ONE Month

Dear darling Drew,

Though I'm still hoping you decide to grace us with your presence earlier, we cannot believe that we should be meeting you about a month from today.  This has been the fastest 9 months of our lives and we can't wait to find out what the years ahead will bring.

We love you buddy.

Mom and Dad

If credit cards could talk

mine would give a pretty accurate impression of what is going on in my life.  Charges from the month:

Petco (1)
Hobby Lobby (3)
Floor and Decor (1)
Home Depot (2)
Babies R Us (2)
Lowes (5)

I haven't seen it yet, but Rob tells me the cabinets are out and the hot water heater is in.  I'm going home to chaos, but at least I'll have a hot shower.

When it rains, it pours.

The rain got us into this mess, and now the idiom is proving to be true.

So I posted about the Great Flood of 2010, and how that led to us needing to replace the back french doors and a couple of planks of hardwood flooring.  That lead to getting an estimate and bid on some kitchen work.  That lead to purchasing new granite countertops for the kitchen.  That to a need for a new cooktop.  That lead to the "well, might as well do this once" mentality, which lead to new ovens and a new microwave.  And the "might as well do this once" mentality also led us to re-do the 1/2 bathroom downstairs.  Typical home remodel story.

So the appliances are on the truck, the granite is being fabricated for the kitchen and 1/2 bath, and I have paint waiting for pick up at Sherwin Williams.  We start ripping everything out bright and early tomorrow morning.

But as fate would have it, it's not enough to just make our 32-year-old house pretty on the surface. 

Sunday before Rob got home I took a shower and noticed it was a little cold, but chalked it up to the fact the bathroom doors were open, the fan in the bedroom was still on, and the AC was still set to"subartic" (Thanks, pregnancy hormones).  But Sunday night I went to take another shower and realized it just wasn't warm.  At all.  We tried every sink in the house- no hot water.

Apparently, our hot water heater went out.  Luckily it didn't go out by busting a hole and spilling 50 gallons of water into my garage, but it still meant an ice cold shower this morning.  And probably tomorrow.

If you are counting, that means, since May, we have purchased a new AC system, double ovens, microwave, cooktop and now water heater.

One more good rainstorm and we might just put the house on the market.

Patience is (not my) Virtue

We had our 34 week appointment yesterday.  Dr. Meritt said everything was looking good and Drew was measuring "about 5 lbs." (How she can tell that with a tape measure I will never know.) Since I'm not having any major issues or Braxton-Hicks contractions right now she is still estimating his arrival at his due date of November 6th.  I was hoping for something more along the lines of October 16th (37 weeks exactly).  Rob and I were 3 and 2 weeks early, respectively, and I'm afraid I have convinced myself that trait is genetic and there is no way our child makes it to 40 weeks.  I probably need to stop thinking that way ASAP.

Conversation from this morning:
L: It's October!  Our baby could be born in October!!
R: (Face runs through a gamut of emotions including shock, panic and horror) Let's let him wait until November.

If I'm going this crazy on October 1, I'm going to be certifiable by November 1....

The good news is the kitchen and 1/2 bath remodel starts next week, so that should take my mind of the fact that I'm both gaining weight and losing sleep at an incredible pace.  This pregnancy hasn't been bad in the least, but I'm ready to meet this little man!

Ladies Night!



Lynn, Cheree, Leslie and Me



(Sorry about the iPhone pics- I'm still working on an iPhone 3, while actively campaigning for an iPhone 4...)

Saturday night, while our husbands drowned sorrows of a less-than-stellar football game with amazing amounts of beer and pizza, some girlfriends and I treated ourselves to some girl time at Trulucks.  And honestly had the. best. time. I've had in ages.

The night started with me noticing that wine was sold by the bottle, the glass, and by sampling.  Sampling?  Yes!  A 2 oz pour.  Having decided Drew is cooked enough to handle 2 ounces of wine, I ordered a Syrah which was absolutely amazing.  I only got about 1/2 of it down (grrr.... acid reflux), but I think I could have been happy just smelling it.  The other ladies opted either for something stronger (martinis) or just greater in quantities (wine flights).

Small piece of Heaven

Leslie and her flight

Once everyone (else) got sufficiently liquored up, the laughter started and did not stop.  At one point I asked the table (while tears ran down my cheeks) if they knew how to deliver a baby because the laughter was bound to start labor.  We had a great waiter who was full of one liners and we sparred right back with him.  We ordered way more food than we ever needed, and then ordered dessert on top of that.  Along with two of the largest pieces of chocolate cake, the waiter also brought these:

to celebrate Lynn and Cheree's upcoming birthdays and Drew's impending birth.  We had dessert for 10, and only 4 of us there to eat it.  We did our best and took the rest home.

I am so, so thankful to have great friends like Lynn, Leslie and Cheree to go do things with.  That will likely be my last girls night before Drew gets here, but I can't wait to do it again!

Au Naturale?

One upon a time there was a girl (me) who peed (sorry mom, I know you hate when I write with the word "pee," but it is necessary here!) on a stick and saw two blue lines, which meant she was pregnant.  She called the doctor to make an appointment and came in 2 weeks later to figure out what the next 9 months of her life would look like.

(Sidenote- Phone staff at an OB/GYN's office should be trained to say "Congrats!" when you call to make an appointment because you are pregnant.  It was the first time I "told" anyone, and she reacted like she hears it all the time.  Which she probably does.  But I didn't get to tell people all the time.  A little enthusiasm would have gone a long way.)

After the appointment, they sent said girl to the lab to have all the bloodwork done.  Said girl, knowing her reaction to needles, brought her husband back with the phlebotomist (I just wanted to use that word).  Good thing, too, because after the blood was drawn said girl passed out cold and hit the floor in the hallway while wearing heels and a skirt.  Not her proudest moment, but not uncommon.

Fast forward 31 weeks.  Now it's time for that same girl to be taking childbirth classes.  They are going rather well until the nurse starts talking about IVs, epidurals, and C-Sections.  That girl is basically sitting curled up in her chair with her arms clinched across her growing belly, protecting her inner arms.  And seeing a few stars. And reading a magazine during the movies that depict these things.  And feeling bad for making fun of all the "granola" women in Austin who choose to have their baby in a blow up pool in their living room.  Because that idea is looking better and better.

So this long post is just to say I am SERIOUSLY considering having this baby au naturale.  I'm not anti-meds, just anti-cutting-open-my-body.  If I could get an epidural through wearing a gas mask like they used to give you at the dentist, I would totally do it.  No promises- if pain gets too bad I may decide to get over my fear of needles for a moment, but for now I'm considering writing a birth plan....

Austin Shower!

Last Saturday my friend Hannah Mouton threw me a lovely shower in Austin!  Forgive the delay on the post, but the pictures were on my home computer and I find that most of the time I'm sitting on my work computer.

I didn't get a good picture WITH Hannah, but that's her, looking model-esque in the purple maxi-dress!

Anyway, the shower was adorable!  She themed everything in Drew's bedroom colors- navy blue and apple green.

Isn't that cake too cute?!  It was almond cake with strawberry butter creme and tasted like a wedding cake.  It was also HUGE.  I ended up taking some to work to share, but I cut it up first-- nothing like taking a boob cake to work!

She also made chocolate chip banana bread for favors (top right of the corner) and had lemon ricotta cookies (top left).  The adorable pics of the little boy with the blue bow on his butt was for the guests to write me a note for Rob to bring to the hospital for me to read.  I haven't read them yet, but I'm anxious to do so!!

And that sweet picture in the top middle- that was Hannah and her husband Ian's gift to us.  It is a little longhorn baby carrying a Bevo and a football helmet.  It's called "In Training."  I have no doubt my kiddo will re-create this look at some point!

And, yet again, Rob, Drew and I were blessed beyond our wildest dreams.  From a diaper bag to a bouncy seat, shopping cart cover, baby's first Christmas ornament, and a seemingly never-ending box of clothes.  All of the gifts are much appreciated!

It was a beautiful shower.  Thanks again, Hannah!