33 weeks

there's a head on my pelvis

Oh weekend, why must you end so soon? I need one more day! At least it was productive, for once! Despite us all being sick, I got most of the baby clothes washed & organized as well as Nori's summer clothes, too. I put away all my sweaters which are too small anyway and now just have a closet of spring/summer Big Mamma Jamma clothes. I am in the middle of nanny interviews as we are hoping to hire one after my maternity leave in the fall. Thanks to a little website called Care.com, I now understand the plight of online daters everywhere.

Mommy & baby

While Jake & Nori spent Saturday with Grandma Rosie and Grandpa Dick in Austin eating pancakes and counting Grandma's stuffed bunnies (127), I went to Jana's baby shower in Nora Springs, Iowa and met Baby Adira. They are both doing really well, even though all Adira does is nurse! Jana, of course, is back into her regular jeans. How does she do it? It was great to take a road trip and see all our peeps along the way, wish we could have stayed longer!

Jabberjaw

BTB, my beloved daughter never stops talking. She is always saying something insightful like "Mama! Mama! Mama! Why do prop-po-pellers move up and down?" or "Mama! Dada! Mama! Dada! When birds eat the seeds they poop them out and a rose grows" or "Can I have... um...can I have... a....a.....a....a......a.....fro yo?". Now that I know her verbal and intellectual skills are just fine, I think maybe I talked to her too much as a baby. The next one is getting the silent treatment.

the expanding family

Today we belatedly celebrated Funcle Charlie's birthday at the Twin's game. The weather was lovely! The guys sampled the Polish sausages and despite the disappearance of the Dippin' Dots stand, Nori was placated by soft-serve ice cream in a souvenir Twins hat. She loved the game and the crowd, cheering and dancing the whole way through. She had her own seat but preferred to be on her feet pumping her fists to who knows what. A true Seltz. Only 49 more days until my due date, coincidentally the same day Bert is inducted into the Hall of Fame. Wonder which one Grandpa Steve is more excited for?

Go team!

blah-g

Sick day in Dora pajamas

Busy yet boring week, sorry to say. If you want some romance and suspense, read Jim's blog about how he met and married his wife, Amy. If you think that is good, just wait until he posts about how he met Jake & I in exotic Peru mere minutes after I nearly suffered a brain hemorrhage falling in the slippery Rumi Punko shower.

Regular day in Dora pajamas

Jake made the most delicious homemade chicken parmigiana this weekend and we ate way too much. The nice weather forced us to go to Izzy's as well. We otherwise had a pretty laid back weekend although Jake did hang shelves in the baby's room closet and we got our big old computer desk out of the guest room, both long dreaded projects.

Play date with pirates Liam & Ang ( Norelle often refuses to look at the camera)

Angie introduced me to a great new coffee shop, Riverview Cafe, which not only has vegetable infused treats (carrot cake?), but also a fun playroom for rowdy kids. It's my new Go To spot!

Sabrina's shabby chic baby shower

Today I slept in while Jake & Nori went to church. It was a religious experience. Later we had Sabrina's baby shower over at Kelly's house. You may remember Sabrina from her engagement or her wedding and now her pregnancy. Girl saved it all up for one big hurrah of a year!

Pineapple hideout

Please notice the green Blankie is mine (yes, he sleeps with me) and the white one is hers. She thought it would be fun for us to play with them together! So sweet!

Hanging with Funcle Char

Funcle Char hung out this afternoon and later we were joined by Grandpa Steve, Grandma Liz and Aunt Ellen for some Brasa takeout. Nor is VERY fond of Charlie and made sure to have his full attention. Ellen just back from a mission trip in NYC and gave a presentation about it today. BTB, my brother Casey found out he is 1st in the waitlist for his #1 choice grad school, DePaul, for a MA in jazz performance and was admitted to UNI in the classical program but now wants to switch the jazz program so he needs to re-audition there. So, lots of unknowns as he is not yet sure how it's all going to pan out with school or if he will take a year off to work and reapply next year.

Just doing my thing...

Dorothy is now a toy/horse/pillow...only took 3 years for them to play together.

I was at Target the other day heard someone ask someone else, "How are you?". And the other person replied, "Just doing my thing". I thought to myself, that is so cool, that is how I am going to respond to that question from now on!! Except, I can't! I have tried, but I get too embarrassed. So now I dare you the next time time someone says "How are you?" to respond" Just doing my thing". It will be awesome!


Nori's new favorite game is called, "Play Egg!" alternatively titled, "Neeeesst" which she says in a meek little baby bird voice. She loves to curl up in my lap as her nest and cover herself with her blankie pretending to hatch. Sometimes her pleading to "Play Egg" sounds more like "Plague", but it's still cute. I taught her to love regurgitated worms and how to fluff her feathers. I am happy she is still such a cuddle-bug. She got a Boon stuffed animal bag which basically turns into a bean bag chair when filled with stuffies. Only problem is she prefers to dump most of the animals out and crawl in it herself. The bedrooms in our house are tiny so we are all about saving space and multi-purposing. Likewise, my underwear and socks are so fun to drag out and make wonderful dress-up props as wells as a comfy dog bed. No need to buy the real thing when mom's already got it covered! FYI, stacking bath towels can make a great stepstool to reach out-of-the-way objects.

Fixing Dora with Handy Manny's screwdriver, Turner, while dressed as Princess Aurora.

I swear she doesn't watch much television but it only takes one show a day and movie here and there to foster a love for all things kids. Add in Dora sticker books, princess storybooks, Disney soundtracks, Nemo underpants, and hand-me down character toys and we have full-fledged commercialized childhood up in here. Anyone for a corn husk doll?

Imagine those puppies half a foot higher ^ ^

Gramsie Hol rolled into town this week to help babysit and go dress shopping for Casey's wedding. We found her something fabulous at Macy's that fits her shape and had a custom bra fitting which gave the girls an extra 8 inches of elevation. Now she just needs a silver shrug, shoes, and jewelry. The summer calendar is already filling up with baseball games, a concert, a lake trip, and wedding festivities. I am so excited to be on maternity leave, I hope I can juggle it all!

Beware the thorn

Performing on stage at a dress shop for ALL to hear

notice the zombies in the background?

Today we cashed in Nori's birthday present with Papa & Nana...a trip to the new Sea Life Aquarium at the Mall of America. We saw jellyfish, sea turtles, stingrays, and sharks! We even broke the rules by giving our wristbands to some lucky souls who hopefully got in for free.

Cousins learn about the deep sea

Taking in the sharks with Papa

Completing the underwater theme with lunch at Bubba Gump!

Happy Birthday Jill!

Is this really me?

30 weeks

pre-pregnancy hurdler

p.s. we got our 4 pack of Twins tickets for five games. I'm all jock-ish now.

Grandma saves the day!

Thank you to Grandma Liz who drove to town to save my feeble career by babysitting Norelle on Wednesday and Thursday! On Wednesday they took a nice walk to the library and Liz even babysat her in the evening so I could meet up with my Winona girlfriends (Erin, Ann, Jill, Katie, Kristi, Chelsy, Susie and honorary Winonan, Penelope Faye) to catch up on life. I didn't even get home until 11:00 p.m. On a school night! Why do we always forget to take photos? In honor of St. Patricks' Day, Grandma Liz & Nori visited to the Children's Museum where they drank green beer (only 3:2) and blew bubbles. Jake returned home cooler than ever from a week on trendy South Beach. Is it weird that he is now tanned and waxed?

Note: I am in LOVE with the smell of my car's A/C. No matter the temp outside, I crank it up and sniff away like crazy. I can not get enough of it! I even think it about how great it smells and write about it on my blog. I also love that musty basement smell, specifically the aroma of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney. I would kill for some of that smell right now!

Not only did Jana have Baby Adira yesterday, but our other friends Brad & Sarah also had a baby girl, Cora Violet! What a great day to squeeze one out! I made up a draft of my birth plan online, however I am supposed to call it my "Birth Preferences" or as I entitled it, "Getting The Baby Out My Way". It's pretty flexible, my main request being that someone go get me fresh sushi immediately following delivery. I am overdue for a spicy tuna roll.

After talking to lots of people about their birth experiences, I am realizing how different each one is (even first births) in terms of time and pain. Some women take hours and hours to dilate halfway and others can barely get to the hospital in time. Seems like if labor progressing quickly enough, maybe I can cope/suffer through the contractions. If it is long and slow with the "worst pain of my life times infinity", some comfort measures may need to be taken. Keeping my options and pelvis wide open...