lately

I am 35 weeks pregnant today! With everything going on, I never had a chance to post my 34 week picture, so here it is:

I need a haircut. I'm looking a bit frizzled.

I am literally getting to the point where even my maternity shirts are starting to feel a little snug. I forgot just how awkward and uncomfortable the last few weeks of pregnancy are. And as nervous as we've been about how we will afford the new baby and balance our lives, I am SO ready for her to be born now!! My desire to meet her AND have my body back far outweigh everything else!

We're up and running again with our internet, so Drew is very happy (he and Steve have video game dates and Drew gets VERY crabby if he misses them). I'm mostly just thrilled that our cable/ internet bills will now be HALF of what we were paying before!! Technology is such a racket...

We spent last Saturday in downtown Denver. We realized it had been a long time since we all hung out there, and it was a nice day, so no better time. We had breakfast at Sam's (where Griffin colored his paper hat but refused to wear it), went to REI (where he spent FOREVER playing on their cool indoor playground and Drew bought me an awesome new purse), and then we walked around by the river. I'm glad we decided to do that, because we got a HUGE snow storm on Sunday! It was absolutely beautiful and we SO needed the moisture so we loved every second- but it also meant we had a lazy day inside snuggling and watching movies!

In Evvie news, we have an OFFICIAL birth time planned! My c-section has been scheduled for 9:30 am on April 1... so unless she decides to visit us earlier (which she WONT, if she's anything like her brother) that is exactly when we'll meet her! That is now less than 5 weeks away- I can hardly believe it!! My mom is done with Evvie's curtains and we should get those when they babysit Griffin this weekend. Her special crib bumper should be shipped next week, and my tiny shower (more of a sprinkle!) is a week from Sunday. After that, I need to get through 2 INSANE weeks of pre-registration advising, then Betsy flies in, it's Easter and the baby is here! Things are definitely happening!!

We just found out the other day that Drew's sister has been dealing with an awful nerve disorder lately. She's working with doctors & figuring out treatment, but in the meantime it's been very painful & stressful for her- so we've been really concerned. She's tough & will get it under control (hopefully sooner rather than later!) so we know it will be fine in the long run, but it is always hard to feel so far away when things like this happen. There is so much we WISH we could do- to help out, and just show support- so frustrating! We love you, C!!

Without Wi-Fi

Drew and I got a GREAT deal in switching cable companies. And it's a double-bonus because we get to go back to our old love, DirecTv, which we MUCH prefer anyway. The only downside is we're going from a cable modem to DSL, and we just found out someone weirdly cut our phone line at some point! We've never had a land line at this house so we never noticed! Anyway, they can't get anyone out here to fix it until Wednesday, so we're without wi-fi until then. Of course it happens when I actually have plenty to post about and the time to do it! I just refuse to write a long post on my phone...

Anyway, I'll try to catch up later this week. In the meantime, I'll just leave you with a few cute photos of our weekend!

family day

I got some bad news at work on Tuesday. I proposed a series of flexible and/or part time schedules weeks ago to allow me to stay home with the kids one day a week and save on daycare costs. This week I found out that after lots of discussion and high hopes, the last of the proposals was shot down. There's nothing else my job can do to help accomodate me.

I haven't written much about the whole daycare dilemma, mostly because it is SO. SCARY. Drew and I have tossed around every possible scenario and while none of them are perfect, my getting a flex schedule would have been the most reasonable option. When that last shred of hope was dashed, I just sort of collapsed in on myself.

My boss has actually been great about going to bat for me and I don't blame him at all. He told me he knew how much the news sucked and then he told me to take yesterday off to enjoy myself & spend time with my family. At the time it seemed like a pretty crap consolation prize, but in the end I realized it was exactly what I needed.

So yesterday we all spent hours lazing around in bed reading and watching movies. We got up and had breakfast at our favorite place. We went shopping and got some projects done around the house. I watched a few lectures for my class. We played and colored and laughed and sang... it was the BEST. In between, Drew and I talked, of course, about what our next steps will be. We have a few more cards we hope will fall into place. But in the meantime, I feel like spending extra time with my boys washed away any stress and reminded me of what is important- and what this is really all about.

having a serious discussion about Batman before the pancakes arrived

People keep telling me "it will all work out", but after 7 months of hearing that without a viable resolution, those words started to make me sick. But after taking a step back and allowing myself to breathe for a second, I realized it's true. We may end up incredibly poor for the next few years. We may end up with a horrible schedule that doesn't allow us to spend as much time together as we need. Those options scare me more than I can explain. But in the long run, we will have each other- a complete and perfect family of four. With that being said, it WILL all work out. There's no way it won't.

April Fools!

Evelyn finally has a birthday set! We will meet our little girl on April First!!

I am SO excited to finally know when she's going to be here. We knew she had to be scheduled sometime during my 39th week (3/28-4/4), but we found out a month ago that the specific doctor we want to deliver her has no availability those last couple of days in March. We've been waiting and WAITING for an April surgery schedule to come out since then, to no avail. Even today when I checked in, there was no public schedule ready. But then when I mentioned it to my awesome doc, he was like "hmmm. Lets just skip the middle man and schedule this right now." He was available on April 1, and DONE. He still needs to set the time and we'll finalize that at my next appointment, but he's handling everything with the hospital- all we'll have to do is show up!

Drew is all upset that it falls on April Fools Day, as he thinks she'll be made fun of for it. I just think that it will make her a bad ass and an awesome prankster. :) In all actuality, I doubt many people even make the correlation, and I think April 1, 2013 looks like a perfectly lovely day to be born. Plus, this means I'll still be home on Easter, and Griffin will not only get to have a normal holiday at home (instead of another one spent in the hospital), but one last holiday as an only child. That means a LOT to me.

It's weird to set a date ahead of time for a person to be born. With Griffin, I had no idea, so I spent weeks in eager anticipation. We waited and waited for him to show up, and while part of that was stressful, it contributed to a lot of the excitement as well. This feels a bit unnatural, but there are benefits too. I can do a better job of planning at work. Betsy can actually schedule her trip. Oh, and I can finally order that piece of birthstone jewelry I wanted to symbolize the kids! :) Of course, this means I'll probably go into labor a week early and all of this will go flying out the window (Drew and I have a tendency toward that type of luck). We'll see!

lots of work

It's been another abnormally beautiful weekend with sunny skies and highs in the 60s. While we could REALLY use some snow, it's a nice change of pace for mid-February! This also meant Griffin got to go to the playground TWICE this weekend, which was quite the treat!

I did have to work late Friday night- but it was all worth it because I have now completed the hiring for my first complete staff!! I now have 6 Lead Faculty Mentors, 39 regular Faculty Mentors, 8 Lead Peer Mentors, 82 regular Peer Mentors and a Graduate Assistant! WOO! I am starting to feel *slightly* better about going on maternity leave!

One of my good friends had her baby shower this weekend. She's having twins and is due only a few weeks after I am- SUPER fun! We used to work together and the shower meant I got to catch up with some really awesome people that I literally haven't seen in YEARS. Its so cool seeing this group of people evolve from the young 20-somethings I used to know to these strong & sassy wives and mothers!

Unfortunately, I have been crazy uncomfortable lately. I'm at the stage where nothing seems to fit right, I'm too big to tie my own shoes, and everything I do makes my body ache. It's going to be a LONG 6 weeks as far as that goes. BUT. While at the grocery store today, this adorable woman came up to me and said "I'm sorry. I just had to tell you that you have the cutest pregnant belly I've ever seen!" Considering I have not felt one ounce of cute lately, I stammered back an awkward thank you and she said "no, really. I'm not the type of person that compliments strangers. You just happen to wear it so well!" I totally should have gotten her phone number and made her my new BFF. But in the meantime, her compliment has left me riding high all day!

I am feeling VERY accomplished today after another big batch cooking adventure! After an hour or so of prep, I now have chicken cacciatore, beef & broccoli, garlic lime chicken, ranch house pork, creamy italian chicken & pasta, mongolian beef, roasted pepper & quinoa chili, and brown sugar apple chicken in the freezer! At least we wont starve!!

Happy Middle of February!

I have decided that I am the best mom/ wife of all time. I spent my lazy morning making the most AMAZING Valentine's Day cake EVER instead of actually being lazy. It's a yellow butter cake stuffed with chocolate and strawberries, with a chocolate fudge frosting. Oh, AND it's heart shaped. I need my own tv show.

safely wrapped in plastic until the boys come home

In all honesty, I think Valentine's Day is sort of a crap holiday. People rush around trying to find somewhere, ANYWHERE with open dinner reservations. Flowers and candy are all of a sudden marked up to a ZILLION times what they're worth... kids are pressured into bringing cards into school for students they don't even like! It's not that I mind the sentiment of those celebrating as much as the industry/ societal pressure and consumerism. I love love! I love when time is set aside to make other people feel good! And while I LOVE a good holiday, Drew & I have just never been much into this one. But I do still enjoy the opportunity to show them how much they are adored! That is why even though I work late tonight, they will still have a warm & delicious dinner waiting for them. I made them  each sweet little cards. And they will get to follow it up with the Queen of all Cakes!

Griffin was in a super silly mood yesterday (even though he has, apparently, contracted pink eye again. DAMN THESE TODDLERS & THEIR CREEPY TOUCHING OF EACH OTHERS FACES!!). We laughed a lot when I came home to visit at lunch:

why was he wearing a coat with no shirt, you ask? Only Griffin knows.

And then they FaceTimed me at the end of my work day which is always fun. Griffin told me all about colors and what was on tv, then told me to just come down to the basement! If only, kiddo!

yes, his nose is goobery as someone pointed out of FB. He's still perfect!

I have been taking a super interesting online class taught by a Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Public Health called "Nutrition for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention". It has been amazing so far and really challenges a lot of ideas I previously had about food! She's all about actual  food science as opposed to fad diets or anecdotal information. Plus, it's SO GREAT to be using my brain in that capacity again. I love learning. This just confirms I'm not crazy for considering going back for my PhD!

I will leave you with this. Last night Drew spent HOURS holed up in front of the computer. He didn't get to bed until after 11. And here is why:

this is Drew's rendition of an adult Griffin which he created by painstakingly fusing pictures of the three of us. Creepy, right? Who has time for that??

32 weeks and Weekend in Review

As of Thursday, I was 32 weeks! Less than 2 months left to go. I'm getting so excited to meet our Princess! (especially since I don't know how much more I can expand to accommodate her. I feel like I grew so much just in the past 2 weeks!)

And I am carrying her WAY differently than I carried Griffin- much higher & way out front, so I feel like I'm always just a little off balance.

We've had a fun and productive weekend, though now we're all EXHAUSTED!

Yesterday I had brunch with Stacey and Jacqui, two of my favorites. I've been a LOT more social lately than normal- I've been hanging out every weekend! For me, that is CRAZY. I feel like I need to pack it all in before I have another tyrant (ie newborn) running our lives again! After that, Drew organized the laundry room which I am SO thankful for. Ever since he started the various basement projects, the laundry room had been FILLED with remnants, tools, and clutter- I could barely get to the washing machine! Now, nice and open. Ahhh.

Today we took Griffin to the indoor pool & playground at the Golden Rec Center. We felt like he had a boring snow day yesterday, so we thought we'd take him out for some fun. He had a TOTAL blast. He spent over an hour in the pool and still didn't want to get out- he was all pruney by the time we dragged him away.

climbing the rope ladder. cant get over what a BOY he's becoming- not my baby anymore!

After a fun lunch at Woody's, Griffin fell HARD into a long nap (he's still sleeping almost 2 hours later!) and I started cooking!! I'm SUPER pumped- I decided to make freezer meals each week until Evvie is born so that we can have easy dinners around & not worry about cooking in the early weeks. All we'll have to do is pick a bag, thaw it & dump it into the crock pot or onto the stove. Brilliant! Today's cooking adventure was actually more assembly than anything & was amazingly easy. An hour or so later, I have Cuban braised beef, cranberry chicken, enchilada cups, pineapple jerk pork chops, creamy beef tips, bbq chicken, Italian wedding soup, cheesy spinach & pasta casserole, and chicken green chili all ready to go and waiting for us! LOVING the deep freezer right now!! Best part? My grocery bill for ALL of those ingredients, PLUS stuff for lunches & dinners this week was exactly $100. WINNING.

Ebbie's Woom

We've been doing a lot of work in the nursery lately (or Ebbie's woom as Griffin calls it) and it's SO CLOSE to being done! Really- what was once a wasteland for all the odds and ends we've accumulated throughout our lives is now this relaxing and calm oasis. I can hardly believe it.

although this is the "before" picture, most of the junk mountains had been cleared out by this point so there is really no "justice" for the before sitch.

We cleaned, organized, patched, painted, built and set up. Well, mostly Drew did, but I was clearly the brains behind the whole operation. The nursery closet shares a wall with the downstairs bathroom and it had two access panels cut into it. Drew was attempting to patch them up so that Evvie wouldn't be tempted to get into them one day, and we noticed that both the hot and cold water pipes feeding into the bathroom sink were slightly leaking. I called a plumber (one of those big companies) and the guy told us that there was galvanized connected to the copper and the chemical reaction had started a leak. He told us he needed to cut out the galvanized and replace it, the cost for that? $1500. RIGHT. So we immediately sent him away, seeking a second opinion. I didn't believe for a SECOND that a few drips should set us back that much. So I found a different guy that came VERY highly recommended through the Highlands Mommies group I belong to. He came out & gave us the exact same diagnosis, but his cost? $220. Yeah. So we now officially have a new plumber! So at least all that got taken care of leaving us the fun stuff to worry about!

view from the doorway

this cute little dresser is actually an old wash stand from the late 1800s that we found at an antique store!

the closet doors are chalkboard paint, and the changing pad will go on top of her built-in desk

the beautiful crib we got from Betsy!

My mom and I went out fabric shopping last weekend and got lots of stuff- some beautiful and sophisticated, some just over the top adorable. My favorite is this one:

She's using them to make curtains, a quilt (based on this idea):

and to re-cover the pennants on this otherwise PERFECT bed canopy that we found at ikea:

Since I also found perfect crib sheets at Target for SUPER cheap, all we will really need to complete the nursery is a crib skirt and bumper.

There is another fabric I am completely in love with (this:)

and I contacted this SUPER talented lady on Etsy about making me a bumper out of it, but she hasn't contacted me back yet. Pfft. There's still time, I suppose.

Anyway, there are still big things we need, and a lot is still up in the air (the biggest being what our daycare situation will look like) but at least I feel like we have a place for Evvie to sleep when she comes! And more importantly, I am feeling more relaxed about things, more excited, and my daughter is starting to feel like a real person as opposed to this figment of my imagination. The countdown is on!