9 and a half months

Well, it looks like Little Sister won't be following in her big brother's footsteps. I am officially today the most pregnant I have ever been, and who knows how much longer she'll wait to come out.

38 weeks!

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday, and the doc said she's so far up in my ribs they can't even measure her. Let me tell you, I already knew that. ;) And she was so squirmy when the doc was trying to get her heartbeat that she had to smoosh in part of my belly to get her to hold still long enough. I have a feeling this one is going to be a little spitfire!

Mom and I made a day project out of cleaning the guest bedroom and closet. When we first moved in I was so used to not having any place to store things that we just packed stuff in that closet. And since we've lived here and had overnight guests infrequently, the room has become a catch all for stuff. So we cleared out and organized the closet and mom took a bunch of stuff downstairs to our storage room. Inspired idea, I know. Anyway, during the clean out we came across the drum set for rock band. And Luca was excited. So that night we decided to have a family jam session. Josh usually plays drums, but his throne has been taken over by the next generation.

He's asked to play again daily. And he asks Josh and I to play the violins. Because as was noted in his dictionary, any stringed instrument is a violin. He's a natural! He's got serious rhythm and even has that drummer swagger =)

As if there was any doubt...

Happy Birthday Aunt Janie

Luca wanted to wish Aunt Janie a happy birthday. The video was too big to email. He's quiet, you might want to turn the sound up.

Sorry we couldn't give you a niece for your special day! ;)

Full Term!

Nothing new, except that little one is officially full term. Meaning if she were born now she would have an excellent chance of being just fine and not even needing a NICU. So, I feel a big relief, but I'll keep cooking her til she's ready. Luca was born after just 5 more days of cooking from this point, how much longer is she gonna grow??

Make sure you get your guesses in on the baby pool--there will be a prize! I know for some people posting a comment is all wonky for whatever reason, so feel free to text or email me guesses. You can't win if you don't play ;) And, just to be clear, the prize is not naming rights.

Luca rocking out to the radio. I turned it down part way through and he asked me to turn it back up =)

Funny Luca story: He was playing his recorder and spinning around in place. After a little bit, as one would expect, he fell down. So he tried to get back up. And fell down. And tried to get back up, a little teary eyed this time, and fell back down. Then from the floor he says, while crying, "I just want to stand up." I mean, heart-breaking hilariously priceless. I picked him up and he death gripped my neck. Little man is not yet familiar with the concept of "dizzy."

Baby Pool!

Since Aunt Janie wants to play, we're playing!

Here are the facts:
My due date is officially September 13th. (He offered to shift it since it's a Friday the 13th, which tells you how scientific they are...)
Totally normal pregnancy until about 30 weeks when they discovered I had low iron, so I've been taking an iron supplement with dinner in addition to my prenatal. I'll find out Monday if it's working.
Luca was born at 38 weeks.
She is already head down, but no real Braxton Hicks yet. Not all women get them, but I did with Luca.
My OB said last time that 80% of women go between 10 days before and 10 days after their due date.

The Crib:
We ordered it in late June. At the time they gave us an estimated arrival date of the last week in July/first week in August. When I called first week in August they called the manufacturer and the cribs hadn't been shipped to the US yet, bumping back the expected date to the middle/end of August. The store called this last Monday and said our crib should be arriving in the states in the middle of August, making the new store arrival time frame the last week in August/first week in September. The manufacturer (Munire) is known for shipping things whenever they feel like it, but the store is being good about calling them for updates and keeping me updated.

Here's what You do:
Leave a comment (with your name) saying three things--
1: The date she'll be born
2: The general time of day--morning, afternoon or night (We'll call 5am-1pm morning, 1pm-9pm afternoon, and 9pm-5am night)
3: Whether or not the crib will be here

I will keep updating as people tell me their predictions!

And, as promised, 9 month bump pictures. I can't see the week number at all anymore, have to pull my shirt out so I can get an idea, and have Josh tell me how to adjust. Man she just keeps growing! We don't know her specifics, but on average babies this far along are about 6 pounds and 18-20 inches. From here on she'll put on about a half a pound a week! And I will continue to look more and more like I've stuffed a basketball under my shirt =)

Keep getting me your birthday predictions, there will be a prize for the closest guesser! Good Luck!

Baby Girl's dresser

When I was thinking about a color scheme for the nursery, I went looking for pictures of nurseries in my colors so I could get a better visual idea of how the colors would look together. In my searches, I came across this picture:

From here

I loved the idea of a painted dresser as a way to bring in color. And the idea of preferring a second hand dresser because why would I buy a brand new one and then paint it. So my wallet and my dreams were in step for once, and I went on the search for a good dresser. Finally found this one:

It was a good size, and if we decided the painting was too much, it still had a really pretty finish to it. Plus, my favorite part, at the top of the dresser where it looks like moulding is actually two more very squatty drawers that were felt lined--perfect for jewelry and tiny treasures. I thought how much I would have loved those drawers when I was little and seriously they pretty much sold me on the dresser. So, a whole lot of planning and truck borrowing and help and the dresser was moved into the room.  Then, several months later when we were sure we wanted to paint it, more help and the dresser was moved into the garage.

I've never painted furniture before, so I read a variety of tutorials online, figuring I'd go along with the common advice. Then I went to the store to buy primer and the paint guy told me instead of sanding to use a deglosser. I heard "instead of sanding" and said Sure! Since pregnant lady wasn't sure what kind of fumes would come from the deglosser, Mom was kind enough to come over and potentially take one for the team. Wouldn't you know it, the stuff seems to have worked! Rub it on, wait 10 minutes, then paint like normal. And it hardly smelled at all.

A couple coats of primer and we were ready for the real color! Which meant back to the paint store to decide on a color since I couldn't find the paint chip I picked when we started doing her room. So we looked and looked and looked and just couldn't find quite the right color to go with the curtains. Enter helpful employee who offers to color match to the swatch of fabric. That thing is amazing! It is exactly the same color.

First coat on!

Looking at it, we decided not to sand the edges to have the white show through, and instead paint a design on the top and on some of the drawers. Some difficulty putting on the polyurethane, but after reinstalling the hardware (thank goodness we didn't have to replace it!) and moving it back upstairs where it belongs, and it is an entirely different piece! So pleased!

Also, that lamp used to be yellow. And in my nursery. I think the light bulb was in my nursery too. It's... vintage. ;) There are other DIY projects that deserve their own post, just a tiny bit left and they're done!

And, I'm thinking of doing a baby pool, because it's fun to guess when the little one will make her appearance. Simple prize, anyone interested? You'd have to guess three things: the date, the general time of day (morning, afternoon, or night) and whether she or the crib will be here first. Because the crib store called this week and moved back the estimated date again. So glad my OB doesn't do that every time I visit... Anyway, who wants to play When Will Baby Girl Come?

Luca dictionary

Like all kids, Luca has some names for things that aren't, exactly, common. Some are odd, some are hilarious. I thought I'd share some.

He says.......                                 He means.......
Dayuh                                              Daddy
Dinosaur                                         Chicken nuggets
Naked Dinosaur                           Any other non-breaded meat
Dinosaur on a stick                     Any meat on a toothpick
Dilla (deeyuh)                               Quesadilla
Taco Dilla                                      Cheese pizza without sauce
Sissis                                                His little sister
Where is pumpkin                      Where is Thumbkin
Easer                                                Air conditioner
Tu-pac                                            Cold Pack (like for little owies)
Dude-a-much                               Dr. Doofenshmirtz (from Phineas and Ferb)
Paco                                                Popsicle
Bye-o-lin                                       Any stringed instrument (violin, guitar, etc)
Swim poop                                   Swim suit
Monogram                                   Banana-graham (graham crackers with a banana creme filling)
Zert                                                  Dessert
Flipper                                           Fly Swatter
Ice                                                   Either ice or ice cream
Ice Cup                                          Ice cream cone

I know there are a million other things he says funny, hopefully I'll casually add to this list so I can read back through it when he's big and I miss my little man.

Big changes for a Big Boy!

Luca has been sleeping in his crib since he was a couple months old. It's been moved all over his room, the mattress has gotten lower and lower, but he's always been in the crib. And he's never tried to climb out. I know, it's crazy. At his 2 year old doctor's appointment when his pediatrician asked if he's ever tried c-l-i-m-b-i-n-g out and I told him no, he looked at me like probably I just hadn't noticed him doing it. Since it's the safest place for him (as long as he's not escaping) I was content to leave him in there until he did try to escape. And then my belly started growing. And little bit by little bit, putting Luca in the crib got harder and harder. Finally, when I was having to just drop him the last few inches, we decided it was time to break out the toddler rail. It also gave us a place to cuddle before bed again, since the two (and a half) of us had outgrown the rocker.

And he was perfectly happy! He opens his bedroom door when he's done napping (which means I can hear the sound machine) and sits back in bed or at the top of the stairs waiting for me. At bed time we put a baby gate in his doorway in the beginning, just in case he woke up in the middle of the night and decided to go wandering with the open stairs right by his door. But he is so good about staying in his bed that we haven't used the gate in a while.  And when he wakes up in the morning he looks into our room (which you can see from the doorway) and if we're not stirring he gets books and sits in bed to read. Some mornings there's just one in bed with him, other mornings, upwards of a dozen.

In addition to the big boy bed, when we painted Little Sister's room Josh painted over the letters in Luca's room.

What it used to look like...

Some time with an overhead machine later, and we added...

The TARDIS also belongs in the clouds, we think =)

An airplane! I found the overhead machine at a second hand store ages ago, and this was the first time I've had a chance to use it. Such a good purchase! Also notice the new airplane laundry basket, a good find by Mom. Still on the search for other airplane things to go in the rest of the room, but like every room in my house it will just be a constant work in progress on some level. Until he decides he needs a change, anyway. But for now, everyone is happy. =)

Close up of the airplane, I'm really rather proud =)