Home Office Class

Recently I have felt the need for a desk area for myself. Later I will definitely need one for homeschooling organization, but more pressing, I just need a place to put bills, file papers temporarily, and to store pens, pencils, and Lorelai's art supplies ..those things need to be moved out of the kitchen. We have a study, but that is pretty much Chris' space, for now. We do plan to reorganize things a bit and make room for homeschooling supplies later, but for now I need just a little corner somewhere. So, I picked out a spot in the livingroom and then started shopping.

I want a desk, but nothing to "office-like." Same with the chair. This will be set up in the front room of my house, not in some room I can close the door to hide the paper piles and scattered colored pencils. Classy, simple, functional, affordable: my keywords while shopping.

I shop online a lot, and luckily I found Target was having a sale. Desk: $100 + free shipping

The chair was harder to find. I wanted a certain look, a accent-type chair, with a subtle pattern...oh, and nothing over a certain dollar amount. After days of searching, I found this chair on walmart.com. It kind of pains me to admit that (hard-core Target girl, here) but the look was right and the price was good. Chair: $129 + $20 shipping

I plan to put a collection of bulletin boards, paper sorters, and a clock above the desk. Something similar to this:

I already have a floor lamp which I love, complete with a damask lamp shade. Similar to this one:

I also hope to put a telephone in that room at some point. My dream phone? The pretty silver one from Pottery Barn.

Throw on a small collection of flowers, a picture frame or two, and I have my ideal little home office set-up. I am looking forward to setting it up. I just thought I would share, blame it on the nesting :P

M.LEWIS

7 Week List

Well, my list got a little longer. You know, the list of "things to do before baby Addy gets here." It did used to look like this:

Order a double stroller

Buy a new breast pump

Buy NB diapers

Buy a small supply of formula

Reassemble the cradle

Pull out baby swing

Put up the playyard

Find places for all these things

CLEAN - mainly master bath

Wash carseat inserts (LEL's & Addy's)

Stock up on meals I can freeze

Oh yeah, BUY A NEW CAR

But now, I get to add and take away a few things. This past Wednesday I had a plumber come out to investigate why we had a sudden drop in hot water pressure. Lucky us, we need a whole new water heater. It is 12 years old, it wasn't a huge shock, just another added expense. That is being taken care of on Tuesday.
One thing to take off the list: Chris and I bought a new car today. It was a little bit of surprise for me, I wasn't planning on driving away with one; but a good deal is a good deal. I did my research, I knew what I wanted; it was just a manner of finding the right price. I think we found it, I have no regrets and I am pretty excited. One thing that needs to be added to the list: Picking up the plates and getting the running boards installed. Hopefully that will all be done by the end of next week.

So, new list:

Order a double stroller

Buy a new breast pump

Buy NB diapers

Buy a small supply of formula

Reassemble the cradle

Pull out baby swing

Put up the playyard

Find places for all these things

CLEAN - mainly master bath

Wash carseat inserts (LEL's & Addy's)

Stock up on meals I can freeze

Install new water heater

Install running boards & license plates

Yep, some how I added to my list. Nothing I can't handle I suppose, it just means I will have to get busy soon, especially because I talked to my OB and we have an induction reservation scheduled for 1 week early. March 13. If we end up inducing, that means I have about 7 weeks to accomplish these tasks, plus birthdays, anniversaries, and general household chores and errands. Let's hope that list gets shorter, fast. ;)

M.LEWIS

Single-Digits Weeks For Now On

With about 9 weeks to go, I am definitely in "prepare for baby" mode. I, of course, realize this is just a general guideline. Baby Addy could be several days (if not a week) late...but she could also come earlier, though none of us are wishing for that. I think my little trip to the hospital last week kicked my brain into gear. Sitting in L&D with the fetal monitors filling the room with little heartbeats brought back a lot of memories; it also brought this feeling of "okay-I-want-her-out-now." I will wait happily as she keeps cooking, knowing it's absolutely what she needs; but I do look forward to have her in my arms rather than invading every spare inch of my mid-section.

There are some things I need to do before she comes, and I do want to accomplish them before I am 38  37 weeks. Why not give me an extra week in case something comes up? LEL was in fact induced at 39 weeks...you never know. ;)

• Order a double stroller
• Buy a new breast pump
• Buy NB diapers
• Buy a small supply of formula
• Reassemble the cradle
• Pull out baby swing
• Put up the playyard
• Find places for all these things
• CLEAN - mainly master bath
• Wash carseat inserts (LEL's & Addy's)
• Stock up on meals I can freeze
• Oh yeah, BUY A NEW CAR

Some of these things I can push past the 37 week mark, like washing LEL's car seat, and stocking up on food; but the car is my main focus. That is a huge expensive, and one I am anxious to get over with. I will love having a new car (I have never had one), but watching the plunge in the savings account will be an adjustment for me. It's like ripping off a bandaid, I can deal with it, but I just want to get it over with fast...not that I am willing to compromise on anything though.
I am also anxious to look "normal" again. The ever-expanding look is getting old. I look at non-pregnant people and envy their pants with zippers, their ability to bend over to pick up an object, and their unencumbered freedom to drink caffeine. I also very much look forward to seeing the number on the scale go the opposite direction. I admit, I was a bit lazy about getting into shape after Lorelai. I was finally hitting a good stride, and then, well, Addy let her presence be known, and well...you know. Bye bye smaller pants. My goal is to be better this time. I think I will be whether I try or not. I will have a 2 year old with a newborn now, I won't be able to sit on the couch all day and cat-nap. This is good. I also hope Addy will nurse better/longer than LEL...I will take all the calorie-burning activities I can get. ;)

With all this planning, I get more excited; but I have to remember I still have over 2 months to go. It will probably go a bit slow but I think that's okay. After all, these are the last months with Lorelai as our only daughter. I don't want to rush that. I don't want to brush that aside as unimportant. I can happily say though, I think LEL will be thrilled to have a baby around. Just today she walked up to me, rubbed my tummy, and said "baby" with a smile. She will always be my baby though, my first little girly. Here's to waiting for my second.


M.LEWIS

Shadow Play

Waking up at 6:30am to a 2 year-old searching for the dog in your bed is not exactly how I wanted my Sunday morning to play out; but, never-the-less, it's how the morning went.I am tired, I'd rather be sleeping...but then my little girl changed my mind.

I went into her room to turn off her night-light lamp and decided to climb into her queen-sized bed for just a minute to sneak in a few more minutes of rest. LEL found me, thought I was silly, and promptly climbed in to snuggle. She soon realized the light from the bathroom cast a nice glow on her wall with her headboard. Thus, the joy of shadows.
She sat up, looked at her shadow of her head and then waved to the wall. "ME!" She shouted while wiggling her little body around.
I sat up and confirmed to her, yes, it was her. She then patted the top of my head and looked at the shadow on the wall. "Mom."
"Yes." I replied. Giggling, she knew what had to come next. "DAD!" She slid out of bed to go retrieve Christopher.
We spent the next few minutes making silly shadows on the wall, watching her get so tickled over the simple effect.
Not how I saw my morning going, yes, but probably the best way to spend it. ♥


M.LEWIS

Unplanned Medical Attention

I have uneventful pregnancies, last night changed things a bit.

I woke up at 5am with a very sore and tender stomach/back. I got up (painfully) and used the bathroom, turned on a heating pad, repositioned my pillows and tried to get comfortable. It was difficult. I remember in my state of exhaustion and pain just wanting to cry in frustration. I haven't been sleeping well at all lately, and LEL has been getting up at 6am recently, thus providing this mama with not much rest.
I was able to sleep for another 45mins or so and once I got up, I knew it would be a long day. My stomach felt like I had pulled all my surrounding muscles, creating no way to elevate my discomfort. What had I done the day before that may have caused this torture? I did crawl all over LEL's bed washing her sheets and remaking the bed. It's pressed up against the wall, making it quite tricky to maneuver around. Perhaps I pulled a ligament or muscle group that way.
I tried to go about my day somewhat normally, but every move was incredibly achy and sore. I looked things up online, most of the time I do find this helpful. This time I couldn't find anything conclusive. Quite a few people have had this issue around their 30th week. Some said it was nothing, the doctors found nothing wrong, others had gallbladder infections, a few had the beginnings of pre-term labor, and some poor mommies had miscarriages.
This was not helpful. I could feel baby A moving around frequently and purposefully so I wasn't too concerned with the last possibility...but most of the options were not looking good. I sat for awhile, trying to gauge my levels of pain, if there were any contractions, any spikes in pain, etc. I couldn't detect anything. If I sat really still I felt fine, but this included not breathing...and I kind of need to breathe. I took a nap laid down while Lorelai slept and I hoped that would help.
It had to be muscular, right? Maybe laying down would help some? A was still moving around just fine, still no contractions...I didn't want to be that person, who calls the doctor over something pointless, who freaks out if the slightest thing seems off. I put it off and hoped my pain would dissipate after some serious hydration and a warm shower after dinner. The pain was more concentrated now, my right side, just under my rib cage. "Well, maybe I was laying down at a weird angle?"

...Then the fever came.

Great.

I checked my sheet of paper the OB hands out about "when to call the doctor." At or over 100.4°, call the office; constant abdominal pain, seek immediate medical treatment.

My heart dropped. What have I done? I waited all day. Did I hurt the baby? What is going on?

Chris instantly agreed, we needed to go in to the hospital now. I called my mom, and she thankfully came over right away to sit with LEL.

Once at the ER they sent me straight upstairs to labor and delivery. Sitting in the room with the baby warmer scared me a bit. "Please Lord, don't let this baby come tonight...but more importantly, don't let her life be in danger." I sat there for about 20mins with fetal monitors strapped on to my tummy. The nurse called my OB and after some observation and vitals recorded, they determined baby A was just fine. I had no contractions, no dilation. I was discharged from upstairs and was sent back to the ER.

That was a longer wait.

To speed up things: blood was taken, IV started, sonogram preformed...everything came back perfectly normal. By this time my fever was gone, though I was still in pain. No one could pinpoint the issue. The offered me Rx pain killers, but I wasn't comfortable with that...plus, I hadn't taken any pain reliever all day and I was surviving, I turned it down and went home.

So, no kidney stones or infection, no gallbladder stones or infection (this was the initial concern), no visible inflammation, no nothing. Just a healthy baby girl (now head down, face down). I was happy nothing was seriously wrong, but frustrated I was in pain for no discernible reason.

I popped in a couple tylenol when I got home...at 1:15am (so grateful for my mom in times like these) and tried to sleep. LEL was not a sound sleeper, but by the time I got up this morning, I felt better. I am still sore and tender, but not nearly the amount I was experiencing yesterday. I didn't take anymore tylenol all day so I could gauge my pain some more, luckily things stayed at bay.
I talked to my OB's nurse, and I don't have to go in until my already-scheduled appointment next Wednesday.

Let's hope this is the only form of excitement I experience until Adalaide is way closer to her due date.


M.LEWIS

4 Days in, Not so Bad

At 29ish weeks, I do have a day or two every few weeks where I do not feel completely exhausted and I actually can stand to skip a nap. It's a bold move, I could crash in an hour, or just really regret it by 8pm...but today I am attempting to power through.

The holidays have come and gone, quite quickly I might add; but all went well. I was thrilled for the snow on Christmas. I wish I took more pictures, but, oh well. The new year is here.

With a sonogram preformed a couple days ago, I am in full nesting mode. Adalaide is completely healthy and even a bit advanced considering my approximate due date. She has jumped a bit in size since last measured, if she follows Lorelai, she will continue to get bigger...but we'll see. Also, the talk of a possible c-section is no more. Everything is where it should be and I should be able to deliver naturally. Yay :)

The next few months should be busy. We have birthdays, due dates, baby showers, doctor's appointments, an anniversary, and lots of "to-do's" before Adalaide's arrival. The big one: a new car. Hopefully I will have some news on that soon.
I also need a double stroller, which seems to be more complicated than it should be; I need to dig out all of LEL's old clothes and cradle, carseat, swing, etc.

The house hasn't had a major issue in a few weeks, so let's hope that stays the same for awhile.

Phoebe is doing better after he eye flare-up. The drops seem to have healed her for now, thought her allergies make things difficult. As long as I can keep things under control with medication and eye drops, I should be able to keep her out of the vet for awhile.

Chris has started his new job, and seems to like it. It's an adjustment, but for the better. Fewer hours, more reasonable pay, and less stress. We'll see how it continues to go, but for now, I think things are going pretty smoothly.

Our Adalaide

M.LEWIS