Nursery Pics and Week 35 Belly Shot

We have developed a new-found respect for all professional painters out there. Wow. What a way to spend Easter weekend.

We decided that if we were going to re-do a room, we were going to do a thorough job. We ended up repainting the stucco ceiling (the old owners did a most deplorable job and left paint marks all over the ceiling). We filled in the holes on the wall and sanded off the bumps before priming and then painting 2 coats. We put white chair rail around the room 1/3 of the way up the wall and painted the trim and baseboards white as well. More than once we commented on how the baby won't have the slightest clue how much work went into the endeavour. It felt great to be finished! We're still tinkering with the layout of the furniture, so we haven't taken any final pictures of the end result. But they're coming. We promise.

Below you'll see some pictures of the process, beginning with a shot of the maple dresser gem we found at a used furniture store. It's hard to get the paint hues captured on camera... so, you'll just have to stop by and see the real thing!

This picture was taken after the first coat of paint. you can see the green paint-tape separating the two colours.

Mark being a rock-n-(paint)rolla!

Can you see in Mark's eyes just how much he loves being stuck indoors painting on a sunny day?

Waaay back in the beginning. Mark is dismantling the outlet covers. Little did we know what lay ahead. Our friend Bob said "you'll have in done in 2 hours." Ha! We must be slower than sloths and slugs combined because it took us a lot longer than that.

Here I am at 35 weeks and 2 days. My body has definitely been highjacked by a little human!

Finally some pictures!!

Hello readers! It took long enough, but here are some pictures for you to check out. We had a great visit with Grandma Margaret the weekend of April 17-19. She helped us finish off the nursery.

Here's a belly shot at 34 weeks 2 days.

We are planning on raising this little one on re-usable diapers, and thanks to Grandma Margaret stocked up on 24 pairs that are allegedly made for newborn - 20lbs. However, we were given the loveliest gift package from our friends Sarah and Paula. I couldn't resist taking out one of the newborn diapers included in it and was shocked at how TINY they are. Check out the picture below, which shows the newborn diaper beside the re-usable one. I hear that babies grow fast, so I wonder how long it will be before she actually fits into the re-usable diapers. That's the smallest size they come in!

This post wouldn't be complete without a picture of the daddy-o-to-be! Here he is at a bowling fundraiser we participated in recently:

Long time no write...

I know, it's been ages since we've updated. We have been so busy but are happy to say that it looks like we can pretty much enjoy the next 6+/- weeks.
Highlights of the past 2+ weeks:

• I fainted when getting a plaster cast of my torso done. Mark and Janelle caught me, but not before I bruised my tailbone. More on this later.
• The nursery is painted and painted and painted. Wow. What a task. We went all out and did two colours, three including trim and chair rail. We are really happy with the end result. I took pictures of before, during and after. I'll post them later.
• I saw the specialist again on April 9th and my fluid levels were normal. Yahoo! The baby weighed 4lbs 8oz, which should make her around 5.5 lbs this week.
• I saw my family doctor on Wednesday (April 15) and I've gained 7 lbs in the past 2 weeks alone. Yikes. My total so far is now 32 lbs.
• My fingers are so swollen that I can't get my rings off anymore.
• My mom came out for the weekend and was a wonderful help. We are ready for this baby! We have everything we need except for a diaper pail, diaper bag and some baby hygiene stuff (you know, things like nail clippers, thermometer etc.)
• We have started pre-natal classes every Wedneday.

We still aren't any closer to picking a name. Any suggestions? We are stuck!! We promise to post some pictures ASAP. We've got a bunch, but life has been busy. Everyone tells us to get used to it! We are so excited to meet this little one!!

31 weeks 6 days

Here I am last night (Thursday). I've put on 25lbs over all. Mark measured my waist and it's a metre! The baby's heartbeat is consistently around 160 bpm. They say girls have a faster heartbeat, and so far this has proved true. Everyone in our house is sick except me (knock on wood).

Below you'll see the colours we have chosen for the baby's room. The top colour, "marjoram" is much softer and more green than the picture seems to indicate. The blue shade that we're going with is the "cobalt enamel."

I just got back from buying three more pairs of maternity pants. I'm going back to work on Monday and I'll have to save these comfortable, but not very professional, pants for the weekend.
Speaking of the weekend, I hope you have a great one!