baby sister's quilt

We're still (obviously - or I would be posting about it!) waiting for little miss to make her appearance. . . I felt much better today (well, as good/comfortable as one can feel at 39+ weeks pregnant) - but am really glad to have dropped down to 1/2 days at work.  By late afternoon I was having some decent contractions - but apparently not enough to really mean much.

My mom delivered a special item tonight - baby sister's quilt!  She just finished it today - and it is too cute!  Braden has one made with the same pattern in bright boy colors.  I'm still not quite used to thinking pink!  

 Here's a close up - I know it is still hard to see -- baby girl's quilt coordinates with her nursery in pinks, chocolate, and mint greens.  Can't wait to wrap her up for snuggles in it!

Saturday, sister (update), and a snowman

Ahh, weekend - welcome!  Though the last two school days were short (Thurs AM I had off for an OB appt, and yesterday we had a 2 hour delay due to the snow), I've been pooped by the end of the day.  Last night we celebrated the week's end by (whoo hoo - I know) grabbing take out for supper and doing a grocery run (I was feeling the need to be sure we're stocked up on the basics), and then settling in for movie night.  Today we all slept in, which was wonderful.

Backing up a bit - on Thursday morning prior to my appointment I was feeling a little crampy and had been awake throughout the night with very mild, irregular contractions . . . so I was glad that I had a  scheduled appointment so that I didn't have to decide whether to call in.  My doctor confirmed that there's some progress going on, and we were also a little surprised to see that I am now measuring a week/almost 2 ahead, and that my blood pressure was a little elevated. She gave me the option of moving up the scheduled c-section to Friday (as in the next day), or waiting to see if baby would choose her birthday sometime this week (we DO still have a c-section on the calendar for Friday, 3/2 in the event baby does not make an appearance before then).  I chose to wait (and have only regretted it a little bit, during some particularly uncomfortable moments when I am just ready to be done). 

So we continue to wait . . . I did move my bags to the trunk, and must admit that I am now really ready, as I am becoming more uncomfortable by the day.  It is definitely helpful to have a certain endpoint this time around (she scheduled the c-section for Friday just because we're thinking this is not going to be a small baby - and if she doesn't come naturally by her due date, I'll likely need a c-section anyway due to her size - that's basically what happened with B).  

Thursday night we went to a basketball game (Billy thought maybe the excitement would help things progress, but no such luck) . . . and came out of the game to find big while snowflakes falling.  Friday morning the ground and trees were coated (should have taken a picture - the trees were so pretty!) - and Braden was pumped to play in the snow.  Friday is his day to stay with Grandma Jane, so she got the pleasure of playing outside with him.  She sent me this picture at work of the snowman they made:

So that's the news around here . . . we're off to IMS' substate BB game tonight - maybe this game will be a little more exciting and elicit some action. ;)  If not, we'll just continue the countdown to Friday, enjoying our last few days as a family of 3.

outdoor fun

We've enjoyed a very mild winter this year (well, most of us have - Braden is dying for some more snow!).  The sun came out this afternoon, so Billy and Braden took advantage of the sunshine and got some fresh air outside while I started making supper.  B refers to the backyard as "the park," since he's not used to having his very own playset!  

 Here's a few more views of the backyard - it really is kind of like our own little park. :)  We have wooded side borders and a little creek/treeline that borders the back of our lot - we love the mature trees and the privacy.

 There's also a great patio area, which we are very excited to use this summer.

I also love that I can keep an eye on the happenings in the backyard while in the kitchen through all those windows in the dining room/4 seasons room.  It will be great to turn the kids loose outside to play in a few years, and still be able to see what they're up to.

And here's the boys in the front of the house -- I meant to take a family picture the day we moved in, but didn't get a chance.

Billy thought I should take a picture too - so here's a (bad, squinty eyed) picture of me at 38 1/2 weeks . . . ready for baby sister to arrive!

ready for baby sister

Now that we've got our move behind us, and have (mostly) everything unpacked (really - this pregnancy "nesting" thing has totally worked in our favor - I honestly think I am down to ONE box left to unpack!), we are ready for baby sister's arrival.

Braden has settled in well - he continues to love the extra space in this house, and rarely says anything about the "old" house.  Bedtime has been more challenging lately (as in, he doesn't want to stay in bed and gets up repeatedly to come tell us, " I wuv you mom," or "Good night dad," etc. etc.) . . . but overall he's doing well.  I think B has found it a little confusing to have baby sister's room all ready, but for there to be no baby sister yet.  He sometimes asks where she is. :)  

I finally remembered to snap a few pics (in daylight!) of the nursery . . . (reminds me of posting about B's nursery when we were anticipating his arrival)

I am excited that my mom is also making a quilt for baby girl that coordinates with the pink/chocolate/mint color scheme we've got going on - it is the same pattern as the baby quilt she made for B that coordinated with his nursery colors.

Sooooo - I think we are all ready to go:  bags packed, car seat base installed in the car, diapers/clothes purchased, diaper bag stocked . . . we even got a new stroller to fit 2 kiddos (which B is very pumped about).  I knew that it would not go over well with B for baby sister to get to ride in a stroller (especially if it was his stroller) since he still really digs stroller rides.  And for outings like the mall, it really is much easier for him to ride than walk . . .  but I didn't really want to deal with a cumbersome "double" stroller for just a few months (not sure how much longer he will be so willing to ride). So this version of a "sit and stand" seemed like a great option for us - and B loves to ride it around the living room since it arrived/we assembled it). :)  Can't believe we'll be traveling with TWO soon.

At this point we're just playing the waiting game.  I was really happy to get to enjoy my vacation day today (President's day) - and had a successful day of shopping with a friend.  I've been looking so forward to this day "off."  But now I am ready.  It'd be nice to tie up a few things at school, but really, I am ready anytime.  At last week's appt my doctor reported that I hadn't really progressed much, and predicted that I'd probably make it to my due date of March 2, but also said one never knows.  I've had some contractions here and there, but nothing significant yet.  So we'll just wait and see . . . but in 11 days or less our little one will be here!

ode to 611 12th

As happy as we are to be settled in our new (to us) house, (we are feeling so very blessed to be here and  how everything with the buying/selling has fallen into place more perfectly than we could have ever imagined) . . . it has also been a little sad to say good-bye.

I am not good with good-byes.  Even saying good-bye to a house.


Between the business of moving, we've gone back a few times to our old house to clean (actually, in full disclosure my parents did a lot of the cleaning, for which we are so grateful), which has been a little bittersweet.  Initially after the move, Braden was asking questions like "Where did our old house go?" or saying "I want to go to our house."  So we made sure to take him back to see the empty house - which really has seemed to help him to understand that we no longer live there (and nor does our stuff).  I think it has been a little confusing for him because during the actual moving process he spent his days at daycare/Grandma's, so didn't actually see things leave the house.  Thankfully he seems to "get it" now - and asks to go to "our big new house" or "Braden's new house."

Anyway . . . a few days ago I went back to drop of an owner's manual to an appliance that we'd accidentally taken, and spent a few minutes at the old house saying my good-byes.  (I also took a few pictures, mainly in case we need them in the future to show Braden since we won't be able to take him there again).

Lots of memories flooded in as I walked from room to room one last time  . . . this is the place where:

I  first became a homeowner as a young woman.  I loved my first home and all the space I had (yeah, it seemed like a lot of space back then for just one person!)


 I first got to decorate -- I've stripped lots of wallpaper/border, actually put up some wallpaper (I loved that plaid in the family room!), painted the kitchen and living/dining room twice, and the other rooms once.


I planted my first flowers and learned to enjoy digging in the dirt.


I/we entertained good friends and had good laughs.


I first met Billy when he rang the doorbell to pick me up for our (semi) blind first date.


We came home to after our honeymoon and lived for our first (almost) 5 years of marriage.


We transformed a spare bedroom and decorated a nursery while eagerly anticipating the birth of our first child . . . then brought our little bundle "home" to.


It's the place where Braden first slept through the night and took his first bites of solid food.  Right there is where he first rolled over, and he learned to go up and down steps on that staircase. 


This is the kitchen in which I exploded a pyrex pan, resulting in new counters and flooring.


Yes, there are lots of memories in this place . . . good times, sad times, happy times, mad times, silly times, scary times . . . 

As I walked out the door for the last time on Sunday with tear filled eyes, I said a little prayer of thanks for our little duplex and our time there.  Monday evening we handed over the keys to 611 12th to our realtor, and signed our end of the paperwork.  And It became official today - this place was no longer ours.  Good-bye.


Here's to making new memories in our new space, which we already love.  I can't wait to look back on all that will happen here - especially as we prepare to welcome a new family member very soon!

On that note, Braden and I were snuggling together on Tuesday morning (we had the unexpected surprise of a 2 hour delay at school), and B asked me, "Mom, where is baby sister?"  I replied that she is still in mommy's belly and hasn't been born yet.  He then responded, "I want baby sister to come to our house, Mom."  Me too, buddy!  I have another OB appt tomorrow - so we'll see if there's any news soon . . .

settling in

I've thought about/intended to write this post several times this past week, but kept finding other things that needed to be done.  It's hard to believe it's been a week since we officially moved!  (In some ways it seems like just a couple of days, and in other ways it feels like we've been here far longer.)

We ended up moving some of the larger furniture on Thursday night right after closing.  The weather forecast for Saturday was not looking favorable, and we wanted to move things before the nasty weather set in.  Of course I completely forgot to take any pictures of that evening.  

Friday we moved more small items, and mom and my aunts helped move the kitchen. It has been soooo nice to have the kitchen unpacked, organized, and ready to go right away.  Here's the one and only photo from Friday (Mom wiping out cabinets):

Saturday was our "big" day - despite the snowy/sleety/rain, and thanks to an enclosed trailer and our helpful moving buddies (thanks so much!!) everything was moved from the old house to the new one by 10:30am!

 We still had to unload/put away, but things went really slick! Here's the crew taking a lunch break:

 (Sadly, those are the only 2 pictures I took on Saturday!)

We spent the rest of Saturday unpacking boxes, arranging furniture, making beds, and even were able to hang a few things on the wall by evening - making it seem like "home."  We were even able to park one car in the garage that first night!  Braden did ask a few times when we were going to "our house," and has had a bit of a tough time at bedtime (mostly I think due to going to be later than usual), but loves the space in our "big new house."

I was very sore by Saturday night (2 long days on my feet caused them to swell - which had not occurred yet with this pregnancy). The boys slept well . . .  I, unfortunately could not sleep - a combo of pregnancy insomnia, a kicking baby, and feeling achy/restless - but luckily had plenty to do so finally just got up and organized the laundry room at 2 am. We all ended up sleeping in late, which was much needed.  Here's B eating his first breakfast at the new house:

He loves to sit in "my seat" at the breakfast bar.

We left Braden with G&G Miller Sunday afternoon and made a run to Target/Walmart/Bed, Bath, & Beyond/Lowes to get things we realized we needed (that's what happens when you double your square footage and go from 1 bathroom to 3), then actually hosted a small gathering to watch the Superbowl Sunday evening.

I took the day off on Monday to continue to unpack/recover from the weekend. My parents spent the afternoon helping me unpack, do some touch up painting, cleaning, etc. and by the time Billy got home from work Dad had the garage all organized and we were able to park both cars inside!

I took the following pictures on Tuesday evening (it was already dark, so the lighting isn't the greatest - but I had intended to post them right away to show how far we'd come 4 days after moving) . . . so things already look a little different.  But since I am too lazy tired to retake the pictures, I'm still going to post 'em.

View of entryway (from living room)


Living room (entryway is to the right)


View of kitchen/dining from living room (kitchen is to left of livingroom; stairs to lower level are at far left of photo and entry from garage is just to the left of the pantry at left of photo).


Looking toward living room from dining room (dining room used to be a porch that the former owners enclosed and made into a 4 seasons/dining area - which added a lot of space); bedrooms are down the hall where Billy is standing


Master bedroom and bath

Hall bath (kids' bath)

 Braden's room

So - that's the main level, minus the nursery.  I'll post pictures of it soon - we had not arranged much in there at the time these photos were taken, but it's all set and ready to go now (just have to remember to take pictures). I'll also save the lower level for another post (haven't taken any pics of it yet either). There are definitely still some things we'd like to change, but we feel really good about where we're at at this point. . . And some things we want to "live with" for a while to figure out what we really want.  The previous owners of our house stopped by today to see how things looked (somewhat ironically the mom was one of my best friends from childhood and their daughter is in my class at school and was very curious to see her old room). We also went to see their new house (which we had walked through last winter when we were house hunting - it was fun to see all of the changes they made to it). We feel pretty lucky that we did not really have to change anything (at least for now) - as all the paint is neutral or works with our furnishings (whew -not sure if I would have been up for that)!



In other news - my OB appt on Thursday morning went well -- baby is active as ever.  In fact, the doctor did another scan to double check baby's position because we thought she may have flipped back to being breech (she hadn't).  She had, however, grown quite a bit (which I can tell - her feet are in my ribs and things are feeling very "tight," and I am now measuring 2 weeks ahead - and we know it's all baby because I actually lost a pound since the previous appt).  So we'll see - little miss may be arriving any time . . . which is just fine because we're moved and mostly ready.  There are a few things I'd like to wrap up at school though - although on Friday I was so uncomfortable/tired at work that I really wouldn't have minded going on leave right then. :)

annnnnd here we go!

We have been anticipating the arrival of February for a while now -- both with excitement and a little nervousness for all that will take place.  

Tomorrow is go day - we start the day with an appointment to check in on Baby H, and will end the day closing on our new house! (Well, that probably won't actually end the day - I am sure we will end they day by doing some pre-moving prep and maybe even start moving some things!)

We are very fortunate that the sellers allowed us to shampoo carpets this week prior to closing - it was so fun to get to "visit" the house a few days early.  A big thanks to my parents for being our personal carpet cleaners!  Today I snapped this pic of dad doing a final once over with the vacuum now that the carpet has dried . . . a little sneak peak of our new digs!

Friday and Saturday will be our "big" moving days, and we plan to sleep at the new house on Saturday night.  We'll see how that plan plays out . . . I have had several somewhat sleepless nights this week (I mostly blame pregnancy insomnia), and have been thinking a lot about organizing closets and where everything will go.  Hopefully we can put things away as quickly in real life as I can in my mind. :)   . . . because in a few short weeks we'll have another big change when Baby girl arrives!