Eviction

To: Avery Kate

To the above tenant in possession of below described premises:


I am issuing 10 day notice for EVICTION. You will have 10 days in which you can either gather your belongings and promptly vacate the premises, or wait until the final day. After which, you will be physically removed from the property.

You are being evicted due to breech of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the FRONT of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back of the house were also made!

Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure. And due to property damage, there are now leaks in both the upper AND lower levels of the home. On top of which, the landlord has received numerous complaints about nightly disturbances.

After 10 days from this day that you don't comply with the notice will result in immediate and forceful removal at my discretion.

Thank you for your cooperation

Love,
Mommy

Stuff

I got a little outfit at the Gap yesterday to bring Avery home in. Yeah, its a 2 mile trip. I just wanted something plain, simple, long-sleeved, footed and soft. And amazingly I didn't already have anything that fit this exact description. So she'll be cruising home in this:



And while we were there we saw these little flip flops. Seriously they're like 2 inches long. So cute. My mom got them. Her first real pair of shoes.

D Day

And the ticker to the left is taunting me...


It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

Everything went fine at the appointment this morning. I have an appointment next Friday if I'm still pregnant. Doctor said she is going to want to set up an induction for the following week (week of May 4th)-Monday even-if I don't have her before then. As I've said all along, I do NOT want to be induced but at a certain point I am not going to have a choice. We will assess the situation next Friday and see where we are.

After the appointment she sent us over to L&D for a non-stress test just to make sure the baby is doing fine and isn't under any kind of stress. They put external monitors on my stomach to monitor her movements and heart rate for 30 minutes. Everything from the test looked great and we were free to go. Oh, and the monitors showed I was having Braxton Hicks contractions but a) I already knew that and b) that doesn't really mean anything!

So that's all! Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll be resting up!

Last picture??

39w6d OR...

40 weeks. I think my doctor has my actual due date as today. But what's one day? Let's not split hairs here. I am due TOMORROW. That is crazy to say.

People: When are you due?
Me: Tomorrow.

Crazy!

Anyway. She didn't come on Holocaust Remembrance Day (Tuesday) or Earth Day (yesterday) and she probably isn't coming on Shakespeare's birth AND death day (today). Maybe she's waiting for a day she can have all to herself-the 24th. Already wanting the spotlight...

I threw in the proverbial kitchen towel this week. No more cooking or meal planning for me. I told Rob I was fine with eating sandwiches or cereal or whatever for dinner, but no, he said he would take over as Head Chef and be in charge this week. He has always helped with dinner-grilling, cleaning up, etc-but I am always the one who plans the meals, makes sure we have everything from the store, etc. So far this week we have had Thai (restaurant), grilled chicken salad, and burgers with salad and roasted squash. I could get used to this. What's for dinner tonight, honey?

I am increasingly tired. Sleep seems to be getting more elusive every night which makes for long days sitting at a desk. But I can't imagine being on my feet all day either, so really this is a a no-win situation.

Going to the doctor in the morning. Will update with news of that afterwards!

39 Weeks

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.
Doctor appointment yesterday morning. Really nothing new to report from that. My doctor started her vacation today and will be gone (out of the country) until next Tuesday and will resume being on call next Wednesday. This could *possibly* be our last weekend before she arrives. We plan to rent a carpet cleaner, clean the carpet, and give Arthur a bath. I'm also making a few meals to freeze-so far a Mexican casserole and Pioneer Woman Macaroni and Cheese and maybe either lasagna or chicken spaghetti.

We have had some friends and family ask us about our expectations for visitors. Considering I have a normal birth, we will be in the hospital for 24-48 hours afterwards. Doctor says that should I really want to go home after 24 hours that it will probably be fine for me to do so. Not sure what I'll want until that time comes, but that's the time frame as of right now. We would love to have visitors in the hospital. As far as when we go home from the hospital, the first day (or full day, depending on what time we're discharged and get to go home) at home we would like it to be just us. I'm sure we'll be adjusting to our new family dynamic for quite a while, but we'd like to focus on that for the first day or so. Other than that just give us a call!

As of now I'm planning on working until I go into labor. No point in sitting at home twiddling my thumbs. I would rather use any vacation/leave time after she is here rather than before. I will be taking 6 weeks of leave then I will work 6 weeks from home, then I will return to the office-presumably around the first of August. This works out nicely for us because I am not missing out on wages but I am still home for 12 weeks. Rob will be taking off the first 2 weeks after she is born as well.

Doctor appointment next Friday should I still be pregnant (probably will be).

Have a great weekend!

38 Weeks

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

No news from the doctor appointment this morning. After the appointment we went over to the hospital for a tour. The rooms are very nice and spacious! I will remain in the same room for labor, delivery, and recovery. There is Wifi internet access and of course a private bathroom. There is a Murphy bed for Dad. And while he was very impressed with the room, he still affirms he will not be eating or drinking in or around it.

Since we both had the day off we decided to check out some daycare centers. The first place on our list was closed we assume for Good Friday. It had a very ghetto-esque appearance from the outside, however, so we weren't too disappointed. The next place was alright, nothing great, mildly depressing with a stinky "daycare" smell. The last place was very impressive. It is a private daycare and pre-school and is very close to our house-about 1/2 mile-so very convenient. It was very clean and bright on the inside. We talked with the teachers in the infant room and observed them for a while. Very friendly and they have both worked there 6+ years. There are two more afternoon teachers who have been there 3+ years. There was a mom dropping her baby off when we first arrived and she told us that she was very, very happy with the care her baby gets and couldn't be happier. Rob also has a co-worker with a child there and she likes it too. We walked around and saw all the other rooms as well. All very clean and nice. So...looks like we found our place. Once we recover from the sticker shock we may write the check to reserve our spot...

As for me, I'm doing fine. Enjoying the cankles, Flintstone feet, tired, etc. We're both so excited and anxious to meet our little girl though.

Happy Easter!!

People say the darndest things...

It's bonus time at Clinique and I decided to treat myself to some new makeup (and-who am I kidding-an Auntie Anne's pretzel) at lunch.

Clinique Girl: When are you due?

Me: About two weeks.

CG: *gasp* And you're up walking around?! Shame on you!

.......

I took a few seconds to process this comment in hopes of formulating some sort of intelligent response, but I couldn't come up with anything aside from a few blinks and a blank stare. I didn't even know where to start with this girl.

Did a 19 year old with electric blue eyeshadow just shame me? Shame on her for wearing that shade which does not occur in nature. And while I haven't checked their color palette lately I'm pretty sure Clinique doesn't produce that shade. Surely there is some sort of corporate mandate against this. Clinique corporate should shame her...

Just Add Baby

Avery's room is totally done. Thanks to my mom, Terri and Bob who came over Saturday and helped. I am pleased with how it all turned out. Please note the "custom" lamp shade. Rob covered it with the same fabric that is on the chair that Stephen made. He also pretty much made the wall letters. I helped. I am trying to talk him into opening his own Etsy shop:)

All the clothes, towels, blankets, and burp cloths are washed. We are ready, Avery, anytime is good for us!

37 Weeks

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Again, not much to report. Still chugging along. Going to be organizing/decorating/finishing the baby room this weekend! I should have pictures Monday. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

P.S. No stretchmarks yet...just some massive veins. But that's ok. Fingers crossed...

Stay Puft

So I'm getting ready for work this morning. I put on my cream colored sweater because Julie Chin is telling me it's going to be cold and rainy today (*shakes fist at Mother Nature*). Rob looks at me and, in a cutesy voice, says "Awwww, you look like a marshmallow."

Really?? Are you kidding me right now?

After a death stare, he immediately followed it up with "because of the color of your sweater."

Mmmm hmmmm.

And I can assure you I was reminded of my marshmallowness when I walked up to the printer/fax to retrieve something this morning and my belly pushed a button and when I had to turn sideways just to reach items on the Jason's Deli salad bar (Yeah, that's right, I had to go eat a salad after that comment)!

I know he was not intending to be mean and I'm really not upset. But seriously; who says that to anyone let alone someone who is 37 WEEKS PREGNANT?! Even though I'm not mad I don't think I'll be letting him forget this for a while. Because that's the kind of person I am.

Sincerely,

Stay Puft Marshmallow Woman

Blankets

Here's a little more detailed picture of the blanket.

Also, the mother of a girl I work with made us an afghan. So nice! Nevermind the crappy picture.