Week 39!!!!! (Sept 28) 1 Week to Go!

Week 38 (Sept. 22)

Nursery pics updates

Before and after picture with our "free" changing table. The one we got dropped off was covered in parts by seven layers of paint.  After stripping the paint and sanding the wood I put a wood stain (to try and match the crib) and polyurethane on it.  Renee bought the new knobs from a shop down the street.  This was my two-month nesting project.

And here is Renee taking a well-deserved break in the rocker...

Week 37 (September 15)

New pics from the nursery

While my ongoing project of the changing table is nearing completion, I thought I would post some pics of the nursery so far with the newest additions thanks to Jess (window treatment, crib skirt, and pillow) and Vikram (mobile).

Week 36 (September 9)

When is Christmas?

There is no greater excitement that I have known. 

Well that is not quite true.  Seven years old Christmas Eve.  There is no greater thought to anyone than the idea that you will have a pile of presents from a magical elf at the small price of being relatively good that year (that and your parents keeping their jobs throughout that same year).  But I digress.

Rewind seven years to the point just before that little boy or girl is born.  That's right.  The excitement of bringing a child into this world.  That is part you and part someone else (that in this case is the person you care the most about).

You see so much of life is based on things that we either can have, because we can afford them and have access to them, or that we can't, due to the inverse.  But in both cases you  can have closure relatively quickly.  A TV you can go to the store and pickup same day.  A dodo egg omelette you can't have because dodos are extinct. A house you can bid on and you still are likely to close within a matter of weeks.  An invisible jet you can't have because it doesn't exist and if it did it would be too expensive.  Even specific antique or collector items which require research, bidding, and some patience will have some resolution if you put the effort into it.

With pregnancy it is essentially like paying for something but waiting 9 1/2 months for shipping.  True you go into the doctor to track the shipping – though they will consistently tell you why you don't want expedited shipping – but you just have to be patient. Yet unlike a shipped package, you are not in constant contact with the package.

Imagine you are that little boy, 7 years old.  You ask for a puppy.  It's March.  Let's say you have already passed your birthday the previous month.  You've been asking for a little while but today you are told YES!  You will have a puppy at Christmas.  Exciting, no?  Then you are told the package is right over there by the fireplace (which is subsequently where the tree will go up).  Your eyes widen.  It's already here… why wait till Christmas?  No, no you are told you have to wait.  But it will be ready for Christmas.

You sit down.  Every day you look at the present sitting there.  After a few weeks as you come down to breakfast you see the box move a little.  You want to play, but when you go over the box isn't moving anymore.

More weeks go by and the box gets bigger in your mind.  You begin to hear noises and it moves all over the place. You look desperately at the calendar but it is still mid-October.  You don't even get a costume for Halloween because all you can think about is your puppy.  It even seems now that the box will move more when you are by it putting your hand on the box.

For many the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is either incredibly long or incredibly short depending on your point of view.  Imagine you are a 7-year old kid.  That last month, after having waited all so long already.  

What's funny then is if you imagine the metaphor even more realistically.  Where you don't actually know when Christmas is.  You have a vague notion it is probably in a few weeks, but it could be tomorrow. Or it could be closer to a month and a half away.  You ask someone who should know these things and they shrug and tell you it will probably be in a few weeks but… and shrug again.

It is maddening. But exhilarating.  As this child for the first time you really get into the holiday spirit making cookies, cutting paper snowflakes, buying diapers (metaphor crumbling), etc.  The extended waiting time builds the excitement.

And so here I am, nearly 33 asking: When is Christmas?

More Pregnancy Photos

and Alex's favorite: Boo Bunny!

Week 35 (September 2)

Time's a ticking....

So tomorrow is my first of four weekly OB appointments.  They said I don't need to schedule anymore after that because she will most likely be here by then!  Eek....

We got a lot of things checked off our 'to do' list this week - took the hospital tour, picked a pediatrician, and packed our bag.  Even though I work at the hospital where I'll deliver, it was helpful to see where the labor/delivery floor is and learn about the different places I'll hang out when I'm there.  We also met with two pediatricians near our house and liked them both - we read that people 'interview' pediatricians and weren't sure if this is now a commonplace thing that we don't remember hearing about from when we were younger, or if it's reserved for the crazies.  So we did it anyway and are happy with our choice.  She didn't seem to think we were crazy, so bonus :)  My parents came up yesterday and helped us do more getting ready in the baby room and run some errands that needed to be done for after baby girl gets here.

And even though we're keeping her name under wraps under she arrives, we'll give you a teaser....we figured out that the meanings of her names put together means 'awesome living gift.'  How cool is that?  If you want to drive yourself crazy reverse looking that up, go ahead.  We won't confirm :)