The Last Hurrah and The Home Stretch

     I had my Week 37 doctor's appointment today. I am 37 weeks and 4 days into what some (mainly me) consider to be the World's Longest Pregnancy. I feel more like an elephant than a human (their gestation periods are 22 months). However, Junior has finally decided to make something happen, as I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. It's better than nothing! Still having serious concerns about his size, as again today the doctor kept indicating that he's a big baby. Yay for Junior, boo for me!
     The nursery is now 100% finished. There's not anything else we have to do/add/purchase (no more "have to's" but there are still some "want to's" left at Pottery Barn Kids!) To show off the final touch, here's a quick look:

                                                  ...and the close-up...

                                                         close-up...

     This dying with tea project turned out 100x better than I thought it might! It was actually fun, too. I used plain ole' Lipton...

...and dumped 10 tea bags into a paint tray (after dealing with the nursery walls we had plenty of those just lying around in the garage).

     Given that the paper the copies of these prints was on was just regular copy paper weight, I ignored any and all directions advising me to let it soak for 30-45 minutes. I spread each sheet into the tray and used a wooden spoon to make sure all the edges were covered in tea....then took them out about 6-7 minutes later. I laid them on the back side of a cookie sheet in the oven at 185 degrees, and just kept an eye on them. When they were 95% dry, I popped them out and let them finish air-drying on the dining room table. It was PERFECT! They look antique, and coupled with the great matting and framing that Hobby Lobby and I were able to pull off, the prints look deceptively super-expensive. Here's a before-and-after shot:

     I left Miss Jemima Puddle-Duck off my little boy's walls as I was afraid she may be just a tad bit too girly. Thoughts?? Mr. Wonderful, of course, agreed with me.
     Moving on...
     Saturday morning I woke up to Ming, our Siamese, howling his head off and racing wildly around the house for no apparent reason. And it wouldn't stop. I was still in bed, trying to wake up gradually and praying his attack on my eardrums would call a cease-fire, but to no avail. Finally I threw back the covers, hopped in the shower and when Mr. Wonderful asked me what I was doing, I said "I'm getting out of this house." I assured him he was welcome to come with me or stay, and although he'd had a late night the night before with his fantasy football draft (don't get me started--many of you are already aware of my opinion of all things football) he hopped in the car with me, and we drove to Weston, MO. I like Weston. It's microscopically small, and you can literally run from one end of it to the other in about 2 minutes. However, it happens to be the home of my favorite wine winery, Pirtle's. It's in an old church, and although the steps leading up to the front door were a challenge for someone in my condition, the wine at the end of the tunnel is worth it!

                              Mr. Wonderful, after having purchased 2 bottles of Mellow Red...just for me!
     This place is so fantastic. Inside is ongoing wine tasting all day long, AND--drum roll--you can order a picnic lunch and eat under the arbor in the shade to the left of where you see Mr. Wonderful now:

     A lunch basket nets you a hot-out-of-the-oven loaf of french bread, cheese, sausage, fruit...and wine. The picture's a little dimly lit, but under the awning are tables and chairs. Very pleasant way to spend your afternoon!
     After Pirtle's, we parked in front of a historic bed-and-breakfast we once hit up on a Friday night. I vaguely remember the room, but the breakfast the next morning is permanently etched on my brain. Wow. Unforgettable eats!

     We then walked the rest of the way into town, where I unabashedly dragged Mr. Wonderful into a dozen shops, most of them containing antiques, before we stopped at a tea room for lunch. Weston may be tiny, but they have crammed it full of so many wonderful things I love--amazing wine, amazing food and antiques! This was officially my last hurrah before Junior, and I was grateful for every minute of it, as "the home stretch" is turning out to be the most difficult. 
     Thank you, my friends and family, for reading my blog. Even though we're so far apart, it's truly a comfort to know that my loved ones read up on my silly little adventures. Soon, I'll have to begin a chapter on "Adventures In Diapering", as not being that coordinated, I always fear I will diaper my son's head rather than his behind!

Finished Projects

     Having taken a few weeks off from blogging has been a wise decision. There are so many things that are "new" to me now. For one, I had crazy intense and consistent contractions for 51 hours straight two weeks ago, so my physical therapy has been cancelled. This was done in an effort to make me "do nothing but rest" so Junior isn't tempted to make his debut too early, but that's awfully difficult for me to do. I can't lay around all day--that would really get me down! (pardon the pun!)

                          I need to start hiding the camera from Mr. Wonderful before I take a nap...

     Secondly, the nursery is completely finished--except for one last project. Earlier today I went to Office Max and, I'm sure, annoyed the guy who helped me no end.

   
     I am thisclose to being officially Petered out (Peter Rabitt-ed out??). But regardless, I had no artwork for Junior's room. Not a bit. Even though we painted the walls a neutral color and did nothing fancy to them in anticipation of moving (which is still on, by the way!) I can't let his walls sit naked like they are. So I marked the pictures in this book that I wanted blown up:

     I currently have 11"x14" and 16"x20" color prints ready to go up on the walls, as soon as I tackle one last thing: dying the prints in a big vat of tea. They are sparkly bright white at the moment, and I want them to look aged, so this afternoon I'm brewing a pot of tea, throwing in about 10 tea bags, and soaking each print in tea for about 45 minutes apiece. Wish me luck! I would hate to have to go back to Office Max and harass the same little guy again if I screw up on this dye-job!

                        The semi-finished product...rug, cushions, end table and everything!


One shock I had for the day that I think I'm still reeling from is the cost to get these prints (all 4 were blown up beautifully at Office Max for only $7.50) matted and framed at Hobby Lobby. I have known framing was expensive since I was really little. My Gran used to embroider the fanciest, most beautiful work, and she'd take me with her to have it framed.  But I wasn't prepared for today. I only had 4 prints, and they were not being custom-framed (I purchased ready-made frames at 50% off). The mats I purchased did have to be cut to fit the frame, but...$176.00 later (yes, you read that correctly) I am convinced that something somewhere went horribly wrong. They didn't even frame them for me, as I have to dye them myself first! So unfortunately I will be marching back in there tomorrow, receipt in hand, to have some of the charges on the receipt explained to me...slowly and carefully!


     In other news, Mr. Wonderful has installed the car seat! It's ready to go, and it feels so strange to be riding around with an empty car seat in the back, but when this child makes his appearance, I want to be ready! I played candid camera and caught not only Mr. Wonderful wrestling the car seat into place but his favorite assistant, supervising. I'm afraid he was convinced he was going to be taken "bye-bye" any second in this shot.

     

     Difficult to believe there's going to be a little man riding in there soon...very soon. Which brings me to my last bit of news: When having our last sonogram on Monday, we learned that although Junior gives no indication of wanting to come out anytime soon, he isn't exactly....well, small. In fact, he is currently already the size of a healthy newborn baby, and he has 4 more weeks to go. Doc estimated he could be around 9.6 lbs at birth. Oh and he has a big head, according to the sonographer. For the very first time, inducing and c-sections were brought up. It was interesting to see him on-screen again. He has chub-tastic cheeks and thick hair standing up on the top of his head. In fact, he looked pretty darn cute. He's just BIG. While I'm so happy to hear that my son is super-healthy it's a little daunting when your doc says the following:

"I wouldn't buy any newborn diapers if I were you."
"Don't worry--we can always get big babies out."
"You're going to want that epidural."
   
     This was just a sampling, but there was quite a bit of nervous laughter going on during the appointment--mostly mine. I tend to crack bad jokes when I'm nervous, and nobody laughs harder at them than I do.
     So all this being said, I enjoyed my blogging break, am excited to tackle the first few days of motherhood and to share our progress!

So, tell me: How much did you weigh when you were born?

Stick A Fork In Me...

     Currently Kansas City is on its third straight week of a heat wave. And by that, I mean the temperature appears to sit at 107 degrees every single day. There was one day--a Sunday--whose first half only made it up to 85, and that was a welcome break...until noon, when the heat cranked right back up again. This was what I had to look at while making dinner this evening:

     Despite what the clock says (anyone know how to reset these things??) it was actually 10 minutes till 6 p.m., and only a few minutes before, the temperature had read 108.5. I'm sorry, but in my book that means it's 109 stinkin' degrees outside and way too hot for anything...except this:

     Wow, this was good! I found the prettiest little seedless watermelon at the grocery store this afternoon. Nothing in the world seemed as appealing as watermelon with the temperature the way it is. And may I just say??--YUMMY! It hit the spot. I'm amazed that I chose such a perfect melon, because I honestly don't know what I'm doing in that department. I remember my grandpa knocking on melons and listening to their tone when I was a kid but I don't think I've perfected his method.  I did manage to gross out Mr. Wonderful a little bit because apparently here in the midwest they don't put salt on their watermelon...but I do. :) It is, in fact, the only thing I ever salt, as I am somewhat turned off by the white grainy substance most of the time. The fun part was when Mr. Wonderful and I, watermelon juice running down our chins (and in my case, my arm!) shared a big sloppy watermelon kiss right there in the kitchen.

     Having taken in two big slabs of watermelon, I felt better, but am still discouraged by this heat. Yesterday I was running errands and the heat really got to me. I came home and was dragging around the house trying to accomplish some things when I sporadically burst into tears--really over nothing. Totally the heat. So these days I have to plan any errands or activities around the highest temperatures of the day, if possible. But it doesn't leave me much time--it's still in the 90's when I go to bed at night! We've stocked our freezer with Edy's Real Fruit Bars (these are fantastic--try the coconut) for weeks now, too. Those seem to cool me down--but only for the 5 minutes it takes me to eat one. 

Tell me: What's your favorite way to beat the heat?