Time is Ticking ...

People, we are currently at 23 weeks and 1 day (or 3 days, depending on what doctor you talk to at my office).  Plenty of time in real life time. But boy oh boy you don't need a growing out of the womb baby for time to fly by! I sometimes feel like I have a ton of time ... and then I think about what we have to do and think we have No time. *Part of it is I like to pretend the baby is due in the beginning of July just so that I'm done with everything by then because seriously, do you think I'm gonna wanna be running around like a crazy person in the July heat, 9 months preggo. Yea, I don't think so*  So on my "target to be ready" date, we only have like 2.5 months! Ahh! Scary thought!

The good news:  I have been feeling a little bit better! I thought I was headed on the path of a real pregnant woman a couple of weeks ago and started to eat accordingly, but that didn't go so well so now I realize, if I eat healthy and normal sized, I can stay unsick enough to be a productive human being. (I do still long for the days when I can get through a day without any nausea, but beggers, my friends, cannot be choosers).  If I play it safe, I get a good couple of productive hours a day!  Which is awesome .. because our baby furniture is here!! 5-7 weeks early! So now I actually have to do some work on cleaning out the nursery.  We made massive progress a couple weekends ago, moving out all the junk (yes JUNK) that had built up, filling garbage bags with trash, boxes for salvation army, and moving out random pieces of furniture we just outgrew.  The room already looks 10x better.  All I really have to tackle is ... the books! I have A LOT of books.  And I'm keeping two bookshelves in the condo so I don't have to clean out all my books, but seriously, it's time to get rid of the riffraff. If I didn't like reading the textbook in college, what makes me think I'm going to like reading it now when I'm spending my days chasing a kid around the house, cleaning, cooking, prepping auditions, sides, and working. Yea, probably not going to want to snuggle up with a book I didn't even comprehend in college. :) Sooo ... organizing my books are my goal for the week! I hope to paint the room at the end of the month and move the furniture in in mid May!! Then I can start decorating! Fun fun!

Other good news: After much hmming and hawwing, I got my hair highlighted! The horror I know! Anyone older than my generation is like "NOO! No hair color!" But after talking to my doctors, my friends, my stylists, Michael Anthony himself, and a bunch of anxiety and nerves, I was confident that highlights are safe in pregnancy and trust me, I'm a much happier, more positive person when my hair is blonder! (sue me!) Which I'm happy to say, it currently is.  (With some added lowlights to help the blonde grow out evenly enough to avoid having to deal with the chemicals again till after the babe is out!) No but seriously, Aveda is not even really chemicals, its totally natural! 

The bad news: I gave in and bought maternity clothes yesterday. Blah. But I was seriously running out of things to wear. The same 3 shirts do not a wardrobe make. Though I gotta say, the maternity jeans I bought, super comfy and cute! I may never go back to buttoning a tight pair of jeans again when I can just slip my belly sleeve over my tum tum and call it a day :)

And honestly, whoever decided to put maternity clothes in the back of baby stores, GENIUS. For the stores. Not for me, my mom, or our wallets.  Walking into Baby Gap/Maternity Gap, I said "Ok mom, put the blinders out, these clothes are too cute and too expensive to buy without knowing what size he is actually wearing, let's just check out the maternity wear and come back after he's born to shop for him." Ever try to put blinders on my mom in a baby store? Doesn't work. And then I have to take off the blinders to find her and well it's just not good.  I sure hope my son is a good sport and let's me dress him in an outfit that consists of 6 different pieces of clothing making him look super adorable!  Needless to say, our bags broke in the Gap (thanks to the nice Gap employee who helped us out with some new shopping bags to repack our riches) and we decided to call it a day!

Vroom, vroom!

Do you know how many different kinds of strollers you can buy for your little one?! A. FREAKIN. LOT. Scott and I had no problem choosing a new car. We literally threw a couple of car options on the floor, weeded through the "out of our price range" ones and were left with one that we both really liked. We looked at it, test drove it, and picked out all of our options within a week.  (No we didn't actually buy it yet but that's another story).  Point is, decision made. Easy.  With strollers, we could not seem to do it! We have been looking at affordable Graco and Chicco travel systems, trendy Bobs, smart sized City Minis, and on and on.  We have literally gone back and forth on many different kinds, been in love and hated the same stroller in the same day, taken a bunch for "test walks" around stores. But we could not decide.

Until Saturday.  After spending literally 2.5 hours, mostly in the stroller/car seat section of Buy Buy Baby, we were pretty certain we both liked the same stroller! The Bumbleride Indie! Hurray!! It seemed to be the perfect fit for us.  It had the maneuverability of the Bob (which was literally bigger than me, folded up, yep couldn't even lift it! I can't believe everyone in our neighborhood has one and stores it somewhere), but it was also smaller and more compact (not as small as the cute little city mini), and I can lift it, close and open it by myself (after a few embarrassing attempts), use the basket (seriously more of an issue on some of these pricey strollers than you would think), and with an infant seat in it did not seem much bigger than a Graco or Chicco travel system.  Perfect for tackling city streets/sidewalks, long days at the zoo, even getting through some snow on the ground, all without being too big and bulky to handle. And we both really liked it! So OF COURSE they only had ONE left in the store, in the brightest green color ever, and weren't getting any more in. Typical. So I spent the last 2 days trying to track one down in the natural/neutral lava color.

*Everyone* was sold out of them. Apparently, the 2010's are currently being phased out, hence the clearance prices we have been seeing on the greens, reds, and pinks that we did find.  The 2011's will be here soon supposedly, but the "new standard options" on the 2011 are kinda just useless reasons to up the price and none of the stores knew when they were getting their 2011 shipments so we really wanted to find the 2010 (and pay a clearance price!).  I am happy to report that after running all over Lincoln Park tonight (and with the awesome help of Sarah from the Land of Nod who totally "miracle on 34th streeted" us and checked all the competitor stores searching for us!) we located *ONE* left at Galt Baby in Old Orchard!! We rushed up there and voila! Stroller purchased!! At 15% off! Huzzah!  Now I just need my beautiful baby to push around in it. Or I can practice with Maizy I guess ... :)

Mid Way Point!! (+ 1 week!)

21 weeks!!!

I meant to record my progress at the mid way point, but this week just got away from me! Which is not a bad thing. One less week till much less nausea and tons more baby cuddlin' :)

I had a dr. appointment this week, my 20(ish) week checkup and am happy to report that, for almost the first time, it was uneventful. I got in, weighed in with a weight gain (huzzah!), saw my doc quickly (didn't even need a cervical exam like i have every.other.time!), she answered my questions (reassured me I could, indeed, highlight my incredibly dull colored hair!), told us the ultrasound looked good (yay!), refilled my prescription (ugh stupid never ending nausea!), and sent us on our way.  A 25 minute from off to elevator to back to the elevator is a HUGE improvement for me :)

Annnd, I even bought snack food at the grocery store this week! Which means, there's an appetite a little bit! (Honestly, I feel nice and sick right now since eating said chips ahoy, but the fact that I ate them in the first place remains a small success.) 

And today Scott and I went to register at the last of the baby stores we wanted to do so at. 
*I gotta say, for those in the same place or will be someday, we are highly unimpressed with the selection and customer service at Babies R Us in comparison to Buy Buy Baby.  If you have the opportunity to choose between the two, we both highly recommend BBB. Though there were just a couple things I want to remember to get a BRU that BBB did not carry so we have a small registry there. And, after much much looking around, I also have to say, though the prices may be a tad higher, no bedding compares with the styles at Pottery Barn Kids. I love everything on our registry there more than anything else anywhere. :)*

Anywho, all of this adds up to a highly productive 20th week of pregnancy! (complete with a tiny vibrating soft baseball baby toy thanks to Auntie Gina for our future major leaguer!) 

And for my own personal records:
weight: up 8 lbs from 5 week appt (*starting point)
belly:  measuring in at .... (gulp) ... 36 in. (*starting point = 28 in)

And baby boy is becoming more active each day, with the bulk of his big kicks coming after I lay down for the night (of course haha).  Scott even got to feel a good one the other day! His reaction was priceless. Maize has even joined in on the fun, kissing my belly much more than usual.  Such a good big sister! :)

The luck of the Irish has blessed us with a Baby BOY!!! Slainte!

On St. Patricks Day, exactly 20 years ago, I was dubbed the school leprechaun by my 2nd grade teacher.  This essentially means I was dressed like a cute little leprechaun, pointy shoes and all, and got to deliver Irish Soda Bread to the teachers all over the school, which included Scott's 5th grade class.  He'll tell he doesn't remember this, but I'm pretty sure that day I jigged into his classroom, is the day he fell in love with me. (I mean, I was one cute 8 year old leprechaun!) Skip ahead to St. Patricks Day 5 years ago.  Scott got down on one knee and proposed.  And now, St. Patricks Day, 2011, we found out we're having our first SON :) The circle of life my friends ... (and a hit Irish Country Song, can't you feel it?) ;)

 (our little guy's little feet!)

We can't wait for you to be here, Baby Boy!! We've already notified the Chicago Cubs that you will be joining the team in 2033 (and we can't wait to cheer you on as you lead the team out of their, what will be, 125 year slump to a World Series Win!) *Judging by those arm movements you were showing Daddy, me, and Agnes (our ultrasound technician who mama may have scared into making absolutely sure you were a boy before telling us!), we're pretty certain you are going to be an All Star Pitcher!!*

Mommy and Daddy love you Baby Boy!!

and P.S. How thrilled is big sister Maizy that she is not loosing her status as #1 girl in the house! She totally loves her little brother though! The other day she couldn't stop giving him kisses :)

Baby, is that you kicking me??

I would like to go on record saying that I'm pretty sure I'm feeling the little miss or mr. moving around in there!! I've had a lot of "issues" going on inside the tummy and am still trying to decipher gas pain, gas movement, stretching, and baby kicks ... but after feeling something "different" a little bit last week, I'm pretty sure that feeling is not gas, but is said baby! I couldn't fall asleep the other night (ok any night) so I decided to play some recently uploaded to my iphone Baby Einstein to try and calm the tummy so I could fall asleep. But the munchkin took it as an opportunity to try out some dance moves and strange feelings were coming from my tum tum.  And then, ever so lightly, I felt what I can only classify as a baby kick! It was so quick and so light that I was like "oh was that it!" But I'm pretty sure it was ... i think ... well keep moving baby so we know how you're doing!

*And, lest we forget, the baby is already waking me up for 5am feedings. Without fail I am awoken well before my alarm with a nauseating rumbling in the tum and the only cure is for me to get out of bed, find a little food (graham cracker bunnies anyone?), and feed the tum till it is content so I can attempt to get some more sleep ... I was (mentally) prepared for all night feedings after the baby was born, but this whole 5 months early thing, not cool little one. :)*

Registering, Take One ...

A couple of days ago, we decided to start registering.  Not so everyone can shower us with gifts, but so I can start having a real list of things we need to acquire in the next 20.5 weeks! (Oh man, that sounds sooo soon).  I've been excited to baby shop for years now. But as we got our little clipboard/ checklist and little scan gun (guess who got to carry which), we quickly realized, we have no idea what we actually need.

We do not know the gender yet, so we decided we'd just start registering for "necessary" baby things -- bottles/toys/safety proof/ etc.  Things that we don't have to make a blue/pink decision on.  But as we perused through the "feeding" section, we were silent.  I asked "How many different kind of bottles do you think we need?" Scott answered "There's different kinds of bottles?" See here's the thing. When you register for your wedding, you kinda know what you're looking for and what you're not. Every couple is different, of course, but you all know if you want a blender or a coffee maker or new plates or pretty vases. But with a baby, it's a whole new foreign world. We're not worried or scared we won't figure it out. We just realized ugh we got some research to do before we can continue this fun adventure.

Now I've spend many hours on baby store websites designing nurseries, choosing the exact swings and bouncers we like, narrowing down stroller and car seats options ... but feeding/nursing? I don't even know where to begin. So we scanned a couple bottles and moved on.  We circled the store a couple times, toys and books were our strongest sections, scanned some diapers, and then I got too tired to look anymore so we applauded our effort and called it a day.

But we did make one BIG decision ... we decided on Nursery Furniture!!! Yay!! After seriously looking at, at least 10-15 different furniture sets, we have decided on not only a collection, but the color as well! And we're both super happy with the decision! We're going with the Hudson Lifestyle Crib and Dresser by Bonavita in White! Can't wait to have it and set it all up! We have 8-12 weeks (ahh! gotta get the room cleaned out and painted before furniture arrives!) 

Oh! I must also send a huge shoutout to my wonderful husband who has never, ever complained registering with me (not an easy task!). I'm pretty sure it's the ScanGun, and not shopping with me, that's he so into, but seriously, the minute you give this man the ScanGun, all complaints cease to exist! He's so awesome. :)

The nursery, phase one ...

Oh boy, oh boy. My most favorite part of being pregnant is getting to finally shop for a baby without Scott pulling me out of the store saying "no, we don't need any of this!" I'm sure if you ask him he probably still thinks we go baby browsing way too often, but I'm pretty fickle (did you not know?) so I must make sure I check all possible, affordable products before making my decisions on what nursery decor I want, what toys the baby should play with, what clothes the baby should wear ... well, you get the picture. I like to have all my options out there so I can make the best possible decision. And, I have to give myself ample time to set up the nursery as I have always imagined it.  Which brings us to ... now.

I am 18 weeks and 3 days into the 40 week period which means ... we only have 21 weeks and 4 days left! (Perhaps shorter if Grandma's premonitions prove accurate...) Soo. It is time to start dealing with la nursery. Why? Because, well, right now, it looks like ... this ...

and this ...

Now for the record, this is not how this room has looked for the last couple of years. We started out with a cute little office, a couple desks, a couple bookshelves, a dvd shelf, and a small table.  However, in two months we will celebrate 3 glorious years in the condo! Which means ... 3 years since we've last moved and purged all unnecessary junk.

This is not to say that everything in this room is junk. Of course not. But over the last couple of months, we have been redecorating the rest of the condo and everything that we no longer have immediate need for (see: empty vanity, random side tables, knicknacks galor) have gathered in this room.  As we both have been functioning on laptops (that tend to live in the living room at all times) for a while now, our desks have done little more than collect piles of paid bills, pictures, and dust.  Yes my beloved bookshelves are cramped to bits, but at least 3 shelves are completely filled with massive amounts of plays I have not had the need to open since college (and another shelf or two are filled with college textbooks and used scripts).  Thank God for the incoming baby, otherwise we may be headed for tv stardom on "Hoarders."

So now it's time to turn the office/storage/messofaroom into the room it was always destined to be ... baby's new nursery!! And in the process, may we please have the strength to get rid of all the unnecessary crap we do not need.

*Since these pictures were taken over the weekend, the dvd wall has already been dispersed.  We have a small pile of dvds we never watch to get rid of, and the rest of our beloved collection is neatly in its new homes throughout the condo.*

*Up next ... move out (to our glorious, free, long as we want it, storage space on Halsted) all furniture which is no longer in use.*

*Still to come ... time to clean out the bookshelves. Not every book I've ever read (or have not read but gotten on sale) needs to be kept in my possession. (We will still have two bookshelves here in our bedroom hallway, so it's not super dramatic but oh decisions decisions.)*

Stay tuned for updates on the transformation of my least favorite room in the condo into my new favorite room in the condo ....