Everything's Bigger in Texas (including baby bumps?)

We're headed down to the Lone Star State this weekend for a family wedding. This is the first of many upcoming plane trips which take on new meaning now that I'm pregnant. I'm SO very thankful we are not making the 7 1/2-8 hour drive to Houston (typically driven after a full workday), but am curious to see if my body reacts differently than normal (like the car sickness I've been experiencing from our daily commute).

At any rate, over the next few months I'm cramming in as much travel for work and pleasure as possible. This includes trips to Chicago, NYC, Mississippi, Minnesota, Las Vegas, likely Houston (again) and many more in-state trips I can't remember at this time. Yes April-June will fly by because of this, which means I need to get my act together making some decisions (like pregnancy classes, baby registry, home improvement projects and more).

The great thing about traveling is I only have about a week's worth of maternity clothes at the moment, so packing is a breeze. I just wash it all and throw it in the suitcase. Since I have one nice maternity dress, it makes planning my wardrobe for the wedding a snap!

Now that I'm pretty much wearing maternity clothes all the time, I realize I need to expand my selection, but I just haven't had time to shop lately. Plus, all the stores have cute summer clothes, however our crazy Oklahoma weather isn't consistently warm just yet.

But enough about that...I'll let you know how the trip goes next week. And for those of you worried about Miss Roxy, we're not boarding her this weekend. She's staying at Camp Green (aka our thoughtful friends Rob & Courtney who have agreed to watch her and will likely spoil her even more rotten).

Rocking Chair Saga

We've been researching nursery furniture for months and have made decisions on the crib, dresser and room theme (which is basically a "non-theme," but will incorporate different animals, framed Helvetica number wallpaper, original artwork/prints from Mike, and oversized, metal mid-century letters that spell our yet-to-be-decided child's name). 

One decision we keep getting stuck on is a chair for the nursery. We really don't care if it's a rocker or a glider as long as it's comfortable enough for late-night feedings and somewhat modern-looking. There are all kinds of ultra-modern and minimalist rocker/glider chairs available if we want to spend $1,000 or more, but for something that's going to endure baby spit up, eventual toddler climbing and who knows what other adventures, we just can't bring ourselves to spend that much.

We've come up with two alternative options that include:

1. Scouring antique and used furniture stores for a cool, vintage/mid-century rocker/glider that could work (even if it needs to be recovered)

2. Biting the bullet and buying an ugly, more reasonably priced chair that we won't mind getting rid of in a few years (but can endure the looks of now)

Now, you all know that Mike is a graphic designer which means that option #2 is not something he's willing to take lightly. We've spent many a weekend afternoon in every antique and used furniture store within the OKC/Norman metro areas to no avail (not to mention countless websites). If we do stumble across something cool, it's either so modern it would be uncomfortable at 3 a.m. or is so ridiculously priced we walk away in disgust. 

If any of you have suggestions, we're all ears! I'll keep you updated on new developments or discoveries we make. I'll also post pictures of our nursery once it's actually transformed. At the moment, it's just a half-emptied office with random baby artifacts peppered on the shelves. More to come on that front once the gender is identified...

Easter Bunny Surprise

Well, I hope by now you've all enjoyed a nice Easter weekend. We hosted my family for lunch on Sunday and afterward enjoyed a nice visit with our neighbors and their newborn, so all-in-all it was a fun day. 

That said, it didn't start off on the best foot. Mike and I woke up to get started on our list of house chores and cooking, but first had to tend to breakfast. I wasn't in the mood to prepare anything so Mike decided to go out and get donuts. The donut shop is only about a mile away so I was surprised when it took him 30 minutes to get back. That's because he brought home more than I bargained for...a dog.

He found an escaped Beagle (Maddie Mae) wandering a nearby residential street and decided to stop and pick her up before she crossed Main (a busy four-lane street). She did have on tags which included her phone number and address, so he went to her house and knocked on the door to no avail. Instead of sticking her in the backyard (since she is an apparent escape artist), he decided it would be a good idea to bring her to our house until the owners could be located.

Of course, I'm already stressed enough preparing for the holiday meal but she was a cute dog and I was just thankful she had on a tag. We're famous for getting roped into picking up strays that have no ID or microchip and need hundreds of dollars worth of medical care. 

So we stuck Miss Maddie in the backyard where she proceeded to run across our pool cover numerous times, not realizing that she's too heavy and therefore sinks down to the water level getting soaked in freezing water. She then peers in our back door window and starts scratching away as if to say, "I belong in the house!" Mike dried her off and luckily she fit in Roxy's crate since I wasn't about to let her stay loose in the house without knowing if she was potty trained. After about an hour of barking, yelping and whining she finally relaxed in the crate.

Roxy seemed somewhat interested in Maddie, but only from a distance. She wasn't very thrilled when the dog went inside her crate, but Roxy was later rewarded with a freshly washed bed cushion (one of her favorite things). The owners finally returned home around 1 p.m. and came to pick her up. Apparently her escaping is a regular event (not surprising since our old beagle, Bailey, was also a Houdini and could find a way out of any yard or crate). Maddie was a smart girl, I swear I caught her using her tongue to try and open the latch on the crate. 

So that was our small adventure for the day. Roxy and I are thankful the Easter Bunny didn't bring us a dog for keeps. I'm just not sure I have the patience or the hormones to deal with that right now, and Roxy for sure doesn't have the desire to share her crate or toys. 

Daycare Shopping

My  mom and I just ended a long afternoon of visiting daycare facilities. Suffice it to say I'm mentally and physically exhausted. 

Our plan is to have in-home care the first few months after I return to work, but eventually we will need to find a daycare. I'm quickly learning this can be a competitive venture since, of course, we want our child to get top-notch care. This world involves waiting lists and deposits which sometimes don't even result in getting a spot in the facility (which is why we're starting 6-9 months out).

After researching accreditation levels, star ratings, and dozens of other criteria, we compiled a list of about 10 places worth checking out in person. The afternoon got off to a seriously rocky start. The first two places had smells that I still cannot get out of my nose. Now, my very first job was at a daycare so I know there can often be some funky smells, but this was a whole new level of funkiness. I tried giving them the benefit of the doubt thinking that my heightened sense of smell was contributing to the awfulness, but judging from how quickly my mom turned to bolt out the door it wasn't just me.

As we were driving to the third facility, my mom reaffirmed her offer to retire early and move to Norman if it meant her grandchild didn't have to experience those places. Luckily, things started looking up at the next few facilities, two of which I would be confident in watching our baby. 

Overall, I'm just so shocked at how terrible some of the daycares were, yet they were filled with babies and older children. You'd think once the kids were old enough to talk they would ask to get the heck out of there. Anyway, I'm just so thankful that we found some places that don't give me nightmares. 

Next up, I'll get Mike's opinions of the short list daycares so I'm sure that will be interesting blog fodder. I can only imagine some of the comments he would make if he had gone into the smellyville facilities. Maybe I should send him to one or two just for the entertainment value... 

Top 10 Lists

Top 10 Things I Miss

10. Zippers (none of my maternity pants seem to have them)

9. Sushi

8. Painting/home improvement (mainly the satisfaction of crossing something off the to do list)

7. My old energy level (this is getting better, but still not 100%)

6. Thoughtlessly picking up heavy objects

5. Waking up and not being famished

4. Lying on my stomach

3. Having well-moisturized skin (I just can't seem to apply enough lotion these days)

2. Ice cold beer (didn't see that coming)

1. Dr. Pepper

Top 10 Things I Enjoy

10. Not having to rake the leaves (sorry Mike)

9. Reading my Pregnancy Day-by-Day book to see the baby's development 

8. Back rubs

7. Not worrying if the scale goes up a little

6. Peacefully sleeping without a dog under my legs (sorry Roxy)

5. Knowing my jewelry, shoes and purses will always fit

4. Watching Mike's creativity in planning for the baby (names, nursery ideas, ways to capture our child's life)

3. Hearing the baby's heartbeat 

2. BBQ chips (closely tied with guacamole at the moment)

1. Feeling the baby move

Perspective

I've been experiencing some writer's block lately because when I think about what to post next, I realize it's pretty insignificant compared to some of the things our friends are facing these days.

Since Friday alone, several of our close friends have had to deal with (in no particular order):

1. A building fire which resulted in their apartment being declared a total loss.
2. An in-utero blood transfution for the baby of my friend who is about 25 weeks pregnant.
3. A jaundiced newborn who is losing weight and won't eat.

All of this makes me realize how lucky Michael and I are in both our pregnancy and in life. Some of these friends are nearby and we can personally help, while others are states away which makes us feel helpless. Keep them in your prayers and count the blessings in your own life!

A day to remember

Wed., March 12 was a big day in our world for a couple of reasons. 

First off, our neighbors welcomed their daughter Eva at 10:26 p.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 5 ounces and is 20 inches long. We went to visit the tired, but happy parents tonight after work and introduced ourselves to this adorable bundle of joy. It was a front row seat for the hospital experience we will participate in just five short months from now. 

Mike opted not to hold Miss Eva since she was less than 24 hours old, but I couldn't get enough of her. Mom Nancy is quite the trooper and decided to have a natural birth without an epidural (an experience she recounted in full detail so I could make an educated decision). I can safely say I am opting for the epidural as quickly and as high a dose as possible. 

We are so excited for Jack and Nancy (and for ourselves since we daydream of Eva and baby Vidrine being the best of friends). 

On this same day, I had my four-month check up. I got to hear the heartbeat again which registered a strong 153. Everything was pretty routine, but in light of last week's incident I have to still take it easy for two more weeks as a precaution. The highlight of the appointment came at the end when I scheduled my ultrasound. Mark your calendars for April 10 and say a little prayer that we'll get a good enough angle on the baby to tell the gender.