33 Weeks, Ultrasound #5

Another week down, and another ultrasound completed...
(Sorry about the totally posed picture, but we got a new camera and started playing around with it. What do you think?)

Baby is healthy and happy (as is Mom), though I'm not thinking he's enjoying that tasty knee so much. Do you see it? Poor thing is all nestled together in a really tight little ball. His bum is right behind my belly button, and his head is down. I think most of the movement I feel is him sticking out his bum and stretching those legs away from his face.

His head measured a little small, but the doc says it only seems small compared to his super long legs. Since Ry has a small head (and doesn't seem to be all that lacking in the brains department), I'm just going to hope it stays small so I can get him out easier.

The other thing they told me to expect is for him to want lots of cuddling and swaddling because he's going to be so accustomed to being balled together. She said to expect lots of crying as he joins this big, roomy world.

Look at those big, chubby cheeks!
Another ultrasound at 35 weeks, the last at 38 weeks, and then he'll be here! Yippee!

Saved by the Belly

It was a dark and stormy night....The rain was coming down in sheets....there were no parking spaces to be found....when, out of nowhere....Lo and Behold........

Fortunately, Lindsey is now showing enough that we didn't get any dirty looks on the way in.

How to Decorate a Nursery

1 – Pick an extremely difficult focal point not purchased directly from a store. Make sure you choose strange hues and tones of normal colors so as to make the task of matching even more difficult.
We chose to focus our decorating around a quilt I made a few years back.

2 – Select a difficult painting technique and strategy.

We chose to paint two facing walls tan, and the other two facing walls with vertical stripes.

3 – Apply base coat paint to all walls. If all walls will not be the same (thus increasing its difficulty on the scale), you must wait a week between adjacent walls in order to apply tape and achieve a crisp corner.

4 – Determine a striping pattern which suits your style. Most websites advocate one-foot stripes that alternate between two shades of the same color.

Make sure you enlist an engineer to manufacture a demo on the computer which uses three colors with varying thicknesses, once again increasing the difficulty.
5 – Proceed to measure, mark, tape, and level each stripe to exact perfection. Once again, the use of an engineer is strongly recommended for absolute precision.

6 – Using painter’s caulk, carry on by sealing each piece of tape to the wall. Failure to successfully seal each side of each piece will result in catastrophic wiggly paint appearance.

Please remember that once a finger begins to bleed, only the weak give up! This particular step requires perseverance and stamina. It also requires a patient spouse to read page upon page and chapter upon chapter aloud (We chose Paolini’s Brisinger) to the caulker to distract his mind from the growing rawness as he removes each of his fingerprints.

7 – Begin in one corner to apply paint. All tape must be removed within 10 minutes of paint application.

WARNING: DO NOT PAINT ALL THE STRIPES OF ONE COLOR ACROSS THE WALL AND THEN RETURN TO APPLY PAINT OF THE NEXT COLOR. Such a technique will result in the paint peeling away when the tape is removed. Failure to observe the above warning will result in an additional evening of taping, caulking, and painting to correct “shark bites” in each stripe whose tape was removed too late.

8 – Proceed slowly around the room, edging carefully with the correct color around baseboards, ceiling, windows, closets, and outlets. When taping is removed, wipe away any excess paint that may have seeped under the tape, despite excessive caulking.

9 – Assemble all baby furniture, adding handmade bed linens to each feature.

10 - Voila! Thank your husband by telling him you love him, you love the room, and can’t wait for the little one to add the finishing touch!

8 Random Facts about Lindsey

I won't be tagging anyone, but seeing as Sheena tagged me, here are

Eight Random Facts about Lindsey

1 - Two Food Groups: I believe there are two food groups: real and dessert. The two groups cannot be mixed in one dish. A few examples of atrocities that I refuse to eat: Hawaiian pizza, Mango Chicken Salad, Honey-Glazed Ham, Waldorf Salad, etc.

2- My watch: I have bought the same watch four times. I love its shape, its price, and the ease at which I can find it at Target every year. Unfortunately, I have had to purchase it four times... since its price directly reflects its quality. :-) The first three purchases were because the band would break (plastic, fake leather), but then Ryan finally talked me into buying a leather band and attached it to the face for me. Then, about a month ago, the face cracked, and I had to buy a new one anyway. I figure when this plastic band breaks, I can still attach the leather band from the one whose face broke. It's a good watch... really. 3 - High anxiety: I hate being the center of attention or looked at. I prefer not to draw attention to myself (like dressing up for Halloween and having a baby shower), and I hate public speaking (like giving talks in sacrament meeting and being observed by my principal). In fact, I usually throw up, cry, and can't eat the day before school starts and the morning of. It started in preschool, according to my mom, and even continued as a school teacher. That's right: at 26, I sat on the bed next to Ryan crying and begging to not have to go to the first day of school. Thankfully, I had no first day of school this year.
4 - Blue feet & Lips: I have really poor circulation. My feet turn blue about every time I take off my socks. I try to avoid wearing sandles, and I prefer to avoid air conditioning. (Our thermostat was set at 78 all summer.) I even sometimes get blue lips. I am pretty much always cold, even since being pregnant. Too bad Ryan was hoping to save on heating bills this winter.

5 - Young Adult Fiction: If there was a budget cut and we had to vote to save only one section at the public library, I'd keep the chapter books for kids in grades 4 through 7. I have read nearly every one, and they just make me... happy. I love juvenile fiction.6 - Red-haired, Freckled Italian: With an awesome maiden name like Morello, you'd think I'd have dark hair and an olive complexion. Quite to the contrary, I have to spend half an hour lathering up with sunblock (SPF 50) just to watch a tv show about the beach! Turn's out I got my mom's genes.7 - No cavities / No broken bones: I've never had a cavity, and I've never broken any bones. I've actually only been to the hospital twice: When I cut my finger in first grade and had to get stitches and last night for our first childbirthing class. Oh, and I think I might have gone to the hospital 4 1/2 years ago - to visit my sister-in-law Emily when she had her first baby. Yeah, staying in the hopsital when I have our baby will be awfully strange. 8 - Weight: Until I got pregnant (31 weeks ago), I had weighed the exact same weight since I got my first driver's license at 16. I may have flunctuated a pound or two, but I've always been exactly the same size and shape. And I have never done anything to maintain it: no strange eating adaptations, no rigorous exercise routine - nothing. Sadly, this is very much not true anymore (I'm currently at +25!).

Vote!

Though you are probably thinking about a different vote in the coming month, that vote will only last 4 years whereas this vote will last a lifetime. Take it seriously.

Ryan and I are pretty certain what we will name our baby, but we are having a hard time deciding on the spelling. A few things for you to consider before voting...

Colin - traditional spelling, equal numbers of Ls in first and middle name, most common spelling

Collin - variational spelling, equal number of Ls in first and last name

You may also vote for a different name. Make sure you post your "other" name as a comment. A few guidelines...

1 - I don't like names that can be either a boy or a girl.
2 - I don't like "common" names that our child will have to attach a "W." to for his schooling life.
3 - We like names that start with C or K.
4 - The middle name is definitely Daniel (probably).

We do not guarantee anything, but we thought it might be fun to find out what our friends and family think.

Happy voting!

Birthdays!

Lots and lots of birthdays this month:

Sunday, Sept. 28: Grandma Fooks
Monday, Sept. 29: Ryan
Wednesday, Oct. 1: Grandma Williams
Wednesday, Oct. 1: Janice
Friday, Oct. 3: Lindsey
Tuesday, Oct. 7: Grady
Tuesday, Oct. 21: Megan
Tuesday, Oct. 28: Grandma Haskell

And this doesn't count the endless aunts, uncles and cousins with birthdays this month too! Does that seem like a lot to anyone else?

On Sunday, we had a cake with 27 (Ryan) + 27 (Lindsey) + 2 (Janice) = 56 candles. It was great fun, though we really thought we might set off the smoke alarm.
On Monday, Ryan blew out another candle.
On Friday, Lindsey added another to the stack.

And that, my friend, is a lot of birthdays.
Does anyone else's family have a lot of birthdays stacked together at a certain part of the year? I'm curious.

Fall in the Midwest

This weekend my sister, Kim, her daughter, Janice, and my mom and dad all came to Peoria to visit. It was fun to show off our town and enjoy the beautiful weather. Everyone should live in the midwest; it was a perfect Fall weekend.

We spent all day Saturday at a great apple orchard and pumpkin patch.

There were all kinds of photo opportunities, and parts of it ended up being a lot like a county fair. Janice wasn't a big fan of the petting zoo area. I thought she was going to cry when the billy goat got so close to her stroller. He was as big as she was!

She really liked this train. She waited patiently for her turn to "drive," and then this little boy cut in front of her, so it just made sense to push him out of the way. She's learning early not to take any crap from boys.
Janice is really interested in steering wheels and honking horns. First, she got in. Then she asked Grandma to get in too. Then, she got into the next four carts, just to honk their horns. I wonder where she learned to be impatient with other drivers?

When we were finished at the "fair," we ventured into the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. As you can see, Ryan is very particular about his pumpkins. He went to great extents to pick the perfect pumpkin for this year's carving. I can't wait to see what he does with it!

We had a great weekend. We wish all our family lived closer, but it has been so nice to see so many these past few months.

Happy Fall!

Finished Living Room (almost)

Since I started this story about painting our living room, I wanted to finish it with pictures. We got our new coffee table and end tables delivered last night, so here's our almost finished living room.

We still haven't decided about what to do over the fireplace. We have thought about a flat screen tv. We've even found the one we'll buy, but I'm still not sold on it being the center of attention up there. And, does anyone else think it's an awkward angle for tv-watching anyway? And when we finish the basement, we'll put in a tv room down there, and then I definitely don't want a tv in my living room anymore. What are your opinions of flat screens above the fireplaces in homes?

If we don't do the tv up there, we need to find some artwork. Aww, the challenges (and fun!) of home decorating. We will also probably still buy some candle holder sets that I saw at Bed, Bath & Beyond (my number two favorite store behind Target), but for now, I think we can call our living room Finished.

Oh, and we also still want to paint the rest of the walls... and maybe buy some curtains... and their rods. Oh, and we really want new carpet too.

Wait, I'm starting to wonder: Is a room ever done? Well, this is our living room Today.

Scare at the Doctors

The first time Ryan couldn't come with me to the doctors (he had to go to Indiana today for work)...

Apparently all you nay-sayers out there were correct. I really am too small. The nurse measured me this morning at the doctors and got a little unsettled. She said I was measuring too small and was worried I was losing fluid around the baby.

Needless to say, they did an "emergency" ultrasound (I had to wait about 30 very panicky minutes), and...

He is perfect. All his body parts are measuring just right, except his femur is too long. :-) Anyone surprised Ryan and I created a long baby? I have plenty of fluid too. Everything looked great.

So why am I measuring so small? Apparently, I am carrying him more inside than most women. Aww, that's why I have chronic heartburn and indigestion.

And in case any of you are jealous: The nurse thinks I'll "pop" soon and by my next appointment I'll measure in the regular range. If I don't, I get another (that's right; it'd be my FIFTH!) ultrasound. Too bad each one is so expensive.

Comments Requested: Who do you think our little monkey looks like? We are keeping our fingers crossed he’ll keep his cute, little button nose, and avoid inheriting my honker. I am afraid he does have my chin, or lack thereof. Ryan thinks he takes a bit after me, which is too bad since Ryan makes a much cuter boy than I ever would. :-)

So, what do you think? Does our little monkey have any distinguishing features that you recognize from Ry or I?

28 Weeks

No more doubts from strangers. She's definitely expecting!

Stay-at-Home Wife

What is a stay-at-home wife?

Wife? You mean Mom, right? No, I mean wife. I am a stay-at-home wife.

When we decided to move to Peoria, we decided I wouldn’t work anymore. We weren't expecting, though we wished we were, and I thought I'd take a much needed break from the daily rigors of teaching. I admit I worried about what I would do to keep myself busy.

When people asked how the job hunt was going in Illinois, I'd tell them I wasn't going to be working.

They'd look at me in confusion and ask, "What are you going to do then?"

"I'm going to be a stay-at-home wife," I’d reply matter-of-factly.

More confusion... a raised eye brow... a slight nod of the chin.

Then, we found out we were expecting, and I decided I would be a stay-at-wife until the baby comes in December. Then, I'd become a stay-at-home mom. I still get the raised eyebrow, but the nod of the chin is more clearly a nod.

So let me tell you about my life as a stay-at-home wife:

1 - Painting: We finally are sprucing up our hospital-white home with some color. Last Saturday we spent the whole day shopping for supplies (Home Depot: "where everyone knows our names"). It never ceases to amaze me how many little things must be purchased to do a project. My parents just always had painting rags, paint brushes, painter trays and rollers, etc., etc. Who would have thought I'd have to pay for all this stuff one day?

Anyway, we got the first coat on the fireplace wall on Monday night. I call it "chocolate soft-serve." Tomorrow we'll apply the "chocolate fudge" to the vaulted wall.

The idea is to have a square of "soft-serve" in the middle of the "fudge" wall. I think it'll work, as long as the "fudge" doesn't look like "Oreo." We'll see.

2 - Baby stuff: We are acquiring baby things at an astonishing rate. This week we bought Baby his crib, changing table, swing/bouncer chair, baby bath, and many other necessities (onesies, sleepers, blankets, socks, etc.) Some things have been found on my new favorite website (Craig's List), others have been gifted by new friends at church (Thanks Melissa!), and still others have been purchased new at the store (Target being my current favorite).

His room is getting rather full of boxes and bags, and I hope to have enough room for my sis and her baby (who are coming to visit me next weekend).
3 - Cooking: I am just loving cooking dinner each night for my hubby to eat when he gets home from work. Doesn't that sound so 1950s? I LOVE IT!

This week we've had Wendy's Chili (Great recipe and Ryan's favorite so far, except I forgot I was halfing the recipe when I added the chili powder; oops!), taco casserole, creamy chicken and rice, and lasagna. He has even been able to take leftovers in his lunch - something he always wished for during grad school, but that I couldn't manage working full-time. Our peanut butter jar is hardly getting any use anymore!

4 - Sewing: Kind of. My problem is two-fold:

* Fabric Dilemma: Ryan's grandmother is a collector. She doesn't collect dolls or bears or spoons or books or pencil sharpeners or vases... SHE COLLECTS THEM ALL!

One thing she collects is fabric. During the reunion, she opened her stashes, and the women had at it. Everything was neatly folded and stacked (a lot of it still on the bolt), but I just didn't have it in me to dig and fight and scrounge around. Everything I brought back (3 prints) were collected by my mother-in-law on my behalf.

(Here's my sister-in-law Emily who, like everyone else, had no problem digging in)

So, with deep remorse and regret, I have discovered we don't have a Hancock Fabrics in Peoria (my favorite fabric store), and I am definitely wishing I'd have looked harder at Grandma's house. If only I'd have rolled up my sleeves (and my pants!) and gotten in with everyone else I wouldn't be sitting here stressing about spending $9.75 a yard for fabric at the specialty quilting store... Aww, Hancock, where did you go?

* Pattern Dilemma: Though I have done some quilting, I have never used a pattern before. I know I am supposed to cut out the shapes, pin them to the fabric, cut them out and stitch them altogether, but this is where my knowledge stops.

I read the directions today, and I thought I'd accidentally bought the Greek version: slipstitch, with nap, without nap, staystitch, topstitch, understitch, baste... What have I gotten myself into?

On a friend's advice, I have emailed a woman from church who has offered other women (young moms!) help with sewing projects in the past. Hopefully, she'll adopt me as her own and tutor me through the process. I just don't think I can learn via cell phone with my own Moms.

And that, my friend, wraps up my week here as a stay-at-home wife in Peoria. Yes, these are the things that fill up my days along with reading, genealogy indexing, weeding the flower bed, preparing seminary lessons, grocery shopping and cleaning.

They wanted me to feel guilt and shame with their raised eye brow and slight nod of the chin when I told them I wouldn't be working and was going to be a stay-at-home wife. But I know they really were just trying to hide their jealousy at the idea of filling their own days with whatever they wanted... just like I get to.

Canada Trip

I’m home again, and home again for a while. Thank goodness. I really think that though I like to see people and places that I have heard of, I am really not much interested in long car rides, long waits in airports, and living out of a suitcase. But, despite all of these drawbacks, we had a wonderful trip to Canada for Ryan’s grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary.

We started our trip by driving to St. Louis and spending the evening with my parents. We left Sunday, August 24 by plane, with a layover in Minneapolis. We arrived in Portland, OR where Ryan’s parents picked us up. We stayed Sunday and Monday night at their home in Vancouver, Washington.

On Tuesday morning, we drove to Seattle where we stayed with Ryan’s sister.

Wednesday morning we visited the Space Needle. What a strange (and neat) place!

On Wednesday afternoon, we drove to Spokane, Washington where we teamed up with the rest of Ryan’s family to carpool to Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

Thursday we drove to Canada. We saw some of the most amazing scenery. I love the mountains covered in pine trees. The variety of shades of green never ceases to amaze me. It was a long way, but it was truly beautiful.

Friday morning we visited two homes built by Grandpa Fooks (he was an architect) and where Ryan’s mother grew up. Friday night we had a barbeque at a local Lethbridge park. Saturday we prepared food and decorated the cultural hall all morning for the open house. Lots of people came, the food was great, the decorations were even better, and Grandma and Grandpa were so happy to see all their friends.

After the open house, we had a catered dinner for the family and entertainment provided by Ryan’s Uncle Scott, who works gigs in a piano bar.

Sunday we had brunch as a family and attended sacrament meeting. To close our giant family reunion, we had a family fireside back at Grandpa and Grandma’s home. The great-grandchildren (most of the 21 of them!) sang “I Am a Child of God.” Grandma and Grandpa bore their testimonies. Each of the grandchildren gave updates on their lives and happenings. It was a wonderful close to a wonderful weekend.

Monday morning started our LONG trek home: 15 hours by car. Tuesday we continued with 10 hours in airports, and then the last 3 hours by car back to Peoria. We had a great time. It was nice to be able to meet all of Ryan’s aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Our little guy will be great-grandchild #23. He has a great heritage of family and faith. What a wonderful way to spend time with our eternal family.