Cloth Diapers

We got our first delivery of cloth diapers this week. It came along with a diaper pail and we were shocked at how big the bag was for just one week's worth of diapers! Since neither one of us has ever used cloth diapers, we decided to do a little practicing before baby arrives.

The delivery

The supplies: diaper, cover, and test subjectNext step: Nick is reading instructions again!

Folding the diaper

Placing test subject in the diaper

Finished! And he even checked to make sure the diaper wasn't sticking out of the cover to ensure leak proof coverage.

Blinds

Our blinds finally arrived today. It took over a month to complete the whole ordering process, but it's nice to have them now. Nick has put all of them up already, except for the ones for our french doors, which need an overhang first. Here are the ones in the living room.

Pet Humor

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door:

Dear Dogs and Cats: The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob, or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:
(1) They live here. You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Seattle Baby Shower/House Warming Party

Last night we had a baby shower/house warming (in progress) party. It was a blast! Julina flew up from Pittsburgh to help put it all together. She did a fabulous job! Nick BBQ'd in the backyard, while I gave tours of our house. We hung up photos of the original house on all the walls that changed so everyone could see all the work Nick has been doing for the past 6 months. I also made a video of our house for all of our out of town family/friends to enjoy. And I'm in my 38th week! It's a good thing baby hasn't decided to come early!

Parents-to-be

Julina and I (we've been friends since 8th grade, and haven't lived in the same state since high school)

House progress to date

Baby's Room

Several of you have been asking for pictures of the baby's room. It's finally finished, so here they are. The only thing we still need for the room is artwork and blinds (ordered and hopefully arriving in the next week or so).

Wardrobe and crib

Changing table and rocking chair

Penny loves all the toys, and the rug in this room!

Deck

Here are some photos of the deck Nick built to replace the scaffolding that had been serving as our deck for the last three months. He spent most of his afternoons last week trying to get it done in time for our party last night. He did, and it turned out so nice! Railing and stairs are still to come.

PEPS

Last night Nick and I went to an orientation for PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support). It's basically an organization that pairs you with parents in your neighborhood who have babies close in age. Then you meet weekly while the babies are young and often these groups continue to get together as their children grow. Several friends have recommended PEPS to us, and they have all formed great friendships from it. PEPS is only in the Seattle area, and it makes sense seeing as so many of us are transplants. At the orientation, only one couple was native to Seattle.

37 Weeks!

I can't believe I'm at 37 weeks! He's officially considered full term now, although I don't think he'll make his appearance any time soon. I had my weekly Dr. appointment today and also met with our Doula. I'm feeling more and more tired, probably due to the fact that I haven't been sleeping very well lately. I'm guessing that's not going to change any time soon. Other than that, everything is going well. My friend Julina is flying in all the way from Pittsburgh this weekend to throw us a baby shower/house warming (in progress) party on Saturday. I haven't seen her since her wedding a year ago, so I can't wait!

Pumpkin Hat

Here Penny is modeling the cutest handmade pumpkin hat we received from Nick's aunt and uncle, Hans and Nancy. Seeing as he will be born in October, the timing couldn't be better. And now he has a Halloween costume.

Shower

Today they threw me a wonderful shower at work. We played a bunch of great games that Pat put together and enjoyed good food! One of the games involved a bottle chugging contest with small bottles filled with juice. I got so many wonderful gifts! Thank you everyone! Penny's favorite is a little stuffed Australian Shepherd toy that Yukiko gave me. We call it PennyToo.

36 Weeks!

So I'm a little bit late in posting this week's picture. We've been busy as usual! I had my doctor appointment on Friday, which was very short, just a heart beat check and weigh-in. My Group B Strep test that I took last week came back negative, which is excellent. It means I don't have to be on an antibiotic when I go into labor.
On Friday I also had much needed day off from work. I made yet another trip to IKEA to pick up a few more things for the baby's room and our kitchen. Last week our car seat arrived so we'll now be able to take baby home from the hospital :) We've been hearing from other dads-to-be in our childbirth class that they're really hard to install. But Nick, being the engineer that he is, says it's simple and is planning on waiting a while to install it.
Today I had much needed prenatal massage. It was so nice :) My doctor gave me a prescription for massage because of the back problems I've been having, but it turns out our insurance company does not cover massage. So, I went to Cortiva, a massage school in Seattle and had a wonderful (and cheap!) massage.
And for those who have been waiting, nursery pictures coming soon!

Moby Wrap

We decided it was time to figure out how to use our Moby Wrap. I'm really excited to use it with the baby, and it gets great reviews. With all the fabric, it looked a bit confusing, so Nick decided to put it to the test, using a teddy bear as our "baby".

Even an engineer has to read the instructions every once in a while. Actually, this is probably the first "baby" item he's needed them for.

Making an "x" on his back

Almost finished

Ta-da! Now he can work on the house with the teddy bear strapped to his chest.

Siding

Sunday's work party went well and we had wonderful weather for outdoor work. It was small, but we got a lot accomplished! Marian helped me rearrange the furniture in the baby's room and we washed all of the walls and floors upstairs since they hadn't been cleaned yet. The guys worked outside on the siding:

On Saturday, Nick put up the trim and window sills

Getting ready Sunday morning

Dan put up Tyvek in our front porch area
Brian helped Nick with the siding
The addition is finished!Dan helped Nick finish up the back of the house
Nick didn't think they would finish, but they got so close that they worked in the dark to get it all done! Our house is now waterproof :)

Yoga

I have been taking a prenatal yoga class since about my 4th month. It's been wonderful for all my pregnancy related aches and pains. Last night, Nick and I went to a partner prenatal yoga class in West Seattle. It was a lot of fun!

35 Weeks!

35 weeks already :) Time is flying by. I had my weekly doctor appointment today, and everything is great. Baby is still head down which means now he will most likely stay that way. We also had a tour of the hospital this evening so now we know exactly where to go (5th floor), and hopefully Nick has memorized how to get there! The rooms are small and I definitely want to spend as little time as possible at the hospital.
This past weekend I finally got around to ordering the car seat, just in case he's early. There are a lot of things I would like to get done around the house before he comes, so hopefully I still have a few more weeks. Nick is having a work party this weekend (hoping to get most of the siding up) so if anyone is around, feel free to stop by for some free food :)
Nick was also rear ended on the freeway last week. He's doing okay, still sore though, and the car is totaled. If anyone knows someone who is selling a car, please let us know, as now we need to find a replacement for him.

34 Weeks!

34 weeks and 1 day today! Less than 3 weeks until I'm full term! I can't believe how close it's getting. I also noticed that I'm wearing the same outfit as last week's picture. That just shows how small my pregnancy wardrobe is. I wear nearly every item each week. Baby has been kicking me a lot! So much that it's hard to concentrate at work when his little foot is pushing in one direction, and then his butt pokes out in another.

Nick and I also celebrated our 4th anniversary today! His friend Dennis and his wife drove up to catch a cruise ship out of Seattle, so we had a nice dinner with them while they were here. We'll probably celebrate the rest of the weekend by working on the house :)

Dog Tricks

Look at this neat video!