House Woes

There are plenty of things that make owning a house awesome, but there are definitely some downsides to that, as well. For example, when something major breaks, you have to fix it. Now, I live in Texas. I think it's common knowledge that we tend to have some heat down here, and it just so happens to be July. If you were to ask people on the street here what is the most important thing to survive, your answer would be air conditioning. Well, we have the oldest unit that was ever created. I would guess it's the first AC made. Ever. We knew it wasn't going to last too much longer (we just bought the house in January), but we were hoping with all of our might that it would get us through summer. No such luck. It's still running (THANK GOD!), but it is getting all rankity and definitely dying on us. We've started the thrilling routine of getting quotes and such. We're ready to be done with it all and just have our new, pretty, energy-efficient AC all set up and working. It's just going to really suck having to pay for it. Oh well. At least Jeffrey will definitely be nice and cool when we bring him home...

23 weeks!!

How far along? 23 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: 6lb as of my last appointment (almost a month ago, so...who knows?!?)
How much does Baby weigh?: approximately 1 1/3 pounds!
Maternity clothes? Yup. More and more pre-pregnancy shirts are taking a trip to the retired portion of the closet (for now). Even some t-shirts!
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: I've been working on sleeping in a certain position that we learned in our Bradley classes, and that has made it a lot better. My back doesn't hurt anymore!
Best moment this week: whenever he's super active
Movement: Definitely. I'm trying to get used to the fact that my belly moves all around without me controlling in whatsoever. He's even started kicking/moving ABOVE my belly button.
Food cravings: none
Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? It changes periodically, but I'd say that it's flat the majority of the time. I do have a little section that pokes out every now and then, though...
What I miss: not worrying about my food intake so much
What I am looking forward to: getting all the nursery furniture in place/set up!
Milestones: buying our glider/ottoman and getting organized for finishing up the nursery/other necessary baby items!

My Baby

Your baby isn't just sitting around (on your bladder) doing nothing, he's working hard preparing for life outside the womb—perfecting his lungs and packing on the pounds. He'll gain ½ pound this week alone. Other highlights this week:

Things are starting to get a little crowded inside the old womb as baby grows bigger and bigger. Your ribs are probably pining away for the good old days when they didn't have a foot permanently lodged between them. Hate to break it to you, but it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Your baby's ears are fully functional now. And since they are, you may notice that loud noises and sudden movements can startle the little bugger. He's getting used to the everyday sounds inside the womb: the sound of your heart beating, your lungs inhaling and exhaling air, the growling of your stomach because your partner promised he'd be right back with that double cheeseburger and he's taking forever! He'll even be able to hear your voice when your partner finally arrives and you ask him where the bleep he's been! So talk nice!

Baby's got a fully developed inner ear now. This means his sense of balance is working and he can tell whether he's hanging upside down or right side up. He can also feel you moving, so go ahead, pop in your favorite tunes and boogie.

Your little Wiener schnitzel is about the length of a foot-long Chicago hot dog and weighs about 1 1/3 pounds.

Nursery To Do's

J and I were standing in the nursery at the beginning of this weekend and begin to feel horribly overwhelmed. It's still SO far from where we want it to be in just 17 or so (preferably less, as I want to be done with the nursery by 37 weeks) week. To try and get our heads in the game, both organizationally (is that a word?) and financially, I made some lists. We have the list of what we need to do in the nursery and a list for when we're going to buy the rest of the nursery/baby items. I have them written down, but I'm going to list it out here, as well. I'm lazy, and it's an easy place for me to come look if I lose the paper lists. Plus, it'll help me stay on track as far as buying things earlier than planned. I tend to get a little anxious :) Feel free to ignore...

Nursery To Do's: (10/18 remaining)

1. Paint remaining closet door- DONE
2. install fan- DONE
3. change lightswitch to a double/add dimmer switch- DONE
4. Install window valence
5. Frame photos and hang- DONE
6. Finish/hang up name letters
7. Finish/put up picture board
8. Set up diaper area (secure changing pad, put up drying clips, and organize diapers/wipes)
9. Organize closets and hutch
10. Set up crib bedding
11. Hang up shelves
12. Clean windows/storm windows
13. Replace smoke detector's battery
14. Replace pulls in closet lights- DONE
15. Clean stickers off crib (WHY do they even put these on there?!?)- DONE
16. Polish hutch- DONE
17. DECORATE!

Buying Schedule: (3.5/18 remaining)

-August:

1. Glider/Ottoman (we actually just ordered them, but we're paying for them in August. So, we consider it an "August" purchase)- DONE

-September 1-15:

1. Framing/custom matting for caterpillar picture above crib- DONE
2. 4 frames for EC prints- DONE
3. ribbons/pins/materials for picture board- DONE
4. Green Mountain Diapers pre-folds (12 newborn/12 small)- DONE

-September 16-30

1. Closet Organizer/bins- DONE
2. Lamp- DONE
3. 3 shelves- DONE

-October 1-15

1. 2 clips for diaper covers- DONE
2. Closet light pulls- DONE
3. Wet bag: trash (2)
4. Wet bag: "on the go" (2)- one down

-October 16-30

1. Bookshelf- DONE
2. KL0 rental

-November (if not purchased off of registry)

1. Infant car seat- DONE
2. Stroller
3. Loveydud- DONE
4. Baby monitor- DONE