25 Days...

Really, only 25 days? Scary thought. The counter on the side of this blog was a bad idea. 3 1/2 weeks still sounds far away, but 25 days!! The way the days are flying by, that's practically tomorrow! AND, one more thing--that little baby floating in the bubble is totally false advertising! There is floating you can feel at about 5 months and every movement is exciting, like a little fluttering butterfly that you feel and see against your belly every so often. NOW, it's full on stomach morphing mode. At one point my stomach was completely square with her bum and part of her back pushing out of me. That's not the best exit strategy. There's a better way out my dear. Anyway, people say you'll miss the feeling of a moving baby inside you, but I don't think I'm among their ranks. I'm ready to meet this little one face to face and see what all the commotion inside has been about. (ps--she's totally kicking me right now. I think she can hear my thoughts.)

We have finally scrounged up some baby pictures to get an idea of the potential growing inside me. We've been having fun trying to guess who will pass down what traits.





Make that 24 days until we meet our little lady. I'd better get to sleeping before I don't have that option anymore!

My T-Rex Arms

Anyone else remember this "Far Side" comic? I recall it being funnier...and black and white. But alas, google only gave me so many options. (Is 'funnier' correct grammar? Should it be 'more funny?' oh well.) I thought of it the other day when I opened my front door and smacked my stomach. For a second I thought my arms shrunk, then I looked at my enormous belly and realized that wasn't the case.

Doing dishes has also given me a T-Rex complex. It makes me laugh in the "funny uh-oh" kind of way, not "funny ha-ha." (This is how my husband categorizes humor.) When I reach for utensils at the bottom of the sink, sometimes it's a stretch. The best is when I'm finished loading the dishwasher, I look at my belly and I've got a wet strip across my shirt where I've been up against the sink. By this point I'm laughing because it's "funny ha-ha."

I'm sure most of you have been there before, but I've had an urge to record these things for my daughter. I'd love to know what my mom went through while lugging me around for 9 months. So, I'm sorry if I'm boring you.

Confessions.

I might wear the same outfit 3 days in a row.

If you see me more than once in that time period, don't judge. I'm running out of clothes.

I'm Already On "Mommy Time"

After talking to a friend last night about some of the joys of pregnancy, I realized that my body has been in training for sleepless nights already. The middle of the night bathroom runs are conditioning me for my newborn. Last night I checked the clock with each wake up call and here's what it looked like:

12:30--Bathroom Break

3:15--Bathroom trip again, followed by some tums, water to wash the chalk out of my mouth and a couple rounds of free cell on my ipod since it was taking so long for me to fall asleep again.

4:45--Bathroom Trip

7:30--Again with the Bathroom! At this point daylight is usually here to stay and I can no longer fall back asleep regardless of how tired I am.

I've had shockingly good sleep throughout this pregnancy and it's been my saving grace. These last few weeks I've been losing hours each night trying to find a comfortable position after getting up, or laying there running a million things through my head. Some nights I'm tempted to get out of bed and DO something besides watch the minutes tick by on my clock. Regardless, I think the sacrifice of sleep is going to be the hardest thing for me to cope with. I like my sleep. I'm sure it will be worth the time I get to spend with my baby. I'll keep my fingers crossed at least.

*side note* A couple of my piano students are learning the song "Skip to my Lou" and it totally makes me laugh now because at night it rings in my head with altered lyrics: "skip to the loo." Although truly I walk like a zombie, there is no skipping involved.


There have been some other interesting nighttime developments at the Arnold house. My subconscious has become aware that I'm pregnant as my belly has become a part of my dreams these days, well nights. It's a little unnerving. I have horrible nightmares. Embarrassingly gruesome nightmares. Situations I've never thought about in my LIFE, somehow fabricate themselves in my dreams with me as the victim. (Usually I fight them off, but it's HOW I fight them that's creepy and disgusting.) I'm sure someone could have a hay-day with how messed up this must make me. But now it's a little scarier when I float into dreamland because all my pregnancy symptoms follow me! It's not as easy to kill a river boat guide with 40 extra pounds hanging on you or run away from your neighbor-turned-serial-killer since I haven't run in months! You get the idea. Sometimes I'm very grateful for the potty breaks that come 4 and 5 times a night to get me out of my own head!

I don't really know why I'm sharing this. Rantings of the pregnant lady I guess.

Enjoy.

Nursery Update

So, our nursery is coming along...not quite like I envisioned in my head, but at least there's a crib for her to sleep in. As soon as I got some energy I boldly went to the paint store and looked for some pink swatches. Three days later, I had a hot pink wall in my baby's room that glows a little down the hallway. Yikes. I hope it doesn't induce epilepsy in my child. I was just afraid that I wouldn't feel great for that long so I made a ton of snap decisions to feel like I was actually accomplishing something. The other three walls are a few shades lighter on the swatch and by the time I finished it, I hated it. I'm not sure if it's because it took me a whole stinkin' week to do and I was sick of looking at it, or if I really did despise what I had just created. Either way, she's stuck with it, 'cause I'm too tired to re-do it!

It does still have potential for success. Her crib is white, I've enlisted the help of my dad to finish the white paint on a dresser I got on craigslist, we picked up a chocolate brown glider and I finally pulled down the giant chocolate teddy bear I had in my closet. (pictures coming soon.) I'm keeping my fingers crossed these neutral colors will break up the insanity.

Well, Pottery Barn to the rescue! I splurged on this gorgeous butterfly mobile/chandelier to save the day. I was originally going to copy cat my own for a quarter of the price, but after copying a Thanksgiving calendar of theirs last year, I remembered sometimes the savings is not worth your time.



It really is mesmerizing. When the AC kicks on, I go up to her room and sit in the glider just staring at it's gentle movement. I hope it has the same effect on me while I feed her at 2 in the morning. So, no matter what the rest of the room ends up like, at least there's one piece in there I love.

I AM

IRRITATED!

Yep, it's true, I've been taken over by another being that has turned me into a nightmare! I'm usually level headed, but this hormone shenanigans has gone on long enough. I hope my husband can survive the next 4.5 weeks of this as most of the irritation has been spewed toward him.

The worst part is that I can't hold my tongue. It would be different if I could be irritated privately and keep a smile on my face, but it's not possible. I MUST say it out loud. I have this NEED to correct people when they don't do things my way. (That's part of the reason I've become a hermit lately, I've shoved my foot in my mouth one too many times.) I mean, do I really care how Brian brushes his teeth or eats corn on the cob? OF COURSE NOT!! But that doesn't stop me from informing him he's not doing it right...and then when my brain returns, I get irritated that I'm irritated by such frivolous nonsense! It's a vicious cycle.

Wish me luck. Well, wish Brian luck.

It's getting better as the light at the end of this tunnel gets brighter and closer, so I'll get back to blogging. Despite the misery of this pregnancy and all of its splendor, we have managed to sneak in a few things worth remembering.

Pardon my absence...

Apparently I've been nesting.

Which One??

Alright, I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm terribly uncreative...yet surprisingly, a FABULOUS copycat. So what's your pick?? Which should be my blueprint?? I do love the light relaxing feeling of the first room. Plus, it will fit the humongous brown teddy bear I've had in my closet for 4 years now! I'm still in love with the hot pink. (regardless of the fact that I can't duplicate the $750 wallpaper.)




Worse than picking nursery colors is trying to name this little baby! I thought I had my girl name all chosen and then I started talking to her calling her by name and it just doesn't fit. I guess it's 'cause I'm talking to my stomach...oh well. Now, this is coming from the girl who called her dog Copper for 4 days before I decided Scout was a better fit. I can't really do that with my child.
Any suggestions?? I decided I really like names that start with vowels. Here's what I'm debating between...

Emily-- I kinda love it spelt Emma-Leigh but people will just call her Emma, so I don't know. I like "Em" for short too...

Ella-- This one's my new favorite but when I hear other people say it, I'm not in love.

Aubrey-- I've loved this name since I took on the last name of "Arnold" but we have neighbors with the cutest little Aubrey, so I don't know.

Ava-- I don't know why i like this, i just do. Brian's not a fan though.

Olivia-- I only like this because I can call her "olive"... :)

Emerson-- I like this 'cause it's really different but people say it's a boy's name.

Alright, all ideas are welcome. (Except Mom, no more dog names! and Austin, no more cow names!! And Jasmine is not an option!) So, I guess just MOST ideas are welcome.

Threw it Out the Window...

The window, the second story window, with a heave and a hoe and a mighty ol' throw I THREW IT OUT THE WINDOW!!! (sang with the infamous girls camp gusto)

My nursery dreams were shattered this morning as I read this reply to my wallpaper inquiry:



Hi Marissa...
Thank you so much for contacting us about the hot pink and silver damask wallpaper in our Vintage Glamour Nursery!

Nice Walls
This wallpaper is hand silk-screened in hot pink and metallic silver. Each roll is 27" wide x 5 yards long.

Vintage Modern Nursery

How To Get Yours
Each roll is $150. Orders are received approximately 3-4 weeks from payment of our invoice.

Let's Get Started
Tell us know much you need and we will send an invoice and PayPal request.

Installation
This wallpaper is not pre-pasted, and we suggest using a wall primer. It also requires trimming prior to installation. We highly recommend using a professional for installation.


My heart skipped a beat when I saw they had actually replied and then broke when I realized there was no room in my budget for a gorgeous $750 wall...(that's before the recommended professional.) I think I must have been naive to the cost of wallpaper when I told Brian I'd spend $100 to cover the wall.

So, I'm back to the drawing board.

Rats!

Her first photo shoot

This is boring, but I just wanted to document it...so skip ahead to the pictures.


So, at our ultrasound the other day, we got a couple pictures...of the 800 the lady took, she GENEROUSLY printed out 3. I had a hard time concentrating on what was going on because I was too preoccupied with the fact I was going to have an accident any second...and her prodding did NOT help!
They tell you before you go in to drink 16 oz of water 1.5 hours before your appointment to make sure your bladder is full. Well, I obeyed and then payed for it! By the time I even signed in at the lab my palms were totally sweaty (the water needed to escape somehow) and my hands were shaking so bad while I filled out the paperwork. I asked Brian how many people have had an accident waiting for their appointment and if he'd still love me if I was the first. (To that he answered, "Don't think about it." ehem...the correct answer was YES and would you like to borrow my pants!)
This would not normally be a problem for me except that water and I have developed an interesting relationship since baby came to be. Anything but sipping ice cold water would result in instant vomit. So, naturally, I steered away from large quantities of water. I honestly had to do a little 'training' to make sure I could keep that much water down, let alone hold it in! Hence, the extremeness of the situation.
The next ten minutes lasted an eternity. I could not concentrate on anything. It didn't help that on both sides of the waiting room were restroom signs with arrows pointing the way to relief. I said a quick prayer. Sadly, it was the most earnest prayer I've said in awhile. I tried every position in my chair to get comfortable. Legs to the side, nope. Crossed, nope. I ended up on the edge of the chair playing an expert game of sudoku on my ipod to get my mind off it. The angel lady finally called us back. I was afraid to stand up...but made it! Now, to hold it the next 45 minutes while she checks everything out.
I told her my dilemma and she said she'd get what she needed with a full bladder and let me use the restroom before doing the rest of the exam. Well, 2 minutes in she said, "Wow, your bladder's FULL!" (uhh...I didn't need a sonogram image to tell you that lady!) She made me go to the bathroom because what she needed to measure was too squished. Imagine that!?!?
The rest of the ultrasound went fine. Brian was fascinated by what he could see and I was trying to make out what was on the screen in my cockeyed position. She casually told us it was a girl which made me really mad. Not the fact of having a girl, but the casual announcement. It went something like this: "Here's the top of the spine...(freeze screen for picture)...Here's a good view of the left femur...(picture)...and it looks like a girl."
Huh?? What?? This is kinda a big deal to us lady!! Afterward I had to tell myself that this is her job, so the lack of pomp and circumstance was acceptable. Next time, we'll have them write it down so there can be a little more excitement. Whoa...did I just say "next time??" I must be delusional.
Well, here's our pretty little girl. I'll spare you the crotch shot. It took a long time for her to get it. Our baby's private like her momma.

She has her momma's nose and toes. Can you spot them below?

AND...not pictured are the cutest little lips I've ever seen! (I'm slightly obsessed with people's lips so I'm glad she's got some good ones.)