A Work in Progress...

Once upon a time, there was a guest room that we all done up in an Americana theme... then, that guest room found a new purpose in life - a nursery. Below, follow the transformation from guest room to sunny baby room. It's still a work in progress, the paint is up and the light fixture has been changed but we still have furniture to build and decorations to hang up... The last few pics on this post are of some jungle theme wall hangings I found in Tri Cities this weekend. I'm missing the fourth one (a lion) so now I am going to have to search and search to find the missing lion...

See Spot... Walk...

This morning I got up and took Skyla to the See Spot Run 5k Run/Walk. We got there and made our way to the registration table where my very obedient and well mannered dog proceeded to jump up on to the table and begin devouring the bowl of dog treats. The kind man working the table offered to entertain her while I filled out my paperwork and by the time I had written my name, address, birthdate, and check - he was covered in doggy drool. She then drug me over to the t-shirt table where I picked up my lime green t-shirt... size small. After some creative work, I got the shirt over my boobs and belly and wrangled the dog long enough to find Heidi, Paula, and Tonya waiting patiently with Lucy. After Skyla and Lucy exchanged butt sniffs, we made our way to the starting line and took off at a... walk. :) Sklya, being the ever conscious dog that she is - refused to poop, drink, or eat while among strangers but I did take her down to the river for a quick dip and I think she was thankful for that... We raced around the course and managed to come in with times just under 55 minutes... I think the guy who won did it in 18, so we were hot on his tail! It was a good way to start the morning, although now I need a nap, a bacon cheeseburger, and some tylenol for my hips - but that is all becoming commonplace. The dog is passed out in the shade outside and I'm about to pass out in the chair under the A/C vent...

18 Week Update

How far along? 18 Weeks

Maternity clothes? Yes - and sadly, some of my sister-in-laws maternity clothes (that I borrowed) are getting a bit snug!

Stretch marks? None yet...

Sleep: Waking up every night at 2am is killing me - I'm thirsty, have to pee, uncomfortable - and it's only going to get better from here on out!

Best moment this week: Finally looking pregnant - not just fat.

Movement: Flutters and thumps here and there, but nothing consistant.

Food cravings: Steak. How scary is that?? I haven't eaten a steak in almost 3 years!

Gender: Still thinking boy.

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In - but getting shallower by the day!

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy!!

What I am looking forward to: Going out to dinner tomorrow night with friends... and eating steak!

Weekly Wisdom: Stretch everyday - getting fat AND stiff is a real pain in the a$$.

Milestones: I made pancakes this week!!!! (That has never sucessfully happened before!)

Isn't It Ironic??

I think it's so strange how, as kids, we spend all our time dreaming about being older. We want to do all these great things that are reserved for "adults" and we wait impatientally until we finally qualify as "grown-ups". Then, we get to be grown-ups and realize, life was never better than it was when we were kids. Sure, it rocks to be able to stay out late, not eat veggies, and leave the bed unmade for weeks on end - but does that really compare to knowing that someone else is responsible for paying the bills, keeping you safe, and providing for you???

::deep sigh::

I think I'm stressing about knowing that someone is coming into this world who will depend totally on me and Derek... I had nightmares last night about being totally unprepared and being an awful parent... I think life was easier when my biggest worry was whether or not I finished my homework!!

17 Week Update

How far along? 17 Weeks
Maternity clothes? Yes, yes.
Stretch marks? Nope but cellulite is creeping in on my butt :(
Sleep: I still love it and want to sleep 10 hours but I wake up every couple hours each night to pee or switch positions. Apparantly baby doesn't like being slept on because s/he kicks me when I lay too much on my belly!
Best moment this week: Getting kicked after poking myself in the belly :) Kid is fiesty...
Food cravings: I craved a cheeseburger this week... but nothing really insane.
Gender: Back to thinking boy...
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but getting shallower :(
What I miss: Being able to do lots of yard work without getting yelled at! :)
What I am looking forward to: The big ultrasound... I'm dying to know!!!
Milestones: Getting big things checked off on my big "to-do" list... nesting rocks!

New French Doors!

Derek and Rick slaved all day to get the old, yucky slider out and put the new, spiffy french doors in. They look great and best of all - they can be OPENED! What a change!

Spring, huh?

So, yesterday I left a sunny and reasonably warm (55 degrees) Zillah to head home from work. As soon as I got in the car I noticed that everything West of me was shrouded in big, nasty black clouds. As I got closer to home the thunder and lightening started up and made for a great show. When I got to the top of the Konnowak Pass the hail started coming down in HUGE pellets! I was scared that it was denting my car - at the biggest they must have been the size of brussel sprouts! I made it home and found myself again, under a patch of clear blue sky surrounded on all sides by big black coulds (usually I feel like it's the other way around!!) Then another storm moved through and again we were bombarded with hail, thunder and lightening, wind, rain, and even a little snow. Happy friggin' April!

The first storm was moving out when I got home but the blackest point up in the hills was over Konnowak pass, where I got nailed with the giant hail!
I know this is nothing compared to Texas hail (Yes, Ryan, I saw your photos) but still, it was enough to make a whole lot of noise and scare the critters!

I thought we were done with the white stuff for the year!!

The next storm moving in (I took the video below about 3 minutes after this picture).

Goodbye blue sky :(

I got out there as soon as it started coming down and then went back in when the UPS man arrived. I didn't want to look like a tourist!! :)

Annnnd, we're under a blanket of white. Again.

The kicker... it's supposed to be 78 degrees on Saturday. Welcome to Washington!

16 Week Update

How far along? 16 Weeks
Maternity clothes? Yes, yes.
Stretch marks? Nope but cellulite is creeping in on my butt :(
Sleep: Still loving it, but now I'm able to stay up until 8:30 or 9:00... Wahooo!!
Best moment this week: I FELT BABY KICKING!!!!
Food cravings: Ham and cheese sandwiches (with sprouts!)
Gender: Back to thinking boy...
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but getting shallower :(
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach
What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex on May 11th!!
Milestones: Second stranger to notice I'm pregnant :) Our Red Lobster waitress got an extra big tip!

Welcome to the Craptastic Buffet...

Sometimes, when things are going really well, or in this case, really crappy - I tend to think in "blog". I've always written my thoughts when I needed to vent, so when I get really upset things tend to organize my thoughts in blog titles... so, on my way home tonight the image of dining at a "crap" buffet came to mind. Bare with me... (and as an English teacher, I had to confer with Derek about the correct spelling of "bare" in that usage).

Picture this...

Stefani walks into the Craptastic Buffet, starving for something big. She picks up a plate and starts to load up... how about an annoying pregnancy comment salad, a rack of botched home improvement projects, a bowl of WASL testing, a heaping scoop of low self esteem, and a big glass of intense back pain to wash it all down.

I haven't even gotten to dessert yet.

-----------------------------

So, let me list the things that have gone wrong recently...

1. Inappropriate weight comments/belly touching.

It bothers me that being pregnant makes my weight and body parts fair game. Keep your hands to yourself unless you are close family and keep your comments to yourself no matter who you are.

2. My big to-do list

It has been a big FAIL so far. Bathroom painting - screwed up and goofy looking. Sprinklers - a day long job turned week long project. French doors - must wait until NEXT weekend. Spring cleaning - just not working out the way I had planned so far. I intend to fix that tomorrow.

3. WASL

It sucks. Preparing for it, giving it, dealing with the two week hiatus from productivness, all of it.

4. Low self esteem.

See pregnancy comments - add in hormones and ill-fitting clothes. I cried when I got ready for church on Easter because looking in the mirror makes me miserable.

5. Back Pain.

Somehow in the midst of all this craptasticness - I managed to tweak my back. Thankfully, I have a rockin' awesome neighbor who was willing to sneak me in for a massage tonight so at least one of my problems is in the process of being fixed.

::sigh::

I'm eating dinner, taking a bath, and going to bed. Let's hope for a better tomorrow.

15 Week Update

How far along? 15 Weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm not discussing that this week.

Maternity clothes? Yes, yes.

Stretch marks? No, thank god!!

Sleep: Still loving it, but now I'm able to stay up until 8:30 or 9:00... Wahooo!!

Best moment this week: Seeing mom and dad's face when they saw my belly for the first time :)

Movement: Nope, still waiting. Impatiently.

Food cravings: Pasta - which is why I'm not discussing weight gain.

Gender: Back to thinking boy...

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Being able to hike without getting completely and totally out of breath!

What I am looking forward to: Sleeping in my own bed tonight.
Weekly Wisdom: Do not sit down to eat dinner in front of a full length mirror. It is bad for your self-esteem.

Milestones: Having a random stranger notice that I'm pregnant - yay Old Navy employee!!!

Spring Break

::blink::

I'm home.

I don't understand how a week at work can go so agonizingly (is that a word??) slow and a week on vacation can go so friggin' fast! It seems like yesterday I was packing my bags and now I'm back on my couch, blogging about life and vacation. I don't approve when life goes so fast - and I haven't found the "pause" button that I've been looking for.

I had a great time - I shopped too much, ate WAY too much, and got to hang out with my parents for one uninterrupted week. I sat down and tried to write a play by play of what we did and I just deleted it all... it didn't sound like me. So here it is in a nutshell (lol... laugh if you watch Austin Powers, and if you don't, just look confused). I shopped - for me, for baby, for Derek, for random things that I could only justify buying while on vacation. I ate - more often and more food than I realistically needed (we won't talk about weight gain this week). I took pictures but found out that in my current state I'm not a fan of being the subject of those pictures. And, just to make sure I don't get the travel bug and take off on a globetrotting mission - Southwest Airlines pissed me off enough for three vacations today.

But my favorite part of any vacation is always coming home. There is something about being away from everything that is familiar and comfortable that makes you appreciate it so much more. After we got home, Derek and I curled up in bed and watch the Final Four tourney and just enjoyed being together. Then, we made a yummy dinner, watched "Marley and Me" and bawled our eyes out, and now I'm about to hang out with Ben and Jerry (hey, I need calcium - I'm growing a human!) and then go to bed and sleep in blissfully late.

As always, the captions go with the picture above it - but blogger makes it look goofy...

My 14 1/2 week belly shot at Tempe Town Lake...

Look, I'm taller than a tree!!!

(If anyone makes a comment about the tree being dead, I'll throw a shoe at you.)

The beginning of Bright Angel Trail... not something you'll find me hiking in this lifetime!

Mom and Dad - hanging out in the gift shop.

Of course, I had to pose with the canyon.

Aren't they cute :)

You have no idea how hard I had to work to stay balanced on this branch!!

Family photo...

We are hermits. We needed a rest. They built us a monument.

Hopi Point at sunset

I finally got to travel on Route 66!!! Mater would be so proud :)

We stopped to get breakfast at the Red Garter in Williams on Route 66 - it used to be a brothel back in it's glory days... Where else would you want to eat breakfast?

Inside the Red Garter

Hmm... can you tell it was windy?? My hairstyle rocks!

Okay, I'm posting this with the screwy formatting issues - blogger is having a seizure tonight and it keeps quadruple spacing everything!!