Audrey Michelle was born on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 5:02 pm. She weighed 7 lb. 7 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She's healthy, and absolutely adorable! We just got home this afternoon.
Full birth story and lots of pictures to come. :-)
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Belly Picture
Wow, I can't believe I'm due next week! I figured I'd better get a belly pic this week, it might end up being the last one I take! :-)
We had a fun Thanksgiving yesterday with Aunt Kathy and family, which I'll post about later. Have a great day!
We had a fun Thanksgiving yesterday with Aunt Kathy and family, which I'll post about later. Have a great day!
Monday, November 23, 2009
It's Done!!!
It's official, we are completely moved out of the apartment. We checked out this afternoon, after spending the entire day cleaning like mad. My goodness, how did we ever let the apartment get that filthy?! I'm glad we had all of Sunday to rest before doing all that cleaning, we definitely needed it. Jeff and I have promised ourselves that we'll never let the house get that yucky. But anyway, we're all done, and that tiny apartment will now be nothing but a memory. While I'll miss some things about it (proximity to the library and Smith's Marketplace, our amazing ward, the charming old houses in the area), I won't miss the apartment itself.
What a wonderful birthday gift to me - to be completely done with that apartment!
What a wonderful birthday gift to me - to be completely done with that apartment!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Our Week
Oh my gosh, I am sooooo tired!!!! Our big move was this week. Jeff just got our computer hooked up at the house so I can finally blog about it.
We've been doing all sorts of packing and moving boxes this week, really getting serious about the move. I've mostly been packing stuff in boxes. It's a delicate balance between doing enough to feel useful and not doing too much because I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant. So I'd pack a couple boxes until I started feeling tired and getting lots of Braxton Hicks, then I'd get a drink and sit on the couch and just rest until I felt better. Then I'd get up and do it over again. That's pretty much been my week!
Meanwhile, Jeff has been the man of steel this week, actually the whole time we've had the house. He has a moving dolly that we bought a while back, and has been moving boxes from the apartment to the house. He's really doing all the hard work, and it's amazing to me to look around the house and see all the stuff that he's moved all by himself! He's really impressed me throughout this whole move.
Last night was our first night that we spent in the house instead of the apartment. Yippee!! Jeff moved the kids beds into their rooms, and he and I slept in the family room on the hide-a-bed (the one that came with the house). I have to say that, while it's awesome that we have a hide-a-bed, I'm super glad that we don't ever have to sleep in it again, lol! It's not the comfiest of beds, especially being sore and tired from moving and being pregnant. But the fact that we were actually in the house overshadowed any discomfort caused by the less-than-ideal sleeping arrangements. And the kids slept great. Thomas woke up crying once, I just went in and comforted him for a minute and he slept great the rest of the night. They were so excited to see their beds all set up in their new rooms!
Today some guys from the elder's quorum came and helped with the big furniture, the stuff Jeff couldn't get by himself and that wouldn't fit in the van. They brought a big trailer, and helped Jeff haul out the couch, the dressers, the entertainment center, the organ, and our bed. Meanwhile, the kids and I hung out at the apartment, me stuffing last-minute stuff into one box after another. Now there's only a few little things left, and we'll be done by tonight. We scheduled our final check-out of the apartment for Monday at 3 - that's my birthday and Happy Birthday to me!!! No more tiny apartment! :-)
Back to this afternoon - after packing and moving boxes all morning, Jeff and I were absolutely pooped. We could hardly walk! We took the opportunity to go out for lunch, because neither of us felt up to making even something as simple as sandwiches for lunch. So we headed out to Chuck-a-Rama and had a delicious all-you-can-eat meal, where I ate way too much, as I always do at buffets. But oh, it was so yummy, and just what we needed after the week we've been through! After lunch, we all conked out - Jeff on one couch, me on the other, Thomas in his bed. Zaylee played preschool games on the computer while the rest of us slept. Boy, did we need that nap! Then Jeff hooked up the TV so the kids could watch a movie, and now he's back at the house finishing up the last few things that need to be packed.
Whew! So that's been our busy week. Next week will be equally busy, unpacking boxes and starting to get things organized and settled in. I'm getting tired again just thinking about it...
But it's so exciting to be in our house!!!
We've been doing all sorts of packing and moving boxes this week, really getting serious about the move. I've mostly been packing stuff in boxes. It's a delicate balance between doing enough to feel useful and not doing too much because I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant. So I'd pack a couple boxes until I started feeling tired and getting lots of Braxton Hicks, then I'd get a drink and sit on the couch and just rest until I felt better. Then I'd get up and do it over again. That's pretty much been my week!
Meanwhile, Jeff has been the man of steel this week, actually the whole time we've had the house. He has a moving dolly that we bought a while back, and has been moving boxes from the apartment to the house. He's really doing all the hard work, and it's amazing to me to look around the house and see all the stuff that he's moved all by himself! He's really impressed me throughout this whole move.
Last night was our first night that we spent in the house instead of the apartment. Yippee!! Jeff moved the kids beds into their rooms, and he and I slept in the family room on the hide-a-bed (the one that came with the house). I have to say that, while it's awesome that we have a hide-a-bed, I'm super glad that we don't ever have to sleep in it again, lol! It's not the comfiest of beds, especially being sore and tired from moving and being pregnant. But the fact that we were actually in the house overshadowed any discomfort caused by the less-than-ideal sleeping arrangements. And the kids slept great. Thomas woke up crying once, I just went in and comforted him for a minute and he slept great the rest of the night. They were so excited to see their beds all set up in their new rooms!
Today some guys from the elder's quorum came and helped with the big furniture, the stuff Jeff couldn't get by himself and that wouldn't fit in the van. They brought a big trailer, and helped Jeff haul out the couch, the dressers, the entertainment center, the organ, and our bed. Meanwhile, the kids and I hung out at the apartment, me stuffing last-minute stuff into one box after another. Now there's only a few little things left, and we'll be done by tonight. We scheduled our final check-out of the apartment for Monday at 3 - that's my birthday and Happy Birthday to me!!! No more tiny apartment! :-)
Back to this afternoon - after packing and moving boxes all morning, Jeff and I were absolutely pooped. We could hardly walk! We took the opportunity to go out for lunch, because neither of us felt up to making even something as simple as sandwiches for lunch. So we headed out to Chuck-a-Rama and had a delicious all-you-can-eat meal, where I ate way too much, as I always do at buffets. But oh, it was so yummy, and just what we needed after the week we've been through! After lunch, we all conked out - Jeff on one couch, me on the other, Thomas in his bed. Zaylee played preschool games on the computer while the rest of us slept. Boy, did we need that nap! Then Jeff hooked up the TV so the kids could watch a movie, and now he's back at the house finishing up the last few things that need to be packed.
Whew! So that's been our busy week. Next week will be equally busy, unpacking boxes and starting to get things organized and settled in. I'm getting tired again just thinking about it...
But it's so exciting to be in our house!!!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Big Buys!!!
We went to Sears today and made some very big, very exciting purchases - washing machine, dryer, and freezer! I feel so homeowner-ish! It's going to be so awesome to have our own laundry appliances, to have more control over the wash cycle than white or color, to not have to leave our home to wash our clothes. Sigh, domestic heaven in a laundry room!
Sears was having a really good sale on large appliances, so all three that we bought were 20% off, plus we get a $100 rebate on the washing machine, and a $65 rebate for the delivery charge. Our washing machine is a comfortably large 4 cu. ft., and the dryer is a spacious 7.5 cu. ft. It's a gas dryer since the house only has a gas hookup for the dryer. A slightly higher price up front, but it should save us money on the power bills.
Here's the washing machine we bought - Energy star qualified to save on water and power, cleans up to 18 bath towels in one load (though we don't even own that many!), adjusts water level and temperature based on load size and selected soil level, nifty neat-o!
And the dryer (except that this is the electric one, ours will be its gas equivalent) - comes with a dryer rack to dry stuff like shoes and sweaters and hats without tumbling them, you can select whether you want the signal to be soft or loud, auto moisture sensing.
Choosing a freezer was an adventure. I really had my heart set on the 14.9 cu. ft. chest freezer. The only place we can fit a freezer without it being really awkward and in the way is in the shed beside the house. It's already wired with electricity and everything. However, when we measured how big of a freezer we could fit in the shed, we were very disappointed to find that the chest freezer we wanted simply wouldn't fit. We would either have to scale down to the 8 ft. freezer, which is too small, or go with an upright, which is more expensive. After being disappointed and stubborn for a while (well, I was the one being stubborn - I really wanted that chest freezer!), we found an awesome 16.7 cu. ft. upright freezer that only cost a bit more than the chest freezer, thanks to being on sale. I finally gave in and admitted that it was a good freezer and I could be happy with it. We get more space, the price was good, and it will be nice to not have to bend myself in half to dig something out of the bottom of the freezer.
Here's the freezer (full of brand name stuff that we never ever buy!) - 3 cabinet shelves, a slide-out lower basket, and flexible door storage, holds up to 599 lb. of frozen food, security lock and external power light.
Our total cost for the day was more than I care to post, or even think about, haha. With three such large purchases, that's to be expected. But we got them all at great prices, and I'm so excited to know that soon we will be able to use our new appliances in our new house. The freezer will be delivered this Thursday, so I can start stocking it with freezer meals for after the baby is born. The washer/dryer won't be delivered until next week though, because they have to special order the gas dryer. But once it arrives, I am going to have so much fun doing laundry! At least for a little while, anyway, until the newness wears off. But still. :-)
Sears was having a really good sale on large appliances, so all three that we bought were 20% off, plus we get a $100 rebate on the washing machine, and a $65 rebate for the delivery charge. Our washing machine is a comfortably large 4 cu. ft., and the dryer is a spacious 7.5 cu. ft. It's a gas dryer since the house only has a gas hookup for the dryer. A slightly higher price up front, but it should save us money on the power bills.
Here's the washing machine we bought - Energy star qualified to save on water and power, cleans up to 18 bath towels in one load (though we don't even own that many!), adjusts water level and temperature based on load size and selected soil level, nifty neat-o!
And the dryer (except that this is the electric one, ours will be its gas equivalent) - comes with a dryer rack to dry stuff like shoes and sweaters and hats without tumbling them, you can select whether you want the signal to be soft or loud, auto moisture sensing.
Choosing a freezer was an adventure. I really had my heart set on the 14.9 cu. ft. chest freezer. The only place we can fit a freezer without it being really awkward and in the way is in the shed beside the house. It's already wired with electricity and everything. However, when we measured how big of a freezer we could fit in the shed, we were very disappointed to find that the chest freezer we wanted simply wouldn't fit. We would either have to scale down to the 8 ft. freezer, which is too small, or go with an upright, which is more expensive. After being disappointed and stubborn for a while (well, I was the one being stubborn - I really wanted that chest freezer!), we found an awesome 16.7 cu. ft. upright freezer that only cost a bit more than the chest freezer, thanks to being on sale. I finally gave in and admitted that it was a good freezer and I could be happy with it. We get more space, the price was good, and it will be nice to not have to bend myself in half to dig something out of the bottom of the freezer.
Here's the freezer (full of brand name stuff that we never ever buy!) - 3 cabinet shelves, a slide-out lower basket, and flexible door storage, holds up to 599 lb. of frozen food, security lock and external power light.
Our total cost for the day was more than I care to post, or even think about, haha. With three such large purchases, that's to be expected. But we got them all at great prices, and I'm so excited to know that soon we will be able to use our new appliances in our new house. The freezer will be delivered this Thursday, so I can start stocking it with freezer meals for after the baby is born. The washer/dryer won't be delivered until next week though, because they have to special order the gas dryer. But once it arrives, I am going to have so much fun doing laundry! At least for a little while, anyway, until the newness wears off. But still. :-)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A new blog and other stuff
I've been so absorbed with making diapers lately, but I didn't want this blog to get completely bogged down with all the diapers and such. So I made a new blog, specifically for my cloth diapering adventures! That way, if you don't care one way or the other, you don't have to see all the absolutely fun and adorable diapers I've been making, or the kids wearing them when we get to that point. But if you do want to see, you're welcome to visit Fluffin' it up! I've already made a lot of progress since the last time I posted.
Anyway, in other news, Jeff has been making a lot of progress in painting. We stopped by the house really quick yesterday to get the vacuum and the dolly, and I got to see how far he's gotten. Go figure, I forgot to bring the camera, oh well. The accent wall is completely painted, a gorgeous dark green. The living room has also been painted, and the dining room. Pretty much all that needs to be done now is the kitchen and the hallway. It's really neat, the white paint we chose to use on the living room etc. has really brightened up the upstairs. It used to be a dark cream color, which was okay, but now it's bright and cheerful. I can't wait until it's all done!
Also, we bought a kitchen table yesterday. We've been using a small round table borrowed from my parents for a while. It has met our needs wonderfully, but with another one coming along, and a much larger dining room to fill, we wanted to go ahead and buy a 6-seater with an extending leaf. You know, the kind of table that we'll own for years and years, that will seat a nice big family. So we visited a furniture store yesterday to look around. I knew right away as soon as we walked into the store that we absolutely would not find anything in our budget there! We were walking around past tables that cost $400-$1200, which we simply would not be willing to pay.
Anyway, we walked all the way through the store, admiring how pretty everything was, but pretty sure that we wouldn't be buying any of it. Then we came to the back room - the room where they keep the as-is stuff, the stuff that nobody would want to buy at full price. And we saw our table.
It was a rich brown color, big enough to seat 6, or eight with the leaf in. Simple, but pretty. Exactly what we were looking for. The only thing wrong with it is that the leaf doesn't lock in completely - there's a tiny gap between the pieces which could be easily covered with a table cloth or a centerpiece. The price - $147 - was enough to convince us that this was the table for us. We've been keeping an eye out at D.I. for tables, but the offerings have been scant, unappealing, and of low quality. A new table at D.I. costs $248, so we knew we were getting a great price. Now all we have to do is pick it up and put it in the dining room.
Anyway, in other news, Jeff has been making a lot of progress in painting. We stopped by the house really quick yesterday to get the vacuum and the dolly, and I got to see how far he's gotten. Go figure, I forgot to bring the camera, oh well. The accent wall is completely painted, a gorgeous dark green. The living room has also been painted, and the dining room. Pretty much all that needs to be done now is the kitchen and the hallway. It's really neat, the white paint we chose to use on the living room etc. has really brightened up the upstairs. It used to be a dark cream color, which was okay, but now it's bright and cheerful. I can't wait until it's all done!
Also, we bought a kitchen table yesterday. We've been using a small round table borrowed from my parents for a while. It has met our needs wonderfully, but with another one coming along, and a much larger dining room to fill, we wanted to go ahead and buy a 6-seater with an extending leaf. You know, the kind of table that we'll own for years and years, that will seat a nice big family. So we visited a furniture store yesterday to look around. I knew right away as soon as we walked into the store that we absolutely would not find anything in our budget there! We were walking around past tables that cost $400-$1200, which we simply would not be willing to pay.
Anyway, we walked all the way through the store, admiring how pretty everything was, but pretty sure that we wouldn't be buying any of it. Then we came to the back room - the room where they keep the as-is stuff, the stuff that nobody would want to buy at full price. And we saw our table.
It was a rich brown color, big enough to seat 6, or eight with the leaf in. Simple, but pretty. Exactly what we were looking for. The only thing wrong with it is that the leaf doesn't lock in completely - there's a tiny gap between the pieces which could be easily covered with a table cloth or a centerpiece. The price - $147 - was enough to convince us that this was the table for us. We've been keeping an eye out at D.I. for tables, but the offerings have been scant, unappealing, and of low quality. A new table at D.I. costs $248, so we knew we were getting a great price. Now all we have to do is pick it up and put it in the dining room.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Cloth diaper progress
Just wanted to do a quick post and share my progress with making cloth diapers. First, I wanted to show off this absolutely adorable soaker (diaper cover) I made today. It's newborn size, and it's just so tiny!!!
Isn't she just going to be so cute in that? I was squealing the whole time I made it, because it's just so little and cute.
Since starting this whole cloth diaper sewing thing, I have completed 25 diapers! And have the pieces cut out for several more. Here's my current stash.
Man, that's a lot of diapers! Until you think about the fact that it's enough to last a newborn about a day and a half.
Isn't she just going to be so cute in that? I was squealing the whole time I made it, because it's just so little and cute.
Since starting this whole cloth diaper sewing thing, I have completed 25 diapers! And have the pieces cut out for several more. Here's my current stash.
Man, that's a lot of diapers! Until you think about the fact that it's enough to last a newborn about a day and a half.
Finally posting about Halloween
Yeah, I'm finally getting around to posting about our Halloween festivities. The day before Halloween, we were invited to a little Halloween party, with some of the other moms and kids in the ward. It was mostly so the kids could have a fun time while we moms supervised and got to enjoy a little bit of adult conversation in between helping the kids.
The kids had fun making witch's brew. They took turns stirring the cauldron of punch and dry ice.
Then we made sugar cookies. Moms helped kids cut out the cookies, then the kids had a heyday drizzling way too much icing on all the cookies.
And then ate way too many cookies! :-)
It was a fun morning, and everyone had a good time.
On Halloween, we attended our ward Trunk-or-Treat. Here's our van all decorated up like a pumpkin patch. It probably could have used a few more pumpkins, but over all I was pretty pleased with the effect.
To match, I dressed up like a pumpkin as well.
Zaylee was a princess, and Thomas was a Jedi. Right up until we left the apartment to go to the Trunk-or-Treat, Thomas absolutely refused to wear the Jedi robe I made him. But when it was time to go, he put it on, and he wore it all night! When we got home, he tore it off and threw it on the ground. Then picked it up and threw it again, several times. Well, at least he wore it when it counted!
This is pretty much the only decent picture I got of Thomas in his robe. Everything else was blurry. The flash light is his light saber.
Zaylee in her princess dress. Making a princess face.
I liked this picture of the kids running down the hallway to get to the van. They were just so excited!
We came home with lots of candy, most of which is gone now. I'm sure the kids didn't notice that there was always less when they woke up in the morning than there was when the went to bed the night before. I ain't admitting to nothing! But it sure was yummy... ;-)
The kids had fun making witch's brew. They took turns stirring the cauldron of punch and dry ice.
Then we made sugar cookies. Moms helped kids cut out the cookies, then the kids had a heyday drizzling way too much icing on all the cookies.
And then ate way too many cookies! :-)
It was a fun morning, and everyone had a good time.
On Halloween, we attended our ward Trunk-or-Treat. Here's our van all decorated up like a pumpkin patch. It probably could have used a few more pumpkins, but over all I was pretty pleased with the effect.
To match, I dressed up like a pumpkin as well.
Zaylee was a princess, and Thomas was a Jedi. Right up until we left the apartment to go to the Trunk-or-Treat, Thomas absolutely refused to wear the Jedi robe I made him. But when it was time to go, he put it on, and he wore it all night! When we got home, he tore it off and threw it on the ground. Then picked it up and threw it again, several times. Well, at least he wore it when it counted!
This is pretty much the only decent picture I got of Thomas in his robe. Everything else was blurry. The flash light is his light saber.
Zaylee in her princess dress. Making a princess face.
I liked this picture of the kids running down the hallway to get to the van. They were just so excited!
We came home with lots of candy, most of which is gone now. I'm sure the kids didn't notice that there was always less when they woke up in the morning than there was when the went to bed the night before. I ain't admitting to nothing! But it sure was yummy... ;-)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
8 Months Pregnant
You know you're 8 months pregnant when:
- It takes you five minutes to put on your socks. Then another five minutes for your shoes. Despite the cold, flip flops have been sounding really inviting lately...
- You ponder how much you really need those last few socks at the bottom of the washing machine, because reaching in far enough to grab them would require a lot more effort than you're willing to exert.
- Baby kicks you in the ribs, nudges your pelvic bones, and punches you in the cervix - all at the same time.
- Shaving your legs on a regular basis has become a thing of the past.
- It's easier to sit down and stand up if you grunt loudly while you're doing it.
- You spend more time at night peeing than you do sleeping.
- When you drop something on the floor, you actually ponder whether it's worth picking up.
- If you decide to pick it up, you first try to do so with your feet.
- If the feet don't work and you actually have to bend down to pick it up, you squat like a sumo wrestler.
- Turning to the side to squeeze through a small space just doesn't work anymore.
- You don't realize your toddler is standing right in front of you because your belly blocks the view.
- You can't fit into public restroom stalls unless they're the handicap stalls.
- You squat down to look at something on the bottom shelf at the store, then suddenly realize that you have no idea how to get back up again. You end up grabbing at the upper shelves and pulling yourself back up.
The sad thing is that most of these aren't even exaggerations.
- It takes you five minutes to put on your socks. Then another five minutes for your shoes. Despite the cold, flip flops have been sounding really inviting lately...
- You ponder how much you really need those last few socks at the bottom of the washing machine, because reaching in far enough to grab them would require a lot more effort than you're willing to exert.
- Baby kicks you in the ribs, nudges your pelvic bones, and punches you in the cervix - all at the same time.
- Shaving your legs on a regular basis has become a thing of the past.
- It's easier to sit down and stand up if you grunt loudly while you're doing it.
- You spend more time at night peeing than you do sleeping.
- When you drop something on the floor, you actually ponder whether it's worth picking up.
- If you decide to pick it up, you first try to do so with your feet.
- If the feet don't work and you actually have to bend down to pick it up, you squat like a sumo wrestler.
- Turning to the side to squeeze through a small space just doesn't work anymore.
- You don't realize your toddler is standing right in front of you because your belly blocks the view.
- You can't fit into public restroom stalls unless they're the handicap stalls.
- You squat down to look at something on the bottom shelf at the store, then suddenly realize that you have no idea how to get back up again. You end up grabbing at the upper shelves and pulling yourself back up.
The sad thing is that most of these aren't even exaggerations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)