Introducing....

Gavin Gabriel Marshall

Birth Date: September 23, 2011

7:58 AM

via C-Section

Stats: Weight- 6lbs 14oz

Length- 19 inches

Perfection

Champion eater and sleeper and generally considered an overachiever by hospital staff

Hair- Brown when first born, but lightening every day

Eyes- Blue and looking to stay that way

Dimple in left cheek!

Parents: Could not be more proud or in love.

Babies are truly little miracles.

The Final Countdown

This has been a weekend of "lasts." Our last Friday night before we will meet our son. One last trip to the store for necessities (like cookie dough and frozen pizzas). Our last date night before becoming parents....

38 weeks, 3 days.

You can't see them in the pic, but I even broke out my sassy red heels for the occassion. E and I shared a wonderful dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. We went all in and enjoyed every bite of our gourmet meal and pumpkin cake for dessert. And while we sat at the dimly lit table, savoring our coffee and the last spoonful of ice cream, the enormity of the change that will be here in 5 days truly started to sink in: when will we be able to do this again?

Don't get me wrong, I fully intend to keep a date night tradition alive once we get settled and feel comfortable with baby boy. But I know those nights will be different. There will be a babysitter at home, anxiously awaiting our return. We won't be quite so relaxed as we contemplate ordering another glass of wine. And someone will have to be up early the next morning when Mini decides it's time to begin the day.

We've washed every last baby item (some more than once). We've stocked the kitchen with enough non-perishables to see us through a major national security threat. And I've managed to (almost) read the various parenting guide books which sounded totally necessary in the bookstore. But I'm starting to realize all those people were right. You know, the ones who like to tell us "You can never be fully prepared to become a parent."

Well, ready or not, here we come September 23rd....

Welcome to Mini's Jungle

After dreaming, planning and working our parents' hands to the bone... Mini's nursery is complete.The giraffe decal that took three people and two attempts to get it right...

Our cozy chair with the amazing blanket from E's Grandma Erma. And this also highlights my favorite part of his room... the zebra rug : )

The shelves with his growing collection of stuffed animals and his card from my daddy (a.k.a Grampy)

























His tummy time mat currently keeping his crib occupied.



A blurry shot of my latest "Martha Moment" creation... his alphabet cards hanging above the changing table. Thanks to Sue for all of her help getting them juuuust right.


Sophie says "We're ready for you little brother!" Now all we need is the kid : )

Staring Down September

First an updated bump pic. Fair warning... this belly is bare!


Still giving you fair warning to look away



One last chance!



Phew! That wasn't so bad right? And for those who didn't know about my sweet tat, it is peeking out of my pants and still holding strong to its original shape and size (fingers crossed, it stays that way).

So tomorrow is September 1st. As in, "we're having a baby this month" September. There is also a good chance that baby boy will be here a week early if he stays in his current breech position. September 1st + stubborn baby birth plan = mildly freaked out mama!

I don't know why it is just hitting me this week. I've known the chances of him coming early were pretty high since my Dr. first mentioned the position a few weeks ago. But when you start thinking in days instead of weeks or months, it has a tendency to hit you straight between the eyes and incite panic.

Don't get me wrong... I am extremely excited to meet our Mini man. I am so curious about what/who he looks like, what his personality will be, and how we will adapt as a family. I guess it's just a bit of reality and nostalgia: it will never be "just me" again. Eric and I won't have as many opportunities to run around as we please. Even trips to see our family will be completely different. And I'm looking forward to all of that, but still slightly sad at the same time. Does that make sense?

So I say to you, August 31st, please hold on for a few more hours. Let me soak you in and spend your final countdown enjoying the peace and quiet of our home, hopefully snuggled up with our first baby who is also in for quite the shock.

I will welcome you September 1st with open arms. I'm just not quite ready yet.

Just Call Me Martha...

Since the moment I found out I was pregnant, I've had this overwhelming urge to be crafty. I used to do a lot of creative projects back in the day. But I'm a little, shall we say, behind. Like, I still haven't scrapbooked our wedding pictures. We got married 2.5 years ago.
Anyway, Eric was busy most of this weekend so I decided there was no time like the present and I got down to business with a girl's best friends: Modge Podge, craft paper and virgin wood!

I decided to fall victim to the ever popular, ever present wooden name letters... with a Mini twist of course. Animal print!!! And no, I am not choosing to reveal his name through this post. You only get a hint, and a tiny one at that. There is an "N" involved somewhere (bwahahaha!):


I also decided that the child's closet was vast enough to merit a need for dividers. It really is a trying task to figure out how those onesies and teeny pants translate to actual sizes. So I spent far too much time googling and found a jumping off point to make these:


The supply list includes wooden letter "O"s found in the wood craft aisle (a pack of 2 for 99 cents), scrapbook paper remnants (left over from said name letters), puffy scrapbook stickers, a spool of craft ribbon and Modge Podge. Ta da!
Martha would be so proud : )

Huh?

Sophie just trying to figure it all out....

She has been following us all over the house as we make room for Mini. She loves to go into his room and look up inside his closet (of course that may have something to do with the large herd of stuffed animals living on the top shelf).
She really had a field day when we brought home the bounty from our baby shower last month.

Please excuse the no makeup/glasses and fancy PJs....
Imagine what all of these smells must do to a little dog's senses! If only we could prepare her for the many smells to come.

Another Apology

I feel like I've been saying sorry to my son a lot lately. I'm sorry I like spicy foods so much right now, yet they appear to give you the hiccups. I'm sorry that I keep rolling over on my back at night and then worrying that it is somehow hurting you.
But most of all, I'm sorry that this blog hasn't been updated the way I intended it to be when I got started. I can only hope your baby book will be a smoother process : )

I finally fixed my phone, which contained the majority of my recent belly progression pics, so here is my best attempt at playing catch-up.

34 weeks:
33 weeks:
32 Weeks:31 Weeks:
I forgot to take one for week 30, but here is a pic of the Mr and me living it up in Chicago that week.Phew! That was a lot of cutting and pasting. Another good reason for me to try and stay on track this time.
We love you son and can't wait to meet you (but please keep baking until you are good and ready to meet us).

58 Days

When I logged on to my computer this morning, the little ticker showing Mini's progress popped up. I don't always notice the text on it but today it caught my eye... "31 weeks, 5 days pregnant. Only 58 days to go." Um, WHAT??? How did this happen?!?! I realize that things have been hectic the past, oh, 7 months. But I really thought I had a better handle on this whole time management thing. I can't believe I can start answering the question "When are you due?" with "Next month."

I think I will feel slightly less panicked after this weekend. We are ready to make some big time progress on Mini's nursery. We are having all the carpets cleaned on Saturday and E's parents are coming up on Sunday to help us move in the furniture (that weeping you are hearing is E, overjoyed at the thought of reclaiming his spot in the garage.)

In other news, and I haven't really shared this with many people, we are on Amniotic Fluid Watch. 2 weeks ago I went in for a routine appointment. When the Dr. measured my belly she said I was smaller than I should be (I admit, I gloated silently for a moment). She said she wanted to do an ultrasound to check on my fluid levels (I stopped gloating, STAT).
To make a long story short, my amniotic levels were sitting right at the border of normal. The Dr. decided to have me come back in last week to check my progress. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. I got the same results.

So what does this mean? Well, I have to go back in 2 weeks for a repeat ultrasound. If my levels stay static I am allowed to carry on with my business under orders to rest whenever I am not at work.
If my levels go down... bed rest. Yuck. I know that wouldn't be the end of the world and obviously my priority is the health and safety of Mini, but being the control freak that I am, the thought of not being able to do things to prep for baby boy makes me hyperventilate. I am a do-er! While I appreciate offers to help, I am not satisfied sitting back and letting others complete tasks that I have spent the past 7 months envisioning myself accomplishing. Does that sound selfish? I hope not. It is merely meant as a form of nesting and preparing for the arrival of this little man. It's part of the whole process in my mind.

Whew! This got long! So to sum it all up: Pray for an easy nursery assembly with only minor bouts of cussing, pray for my fluid levels to increase and pray for me to find more patience if they do not.

Progress

29 Weeks:

After painting Mini's room... twice.... we really hadn't taken further steps to make the empty room into his future little man cave.
I wanted to wait until after some friends came into town so we could continue to use his space as overflow for our fabulous guests (love you Katie and Linz!).
But when a package arrived yesterday with vinyl decals for his walls, I just couldn't wait any longer.
Welcome to Mini's jungle! I have to give props to my husband for talking me into the bright orange color, and to my mom for helping me get this sucker on the wall... definitely a two woman job.
After scoring the whole thing with our credit cards (who knew they had so many uses?), we peeled off the backing paper, positioned the decal (and repositioned it twice for my OCD self), and used said credit cards to rub it on to the wall.
Ta da! I love how it turned out. Now we just have to tackle the 6 foot tall giraffe that will be hanging out over his crib...

Special Delivery

This is what will someday be our baby's furniture! Right now it is E's placeholder in the garage. The poor Accord is once again kicked to the curb for more important cargo.

My dad and Sue deserve major thanks for hauling this load across state lines and delivering it safe and sound to its current resting place. They traveled with us to Indianapolis to pick out Mini's first room set early in May. We stumbled on a great deal at a children's furniture store where we were able to buy the crib and side table at floor model sale prices. Score!
It was a long 3.5 week wait until the dresser came in, but my daddy was kind enough to rent a trailer, make the trek back to Indy and schlep the goods to our house. Thanks Poppy and Grammy : )

In other baby news, Mini made his debut among high society at the annual Wines and Polo on the Prairie to benefit the children of Easter Seals. I was nervous to wear this dress since it showed off my, ahem, growing assets, but in the end I think we cleaned up nicely.

25 weeks:

He was definitely a fan of the party since it is centered around eating and drinking and since yours truly was not doing any drinking, I made up for it with extra servings of Uncle Bob's ice cream. Happy little kicks were the thanks I received from the little man. That and some very sore legs the next day, courtesy of the high heels and my dancing craziness.

Where to Start?

Life has been what you might call chaotic these last several weeks. I switched hats at work, which also means I got to switch schedules to a normal shift of 9am to 5:30pm. This was, quite possibly, the best gift I could receive before Mini makes his arrival.
But the new schedule also comes with less time to waste... I mean less down time... at work. So as a result the baby blog has taken a back seat. Mom fail, take three!

We are now on the precipice of the THIRD trimester!!!! How did this happen? How do I make it stop? Not that I really want to stay pregnant forever, but both E and I feel like we're running out of time. And as every other person looooves to remind us, this is only the beginning.

Here is my latest bump pic taken this morning (once again in the bathroom) at 26 weeks and 6 days:

Playing Catch Up

I have to start off by apologizing for my tardiness with this update. In case you haven't heard, I started my new schedule this week working the day shift. In at 9:30 and (eventually) out at 5:30 is opening up a whole new world of possibilities! Unfortunately this week has been so full of fun that I haven't had a chance to catch my breath and get back to blogging. So now on with the updates:

First up, the latest bump pic even though it's technically outdated. This was taken last Friday at 22weeks 1 day. We hit 23 weeks today and Mini is the size of a papaya, which just happens to be on sale this week at the grocery!
We had the latest Dr's appointment last Monday and they performed another ultrasound to check out a chyroid cyst on Mini's brain. The cyst is gone!!!! The u/s tech told me they usually just disappear as development progresses, but I was still anxious to get the all clear. Baby boy was waving his little arms and blinking his eyelids during the exam. We even caught him sucking his lips. So in love!

We also traveled to Indianapolis to check out some nursery furniture. Originally I had planned to go with a different set but after seeing it in person we decided the side rails were too flimsy. Lucky for us (and for Mini) the store was having a floor model sale! We scored this beautiful crib and a side table on super sale and we ordered a matching dresser.

Next up on the nursery to-do list: paint. After a few weeks of studious perusing of paint samples we settled on the Fresh Pear color from Valspar. Little did we know the soothing green would end up a shocking neon once it covered Mini's walls!


We got through one coat before deciding we needed a Plan B. We are currently debating our next choice (which we WILL be purchasing a sample of before going through with it).
During our painting marathon with my in-laws which also included living room, kitchen and hallways (thanks Bill and Carol!!!!) we heard the doorbell ring and found our wonderful neighbor Jen holding this beautiful diaper cake.

Jen's husband is also a huge Cowboys fan and therefore feeds into E's obsession. So when Jen found out we are having a boy, she decided to welcome him to the little Cowboy club. I can't wait to get the first pic of Mini with his football rattle : )

So that's the latest from Casa Marshall. We will hopefully be repainting the nursery this weekend and I will report back with the (finger crossed) better results.

A Walk on the Wild Side....

That's how I refer to Mini's room. We are going for a take on modern jungle for the little man's nursery and I found the perfect inspiration while browsing on Etsy:


I am obsessed with this fabric!!!!!!!!! (and a few extra !!!! just so you know how serious I am).
I found a woman through the website who makes custom crib sheets, so I ordered two in the animal fabric. I can't wait till they get here in my hot little hands!

E and I are going to Indy next weekend to order Mini's furniture. After a lot of careful research, we plan to go with a collection from Munire. The company received rave reviews in the book Baby Bargains and I also have a few friends who have purchased some pieces and love them. This is the front runner right now:

It's a Safeside crib that also converts to a toddler and daybed. I figure the kid will get quite a few years of use out of it, as long as he doesn't bang, bite, chew or scratch it to bits (hey, a naive girl can dream).
There is also a matching long dresser we plan to buy that can be used as a changing table as well. I can't wait to see these pieces in person!

I am also eying this little beauty...

Why yes, that is an orange zebra rug! Won't it look fabulous sitting in front of Mini's crib while also serving as a prime spot to park it for tummy time? I think so too : )

Half Baked

20 Weeks and halfway there!

I can't believe I am through half of my pregnancy if I go the whole 40 weeks. I remember how slow time seemed to be moving back around week 8, before I could share the news with everyone. It seemed like such a long time before we would find out Mini's gender and before I would start showing a baby bump.
Well, time has caught up with me and so has the bump.

I am up about 5 pounds total and I feel happy with that number at this point. I know the growth will really pick up here in the next month. According to all of my pregnancy research and the books that have become my bibles (Your Pregnancy Week by Week and What to Expect), I should be gaining 1-2 pounds per week. Yikes! Luckily my appetite seems to know what's up because I can't get enough of food!!!!

I also started back to the gym last week. It feels great just to put in some light cardio and weights. I have told E from day one that I really wanted to try and stay as healthy as possible throughout my pregnancy to make things easier after Mini's birth. I had a hard time mustering up the energy in the first 12 weeks but I figure I can at least start the process now, right?

Progress

I didn't think it was possible. Not really. Our office has for so long been a deep, dark black hole for all things random and misplaced. I honestly did not see how we were going to clean it out, much less convert it to Mini's room. But folks, I promise you, this is progress!

Eventually the desk will be moved to our guest bedroom across the hall. E tells me this will be done by the end of the week. I remain skeptical, but optimistic. After all he did clean off the entire desk without me asking or nagging!

And now for some much cuter news... Mini's expanding wardrobe! I am entirely too good at shopping for this kid.

Perfect Patriotic Baby:

Who wouldn't have sweet dreams in these footie pjs? LOVE!

As If You Didn't Already Know...

Mini is a BOY!!!!


Our beautiful baby revealed himself during our anatomy scan last Wednesday. The tech was using a new ultrasound machine so she was able to switch over to 3D/4D technology during our appointment. It was truly amazing to watch our little guy stretch and move his arms. I still don't feel much movement but seeing it on the screen made it seem more real.
He is measuring perfectly! The heart and spine looked wonderful. His brain also looks good but there is a small cyst the tech mentioned. She said it is something that usually corrects itself and we have another appointment to check it out at the end of this month.
I am already in full planning and decorating mode! Eric and I went for a mini shopping trip the night of our ultrasound and bought the babe a few manly ensembles. I could see this becoming a real problem for our bank account...
And for good measure, I leave you with the latest bump pic that was, for once, not taken in the work bathroom.

You Are What You Eat!

So I guess that makes me an avocado! Week 16 hit and the bump definitely made its presence known. I also started "craving" avocados... although I don't know how much of that is the power of suggestion by seeing a picture of one every day when I check Mini's progress online.

We're counting down the days until our anatomy scan. I'm still going back and forth about what I think Mini is. I'm actually kind of glad I don't have a strong feeling because I wouldn't want to offend the little one at such an early stage in our relationship.

Without further ado, here is my latest bump pic courtesy of my work bathroom mirror and camera phone:

For Those Who Were Wondering...

Yes, I am starting to show! This picture was taken on Sunday, April 3rd, at 14 weeks and 4 days. According to my doctor's scale I've gained a total of 2 pounds so far (although after my AZ trip, we're probably up to 3 or 4).
It's funny to watch the progression of the bump throughout the day. In the morning it is pretty much just some extra chub around the middle. But by bedtime, Eric is always amazed by how much I'm "showing." I try to remind him that most of it is still bloat, but I'm not sure he is convinced.
I know I'll probably regret saying this later, but I can't wait for that belly to get bigger!