Crown for the baby

So aside from the big reveal of the completed fireplace, my handy-dandy husband also put up crown moulding in the baby's room - which looks amazing! Nothing like a little caulk to help with all of the un-level walls and ceilings in our home. I guess that's what happen's after 103 years of settling! Here are some pics to share of the crown - that little outcove will be the baby changing area and was the most difficult of course with all of its corners!

And of course - what you've all been waiting for (anxiously I am sure:-) here's the completed fireplace - shelf and all! We even had some of my old baby books (thanks mom!) to put in there already! We can start reading Dr. Seuss in the womb now! That red leather chair might stay - we're not sure just yet - we might try to get the part and make it into a glider or rocking chair.

Steve and I sat on the big leather couch in there the other evening and gave each other foot rubs. It felt so cozy in the baby's room and it's already filled with so much love - we can't wait for HerHe to get here and enjoy its new space in our home and in our hearts!

So we are currently in Week 24 and we're the size of an ear of corn! We went to the Dr. last week and she said everything sounded great (no pics anymore - unless something goes awry). 141 beats of that little heart were still wonderful to hear and Steve and I are both feeling lots of movement now. ABout 20 min after I eat the little one gets really active - which is such a good feeling! Steve had his arm around my big belly in bed the other morning and HerHe gave him a good kick - Steve almost jumped out of the bed he was so excited to feel that on his own without me strategically placing his hand where I can feel the baby.

Babycenter says that our baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts HerHe at just over a pound. Since (s)he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), (s)he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but HerHe's body is filling out proportionally and (s)he'll soon start to plump up. HerHe's brain is also growing quickly now, and the taste buds are continuing to develop. HerHe's lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help the air sacs inflate once (s)he hits the outside world. The skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon. We also read a daily journal of what is happening day by day vs. week by week and that one said the baby is almost 2 pounds - so much info out there - never sure of what to believe - but a lot of growth is happening that's for sure - I'll post a belly shot next time!

We also visited one of our local Montessori schools and then last Friday night met with the director to discuss some bartering options. Steve (the chef that he is) wants to try his hand at making organic baby food in exchange for a reduced rate at the school. Brandi, the director there thought it was a fabulous idea! They won't be ready for the infants until September so he has some time to figure everything out. He's also going to help her with the build-out of the new kitchen space - to allow for all the state regulations of cooking food for the school and public. I am so proud that's he's taking on this endeavor and will help us save us A TON with the costs of full-time childcare upwards towards 1000-1200/month!

The school is great (or will be shortly). It's currently housed in some trailers while the real house is under construction. The school backs up onto 5 acres of our neighbor's Curt and Christine's farm and development called Harvest (http://www.harvestatlanta.com/). The kids are already planting herbs, tomatoes and a ton of other veggies. Which they wash, chop and eat for their lunch! Yes, 2 year olds are helping in the kitchen - it's great! They also set the table, clean-up after themselves, drink from little juice glasses, sweep the floor and so much more. What we love most is that most are potty trained by 12-14 months! 

Thanks to our friend Lauren who has been sending her kids to Montessori and my brother went through a few years of it as well - we've really enjoyed learning about the Montessori teachings. They teach kids to have a real independence and to take the time to work and learn on their own. The Montessori program has been around for over 100 years and started in Rome - here's a link if you care to read more - http://www.montessori-intl.org/about-montessori.html.

I started a part-time gig at the American Cancer Society for the next 8 weeks and so far it's been really great. It's a lot slower pace then the agency life I am used to - so for this 6 month pregnant lady - I can take it slow most days and not get too stressed. I have also been consulting with an agency out in New Mexico and another local agency here in Hotlanta so my weeks are pretty filled-up with work. Now we just need to work on Steve's new job! He was laid-off on Monday - so he's on the hunt! If anyone knows of any good opportunities for a great job in sales or something to do with food (no chef jobs - he hates the back of the house) please feel free to send it our way!

We are off for a top-secret vacation this weekend - very excited! Happy Memorial Day to all of the family's of Veteran's out there who have served our country with bravery and provided us the freedom's we have today! We'll let you know how our top-secret surprise mission goes next time...

22 & 23 weeks - Spaghetti Squash anyone???

22 & 23 weeks - time is really flying by! I was at the Farmer's Market last week and was surprised at how big a spaghetti squash really is! Although HerHe only weighs a little over a pound - much less than your typical spaghetti squash - it's still getting tough to carry this around!

HerHe's lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and (s)he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath its gums. Eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. We even have some hair growing in - but if HerHE is anything like me - I was bald until I was almost 1. If you want you can even see inside my womb, (well not my womb - but a cool example of a womb).

So over the last weekend we did a ton of work on the house and baby's room. I finally cleaned out the closets in there - who knew you could fit that much stuff in two small closets! We built some extra shelves and put up a new bar for hanging baby clothes in one of the closets. We also painted above the picture moulding to prep for the crown moulding which will go up next weekend thanks to my handy husband!  (If you need your fireplace retiled or crown moulding put up - Steve is your man!) All of this prep work is making this more real. Along with really starting to feel the movement inside. 

We are going to use this area as a changing area for the baby - it was my art nook but we've move that to the laundry room. And I know you are all anticipating the reveal of the fireplace that Steve has been working on. We've got a few more days for it to be 100% complete so I am going to hold off for another post on the big reveal. But here's a sneak peek - we painted the interior of the fireplace this weekend but still need to hang a shelf inside. We're going to make the unusable fireplace usable by turning it into a little bookshelf!

On a sad note, AppleSauce was running around with a neighbors dog and seems to have hurt his back last week. So aside from his little pathetic broken ear (that was already broken when we found him at the Humane Society) - he looks even more sad now that we have to keep him immobilized and in his cage so he can heal. He's on pain killers and steroids to help with inflammation - so he's really out of it. It breaks my heart so see him like this. He needs to be carried down stairs and he's been trembling as soon as the meds start to wear off. I can only imagine if my human child gets injured! I know HerHe will at some point, but I don't have to think about that just yet. 

And because I included a pic of Saucer - I just had to include this pic of PC in drag!

10.5" Carrot

Sleep is not my friend - so I write at 5:30 AM instead...

Our baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long —the length of a carrot. I kind of feel that HerHe is practicing martial arts in my belly right now as I frequently get a jab or two in the rib. We've got  eyebrows and lids are present now - I hope HerHe has Steve's baby blues (or gray depending on the day).

At book club this week our friends Kelly and Brian were very generous to us! They provided tons of hand-me-downs from their one-year old - Finn. They filled up our truck with a car seat with two bases, an excersaucer, a bassinet, tons of bottles, bibs, blankets, a bottle warmer and the cutest set of shoes:


We are so lucky to have friends like that in our lives - especially since our families are both far away (well at least 2-3 hour plane rides!). It's amazing what happens when you are pregnant - you have so much support all around you - it's like parent's unite! They know what lies ahead for you so they want to try to help and prepare you and try to prevent some of their same mistakes. It's really amazing!

We're in the final stages of the fireplace - Steve is doing an amazing job. He put in the last tile last night and just needs things to set a bit before grouting the whole thing and wrapping up the project. This could be a new career in Grant Park since every old house probably has at least 2 of these fireplaces! It would keep him busy for a while at least...

The green tile above is when we moved in, in 2007 - along with the lovely shade of lavender! Progress is going great - the reveal will be in the next post - so HGTV of me!

We had some great friend's over on Friday eve to celebrate some April birthday's that we had missed. Beth, Abigail, Erin and Chris joined us along with Thermos to keep PC and AS company.

Steve made one of his gourmet meals - so delicious! It began with Grilled Calamari with caper & olive tapanade. Then continued with a fantastic Seared Scallop, parsley risotto and lemon butter, white wine sauce. It wrapped up by everyone firing their own creme brulees. I was sure to keep the fire extinguisher close by since we had already gone through at least 4 bottles of wine at this point (FYI - I only had one glass)!

We kept our neighbors up until at least 1 while the wine flowed along with the stories past travels. I have a feeling this will be our main way to entertain once HerHe comes. Not that it is much of a change from our frequent dinner parties from years past. It's comforting to think that SOME things won't change. With an amazing chef for a husband - people usually don't say no to invites over for a good meal.