35 weeks along

Here are some new belly shots, by popular demand. :) 

And a sneak peak at what the Bambino looks like this week in utero, thanks to BabyCenter.  The girls have LOVED seeing these pictures each week - it has really helped them understand that there is, in fact, a baby growing in there and not just a big ol' belly!

Less than 4 weeks to go!  Nursery is almost completely done, we just need some odds and ends like a diaper pail and a changing pad.  They had a baby shower for us at church the other night and I will be getting those things soon thanks to a bunch of gift cards from our sweet, generous small group. It really feels real, and also not real at the same time.  At this point, with the nursery done, the baby shower behind us, and me smuggling a watermelon everywhere I go, you would think it would have sunk in that we are adding a new daughter to our family in less than a month - but it hasn't!!  I don't think it's really going to sink in until she  is in my arms. :)  And after that, I can say that a few days of 3am feedings will *definitely* hammer the point home!!  I can't wait to meet her.  We are still settling on a name so please pray for us - hearing from God and having some peace about it would help!  But it might be that we have to see her little face in the hospital before we make the final call!

Nursery pics!!

Okay, this has been a real work-in-progress for quite a while now.  But it was a nice rainy day on Saturday and I was all caught up on cakes, so I spent the whole day in the former guest room getting the crib put together and hanging up the cute little stuff we got to go on the walls.  I really love how it turned out. ♥♥♥

First, the BEFORE shot:

this was what our guest room looked like before we knew that the baby was on the way:

My Superhero hubby offered to do a total room makeover for me, because he is the BEST.  And he followed thru right away!!  This is the result!!

I think it is TOO CUTE for words.  Jesse hung the chair rail so we could paint it 2 different colors, and we chose a really light green and pink from the bedding set.  He even painted the whole thing because the paint warned that pregnant women should stay away from it (!!)  So lucky me, I got to sit back and watch the magic unfold.  (All I did was run some painters tape for him.)

 

We got a different kind of crib - the last one had a side rail that went up and down.  I noticed that a lot of the time I would wake up the sleeping baby by putting the side rail up...so this one doesn't move.  Isn't it pretty?

 

And here is the dresser which will double as a changing table when I get a changing pad to put on it.  I'm hoping this furniture will hold her until she is well into grade school.

Here's a close-up of the quilt, because I think it is so stinkin' adorable.  I even used the same clips that held up the comforter in the girls room (which, by the way, I saved for some reason?)  I was wondering this week why I held on to it, probably the same reason I love this one so much - it just reminds me of the girls when they were babies now and I hated to get rid of it.  But it turned out to be great because those little star-shaped comforter clips matched the previous quilt perfectly, and what do you know, they are perfect for this one too. :)

 

And finally we have the wall art above the dresser.  These were a challenge to hang because the picture holders on the back of them were not at the same level on each side!  So I had to make my holes in the wall correspondingly crooked, which made smoke come out of my ears.  But I love the way they go with the Princess & Frog / Fairy Tale themed bedding.  

Now I just want to go sit in there and soak up the cuteness!!  It is by far the girliest room I've ever put together, and I love that Jesse loves it too.  It is really only missing one important thing now:

A BABY!!

And she will be here in less than 5 weeks.  Can you believe it?  I certainly can't.  She definitely has an adorable room waiting for her. :)

Resident Superhero

Did you guys know I married a superhero?  He really, really is.  Easily the most capable and talented man I have ever met, and always willing to tackle the meanest, hairyest villian on the block. ♥

Our story begins with your typical disaster in need of a Superman.  The washing machine started pouring water out the bottom every time we started it.  Jesse lifted it up and looked under it - but couldn't find the leak.  We were saying it would be silly to spend $150 on a visit from the repair man when we could just go buy a new washing machine for a little more.  Since we had basically decided we were going to just get a new one, Jesse said, "I may as well take it apart and see if I can fix it."

And he did.  Took it completely apart.  At this point I thought he was mostly just exploring how the thing was put together and it was going to end up at the dump.  But then he ripped open his shirt revealing the blue and red emblem...

Just kidding.  But then he found the leaking part.  And it was 4:30 in the afternoon, but he went to the computer, Googled 'Whirlpool parts', found a dealer IN OUR TOWN (who was still open for an hour!!), drove down there and got the part for $40.

And then he replaced the part.  Pretty amazing in and of itself, because if we had called a repair guy we would have had to order the part, paid twice as much for it and then waited a week or two for it to come in.  (With no clothes washing going on in the meantime, I might add.)  This is when it gets handy to have a super hero in the house.  Not only did he get the new part installed and working...he put the whole machine back together. The SAME DAY he took it apart.  Perfectly, exactly the way it was, but with one exception - it doesn't pour water on the floor every time you turn it on anymore.

We've been using it for a week, and it is perfect.  I am so impressed that he was able to tackle this task (something he'd never done before) and totally nail it.  He saved us a huge repair bill, (and a long wait with no washer) or a huge bill for a new machine.  My hero.  ♥

 One little detail I forgot to mention - see the brown ring around the top of the wash basin?  That is DOG HAIR.  Shows you how much I wash the dog's bedding - but G-R-O-S-S!!!!  Jesse was also able to clean all that out, so it is like he cleaned and serviced the machine while he was at it.  He cleaned out some kind of weird build up in the hot water line too.  It is like having a brand new washing machine.

So go ahead and comment on what a lucky girl I am to be married to the most capable and super guy around.  Because I know you're thinking it. :)

Recent pics - and not so recent

Jesse and I a couple of months after we started attending Liberty Church, around February of 2008, I think.

My friend Tanya and I a week or so ago.  Our due dates are only about 2 weeks apart.  She's having a boy.

Speaking of due dates, mine is only about 8 weeks away.  Much to do before then!!  Better get on it.

General Sherman

"Went by the name of Jesse. Seven feet tall he was, with arms like tree trunks. His eyes were like steel: cold, hard. Had a shock of hair, black, like the fires of Hell."

 

My man caught a freakishly HUGE catfish in the Coosa River!  It was 53 pounds, I believe.  

Just for reference, looking at the shot below you can see that it was almost as big as Madeline!

(Speaking of whom, she was still in her jammies from the night before.)

Crazy, crazy huge fish.  Jesse brought him home in a cooler and I was joking that it was like being married to a mafia hit man who is always bringing home dead bodies!  Looking at that fish in the cooler all I could think about was a dead guy stuffed in someone's trunk!

I have no doubt that Jesse Fink is going to become a household name down at the GON office. :)

6 months - and an FYI

I am 6 months!! 

==> 6!!  MONTHS!! <==

She will be here in 3 months!!  

I know I sound like a broken record, but I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going by.  I was looking at our little ultrasound pics today - sweet little chubby cheeks, just like her sisters.  I can't wait to hold her and kiss those little cheeks.  ♥

On an unrelated note.

I enjoy being pregnant.  I really do.  I feel cute.  Bulgy, but cute.  

Pregnancy is the ONE TIME in my life that I actually DON'T feel self-conscious about my weight.  I like the cute little belly and I like the cute little clothes.  I *adore* the enormous ta-tas.  :)  I don't obsess over the number on the scale and I don't feel guilty about eating.

HOWEVER.  I have noticed a disturbing trend.  For some reason, it seems that people feel it is okay to say things to me (I assume because I am obviously pregnant) that NO ONE in their right mind would say to a woman who is NOT pregnant.

Comments like, "You must be due any day," and "Feeling big?" and my favorite, "ONLY 6 MONTHS?!  Is it TWINS??" just roll off their tongues.  Worse, it is WOMEN who are guilty of this!!  Now come on ladies.  Would you tell another non-pregnant woman at the grocery store she seems a bit hefty to you for her height?

Of course not.  Can you imagine?  "Wow, you are big for a woman who is only 5' 4"!  You must feel miserable!"  

***SMACK!!***

That's about how that conversation would go, no?

So, just an FYI ladies.  No pregnant woman wants to be told she is huge - just like the *not* pregnant girl next to her in line who is carrying an extra 30 lbs - she knows.  And there is a good chance she is NOT standing there thinking how much better she would feel about herself if someone would just acknowledge her plight.

The old adage is true - think of something NICE to say.  Ask her if she is excited.  Ask her if she knows the baby's gender.  Tell her she looks cute.  And if she retorts with a negative remark about her appearance, don't be fazed.

The last 3 women she stood next to in line probably asked if she was carrying twins.

Thanks for listening.  I feel better. :)  Once we get the crib put together I'll be putting up some before-and-after pics of the nursery and the girls' room, both of which have recently received a fresh coat of paint in super girly colors.  Have a great weekend!

WE GOT SNOW!!

Real snow!!  4 INCHES!!  I know that isn't much, but for us it is a HUGE amount and the girls LOVED it!  There was a snowman in every yard in town, no one missed the opportunity to get outside and play in it.  It fell on Friday night and I should have taken more pictures of the yard, it was just beautiful.  By the next morning at 11 o'clock, it was almost completely melted.

Now our snow man looks more like a snow zombie:

It was wonderful while it lasted - I heard we might get another inch or two tonight.

If that happens I will take some pics of the yard covered in snow this time.

Hope you are having a lovely Valentines Day!!

Happy hump day!

I resisted the temptation to name this post "Hump Week."  I can see the raised eyebrows now.

I am 21 weeks, officially "over the hump!"  We are both doing great - mom is feeling not too shabby and little miss is practicing for the US Olympic gymnastics team on a daily basis.  Still amazed at how quickly the pregnancy is zipping along.  Baby Bean will be here before we know it.  And from the feel of things, she will be able to do a perfect ariel at birth.

Here's a BabyCenter drawing of a 21-week bambino:

 And here's a snapshot of the real thing:

 

 

 

 

Adorable maternity digs courtesy of my Dad. ♥

More belly pics as the oven continues to expand, I promise.  Up until now there hasn't been much to see.

If only that trend were destined to continue...sigh.  Had an OB check today and evidently no one ever told the scale there "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

But it goes with the territory.  :)  I'm grateful for the blessing of another pregnancy and especially, the blessing of another daughter.  We can't wait to meet her.

Hope your Hump Day's HAPPY!

Treed

 Jesse treed a Baby Bug!!

 

Apparently these creatures like to climb trees when encouraged by their Daddies.

 

They are a little brazen and fearless as well.

And once they are in the tree, they tend not to want to come down.

:)

IT'S A GIRL!!

Hooray!  We get to keep the designation "the girlies" when referring to our little ones.  We will be welcoming another daughter at the end of May. Jesse is seriously outnumbered at this point.  :)

I cannot BELIEVE how fast this pregnancy is FLYING by.  Another week and I will be at the HALFWAY point!!  We need to get on the nursery and start thinking about names while I am in my second trimester and feeling relatively good.  I am thinking a whole lot about getting back in some yoga classes 3 times a week too, but we will see if I can pull it off time wise.  It made a world of difference in eliminating pregnancy aches and pains with Madeline.  (Plus I just miss the gym, and Dr. said forget about doing anything but yoga or walking until after the baby is born, so yoga it is.)

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy new year!!  Here are some of the girlies' Christmas pictures that didn't make it into the Christmas cards.  I had a very hard time narrowing it down to 3.  Enjoy, and New Years' Blessings!!!!!!!!!!!!