33 Weeks!

Here I am at 33 weeks! I had my monthly doctor appointment today, and now I'll go every two weeks for the next month or so. Everything is looking great! I came in with a long list of questions, so it's always nice to get those answered. I was sure that he was either in a breech or sideways position since he's kicking me really far back on my side, near where my elbow hangs down. Turns out he's actually head down and he's sort of in a C-shape, with his legs going out to my side. It's beyond me how my doctor can actually feel all this, but I trust her.
On another note, today is Nick's last day working the early shift (3am-11am) until October. Yay!

This weekend's projects

Favorite brother Evan came to visit this weekend. Actually, we begged and flew him up here to help us with the house before he moves back to Arizona. Here are a few of the projects we worked on:

Jim painted...

and painted.

Nick put up the first wall of siding.

Evan sanded our old doors so Jim could paint them

Nick and Evan worked on the risers

and stair treads.

Wuff Da

Here are some photos from Wuff Da, the Ballard Dog event we attended yesterday. Someone snapped this great photo of Penny:
And someone else took this video of her doing her famous "Feet" trick:

And here she is choosing her own prize after her performance!

32 Weeks!

Okay, here's the real 32 week picture. I'm starting to feel huge now, and I know I have more growing to do! I still don't have any stretch marks :) and my belly button is still an innie! We decided that we'd like to use a doula, so Jan, a good friend of ours, is going to help us out. I'm really excited, and I think she will be a big help to Nick and I during labor. In our childbirth class last night they discussed all the benefits of using a doula, and they highly recommended having one, so I think we make the right choice. We also learned some relaxation techniques. The instructor gave the moms-to-be ice to hold (it was supposed to be a little painful except it was so warm out that I actually enjoyed holding it!) and the partners helped us with different techniques to see which ones took our mind off the ice the most. At the end of class the partners practiced giving us massages, my favorite part!

Nap time

This is what happened when Nick tried to take a nap today. . .

32 Weeks

A tax deduction for Penny?

While I like the sound of this, I'm not sure it has any chance of passing. There is a new bill in the U.S. House would allow pet owners to deduct up to $3,500 for "qualified pet-care expenses" for household pets, including vet bills. Hmm, I wonder if agility lessons and frisbees would qualify? Actually, I think the idea is to make pet care more affordable, and reduce the number of pets who get abandoned when their families are having financial problems. Either way, I'd vote for it!

31 weeks!

Here I am at 31 weeks. My due date is exactly 2 months from today!! My heartburn and back aches have been especially bad this past week, so it's a good thing I don't have too much longer. The last picture is of a layette set I won from TheBump.com. It's really cute, and included 3 onsies, pants, a hat, bib and a stuffed animal.

Feel like Dancing?

Starting this Friday I'll be teaching a weekly Canine Freestyle Dance class! Penny and I attended a seminar last week, which was a lot of fun! We put together a little dance routine to "Rock Around the Clock". Below is a video of Carolyn Scott and her dog Rookie. She is a dog dancing guru, and I've been watching several of her DVDs to get ready for the class. Penny and I have a lot to work up to!

More trim

More of the trim is up now (it still needs to be caulked and painted). It looks great and makes the rooms look much more finished.

Living room/Dining room

Hallway/Dining room

Window above the kitchen sink

30 Weeks!

Here I am at 30 weeks! Just 10 more to go! Not much is new, except that the exercise ball I've been sitting on at work got a leak, so I haven't been able to use it all week. This has really affected my back, and it's been bothering me a lot at night. This weekend I'm hoping to either fix it, or get a new one. We also had our first childbirth class Tuesday night, and it was nice to meet other couples.

Recliner

In a sunny corner in our construction-zone living room, Nick still finds time to practice his guitar. He's practically glued to his new-to-him recliner, which is another chair we drove up from California. This one started out in Grampy's dental office. It was my uncle Mark's favorite chair, so when he graduated from medical school, it became his. Then it spent more than a decade in Tillamook, OR until it recently making it's way back to Binny and Grampy's house in Benicia, CA when Mark bought new living room furniture. Now the chair resides once again in the Pacific NW, where it will probably stay for a while. Who knows what state it will end up in next!

Rocking chair

This is the rocking chair we drove up here from California last week. Thank you Binny & Grampy! It belonged to my great-great grandparents, and is over 100 years old! My parents used it to rock me as a baby, and it has been used by other family members as well. It's gorgeous and we can't wait to use it for our little one! Plus, it's nice to actually have some furniture in our house :)