out. Well....deep breath...it's a lil scary being this close to the end of the road! Only 5 weeks til the due date....2 weeks til I'm full term. Yikes!!! Essie is 5 and a half pounds (like this honeydew) and a lil over 20 inches long. I've definitly got that preggo waddle and am holding my back alot more. She's getting heavy and big! I have my doctor appointment tomorrow -for my first physical exam, group B strep test, and some bloodwork! Should be a good time!!!

Childbirth Class

Today was the day I've been dreading all pregnancy....childbirth class. I put if off until the very end since I didn't want to have to face that reality. It wasn't as bad as I thought. We watched a seriously outdated (circa 1976 ish) video of a horrifyingly natural childbirth. I was very thankful for the lady who sat in front of me. Her poofie hairdo perfectly covered the part I didn't want to see! :) We also watched a c-section video. Well I should say "everyone else" watched it cuz I didn't look at the screen once during that one! I did learn a few small things. We toured a room (been there, done that) and she showed us all the instruments that will be used. I was really hoping for more of a "how to take care of the baby once she's here" tutorial but we didn't get that. It pretty much just covered the time leading up to delivery and the actual delivery and that's all. Travis was very interested in it all...definitly more than I was. In fact all the men in the room seemed to ask more questions than the women. I think we were all too busy looking for the quickest escape route outta that room! We took a few pics before we left this morning...I was afraid it may be last time either one of us smiles for awhile! :) So here we are before heading out!

Getting Ready!

We're in the process of getting ready for little Essie...she could be here any day you know! Our swing arrived yesterday. We did get a beautiful one at our last shower that was just gorgeous but we exchanged it for this one simply because it plugs into the wall so we don't have to use batteries. It isn't as pretty but it's also gender neutral (just in case). Maggie was really interested in it and tried getting those little plush toys hanging from it. She kept butting/swinging it with her nose. That's not gonna fly when there's a little one in there! :)

I've got list of things to grab/pack posted on the door to the garage and our bathroom door. Essie's bag is completely packed...my overnight bag is partially packed. Her take home outfit is hanging on the staircase bannister so it can be grabbed quickly if need be. Gotta install the carseat and finish packing our bag then we are ready to go!

34 Weeks

Well this is my last week without a doctor's appointment! Starting next week I will go every week from now on! Essie weighs about 5 pounds (like this cantaloupe) and is approximately 20 inches long. That's big! I'm three weeks from being considered "full term" and 6 weeks from my due date. It's scary how fast it's going right now. I'm feeling pretty good as far as the pregnancy goes...I'm not to the miserable stage yet. I'm getting around pretty good...sleeping decent...I've got a little more energy than I did last week. It's hard rolling over in bed these days (or should I say switching from one side to the other). She was seriously active during the day today. I could see her/feel her pretty much all day at work. My friend Sarah even got to see her move from across the table! :) I am very ready for summer break so I can have some time to get stuff done around the house before she arrives...only 10 and a half more schooldays left! Here are a few pics of me today at 34 weeks!

Her own store...

There is ( or was) a cute little shop back home in Batesville named Essie's. When we were down there for our shower we drove by to snap a pic of their sign. Unfortunately it had closed down and the signs were pretty worn. But we did snap this one pic...even though it did earn us a few weird looks from some people across the street!

Recipe Blog

I had great intentions awhile back in starting a recipe blog...I've failed to post anything on it however. Well tonite I had a wild hair and decided to post our dinner on there...chicken pot pie. Super easy meal. In fact I made two so that I could freeze one for when Essie's here! Here's the link to the blog...I'll put it on the side as well! :) http://house-recipes.blogspot.com/

Our Weekend

We started our weekend off yesterday by waking up early and going to a yard sale that a friend of mine from work was having. She has a little girl who is almost 2 who was also born in June so I knew we could find a ton of great clothes in Essie's "season". We bought two bags of things from her...mostly bigger sizes for later on.

Then we went to breakfast, to walmart to exchange a few things, a furniture store to scope out some couches, and a consignment shop. We found three precious outfits there for next to nothing! Here they are:
We spent the rest of the day being lazy (I'm fighting a terrible cold as well)...our friends Sarah & Matthew stopped by and brought their new little rescued puppy (a sheltie) named Allie to visit. I'm pretty sure Tucker is quite smitten with her.

Today we slept in a little more, got up and went to walmart to do some heavy grocery shopping. We haven't really grocery shopped in so long that we filled up a cart quite quickly. I wanted to get our pantry stocked up and get some stuff to make meals to freeze. Then we've spent the remainder of the day cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! I boiled all of Essie's pacifiers-she has a TON! I'm definitly in that "nesting" phase where things HAVE to get done NOW! We cleaned our bedroom which was filthy! We also cleaned/disinfected our entire master bathroom. We cleaned sinks, toilets, floors, counters, and even the jacuzzi tub (which was not fun by the way). I put all of Essie's clean clothes away and we are just about to start putting all our clean clothes away. Travis grilled some yummy steaks and squash for dinner...which was a nice treat! I'm loving that right now we have little evidences that she will join us soon. Every time I walk by our breakfast nook I can't help but smile at her highchair. Isn't it pretty? I love that it's real wood and looks like real furniture! I can't wait for her to use it-I can already see Maggie begging for food from her!

Advice Please!!!

Okay after our first two loads of baby clothes we are already frustrated/confused with washing baby clothes. Here is what I did. I washed using only Dreft on the delicate cycle and dried most of her stuff on low heat. I air dryed the stuff that needed that.
We had a few problems:

• One thing is that everything came out completely wrinkled! All the little bows and hems and decorations are all bunched up! Not to mention all the monogrammed stuff looks weird now. Any suggestions on this? I really don't want to have to iron baby clothes...seriously. I don't iron-I send Travis' workshirts to be ironed at a local shop here!
• Second problem-a lot of her cute darker clothes faded after just one wash! I was so disappointed to see some of my favorite outfits come out looking like that! Any suggestions here?
• And finally-hanging dresses that have matching bloomers/diaper covers and shirts with matching pants. What do you do here to keep them together?

So help all you experienced moms out there! I want to get our system down before she gets here! :)

Tummy Hugger

This has been our ritual the past few nights. Tucker hugs my tummy-I like to think it's because he already loves Essie very much and can't wait for her to get here. But it's probably because it's so big right now that it make one heck of a pillow! Either way it's sweet and I love it. He doesn't even seem to mind when Essie kicks him in the chin! :) (by the way, please ignore the unsightly stretch marks that have now graced my tummy! )

Vote!

I've added a new poll on the side for you to vote when you think Essie Claire will be here! I've had so many predictions so far that I thought it would be fun to track what most people think!

My other babies...

Here is a quick post about my other two babies...Maggie and Tucker. They were plum worn out when we got home Sunday afternoon after our trip to Batesville. They got to see BOTH sets of grandparents and several aunts and uncles. Of course that thrilled them to death. But I really feel like they wore themselves out chasing/harassing Nana & Pa's cats! Maggie curled up with a fuzzy brown pillow in her bed. Tucker curled up on daddy's legs. Just look at that tongue hanging out! (please excuse my husband's Christmas boxers!)

A few random things...

We are just about to start a "tag removal" party here. I've gotten all of Essie's size 0-3 months clothes piled up on the bed and Travis and I are just about to start removing all the tags so we can wash all her cute little outfits in Dreft. It's really stressing me that the weeks are flying by and we aren't quite ready for her. So tonight I will conquer washing all her clothes, blankets, towels, etc. That will at least make me feel somewhat accomplished.

I had my 33 week check up today. Blood pressure was good and for the first time I gained weight! 5 pounds to be exact...in 3 weeks. So my total weight gain is 3 pounds for this pregnancy! I measured great-at 34 cm to be exact and Essie's heartrate was 144. I go back in 2 weeks for my 35 week and then EVERY week from then on! I also get my Strep B test next week, some bloodwork done, and he will begin to check me for dilation, etc. I hear that's a very lovely experience so I am really looking forward to that! The doctor asked me today how far we lived from the hospital...that made my heart skip a beat. I'm not quite ready to start thinking about making a flying trip to the hospital! :)

I did accomplish writing all our thank you notes from our shower this weekend and a few random gifts we've gotten through the past few weeks. I spent over two hours writing those out. These are the thank yous we are using...I love them. I thought they were cute and witty. We had the caricature drawn from a place online and then ordered the cards from shutterfly. We've gotten many more gifts than I expected so I didn't quite order enough...I may have to supplement with some plain ole' ones!

33 weeks

Essie weighs as much as a pineapple now (bout 4 and a half pounds)! I feel like it too...my hips/back hurt a lot more. I'm exhausted by the end of the day now and pretty much collapse into bed to watch tv. I don't even have the energy to sit on the couch! :) Only 7 weeks til my due date...a terrifying and exciting thought! I'm not quite ready but am getting that way!

Maternity clothes? absolutely!

Stretch marks? getting a lil worse...
Sleep: pretty good...I'm so exhausted that I sleep very hard!

Best moment this week: our wonderful shower this weekend

Movement: lots of rolling around in there

Food cravings: it changes by the hour now...

Gender: girl

Belly Button in or out? In, but it doesn't look as deep...

What I miss: sleeping on my tummy & having energy!

What I am looking forward to: resting this weekend

Biggest complaint: still heartburn & being so zapped at the end of the day

Milestone: putting her highchair together...it's sooo cute!

Thanks Lori!

Look at these cute gifts Lori gave us today! This first onesie with the zebra purse is one of my favs-look at those ruffles on the butt! Oh my! This second one says "Future Raider" (our school's mascot) in yellow rhinestones. Oh I love it too! And this bib is just so soft and pretty! Love it all! Thank you Lori!