double digits!

I'm under 100 days! 98 to be exact!

Up 15 lbs total...

26 weeks (or 6 and 1/2 months) today!

And my ankles have disappeared due to swelling.

Yoi no more

Myron Cope (born January 23, 1929 in Pittsburgh with the given name Myron Sydney Kopelman) has passed on today. My terrible towel is at half-mast. Maybe it is due to the pregnancy hormones, but I really think it is due to just being a Pittsburgher through and through that I cried when I learned this sad news. I know many people found his voice annoying, but I thought it really made for a unique flavor to the Steeler's coverage.

I also wanted to show some pictures of the snow from this morning.

The bathroom is 75% done and looking fantastic! The upstairs carpet will be installed tomorrow and we'll set up the nursery furniture this weekend. I should have some great pictures with the new camera come Monday. Last weekend we picked up our foyer bench from the Amish gentlemen who hand-made it. It looks great, and as you can see, the resident "tester of new things" seems to like it!

"That's what friends are for"

I am really excited to start a new knitting project, one that almost didn't happen. I had purchased hand spun, hand dyed beautiful yarn earlier this month at the knitting festival. It's a soft and warm angora and silk blend (I think if I recall). Beautiful hues of purple, berries, blues and silvers. Really unique.

I was so excited to start knitting with it that I began without the yarn (about 500 yards) being wound into a ball. I figured that it wouldn't matter. ha ha ha ha ha ha. Boy did I learn the hard way! After about 10 rows, the thing became a huge tangled mess. And while I enjoy untangling knots, I found myself really frustrated with this. I tried one end. I tried the other. I tried from the middle. Nothing! It just became a huge mess!!!

I almost threw it away - $30 down the drain and a hard lesson learned. Well, luckily I just threw it into a ziplock bag to revisit one day in the future. Or to offer to anyone who wanted a challenge; they could keep the darn yarn as their prize - I just had to step away! I took it to my friend's party last weekend for any takers...

Well, my friend Michelle took up the challenge and said it was like her Zen project - she sat with it in her lap last weekend and some how, lord only knows, got it all untangled! I told her that she needed to keep the yarn, but she refused. She gave the yarn back on Tuesday in the sweetest fashion - it literally brought tears to my eyes. Note the sweet message on the bag.

I know just the project I'm going to make with it. It is a bit more challenging than I'm used to (considering I'm a square / baby blanket making kind of girl) but I am up to the challenge.

Busy, busy, busy

It was a crazy busy weekend, and there is a lot going on this week. Unfortunately, this post won't have any personal pictures because our digital camera kicked the bucket. Time to buy a new one I guess! The other was from 4 years ago when I gave it to Dave for Christmas. I have my eye on this one, and thanks to a work bonus, I may convince Dave to have us purchase it!

Last Saturday I went to a great children's clothes store (I just can't stay away!) at the Galleria Janie & Jack Then I went to a friend's daughter's first birthday party to assist setting up, and I got to stay and enjoy the festivities as well. This little girl is just darling cute (if you need proof, check out a recent photo shoot she did...) I also got to see a bunch of my "internet friends" and their children which was a treat.

I don't say much about this internet community I am part of, but it all started in 2004 when I found the Knot and we were all planning our weddings. Sometimes I am amazed to think that I've known some of these ladies for close to 4 years. I am so very grateful to have made friends with them. I have always considered myself lucky to have a small group of close-knit friends instead of a lot of various acquaintances - quality over quantity, you know? But knowing these ladies has exposed me to so many new experiences and ideas. They've been part of my support system with the ups & downs of trying to get pregnant for 2 years. They've provided me with cooking ideas, parenting information, laughter, deep thoughts, silly pictures, knitting, new restaurants, and reassurance that I'm normal (for the most part). I was really reflective of this on Saturday night when I got home (exhausted!!) after seeing some of them. You all know who you are, and please know that I am forever grateful to know you all!

Sappiness aside (pregnancy hormones allow me to change subjects easily so I don't cry, which I'm apt to do these days) - Sunday was busy too with car inspections, church, lunch at Aladdin's (mmmmm) shopping at Becoming Mommy in Squirrel Hill, then hitting the mall for more shopping at baby Gap, Banana Republic for Dave, and Aveda & Motherhood Maternity for me. Oh, and then we went food shopping. So leaving at 9:15 AM and not returning home until 6:45 PM left me really exhausted. And my feet hurt. I don't think I've recovered since (foot wise!)

I've been feeling well aside from tired easily and my feet hurting a lot. Sadly I had to buy some new shoes yesterday in a full size larger to accommodate my spreading Fred Flintstone feet. I wonder if they'll shrink after giving birth?? Well, at that point it'll be summer and I can be in sandals, which isn't really an option now.

Our bathroom is coming along great - we had a set back last week when a pipe burst from the cold weather. The plumber came over last night to fix it and put the mixer on the bath tub. So now we can finish dry-walling the last wall and my father-in-law can start tiling the bathroom floor. That means putting the toilet in (hurray! no more 2 AM trips to the cold basement to appease my bladder....). We painted the one wall the final color ("crocodile tears") and Dave hung the medicine cabinet, and it really looks great! I am hoping to have it all done by the end of this month. We're getting the new carpet upstairs on the 28th, so we have to clear out the staging area (also known as the nursery) prior to that.

Lots going on this week too with Dave's brother & sister in law in town and various things we need to do this week. I thought the 3rd trimester meant slowing down?! Oh wait, that is just ME, not the rest of the world!

6 months today

Officially 6 months today. Peanut is growing well (and so am I as you may see!)

Slowing down, can't sleep, and decided to get up at 4:45 AM and get ready for work rather than lay in bed.

Turning the corner

This weekend we turned a few corners.

1. Our corner tub was put in place. A lot of work still left to do, but as you can see from the picture, the tub is already being put to good use.
   
   



2. I turned a knitting corner and now have 3 projects underway. So much for my "one project at a time" philosophy. I went to the annunal Pgh Knitting festival with Anna and Lisa on Saturday and purchased many, many hanks of yarn for future projects (3 baby sweaters, a scarf, and extra yarn to just hoard as it is so nice). We had a great time and a wonderful lunch at Bistro 19 in celebration of Anna's birthday.
   
   
3. I'm rounding the corner out of being comfortable in my pregnancy. As the 2nd trimester draws to a close, I find myself not sleeping very well again. I've been having some very intense dreams unrelated to the baby. I wake up either scared out of my mind from horrible images or sobbing from emotionally intense dreams. It leaves me feeling emotionally drained and not very well rested. I'm also then having trouble falling back asleep.
   
   I'm also having more pain in my hip and butt area. While I'm doing my exercises from my friend who is a PT, I think the fact that I sit all day doesn't help things. Funny, since it hurts to walk around! I think I'm starting to slow down; I can't do as much as I was doing up until now.
   
   
4. Finally, we're rounding the corner of baby kicks. The baby is finally kicking hard enough that Dave can occasionally feel it. The problem seems more that as soon as we put a hand there, the child can sense it and stops. I honestly have no idea where this "shyness" comes from! ha ha

Hope everyone is well and warm!

How pretty is this picture?!?

Call me Giselle, but I love to see Tom Brady on his back!

Picture taken from Boston Herald's website

Finished projects

Soon after I first found out I was pregnant, I began knitting a baby blanket for our own baby. Friends suggested a pattern that began with knitting squares that I'd eventually join together. I could even add a boarder if I wanted to. So I lovingly picked out the colors and the yarn - a nice soft bamboo which is anti-bacterial too (cool huh?!). I began knitting in October I think.... well, this weekend I finally finished. And while it was a labor of love, I'm not sure if I'd do this particular pattern or work this yarn again. The blanket has a few design features (as my friend Lisa calls them) or flaws if you didn't know any better, but hey - it's a work that is definitely hand-crafted! Picture below, and special thanks to Anna & Lisa for helping me along the way.

Another finished project is the framing of the Christmas picture from my mom. She'd given me a print I'd wanted to hang in Peanut's room from artist N.A. Noel. It's an angel with the title "Destiny" and I thought it would make a nice guardian angel for Peanut. The only problem was the print size - 25" x18" is an odd size. I didn't want to pay an arm or a leg to have it custom framed, and my friend Cyndy suggested to check out places that sell pre-framed artwork. She said it's often cheaper to buy something pre-framed and just replace the print. So since Christmas I checked out various art stores, thrift stores, clearance racks, and such. I finally lucked out when a store in the local mall was having a big sale. I found a frame that was large enough for $15! I came home and replaced the print, and voila! I am super pleased with how it turned out, and for such an inexpensive purchase! The colors are really vivid, but unfortunately do not show up well in the picture below.

The one project that remains unfinished is the bathroom (ugh!) We’re making progress but current plans are on a week hold, hinging on the plumber coming in to set the tub next weekend. Once that is in, we can finish dry-walling, start to tile the floor, and put the toilet and sink in. (leaving painting and other decorative stuff.) Then we can get the new carpet installed and then set up Peanut's room with furniture. I can't wait! I just hope that we don't hit any big hiccups. Or if we do, we can at least reinstall the toilet in the mean time...

"Joys" of Pregnancy

Last week I was in Dallas for work, which was only a few degrees warmer than here. Brrr! It's always good to be home though. This past week I began discovering some of the aches & pains of pregnancy. Sitting on a flight for a few hours will make one's butt fall asleep. And when you're stuck in your seat and can't move about, it doesn't help. But it seems to be when I'm in any seat for more than 30 minutes it feels uncomfortable. My lower back is starting to ache a little, and my hips are out of alignment (women secrete a hormone called relaxin during pregnancy, which does as is sounds like - relaxes your joints to acomidate for the baby. Progesterone does the same thing, and who knows how many other hormones are altering my body right now). Well, mis-aligned hips --> sciatic nerve pain when I go up stairs or lift my left leg.

At least I got to experience one of the better joys of pregnancy this week - feeling the baby kick! I am somewhat late to the game in feeling this due to the placenta being anterior, or in the front. It is between the baby and myself, which means while the baby has been beating up on me for some time, I've not been able to feel it since the placenta acts as a big rubbery cushion. Now that baby's kicks and punches are getting stronger, I can feel them. It still isn't with any frequency, and I have to be still to feel it, but it is very cool!

And in typical Beth over-prepared fashion, I've been reading up on all sorts of things - cosleeping, breastfeeding, doulas, and post-partum depression. I figure that knowing as much as I can can't hurt - the problem will be of course if I remember it. And these days with the pregnancy amnesia... anyway.... I came across and article this weekend that states that women who undergo IVF are more than twice as likely to experience PPD than other women. Basically, it states that infertility that precedes IVF undermines a woman's confidence in herself and her body, as well as her mental state. (So true) And ultimately that when women give birth, they feel that they are so grateful to just HAVE a baby, that they have no right to complain about anything and that they just somehow need to cope better (so not true!).

I have to admit that PPD scares me. This pregnancy has been rough on me emotionally with constant worrying in the first few months that we'd lose this baby too. And then, I just don't know how to describe it - I just don't feel like myself. I feel like I'm still somewhere in my body, but that I'm not in emotional control. I've tried to explain it to Dave, because he is most often (unfortunately) on the receiving end of my swinging back and forth emotionally. I just don't feel like myself. He's graciously said that he thought it would be worse.... I don't know if that should make me feel better, or scared that I could really be awful!

But PPD is a very real thing, and it's not like I know how to be a good parent. I'm scared of the sleepless nights and having a baby constantly attached to my breast. I already feel like I'm "touched out" and feel very protective of my space; my normally touchy huggy self has been replaced with just not wanting to be touched as usual. What happens when I have a tiny baby latched onto me non-stop? I'm worried that I won't be able to do it all like I used to be. Even now I struggle with my pregnancy-imposed limitations - this independent soul hates asking for help and not being 100% self-sufficient.

So as I've said, I've been trying to educate myself as much as I can now, to set up my safety net. A great article on how to help anyone limit PPD can be found here - thanks to the wonderful Ask Moxie blog for having this available for everyone. If you want to help me down the line, please take a moment to read the tips, because who knows if I'll ever learn to ask for help!

Now I best be going - my butt is starting to fall asleep!

Good times, bad times

Having been born in the early 70s, I am a huge Zepplin fan. And while it's definitely not my fav Zepplin song (Kashmir, Ramble On), their words of "Good times, bad times, you know I've had my share" echo in my head this week.

1. I made a HUGE oversight last posting to not mention our adorable nephew's 7th birthday. This past Sunday was his family birthday party - pirate themed! Good time for certain!!! So HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY to our very favorite nephew NATE!!
   
   
   


2. We found out some very sad news at the end of last week. Someone we hold very dear to us, her mom was discovered to have another bout with lung cancer. Unfortunately, she is not able to have surgery again to remove the tumor, and will be undergoing chemo which has a lower success rate. If you are so inclined, please pray and send light to her and her family. We continue to hold out hope and stay positive, but this really isn't the news we wanted to hear. Definite bad time.

1/2 way there

20 weeks / 5 months / half-baked - how ever you'd phrase it, I've hit the half way mark of my pregnancy. I am really feeling good and can't complain. I am sleeping better, only have the occasional backache (usually from poor posture) and am constantly hungry! We booked our infant CPR class and our hospital tour for late March / early April. I just need to get an official appointment with a highly-recommended lactation consultant for late April. I've already spoken to her about having us attend a private class to talk about breast-feeding and some pain management options for delivery. Things are really coming along. Unfortunately, as a co-worker told me yesterday, usually the last half of the pregnancy seems to take twice as long!

Not much else new. It's cold out which makes me want to knit - that's about as active as I get in my winter hibernation mode!

Extreme Home Makeover Part 3

This weekend began the gutting of the upstairs bathroom - one of the 3 biggest projects to occur at the house (the installation of the basement bathroom & the living room dry-wall mess of last year as the other). We had to chip away all the awful baby blue tile that was everywhere. Note that using a chisel and hammer is a great way to shape up the arms! On Saturday Dave proceeded to start knocking out the closet and fake walls the prior owners had installed. Let me say here that there is nothing like seeing the weird work previous owners did to make you vow to never do the same thing again! I was feeling under the weather so I just laid down most of the evening. Which stunk as we missed our friend's post-holiday holiday party.


Sunday Dave and his dad proceeded to do the real meat of the project tearing things out and removing the shower and sink and such. I came home from church, pulled up to the garage and saw 6 foot pieces of 2x4s and other material flying out my bathroom window into my yard! I guess it was the quickest way out without messing up the rest of the house....


Here are some pictures of the weekend's work. We are already really happy with the space that the bathroom has; the fake walls and closet in there prior had blocked out so much of the room and really made it small. We're excited about this renovation because it shouldn't be as in depth or as long as the other bathroom project. Plus, we'll have a huge soaking tub in the end! Hurray!! I can't wait to take a bubble bath!

Day 1 (shower is still in and so are the fake walls, some tile & the closet)

Day 2 (shower gone, plumbing remains, and all the tile is off the walls!)

Peanut's big photoshoot

Thursday morning, bright and early, we fought the construction and traffic and headed into Oakland to Magee. It was with great anticipation that we wanted to see how big Peanut had grown. I still hold my breath when the scan starts, praying to see that flickering heartbeat. (Some bad habits are hard to break, but I think given past history, this is somewhat understandable.) The ultrasound began with seeing the baby give us the "thumb's up" which made us laugh. Too bad we didn't get a picture of it!

Peanut's heart rate was 136 bpm and after that was assessed, our child decided that s/he'd had enough and proceeded to hide from us as much as possible. (Please - no pictures you paparazzi!) This stubborn child of ours (not quite sure where s/he gets that from - ha ha!) kept turning its back to us and covering its face. Of course, the purpose of this scan is to measure the major bones and view the organs to make sure everything is as it should be. Peanut wasn't going to cooperate willingly, which lead to the tech causing small "earthquakes" on my tummy trying to get the baby to turn over and show arms and face.

A lot of the u/s was the tech zooming in to show us kidneys, bladder, stomach, lenses, and other various things that were fuzzy and not really distinctive to the untrained eye. So we just kind of nodded our heads like "okay - sure!" The end result is that everything is fine and measuring on track. The baby was head down with its feet towards my ribs, facing my back. That of course will change, and probably did as soon as the camera was put away. The placenta is anterior - between my tummy and the baby. This means that I can't feel the baby kicking me since it acts as a big rubber buffer / shock absorber. So it may be another month before I feel Peanut move.

At no point did the tech tell us to look away from the screen so as to not reveal the baby's gender. I guess she saw what she needed to see and was fine with it. We of course didn't see anything, so we asked at the end of the session if the tech knew what the baby's gender was. She said she did, and that was good enough for us. (At 19+ weeks, it's pretty certain if the goods are showing, what the gender is. It's a little earlier where it is a bit more uncertain.)

Here are some pictures of Peanut - probably the last ones well have until s/he is born. Enjoy!

Facial profile

Profile from the other side

Little baby foot (5 toes!)

Baby Registry - check!

Friday night Dave and I went into Babies R Us and registered. The task wasn't too daunting with the help of friends who have infants and my Baby Bargains book - otherwise I imagine it would have been very over-whelming. The link to the registry is on the left. 99% of the items we need are here. The mobile and curtains that we want are through Pottery Barn Kids; I just put them in my list from thethingsIwant.com (also on left).

The weekend was busy with bridal stuff on Sunday with Molly, and knitting on Saturday. Prior to knitting with friends, we had a great lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant that I'd never been to prior. Lunch was inexpensive, delicious, and I intend to go back with Dave. Pittsburgh has so many good places that are different like this; I'm really grateful that my friends are food savvy and know of them, and are willing to share them with me!

On the message board I frequent, there's been a discussion about if you think Pittsburgh is ethnically diverse. It's an interesting question - I think you need to really leave the sub-burbs (which some people aren't apt to do) but for the most part, I see a lot of different ethnic culture and people, which I think is representative of what is going on in our city. You just have to look for it. Now, compared to New York or San Francisco, we have a long way to go. But otherwise I think we hold our own very well! What do you think?

Happy New Year!!

Hope everyone's holidays were great and that 2008 is going to be a wonderful year! We know we are looking forward to many things! Aside from the arrival of baby Sprague after Memorial Day, we now have a wedding to look forward to! CONGRATULATIONS to Mike & Molly who got engaged on Dec 21 and are planning a wedding (tentatively) for Dec 6th 2008.

Dave and I like to take credit for hooking them up (which as some of you know didn't work out so well 3 years ago!). Things changed after our wedding and I can still recall Molly saying "I am going to kiss him!". Heck, every time I see my hair stylist, she asks if these two are still going strong! Apparently I wasn't the only one that over-heard Molly's plans for Mike!

We had a great holiday with family and got to see some friends as well. Our big ultrasound is next week, and we're really looking forward to seeing Peanut again! I **think** that I've been occasionally feeling some movement, but it isn't constant (like 3 times a week on average) and I'm just not sure. I'm 18 weeks along, so there is still time for this stuff to occur. I just would like the assurance that Peanut is a-okay! More updates to follow I'm sure. Here's to a great 2008!!

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Please remember to take time to enjoy yourselves and those you love. Be safe and have fun!

Oh, and please take the new poll on the left to guess Peanut's gender!

Love,

Beth & Dave

4 months today

I still feel huge for being 4 months pregnant - but oh well. I just thought I wouldn't look this big until like 6 months....At least I'm feeling good physically!

Oh, and yes, I was in the ladies room at work - ha ha!

Times are a changin'

I wanted to post 2 updated ultrasound pictures. The second one (which I affectionately call "alien baby") honestly freaks me out!

While confined in my room this weekend to avoid Dave's poker party guys, I was cleaning out some things and came across some old pictures. This one is of my high school graduation in 1992 (that seems like forever ago) with my oldest friend Jen and our moms.

This one is from about 1997 at Christmas with another best friend Angie. I can't get over how skinny I used to be!

2 noteable notes

#1 - I did it! I got my butt on the treadmill last night. I am going to try to start out every other day for 20-30 minutes and eventually (like in 3 weeks) work my way up to daily for 30 minutes. Just let me say how out of breath I was - sheez! Not that I really pushed myself, I just got my heart rate up.

#2 - I am officially addicted to this Aveda body wash. It smells so relaxing and I think I found the only body wash I'll use the rest of my life!

Off to by my TP, milk & bread in anticipation of the big snow to come tomorrow!

O Christmas Tree

How did we get to less than 2 weeks before Christmas? None the less, I think we're ready. Most of our gifts have been purchased, and all of those have been wrapped. On Monday we went to our traditional Christmas tree farm and picked out a Christmas tree. The smell is so wonderful that I wish we could have it up all the time. It's hard to get a good picture because the Christmas lights look like they are floating on the tree unless I have a background light on, and then the light is too bright in some shots. Sign me up for a photography class I guess! And now you know why we leave all the important pictures we can up to Cyndy & Paul!

On the pregnancy front, I'm 15 weeks along today and feeling well. Lots of stretching going on in there - the other day I sneezed and felt like I was going to break in half from the pain! Poor Dave - I startled the heck out of him when I screamed (well, it hurt!). I saw the doctor about the cysts and they are just going to keep an eye out for them, but there isn't much we can do right now and they aren't worried. I want to start exercising but am finding motivation just as tough as it was pre-pregnancy. I'm supposed to walk 30 minutes a day. Now, we have a treadmill in the basement, but when I get home, I'm typically so tired I start dinner and then lay down to rest. We'll see how that goes. But I have to tell you that I have big plans to exercise to lose weight after the baby is here! Shhh - don't ruin this for me with the truth about how I'll have no time, less energy, etc. Ignorance is bliss!

I'll see if I can get a semi-flattering belly shot to post this week. Have a good week everyone!