Before-And-After Photos

Nursery Before

The carpet was a dark-medium mauve with assorted stains all over. Walls were originally blue sponge-paint (I repainted the room right before we moved in, but I have no pictures of that), with about 3000 tack holes . Apparently teenage boys like their posters. The light switch and outlets were all replaced with white, and the trim, closet doors, and registers were painted white. Also, the light fixture was on the ceiling right in front of the closet. It was replaced with a more stylish one and moved to the middle of the ceiling. The room is a lot brighter now. The new carpet and removal of trees outside of the window also made a big difference.

Nursery After

The walls are re-repainted, and the new carpet is in! The little birds going around the border match those in the crib quilt hanging on the wall above the changing table. We will also hang letters (painted blue or pink?) that spell the baby's name... after we know what that's going to be! These photos don't show every inch of the room, but you get the idea! It is a much happier place for the baby to come home to!

New Trees, New Carpet

Ron is currently planting our two new trees - a flowering crabapple, and a flowering plum tree. Both are quite tall, good sized trees. We bought them from Roark's on Chicago Drive, and they have great deals right now. They are "filling" in some of the space where we had trees removed, but both are kinds that will not get too huge, and they are not being planted as close to the house (we took out 5 large trees, and we're planting 2 smaller trees). Now is the time, from what I understand, to plant trees (any time in the late summer or fall).

Also, the new carpet is in the nursery! I was so grossed out when Ron was ripping out the old, filthy, stained stuff last night. It feels so much better in there, and I know it is clean. It also makes the room a lot brighter. I have to add a little decor, but then I will take a photo and post the before-and-after. It's amazing that it's the same room (although it's not quite the same as seeing it in person, especially if you were ever in there before we redid it!).

I had my 34 week appointment today, and everything is fine (same old same old!). I go again in two weeks, then every week after that. Crazy! At this point the baby would be almost full-length (20 inches give or take) and around 5 lbs. It's head is down and it's still fairly active... and over the past few weeks I've actually noticed a pattern to the times it is most active. At exactly 11 PM every night it starts moving around a lot (more than any other time of the day or night). Maybe after it's born that will be the time he or she is most awake! Great... ;)

Fireplace Tile

This afternoon during Lucy's nap, Ron and I applied the tile surround to the fireplace. There is also a wooden mantle that will be built around it, but this was a fairly big, and fairly messy job that we got out of the way. Putting tile on a vertical surface can be challenging. It took some planning, but we think it looks really cool! We were careful to protect the tile hearth (which we installed last fall) and our carpeting from the mortar. Tomorrow I will probably grout it, and next weekend Ron can continue working on the woodwork surrounding the fireplace... as if we didn't have enough projects going on! I'm not sure how long that will take to complete, but he swears it will be done before the baby arrives! We're going to be using the same tile as a kitchen backsplash sometime (but after today, we're not about to do another tile job anytime soon). You might call this "Extreme Nesting". Wait till you see the before and after on this one...

PS: Go Dathan! 9th Place!!!

I grouted the tiles - there are a couple little spots I will touch up when we do the kitchen backsplash, but for now it will do. This is what the tiles look like (they are 1 inch tiles, six-wide, going around the perimeter of the fireplace):

Baby Birds Border

What have we been up to lately? Well, I've been hand-painting the border in the nursery. I looked for "easy" ways to decorate it and nothing was working out, so I have resorted to making my own stencil of baby birds from the crib quilt (which has a variety of animals on it), enlarging it, and drawing them lightly on the wall, and painting them in the same color scheme as on the quilt. It sounds like a lot of work but it hasn't been that bad. I'm almost done, and I'm pretty happy with how it is turning out. We're really starting to wonder whether it will be a little boy or a little girl who will be enjoying the new carpeting... which is being installed next Wednesday morning! At that point, I will be able to post a photo. ;)

A couple days after that our new roof will be going on, as well as new fascia wrap (in white). It may look strange with our existing siding, or it may look really great. Either way the siding will be redone next year (spring or summer), because it is rotting wood and we want vinyl, in a lighter color. I just can't believe we're going to have a new roof on the house within the next couple weeks!

As for me - 33+ weeks and for the most part I feel really good. I could complain about a couple things, but I'll let Ron listen to that stuff, and not blog about it. It's usually just a way for me to vent, and of course I realize that it is all worth it in the end! This baby is coming within the next month or month-and-a-half so I'm glad we have at least a few more weeks to get some stuff done.

Trees

This morning we had five trees removed, plus a couple large branches off some other trees... plus a couple stumps ground out (we didn't get them all done, we'll deal with them in time). The crew of five guys came around 7:45 AM and got right to work, and didn't appear to take many (if any) breaks until they were finished. They stacked the medium logs for us (we have plenty of firewood now), and chipped up and removed all of the brush. They raked everything clean, and used leaf blowers to clean the street, our driveway, etc. The only evidence that they were here are the big trunks laying on the ground. Many of the trees on our property were here before homes were built in this neighborhood, so they are extremely large. We love all the trees around the houses on our street, and even taking out the ones we did feels weird, but it really was necessary.

Here's Lucy, still in her pajamas with her bed-head. She was a little nervous with all the noise at first!The main trunks were sawed into 8'6" sections and we may try to sell them on Craigslist - since some people like the hardwoods to mill into lumber for projects. If they don't sell, we'll probably give them away because we definitely don't need any more wood. They are too heavy for us to move, but we requested that they leave them here, with hopes of making a little bit of cash. The company we had do this gave us an outstanding deal, and they went above and beyond with the "extras" and cleanup, as well as their speed and general friendliness. They already have another customer in someone across the street! E-mail or leave a comment if you're interested.

The property looks so different after having trees taken out. There are still several large trees all over our property, but removing the ones we did was necessary, since branches were laying on the roof, and rubbing the side of the house. I'll be planting a couple new trees this fall - smaller ones, and not as close (maybe a dogwood, or flowering crab... or something that won't grow to be too huge). We're shooting for the end of this month for getting our new roof on!

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So here's my big belly in all it's pale glory (I'm not bold enough to sunbathe in a bikini while pregnant... if I were even much of a sunbather in the first place). It seems that for the past few weeks I get a bit bigger every day. It's hard for me to see myself as I really am sometimes - when some people say I look small, but I catch my reflection or look at a photo and think I am huge! I guess I'm somewhere in the normal range, and look similar to how I did with Lucy when I compare photos. At 32 weeks, depending on how you count, I'm almost 8 months along!
I can tell the baby is having it's big growth spurt now, putting on almost half a pound a week (which means I get to gain weight rapidly as well)! At this point he or she is about 4 pounds and close to 19 inches long. It is fully developed and is simply piling on the baby fat at this point. The typical discomforts of pregnancy are here, but thankfully they are minimal. Regularly hoisting a giant toddler probably makes this harder on my back than the first time around. Also, I am almost through my first bottle of antacids. I find myself assuming that the baby will come a tad early like Lucy did, born at 38 weeks 3 days (my due date was/is accurate both times). I know nothing is guaranteed, but it would be nice, wouldn't it!

Frederik Meijer Gardens

Today Ron, Lucy, and I went to breakfast at Perkins - kids eat free on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Then we took Lucy to my parents' house and Ron and I went to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Neither of us had ever been there! We basically just walked around looking at the sculptures and plants - and of course the big "American Horse". I was pretty tired by the time we left, and we were dying of thirst. I took pictures but nothing came out too outstanding. We determined that there were quite a few things Lucy would have loved, and a lot of things she would not have cared about at all! The Lena Meijer Children's Garden would be the place to spend 95% of our time if we bring her there. We'll take our kids to the butterfly exhibit for sure, next spring.

Christmas idea!!! I want one of these for our backyard (probably my favorite sculptures we saw while walking):Also, today is our 4th anniversary! It's weird how quickly the time has gone by, and how many ups and downs have happened in such a relatively short number of years. I have to say, not too many other people would understand (put up with) me and my moods the way Ron does! Not that I'm terrible to live with (neither of us is perfect), but I appreciate having someone who I can trust to love me unconditionally. And occasionally buy me Sour Patch Kids.

My Nephews

Tuesday we visited Ron's sister in Portage (and her husband and kids). We had ribs and chicken on the grill, and hung out at their house for a while before going to a nearby elementary school playground so the kids could burn off some energy. They have almost 3-year-old twin boys, and Lucy kept up pretty well with them. They are (obviously) non-identical twins, and their personalities are equally unique. It was fun to see all three kids climbing things and running around... and I took some cute pictures of the boys, together and apart. I've never had a chance to spend time just taking pictures of them just having fun, and they are at such a fun age. We're only about an hour apart but always so busy we don't see each other as much as we'd like to. I got a couple shots of Lucy on the backyard playset climbing wall, which is not huge, but I was quite surprised at her determination... she actually got all the way up without any help. More Photos from our visit

Birthdays Party

Almost every month my extended family on my mom's side gets together at my grandparents' house to celebrate recent (or upcoming) birthdays and anniversaries. Yesterday was the party for August people. The backyard was the most comfortable place to be, as they don't have AC... yet. It was gorgeous in the shade, and my grandpa keeps his lawn golf-course nice. We had sandwiches and cake and ice cream (or sherbet, which was a nice change of pace), and Lucy somehow managed to leave with a big white stuffed monkey that used to belong to my aunt.

More Photos From the Party

Mellow Yellow

Today my mom took Lucy back to her house after church, and I went to Lowe's and picked out a new gallon of yellow paint. I went home and put on the first coat - it looks a lot better! I will probably go back over it tonight and make sure I cover everything evenly, but I could actually get away with just the one coat. I found a color called "Shiny Silk", which is a slightly warmer (less greenish), very light yellow. It is still a cheerful shade but without the Day-Glo effect. It looks good with the bedding, and I think the baby will like it. I feel much better now.

The room is a disaster with all the furniture in the middle (Ron will have to move it all out of the room, which involves disassembling the crib, etc. in order to get the old carpet out, and the new carpet installed). I'm not bothering to arrange anything and get it set up until after the new carpet goes in... so for a few more weeks it's not going to look very cute. At least my work is almost done...

Potty Girl

Before her bath, Lucy sat down on the potty chair (she was casually asked to, but we didn't sit her on it), and she peed! Yeah! So, she earned a sticker. This is the second time she has successfully used the potty - although the first time was a hurry-and-put-her-on-it moment that wasn't really her decision. So, this might be the first time we can really consider her doing it herself, willingly. Maybe we'll start using more Pull-Ups now.

Blueberries

Ron had the day off, so this morning after breakfast we went to Reenders Blueberry Farm (just south of Grand Haven on US-31) to pick blueberries. I've wanted to go and do this for a couple years, but last year we were too busy getting ready to move. We got there around 9:30 and it was already starting to get hot! There are 650 acres of blueberries there. Every bush is loaded down with so many blueberries, it was hard not to knock some onto the ground while picking them. We left with almost one bucket-full, which ended up being 5.6 pounds (for less than $8.00)!
Lucy was fairly helpful at picking them and dropping them into the bucket, but she quickly realized it was a lot more fun just to eat them right off the bush! As we were both blueberry "rookies", I also learned a few things for next time:

1. Go when it's not blistering hot.
2. Bring baby (or other wet) wipes because some individuals in your party may eat dirty blueberries off the ground and end up with muddy fingers and face.
3. Wear shoes you can hose off.
4. In general, local farm-grown produce is a lot cheaper than what you can get at the grocery store, and probably fresher too!

More photos from today

Strike One

Well, the paint job is done... and I officially don't like it! I should have brought home swatches and thought it through, but even under the little light simulator at Lowe's, this color looked soft enough to work. I'm too impatient and wanted to get the paint RIGHT THEN. However, on the walls it looks a tad neon (even though it's not a dark yellow) and it is going to bug me. Although it is going to cost more for another bucket of paint, I am going to redo it. I got a tip on a good yellow named "Straw" (thanks, Katie), and if I can't find that color, or it doesn't look right with our bedding, I will find another much softer, lighter yellow than the one I got the first time around. I don't want it to have any green-ness to it, which ours appears to have a tiny bit. I still think yellow is a really tricky color to get right! When it's wrong, it can be horrible!

I did it all today (basically during Lucy's 2 hour nap, and then touch-ups after she went to bed), so it's not like I dedicated a lot of time to this. It's just frustrating to get it wrong (the same thing happened in our great room trying to find the right shade of tanish gray, which eventually we did), but worth the effort to get it exactly how you want. We have time. So, no pictures yet!

Yellow

I've begun painting the bottom half of the nursery yellow. I obsessed over which shade of yellow to go with (at Lowe's) and ended up getting one called "summer sun". It's not too "primary", it's a little lighter, but still fairly bright. I have done all the cutting in around the edges and am about to roll paint on the walls (I just came downstairs to get a roller cover). I've never painted a room yellow before (except when Ron and I were "hired" to paint a house and the owners chose the most offensive shade of yellow imaginable, and it gave us an instant headache any time we entered that room)... so I'm a little gun-shy about yellow in my own home in general. I think it's going to look nice once all the furniture is pushed back into place, and if I end up hating it, I can repaint when Baby turns into Toddler and the room is redone. It is bright though, and with the white walls, the new light, and new carpet soon, the room is very different looking (which is what I wanted!). I'm going to have to see how it turns out before I can decide if I love it or not.

(More!) Home Improvements

I realize it's been almost a week since I've posted anything (that's a long time for me). Let's see: Ron moved all the lights in the bedrooms to the middle of each room. Before, they were located in front of the closets (on the ceiling) and the fixtures were really ugly, outdated ones that you can aim each of the three lights in a different spot (like track lighting but on a disc... does that make sense?). Anyway, we got new fixtures and they not only look nicer, but distribute light better in each room. Going up into the attic wasn't as scary for Ron as we thought it might be, as it is relatively spacious and spider-free.

We had a tree guy come out and give an estimate for some trees we need removed. We are having 5 trees taken out, a few which are too close to the house and have large branches hanging over our roof. Not good, especially since we're probably having our new roof put on this fall! We're pretty excited about getting some of these "big" projects done (especially since WE aren't the ones doing the work for a change). The trees are probably coming down at the end of August, and the roof will follow shortly after. If we have enough money we may replace our rotting French door with a slider to our back deck (and hopefully eliminate some draft issues in the process).

We got the paint for the nursery. The top half is white, the bottom half will be yellow, but I still have to do it. It's a gender neutral color, and matches the crib bedding we already have. I'll be able to change it down the road the way I did for Lucy, when she needed a more "grown up" room.

I'm 30 weeks now, and actually I consider this the home stretch. Everything is still going fine, and the little baby is probably about 3 pounds and 17 inches by now. It kicks hard too. I see more people are voting "girl", and more and more Ron believes that it's a girl. We'll find out in a couple of months!

The Dark Knight

Yesterday Ron and I went to see the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. It was VERY good, even though it was a long one at 2:35, I didn't mind at all.

Of course Heath Ledger's death in January is creating a little more buzz about the movie, but it would have been well-deserved even if he was still around. His Joker is really remarkable (and very different from other portrayals of the Joker in the past). It's PG-13 so they don't really "show" anything too disturbing, but there were a couple moments where I had to turn away knowing what he was about to do to somebody. You really don't see Heath Ledger at all, his character is so completely evil.

Christian Bale is Batman/Bruce Wayne and he's okay, but I couldn't help but think that whenever he was in Batman mode, his voice just sounded like he had a really bad cold, and that was distracting and annoying. I like Aaron Eckhart, who I only know from Thank You For Smoking. He plays Harvey Dent, the new Gotham City DA... maybe that name sounds familiar to anyone who knows the Batman storyline, but I won't spoil it any further.

Anyway, good movie, go see it.

Stencil Mess

I got a stencil and a stenciling brush and was trying to do something for the border in the nursery... but the stencil does not come out neat, even if I tape it to the wall. I'm really not sure if I want to go to the trouble of doing the whole room if it's going to look sloppy. Maybe a store-bought border (or no border) will be a better choice afterall, unless I really want to get involved in a big hand-painted project... which still isn't out of the question. For now, I'm going to lay on the couch while Lucy is still napping.

Wordle

Kelly had this on her blog so I made one of my own. It's hard not to keep clicking "randomize" and seeing the different layouts, colors, and fonts they give you. Pretty cool. Click on it for a larger image.

Nursery Redo (again)

Well, when we bought our house, the room that would be the nursery was, at the time, sponge painted blue and white. Before we had to actually live here, I painted it a very pale creamy color, that actually looked a tad peach with the dark mauve carpet in there (with bleach spots, mystery stains, and unevenly faded sections from years of furniture in one spot, generally yucky). We put a large neutral Berber rug over it to fill most of the area, and Lucy slept in that room for a few months, until we moved her into her new room this summer.

I was going to leave the nursery alone and just clean it, maybe rearrange furniture. However, I decided that it needs to be brightened up. I also feel that the new baby deserves a "new" room, just like Lucy. I painted all the wood trim, closet doors, etc. white (the wood was a dark-medium stain, nothing fancy), and it already looks a ton better. I have decided to do something similar as with Lucy's room, and paint the top half white, and the bottom half is going to be a pale yellow. I'm hopefully finishing the painting tonight or tomorrow. I hate dragging jobs out for a long time. I'm also contemplating a border (hand painted, store-bought, or just a simple chair rail... haven't decided yet) between the white and yellow. The knobs on the door and closet are switched to brushed nickel as of last night - what a difference those little details make.

We also need to move/replace the light fixtures in the three main floor bedrooms. Currently they are placed near the closets, and not in the center of the room. I guess I see the logic, but I don't like it and Ron is going to brave the attic and relocate them (he really knows what he's doing when it comes to electrical work, don't worry!). I think this will also help in brightening up the nursery because the light will fill the room better. It's definitely not a fun job, but I think it will be worth it, and help with resale in the future. It was one of the things that we weren't wild about when we first went through the house, but obviously it wasn't a deal-breaker.

After giving it some thought, we've also decided we will probably replace the carpet before the baby comes too... with the same stuff that's in the great room and hallway. I will feel better about the cleanliness, and it will also prevent the dark mauve carpet from affecting the appearance of the wall color.

28

Yesterday I had a doctor appointment and got to drink the delicious orange glucose drink (the hardest 10 ounces to choke down, in my opinion)... and have my blood drawn. I luckily had no problems in the past so I don't suspect any phone calls. My appointments are going to be every two weeks now, until they go to every week toward the end. I think the more frequent doctor visits make the pregnancy go faster.I hadn't taken a photo of myself since 20 weeks. I was a lot more diligent with my first pregnancy, so I thought I better get an update! I also took one with my belly showing, but since it's so stark white I thought I'd post the black-and-white one with the shirt down :). Looking back at my 20 week photo I have really grown a lot. What will I look like in 2.5 months!

Haircut

I could take a picture of the tiny little curl that I cut off of Lucy's hair this morning, but it wouldn't look like much! She had this weird single barrel-like curl that hung down much lower than the rest of her hair in back. So, while it was wet this morning I tied the longest part in a purple rubber band and cut off just above it. I didn't want to cut off too much length, because when it dries and the curls spring up, it ends up a couple inches shorter anyway. The piece I cut is only about an inch and a half long, but after her hair dried and she not longer had her "rat-tail" she looked quite different to me! I think it's better and it looks neater. I guess this officially counts as her first haircut.

Congrats in Order

My friend Lisa had her baby this afternoon - a girl (they knew the gender) named Morgan. Everyone is doing fine and enjoying the luxurious accommodations of the new Metro Hospital (Looking forward to that!). Her first daughter Lauren is just a few days older than Lucy, so they play well together... although it is pretty funny seeing how different their personalities are! Morgan is going to have to wait almost 3 more months for her Denning playmate... Yes I'm counting down! We're of course anxious to know what we're having but have no regrets about being surprised about the sex of the baby... just looking forward to that moment.

Depending on what book or website you consult, I am in the first week of the third trimester. Wow! It does seem to go more quickly this time. At this point the baby is about 2 pounds and maybe 15 or 16 inches long from head to toe. It also just started opening its eyes and can tell the difference between light and dark. Kicks with this one are more of a "pummeling" sensation, where Lucy felt like slow, hard pushes, and occasional rolls. As for me, I've been slacking on the belly photos but I'll do another soon. I feel good other than a few bouts of sciatica which I had last time, and some back pain (which is more from lifting Lucy than anything else. Use your legs!). My growth is in the "normal" range. Last time I didn't gain very much weight but Lucy was 8 lb. 3 oz. (11 days early). This time I'm gaining a little more, but I started out lighter so I still weigh less than I did last time at 6+ months, so it all evens out. Actually, I am less concerned this time than I was with Lucy because I know that I just have to eat smart and there isn't much else I can do about what the scale says!

Speaking of food, I feel like eating a lot even though it takes less to make me feel full. Mostly I want good stuff like fruit - berries and watermelon especially. We're too cheap to buy "fun" junk food to have on hand anyway, which is probably for the best. My bad indulgence would be eating Froot Loops out of the box or way too many Sour Patch Kids. I don't really feel like eating meat, or Chinese food, which I usually love. No monster heartburn attacks yet, but I have my Tums ready!

Dress Attempt #1

When I got Lucy's quilt fabric, I saw some other fabric there that I thought would make a cute little summer dress. Yesterday I finally got around to making it, with help from my mom. Reading the pattern is confusing, as it is made much more complicated than it needs to be, so she was able to translate and help walk me through the steps. Anyway, after going through the process I believe I could make more quite easily, because it is fairly simple. The dress has a couple little flaws that I would know to watch out for next time, and it was a little tough working with the stretchy, gauzy fabric as opposed to a nice sturdy cotton... however it still turned out pretty cute. It has little tie-on shoulder straps and is about knee-length.

Room Decor

I said a while ago I was making Lucy a quilt for her toddler bed - well it's been done for a couple of weeks, so I decided to finally post a picture. It is just length-wise strips in 2", 3", or 4" widths, with a dark blue border. It went together really quickly since there wasn't a lot of "piecing".
Also, we got a dresser the other night, and I added some paint to the knobs to make it match the rest of the room - then this morning I sprayed clear coat over my little paintings and added some glitter. We had to decide on where the dresser would be semi-permantently since we chose to anchor it to the wall for safety. But when Ron was assembling it, he discovered a cool feature: only one drawer can be opened at a time. When one is open, the others are automatically locked. Therefore, if a kid were to open one and start pulling or climbing, the rest of them would not tilt out and throw the balance of the dresser forward, which is what usually causes them to fall over onto kids. We're usually not ultra safety gurus but this just seemed like a good idea.
The other things added were a window valence made of leftover purple fabric from her quilt, and her name in purple letters on the wall. I also sprinkled glitter on those letters, but it's pretty much impossible to tell that from the photo. Now I just need to find some more organization solutions, but I'm going to Ikea this weekend with my mom, sister, and aunt, so I'll be on the lookout for something there.

4th of July

Yesterday Ron, Lucy, Kelly, Heath, and I met my mom down at the parade in Grandville, and then spent some time at my grandparents' house, where my dad met up with us, along with most of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and other random people. Hanging out over there is a tradition that goes back a long time. This was also the last year my grandpa Marv would be in the parade, as he is retiring as Kent County commissioner after 22 years. Lucy played outside for a while, and then we went back to my parents' house to relax, eat, and for Lucy to nap. Later that night we went back to my grandparents' place for fireworks - and even kept Lucy up waaaay past her bedtime to watch. She was exhausted but didn't seem at all scared this year, and she did watch most of the show and seemed to enjoy it. We got home a little after 11 PM and even though she got far less sleep than usual, she was up around 6:30 like it was any other morning.
I took some pictures at the parade, at my grandparents' house, and also of the fireworks. Heath and I both had our tripods set up, and some of them turned out great! I even gave Ron the remote control for a while so some of them are his handiwork, and that gave me a chance to hold Lucy and enjoy the fireworks with her. Our Photos

She's an Animal!

Can you spot the wildest one of all? It's a rare thing for her to sit still for this long, so she must have enjoyed this "game"!

Zoo

Today we went to John Ball Zoo - after a couple other stops we had to make. We got there around 12:30 so it was already pretty busy, but eventually we found a place to park.

I probably sound like a scrooge but I would much rather get there when they open and avoid some of the crowdedness... something to keep in mind for next time. However, we had eye appointments this morning, and then stopped for lunch at Russ' so we didn't get there as early as we should have.

Anyway, we had Lucy in the stroller most of the time, and saw a lot of cool animals. The snow leopard was hiding, which bummed me out - but we did get to see the new Lion exhibit, which is set up really nicely but the lions are hiding way up in the back, up on the top of the hill. There is a stairway lookout that can get you a closer view, so we went up there and the male turned around, so I got to get some good photos of him. They were just lazing around like lazy lions. C'mon lions! Earn your paycheck! Climb the trees and growl! At the lower part of the exhibit there are thick glass walls where, conceivably, the lions could come right down and be inches away from your face! That would be awesome! Lucy was pretty tired, even by the time we got there, and it's hard to get great pictures that include both the child and the animals... but I think she enjoyed herself (despite the fact she looks quite serious in almost all the pictures she is in). She fell asleep in the car on the way home - but when we put her down in her bed she woke up and stayed awake for the rest of the afternoon... geesh.

As she gets older she will hopefully be more and more interested in what she is seeing, and be able to walk more and not get knocked down by kids running through at top speed. So, we hope to go back at least one more time this summer, and maybe get a glimpse of that alleged snow leopard.
Here are our photos

Leg Fun

I realize I haven't posted anything new in a while. Well, I haven't taken any photos in a few days (that's a long time for me!), and we haven't been up to much of anything exciting. Ron has been working quite a bit and in the evenings we try to relax... put our feet up.... speaking of which:

I had my doctor appointment for 24 weeks last Wednesday. Everything is looking/sounding good as far as the baby goes - heartbeat around 160 (although that seems to change every time) and my weight is slowly but steadily increasing (fun stuff). The only thing wrong is my dumb right leg which seems to be doing an inferior job of handling the extra blood volume that comes with pregnancy. Poor circulation has always been a problem for me, but never to this extent. Pregnancy also causes blood vessels to dilate and along with other hormonal changes it makes varicose veins pretty common, especially if they run in the family (which they do in mine). So, this has become an issue for me, and not only are they unattractive but potentially dangerous to my health (could lead to blood clots, etc.). It finally got to the point where I was concerned about it, and I showed my doctor. She actually seemed a bit concerned too (and she's a very laid-back type), so I was given a prescription for a sweet (not really) orthopedic compression stocking. It's significantly darker than my normal paleness, so I'm thinking about trying to even that out with self-tanner on the left leg. It actually makes my right leg look almost too flawless (which is far from the usual state of my legs). I will be wearing this for the rest of the pregnancy, for the rest of the summer and into fall. After the baby is born I will have surgery and hopefully take care of the problem. I know I would qualify for treatments to be covered by our insurance, since it is beyond cosmetic.

I'm blogging about it as a way to get over my self-consciousness which is making me feel stupid about wearing anything but long pants to hide the stocking. I just have to go about my usual business. There are MUCH worse things that can happen during a pregnancy, and this is only temporary. Most people aren't going to think much of it and I'm more aware of it than anyone. The good thing is, the stocking helps tremendously with the pain that I was experiencing, which was getting suprisingly bad. I almost can't stand not to wear it now. Also, I got an open toe one so I can wear sandals, and I only have to wear it on one leg (thigh high). They have a maternity version which goes up and over a big pregnant belly - but I imagine that wouldn't be very convenient when you have to pee every half hour, since it's a battle to get it on and off.

And here's a weird side effect: after I climb into bed, I yank the thing off and throw it to the floor. A few minutes later I get hit with a crazy headache located at the base of my skull. I attribute this to a sudden change in blood pressure when the blood vessels in my leg are no longer constricted by the stocking. It feels similar to the withdrawl syptoms of stopping drinking caffeine.

Look Ma, No Pacifier!

When Lucy was a newborn, we were all about the pacifier. I believe that the sucking reflex is a natural comfort for babies, and it was true for Lucy - it soothed her in her bassinet next to our bed. When it fell out of her mouth (before she developed the wonderful skill of grabbing it herself and putting it back in!) she would cry, and I would be thankful for glow-in-the-dark pacifiers. I was on pacifier patrol, and it drove me absolutely crazy (just not as crazy as trying to sleep next to a screaming baby, so what choice did I have?). Then a very short time later she moved to her crib at night. She was now downstairs in another room, as it was at our old house. She was sleeping for longer stretches, but I'd still have to get it for her now and then. She was never a thumb-sucker for whatever reason.

Before too long she could locate it, even in the dark, and she was set to go. By the time she was one, she was only having it in bed at night and during naps. Rarely did she have one in her mouth, unless something crazy was going on and she needed extra soothing.

Now that she's all adjusted to her new bed (I still have to make her quilt which I may start this week), we decided to change another variable. The collection of pacifiers always at the ready suddenly vanished this evening. When Lucy went to bed, we read her a story and kissed her goodnight. She was laying down peacefully, and when I shut the door I peeked in through the small opening to see her hunting everywhere among her blankets and all the other bedtime stuff to find it. I can only imagine what she was thinking: "I know it's gotta be here somewhere!" She got up, looked under her bed, laid back down with a book... I left her alone, and a little while later I heard a noise. She had gotten up to get a toy from across the room. As soon as she saw me she ran back toward the bed and put her head on the pillow as if she was there all along. "No more toys, it's bedtime." and she ended up staying in bed with a book. It took her a little bit longer to drift off, but Lucy is sleeping without a pacifier FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HER LIFE. No screaming either.

I couldn't resist - I took these in a dark bedroom with just the hallway light on. Since it was so dark, I knew I had to use a long shutter, and therefore also a tripod to avoid moving the camera, and a remote shutter release. Yes, I went to all that trouble which only took about 2 minutes... I might be a bit crazy, but I think it was worth the extra effort, because it's next to impossible to get a good picture of a sleeping angel like this - especially without a pacifier in her mouth.

The pictures were so red due to lack of adequate lighting, but a little fixing up on the computer and voila! Adorableness.

Anyway, I think pacifiers are great inventions and I plan on giving one to our next baby from day one if s/he seems to want one... but who knows. My friend's daugther who is Lucy's age never cared for them and slept fine without one. I'm not saying they're bad or good or when is the appropriate age to take them away. That differs with every individual child and/or parent. I will say that I hope they stop using them by the time they can ride a two-wheel bike... but for US this was a good time to try this step, and it was successful. Considering she's never gone a night without one, we're pretty proud of how well she handled the change.

Father's Day

Sorry I haven't updated this in a while... we've been pretty busy and when I have had free time, I haven't felt like blogging. Anyway, this past weekend was Father's Day. We went to church in the morning (where Lucy did awesome in nursery!), and then straight to Grand Haven for the day and hung out with my parents. We also saw quite a few other friends of the family - some who I hadn't seen in years - and Lucy had another chance to play on the beach ("beach! beach! beach!"). This time she was even more fearless when it came to getting in the water... and she sat in the waves, letting them knock her right over. She loved it, but the rest of us thought the water was a little chilly! Another day at the beach, and this time she only got a tiny bit of sunburn on her face, but it's already almost faded. I took more photos, and when it comes time to do this year's album (I'm making a book with Blurb instead of a typical scrapbook... I'm already 60 pages in!), I will have plenty to pick from to remember the summer. We plan on taking her back to the beach throughout the summer, because it's a great way to tire a kid out (well, it tires us all out), and she has so much fun!
So even though it's belated, I should mention that I'm very blessed to be married to a guy who makes such an effort to spend quality time with his daughter. She has him wrapped around her finger, as they say. Lucy loves him back too, and every day when he comes home she goes nuts and runs over to him squealing. In his free time, the first priority is to make sure he can see her, and he is always making the most of opportunities to teach her new things... as well as just goof around and be silly. We always try to be a team when it comes to parenting - which isn't always "black and white" or easy, or simple, and it's nice to be with someone who is so involved and cares so much about how our kid(s) are raised. So happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, as well as the dads-to-be!

Heritage Park

Today we had a picnic lunch at Heritage Park in Grandville. We even have a real picnic basket - a wedding gift - which hasn't gotten much use (only once or twice), so hopefully we can start doing this more often. Those are IBC root beers, by the way. Lucy was drinking Carpi Sun.

There is a beautiful pond with a trail going all around it, plenty of wildlife, and a great playground. There also seems to be a lot more open space than some other parks for running around, and it would take a long time for Lucy to get anywhere near the parking lot or the street... we just have to make sure she doesn't chase a duck into the water.

Here's a photo of a Great Blue Heron - it wouldn't let me get very close, but it was pretty cool to see one on the pond amidst so many ducks. I guess seeing ducks gets old for me...

Across the pond from where we sat is the old #10 Schoolhouse. Kind of scenic... I guess they give tours. For now we've just peeked in the windows.
After eating, we went to the playground where Lucy burned off some more energy. It was humid and warm, even though it wasn't very sunny - and before too long she started looking really red in the face (I had sunscreen on her before we left so I know she wasn't burning). I was starting to overheat myself, so we called it quits and made our way back to the car. Here are some more photos.

Beach Bum (a happy one this time)

Lucy hated sand the first time we took her to the beach this year (Tunnel Park), but since taking her to Grand Haven - today was the second day in a row - she absolutely loves it! When I pulled up to my mom's site at the state park, and she got Lucy out of the car, Lucy made a bee-line for the sand to play with buckets and shovels, filling them and dumping them out. Of course I was prepared for both Lucy and myself to be protected from the sun (I burn just about as easily as a baby anyway). It was quite warm most of the day, and down by the water, the breeze was perfect... not too cold. Thanks to multiple coats of SPF 30, Lucy didn't get burned at all!
Lucy was hesitant to get near the big lake, but eventually ventured in as far as her shins (with somebody there to hold her hand!)... which is a good start! She wasn't even all that willing to go touch the water with either myself or my mom, but a family friend Sara was the lucky charm. Lucy felt like she had a new buddy, and went with her to fill her bucket with water... coming back all proud, excited, clapping and grinning ear to ear. It was so cute to watch her play and get all sandy on the same beach I went to so many summers as a kid. Actually it's just fun to watch her play like a "kid" no matter where we are - like she is really starting to enjoy trying new things and can do so much more than she could last year. We ended our stay with an ice cream cone and headed home (no nap) around 4:30. She fell asleep before I even got to US-31, but was up for the rest of the night until bedtime...

...sidenote: the bedtime process took about 20 minutes tonight! Getting shorter and shorter!

Anyway, I think we're going back to Grand Haven on Sunday for Father's Day so hopefully the weather is nice! More photos from today HERE.

Bedtime

For the past 2 nights Lucy has slept in her big girl bed in her new room! We're excited to be taking steps toward this, but it wasn't without a bit of a battle. The first night (Monday) she thought it was a game for the first 10 times she came out. Then the crying began. After about 25 times out of bed she started hauling everything with her: her blankets, little pillow, Pink Bear, and baby. Eventually she began to slow down and stayed in bed until she fell asleep. It only took about 51 times putting her back, and just about an hour. The first couple of times we take a little extra time to say goodnight again, give her a kiss, etc. but after that it's just a matter of physically putting her in bed to send the message. It might sound harsh but it's the proven method from "Super Nanny" and we're believers that she tends to have success so her methods must be worth a shot (the idea is to not give the child what they're trying to get from you - engagement, conversation, and more time awake).

Then last night she remembered. Her screaming was as if she was in agony, and she's so strong that it was literally impossible to keep in laying down long enough to even leave the room. Although she fought harder, she fought shorter and was staying in bed / falling asleep within 45 minutes. I have to say the fact that she was screaming so intensely was hard to handle (I didn't really feel "sorry" for her, but probably for hormonal reasons, her emotions rub off on me), and I was so tired from carrying her - she seems to weigh more when she's fighting you - that Ron took more turns than me. Toward the end I did resort to staying in there, rubbing her chest until she stopped hyperventilating. That helped a lot and then I was able to walk away. She started crying instantly but stopped that on her own after a couple minutes, and I could peek in and see her lay back down on her own. She got stubbornness from both of us, in case you're curious.

In the morning(s) she might get out of bed but she doesn't leave her room - or hasn't tried yet - and she's in a great mood. We're hoping by the end of the week the shrieking stops. All in all, it's going pretty well!

Splish Splash

Lucy got a new pool - one that requires no pumps, filters, bags of shock, vacuums, or "winterizing"! She loves playing in the water. Even though it wasn't very hot after the thunderstorm, she went in and had some fun. More photos here.

Family Resemblance

It's A...

Today Ron and I went to the doctor for my ultrasound (22 weeks). The technician checked out all the body parts, organs, etc. and we got to see our baby hiccuping in there, and kicking its legs around. The whole time, it had it's hands in front of its face like it was going to play "peek-a-boo" but never took them down for us to get a good look.

We also were able to find out the baby's gender this time... (if we had wanted to!) However, we opted out again. We aren't going to know until it is born, so using this photo of Baby's feet, you can make your best guess. We're having a... baby with feet!

When I was pregnant with Lucy, we had a technician who went crazy with the picture taking. Her name is Joy, and she printed for us almost 30 pictures (as well as the photos on CD). I think we were spoiled, because this time around the technician only gave us a few (see them here), partially because the baby was being a little camera shy. Although we don't have as many photos, it was very cool seeing the baby moving around, kicking, and opening and closing its mouth (we could see the lower part of the baby's face at times). I just realized that the baby holding its arms/hands in front of its face is a habit established a little while ago - if you look at this earlier post which shows Baby at the 12 week ultrasound, hands up by the face. The measurements all look right on, but the baby is measuring a bit longer than average (which is actually "normal" in our case). All those measurements are estimates based on femur length, head circumference, etc. The weight estimate was 1 pound 3 ounces... but like I said that is only an estimate. Even with today's technology, they have been known to be far from accurate.

The other good thing about not having an excess of photos is that we won't get as much "It looks like a ______" or "It has Ron's feet, so it's a boy", that we got last time. I don't mind just-for-fun guesses (I even added a poll in my sidebar if you feel so inclined...), but I suppose I do get annoyed when someone tells me what sex the baby is with this attitude of certainty and insight (that may be my one real pregnancy pet-peeve). Unless of course someone can determine gender from the bottom of a 22-week fetus's foot. Last time I was told I was having a boy because my face didn't change. What? The bottom line is everyone has a 50/50 chance of guessing correctly, and even then it's just a matter of chance they are right. Now that I have that out of my system...

No video today either, although we brought our camera. It was just a matter of not speaking up on both our parts, and that's alright. There should be one more chance toward the end of this pregnancy to do that. It's just amazing to see a baby in there, moving around... and after seeing it, we'd love to share that with others. I look forward to ultrasounds as a little "treat" to get you through the weeks and months, but I am making my best effort not to wish away any of this pregnancy, and to enjoy each stage for what it is. It may be the last time I experience this process (not that we're making any permanent decisions yet, but I always imagined having 2 kids, but who knows I guess).

Also today the baby gave me my first uncomfortable kicks. Don't get me wrong, feeling the baby move (even when there is some discomfort) is probably my favorite part of the pregnancy... but I've entered the stage where sometimes those kicks catch me off-guard, like HEY watch it. That just means he or she is getting bigger and stronger, and those kicks and rolls are actually very reassuring!

Pyrex

A little over a year ago I decided that I wanted to start collecting vintage Pyrex pieces... Ron, Lucy, and I were at an antique store and I kept noticing all the fun colors and patterns - they had so many great pieces I wish I would have taken advantage and gotten more! We'll have to go back. Anyway, I bought my first large bowl and since then have acquired only a couple more pieces. I'm trying to stick with a color scheme of turquoise/teal, oranges, and greens - but I've already deviated from that with a black and white snowflake dish.

Here's an example (although I don't own this):

I like collecting these because they're very affordable, common, fun, and easy to find. They don't have to be in mint condition to look good, either. I think I need to get back into it, because until recently I hadn't added anything to my collection, but my mom found a set of mixing bowls (Butterprint) for $3 at a garage sale. Check out all these amazing patterns.

Grand Haven

Yesterday was such a nice day, we we desperate to get out and do something - so we went to Grand Haven and walked around with Lucy. In the photos she is ringing the bell on this buoy... other kids were doing it, so we thought it was okay for her to do it too. We didn't really do much besides look at boats (there had been a big fishing tournament and Lucy got to see some real pros cleaning salmon down at Chinook), and get a little exercise. I didn't even take many pictures. Lucy enjoyed the scenery and we're looking forward to going back many times. The Pronto Pup line was way too long, so we skipped that, and it was actually quite chilly by the channel - so ice cream didn't really sound good either.

After we left we went to Main St. Pub in Allendale for dinner, and Lucy squirmed in her high chair like never before. She even discovered a leg under the table to push off of, and almost toppled over backward a couple times before we resorted to holding it down with our own feet (because I don't think she realizes she could fall and get hurt). She wasn't misbehaving, but was just really hyper and saying "hi" LOUDLY to everyone, and jabbering - although we continued to tell her to use her "inside voice"... or a couple times resort to a "shhhh!", or a french fry to quiet her down! There's only so much you can do, ya know? At least she was a happy loud kid so hopefully we didn't annoy the other people too much!

And... it's June - so I have new blog colors (inspired by the pretty blue of our neighbor's pool just uncovered yesterday).

Indiana Jones (Totally Biased Review)

Last night Ron and I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's been 19 years since the he rode off into the sunset in the Last Crusade, so I can understand why some people are wary of this moving being made in the first place.

However, we both thought it was good. I've read reviews that complain about it, but it's just supposed to be a fun action movie. It's not supposed to be a genius "film", it's just entertainment! There are plenty of good real stunts, (plus a couple scenes with overdone CGI), cheesy humor, cliché villains (don't they all have that to some degree?), and a supernatural element that might be a bit far-fetched... but if you have a good attitude going into it - instead of looking at ways it won't measure up to the first three - it's worth seeing. I mean, it's Indiana Jones afterall. I'd be remiss if I didn't see it on the big screen, since I was too young to have that chance with the originals.

Sweet Dreams

So, I think some of you have been checking back to see photos of Lucy's room. Well here you go. I was having a hard time getting the entire room in one shot (I took some with a different camera later and posted them all here), but you get the idea. There are 30 different words written around the room... that they fit perfectly was a miracle. I made a list and when I had a hard time thinking of more words, I got started painting, and apparently I had all I needed. There are also little painted stars and glittery swirls. It took me quite a while to hand paint everything as neatly as I could, and when it comes to this type of stuff I am a perfectionist! We put the trim up last night to finish off the border.


Here's Lucy sitting on her bed... and the new mattress from Craigslist (which is way nicer than the one we bought at Babies "R" Us two years ago). As soon as we get some new sheets, pillow, etc. I am going to try to have her take naps in there, so when the baby comes she will be totally ready to sleep in her new room all the time... and I'm thinking this is going to take some effort on all our parts to get her toddler-bed trained! I'm not so worried about her falling out (she can handle it), but I am sure she'll be getting out of bed repeatedly and we'll have to do the Super-Nanny thing where we put her back in it over... and over... until she gives up! What fun!

I don't know a little girl who doesn't like sparkly things...
Here you can see a closer picture of some of the glitter:

No glitter yet when this was taken, but I still like the picture - Lucy actually goes up and points to this word and says "wish" perfectly! I'm not sure if she's reading it or if she just remembers what it says because we told her... or is that what reading is? Hmmm...

Makeover

Lucy's new room is all painted (except for a couple minor touch-ups)... and just needs to be decorated now. I know we're ahead of the game on getting this ready, but I was really tired of the OLD look:
This is Lucy at one year + one day old in her "playroom"... I usually like green a lot, and the green paint doesn't look terrible in the photo... but in person, believe me it is the wrong shade! The wood trim was nice - probably when it was first installed - but over time has been gouged up and slopped with various paint colors through the years. I have to point out too, the still-unpacked boxes in there from when we first moved in (probably kitchen stuff that I couldn't use yet because our kitchen was a war zone) and a bunch of new toys from Lucy's birthday scattered all over. She loved her playroom...

Therefore, I primed and painted the trim (which was all caulked to eliminate the gaps between it and the walls), doors, and window (the window took forever!), and registers all white. It now looks nice and clean and bright. Of course the walls are repainted like I had described in an earlier post and I think it looks really cool now. New blinds were installed (the old ones had a broken string and wouldn't open evenly and were dirty, etc.). Unfortunately we are not able to replace the carpet yet (the picture doesn't do it justice but it has a few random stains). Beige outlets and switches/dented brass cover plates were replaced with all white, a new door stop was installed to prevent the doorknob from slamming into the wall, and brass doorknobs on the closet and room doors were replaced with brushed nickel. Over time we will hopefully replace all the doorknobs in the house with brushed nickel...

The past few nights have been devoted to making this room look completely different from how it was and I think we have been successful! Lucy already likes to climb onto her toddler bed and lay down, and she still likes to play in there a lot. We're working on getting her stuff organized in there. She still needs a little white dresser, too.

I have to make her bedding and window valence (which I have tons of time to do) and hang up some various decor, maybe a wall shelf, etc. I'll post an "after" photo shortly... :)

Memorial Day / Ron's 30th

This past weekend seemed very busy - now that it's back to life as usual I almost feel like the week will be a time to recover from the past couple days.

Sunday Lucy did better than ever at church nursery - thank goodness! I can't wait until the day she actually looks forward to it and can't wait to get away from us and go play! I don't get too heartbroken when she starts crying... but I feel bad for subjecting others to her meltdown every week. I know she's not the only one though, and the volunteers don't mind at all. I just wish she'd be her normal happy self! We're getting there though. The next baby will be put in nursery much earlier than Lucy was!

Food news: Lucy has been eating apples for quite a while by herself, so why not try corn-on-the-cob? My mom picked some up for Sunday dinner and Lucy ate just about the whole thing... only stopping because she had already had so much food and the corn was taken away (although she continued asking for "cone" after it was hidden under a napkin on my dad's plate). Later we went to the Ice Cream Garage in Standale, as if any one of us needed more to eat! Lucy also did quite well holding her own baby cone there. Her fork skills are very good too; closer and closer to us not having to feed her at all!This weekend we also celebrated Ron's 30th birthday! Wow - he's getting up there! It happened to fall on Memorial Day this year, and we went to his parents' house in the morning for brunch, and then after Lucy's nap we went to our friends' house to barbecue (with a few other people). We were glad the weather stayed nice - it was almost too hot for a while! I left without my camera battery for that get-together, so I missed my chance to take photos of Lucy and Lauren playing outside. My friend Lisa (Lauren's mom) is due with another girl in about 6 weeks, so we enjoyed a couple black cherry IBCs. We stayed till Lucy's bedtime. It was a long day!

I am putting my photos up here. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!