31 weeks vs. 18 weeks

In the past thirteen weeks, Andrew has grown from 5.5 inches and about 7 oz to around 16 inches and somewhere around 3.3 lbs. He can turn his head from side to side and his arms, legs, and body are starting to plump up as he builds up his body fat stores.

His current home has gained 31 pounds and 9 inches.

Nine weeks or 61 days left!

Weekend at the Pfeffers

We spent an huge amount of time in the red room! In order for the contractor to finish the room this week (yes, the entire project will be done in two weeks!!!), Dave had to get the electrical work done. Dave has probably saved us about $1500 by re-wiring everything himself.

This includes:

• all new junction boxes under the house and in the rafters (to help the whole house re-wire later)
• eight outlets for living room, dining room, kitchen, and outside
• overhead light and three way light switch for it
• two outside porch lights with a switch inside

He learned a great deal of the electrical when he did it for the master bath addition and knew he was doing it correctly because he passed his city inspection with flying colors. This weekend, he has spend a fair share of time in the rafters, in the room, outside, and under the house. The part that makes him VERY cranky is the time he had to spend under the house. Although he does get to wear this spiffy suit and LED light on his head, he doesn't enjoy crawling around in the rocks, dirt, and mud. Just today he spend two hours, twelve minutes under the house (I didn't think to keep track yesterday). While he is under the house, it is my job to stay in the house and do what he says from up above. This involves a whole lot of waiting for him while entertaining the dog and a little big of actually helping. On the Reese note, she really doesn't like him under the house either. She constantly looks down the wire holes because she can see/smell/hear him and whines until she gets picked up.
My "big" job of the weekend was to run all the wires down the holes to Dave. From there he hooked them into the new "j-box" and I then cut them and started the process over in another one of the holes. I, of course, messed one of them up which was a bit stressful, but Dave figured out how to make my mistake work.

Oh, and while he was under the house last night, he found a small gas leak... which he fixed in his time under there today. I know what you're thinking, "how in the world does he know how to do these things?" I think the same thing often; he has a gifted brain.

No nursery work has happened (completely understandable) on Dave's end, but I was able to get several smaller projects done while I was "on call." I added ribbon to my mom's art work to "finish" them. I also added brown bows to my baskets to go with the theme. After poring over the giant Behr paint color wheel, I also picked the four colors we'll use for the walls. Baby clothes from Tawni are being sorted and put away now too!

baskets from the changing table shelf

Technically, the nursery wasn't suppose to be started until next weekend anyway. So we aren't "behind" schedule. Also, today I am 31 weeks pregnant, only 9 weeks to go!

Red Room Under Construction

See this wall?

This is the outside wall of the Red Room. The cement under the sliding doors is crumbling and the doors are slightly "bending" into middle. The previous owners had broken out the step and part of the foundation to add in the ugly deck that we took out when we moved out...

Although this picture was taken yesterday, it might as well have been from November 2009. The room hasn't changed in anyway since before we bought the house. We've used the room as storage for construction (remember the toliet living in the room?), storage for our house, and sort of as a dining room.

Because we are not foundation experts, nor does Dave have time to start another major project before Drew gets here, we've hired a contractor to fix the wall and then finish the room (new installation and drywall).

After one day, the team of contractors finished demo of the room and cleaned up EVERYTHING. I love this :)

This is the wall between the Red Room and living room with plastic preventing dust from moving around our clean house.
More to come as progress is made :)

Master Bathroom Update

We lived with this bathroom state for a few months (think October), but as we get closer and closer to Drew coming, the "nesting" need has kicked in and my level of determination to get this bathroom done has kicked into high gear. The nagging has turned into full fledged rage when it isn't happening. Anyway... Dave has stepped up and we've gotten a lot done over the past few weeks.

We started by cutting a gazillion tiles... I tiled most of the shower in November (probably a pretty bad idea at 19 weeks pregnant).

Dave smeared the cement on the wall for me.

The side walls were done!

The back wall was finished... at sat there until January.

In January, Dave added the glass tiles and the 2X2 squares...

The corner wrap-around was pretty difficult, but it was done too (January 8th).

The week of January 15th, Dave started grouting!

Several layers of grout goes on and off! The center "clean" spot is what "done" looks like...

The shower was grouted (January 15/16). The top part where the grout is dark is slightly damp and the bottom part needs its final wipe down to remove the extra grout from the top of the tiles.

The top of the shower with the glass tiles gets non-sanded group so it was done seperately (January 17/18).

What's left?

1. Seal grout on floor and shower.
2. Caulk all seams.
3. Drill hole for and install shower head.
4. Install shampoo shelf (see the hole on the left wall).
5. Install toliet.
6. Mount cabinets onto wall.
7. Order granite countertops.
8. Install all lighting (ceiling and vanity light).
9. Install countertops and sink.
10. Install mirrors.
11. Install bathroom hardware (towel bars, toliet paper holder, robe hook, etc).

Drew @ 30 Weeks

Seeing Andrew on the 4D ultrasound machine was pretty much the coolest thing ever! He is huge (and no one I feel huge). He is currently breech with his head, arms, and legs all at the top of my uterus.

It was amazing to watch him open and close his eyes, stick out his tongue, and clench his fingers tight. Several pouty faces were pretty clear (my crunch nose face... picture it... but WAY cuter). He has my nose and Dave's lips :)

Bits and Pieces

The woman of multiple crafty talents: Grandma

Bits and Pieces of the nursery are coming together!

My mom used her crafty brillance to create these three paintings for Drew's room. They are perfect match to the quilt (and 1/3rd of the price of the "artwork" they sell at Babies R Us).

We're going to add a ribbon border too.

Week 30

I forgot to take a picture before church today in my dress, so you get the "I'm going to get 101 things done today" outfit.

I LOOK: Every time I see someone I haven't seen recently, the first thing they say to me is, "you're huge" and it's true (even though you shouldn't ever say this to a pregnant lady--it hurts her feelings). I've had random strangers walk up and tell me how cute I am (which is strange, but much better than the "you're huge" comments). The comments have already started about being ready to pop, questions about twins, and when are you due. Part of me thinks that I can't really get any bigger, but I'm sure the next ten-ish weeks will prove that feeling wrong. Andrew is sitting very high and very "out." I still have no swelling, an innie belly button, and great hair. Total Weight Gain: 29 lbs

I FEEL: grouchy! My normal patience level is cut in half and all the "mean" things I think in my head want to come out. So far I've been pretty good in class with my students (well, except with Read180--they just piss me off every day), but adults who do stupid things get no sympathy.

On the pregnancy feeling side of things:

• I feel the intense need for the house to be finished. Call it nesting, call it planning, call it insanity, I don't really care what it is called at this point, just as long as it is finished. (Due dates assigned: Bathroom 2/19, Nursery 3/5 and dining room is contractor's issue and he's assured me it will be done quickly).
• It's frustrating that I can't really do anything to make it finished any faster (well, other than nag), so I'm left with other projects... I washed, folded and organized all the baby clothes and bought plastic totes for the closet and under the bed to have some hidden storage in the nursery.
• The past two nights I've slept four hours straight and it was wonderful! Maybe my body is ready to let me sleep more? I can only hope!
• My back feels pretty good after I get moving, but hurts again by the end of the day. My sciatic nerve is being compressed and causes the sides of my legs to tingle when I stand in one place, but thankfully it isn't causing any pain.
• Overall, I feel pretty huge. It amazes me that this is my view most of the time.
• Baby Movements: Lots of pushing and moving around in the evenings. Kick counts are almost pointless--he kicks pretty much constantly from 5:00-7:00 pm--his record for 10 kicks is 2 minutes and 12 seconds. The longest time has been 12 minutes, but that was at 9:15 at night.
• Weird Pregnancy Symptom: discharge is killing me. I won't go into details, but I'm over it... SO over it! I am also pretty much out of breath on a regular basis. Walking up the very small incline from my classroom to the main office (crossing the school quad) is enough to make me feel winded. When I get on a roll teaching and talking in my super fast speed, I have to stop and catch my breath.

I CRAVE: food wise--nothing much. No food sounds good. I am always hungry, don't get me wrong. The fact that nothing sounds good hasn't stopped me from eating too much. I'm good at that.

I THINK: Ten weeks is both a short and LONG time. Short when I consider how much needs to be done before he gets here and the fact that our entire lives will be changing dramatically. Long when I consider that I'm uncomfortable and huge now.

I HOPE/I'm EXCITED: to see Baby Drew tomorrow on a 3D/4D ultrasound! Our trip is at 6:30 pm and I'm not sure I'll be able to get through the next day without being completely distracted. This is more exciting that any of the other ultrasounds because he's be big and we'll get to see his face :) We should get to start working on the nursery this week as well, which is wonderful!

DOCs SAY: no appointment for another two weeks. Also, because a few people has asked or implied that it was weird, my midwife says that I come once a month until 36 weeks (only two left: 32 and 36 weeks), then 38 weeks, then 39 and 40. If everything goes as planned, I only have five more prenatal appointments.

Nursery Idea

Melissa is moving out this weekend and work on the nursery should be in full force next weekend--before next Friday night, I have some pretty "big" decisions to make about the paint.

The above picture is the closest picture that matches the "inspiration" that is in my head.


Our color scheme is going to be light blue, navy blue, light green, chocolate, and white
(based on the bedding). Our crib and changing table are dark wood, the rocker is dark wood and tan swede, we have a white rug for the floor, and a white dresser that may/may not stay in the room.

I'm thinking we paint the wall a very, very light blue.

For the stripes, I'd like to have three lines for the three colors.
Possible a thick lime stripe, a thinner navy line, and then a very thin brown line with the light blue showing in between the stripes.

Do you think it would look nice?

Would three lines be okay?

Should I do a thin, fat, thin?

Or should I just do two lines?

Some humor

Feeling HUGE this week and as I was wasting time on the internet looking up maternity underwear for plus size bodies, this picture was "connected" in Google. I laughed out loud. Admit it, it is funny.

Week 29

Growing and growing.

Andrew is now anywhere from 2.5-3.8 pounds and at least 15 inches long...

Baby Clothes

Last night, Dave and I went to Babies R Us to get the crib mattress (we had a 30% off coupon and $5 reward that we had to use) and while we were there I saw this ADORABLE little outfit. Unless I find something I like better, I think Drew will come home from the hospital in this! This morning I stopped by Kohl's with another 30% coupon. Combined with the super Saturday sale, I got all these adorable outfits for $33. The green sweater vest outfit is for Easter :)

Week 28

I LOOK: round and happy! No swelling in my hands or feet, innie belly button, and great hair still. My nails have taken a bit of a nose dive.

• Total Weight Gain: +29 lbs--Up five pounds in the past four weeks. Doctors appointment is Monday, we'll see what he thinks.
• Maternity Clothes: I know I said this was going to go away this week, but there have been major accomplishment in this area over the past two weeks. First off, maternity underwear is a necessity. I should have jumped on board WAY before. Maternity tights/nylons are also a complete necessity--one day with "regular" tights was enough to send me to Target to buy the expensive maternity ones (thankfully they were on clearance for 75% off). Tawni also stocked up my wardrobe, so I feel pretty stylish. The dress in this weeks pictures is one of hers.

I FEEL: EVERYONE at work asks me every single time they see me, "How are you feeling?" and I never know how to answer. I usually say, "fine" but they want more so I follow up with "just pregnant." On a day-to-day basis when at work, I can forget that I'm pregnant; basically I'm just a bit sore all over, a bit more hungry, a bit less patient, a pee factory...

• Baby Movements: Drew likes when I eat and rewards me with a whole lot of movement. He doesn't really kick hard, but still just seems to push a lot. I'm suppose to start "kick counts" this week for the doctor so I've been practicing timing and counting ten movements in the evening. It usually only takes about ten minutes right after eating dinner. He must sleep during the day when I'm actively teaching, but I don't feel him a whole lot.
• Weird Pregnancy Symptom/Event: my hands are super dry and scaly no matter how much hand lotion or cream I use. Upon using Doctor Google, it seems like this can be blamed on my hormones...

I CRAVE: (repeated from Week 26) Food. All the time. Doesn't matter what it is... I'm ALWAYS hungry. I have eaten a significant amount of bananas and string cheese though.

I THINK: Our first baby prep class was a bit boring, but I'm looking forward to our classes this week. The first one was pretty basic; if anything, it made me feel knowledgeable and comfortable with the basics (feeding, sleeping, pooping, basic complications/newborn issues). I was thankful to experience birth/newborns/babies through my wonderful friends first. This week we have another class on breastfeeding and labor/pain management.

I HOPE/I'm EXCITED: to plan Drew's nursery. I ordered a wall decal from itsy that has his name and James 1:17 ("Every good and perfect gift is from above") for the wall above his crib and I'm looking at thousands of pictures online to "design" how I want to repaint and layout. We'll be starting on the room the first weekend in February and I can't wait!

DOCs SAY: Next appointment is tomorrow. Glucose test for diabetes came back stellar! Although lectured about weight gain, PCOS, and my insulin resistances (thanks to PCOS), I am still far from diabetic and my sugars are at 77 (anything under 180 is considered good with the way they conduct the test).

Year Two of Homeownership

Last year I had a pretty impressive blog about the First Year of Homeownership and showed off all the changes that had taken place in our house; this year, at lot less has been accomplished on the remodel because of all those busy things that happened and the onset of a JOB (woo hoo!!) for Dave. However, December 31st was still our second year of homeownership! Enjoy a photo tour!

First off, those with a change:

• Guest Bedroom: Year 1 and 2In April when Melissa moved in, the guest bedroom transformed into her room. Other than the major roommate change, the closet was also given a facelift with custom made sliding mirror doors. Jennifer slept in the guest bedroom with Melissa until July 1 as Dave slept in the red room on the mattress--now that was interesting.
• Hallway: The bathroom and master bedroom door trims were finally finished. The linen closet and drawers were finally made useable and more pictures were hung on the wall.
• Master Bedroom: (Year 1 and 2) BIGGEST TRANSFORMATION of the year and about the same cost as everything from 2009 (because as much as I planned and tried to get Dave to stick with it, 101 small trips to Home Depot caught up with us)
• The bedroom itself has repaired plaster and new drywall, painted and cleaned closet with new custom doors, new paint, and our bedroom set in June.
• The area behind the plywood from the 2009 picture and the original "sink room" is now transformed into my closet/dressing area with all new studs, floorboard, heating/air conditioning, electrical, dimming can lights, drywall, closet cabinets from Ikea, and paint to match the bedroom. Enjoy the magic of my closet!
• The bathroom is still not quite done, but also has new everything like the dressing area AND a new shower pan, tile floor and shower, toliet and vanity. Still needs a countertop, sinks, and all the fixtures.

And those things with no changes:

• Front of the House: The wonderful grass is still super green and the envy of all the neighbours! Dave is still rather obsessed with it :).
• Living Room: Still beautifully mocha and exactly how I had it envisioned, although usually it has too much stuff in it that either Dave, Melissa, or I do not put away.
• Office: Although there were plans to fix this room this year (changing the door, moving in the futon), it is the same messy room. It has acquired another four computer CPUs, several hundred dollars worth of textbooks and more mess.
• Kitchen: literally looks exactly the same as 365 days ago, Christmas decorations and all.
• Red Room: the bunnies moved to the garage and instead of construction storage, the room has become baby storage area. We have my parents dining room table and china hutch sitting there too. The wall with the beautiful sliding doors must be our next project (that we'll pay to have done) because the concrete under it is crumbling.
• Hall Bathroom: Beautiful as remodeled--still the room I sit in when I need a rejunivation from the state of undoneness of my house(baby projects finished in February of 2010).
• Backyard: construction zone (or lack there of) for the year.

2011 Projects (in order of my priority and all hopefully done BEFORE Drew arrives):

1. Master bathroom finished (as I type this Dave is outside cutting the final pieces of tile)
2. Guest bedroom door replaced
3. Guest bedroom transforms into nursery
4. Red Room wall taken down, foundation fixed (welcome contractor again)
5. Red Room drywall repaired, textured, painted
6. Red Room floor level and new floor laid

No more toes...

Yep, cannot see them anymore!

Also, thanks to wonderful Tawni I have some new clothes to wear!

Third Trimester Already?!?

As of yesterday (26 weeks and 6 days), I have entered into my third trimester of pregnancy. I'm feeling pretty good, but looking pretty huge. My mother in law told me on New Years that I looked like a Christmas bell. Dave looks at me with a strange combination of "oh my gosh" and "how cute." Tomorrow when I go back to my kiddos after two weeks off, they should be pretty cute.

Reese, on the other hand, doesn't really like the bump. In the above picture, she is sitting on the bump as I mess around the computer, but over and over again she tried to climb up and sit on my shoulder to avoid it. She has also left her normal sleeping position at my stomach to find a new spot on my neck or over with Dave. It is hard to believe that we have 13 weeks left before baby Drew is here :)