34 Weeks

Yesterday we had out 34 week appointment. The baby appears to be doing well. His heart rate was 138, and about now he should also be around 4 3/4 lbs and 18 inches. 18 inches! How cramped he must be in there. Right now he's still in a transverse position, so I feel his little legs regularly in my right side.

When it come to me- my weight is good (although hard to see every time I go in there), and my blood pressure is normal. They still check my asthma at every visit, and thankfully it has remained controlled without the medications. Of course I feel like I can't breath, but we can blame the little man taking up all the room in my abdomen for that.

My next appointment is in 2 weeks, and then I'll start my weekly visits. The Dr will most likely do an ultrasound to see how the baby is positioned. He will also check to see if my cervix has dilated.

It's getting closer, folks!

I May Have Overbid On Those......

Since Dan and I have decided I would stay home after the baby was born, we also came to the conclusion that we wanted to use cloth diapers. The cloth diapers I'll be using are not like the ones my mom used on us (although you can still get those). I was more interested in brands like Bum Genius or Fuzzi Bunz  These diapers can fit a baby from 8-35lbs; however, they can be very pricey  at $17-$28 a diaper. It's definitely an investment in the beginning. 

 

With that being said, I've been watching Craigslist and Ebay for good deals. Yesterday, on Ebay,  I finally had a large lot that I was bidding on. I had a good chance of winning this one, and it was still well within my price range per diaper (I'm very particular on what I'm willing to pay per diaper, plus shipping).  The clock was ticking down on the auctions and I had my fingers ready to swoop in and make my bid at the last second. With 10 seconds to go I typed in $160. Wait, what?!- Oh no!- Ebay told me that wasn't enough. The seconds were ticking away and I quickly typed $175 and hit enter. But at the last second I noticed I had forgotten to wipe away all the numbers from my previous bid. I had just bid $1675!

 

The auction ended.

 

 I stared at the screen. My stomach was in my throat. Did I just spend $1675 on diapers?

 

Thankfully Ebay only makes you pay the next dollar amount over the highest bidder, so I owed $184. *HUGE sigh of relief* But can you imagine if I had to explain to Dan how I accidently spent $1675 on some diapers ;)

 

Week 29

On Monday Dan and I were both off work for Veterans Day. We had a nice, relaxing day spent at home.

On Tuesday I finished up the master bath cabinets. They were an ugly honey color (not a fan) with no handles, and although I did take a before picture, I can't seem to get it off my phone. I've given up, so you'll just have to use your imagination. Here is the lovely finished product:

On Wednesday night we went to a Baby Basics class at one of the local hospitals. I know this is our first child, but most of the info in the class was common sense...which I'm always learning is not so common. We did learn helpful things like CPR for infants. I've only taken adult CPR classes before.

One of the couples in our class already had their baby. He came 10 weeks early! Thankfully their son is doing well in the NICU, and he should be able to come home around Christmas; however,  the thought of having the baby that early really spooked me. That would be like us having our baby next week!  I have so much more to buy to get ready. Stay in there little guy........

Thursday was a slow night, spent watching netflix and going to bed at 8:30.

Today we had our 29 week appointment. Everything is going smoothly. I feel great. The baby is doing well. Everything is right on track. Just stay in there..........

Baby's Room

We got our crib! It's a 4 in 1 convertible crib that I was able to buy off Craigslist for $100.00. I love it!

October

Today is Dan's birthday!

This man is incredibly special to me, and I wanted to show him how special by getting him something that he loves.......a new gun :)

This thing is a beast!

 

Dan, I hope you have an amazing day, and I'm so glad I get to spend it with you.  Now, bring on the cake!

 

In other news:

We've been enjoying the change in weather around here. It's a lovely 75 during the day. If you can make it through the summer around here the other season are quite nice.

 

Since it's fall, we went ahead and carved some pumpkins. I have to say Dan was way more ambitious than I was when it came to the carving. He created a very intricate design (which turned out amazing) and I went old school.  

 

I'll leave you with a cute picture of George that Dan took

 Apparently he didn't get the memo that the flower bed wall was meant to keep him OUT!

Friday Ramblings

*Baby is 23 1/2 weeks. The time is flying! He is punching and kicking all the time. Now that baby is moving more frequently, Dan has finally been able to feel him. YAY!

*Had my first pre-natal massage today. They actually have a slot in the table for your belly. Who knew?! I was skeptical at first, but it is actually quite comfortable.

*I'm still feeling really well. I've started to have heartburn more frequently, not nothing that's been unbearable. This pregnancy has been so nice, I'm almost scared to get pregnant again. Almost.. ;)

*Dan and I are enjoying the start of a four day weekend. I'm so grateful for days spent lounging around together.

*We are going camping tomorrow with some friends at Valley of Fire. I haven't actually been camping since we've been married *Gasp*, but after tomorrow that will no longer be the case. :)

*I ordered some stain online so I can redo our kitchen cabinets. I found a great tutorial here on Pinterest. Like the Author of the Blog I'm going to try it on my bathroom cabinets first. Y'know, just in case it's a total bust. I'll let you know how they turn out.

*Work is still going well. Three other girls are pregnant now as well, including the technician they hired to fill in for me. ;) It's quite humorous actually. I'm due the end of January, two girls are due the middle of March, and one is due the beginning of May. The Vet might just lose most of their staff at the beginning of the year.

*I found out the Veterinarian I loathe will be coming back in the middle of January. I'm so thankful for God's timing, in the fact I'll be quitting to have the baby around the same time the Vet would return. I'll go on maternity leave, put in my resignation letter, and that, as they say, is that!

*Since I've been pregnant I can see little changes with some of the dogs. The biggest change has been with Onyx. She is more attentive, and she sleeps on my side of the bed now. I can't wait to see how excited she'll be when the baby is here. Little Mama Onyx.

And those are my Friday ramblings! Have a great weekend, Everyone!

Changes & Upgrades

This past week was filled with projects. First, I painted baby's room. It's a light gray, but it has a blue tint to it. I'm digging the color. You can see what the previous color was through the door out in the hallway.

While I was working on the bedroom, Dan was downstairs stripping a dresser that we are going to use for our changing table. I think I had the better project. This dresser had about 5 coats of paint so it was a beast. He still has some more to scrape off, but he ran out of stripper, so he called it a day.

I decided while I had all the paint supplies out that I would go ahead and paint our guest bathroom. Now that this bathroom has a fresh coat of paint, the only project I have left in here is the tile floor. Dan and I are going to try to do that next month. Right, Dan?

The weather has dropped below 100 now, so that must mean it's fall. :) I love this time of year! I started setting out the few fall things I have around the house. It's time for cider, pumpkins, fire pits, caramel popcorn, and NO A.C!

 In other news: We've decided to sell the Cadillac. I know I mentioned selling the Alero (and we're still going to do that), but for now we're going to get rid of the CTS because we can make more money on it. Plus, now that Dan has his Camaro, we don't need three cars, so the CTS lost. Sorry CTS. You're a good car, but this is strictly a financial decision. Nothing personal.

Dan's been making some slight improvements to his Camaro. I generally stay our of the way, but every now and then I'll go out to the garage and see if I can be of some assistance. Ha!

Baby is moving all the time now. He hasn't bothered my sleep yet, but I feel him throughout the day. Every time he's wiggling I try to put Dan's hand over the spot so he can feel it, but so far Baby stops every single time. Already stubborn :)

Have a great weekend, Everyone!

20 Week Ultrasound

 

Today we had our 20 week Dr. Appointment and Ultrasound. 20 weeks! We're already half-way there! He's going to be here before we know it

 

Our Ultrasound was our first appointment of the day.  The Ultrasound Tech said our baby was very co-operative. I wish I could take credit for his behaviour :) They took all his measurements and vitals and the Dr said everything looked great.  We did get some cute photos from the visit, and although we don't have a picture of it, at one point he had his legs up above his head!

 

Here are his little feet together

His spine (which I think is such a cool thing to look at)

His leg...winding up to kick me, if I remember correctly :)

*side note: I started feeling him this past weekend.

His face

And finally a sweet little profile picture. All together now- Awwwww

Next was my Dr Appointment, where they checked my blood pressure, and weight, and the baby's heartbeat (I think it's been 160 every time we've been in there). They also checked to see how I was doing on a lower dose of Asthma medicine, and with a good report, the Dr has decided to try me completely off the meds. There was absolutely no change going to the lower dose from my last visit, so hopefully this next step works!

Everything else has been going well. We bought the paint for the baby's room, so as soon as I can convince Dan to do it (painting isn't his thing), then we'll start putting up some decorations and furniture.

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Nursery plans

On Wednesday I had my 18 week Dr. appointment. We got to hear his heartbeat (you'll be happy to know little baby Cox is doing well), and the doctor put me on a lower dose of medication for my Asthma. Everything looks good, and we have another appointment in two weeks. We also have our appointment for the Ultrasound with the Doctor at the same time.

 

In more baby news: Dan and I went to Baby's R Us to register for the nursery. I know I'm a new mother, but I feel there are many many things they wanted us to register for that are not necessary. I'm just saying....

 

Today, while at Target, I came across this adorable blanket that I'm going to use for my nursery color scheme.

 

 

We were already planning on doing a (vintage) transportation theme (since that's what Daddy does), but I'm not really into the matchy bedding, lamps, etc. The walls are going to be a nice gray (since we are military and will most likely move), and I'll be painting an extra dresser we have a lime green. The dresser is also going to double as the changing table. I'd like to decorate with some license plates we have from all the places we've lived. I'm going to hang those near the ceiling, possibly over some tall bead board (I love me some bead board) :)

 

Here are a few other things that I'd love to have in the room (up high, of course)

I love this metal sign

Isn't the small propeller adorable?

This room is nautical, but I love a lot of the features

 

16 Week Ultrasound Pictures

Here are a few pictures from our ultrasound we had done yesterday

We found out the gender :)

Spine

 Profile view

 Hands close to his face

Heartbeat

 

Cord

 Snug as a bug in a rug!

San Diego

We took a few days off last week to relax in sunny San Diego. We stayed at the naval base on Coronado, so we were able to enjoy all the small shops and restaurants that were within walking distance. What two days we did drive our car into downtown we went to Balboa Park and the zoo. I apologize if some of the pictures are not the best quality, but that's what I get for using my phone. Enjoy!

On Thursday we went to Balboa Park. The park is massive, and it's filled with museums, gardens, walking trails, dog parks, and anything else you can think off. It also has some incredible architecture.

For most of the morning we just walked around enjoying the sights, but we did finally pay to go in the history museum and see the Titanic exhibit. I've seen it before, but it's still interesting.

On Saturday we went to the Zoo. It's a beautiful Zoo, but it is definitely a hike. Some of the exhibits have very steep climbs. I got a good leg workout. :)

This Hippo looked very grumpy

 Playful Polar Bear. She was a show off

 They have Giant Pandas! And yes- I did make Dan wait in a semi-long line to see them...even if they were just sleeping :)

 Sweet little Koala. In my mind I would love to take one home to cuddle with, but I doubt they are truly cuddle bugs. O well. A girl can dream

The brown bear was hanging out in the shade.

The Elephant exhibit is quite large....just like the elephants

The name of this animal has escaped me. He looks very suspicious though. Probably shouldn't be trusted, if you ask me.

 Mr. Meerkat. I was positive he was trying to find a way out of the exhibit

 One of my favorites: the Giraffe

 The Kangaroos were being lazy.

The rest of the vacation was spent watching the Olympics, napping (a lot), eating (a lot), and walking the beach. It's always sad when vacations end, but I'm always glad to see my puppies when we get home!

14 weeks

Here is my attempt at getting an ultrasound picture using our office equipment

Home Life

This is going to be a hodgepodge of a post. Please bear with me :)

The Pregnancy:

*I found out I was pregnant the day before Memorial Day. I wish I had some super creative way of telling Dan, but alas, I was in such shock that all I could do was call for him and show him the test.....while still in the bathroom. Super Un-Romantic, or clever-but how it happened nonetheless. He patted me on the back while I laughed nervously. Shortly after that he went back out to work on his car and I went to the kitchen to start prepping veggies for our party later. Don't get me wrong, we're excited, and we were even trying, so we knew it was a possibility. But- it happened so fast (as in, immediately after we started trying) it was surreal. We both needed time to process.

*I've been feeling really good since finding out about the pregnancy. I started eating really well before we ever started trying, so I think that has played a huge role. I had nausea occasionally, but no vomiting. My nausea was mainly associated with meat, so I just avoided it as much as possible. There wasn't much to change to my diet, because I don't drink coffee or pop, and I try to limit fried and sugary foods. Thankfully my sweet tooth has not made an appearance yet in this pregnancy.

*Dan has been very attentive and helpful since finding out about the pregnancy (not that he wasn't already, but you know what I mean). He took over dinners when the meat was grossing me out. He's also been very helpful around the house and with the dogs. He has gone to all my Dr appointments, and he gives me all the neck rubs I want. :)


Life Around Here:

*I think the last tree in my back yard died :( This makes me super sad, and I'm not sure why it died when in was doing well, but we had a few weeks of crazy weather and all the leaves fell off. I still want to buy a few palm trees for the back yard, but they are really expensive, so I've put that off. You would think something that grows so well here would be cheaper. I'm just sayin.....

*In happier news: the plants in all of my flower beds are looking amazing. The dogs aren't allowed in the beds, and therefore the plants had been able to thrive. FINALLY!

*We canceled our directv service. We bought a Roku box which will stream netflix and other channels, and Dan can also buy his pay-per-view fights. He misses his sports, but we hooked up a small antenna to pick up the local channels, so he should be able to watch some football. We are not, however, picking up NBC which means I have to watch the Olympics on my computer.

*We've had two inquiries about the Alero, even though it's not even listed for sale yet. Dan still has to fix a few issues before it can pass emissions here in Vegas, but I'm hoping the interest in the vehicle will continue when we're trying to sell it! I'm past feeling sentimental about it, and ready to get rid of it.

*Dan has been assigned to lead physical training for his flight. They meet every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 6:45am. Since I normally ride with him, I also get some gym time. Not my favorite time of the week, but at least it keeps me active.

*Dan's shoulder is healing. He's lifting weights again, and he doesn't appears to have lost any range of motion. He still has physical therapy once or twice a week, but it appears he's recovering nicely.

*I'm still working five days a week, and I hope to continue until January. I had to have my duties changed slightly, but my boss, and the new Veterinarian have been very helpful in picking up the slack. We also hired a new tech that starts next week. I'm switching more to my clerical/invenory duties

*I finished my school semester! I had to suspend my studies, because I won't be able to complete the practicum requirements in the next semester due to my pregnancy.  It's disappointing to put it on hold, but I'm really enjoying having one less thing on my plate.

*My Pampered Chef business is still active. I've limited my shows this summer because we've had so much going on, but that's that beauty of making my own hours. Next month I already have a few shows scheduled, and I should be able to add more, now that I don't need to devote any time to my schoolwork.

*We are going on a mini-vacation next week to San Diego. Originally we wanted to go somewhere we haven't visited, but we love San Diego, so it won in the end. We're staying at the Navy Base on Coronado Island. Our plans are to visit the Zoo, Balboa Park, and relax at the beach. I'm sure I'll have pictures to show when we return.

I think that wraps it up for now. Have a great weekend!

Baby Makes Three

Here is a picture from our 8 week appointment. Hellllllooo, baby Cox! :)



News

Cedar Chest: Part 2

After removing the old veneer from the damaged side, I needed something to recover it with. I found this product at Lowes

It comes in a roll, and all I had to do was iron it on. Really, it was that simple. I trimmed the edge after I let the product dry for 24 hours.

Once the veneer had fully cured, I stained it with a mixture of these two stains.

I used the same stain mixture on the trim (also from Lowes).

I cut the moulding using my miter saw. The wood splintered slightly on the back, so I sanded those areas down to give it a smooth edge

Next, with Dan's help, we reupholstered the top using a fabric I bought when we lived in Goldsboro. I was a little hesitant to use such a structured pattern, but with Dan's help, we were able to get it faily even. I attached the fabric to the previous board using my heavy duty stapler.

 

 Here is a picture of the repaired side with the new veneer.

And here is the final piece: