99 days and counting!

Well, we are now in the double digits. Just 99 days to go. I'll be 26 weeks tomorrow! And now, we have taken on a rather large project for the two of us - we are getting our wood floors refinished. I'm not sure if it's the nesting or what, but I felt the need to get these floors fixed up and shiny before baby comes. I knew it would be very difficult to do once the baby comes, and it had to be done before we ever sell the house... plus, having dogs, the wood was getting pretty beat up. But, the timing could have been a little better.

25 wks, 6 days in our newly emptied living room.

Besides me being 6 months pregnant, Mike starts school tomorrow. He's taking 5 classes and will have to work a minimum of 4 shifts a week at Izakaya in order to keep his job. He's got enough to worry about, and now we're moving all of our furniture into the garage, and taking the dogs to a Motel for 2-3 nights. And we still have to finish the baseboards in the nursery! Agghh! Why am I so nutso about getting this house so perfect?? Besides the nesting excuse, I think it's got a lot to do with boredom. Mike works nights, and I don't have grad school to keep me busy anymore (THANK GOODNESS), so I mostly come home and clean and read a little and play with the pups. It gets boooring. Mike got me a couple of puzzles to keep me busy, but we find one random piece here or there in the yard with lil doggy teeth marks in them, so I never even get to see a completed puzzle. Oh well. One day soon here I'll be so un-bored that I'll wish I could have this time again, right?

Daddy & Baby, Black Flag Fans Forever

Mike and I found this Black Flag shirt at a local boutique after searching for something like it on the internet for months. So fun! Although, I refuse to disclose how much we spent on it. I think Mike and I are going to start a baby band t-shirt business. We may even use organic cotton so we can become millionaires! I cannot believe how much some of this baby stuff costs, but there is obviously a market out there if, as much as I complain about the price, I still buy it.

24 Week Birth Center Visit!

Well today was our first prenatal visit at Mountain Midwifery Birth Center. I am so happy we decided to go with a birth center as opposed to a hospital birth. Of course, there is always the possibility that I will end up in the hospital, but at least it would be with the guidance of a midwife that I know will have our needs and wishes in mind. I feel a lot more relaxed already! Here is a video off of the MM website that shows the center and describes why midwifery care is so helpful. Be forewarned though, there is a labor and water-birth shown! It is not extremely detailed or graphic, but may be a bit shocking if you were just expecting an interview. I actually found it very touching, but that could also be the pregnancy hormones...


A lot of the focus at MM is on the health of the mother, which I really appreciate. They are extremely vigilant when it comes to weight gain and diet. An employee there who was getting her PhD did a study that showed that there is definitely a correlation between the weight gain of the mother and the need for interference at a hospital. I really appreciate their nudge in the direction of health and fitness.

I was told that the c-section rate there is only 6.7% which is insanely low in comparison to the national average of over 30%! I really hope that I can be one of the 93.3% that gives birth in one of those beautiful rooms.

I'm still feeling great! Here is a picture of my huge, round belly (measuring right on time though!) at 24 weeks.

Our nursery is coming along - hopefully it will be prepped and ready for baby furniture by next week! We did receive a surprise visit from the UPS man this past week. He brought us our crib  and all of our crib supplies! It was a wonderful surprise from Mike's parents. I really think this baby is truly blessed to have such amazing grandparents on both sides. I am certain that this baby will never be short on love, I can guarantee that.

We've pretty much finished registering (so we think), and had no idea the loads of things that come along with new babies. We are registered at Target, Babies R Us and Amazon.com. That way we have (almost) everything covered! I am working on building a cloth diaper collection, which has already started out pretty well with the help of hand-me-downs from cloth-using friends (thanks Melissa and Sarah!). I am now just shopping for one-size diapers, buying one here and there as to not break the bank too hard. And our clothing collection is already more than enough (thanks Summar!) so we are really on our way to being ready for this lil guy!

It's A Boy! And Other News...

I know, it's old news by now - we are having a BOY! I haven't been able to update the blog because we were having trouble getting some of our pics off of our computer, but we have it all figured out now...

This is a profile shot of the little one. This ultrasound day was probably one of the most amazing days of my life. The excitement and anticipation had Mike and me overwhelmed. I am pretty sure that our adrenaline was at its height. Mike held my hand, and the lady asked a few times if we wanted to know the sex - and we were CERTAIN that we did, we assured her. It was like the moment she placed the wand on my belly, she announced, "It's a boy!" Our reactions were ecstatic - tears of joy and smiles from ear to ear, squeezing each others hands... I wanted to jump up half naked and dance around. It was AMAZING. I'll never forget it.

Here is a pic (left) of that same day, the day we knew who was inside my belly, 20 weeks & 1 day pregnant.

 After all of this excitement settled down a little, we went camping with our boys (Rolex, Adela & Jesus- our dogs, plus the lil man in my belly) and Nick & Travis. It was a beautiful trip! Nice to get away from the 90 degree weather we had here in Denver (I know, weird!). Mike, the dogs and I went on a 4 hour hike and had a blast. This was when I was 22 weeks.

 I am now 23 weeks along, and feeling great. I've started exercising even more - going to the gym at lunch and just doing the elliptical or something and doing prenatal yoga at this great studio, Spiral Yoga. I am loving it there. I really think it is helping me stay in somewhat ok shape, too. I've read that 3 out of 4 pregnant women do not exercise as much as they should and I am hoping to be that one mom who does. Besides, I've heard it helps with labor and delivery, getting back to normal weight post-pregnancy and sleep (I can attest to that!). I am totally motivated. I hope it lasts!

We have our first appointment at the birthing center next Tuesday - I cannot wait. I have a list of questions in my head that I still need to jot down! I'm also getting excited about the baby showers to come. I'll be heading home to FL next month (I know, ALREADY!) for a shower which will probably be my last visit for quite some time. Then in October, the girls are going to have one here in Denver for us - Halloween themed. :) I am still trying to come up with an original belly costume - because by then, belly will be BIGGG. I'm excited to have some parties to look forward to! September - party, October - party, November (or more likely with my luck, December) BABY!

Mike is painting the nursery as I type this! I finally found the right dreamsicle orange. I think it's going to look delicious, just like I wanted! There is a lot of other remodeling involved with the nursery (baseboards, door frames, etc.), so I'll post the before and afters as soon as we have some afters.