2

2…it may not seem like a monumental number to most but in 2 weeks my sweet girl will be 2 years old. And in less than 2 months I'll have 2 babies to love on, care for and worry about/obsess over.

First, let's start with little Nicolette turning 2. 

This hardly seems possible or even fair. The past year has gone by at least twice as quickly as her first year. Every day she is learning more, talking more and making me laugh more. She is such a treasure and really is such a sweet, sweet child. She's an absolute sponge…soaking in EVERYTHING that everyone around her says and does (so please watch your language if you're spending any time around Nicolette)!

The Italian marvels at the fact that she and I can sit at the dinner table and talk back and forth for a good 30-45 minutes. She is my best little buddy.

I can't bring myself to correct her when she walks up to me with her arms up and says, "Mommy? Hold you?" My heart will ache when she says it correctly and will very likely break when she no longer asks me to hold her at all. She loves to curl up in my lap and say, "Mommy, make me cozy?" which means she wants me to cradle her and hold her like a little baby. She'll do the same thing with her dollies and either ask me to make them cozy or cradle them in her little arms herself and beam with pride as she boasts about how she's making her baby cozy. She is obsessed with her baby dolls and could spend the entire day taking care of them. Sometimes she "nurses" them, sometimes feeds them bottles, changes their diapers, always careful to put diaper cream on, pushes them in her shopping cart or "strolder" (which she pronounces like I imagine a German would…she almost rolls the "s" and emphasizes the "d" in strolder"). And speaking of strollers, she still loves the stroller and has no problem hanging out in the stroller for an hour or more at dr.'s appointments or whatnot. She LOOOOOOVES shoes and loves looking at her shoe collection and picking out which shoes she's going to wear for the day. Sadly she also loves hair and hair accessories. The hair is finally coming in but not enough for ponytails and Nicolette asks for mommy to "do ponytails" almost daily…soon enough baby, soon enough.

Exhibit A - hanging out in the stroller happily while
mommy enjoys a pedicure she was given for her birthday! 

Then as soon as we got come, she wanted to
give Daddy his own pedicure!

Nursing her bunny

Obsessed with mommy's shoes

Obsessed with mommy's shoes

"Mommy do ponytails?"

She loves when I make silly faces at her, can say her first and last name and can also tell you that she turns 2 in July. She has started reciting entire pages of some of her favorite books. Her favorite book right now is an old Golden Book from the 60's titled "Little Mommy".  She'll ask to read that one and randomly recite "Billy is Daddy, he works in the city. He's got a new car, isn't it pretty?" or many of the other pages from the book in her sweet little sing song voice throughout the day. She still loves to "read" and look at books. 9 times out of 10 when I lay her down for nap or bedtime she'll look up at me and say "Book?" I'll hand her a book and she'll flip through the pages until she falls asleep. I hope her love for reading continues as she grows up!

We've made a few feeble attempts at potty training. Had a couple of instances where she asked to go peepee or poopoo on the potty and actually did it. Also had a successful afternoon in big girl underpants and then had 3 accidents in big girl underpants the next morning so I'm not sure where we stand on the potty. I want to take the time to do the intensive 3 day potty training "boot camp" but we honestly have not had 3 consecutive days at home without traveling, dr.'s appointments, mommy's meetings or classes for work or what not. Oh well, we'll get there eventually right?

Our first peepee…I have more photos but refuse to post
nudie pics on my blog. 

We spent a few days with Gram & Papa in Connecticut over Father's Day weekend. Gram was so impressed at what a good eater Nicolette was. We're still 80/90% organic with what we feed her. Right now her favorite food would probably have to be cucumbers with red wine vinegar and a little seasoning salt (this was my FAVORITE snack as a kid, teenager and even now). She'll eat a full cucumber in one sitting and ask for more. She also gobbles up wild alaskan salmon…she can eat a 6-8oz filet with no problem. She loves the oatmeal I make for her in the mornings with old fashioned oats, hemp seeds, chia seeds, ground flaxseed meal and wild organic blueberries. She's always asking for more "booblerries". Avocados are still a go to for us as well. And of course we're still nursing 2-3 times a day. I've tried to get her to drink organic, grass fed milk out of  a sippy cup and she really had no interest and would take a little sip and then hand it back to me with a look of disgust on her face and say "no…no muhlk." She does love cheese though! Don't think she's totally deprived though…she has eaten take out pizza two or three times and even had the grilled chicken bites at Chick fil A once. She's only had cake once, on her first birthday but we'll have cake again this year on her birthday.

Speaking of birthdays, I had so much fun planning her 1st birthday celebration but this year I was really torn over what to do. I finally decided (last week) that what I'd really like more than anything is just to celebrate with our little family. I plan to bake a cake from scratch with Nicolette and we'll have her favorite dinner and just celebrate with the three of us. Simple and sweet. Part of me still wants to have "a party" but I think this will be a better memory for our family. I know she probably won't remember it, but I always will.

And now it's Baby Walker's turn

In less than 2 months, we'll be a family of 4 and I can hardly believe it! This pregnancy dragged on in the beginning. When I was so nauseous it felt like summer would never get here but now everything is in fast forward. My second trimester was very similar to my second trimester with Nicolette but the third trimester is definitely more exhausting this time around. I'm sure that's because I'm chasing a very active nearly two year old for most of my waking hours. Carrying Nicolette around and bending down and picking her up and putting her down is definitely harder on my body than my old job. I've been having tons of Braxton Hicks contractions which I really didn't have with Nicolette but my OB assured me that this is normal, especially for a second pregnancy. He just keeps reminding me to rest while I can and not do too much. Ha! Easy for him to say…he's never experienced the "nesting" instinct that we mommies to be go through. I'll settle down to take a bath and instead spend 4 hours cleaning our bathroom and then decide to spend the next 2 days totally reorganizing the bathroom and linen closet. Go to the kitchen for a snack and spend 4-5 hours emptying all cabinets, drawers and both pantries and deep cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen. Sit down to watch tv and spend hours painting and upholstering Nicolette's tiny table and chairs that go in her playroom. I'm a crazy person. And yet Walker's room is at a stand still.

The Italian spent a weekend priming and painting the room and is insisting on installing crown moulding but that isn't up yet. He's been traveling a LOT for work including some international travel so finding time to complete this is a challenge. AND we're having all of the carpet replaced in our house at the end of the month so we have to work around that too. Poor Walker's dresser and crib are still boxed up in our foyer…no sense getting them out until the new carpet is in. And I've got some really cool vintage golf artwork that's just chilling in the hallway…can't really decide where to hang them until the furniture is in and we've already established that that isn't happening anytime soon, soooooo….just twiddling my thumbs on this project.

Since I can't "nest" in the nursery I started focusing on the playroom. I've started making cornice boards for the windows (a super cheap and easy DIY project) and painted her table and chairs and padded and upholstered the seat cushions. Got some cheap, bright throw pillows for the sofa and am hoping to have enough fabric left over from the cornice boards and upholstery project to be able to make a couple of throw pillows for the sofa. We'll eventually paint the playroom…probably a neutral/tan color. Nicolette's play kitchen is up there and it is red so I wanted to find something fun but not to girly to go with the red kitchen. Hopefully this will all look nice once it's all finished (if that ever happens).

Table & Chairs "Before"

Table & Chairs "After" - I think I'm going to stencil the top
with some sort of pattern

First cornice board - don't have the hardware to hang it yet

PILLOWS!

I don't remember feeling tired as easily when I was pregnant with Nicolette. I get worn out so quickly now with Walker. And not in a "I want to take a nap" sort of way. More of a "I feel like I just did 20 burpees or mountain climbers and now I can't breath and need to sit down ASAP" kind of way. Speaking of burpees and mountain climbers I have only worked out a couple of times during this pregnancy and now that I'm getting the "I'm going to black out and faint if I don't sit down every 15 minutes" feeling I'm afraid to even try. Sometimes I feel like we can go for a walk without fear of me fainting in the middle of the street but not very often. It was scary enough when it was just me while I was pregnant with Nicolette but now that I have her with me and I'm pregnant and could easily black out in the middle of our neighborhood I think I'll pass on the walks (unless we have friends with us).

I had a lengthy prenatal consult with my lactation consultant yesterday and I think we have a good plan moving forward to help breastfeeding with Walker get off to a better start than we did with Nicolette…fingers crossed and lots of prayers that I don't have to go through the rigorous schedule (see here) that I kept up for the early months with Nicolette.

Today I scheduled all of my remaining prenatal OB appointments, pre-registered at the hospital and registered Nicolette for a "sibling class" at the hospital for next month. We had a good OB appointment this morning, he was super active so the nurse had to chase him around with the monitor but his heartbeat was strong at 154 bpm. (My blood pressure is still on the low side at 90/54). I also moved the pack n play and glider into our room so that when Nicolette sees everything we can talk about where Walker is going to sleep and how things are going to change in a couple of months. She already knows where his room is and talks about it a lot. She also knows that Walker is in mommy's tummy, that she's going to be a big sister and that her brother's name is Walker. Nicolette and I went shopping today and picked out a special gift for her to bring to the hospital to give to Walker when he gets here. It's a little puppy dog lovie with his name embroidered on it. She loved carrying it around the store and seemed to understand when I told her that it was a present for her to give to her brother.

Walker is craving many of the same foods that I craved with Nicolette at this point…lots of salad and TONS OF FRUIT! Berries are my obsession…especially raspberries, but pretty much all fruit is fair game at this point…watermelon, mangos, grapes, berries, apples and I'm addicted to lemonade mixed with sparkling water to make it nice a fizzy.

Overall at nearly 33 weeks pregnant I'm feeling good but also a little nervous. Nervous about being away from Nicolette for the first time ever, nervous that this labor and delivery will likely be entirely different than my first so not knowing what to expect, nervous that I'll go to the hospital too early or even worse wait until it's too late (since last time I delivered 40 minutes after checking in I can't say that I'm the best at gauging how far along I am into my labor), nervous that Nicolette will feel neglected once Walker does arrive, nervous, nervous, nervous. But also excited. I can't wait to meet this little guy and have another baby to snuggle and love. And definitely excited about watching Nicolette love him too! We are truly, truly blessed and I thank God daily for trusting not one but two precious babies to our care. He has more faith in me than I have in myself.

What a difference 2 weeks makes...

Today is our little girl's two week birthday!!!!  Everything is already moving so quickly!

Our princess lost her little umbilical cord "stump" yesterday (July 18) - which made mommy cry.  It's sitting in a box in our room right now and I'm not sure what to do with it.  I'm sure that most people toss it right in the trash, but for me that is the last thing that connected me directly to her so it's hard to just pitch it.  I'm sure I'll be able to part ways with it eventually but for right now I'm hanging on to it.

Nicolette also received her first piece of mail yesterday from the Social Security Administration.  So fun to see a piece of mail addressed especially to her!  She's a little person with her own mail and everything :)

We had a fun newborn photo shoot this past weekend with one of my dearest friends and I can't wait to see the images.  She is so stinking cute I could just eat her up!  And yes, I WILL be THAT mother who will shove photos of my daughter in everyone's face...so just brace yourselves.

As far as mommy (aka me) goes...I know that I'm supposed to be napping when she naps throughout the day (which is A LOT - her nickname is Sleeping Beauty because she sleeps SO much and can sleep through nearly ANYTHING!!!!!) but I can't keep myself from holding her, staring at her and kissing her sweet cheeks and head.  I know that this special time where she is so tiny and helpless is going to pass by so quickly so I'm trying to live in the moment and take it all in as much as I possibly can.  Both mommy and daddy love "skin to skin" snuggle time with the little princess.  There's just something so special about having her right up against me.  I know it sounds weird but sometimes I miss being at the hospital - we spent most of our time with the 3 of us cuddled up in our little hospital bed together.  It was so nice to have all of us so close together.  I had heard friends say that having a baby really strengthened their marriage and I would have to say that so far that is definitely true for us as well.  I feel closer to the Italian than ever before.  And every time I look at her sweet face I know that  without him there would be no her.  He's a very good daddy and loves snuggle time.  He gets a little jealous because I get to spend so much more time with her due to the 9+ hours a day we spend feeding and burping!

When I look at her I cannot believe that only 2 weeks ago she was inside my body.  When I look back at my 39 week bump pic - taken 1 day before her birth and then look at my 1 week, 5 day post partum pic I can't believe the difference that 2 weeks makes!  Sometimes I miss my bump and having her safe and inside me but as soon as I see her sweet cheeks, fingers, toes, nose, lips or hair I am so glad that she's here!  I've found more joy in the simplest things like watching her sleep than I ever thought possible.  We are exclusively breastfeeding so not only did I grow a person over the past 9 months (CRAZY!), but for the past 2 weeks I have successfully kept that person alive.  This is absolutely mind boggling to me!  I know that it's natural but it still is so amazing to me now that I'm in the process myself.

39 weeks

1 week, 5 days Post Partum

Breastfeeding definitely presents it's challenges and has been difficult for a control freak like myself to undertake.  I'm big on tracking things and with breastfeeding you don't know how much she's eating or sometimes if she's eating anything at all or just comfort suckling.   Having to rely solely on dirty and wet diapers to guesstimate her intake is a little scary (especially on our first day at home when we had NO poopy diapers for 24 hours!  (I never thought that I would be so excited about another human being's bowel movements...but alas I am.  I now rejoice with every poop and pee - even the 3 am projectile poop that not only covered my hands but also the walls of her beautiful little bassinet...oops!)

We had some trouble with breastfeeding during the first week.  She had latching issues and her never ending sleepiness made it nearly impossible to feed her but we seem to be getting into the swing of things now.  It is still VERY difficult to keep Sleeping Beauty awake long enough to finish a feeding and I feel guilty but I spend most of our feeding time, poking, prodding and tickling her in order to keep her awake.  We've even resorted to a cold washcloth to help shock her a little bit when all the other pokes and tickles don't work.  I feel like she and I are getting better at it with every feeding and I have no doubts that we'll have it down pat sooner rather than later.

That's all I have time for now - Sleeping Beauty is finally awake which means it's lunch time!  Hoping for lots of messy diapers today so I know that I'm doing my job well!  :)

Is it odd that I find the number of dirty diapers more gratifying that getting signed contracts for big pieces of business at work???  :)  My how things change in just a few short weeks!    

HDBD - 39 weeks (1 week until D Day!!!!)

I am fully aware that my weekly Hump Day Bump Day posts are pretty monotonous - filled with "I can't believe we only have this many weeks left".  But this one is for real...

I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ONLY HAVE 6 DAYS LEFT UNTIL THE DUE DATE!!!!!

Now I am FULLY aware that many first time mommies do go past their due date and I'm honestly get the feeling that that is what may happen with us too.  I haven't had any contractions or any other signs that labor is near and have been sitting happy at 1cm dilated and 50% effaced for the past 2 weeks (we have another doctor's appointment on Friday so we'll see if that has changed at all).  I DO however have baby brain and not the kind where I'm forgetting everything...the kind where she's all that I can think about ("she's moving a lot, why is she moving so much", "she's not moving much, why isn't she moving, I don't think she's moved all day!!!!").  I have a hard time thinking or even talking about anything else.  I guess that's a sign of the "new normal" that we'll soon be living.  So while I don't feel like she's coming any time soon or that she'll even be here on or before her due date I am praying that we're able to avoid an induction at all costs.  Luckily my doctor really does everything possible to avoid inductions (as they tend to pose more complications for first time mothers than benefits) so I trust that they'll help walk us through this.      

Last weekend I was being a nice wife making my hubby's favorite cookies for our anniversary (yeah, I totally think that my homemade cookies are equal to the rockin' ruby and diamond pendant he bought for me) and whilst baking I ate a couple of spoonfuls of cookie batter...as soon as the second spoonful was down I started FREAKING OUT - "WHAT AM I DOING EATING RAW COOKIE DOUGH????".  I have been SOOOOO careful with what I've eaten (and NOT eaten) during this pregnancy - no deli meats, no unpasteurized cheeses or dairy, trying to avoid MSG whenever I can read ingredients and see what's in food, no meats, fish our poultry that aren't cooked well done, etc.) and now at 9 months pregnant I eat RAW COOKIE DOUGH?  What the heck was I thinking?????  I was immediately terrified that I was going to get Salmonella.  So what do I do?  First I literally throw up (TMI, I know) - I was so upset and nervous that it was like a natural reflex that couldn't be stopped and then I of course consult Google to find out how much damage I potentially may have done....BAD move...the outlook was grim, apparently salmonella does cross the placenta and can have horrible, horrible effects on the baby.  I was an absolute wreck for the entire day and night...literally did not sleep at all Sunday night - laid awake almost all night with my BabyConnect App on my iPad so that I could count fetal movements every hour.  Everything that I read said that if you do get salmonella that you're going to show symptoms within 12-72 hours - so as of today we're officially clear...no traces of salmonella, baby girl has been active and rolling around regularly and my neurotic obsession with researching this topic can subside for the time being.  

In other news - still wearing heels at work (and my stylish pantyhose - that are required, not optional), still no swelling and the jeans I have on in the pic above are actually PRE-PREGNANCY skinny jeans (I was even able to zip and button them below the belly)!  Not bragging but I am pretty happy that I still fit into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes (except for the belly of course).  I know that the weight won't fall off like Heidi Klum or Jessica Alba's (I surely will not be strutting my stuff in my underwear on a runway on national tv 6 weeks (or anytime) after childbirth), but I'm hoping that being reasonably healthy during this pregnancy will help things go somewhat back to normal once I have an outside baby instead of an inside baby.  My 6 pack may never come back but hopefully my clothes will fit!  

We're ready to meet you Nicolette!  Any day now and it can't come soon enough!!!!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!  Hope to have our own little Firework soon!!!!

HDBD - 38 weeks

Here we are at 38 weeks!  Only 1 week, 6 days until "D Day".  We have another check up tomorrow so we'll see if I'm still at 1cm or if any further progress has been made.  The official Due Date is July 11th which really doesn't mean anything.  Dr. B says to think of it as a due "month" not a due "date - so anywhere from 2 weeks before (yikes! TODAY) to 2 weeks after July 11th is when we should expect the princess to arrive. 

I'm still feeling well but am definitely more tired than I was last week.  I was literally happy, bubbly and full of energy on Saturday (for my last beautiful shower which I'll post about this week) and then woke up Sunday to feel as though a giant vacuum had sucked every bit of energy out of my body.  I don't feel "bad", still no swelling, no major discomfort, still wearing heels (with no visible waddle yet :))etc. just TIRED.  I've also had some mild/moderate cramping since Monday but I guess that's normal at this point too.    

Nicolette was very quiet and STILL last night and this morning which freaked me out so I called the doctor's office (as instructed...promise I'm not one of those worry warts who calls the doctor with every little thing.  But at my last few appointments they did encourage me to call anytime I noticed a difference in fetal movement).  Anyway, the nurse encouraged me to drink a caffeinated beverage and sit very still and count fetal movements - hoping for 10 movements within 2 hours.  So I brewed my first cup of caffeinated Green Tea in over a year and propped myself up on my bed with my laptop as I was working from home today (thank goodness).  She is slower than usual but sure enough she did perk up a little bit and I had at least 10 movements within 1 hour so feel much more comfortable.  I guess she's getting tired now too...and the nurse said she's probably running out of space as well. :)  Further proof that she is not going to be a permanent resident in my big ol' belly and will be making her grand entrance sooner rather than later!   

We're "full term"! HDBD - 37 weeks

It's hard to believe but we're considered "full term" today!  That means that if little Nicolette arrived today she would no longer be considered a preemie and would most likely be able to eat and drink on her own!  Now we still don't want her to come JUST YET - she's still practicing breathing, swallowing and all that good stuff so I'm quite content to wait until she's totally ready!

I'm still feeling good - although the little stinker is getting stronger and stronger...she kicked me (or punched me, can't tell which) so hard today that I literally yelled when it happened.  Luckily I was working from home today so I didn't scare the beegezus out of my coworkers or a client.  She still likes to scooch her little tooshie (which is getting bigger and bigger by the way) right up into my ribs.  It hurts like the dickens but that means she's still head down so I'll take it.

We had our tour of the Maternity Center on Monday and it was awesome.  We're blessed to be delivering at a beautiful hospital and all of the labor and delivery nurses that we met were so nice and friendly.  We got to stop by the nursery and see the nurses bathing a couple of babies.  I started crying (one of the many times that I cried throughout the tour).  We'll opt for baby baths IN our room...I don't want them taking her away any more than they absolutely have to.  Sweet little thing has been a part of me for 9 months and I don't want to scurry her away with a stranger just a few hours after she gets here.  We'll opt to have her room in with us as well so I think the only thing she'll have to go to the nursery for is for the pediatric examinations.  They like to do those in the nursery because the lighting is better for the doctors to be able to check her color, etc.

When we were on the way out the nurse stopped by the nursery again and there was a new baby getting ready for a bath.  The Italian could not believe how "big" the baby was so we asked and found out that the little bugger was 7lbs 14 oz. (less than either The Italian or I weighed when we were born :)

HDBD - 36 weeks!

One week until we're full term - 4 weeks until the due date!  We had our 36 week check up and Strep Test today.  Baby Nicolette is being a good girl, head down just like she should be.  She hasn't dropped yet so there is a chance that she could flip around, but at every appointment and ultrasound so far she's been head down.  And I still feel that sweet little bootie of hers pushing up into my ribs every day so I'll look at that as a blessing and not the curse that it feels like :)  The doctor didn't say anything, but my gut is telling me that this little girl is going to take her sweet time getting here - I think she'll be late. 

Here's Hump Day Bump Day pic for week #36...weird - I almost think the bump looks smaller in this pic than it did last week - but promise it's bigger! 

While Nicolette tortured me for the first 16 weeks with chronic "morning sickness" - she's definitely making up for it by being a VERY good baby now.  So far I can still wear my wedding rings and my heels and my doctor called my ankles "tiny" at my appointment today (women who have been pregnant can totally understand how incredibly flattering that one little comment can be).  I'm still sleeping through the night...soundly and haven't had to ask hubby to turn the AC to a cooler temp.  And so far (knock on wood) I have no stretch marks (praying that we can make it through the next few weeks with that still being true)!!!!!  I figured by this point my ankles would be swollen the size of my thighs, my rings would be long gone, I'd be confined to (gasp) FLATS and that I'd be functioning on less than 2 hours of sleep a night.  So THANK YOU BABY for being so nice to me.  You have no idea how much mommy appreciates this!  

Week 35-36 has brought on a severe case of NESTING.  Hubby made the mistake of reminding me that we have a Carpet Shampooer machine thingy, so I started upstairs with the nursery (shampooed that 3 times), then the two rooms upstairs (shampooed those twice), then our loft/bonus room area (shampooed that 3 times).  I asked him to bring the machine downstairs yesterday so that I could start in our room and I shampooed the carpets in our master bath and closet 3 times (twice last night and got up SUPER early this morning to hit it one more time).  Plan to work on the Master Bedroom tonight and tomorrow night and then probably work on our living room and dining room Friday and Saturday after work.  The Italian thinks I'm insane...I kind of agree, but I just will not feel right unless it is DONE.

Hubby is nesting a little bit too...on the way home from a business trip last week he stopped at a rug store because he just felt that our family room rug was too old and dirty for our new little one, so he bought an enormous Jute rug to replace it.  We both loved it until the first night we realized that our cat-child Sasha may think that we just bought her the world's largest scratching mat!  She picked at it two or three times, but we gave her a couple of quick "NO's" and she walked right over to her scratching post and did her thing there instead...she hasn't picked at the rug once since then.  Such a good kitty-child.     

We also made some serious progress in the nursery this weekend.  I took pictures with my fancy camera and now can't find the stinking USB cord to download them.  Promise that I'll get the pictures up as soon as I can - we're REALLY happy with how it's turning out!!!!!  It is so sweet and soft and pretty :)  The Italian put together the crib and dresser and helped hang the drapes, valance and some of the wall hangings this weekend.  He calls it the "princess room".  There are no princess-y things in there, it just is really, really pretty...fit for OUR princess.

So this is my last 6 day work week at work this week - praise Jesus!  I do plan to keep working right up until we go to the hospital, but no more 6 day weeks after this.  Giving tours at work is getting more and more difficult.  I'm finding that walking brings on more Braxton Hicks contractions which are NOT painful AT ALL - however they do take my breath away and literally make me winded which is kind of awkward when you're walking around our enormous hotel with a bride and her fiance and/or parents.  Luckily my teammates have offered to step up and take some of my sites for me over this last month.  I have several scheduled for Saturday that I'll have to take myself but we'll get through it.  Walking around this place is pretty much all of the exercise that I'm getting these days...well that and the insane carpet shampooing marathon.  The carpet shampooing jump starts the BH contractions too, but at least that's at home and not with strangers.

I'm really excited about The Italian's first Father's Day this weekend - he'll be enjoying watching the US Open no doubt and he gets a special present from Nicolette and Mommy...will post pics next week.

Feeling blessed to be exactly where we are right now.  It's only a matter of time now!!!!!  6 days until we're considered FULL TERM and only 27 until the official "due date"!      

HDBD - 35/35

35/35 - today we are 35 weeks pregnant with 35 days to go until D-Day!!!!

That means that after today we only have 4 weeks and 6 days!  It hardly seems possible!  And we really only have 1 week and 6 days until we are classified as "full term"  WHAT THE HECK?????

Well Nicolette is definitely GROWING...and RAPIDLY!    Below is a picture of the bump at 35 weeks (now) and below that is the bump at 33 weeks (2 short weeks ago)!  WOWZERS!  

(the bump.com says that by this point, the uterus is 1,000 times it's normal size!  yikes! I still have my doubts as to if, how and when that will go back to "normal size")

35 weeks

33 weeks

I don't know how she's growing so much - she's decided to put me on an all watermelon and cucumber diet...it's all I want to eat - but I could probably eat a 10 pound watermelon in 1-2 days if I'd let myself.  Who knew that a baby can survive and THRIVE on cucumbers with hummus or ranch dip (that I make with greek yogurt instead of sour cream) and watermelon?

I can still manage to keep myself from waddling most of the time and still sport my 4" heels at work so we're feeling G-O-O-D!  I almost hate to mention it, but I really do feel great.  I'm still sleeping through the night and sleeping WELL and I haven't seen any swelling (YET).  I attribute the lack of swelling to the cucumber and watermelon diet that Nicolette has put us on...was reading and learned that those are both foods that help reduce/eliminate swelling.   Thanks Nicolette!  So happy that she likes eating healthy stuff instead of pizza, chips. brownies and all the stuff that I expected that I would be craving! 

We got our car seat this weekend - HOORAY!  And I got some bottles at my shower this weekend, so we really have everything that we NEED to have when we bring her home.  Still lots of odds and ends to take care of but we have plenty of time for that.  I'm officially banned from buying anymore clothes (self imposed restriction).  

Starting next week we see the doctor every week.  We have our hospital tour and a meeting with another pediatrician in the coming week(s).  I have yet to pack my hospital bags - if anyone has any tips as to what to pack, please send them my way!  Want to be as efficient as possible but still have the things that I'll want to have around me in the hospital.  

Saying prayers every night that this little bun stays put and cooks a while longer so that she's nice and strong when she arrives!  Thank you Jesus for bringing us this far!!!!! :)    

HDBD 34 weeks - the home stretch

34 weeks!  Yes that's right...34 weeks!  That means that it's only 3 weeks until we are considered "full term" and only 6 weeks until her official "due date"!  How in the world did this sneak up on us????? 

I've had lots of questions about the nursery...let's just say it's still in nearly the same state as it was following "nursery-geddon" back in April (for those who missed the dramatic post, click here).  The walls are painted, the crown moulding is up (not yet puttied or painted), the closet is not painted, the chandelier is in a box on the floor and the drapes are still in their pretty Restoration Hardware packages just waiting to be hung.  We picked up the crib and dresser 2 weeks ago but that hasn't made it into the room yet since daddy still needs to finish the painting first.  I'm leaving this up to him (yes to he who said "yes we can have the nursery finished by January," back when I started planning this in November).  I'm not going to stress about it (famous last words) as we already have her pretty little bassinet set up in our room and that's where she'll stay for quite a while anyway.

Nicolette has decided to make a nice little home for herself in my right ribs...love you honey but that hurts.  I spent about half of my work day yesterday at my desk with my right arm straight up in the air just trying to create more "space" for her to settle in.  As soon as I put my arm down she'd sneak right back up into the rib...silly girl...this is not a game! :)

I had a dear friend who is insanely talented and was kind enough to take some maternity photos last week.  She posted a beautiful blog on her site at Kristin Vining Photography.  And another special (and adorable) chick was kind enough to do my hair and make up so that I didn't look like a total hot mess, she is cute as a button and has the best sense of style, you should check out her website at Lindsey Regan Thorne.  One of my favorite pics from the shoot is below :) 

The countdown is on...5 weeks and 6 days to go!

HDBD - 33 weeks & Happy Blogoversary to Me!

Sorry I'm just a wee bit late with this update.

Yesterday was a  fun day - had some professional pics of the "bump" taken by a dear friend and uber talented photographer, Ms. Kristin Vining.  If you have time you should definitely check out her website/blog - she's amazing!  www.kristinviningphotoblog.com/

I also just realized that yesterday was my Blogoversary!  That's right...one full year of "blogging" (sporadic as it may be).  For those of you who have not been following from the beginning you can catch my first post here: The first blog entry.  But our journey began long before the first blog entry and that is something that believe it or not I've actually started to forget about.  It seems so strange that something that consumed my life for 2 1/2-3 years now seems almost like if couldn't have been real.  Now we have everything that we could have hoped for - ours just came with a little more time, money and needles than most.  Looking back I wouldn't change a thing because if it had happened any other way we wouldn't be getting ready to welcome Nicolette into our family...I believe that everything happened the way it did so that SHE could be a part of our little fam.  We can't wait to meet her...only 7 weeks or so to go!!!!

HDBD - 31 weeks!

So here we are at 31 weeks!  Only 8 weeks and 6 days away from D-Day or 5 weeks and 6 days away from being considered "full term". 

Had a busy week last week working on my favorite event of the year.  Here are a couple of pics snapped at my 13th hour of work from Tuesday evening's gala event :)  Still hangin in there and might I add that I'm still able to rock my 4" heels for the full day.  Those who know me well know that I don't do flats...I really only own 1 pair (and they're leopard print ballet flats so they won't go over too well with my conservative dress code at work).  My plan is to rock the heels until delivery day (so long as they don't hurt me or the bambino). 

After a busy week at work the hubs and I were able to spend Friday at the Wells Fargo Championship.  He's so sweet, all week long he kept saying that he didn't want me to go to the tournament because I'm 7 months pregnant...he must have missed the news story about the woman who ran the marathon at 8 1/2 months pregnant.  I think I can handle a few hours walking around the golf course honey, but it's sweet that you're concerned.  I'm glad the weather cooled off a little so that he felt comfortable taking me out there with him.  I have been getting a little stir crazy since I've been afraid to leave the house to go for walks by myself due to my light headedness/dizzy/almost fainting spells so it was nice to be outside and walking around for a while.  I know that the weather here will be in the upper 90's before we know it and then I probably won't want to be outside even if I could! 

And I wrapped up the weekend with some nursery shopping with my mom.  God bless Babies 'R Us and their 20% off coupons.  We got Nicolette's bassinet - I'll post a picture in a post later this week.  We set it up in our room and put the batteries in the little light, noise maker, vibrating thingy.  It was fun to turn it on last night and see what Sasha (our cat child) did.  She was VERY curious...especially when we put it on the nature sounds instead of the music.  But she was a good kitty - she didn't try to hop in the bassinet at all - she does however like to curl up in the storage basket underneath (where we're supposed to keep diapers, wipes, etc.).  I think that may be Sasha's new nap time spot which is fine with me as long as she's not trying to get IN the bassinet where the baby sleeps.  We'll let her think that we bought it especially for her.  Chance (our dog child) couldn't care less.  He's the most mellow dog you'll ever meet...didn't even sniff the bassinet or anything, just laid down on his bed right next to it and went to sleep.

As for cravings - I can't get enough FRUIT...watermelon, pineapple, mango, apples, grapes, berries...on two separate occasions I have eaten a pound to a pound and a half of grapes in one day...that can't be normal!  At least she likes fruit and not brownies and ice cream :)

And Tuesday was my birthday - 35 and proud WAHOO!  This means that I am officially of "advanced maternal age" - sounds awesome right?  We had a check up with Dr. Bale and so far everything is progressing just beautifully.  When I asked about the light headedness/fainting, Dr. Bale said that most women just get "pregnancy brain" where they get a little forgetful (this is a legitimate thing by the way caused by the majority of the blood in your body going to your little one instead of up to your noggin).  I haven't been forgetful (or at least not that I remember) so he said that my version of pregnancy brain is just getting dizzy, light headed and almost fainting.  cool.  Now don't feel too sorry for me...it doesn't happen every day, just once in a while and totally randomly so I'm a-ok. 

Little Nicolette is probably right around 3 pounds today.  We have our 3d/4d ultrasound next week and I can't wait to see her little face!  I'm sure that it has changed so much since our 19 week ultrasound! 

And I just realized that I'm wearing black in all of these pictures - no I am not in mourning and yes I do own and wear other colors...promise!

HDBD - 30 weeks

So I must apologize but I really have nothing clever to say today.  However today is Hump Day Bump Day and we are officially 30 weeks along.  That means only 7 weeks until we're considered "full term" (HOLY SMOKES) and 10 weeks until the estimated due date. 

Little girl is making lots of use out of the space she has on the right side of my body but seems to have missed the memo that she can hang out on the left side too.  Sometimes it feels like she's trying to crawl all the way around to my back so I gently nudge her back to try to get her centered a little bit.

I was thrilled to receive an awesome baby gift last night which included Mustela® baby care products.  I've been struggling to find a brand of soap, shampoo, lotion etc that I was comfortable using for little Nicolette.  I try to use paraben, phthalate-free products for myself and the Italian and really want to do the same for our sweet little one as well and this line of products fits the bill perfectly!    I've included some more info on Mustela® products and parabens below:

Mustela® Our Commitments

Expert Naturalness

• Priority is given to ingredients of natural origin that are rigorously selected
• Exclusion of questionable ingredients: paraben-free, phthalate-free, phenoxyethanol-free, essential oil-free, alcohol-free and Bisphenol A (BPA)-free

Proven Effectiveness

• Proven results from medical testing under actual conditions of use
• Products developed in close collaboration with healthcare professionals

Guaranteed Safety

• Hypoallergenic products and rigorous tolerance testing
• Traceability of our ingredients and products, from suppliers to point of sale

Special Pleasure to Use

• Development of pleasant textures
• Selection of delicate scents 

Environmental Commitment

• Our boxes are made using wood from sustainably managed forests and are printed with ink containing vegetable oils.
• Concrete actions being taken to reduce the use of plastic, paper and cardboard for packaging (recyclable recipients, deletion of inserts, etc.)

From wikipedia:

Parabens are a class of chemicals widely used as preservatives by cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Parabens are effective preservatives in many types of formulas. These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bactericidal and fungicidal properties. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteral pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution, makeup,^[1] and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives.
Their efficacy as preservatives, in combination with their low cost, the long history of their use, and the inefficacy of some natural alternatives like grapefruit seed extract (GSE),^[2] probably explains why parabens are so commonplace. They are becoming increasingly controversial, however, because they have been found in extremely low concentrations in breast cancer tumors (an average of 20 nanograms/g of tissue).^[3] Parabens have also displayed the ability to slightly mimic estrogen (a hormone known to play a role in the development of breast cancer).^[3] No effective direct links between parabens and cancer have been established, however.^[4] Another concern is that the estrogen-mimic aspect of parabens may be a factor in the increasing prevalence of early puberty in girls.^[5]

Hellooooo 3rd Trimester! - It's Hump Day Bump Day again!

I can't believe we made it to the 3rd trimester!  Only 11 short weeks (or so) until little Nicolette graces us with her presence.  I honestly cannot believe it! 

We had a busy week last week (hence the lack of a HDBD post for 28 weeks). 

• The dreaded glucose test was last week.  For those not familiar you drink this BIG cup of SUGARY, SYRUPY drink - think of an orange crush soda with extra sugar and NO carbonation.  You have to finish within 5 minutes and then have your blood drawn exactly 1 hour later.  This tests to see if you have gestational diabetes.  So far I haven't heard anything back about the results and the doc said with this test that "no news is good news".  So I guess you don't hear anything if you pass, only if you fail.  Fingers crossed that we're still good and that we don't hear from the doc until our next appointment (on my birthday!!!  Now we start going every two weeks for check ups). 
• The Italian had cataract surgery...no he is not 100 years old...just has had lots of unfortunate eye problems.  So we spent a couple of days on that and recovery - so far all is looking good.  His vision was actually 25/20 the day after surgery even with his eye still being dialated which the eye doctor said was AMAZING!  YAY!  He has another follow up tomorrow so prayers that all continues to look good.  He says it feels like he has an eyelash in his eye a lot of the time and he catches a glare out of his right eye and I'm hoping the doc says that that is all normal and that it will subside with time.   
• We had our Childbirth Preparation class Friday night and all day Saturday.  The Italian was a little bored, but definitely learned a lot - he thought all women delivered babies flat on their backs like they do in the movies.  Boy was he surprised when we had to watch "THE video" with 6 live births.  Fun times.  He's going to be an "uptown dad" - no need for the full show downtown.   
• The most fun was Nicolette's first Baby Shower this weekend with my work family!  This little girl is going to be spoiled rotten!!!!  We're starting to set up some of the "stuff" that we got for her around the house to see how our cat-child and dog-child react.  Chance (dog-child) is so mellow he really doesn't even seem to notice but Sasha (cat-child) is VERY curious.  We set up Nicolette's bathtub in our bathroom and she's been eyeing it for the past few days.  We're lucky to have very friendly, not aggressive in the least pets but Sasha does like to snuggle so I'm hoping to set up the bassinet in our room sometime in May or June to see what she does with it in the room.
• Little Nicolette is definitely making use of the space she's created in this belly of mine.  I swear I think she's doing toe touches or cartwheels in there because I'll feel (and see) her kicking in all different directions AT THE SAME TIME.  It's fun to watch!  :)      

And that brings us to this week - I've got some big events at work this weekend running into next week and trying to remind myself (in advance) to pace myself.  Still get awfully lightheaded now and then but the doctor swears that my 80/42 blood pressure is A-OK.  Whatevs...as long as I don't pass out I guess it's ok.     

And then NEXT weekend I'm so-hostessing a baby shower for a dear friend and former Panther Cheerleader teammate at our house!!!!  Babies, babies everywhere!!!!

Happy Hump Day Bump Day! 

29 weeks!!!!!!



World War III

Now I'm not usually one to air out my dirty laundry but here goes.  So ya know how I've been surprised at how I'm not freaking out about not having anything done for little Nicolette?  Well, I think perhaps I've repressed some of that energy (which beautifully released itself this weekend)...here's the story -

Friday night I mentioned to the Italian that I had to work on Saturday.  I knew that he was off this weekend so asked him if he thought he could "finish up" in the nursery.  (Note that that was a question, not a demand).  Now the tasks that the Italian had offered to complete for project nursery were paint walls, paint ceiling, install crown moulding (his idea, not mine) and paint said crown moulding.  He answers "yes".  He already had the walls painted so needed to paint the ceiling and handle the crown moulding.  So in my mind the affirmative answer meant that all would be completed this weekend - hooray!  (sidenote - we had already committed to Easter lunch with my parents on Sunday so I knew that that was going to eat into his schedule along with the Masters being on TV - apparently a national week of reverance for those who love golf). 

So I get home from work Saturday and notice that the hubs is not home - I looked in the nursery and nothing had been done so I thought SURELY he had made a trip to Lowe's or Home Depot to pick up some much needed supplies.  I go about my evening busying myself with chores when he bee-bops in and I realize that he was not at aforementioned home improvement stores but out playing golf.  Hmmmm...so I'm not the kind to blow up - I'm even worse I'm a passive aggressive pain in the arse.  (This is not a pregnancy hormone related issue...it's just how I roll - not proud of it, but I recognize and own it completely).  He notices aforementioned passive aggressive pouting and asks what is wrong and I calmly state that I thought he was going to finish up the nursery...things escalate within a matter of 5 minutes reaching a fevered pitch as he calls me a nag and tells me to get off his back and it ends with me telling him that I think he's lazy and that I hate golf.  (now the ironic thing is that he was more offended with the "I hate golf" statement than the fact that I called him lazy - who would have thought that would be the bigger insult?  Guys are weird...Lesson learned). 

Then comes Sunday morning.  The Italian is up earlier than usual and heads to Lowes for crown moulding supplies.  He returns as a man on a mission - bound and determined to prove me wrong and finish the project by the end of the weekend.  Oh and did I mention that he's happy about it...REAL happy about it (note sarcasm).  

Needless to say, he did NOT make it to my parent's house for Easter so it was just Nicolette, myself and Grandma and Grandpa for the day.  It was nice though - we got to skype with some of my relatives in Iowa - none of whom I have seen since our wedding (nearly 7 years ago)!!!!!

So lessons learned -

• For wife: Do not call your husband lazy (especially when he really isn't - he's actually super handy and takes care of 99.9% of our home projects and renovations - granted he does so on his own timing which is where we butt heads...when I say I'm going to do something, I like to do it immediately.  Him?  Not so much - he'll get to it when he gets to it and he might say that he'll get to it today which I am supposed to know means it might be another month). 
• For husband: Do not tell your wife that you will complete a project AND go to her parent's house over the weekend if you are really planning to spend an entire day playing golf which will make it impossible to complete said committments.

By the time I got home Sunday night, the crown moulding was up, ceiling was painted and all was well with the Italian happily watching Bubba Watson win the Masters (have to admit I'm a Bubba Watson fan so I was happy about that "win" too http://www.faithnews.cc/2012/04/02/pga-golfer-bubba-watson-lets-his-light-shine/).
   
Aside from that drama (which really should not have been drama at all) not much is going on.  Today is Hump Day Bump Day, so here we are at 27 weeks!!!!  She's taking over for sure!  Next week I'll officially be in the THIRD TRIMESTER - the HOME STRETCH!!!!  I can't believe it!  My due date is exactly 3 months from today! 

I'll post pics of "Project Nursery" soon!  We still have no furniture - but we'll make sure she has somewhere to sleep before she arrives :) 

HDBD ~ 26 weeks

Wowzers!  26 weeks and time is FLYING by faster than I can keep track!  Nicolette is growing, growing, growing (and so am I...OBVIOUSLY - see below).  So far we're feeling pretty good...only thing is that I'm a little worried about my blood pressure...I had another incident the other morning where I almost passed out.  This time while walking Chance in the morning before work.  eek!  I managed to stumble across the street and land on all fours in someone's drive way and then took a minute to collect myself and picked myself up to walk back home.  I sat for a little bit and was then totally fine.  I had eaten breakfast before my walk and was feeling just dandy when we headed out until all of the sudden I totally was NOT.  I can't think of anything else to relate to other than my BP.  My BP was 80/50 at my last appt and the Doc and Nurses all say that that is GOOD. 

Has anyone else had blood pressure issues or fainting spells while preggers?  I haven't passed out yet, but have felt on the very brink of it several times.  I called the Doctor's office and their wise advice is just not to stand up so much.  Hmmmm - sounds brilliant right?  And oh so practical.  Whatevs.  Other than that, I feel totally fine so I guess I'll just continue to keep my phone with me and hope I don't need it! 

Here's one thing I'm VERY excited about!  Nicolette's first CHEERLEADING UNIFORMS!!!!!  The Panthers had a clearance sale on these little gems (probably related to the new logo that's being rolled out and the switchover from Reebok to Nike sponsorship for the NFL).  Anyway, they didn't have any little infant uniforms, but I did snag an 18 month and a 24 month outfit for her :)  My girl HAS to promote her Panther Pride! :) 



CHEERS TO YOU ALL!!!!!

HDBD - 25 weeks

25 WEEKS!!!!!

That means only 15 weeks or so until our precious little Nicolette arrives!  I can NOT believe it!!!!  Time is REALLY starting to FLY by!  We've had a busy week this week and I have a feeling that things are only going to be getting busier and busier. 

Daddy painted the nursery this week and will be putting up crown moulding in her room over the next week or two.  After that we need to pick out a chandelier (every little girl needs some *bling* in her room) and purchase some of the nursery furniture.  We're considering re-carpeting the upstairs so if we decide to do that we'll probably do so before we get the furniture. 

I'm surprised at how calm I am considering that I have not purchased ONE THING for baby Nicolette (- ok that's not totally true.  The night we found out she was a "she" I bought a bib that says "Daddy's Little Princess" - but that is TRULY the only thing that I've purchased.)  For those who don't know me this is NOT how I usually operate.  I would normally have an entire spreadsheet devoted to what we're going to purchase and when including the price, where we're purchasing it from and where it will be stored until we're ready to set it up and it's final resting place.  YES, I am aware that this is totally annoying but that's how I roll...normally.  (God bless my husband for being able to stay married to me through this annoying way of life and God bless my coworkers who also have to deal with new spreadsheets created to analyze every possible scenario).  Anyway, for some reason I don't feel my usual compulsive need to make endless lists and obsess over every detail - hopefully this is preparation for motherhood and me starting to realize that "I can't control EVERYTHING", "I don't need to control EVERYTHING", "Even if EVERYTHING isn't done before she gets here, it will in fact be DONE when it needs to be done." and "If I do try to control everything I will surely be disappointed because it is guaranteed NOT to go the way I plan." 

I went for the tour at the Pediatrician's office last night and really LOVED the doctors we met with.  Very nice and friendly and seem very easy to work with.  I have a feeling that we will be spending A LOT of time there over the next few years. 

This week I had a few pregnancy moments that I haven't yet experienced.  Monday I felt like my lungs were squished and that I couldn't catch a full breath.  So I was out of breath all day and just constantly trying to take quick little breaths.  I also felt crazy hungry but when I would start to eat I felt like there was no room in my body for the food to go so I couldn't eat much.  Now I've heard friends talk about this, but I always thought that these "side effects" crept up later in preganancy.  Luckily it was only Monday and by Tuesday I was breathing normally once again.  Then I had my first encounter with what is known as Round Ligament Pain Monday night and all day Tuesday.  I started out for a walk after work and on the latter half of the walk all of the sudden my hip flexors started to get insanely tight.  For any of my running friends out there if you've ever had tight hip flexors and it feels like it's on the verge of "popping" - that is what it felt like.  You know that intense pain right before a joint or something pops - well that was it, only there was no popping just the pain which caused me to waddle - yes WADDLE LIKE A DUCK for 36 hours.  If I stood up too quickly getting out of bed, out of the car or at work I would feel almost a stabbing pain and I'd have to bite my tongue to keep from shouting and then that would make myself laugh which again invoked more stabbing pain.  Yesterday was interesting to say the least.  Weird thing is that I woke up this morning and felt totally fine.  No more waddling for me (YET - I'm sure that will change soon).

And I'm convinced that Nicolette is going to be a Rockette - good Lord she's got some powerful KICKS.  I was standing up talking to a co worker yesterday and one of the guys at work who was walking by stopped and said, "Oh my gosh!  Did your baby just move???"  I said yes that she'd been a little hyper active and he said, "I saw it, I saw it!".  Oh boys - they are so funny.  :) 

Still no serious cravings or anything crazy popping up with the appetite.  I've craved sugary treats a little more than usual over the past week but not anything totally out of the ordinary.  She still loves fruit and veggies!  And fresh strawberries with Nutella is a dessert favorite of hers (and daddy's too) :) 

And I'm finally into Maternity Clothes for work.  The regular work attire was NOT cutting it anymore.  For any mommies to be out there, you should totally look into ebay when looking for clothing.  I've ordered several work dresses that are all NEW WITH TAGS and would normally sell for $70 - $150 for $30 or less from ebay.  I've found that sizing is still pretty consistent with what I would normally wear, just with a big old bump in the front!  :)  I will say that Old Navy stuff is NOT working for me.  Darn shame - that stuff is priced RIGHT! 

So here's today's "bump" picture - 25 weeks and counting!!!! 

Thanks for continued thoughts and prayers! 

Much love to all of our friends & family who have been so very supportive!  xoxo

HDBD - 23 weeks

It's Hump Day Bump Day once again!  23 weeks and counting!!!!  Nicolette is definitely out of hiding now!!!!!

I still haven't bought any maternity clothes but my selections in my closet are limited.  I think I have 3 dresses that I can wear to work (God bless A-line and shift dresses).  So, sorry co-workers, but you're gonna have to get used to my outfit recycling...promise that I do laundry on a regular basis!  

Nicolette is kicking up a storm - she really likes to sit up by my right ribs.  When we went to the doctor Tuesday the nurse even commented about how she's curled up in a little ball way up high on the right.  She had a strong heartbeat at 147 BpM.  Hubs still hasn't felt the kick - she'll be going at it for a little while so I'll have him come over and put his hand on her and I guess she's either shy or trying to make a liar out of me and she totally stops.  Hopefully he'll feel her in the next couple of weeks.  She either absolutely LOVES fruit or is totally irritated by it so that is pretty much always guaranteed to get a reaction.  I guess I'll just keep downing oranges and pineapple to see if daddy can feel her sometime soon.  

Hoping hubby will make some more progress painting the nursery this weekend - I'm still frustrated that I can't help with the painting. That is one home improvement task that I actually CAN do (and usually enjoy it too)!  I know there are mixed thoughts on whether women should paint or not.  I have girlfriends who have painted and everything has been perfectly fine however I logged on to the American Pregnancy Association's website to check out their thoughts just before I was ready to open a can of paint and read that they really don't recommend it.  Specifically they state that "Avoiding paints and solvents is the safest course of action" Then to make it worse I logged on to a message board and read a message from a mother who said that as the mother of a handicapped child she will wonder for the rest of her life it it had to do with the painting that she did while she was pregnant.  ACK!  That scared the living daylights out of me and I literally RAN away from the paint can.  For the rest of the day I wouldn't come near the Italian or the fume infested room...still haven't stepped into it fully 4 days later as I want all of the paint fumes gone.  We used low VOC paint, but still...with all that we've been through to bring little Nicolette here we'd rather be safe than sorry.  Luckily the Italian's a pretty handy guy so he's got it under control (he just doesn't always operate on my time schedule). 

That's all for now...feeling blessed beyond belief and loving every moment of this pregnancy (even the 14 weeks of constant sickness in the very beginning). Hard to believe that she'll be here in just a few months!!!