A Productive Week

The week has been full of productivity and learning!

Mike and I began the week by attending our first (of five) childbirth and baby classes. The classes are conducted by our care provider and held for two hours each Monday night. I think that Mike believes I am torturing him by making him go, but we both did learn some facts the first night. Plus, it was fun to gather with about ten other couples to talk baby shop, most of whom are first-timers like us. The class is taught by a registered nurse and covers many basics from the anatomy of a pregnant woman to postpartum care for mom and baby. This past week we spent time doing ice breakers, talking pregnancy body changes and watching a short film of a woman delivering a baby. Both Mike and I concluded that the placenta looks more like The Blob than we expected.

I attended my first prenatal yoga class this week, which was interesting. I have taken a couple yoga classes, but never a prenatal one. I believe the class will be beneficial in terms of learning breathing and relaxation techniques. Although, I'm not sure how great of a student I am. At the end of the class, each of us got into a "relaxing" position in which we were supposed to just let our minds relax and kind of "center" ourselves. We did this for about 12-15 minutes. About five minutes in I was wondering how much longer I had to lie there and if it would be weird of me to start packing up my stuff. I guess I still have much to learn!

Mike and I are still laying down hardwood floors in our house. Our project is about halfway done; the whole upstairs is complete and we began the main (and final) level this week. When it's the two of us, I help by picking out and laying down the boards while he goes behind me with the stapler or nail gun. This weekend I learned how to operate the chop saw which was pretty exciting. It was kind of intimidating, but I learned that it's actually a safer saw to use (compared to some others). This week the two of us laid down the floors in our dining room and are creeping into the living room domain with the boards now.

On Saturday, Mike shot and killed a buck with his bow for the first time. That was very exciting!! He's been bow hunting for years, but has never gotten one until this weekend. So, needless to say we celebrated with some venison filets for dinner that night! Tonight he showed me how to butcher the deer, so we've spent the majority of our evening slicing, grinding and packing venison for our freezer. It's a lot of work, but very worth it to have fresh, organic meat that's free. Sure beats spending money at the grocery store for a similar-in-quality product.

This afternoon after church we spent a couple hours in the yard, which had been seriously ignored since the beginning of our flooring project. Mike mowed the grass and trimmed the bushes. I picked up the trimmings and collected the ripe Thai chilies off our seven plants. I think there were hundreds of them. Mike dries and grinds them so we can put them in shakers for use through the year.

In terms of my pregnancy, I've competed 33 weeks and launched into week 34 two days ago. It's hard to believe that we are less than seven weeks from the ideal full term time of 40 weeks. Considering babies are called "full term" at week 38, we are almost just a month away from that. Kind of crazy!! I am beginning to feel more of the not-so-fun feelings of the third trimester. It doesn't take much for my back to be sore (just standing too long these days seems to do it) and I have given up any hope of sleeping comfortably on my back. I'm now just a side-sleeper and even then I have to change sides at least twice an hour. Poor Mike... I don't think he's sleeping as good these days either just because I'm moving so much in the night. I get short-winded pretty easily and am generally feeling like this baby is not a good sharer anymore. We are each fighting for space in my mid section and baby (as small as s/he is) seems to be winning. Dolp! Still, I'm thankful for every moment of this journey.

Pregnancy Musings

I am a blessed woman. I have had a relatively smooth pregnancy- none of the familiar woes I hear from so many other women. In my first two trimesters I experienced no morning sickness, had few smell aversions (although Tempe had some treats that were a little challenging at times) and felt "normal" physically.

Now I am officially one month deep into my third trimester. I can barely believe how fast this ride is going. It seems like just a few weeks ago when I approached Mike with positive pregnancy test in hand.

Now some pregnancy woes are showing themselves. I can confidently say that I now can locate my sciatic nerve, because it lets me know about half of a waking day (and in the bed) where it is. I've been revisited by previous injuries. That right knee is also talking to me at random times and I constantly feel like I have pulled a groin muscle. Throw in hips that are randomly shifting and I could probably whine a little longer.

However, I won't because I am reminded regularly of how blessed I am. Not everyone can experience the joys and not-so-joyful moments of growing another human. 

This morning is an example of a precious pregnancy moment. I was lying in bed before any of the day's chaos and activity began. Mike was snuggled beside me and the world seemed still. Until I realized  I wasn't the only one awake. Baby Wee was just having a good ole' time kicking, shifting and swimming. In the stillness I reveled in our shared moment. I was tempted to wake Mike for him to feel baby too, but instead just enjoyed our moment together- mommy and baby. I imagined tiny toes and fingers diving through belly fluid and pulling on a tempting umbilical cord floating in space. Baby played for about five minutes before working him/herself into a fit of hiccups. Too cute. Baby hiccups are on this whole other level of adorableness.

Anyways, all that to say that those are the moments that make the not-so-joyful moments worth it all. Now... who is going to remind me of the precious moments of pregnancy and those post-pregnancy ones to come when I am in active labor?!

Our Newest Project

It's been a weekend here. The weather was beautiful outside, but we fixed our attention indoors and on our floors.

We began the tedious task of updating our carpeted rooms. We have just shy of 1500 square feet ahead of us, with six large rooms and their closets.

Thankfully, Mike and I are blessed with such a gracious family that is willing to lend hands (backs, knees, arms...) and help us with this project. Mike's dad and our bro-in-law came over to help with labor and knowledge, which made a world of difference had Mike and I attempted this job by ourselves. The guys measured, positioned and nailed the beams of oak down while I painted walls and made sure they were fed and hydrated. We made a great team.

You can see in the pictures below the progress we've completed. The first picture is from the night the wood was delivered. Mike busted it out and laid some beams in our living room to get a preview. He was so excited- it was cute. ;)

All other pictures are taken in the room we have started on first. We call it our art room since we do our painting in there.

A picture of Tempe in the room before Mike tore out the carpet and I started painting the walls..

The carpet is gone and Tempe is supervising the guys as they discuss how to lay the starting board.

Yay! Board number one has been laid! The planning process to laying it took about 1.5 hours, but it was laid perfectly straight!. Doesn't Tempe look so smart in the middle if all those tools?

Some action shots that show the progress of the floor and the painted walls behind them.

The floors are finished! Now just the last touches to go: baseboards, quarter rounds and final paint touch-ups!

Summer Trips

As summer comes to a close, I thought I would post some pictures from our most recent trips.

The first trip was made in July. Mike and I went to visit my cousin, Becky, who has moved to and is discovering  her new city: New Orleans! Becky moved there because of her first job out of college. It was so much fun to take Mike, who had never been to NOLA, to one of my favorite cities in the U.S. I've been to New Orleans about a half a dozen times now and always enjoy it. I love the culture, the food, the people and the beautiful views that the city has to offer. Now I love it for another reason: Becky lives there!

Mike and I enjoyed seeing some "behind the scenes" places courtesy of Becky's knowledge. She took us to some new restaurants, on our first trolley ride, to one of the beautiful cemeteries in NOLA (y'all know I'm a sucker for a historic cemetery) and to the Garden District. It was a smile-filled trip. We enjoyed seeing Becky, her city and her adorable apartment. I am so proud of her!

At Cafe Du Monde- Mmm!

Bourbon Street

At Surrey's- a yummy restaurant near Becky's apartment

Our First Trolley Ride!

The National WWII Museum

Lafayette Cemetery IV

Mother's- where we ate po' boys with debris!

Lafayette Tavern

Brennan's for Brunch

Bananas Fosters at Brennan's

Jackson Square with the Cathedral Behind Us

At Domilise's- where we had the tastiest po' boys from the entire trip!

At Gumbo Shop

Pat O'Brien's, Home of the Hurricane

Our second trip was to Oak Island, NC, where we visit almost every summer with Mike's family. It's home away from home since we make sure to stay at the same house. The owners of the house live on the top floor and we rent the first and second floor from them for a week. So, not only are we familiar with the house, but we also get to see the same friendly faces of the owners and their dog, Sadie Belle, every summer.

The weather was perfect this year at Oak Island. It was really mild and there was only a little bit of rain which we didn't mind. Mike and I went with his parents, his sister and our bro-in-law, bro-in-law's parents and Mike's aunt, Pris. It was a week full of fishing, eating, beach sitting, swimming in the ocean, eating, relaxing, reading, eating and riding in the boat. Good times were had by all!

This year was extra fun because my mom and some of my extended family stopped by for an afternoon of meeting Mike's family and chatting.

Lois and Aunt Pris

Barbara, Mom and Tim

John, Mike and Jessica

Mom was excited about the boat ride!

Buck, Mom and Me

Tim and Barbara

Jessica and Chris

Baby Bumps??

Most of the Gang

Mike and I Visiting the Oak Island Light House