39 Weeks and Waiting!!!

This will probably be my last post before Julianna arrives. I can't believe it's only 2 days until my due date!

I have been doing a few things here and there the last week to prepare, including:

• Got my hair cut and highlighted (must look good in hospital pics! haha)

• Made two casseroles and put them in the freezer

• Installed car seat and had it "inspected" at the fire station (they were very helpful and gave me a thorough tutorial!)

• Bought a video camera (the in-laws will definitely appreciate this when they have to leave their grand baby and head back to India... "we'll send videos, we promise!")

• Laid out Julianna's "take home" outfit. Will it be comfortable? too warm? too cold? Guess she can survive anything for the two and a half mile ride home in her safety inspected car seat!

Everyone has been asking how I'm feeling. And up until early last week, I was fine. I kept wondering what all the fuss was about. But lately, I'm starting to feel the changes: sore back, getting up 100 plus times a night to use the restroom, gaining a slight waddle in the evenings. I know the pain "THAT DAY" is going to involve, so up until now, I've been okay with putting it off. But since it is inevitable, I'm starting to think, lets just get it over with!! Grandma Cristy (my mom) is arriving on Saturday (my due date), so I'm willing to wait until then, but I'm going to grow ever more impatient after that! What? Only 5% of women actually deliver on their due date? I thought the point of surprise birthday parties was to surprise the birthday girl, not her mother! ugh.

Anyway, I'm posting some pics taken recently of Matt and I. My childhood friend, Amy - from Oklahoma, who visited about a month ago, did a fabulous job of capturing how excited Matt and I are about welcoming Julianna into the world.

Julianna Sleeps Here

It's ready. It's waiting. Here are a few pics of the nursery.

Here is the quilt, almost in completion. The nursery looks so empty without it, but I had to let mom take it back to Denver with her to finish quilting it. She promises to have it finished when she comes back for Julianna's Birth Day. (I wonder if writing it down in words on my BLOG will make her feel any more pressure to fulfill this promise!)

I'm so excited to have an original quilt designed and made by my mom and I. We made it large enough to fit on a twin bed, so Julianna can use it for years to come. And she'll always know that Grandma Cristy made something just for her!

The "mobile" hanging above the crib. Don't worry, it's securely fastened to the ceiling! Daddy was worried little wooden birdhouses might come crashing down on his Princess' head. We used fabric from the quilt to make the leaves and we painted the tops of the birdhouses to match the color scheme. This little jewel is from Lina who designed and cross-stitched it herself! Love it.

The other side of the room has the bird flash cards we used for inspiration hanging above the changing table (the same changing table my mom used to change my wee bum, I might add).

And a few shelves to store little knick knacks. There is still a bit of empty wall space here and there. I'm planning to hang black and white baby pics of Matt, myself and our parents. Hopefully that will come together before Julianna becomes a teenager!

Thanks for looking. :)

July 4th: 33 weeks

I seriously considered not posting any more pregnancy pictures. Thought maybe I could just leave the last impression in your heads of me pregnant at 31 weeks, and deny that in the last ten weeks of pregnancy your belly starts tripling in size. But then I realized that you are going to want to see shower pics and nursery pics and rather than stun you with my large belly that sometimes bumps into things on its own and often finds itself in pictures, I figured I should just get to posting.

We enjoyed a nice 4th of July weekend at home in Seattle. My mom was here for two weeks helping me set up the nursery and just prepare... mentally. Matt cooked us burgers, mom worked on quilting and we all enjoyed another year of spectacular fireworks from our own deck. Matt and I couldn't help but think that this will be the last year that there are just two Georges in this house for the 4th of July. Next year, we'll probably fall asleep at 7pm and miss the fireworks all together!

31 Weeks: Feeling Prego!

Several of you have asked me to post some pictures of myself. I know you are all curious what I am looking like these days, and I have been surprised actually how few pictures I have taken of myself since I have started showing. So here are a few to quench your curiosity!

And how has Matt been looking these days? Well, a bit strapped down! :)

Last weekend we went to a five hour "Day About Baby" class at the hospital where I am going to deliver. We got tips and information about Characteristics to expect when Julianna is first born, Bathing, Swaddling, Diapering options and various ways to "carry" the baby. Matt got some first hand practice with a doll and a body sling. It was a fun day, and only increased our ever growing anticipation of Julianna's arrival!

Starting the Nursery...

Just wanted to post something quick, since it's been a while. Mom will be here in two weeks to help me start putting the nursery together, and I know she's been working on finishing the bird quilt. Can't wait to see it all put together!

So we thought of this cute idea for a "mobile" which I'll hang somewhere in the nursery. May still add some ribbons or fabric leaves with buttons. But thought I'd give you a peek in the meantime.

This week I've been cleaning out the garage to make room for the queen bed we will have to store once the crib is in place. Matt and I are going tonight to pick up the crib, and I can't wait!

Week 28: Corn syrup anyone?

This little baby is a sugar high (and crash) disguised in a cute little bottle and colored a pretty shade of red. I had to drink it so the doctor could do a standardized test for diabetes. I had heard rumors that it was horrible tasting and likely to cause gagging, but while drinking it I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't much different from Big Red or Koolaid. That is until I finished it and started feeling light-headed and immediately wanted to eat something to balance out the sugar rush, but couldn't because I had to fast for an hour before taking the test.

I know you were feeling its effects as well, because you started bouncing all around in my belly like you were jumping on a trampoline. Even the nurse got a smile on her face when she listened for your heartbeat and you kicked and squirmed as soon as she laid a hand on my stomach. They say kids will bounce off the walls when they are given sweets, but I hadn't realized they meant off the walls of my uterus (evidently, I'm already becoming desensitized in regards to speaking about unpleasant sounding parts of my anatomy - please forgive!). No more sugar for you until you are 18, Little Missy!

I also got my RhoGham shot today (to negate me from making any antibodies if our blood types were to mix) and will have to get another one after your birth. The doctor told me that from now until your birth date I have to do "kick counts" every day. This means that I have to count 10 kicks from you within any two hour increment during the day (best done after eating a meal). You have been pretty active lately, so I don't think this will be a very big challenge for either of us. My next appointment is in two weeks. Evidently I better start getting your nursery decorated, because more frequent trips to the doctor's office means I am in my third trimester and you will soon be here!!

Week 27: Colorado

This week I spent 10 days at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Colorado. The whole trip was a little surreal knowing that this would be the last time I visited before you become a permanent fixture in our lives. Although we can't wait for you to get here, we know that things will never be the same once you do. So I enjoyed:

• taking a couple of peaceful naps while it rained lightly and thunder clouds rolled in;

• taking a walk around the lake with Grandpa and stopping at Java Groove to have a cup of joe as has become our little tradition; 

• shopping with Grandma, leisurely enjoying a fabric store and a scrapbook supply store; 

• meeting several of Grandma's new friends during a journaling session which she held at her house. During one of the exercises, we were supposed to imagine our lives three years from now and write about that day in present tense as if it was happening now. I know you were on both of our minds, envisioning you as a toddler, a whole new dimension added to our lives.

Uncle Jarrett stopped by as well. He is such a family oriented guy, and I'm always amazed at the importance he places on being around while I am there. He is so excited about becoming an Uncle and he really wanted to feel you kick. But every time he tried, you sat as still as could be. Maybe you were just trying to save that special moment for him when he has his own baby on the way (a moment that he hopes is still an eternity away!). 

Lastly, Grandma and I worked on your baby quilt. Grandma has been a long time quilter, but it wasn't until now that I have really taken any interest in the hobby. We spent several days designing the quilt and then cutting fabric and piecing it all together. Now grandma is left with binding and quilting it. I'm glad that it was something we could do together, and it will always be a reminder of your grandmother whether it is hanging in your nursery, folded at the end of your bed or keeping us warm while we watch a movie on the couch. In these technology centric times, there is no better way to show love than spending hours on end, laboring over a one of a kind work of art with the recipient central in our minds. A true labor of love.

You were already a very central part of my trip and you haven't even yet graced us with your unique presence! We love you Julianna.

It's hard to see what the finished quilt will look like, but it will have two columns of birds (one on each side) with pinwheels in the middle. We are also adding a thin raspberry border and a thicker turquoise border around the outside perimeter. More pictures to come when it's all finished!