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.