tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91345452763834307132024-03-12T20:37:42.354-04:00AckeeandManguMrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-8605314553167727282014-09-16T13:10:00.001-04:002014-09-16T13:12:16.096-04:00When E.A.S.Y isn't Easy..<p>I've been so physically and mentally exhausted I haven't been able to <b>sit</b> at the computer, much less write a post.</p>
<p>I've been observing W for the past few weeks and trying to figure out a sleep schedule for her. Now, I was wracking my brain and getting all worked up about it because sometimes she would follow it and sometimes she wouldn't. It was super frustrating for me and very overwhelming.</p>
<p>I wanted to get her on a schedule partly because EH and I haven't had a moment alone since she was born and I was trying to facilitate some couple time. But I finally realized that trying to force her into a schedule wasn't working and that I felt less stressed when I just followed her lead. EH and I are just gonna have to redefine intimacy for awhile. It's not the greatest solution but It's necessary.</p>
<p>When she's tired she sleeps...surprisingly, following her lead has led to the consistency in my day that I've been craving.</p>
<p>I can pretty much depend on her sleeping at 9 am, 12pm, and 3pm everyday and going to bed for the night by 7:30pm and waking by 7:30am. I'm grateful I didn't try to force something that wasn't working. This proves once again that I need to stay off the internet when it comes to baby care!!</p>
<p>Meanwhile, W has been going through several growth spurts that keep her glued to my boobs. To say that this has been tiring is an understatement. </p>
<p>My anxiety has also been rearing its ugly head, especially around crowds. We had some family members come over recently to visit and they were interrupting our daily schedule and W's nap time with their loudness. It took everything I had not to lose it on them. I was grateful for the visit but not the noise. I could feel my heart racing and my body getting tense. I know it stems from my need to control situations and the fact that I hardly ever leave the house anymore except to take W to the park. </p>
<p>I'm so anxious that something will happen to her or disturb her peace of mind or overstimulate her that I'm hiding out in the house and getting frustrated about being a self-imposed shut-in.</p>
<p>I spend most of my day in my spit-up covered night shirt, feeding W, trying to remember to feed myself and wash up every now and then. </p>
<p>In the quiet moments, I remind myself what a gift she is to us so that I can enjoy her.</p>
<p>So I'm on a quest to find some daily activities for W and I so that she can get some air and I can avoid losing my mind.</p>
<p>How do you find ME time and couple time with an infant??</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHwK7vOKm_63eE5rE4tOEl3DB9e1lO_2FdHqgyGcwrQ2ViRs86H2uLK2MzNZmFPvbdaEYqRku1hvwkkOOD7_uStTheqIvsW8N4xOhoCva22-glO2vjoSIyIkd6gFu82RP8QQfyL8vr_Q/s1600/IMAG1240-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHwK7vOKm_63eE5rE4tOEl3DB9e1lO_2FdHqgyGcwrQ2ViRs86H2uLK2MzNZmFPvbdaEYqRku1hvwkkOOD7_uStTheqIvsW8N4xOhoCva22-glO2vjoSIyIkd6gFu82RP8QQfyL8vr_Q/s640/IMAG1240-1.jpg"> </a> </div>MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-86990995259324307512014-08-25T10:24:00.000-04:002014-08-25T10:24:18.798-04:00Where Does the Time Go?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrA9LBc4nvCvsjkcX03Z6yDRUYaFmglI2fMFR1oa7f9Pp3KV-EpIru_jKIYbF-7q0OgA-SyWIp9vT7JRFoZqznNpYQEZ-98L40RrlJU_NraPgKSvmKKkjMsn7C-ADkFBOayw8WkejflVU/s1600/Family+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrA9LBc4nvCvsjkcX03Z6yDRUYaFmglI2fMFR1oa7f9Pp3KV-EpIru_jKIYbF-7q0OgA-SyWIp9vT7JRFoZqznNpYQEZ-98L40RrlJU_NraPgKSvmKKkjMsn7C-ADkFBOayw8WkejflVU/s1600/Family+2.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 weeks after W came home we got prof pics taken...this is one of my faves!</td></tr>
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I'm writing this post while wearing Miss W on my chest! It's the only way I can get things done these days.</div>
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Things are getting a little better around these parts. I would say we're over the initial bewilderment period of having a baby and we've come out alive from two growth spurts. Sidenote: I really HATE growth spurts. EH and I were sitting around last night and wishing she was 10 years old already. This was after the umpteenth time she projectile vomited her milk.....aye aye aye. My daughter (or is it me??) has not figured out the difference between breast and bottle. She can guzzle breast milk from the breast two or three times an hour but a bottle works differently. So what ends up happening is I feed her the bottle because I think she's hungry...and she's already full...so UP it comes in all its glory!!</div>
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I was reminiscing last night about staying up past 10 PM. What a luxury to be able to watch a TV show or snuggle with EH and a glass of wine.....I have to remind myself over and over that this too shall pass...I've finally got the hang of breastfeeding after 7 weeks so I'm celebrating that small victory...YAY!!</div>
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We got the all clear to resume "activities" last week...six weeks out from W's birth. Can I say...I ain't really tryin' to resume no activities. By 10 PM I'm pooped out, probably haven't taken a shower that day and am most surely covered in various stains. Not exactly the right environment for romance. I still haven't figured out how to put her down for bed and leave the room... I finally got her to sleep in the co-sleeper last night and not in our bed. I haven't exactly been consistent with having her sleep in her own bed but I'm getting better.</div>
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W will be 2 months old at the end of next week! I originally wanted to take a nice picture of W every week but it became clear to me pretty quickly that things were too hectic those first few weeks for that to happen. So, instead I'm doing monthly pictures. Here's the first one:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzFb_qzZ0VOzco3XLmOIFEZFSRTUn8zuejkbjFRetCsUdNpQ0_Vrk_r0qzG0zvlI4Z8PzTVpydGo8hRgaOJ5uJEuTefiq0cJsI7xx0HlxCD_OTQ1Qd4vNIIOfTJzKkRvGNLqnw-L85Gc/s1600/1+month.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzFb_qzZ0VOzco3XLmOIFEZFSRTUn8zuejkbjFRetCsUdNpQ0_Vrk_r0qzG0zvlI4Z8PzTVpydGo8hRgaOJ5uJEuTefiq0cJsI7xx0HlxCD_OTQ1Qd4vNIIOfTJzKkRvGNLqnw-L85Gc/s1600/1+month.png" height="320" width="315" /></a></div>
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The idea is to take the shot from above on different receiving blankets or fabric every month with the aim of putting them all together in the family yearbook at the end of the year. This first one wasn't my best shot. I hadn't figured out how to place her so I didn't have the couch in the background. Practice makes perfect!</div>
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I'm off to feed W....again....</div>
MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-12597943290048171862014-07-29T14:46:00.002-04:002014-07-29T14:46:33.295-04:00Miss W is Here: Part II<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ032EZcjGkwu995osCv3WcUHYicyOc6BNm4tEhpdA8Jhrqk-r382n8ZX7ZcMs7ceA5Ik3zSEWi6Q8UKIL7dRShetNJuA07QELcXmTMVEAUD2gkzDxYctL5acx6sHeqm8QDKwT-aBcvLc/s1600/david+and+baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ032EZcjGkwu995osCv3WcUHYicyOc6BNm4tEhpdA8Jhrqk-r382n8ZX7ZcMs7ceA5Ik3zSEWi6Q8UKIL7dRShetNJuA07QELcXmTMVEAUD2gkzDxYctL5acx6sHeqm8QDKwT-aBcvLc/s1600/david+and+baby.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EH and Miss W hanging out in the hospital</td></tr>
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I'm all about the honesty these days so I decided to share the mix of crazy emotions that occurred soon after we bought Miss W home.<br />
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A couple of days after we got home from the hospital, I started feeling strange. I knew that my hormones might be out of wack for a few weeks. I read the thick packet on post-partum depression given to me in the hospital with reluctance. Even with my history of depression and anxiety, I didn't think it would happen to me. How could it!? This was going to be the happiest time of our lives. In my mind it wasn't possible to feel anything less than ecstatic after what we'd been though trying to get Miss W here.<br />
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But I was wrong. Not only was I wrong...I had no idea about the roller coaster of emotions that would follow. It started innocently enough with just a vague sense of annoyance at EH. I couldn't put my finger on why I was annoyed with him. He was truly the perfect caretaker, attentive to my needs and the baby's needs and taking care of the house on top of all that. But I was annoyed. I hated the sight of him and I hated how happy and carefree he seemed in contrast to how exhausted and sad I was. My milk hadn't fully come in yet and Miss W refused to nurse on one of my boobs because it was slightly inverted. We had an extreme lack of sleep in the hospital and weren't doing that much better once we got home. I always knew that I loved to sleep; and I would never turn my nose up at a good nap so I simply was not mentally prepared for what a lack of sleep combined with falling hormones could do to my state of mind.<br />
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Every time I set up to pump my "bad breast" I would feel the most incredible rage. That's right....rage. I wanted to throw things, scream, cry and I wondered if I really loved my husband. I immediately got on the internet because I knew these feelings were not normal for me. I mean, like any wife, I've been annoyed here and there at an errant sock on the floor or EH forgetting to take the garbage out but I had never questioned whether or not I loved my husband or if I wanted to be married or if I wanted to be a mother.<br />
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I mean I would have laughed my ass off after reading this if I wasn't feeling so crummy because of course...OF COURSE...something would happen to mar this experience for me. Luckily for me I never felt feelings of anger or regret toward Miss W...I still loved her like crazy. But I couldn't stand my husband at all for at least the seven or eight times in a day that I would pump or breastfeed. Things came to a head after I asked my husband if he had done something I asked him to do. He took offense and asked me to be nicer to him and I. LOST. IT. <br />
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I was washing my hands in the bathroom at the time and I exploded in the craziest demonstration of rage known to man. I slammed the door repeatedly and told him he wasn't my priority anymore and that he needed to stop telling me to be "happy" and then I spent the next hour holding Miss W and crying uncontrollably. The episode was so bad it scared EH. He said he just wanted me to be happy and it was upsetting to him that I was acting completely opposite of happy. I was stressed and angry all the time and he didn't understand why because he was feeling great. I didn't understand why I didn't feel happy either until I did some research and found that I wasn't alone in my feelings. Turns out a bunch of women have had the same experience.<br />
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Turns out it was a mix of my crashing hormones and this condition called
dysphoric milk ejection reflex or D-MER, which is described on <a href="http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/d-mer/" target="_blank">KellyMom as </a>a condition affecting lactating women that is characterized by an abrupt
dysphoria, or negative emotions, that occur just before milk release
and continuing not more than a few minutes.” This is a physiological
response (not a psychological response) that appears to be tied to a
sudden decrease in the brain chemical dopamine immediately before milk
let-down.<br />
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We spent the rest of the night after my major mental breakdown talking about how we could be more sensitive to each others' needs. For instance, when he sensed that I was getting angry he could give me a tight hug instead of telling me to be happy and do some research about how to help me. When I sensed that I was feeling icky, I would visualize something relaxing instead of focusing my rage on him. Thankfully, that was the first and only episode of disturbance that I've had but I know it could have been much worse and IS much worse for a lot of women. We also shared the incident with my OB/GYN so that she could evaluate me for post-partum depression. It turns out my PPD is episodic and not an ongoing thing, which I'm thankful for. Everyday it gets a little better and I don't feel batty and rageful when I pump or breastfeed anymore, thank God. <br />
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A large part of me believes these shenanigans are some kind of evolutionary bonding system that serves to bond mother and child more securely against all others, including your mate. Ain't that a kick in the head!!??<br />
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I learned that I have to take things easier. My type A personality totally glosses over the fact that I had Miss W early and that of course my milk wouldn't have come in properly yet or that having a c-section can further delay that process. I learned that I cannot be perfect in this process. It is simply out of my hands. I simply had to stop thinking I was a bad mom because of my "bad breast" or my half-clean house. And that's where I'm at today. Miss W tried tummy time today for the first time and promptly decided it wasn't for her and fell asleep...that's my girl!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpsOT1EZWLNzT9HYykmpV3VuctzDAfd27Hw7I0lnHFPi7BzizuY6gL1yWMVnVOY8DHTVqH3mBAS6JLtSkIPFRlOfBBw4zI2rF506k3WCMQfg421bKKF8dXF4iwGpAE6x0zomFwfUGYuc/s1600/waving+hello.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpsOT1EZWLNzT9HYykmpV3VuctzDAfd27Hw7I0lnHFPi7BzizuY6gL1yWMVnVOY8DHTVqH3mBAS6JLtSkIPFRlOfBBw4zI2rF506k3WCMQfg421bKKF8dXF4iwGpAE6x0zomFwfUGYuc/s1600/waving+hello.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West SIIIDDDEEE!!</td></tr>
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MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-991180331221208442014-07-21T12:58:00.005-04:002014-07-21T12:58:50.215-04:00Miss W is here!! Part 1I started this post a week ago and am just getting to continue it now....smh<br />
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Hey Everyone! I'm peeking my head out of my hole finally. This first week with Miss W has been equal parts wonderful and equal parts rough. I'm counting this post as a breath of fresh air for me since I've finally gotten a little sleep today. Sleep deprivation is no joke, ya'll. No. Joke. Now, onto the birth story!<br />
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EH and I were scheduled for our c-section at 7:30 in the morning on 7/3/14 so we had to wake up basically at the crack of dawn to get to the hospital by 6 AM. On the way to the hospital we were full of excitement for what was to come and totally clueless about what was to come. We knew that it would be a c-section and I had watched enough Baby Story episodes to know what that entailed but the process beforehand included a lot of what I like to call "getting ready to cut" work. We checked into our pre and post recovery room and EH took some pics of me to get the jitters out.<br />
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Things moved pretty quickly after that. Nurses came in to introduce themselves. My IV was started with difficulty, of course, because I have some rolling veins in my arm. I got stuck a couple of times with no success and then finally another nurse was able to come in and get it right.<br />
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I said goodbye to EH about an hour after that and they wheeled me into the operating room. The walls and the ceiling were decorated with some kind of faux fairytale mural which I found incredibly tacky...LOL. It didn't put me at ease at all. What struck me the most about the room was how small it was and also how small the operating table was. It was basically as wide and as long as a stretcher.<br />
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After I got on the table, it was time for the dreaded epidural. I'm happy to say that the idea of it was a lot scarier than the reality. I actually was more terrified after all the needle work was done. After the shot, I lay back and felt tense in my neck and shoulders. It made me so uncomfortable that I started to panic a little. The anesthesiologist kept telling me to calm down and I seriously wanted to punch her in the face. This chick's manner was not soothing at all! Eventually, I took matters into my own hands and started visualizing a nice tropical vacation on the beach. This helped to relax me until EH was allowed in.<br />
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I was so relieved when he was finally sitting next to me. The c-section was already in full swing by that time so it seemed that he wasn't there more than five minutes before the doctor told him to look over the shield at our daughter. He stared open-mouthed as she was brought out and placed in the bassinet. I wasn't able to see her fully because I didn't have my glasses on. Everything was a blur until I got them but when I finally saw her, it was an amazing feeling of pride and joy and happiness filtered through the fog of anesthesia. After she got checked out, the baby nurse/doctor brought her over to me and pushed her up right against my face. She was making the cutest mewing sounds like a little kitten and I tried to soothe her as best I could.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 lbs 4oz, 18 inches!!</td></tr>
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Not long after that they whisked her away to the recovery room while the doctors finished me up. I wish I could say that I remembered things shortly after that but everything after me being brought back to the recovery room is sort of a blur. I don't remember paying much attention to Miss W, I was way more concerned about monitoring the feeling coming back into my lower half.<br />
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The rest of our stay in the hospital wasn't that bad but it wasn't that great either..lol. We definitely did not get much sleep which made my interactions with EH a lot less civil and patient. EH had to handle almost everything because I wasn't able to walk yet and I hated depending on him for everything because he didn't do things the way I would have done it or as quickly. I tried to distract myself from all those feelings and focused on the fact that he was doing the best he could.<br />
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Isn't this the lament of every wife!?<br />
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Later that day, it was time for the parade of grandparents. It was nice to see how happy everyone was to welcome Miss W. Our parents took what seemed like a million pictures of her and very little of EH and me. I was looking a hot mess, by the way...straight up Celie in The Color Purple type of hot mess. I'll spare you.<br />
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Miss W got a great latch on the day we started breastfeeding but it didn't stay that way. Turns out Miss W is one of those babies that freak out on the breast. Even when she had the nipple in her mouth, and was latched correctly, she would scream bloody murder and shake her head frantically from side to side. And if she did manage to latch on without a fuss, she would fall asleep almost immediately.<br />
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Needless to say, I was never sure she was getting enough milk and it caused me a lot of anxiety. Eventually, over two days, she started to lose more weight than they thought she should and we had to supplement with formula. I felt like a complete failure when we started supplementing but I tried to think of all the advice I had gotten from new mothers in the weeks prior and tried to get over it. I told myself that she needed to eat and it didn't matter how she got the food.<br />
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After two days of asking, I finally got a breast pump to use in the hospital and was able to give her some breastmilk. It made me feel a lot better but I resented that fact that I had to use a pump at all and envisioned more pumping in my future. I prayed that she would get over her breast freak outs so I could feed her from the breast.<br />
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Overall, our experience was a good one at the hospital. Except for a particularly nasty nurse on our last day. This lady saw that EH and I were Black and immediately assumed that a) we were not married and b) we were paying with Medicaid instead of insurance. I literally had to talk EH down from cussing this lady out. When we corrected her and told her that we were indeed married and had insurance her response was "Oh good. Then we don't need a paternity test." Cue jaw dropping to the floor here! I wanted to roll on the floor with this chick but I didn't want her doing something to Miss W behind my back or stalling with our discharge paperwork so I made myself act right. You can be sure we will be skewering her in the hospital survey though.<br />
<br />
We weren't sure we would be able to go home together because of the staff's concerns about her weight. After a visit from the neonatologist on duty, and a promise that we would see the pediatrician as soon as possible, we were finally given the all clear. We packed like our asses were on fire just in case they wanted to change their minds.<br />
<br />
On the way home, I sat in the backseat of our car for the first time. The fact that we were driving our daughter home from the hospital still didn't really register with me. EH drove slowly all the way home and I stared at our little bundle wondering what exactly lay ahead... <br />
<br />
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<br />MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-82274924523368762542014-07-02T11:19:00.001-04:002014-07-02T11:19:55.669-04:0037 weeks/D-day is Here!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbi5XCY1Uq6M52PST81qGIGlaieg4fUxTUXdAaLwSqIr4Y6HhjfdYaJyNaz3ZIDuPgq2V9TLmXlJl3YlooYN54_i0YAvN7sXPDTCY50VjEe_EzwyfCOKL4zWlvgrj5ezoabe1RFIYVo4/s1600/37+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbi5XCY1Uq6M52PST81qGIGlaieg4fUxTUXdAaLwSqIr4Y6HhjfdYaJyNaz3ZIDuPgq2V9TLmXlJl3YlooYN54_i0YAvN7sXPDTCY50VjEe_EzwyfCOKL4zWlvgrj5ezoabe1RFIYVo4/s1600/37+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">37 Weeks! This girl wants out!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Folks, tomorrow is the DAY!! We had our amnio yesterday, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and the doc says the fluid looks good so hopefully we are still set to go tomorrow. I'm sitting here waiting for the phone call to confirm.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Miss W has dropped...and has become increasingly insistent on getting OUT..to the point of butting her head against my <i>youknowwhat</i> repeatedly at night! Well guess what, honey, I want you out more! It has become more difficult to move around in the bed at night and I always need some sort of warming up period whenever I get up to walk after sitting for a while. And my feet have turned into boats..no yachts...so there's that.<br />
<br />
I'm happy to report that we have made an awesome dent in the To-Do list! Miss W's nook is finally finished, with the exception of one more row of gold polka dots.<br />
<br />
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The whole job wasn't as labor intensive but maybe I'm saying that because all I did was pass the dots to EH! In the end it turned out to be really pretty. We placed the maternity pics on an adjoining wall next to the bookcase because EH thought it would be too much placed on the polka dot wall with the baby photo shoot pics and I agreed. We love the initials for some nice color contrast.<br />
<br />
Speaking of photo sessions...Miss W's photo session has already been booked! It'll be our first professional photos as a family and we can't wait. We went with <a href="http://www.briliannaphotography.com/" target="_blank">Briliana Photography</a> in our area and chose to have a mini session instead of a full..it was cheaper and we figured we'd be taking so many pictures of her ourselves ("around the clock" per EH) we didn't need her to have a full-on portfolio, just a few nice shots and maybe one or two family shots to hang in our living room.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I even got myself together enough to add some photos above the bed!<br />
<br />
After a whirlwind trip to Ikea and Target, here's the To-Do List update:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[ ] <b>Get below 40 watt bulb for changing table.</b> We're going to take this one day by day and see how we do with the bulb we have and the night lights we bought.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[ ] <b>Extension cords.</b> Still pending but can be picked up quickly. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><strike>[X] <b>Artificial plants</b> <b>for living room window</b>.
I saw some really cute artificial plants at Ikea for like $3. I love
plants but my black thumb is no joke. I've avoided artificial plants in
the past but I know I'll be paying even less attention to real plants
when W comes along and our view of a brick wall needs some serious help.
Also, I don't want Josh's curiosity to ,literally, kill him. A lot of
house plants are toxic to kitties.</strike></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />[X] <b>Aloe Vera plants for windowsills in bedroom. </b>I
do want at least some real plants in the house so I'm gonna start with a
couple of small aloe vera plants..also at Ikea. The window needs to be
prettied up since we face out onto the garbage area in our building.
Aahhhhh...nyc living...</span></strike><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: #e06666;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><b><span style="color: black;">[X]</span></b></span></span> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strike><b>Summer curtains for bedroom. </b>Because
it's time!! I've already put up my summer curtains in the living room.
I'm probably gonna pair these with some mini blinds because EH hates too
much light in the morning.</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">[X] <b>Carpet runner 3 x ? for entryway.</b>
Our entryway is pretty long so the longer the length the better. I'm
only sure that I need the width to be 3'. I'm really excited about
going back to the carpet outlet for this one. We scored so incredibly
with our living room rug that we can't <i>not</i> go back and see if lightning strikes twice. </span></strike><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: #e06666;">[X] </span><strike>Clock for bedroom wall.</strike></b><strike>
I've been wanting this one for a long time. The only "clocks" in our
bedroom right now are our cell phones. It'll be nice to see how insanely
late it is without blinding myself with the phone light when I wake up
for feedings and changings. Also, I love the soothing sound of a ticking
clock.</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: #e06666;">[X]</span></b> <b>Gold/white spray paint for frames.</b>
This one is overdue. I may do this tomorrow just to get it over with.
I've wanted to update my dark frames in the living room and now is the
perfect time to do it.</span></strike><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">[X] <b>Blue/gold/cream throw for poang chair.</b>
The green throw that's currently on Poang doesn't go with my color
scheme at all. This is a pretty easy and inexpensive fix and requires a
trip to TJ Maxx/Home Goods, which is always nice.</span></strike><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">[X] <b>Rugs for bedroom.</b> I'd love to get two matching, washable, his/her throw rugs for our bedroom. This also requires a trip to </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">TJ Maxx/Home Goods/IKEA. Yay!</span></strike><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">[X] <b>New garbage cans for kitchen.</b> Our current ones don't have covers. 99c store </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">[X] <b>Clean the refrigerator.</b>This
is embarrassing but I've only cleaned my fridge once since we moved in.
I know that folks will be bringing food by after W's arrival and I need
the fridge to look somewhat presentable.</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">[X] <b>Make canvas art for the living room.</b> Also long overdue and requires a trip to Michaels for some paint and canvases. </span></strike></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
</strike><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strike>[X] <b>Get 8 x 10 frames for wedding pictures that will hang in bedroom. </b>IKEA</strike><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[ ] <b>Get mirror to hang above bed in bedroom. </b>Decided to hold off on this one until I find the perfect mirror<b>. </b>IKEA</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[ ] <b>Get and install new toilet seat. </b>Home Depot<b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[ ] <b>Get coat rack for entryway. </b>IKEA<b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strike>[X] <b>Get 16 x 20 frame for maternity picture collage. </b>Michaels</strike><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[X] <b>Get 13 gallon bags for diaper pail.</b> 99c store</span></span></strike><br />
<br />
<br />
So, we made huge progress and I'm done for a while! You may not here from me for a week or so but I may pop in to post some pics at some point in my sleep deprived haze...lol.MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-85916939239301719432014-06-26T18:37:00.001-04:002014-06-26T18:37:32.261-04:0036 weeks/The Home Stretch!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGaAhg13v6wv72YbDwEfP3zeNhBO2Qi5d1eHfF8EAP1oAnKlXjq1siRhtY7Hdr9WOK1hZ5MoWzrjcT03_YYCrg_TyoylVf5Dq0Tg4ZUw1zjbcSBDW-pFPgqvyd5o87CZeC5RCoYZ-MWQ/s1600/36+weeks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGaAhg13v6wv72YbDwEfP3zeNhBO2Qi5d1eHfF8EAP1oAnKlXjq1siRhtY7Hdr9WOK1hZ5MoWzrjcT03_YYCrg_TyoylVf5Dq0Tg4ZUw1zjbcSBDW-pFPgqvyd5o87CZeC5RCoYZ-MWQ/s1600/36+weeks.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">36 weeks!! 1 week till D-day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Folks! We've reached the home stretch and we are soooooooo excited. Last night EH and I made some more progress on Ms. W's nook but we still have a ways to go. First, an update on the nook..<br />
<br />
This was our inspiration..<br />
<br />
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<br />
We've got a few of the things in the pic but I had to trade my laundry basket for a cheap 99c store version because I just don't know how I'm gonna get to the city in my condition...I'm just too tired for all that. We'll probably replace the one we have down the line. We have yet to hang the maternity pics and the child of God poster but those are easy fixes. The polka dot wall is scheduled for this weekend..FINALLY!<br />
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<br />
Here's where we are now...(remind me to stop taking pictures in the evening! It looks sadder than it really is) The polka dots are all cut out and I even put a large dot and a small dot on the wall to see how I like the sizes...I think we're going with the smaller dots so that it makes more of an impact on the wall. I'm thinking of changing out the art on the wall for some new art I recently made for the living room. The initial letters have been painted and need to be hung. The co-sleeper is up! and my bootleg laundry hamper is present.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Meanwhile, over on the other side of the room, the changing area is complete. I added a little convenient basket that holds diapers, coconut oil, diaper cream and wipes. All the clothes in her little drawers have been washed and folded and we have extra diapers people....we're totally on the ball!<br />
I bought a night light for my side of the bed to help with nighttime breastfeeding but EH says it's not bright enough so we'll see how that turns out. <br />
<br />
This weekend is our big trip to IKEA and Target to pick up all those last minute house and personal things that we still need. My suitcase for the hospital is almost completely packed, with the exception of some small snacks, a robe and some slippers.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><u><b>Remaining TO DO's</b></u> </span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>Get below 40 watt bulb for changing table.</b> The one we have now is way too bright for 3am changings and feedings. Home Depot</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>Extension cords.</b> Home Depot </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br />[ ] <b>Artificial plants</b> <b>for living room window</b>.
I saw some really cute artificial plants at Ikea for like $3. I love
plants but my black thumb is no joke. I've avoided artificial plants in
the past but I know I'll be paying even less attention to real plants
when W comes along and our view of a brick wall needs some serious help.
Also, I don't want Josh's curiosity to ,literally, kill him. A lot of
house plants are toxic to kitties.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br />[ ] <b>Aloe Vera plants for windowsills in bedroom. </b>I
do want at least some real plants in the house so I'm gonna start with a
couple of small aloe vera plants..also at Ikea. The window needs to be
prettied up since we face out onto the garbage area in our building.
Aahhhhh...nyc living...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /><span style="background-color: #e06666;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><b><span style="background-color: white;"><span></span></span><span style="color: black;">[X]</span></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span></span></span> <span style="background-color: #e06666;"></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="background-color: #e06666;"></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="background-color: #e06666;"></span><strike><b>Summer curtains for bedroom. </b>Because
it's time!! I've already put up my summer curtains in the living room.
I'm probably gonna pair these with some mini blinds because EH hates too
much light in the morning.</strike></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>Carpet runner 3 x ? for entryway.</b>
Our entryway is pretty long so the longer the length the better. I'm
only sure that I need the width to be 3'. I'm really excited about
going back to the carpet outlet for this one. We scored so incredibly
with our living room rug that we can't <i>not</i> go back and see if lightning strikes twice. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><span style="background-color: #e06666;">[X] </span><strike>Clock for bedroom wall.</strike></b><strike>
I've been wanting this one for a long time. The only "clocks" in our
bedroom right now are our cell phones. It'll be nice to see how insanely
late it is without blinding myself with the phone light when I wake up
for feedings and changings. Also, I love the soothing sound of a ticking
clock.</strike></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><span style="background-color: #e06666;">[X]</span></b> <b>Gold/white spray paint for frames.</b>
This one is overdue. I may do this tomorrow just to get it over with.
I've wanted to update my dark frames in the living room and now is the
perfect time to do it.</span></span></strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[X] <b>Blue/gold/cream throw for poang chair.</b>
The green throw that's currently on Poang doesn't go with my color
scheme at all. This is a pretty easy and inexpensive fix and requires a
trip to TJ Maxx/Home Goods, which is always nice.</span></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>Rugs for bedroom.</b> I'd love to get two matching, washable, his/her throw rugs for our bedroom. This also requires a trip to </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>TJ Maxx/Home Goods/IKEA. Yay!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>New garbage cans for kitchen.</b> Our current ones don't have covers. 99c store </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[X] <b>Clean the refrigerator.</b>This
is embarrassing but I've only cleaned my fridge once since we moved in.
I know that folks will be bringing food by after W's arrival and I need
the fridge to look somewhat presentable.</span></span></strike></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span><br />
</span><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>[X] <b>Make canvas art for the living room.</b> Also long overdue and requires a trip to Michaels for some paint and canvases. </span></span></span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>[ ] <b>Get 8 x 10 frames for wedding pictures that will hang in bedroom. </b>IKEA<b><br /></b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span></span></span></span></strike></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>[ ] <b>Get mirror to hang above bed in bedroom. </b>IKEA</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>[ ] <b>Get and install new toilet seat. </b>Home Depot<b><br /></b></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>[ ] <b>Get coat rack for entryway. </b>IKEA<b><br /></b></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>[ ] <b>Get 16 x 20 frame for maternity picture collage. </b>Michaels<b><br /></b></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>[ ] <b>Get 13 gallon bags for diaper pail.</b> 99c store</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>I'm excited because after this weekend, we should be able to totally relax and enjoy our last few days of being a twosome! </span></span></span></span><br />
MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-68470587723326637282014-06-20T17:49:00.000-04:002014-06-20T17:49:11.162-04:0035 weeks/Lists, Lists and more Lists!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9EyXHWRM1tkJV-hWZkKLzWJOYvgSDxqB8ta2Gv0TNB1SdjURGb14rpAgUPeEuJtKEKr5Qee7xcKYMZUpo0RZKS_YD75JA-UY2im1uDIrpr7tPJfyOPT-5JFtdLgCrj0bXJn0Y8tgVXM/s1600/35+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9EyXHWRM1tkJV-hWZkKLzWJOYvgSDxqB8ta2Gv0TNB1SdjURGb14rpAgUPeEuJtKEKr5Qee7xcKYMZUpo0RZKS_YD75JA-UY2im1uDIrpr7tPJfyOPT-5JFtdLgCrj0bXJn0Y8tgVXM/s1600/35+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">35 weeks; 1 week and change till D-day! </td></tr>
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I'm swimming in lists, ya'll! I'm in nesting mode hard but I feel like I'm in quicksand...having all these lists and not really making a dent in them. Most of this comes from just sheer exhaustion....what happened to this burst of nesting energy that's supposed to happen?? I can only do at most two things on my lists a day...and I have at least four lists! I've basically got this weekend and all of next week to get my mess together.<br />
<br />
I realize that I've got some neurosis going on here. Most of the things I want to do have nothing to do with the baby. They are purely things that will make me feel better. I know she won't care if the nook is perfect, or if we have plants in the house, or a clean fridge but I can't help myself. I want to be as laid back as possible when I come back from the hospital and the only way to ensure that is to get everything done before I leave.<br />
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So far I've got a Hospital Packing List, Things Still Needed for the Baby List and a Getting the Apt Ready List. We're making a trip to Carter's, Target and Babies R Us tomorrow to get some last minute baby things, which were on our registry but were ignored by baby shower guests. This is pretty irritating to me. I ordered some of the things on Amazon, which helps with some of the running around. I didn't get the baby hamper I wanted and I have to keep telling myself that it doesn't matter what we put her dirty clothes in!<br />
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Speaking of D-day...we finally have one! July 3rd is the BIG DAY! We're having our amnio on July 1st and then two days later we're going to finally meet our daughter, God willing. We've got the bassinet up but no sheets, we've got lots of clothes but haven't washed them. So, everything is half done and I'm going to have to rely on EH more than I thought I would to get it all done. EH is so laid back that I fear he won't take all of this as seriously as I am. Maybe that's a good thing.<br />
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I'm basically crazy and exhausted.<br />
MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-40420317876293626142014-06-17T12:38:00.000-04:002014-06-17T12:38:15.442-04:0034 weeks/ Final Baby Shower/Ocean City Birthday Fun!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uzS24h8WB_OYm_iHmRUliUiHTXgnxUpzAw5reKwNSn2Uiuolr9QtzUHC-ABPokte7wkoDfxqecAmQgdNtLkJ6TB3aHLQstWpN6PYTIcxADXPsgJFGV1ZLKDZLksfqEymG9lCGeLP_xY/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uzS24h8WB_OYm_iHmRUliUiHTXgnxUpzAw5reKwNSn2Uiuolr9QtzUHC-ABPokte7wkoDfxqecAmQgdNtLkJ6TB3aHLQstWpN6PYTIcxADXPsgJFGV1ZLKDZLksfqEymG9lCGeLP_xY/s1600/4.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">34 weeks! EH and I are looking sharp and I'm wearing some wedges that didn't last the day.</td></tr>
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I'm totally behind in my posts, ya'll! But to be fair, we were pretty busy this week. Warning: this will be a photo heavy post because of the sheer number of things that were done this past week.<br />
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<u>Baby Shower</u><br />
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EH and I rode up to Westchester for our final baby shower. It really was a great time. The best part was being able to see a good amount of my family members and laughing at their Jamaican antics, which EH and I love to do :-)<br />
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My family was determined to stuff me full of food during this event. I indulged in as much as I could, roast breadfruit, Ackee and Saltfish (the Jamaican national dish), Ox-tail, rice and peas, potato salad, escoveitch fish (seasoned fried fish with peppers and onions) and some slamming ginger lemonade that my mother's boyfriend made.<br />
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I sat for so many pictures for my dad and my mother's boyfriend(who have the same name by the way...) I felt like a model. I got all of these pics from my mother's boyfriend because though my dad takes a billion pictures at every event....no one ever sees them because he doesn't know how to upload them to the computer and send them out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0za-L3aXBIqgWRQId72dWVQVzQGHUhW2UhMaebCVe2sD2W6VoykWiJ8dPrhqR3anFZkJT5cuSP5qKB9ccuHzJ0tBzBP-AYqOkInlo9NtxKqhhH8u28jIB3K5rwGJwVHr8cecgkZY4vzQ/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0za-L3aXBIqgWRQId72dWVQVzQGHUhW2UhMaebCVe2sD2W6VoykWiJ8dPrhqR3anFZkJT5cuSP5qKB9ccuHzJ0tBzBP-AYqOkInlo9NtxKqhhH8u28jIB3K5rwGJwVHr8cecgkZY4vzQ/s1600/6.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EH is quite happy in this pic! This is the perfect example of his "gleeful" face.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqaICF80Bka3vrG-kri6pv-w0Baf57WD0dFe2l3B7EUShXGw5cXkaS4wzoRQb4CIW76pjjXBpLHFb10jCFKAEBDrdIhgyOSmFTQcVvnJG5NSQxJhllLOAeS5U3U17j3qyvE7L9WJUKH8/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqaICF80Bka3vrG-kri6pv-w0Baf57WD0dFe2l3B7EUShXGw5cXkaS4wzoRQb4CIW76pjjXBpLHFb10jCFKAEBDrdIhgyOSmFTQcVvnJG5NSQxJhllLOAeS5U3U17j3qyvE7L9WJUKH8/s1600/8.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lil bro Chris made me this cool photo collage of my childhood that now hangs in our entryway. I love it!! The little baby pic in the middle looks just like Miss W.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7L2Jo2R89wgax9OBTM4NMYSCyrjNEMuTjaMKNW2C8VUrF60J1Lz48tys3k-IWG6ecymDYIcVO7p_dM9q7KAJgyTFE54bfyM08U0hLD1ElNLFXZSWDOzzFkkKmt8S5VZsg8z46NFcal8/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7L2Jo2R89wgax9OBTM4NMYSCyrjNEMuTjaMKNW2C8VUrF60J1Lz48tys3k-IWG6ecymDYIcVO7p_dM9q7KAJgyTFE54bfyM08U0hLD1ElNLFXZSWDOzzFkkKmt8S5VZsg8z46NFcal8/s1600/11.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's my mom cutting the cake and taking it very seriously...she gave me some parenting books as part of my shower gifts, which I thought was ironic but que sera sera, forgiveness is on the agenda these days.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGc6elgeDwa6ajakLt-cWScKWEsMq9Ikkyjb8MoI7L3jrJyAgAuaanlL68TAbJ3fTYlK8BXBDkGrPWqAiYHsD14YMef0Z1Myh5CSEpw5gMGIe62vo1ukHsDD0cLv4Fgak2AvA0ivw5NE/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGc6elgeDwa6ajakLt-cWScKWEsMq9Ikkyjb8MoI7L3jrJyAgAuaanlL68TAbJ3fTYlK8BXBDkGrPWqAiYHsD14YMef0Z1Myh5CSEpw5gMGIe62vo1ukHsDD0cLv4Fgak2AvA0ivw5NE/s1600/18.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This cake was absolutely delicious and gorgeous!!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmqupkz2PWoMFloxFYEjQ6w4NeJ1ujS2CemAE5NbiVUbO4Ix1l37d31QzHYeQglWtmIBFC4RZkXU4_l62R7uS332o2AfPAskKslF13i9BF5lldurUTN95lZV8joEZ-js2lzjaX0yHY9c/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmqupkz2PWoMFloxFYEjQ6w4NeJ1ujS2CemAE5NbiVUbO4Ix1l37d31QzHYeQglWtmIBFC4RZkXU4_l62R7uS332o2AfPAskKslF13i9BF5lldurUTN95lZV8joEZ-js2lzjaX0yHY9c/s1600/16.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is about 1/4 of the whole family and it's a bunch of folks. This is the first time all my brothers have been in the same place at the same time. I love these people!!</td></tr>
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<u>Ocean City</u><br />
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A few days later, EH and I hopped in the car and drove to Ocean City, MD for some much needed rest and relaxation! We were also celebrating my 33rd birthday. It made me all kinds of reflective considering what a low place we were in just a year ago. Oh, and we finally bought a camera so we could take decent pictures!!<br />
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We went to an awesome local restaurant where I stuffed my face with grilled scallops and cheese grits...yeah buddy! This restaurant had the best water I've ever tasted or maybe it was the jar I was drinking it out of. I'm convinced that we have to own a few of these jars.<br />
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Blowing out the candles on my "surprise" birthday slice of cookie dough cheesecake. I was so stuffed I couldn't really finish it.<br />
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Our room had a great view of the beach and the boardwalk from our balcony. I rarely went out on it because I'm not a big fan of heights. That is a beach cover up I'm wearing, not a moo-moo as it appears to be. LOL! I've started to wear my rings around my neck since my fingers and feet have been swelling lately. It feels very strange not having them on my fingers to the point where I have a mini-freakout at least once a week thinking I've lost them.<br />
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Another goal of the trip was to take some halfway decent maternity photos! We never got around to getting professional pictures taken and decided that we would save that cash to have professional pics taken of Miss W after she's born. EH played photographer and boy did he do an excellent job. We were both a little iffy about how they would turn out but there were so many beautiful shots and I can't wait to hang them up in the nook.<br />
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We spent most of the mini-vacation eating, drinking fruity non-alcoholic beverages and lazing around on the beach...which is basically bliss to me.<br />
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We took a little time to visit Assateague Island national park /nature preserve where we were told we could see some wild horses but we didn't see them until we were driving home so , whomp-whomp, no pics of the wild horses.<br />
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We walked by this touch and see exhibit inside the visitor's center and I dared EH to pick up this wild crab. He totally took me up on it but then promptly dropped it. Good times!!<br />
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The preserve was really just amazingly beautiful...<br />
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How cute is this little cabin??<br />
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Ocean City has like a gazillion mini-golf courses and we knew we couldn't leave without playing through at least one. EH has mini-golfed before but this was my first time doing it and we have never had so much fun.<br />
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We totally spanked this course!<br />
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We had an awesome time this past week..so much in fact that we've decided to go back every summer! It's relatively inexpensive and there are so many things to do for adults and kids..two thumbs way up!MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-55695981781415070942014-06-04T17:44:00.002-04:002014-06-04T17:44:36.018-04:0033 Weeks/ Love in Toronto<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">33 weeks!! 4 weeks till D-day!!</td></tr>
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EH and I made it back safely from Toronto on Sunday night and we are so happy to be home. This was one of those trips that was too short to do any sightseeing or really take in the city. We were there solely to celebrate the love of these two special people:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking sharp and in looooveeeee!</td></tr>
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It amazes me that, given the small amount of time I spent at Spelman College, I could make such a lasting friendship (10 years and counting!!) that has transcended distance and time. My girl walked down the aisle wearing a beautiful Mermaid dress that showed off all the, ahem, assets and her husband was cool and calm during the whole day.<br />
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I'll say this: I Love Weddings! <i>especially when they are not mine.</i><br />
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EH and I left home at around 5:30 in the morning and had a fun road trip all the way up to and across Canada. Along the way we stopped to visit some friends from our old church who moved up to Canandaigua, NY. It was a great little breather and we got soooooo many clothes and toys for Ms. W because our friends had just had twins about nine months ago. We even got a present from our friend's mom, which was so thoughtful and unexpected. And of course I forgot to take pics of the visit. I'm still kicking myself for that one but I'm sure it won't be the last time we visit them.<br />
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The hotel was nice and comfortable, food was great. The ceremony took place in a historic church in Downtown Toronto that was right down the street from our hotel, which made it super convenient for us. The wedding was so beautiful and the reception was awesome, even though we didn't get to stay until the very end because of our early departure time the next day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See how she's bending down for the pic?? Yep, I'm that short! And I was wearing short heels. Ha!</td></tr>
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My dress for the wedding was actually a little too big for me and ended up looking very blousy on top but it was super comfortable. I ended up changing into sandals for the reception because my feet were already swelling.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMX0B2NltZavlMnahi7Zspk9BAhSZuZDceac5ZjNgsTTxm3xWFnEOD-wHhboeK_mv2SDVlVgLY-GBQbl2oStThFKDVpVzpWNVObQbxwNYHK2UD1PqUMLysT230BufbWJ8P22XY9MVNMTY/s1600/MeandHubs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMX0B2NltZavlMnahi7Zspk9BAhSZuZDceac5ZjNgsTTxm3xWFnEOD-wHhboeK_mv2SDVlVgLY-GBQbl2oStThFKDVpVzpWNVObQbxwNYHK2UD1PqUMLysT230BufbWJ8P22XY9MVNMTY/s1600/MeandHubs.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EH was looking sharp too!</td></tr>
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EH and I stuffed ourselves silly at the reception. I was determined to eat at least a little of everything even though my stomach capacity isn't what it used to be because I hate when folks waste food at a wedding. EH and I rolled ourselves back to the hotel, packed and promptly passed out. We toyed with the idea of visiting Niagara Falls on the way back home but nixed it because we didn't leave Canada as early as we needed to.<br />
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Now that we're back home, we can't believe that in four weeks, God willing, we're going to be holding a little mamasita in our arms. It's kind of mind blowing. Tonight, EH and I are going to a breastfeeding class at the hospital where we'll be delivering. I feel like I need a million distractions just to make the time go by faster. This weekend we have our third and FINAL baby shower and then ,the weekend after that, we're off to Ocean City, Maryland for my birthday/Mommymoon.<br />
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Soooooooo excited to lay on the beach!!<br />
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MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-62364525616924805982014-05-28T11:33:00.001-04:002014-05-28T11:33:51.776-04:0032 Weeks/Baby Shower #2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPQbF_3biBBO453uA7sBjavvHgishelQFqI_S9r50GeSQ3gXNRz2nKvLNSncTYt_CAJ9MRi5jfdA789x-55GcqYz4ODDsKH5-9MfjWB1uXRnw2GZn0Vuu6cdoX6yTH8IgW4fFvaaufpg/s1600/32+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPQbF_3biBBO453uA7sBjavvHgishelQFqI_S9r50GeSQ3gXNRz2nKvLNSncTYt_CAJ9MRi5jfdA789x-55GcqYz4ODDsKH5-9MfjWB1uXRnw2GZn0Vuu6cdoX6yTH8IgW4fFvaaufpg/s1600/32+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">32 weeks!! 5 weeks till D-day!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYi77UJEP-nCPqSVx1uqfknNIeoUk7atB94xuZW9kCJWivATGeY6wzCWj7s6CZ0hZcTc06bltrJCxC8molTGR1rPxKHnVPD-aA5BMB7B6uHjji-TDdU-bcwn1iLFvXS7Y5kEQkOOPYQ5g/s1600/friend+baby+shower+5-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYi77UJEP-nCPqSVx1uqfknNIeoUk7atB94xuZW9kCJWivATGeY6wzCWj7s6CZ0hZcTc06bltrJCxC8molTGR1rPxKHnVPD-aA5BMB7B6uHjji-TDdU-bcwn1iLFvXS7Y5kEQkOOPYQ5g/s1600/friend+baby+shower+5-24-14.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting the cake....My dress still fits! but the tatas were looking a little...wide..HA!!</td></tr>
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EH and I celebrated our second Baby Shower over the Memorial Day Weekend and it definitely was not what we expected. It turned out to be a very small gathering of close friends. I'd invited almost 30 people and I would say about 6-10 actually showed up!<br />
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EH was very upset about the turnout because he wanted it to be a nice time for me and because we had spent so much money reserving the space and getting food for the event. He was listening to some serious LA gangsta rap the night before and railing against humanity...LOL. I still had a great time with the few friends that were there and I especially got a kick out of EH's reactions when we opened the presents. My hard husband suddenly turned into a teddy bear! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuv3VcTvSUEoC4fQqBt4LILuN2eUQ9VgUM_Rb9ZgIVxY4Icgiev79yQHetLtCR2cLc9fARAdoQkKT4JP_dpUsJZhqaXx3eL9Mj5iPp24Fo9m6N1Hx5hiI2l9H99cLrmWXJxLyHbKdE3E/s1600/hats+2.jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">colorful hats</td></tr>
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I'm chalking up our low turnout to the fact that our shower was held in the Bronx where we live and folks just didn't want to travel. I have to keep reminding myself that I wanted NO shower in the first place so even having one (or three) is a blessing. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX869ilMgutUX4wLVtrG2zJqw9zGCsTcf-Van5fZr-ipYR2j1bu-NLZKOMMYqSqxdJdZBBn-tLC6hITaMXpFP8BGT0mxK9uRpfRnH66gyvxFZpclvSDO_lWbawJZrbk1-niTaoPO_8uxU/s1600/cakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX869ilMgutUX4wLVtrG2zJqw9zGCsTcf-Van5fZr-ipYR2j1bu-NLZKOMMYqSqxdJdZBBn-tLC6hITaMXpFP8BGT0mxK9uRpfRnH66gyvxFZpclvSDO_lWbawJZrbk1-niTaoPO_8uxU/s1600/cakes.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cakes</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAi1p9s7zJfNVGnS5BeNaoRAOIecd7x-hn-RyghcQ8ZxdkoI8LhMBrufHfIYOFOhBWAiLQmPy_5cMJ0WSW9xbY3ssy0jHzm8DVWUsModc9zNLaxuXN6USJNMSCpvBd3OOa_LHdYajlTuw/s1600/measuring+the+bump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAi1p9s7zJfNVGnS5BeNaoRAOIecd7x-hn-RyghcQ8ZxdkoI8LhMBrufHfIYOFOhBWAiLQmPy_5cMJ0WSW9xbY3ssy0jHzm8DVWUsModc9zNLaxuXN6USJNMSCpvBd3OOa_LHdYajlTuw/s1600/measuring+the+bump.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">measuring the bump</td></tr>
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My bestie and her sisters decorated the space so nicely and everyone enjoyed the food that we ordered and took some home. We're still noshing on leftover food at home! We got to catch up with some friends we hadn't seen in a while and got a bunch of really sweet presents for Ms. W.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYohCGbcvk0cbjAdX6Nzw82JDqXGqgTwYVseFUUvcuTXDnC9gH-X3YY2cDoplnI9e3ApDkQPhyphenhyphenUxOeU_SSHNvkLJWhP-mk3APa7xM6UXOGtoCSkatotPQyfhkT87vnrTUkEHaCQE-ujU/s1600/presents+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYohCGbcvk0cbjAdX6Nzw82JDqXGqgTwYVseFUUvcuTXDnC9gH-X3YY2cDoplnI9e3ApDkQPhyphenhyphenUxOeU_SSHNvkLJWhP-mk3APa7xM6UXOGtoCSkatotPQyfhkT87vnrTUkEHaCQE-ujU/s1600/presents+1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EH was soooo excited about the onesies!</td></tr>
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After we got home, EH and I laughed and joked about the turnout, including one guest who texted my bestie at 3 in the morning to say they weren't coming. I'm extremely thankful for my bestie who went above and beyond to make the shower fun. We're probably going to send her and her sisters a big bunch of flowers to thank them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuWj-bOgcYWrPpk7U1oDzgcJ-r0AtLiFx-JNaORXLbK30SPWyXAeRgmEdthYLPBwk9VjzyiTl3JBq7boRHGp9mhxmbQ_7fVBzDwvIRMx90tJuTu8__3vBmd_PN5h1LsQfqGuOrVcel-0/s1600/me+and+bestie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuWj-bOgcYWrPpk7U1oDzgcJ-r0AtLiFx-JNaORXLbK30SPWyXAeRgmEdthYLPBwk9VjzyiTl3JBq7boRHGp9mhxmbQ_7fVBzDwvIRMx90tJuTu8__3vBmd_PN5h1LsQfqGuOrVcel-0/s1600/me+and+bestie.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my bestie! Born only two days apart :-)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkT3Sx2Ji1OJ0Y2KOpkwG8Zc-Fd0mNgF85SLwYq_na2RQmPM_Z1oqI3S0Gxvf-2LuZNwJTFZhfnRcd5TIybFVHr7guRz6hMM0I3Pxj2p9XDAvPsszAQbHoCrtz-yjFl1l2_ixBWT-9RLI/s1600/godson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkT3Sx2Ji1OJ0Y2KOpkwG8Zc-Fd0mNgF85SLwYq_na2RQmPM_Z1oqI3S0Gxvf-2LuZNwJTFZhfnRcd5TIybFVHr7guRz6hMM0I3Pxj2p9XDAvPsszAQbHoCrtz-yjFl1l2_ixBWT-9RLI/s1600/godson.jpg" height="400" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Godson M...he's growing up way too fast!</td></tr>
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Meanwhile, EH and I are gearing up for yet another trip to Canada this weekend!<br />
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Woohooo!! We're headed to Toronto this time to attend the wedding of one of my friends from college. I can't express how excited we are to get outta town for a few days. We're making the 10-hour drive up, with many stops along the way, and also plan to stop by and visit with some friends who live in Canandaigua, NY. We're trying to get as much fun in as we can before Ms. W comes along!MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-47675365980072626572014-05-20T15:56:00.002-04:002014-05-20T16:18:07.170-04:0031 Weeks/ Sleep, Where Art Thou??<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Vxx_F8LQxcg0cLMw6DJe0X8uNELatf0qh-RUDjhD9l8TvQVUnYcf4JbNYodwegt7GP0anZJkh0V1CFm5fiNKyEeDDG6VU2DeT1XrRpEcYQ3LHydeG16zVpgkTaSHqHr8B32w1Ra51C4/s1600/31+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Vxx_F8LQxcg0cLMw6DJe0X8uNELatf0qh-RUDjhD9l8TvQVUnYcf4JbNYodwegt7GP0anZJkh0V1CFm5fiNKyEeDDG6VU2DeT1XrRpEcYQ3LHydeG16zVpgkTaSHqHr8B32w1Ra51C4/s1600/31+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">31 weeks!! 6 weeks till D-day!!</td></tr>
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I've had a rough couple of days sleep wise. It's like I hit 30 weeks and my body said...no more good sleep for you!! Just like the soup Nazi on that famous episode of Seinfeld. Last week, it was super difficult getting comfortable in the bed, my post nasal drip was acting up again, after a short reprieve, and EH's snoring was annoying me. Sleep was fleeting but I put on my nose strip, banished the hubby to the living room, propped myself up with the snoogle and was able to get a few winks in.<br />
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On Sunday night my mind was racing; thoughts going a mile a minute. I'm a serious list maker so usually I can just do a brain dump of things using the list app on my phone just so it's not rattling around in my head. This was also NOT the best night to not get sleep! Remember that social work licensing exam I've been talking about forever?? Well, Monday was test day. You can imagine how stressed I was looking at the clock and knowing that in a few hours I would have to take one of the biggest exams of my, dormant, career. I rested and rested and rested but actual, physical sleep...NEVER CAME!!! Meanwhile, Ms. W was having the time of her life...kicking and punching and moving her head all around my hoo hah. At least one of us had a good night.<br />
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I very groggily got myself up the next morning took the exam and PASSED!!! I do have to give all the credit to God because at around question 100 of the 170 question exam...I was ready to cry out of sheer exhaustion. Several times I caught myself doing the drowzy droop and had to snap back to attention. By question 130, I was shaking my head and saying 'I don't know' in my head as I made my guesses to some of the questions. My only motivation at this point was just to finish so that I could go home and sleep. I got my score report and did a little internal happy dance that I had checked this important life goal off my list, called EH to let him know how it went and then hightailed it out of the city.<br />
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I arrived home, dropped everything and laid down on the couch for some serious shut eye...only to be thwarted once again. No sleep for you!! I didn't sweat it though because at least I knew I would be able to sleep that night, right???!! Wrong!!!<br />
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I went to bed early around 10:30pm hoping to have a marathon of sleep before our Peri appointment this morning. I read a little, put on my nose strip, banished the hubby, fired up the sound machine and waited for sweet relief, which did not come. So, at around 3am I had a full on meltdown, complete with ugly cry. I was so frustrated that all I could do was bawl for like 10 minutes straight. It was by far the craziest moment of my pregnancy. EH came rushing in to see what happened and all I could babble between my sobs was, "I'M SOOOOOOO TIRED. I CAN'T SL-SLEEP!" Over and over again.<br />
My poor hubby didn't know what to do and after I calmed down a bit I asked him to make me some hot milk...on the off chance that it would work. Miracles of miracles, it WORKED!! I was able to get a couple of hours in before our appt this morning, where I was rewarded with a new pic of Ms. W!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XbC8n24UtZ9Om-CBhG7nhrK1eRd-h0E-eM3EIeRa7RtrzB7zAfvMW44nC0pH9GvMK5ZdwpZ2GXt6btsV7yGr_TbKg6RZ8RycZfAT6TrmfkQgIOdQGMzkb_Bg8Xku87Mn7PQy2sUdgQA/s1600/selah+31+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XbC8n24UtZ9Om-CBhG7nhrK1eRd-h0E-eM3EIeRa7RtrzB7zAfvMW44nC0pH9GvMK5ZdwpZ2GXt6btsV7yGr_TbKg6RZ8RycZfAT6TrmfkQgIOdQGMzkb_Bg8Xku87Mn7PQy2sUdgQA/s1600/selah+31+weeks.jpg" height="320" width="279" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Oh, you can't sleep!?...sucks for you...</td></tr>
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I know that I was just in the midst of a perfect storm of hormones and general anxiety. Getting ready to take that big exam, W's increased activity, worrying about the upcoming 2nd baby shower (this weekend!) and all the things still left to do before W gets here was just too much for my poor brain and body to handle. I'm determined that this will not happen again! I'm armed with chamomile tea to combine with my hot milk tonight in hopes of duplicating my previous success. Even if I just get two hours of shut eye out of it, it'll be worth it. I might even let EH back in the bedroom!<br />
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Wish me luck!!<br />
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P.S. Have you seen this commercial for Planters "cocoa" peanuts!?? It's like my favorite commercial on TV right now. Every time I see it I think of EH! LMAO!! The things these guys put up with from us....SMH<br />
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<br />MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-75050619951597284272014-05-15T18:12:00.001-04:002014-05-15T18:12:59.680-04:0030 weeks/Nursery Nook Changes<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqtT1Sk_SSGawhNOIGQ6iui-XsjgDSC-EFM0qhRhNtiHtdah_n-_79QvU2eLCTe1-W616piG9ZmdsaCR0oFNLYyfmnhJglnQTBvTjobe9sSEO_ver3GMffmZ0rD07J0R0WtZMDerKRkA/s1600/30+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqtT1Sk_SSGawhNOIGQ6iui-XsjgDSC-EFM0qhRhNtiHtdah_n-_79QvU2eLCTe1-W616piG9ZmdsaCR0oFNLYyfmnhJglnQTBvTjobe9sSEO_ver3GMffmZ0rD07J0R0WtZMDerKRkA/s1600/30+weeks.jpg" height="320" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">30 weeks!! Can you tell I had 2 hours of sleep last night??</td></tr>
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EH and I visited with our alternate Ob/Gyn today and she seemed nice. We'll probably be seeing her a few more times before D-day so I'm hoping I'll get more comfortable with the idea of her cutting into me in 7 weeks.<br />
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Meanwhile, yours truly was up most of the night because W decided she wanted to do a Tae Bo class in my uterus. My best friend talked about this happening with my godson but I don't think I really believed that a child moving around could keep you up at night. Needless to say, I was WRONG!<br />
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<b><u>Nursery Nook Redux</u></b><br />
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Sooooooo...I was taking a look at my rather ambitious plans for the nursery nook and decided to scrap some of it. I'm getting bigger and slower and I don't think I have the patience to cut out all those pieces to make the garland. I was snooping around Pinterest and came across this cool idea:<br />
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<img alt="DIY Gold Polka Dot Wall using vinyl decals from @Matty Chuah House of Smiths (The House of Smiths) - thegoldensycamore.com" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/32/9c/cc/329ccc2c65f60a3ba6b39d19b9862a0a.jpg" style="height: 785px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px; width: 565px;" /></div>
It goes with my original light blue and gold color scheme, it's removable and it's super cheap! I'm thinking of just getting some gold contact paper from amazon and doing this treatment on the wall area next to our bed. I think it'll add some fun to the nook without going totally overboard. I 'm also going to add some wooden initials for W's "real" name on that wall as well. I worked on some new beachy blue and gold art that is living on the adjacent wall:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLM1wAxjjzdz4sTW-oq1dxSNdmjUrG8zWzItEhqZU40mc6r1cOkEhl8o6TVQLMQgxL2xfz6OydeISgZTzuYgVcu8SYY3q-6JL2aHSTYW7nn8d8DAHN7QvffUzhBH14SeSHORDaHwUF3Q/s1600/polka+dot+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLM1wAxjjzdz4sTW-oq1dxSNdmjUrG8zWzItEhqZU40mc6r1cOkEhl8o6TVQLMQgxL2xfz6OydeISgZTzuYgVcu8SYY3q-6JL2aHSTYW7nn8d8DAHN7QvffUzhBH14SeSHORDaHwUF3Q/s1600/polka+dot+wall.jpg" height="380" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were 11 x 14 canvases from an Art store that were on sale. I reused the same colors I used for the art in the living room.</td></tr>
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So my newest version of the nursery nook will end up looking something like this:<br />
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I ended up placing my large scale art over the changing table. It's lighter than a mirror and I made sure it was secure to the wall so I feel safe with it there.<br />
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I wish the pictures came out a little better so I could show how happy the wall is! It was a gloomy day :-(<br />
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So.....W's nook is coming along well but sadly the space above our bed is very, very sad. I'm thinking of getting some kind of cheap mirror at ikea or somewhere to add above it with some black and white wedding pictures of us alongside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Sunburst mirror above bed. Master bedroom built ins. Bookshelves. Taupe and blue color scheme." class="pinImage" height="300" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/48/b9/08/48b90812352e71a5fc0ddaa4663e703f.jpg" style="height: 552px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 736px;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinterest.com; Something like this but I'm not married to this particular mirror...</td></tr>
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I don't know when this will actually happen...maybe sometime in June?? Ha!<br />
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MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-9694842592134530032014-05-09T11:29:00.000-04:002014-05-09T11:29:14.171-04:0029 weeks/Picking the Pediatrician/Making Art<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">29 weeks! Pajama chic...</td></tr>
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EH and I had a total win this week! I've been stressing out about finding a pediatrician for W for a while now. We definitely didn't want to go with a doctor in the Bronx and we didn't want to trek to Manhattan for what could be a bunch of appointments when W gets here. I also wasn't too keen on driving long distances with W so soon.<br />
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I discovered that the cool mall we visit from time to time in Westchester also has a pediatrician's office so we decided to check it out yesterday. We sat with the doctor and she answered all of our questions and put us at ease. I never knew I could feel so happy and excited about deciding on a pediatrician...my, how times have changed! The absolute best part is that the office is only 8 minutes away by car. Score!!<br />
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This week, I also had an interesting conversation with a mutual friend of ours. She and her husband are a few years older than us and she confided in me that they were trying for a baby. A while ago I put up a few Facebook posts on infertility, basically outing myself about our struggle to conceive. She saw the articles and thanked me for sharing what we were going through because she and her husband were now fully in the infertility process. That she felt comfortable enough to confide in me was reward enough. She said it was nice to hear from someone who had been through it and come out the other side.<br />
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I was grateful for her words but I also felt the need to tell her that I hadn't come out the other side....not really. In my mind I'm not really out of the woods yet. I can't say that I'll feel totally comfortable until I'm holding W in my arms. I haven't shared about our miscarriages with her, which I think is the driving force behind why I still don't identify as someone whose "come out the other side." The fact that I will need some kind of assistance going forward if we choose to have another child also makes me feel like I'm still a part of the IF tribe. I realized that I didn't want to have that status taken away from me or diminished. Yeah, it was hell going through it but I wear our struggle like a badge of honor now. The process changed me so completely. I'm better and stronger for it.<br />
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We had an appointment with our OB/GYN recently and she let us know that we may have to deliver earlier than we thought. Apparently, there is some concern about whether my uterine scar from the myomectomy will hold as the baby gets bigger. To be on the safe side, they're thinking of getting W out at 37 weeks! Folks, that's like 8 weeks away!! Cue the nesting thoughts in my brain running around and knocking into each other. We'll have to undergo an amniocentesis to check W's lungs and make sure she's actually ready to come out at that time. I'm not too thrilled about this but the doctor assures us that an amnio at 37 weeks is very different from an amnio at 6 weeks. I'm really putting my faith to work for this one. Then she tells us that she might not be the one delivering our baby. I was totally surprised by this one. In my extreme naivete I thought that since we were having a planned c-section, our doctor would just be available on that day to deliver us! At our next appointment we're going to meet this other doctor that we've never met before who might be delivering our baby...in 8 WEEKS!<br />
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I've made some progress on my "before the baby comes" list! I took a trip to Michaels and picked up some materials to make a paper garland for W's nook and some wooden letters to hang her initials. I also got some paint and canvases to finally paint that living room art I've been talking about forever.<br />
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I really dig abstract expressionist art. I like its simplicity and its ease of duplication! This time around my art was inspired by Mark Rothko:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.jackygallery.com/images/Number%2012%201951%20by%20Mark%20Rothko%20OSA251.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="328" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Number 12, Mark Rothko 1951</td></tr>
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and a piece of art I saw online on Pinterest:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="2nd canvas for above couch--blue, beige, gold, orange" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a6/08/9f/a6089f6f3bc6e664184b36c8a9c3d0af.jpg" style="height: 400px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px; width: 400px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">zazzle.com</td></tr>
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Here's the end result:<br />
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I love them!! I went with my official color scheme of gold, blue and white. I started by outlining the shapes lightly with a pencil and then I filled them in with the color of my choice. The whole thing took about an hour and a half but that was only because I took a break to eat. Unfortunately, It's made me want to repaint the walls to a warm beige so that they won't look so out of place. Right now they have two black frames flanking them that I'll probably spray paint white in a few days. I really want to repaint the living room but that might be pushing my nesting instinct, and EH, a little too far. Ever do a home improvement project and realize that everything else around it looks wack??<br />
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My next step is to try to get some cheapo white frames to hang some artwork for W's nook. The area is seriously looking empty! Our co-sleeper has arrived and is at my mother's house so we won't be setting that up until after the family shower in June. I'd also love to get some kind of wall art/mirror for above our bed. I found these cute coastal printables on Etsy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Printable Beach Decor, Bathroom Instant Download, Coastal Decor, Beach Wall Art, Seashell Starfish Modern Beach" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e2/14/fa/e214fa2adb1a551ae4917a678617e791.jpg" style="height: 430px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px; width: 570px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NauticalDecorShop</td></tr>
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I love printables because they provide instant gratification! Print, frame, hang! These come as an electronic file set of 3 8 x 10s and cost $8.95. You can't beat that...I'm still debating. I may just end up flanking our bed with black and white photos of us from our wedding, which would be free except for the purchase of some nice frames.MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-49600238691672143342014-04-29T17:58:00.001-04:002014-04-29T17:58:11.555-04:0028 weeks!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuC4E02P_dnTP2MQDf1Y05SDkgX5K7rU2hBWDi2BlEKyC7L7N0xHoNDzgaZ8ZlNTPCQbIRELF9QRoun2iGM3CzK0EZ84dm-DCJIfKFDOLKbWfvDZnVEzK1Ur-xRcqvBFjeGNY3voiLsAI/s1600/28+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuC4E02P_dnTP2MQDf1Y05SDkgX5K7rU2hBWDi2BlEKyC7L7N0xHoNDzgaZ8ZlNTPCQbIRELF9QRoun2iGM3CzK0EZ84dm-DCJIfKFDOLKbWfvDZnVEzK1Ur-xRcqvBFjeGNY3voiLsAI/s1600/28+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 weeks! I'm wearing the dress I'm going to wear for my 2nd Baby Shower</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>We're so grateful to have made it this far!! It seems like time is speeding up exponentially now and we can't wait :-)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #e06666;"> :</span><b><span style="color: #e06666;">:balloons and confetti and sparklers::</span></b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>We started off the week putting together W's bookcase/closet. EH was surprised that it wasn't as big of a chore as he thought it would be. I added some baby animal gift wrap paper to the back of the closet part and hung up her clothes. The bookcase is just a little bit taller than me so I don't think I'm going to have much trouble hanging and reaching things I might need. I think I may add one more shelf on the bottom and then add some baskets on the bottom.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>On Friday night we went over to see my in-laws for my first baby shower! You'll recall that we originally went from NO baby shower to maybe TWO baby showers and now to THREE baby showers. Anywho, this was the baby shower just for EH's family and we had a great time. My sis-in-law went all out with the decorations. We had a truly delicious cake, yummy food and some very cute clothes for W. The best part was seeing how happy EH's family was to celebrate this new addition. My sis-in-law insisted I take a picture with each family member so that W could have a memory of everyone to look back on. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOBX2GY455qxA2Z20PQuew4pZKHLLg2-wcyyeoYPfT0n2Dgiq9vYxbA8OYY65cov1QeCWkynPb5ymhSHVXGRPm3NhdaczM83U-P41D6-oVuK7QgPOYwT2DHWs0fJvfnJrX1KD5Ka6Gxo/s1600/perez+shower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOBX2GY455qxA2Z20PQuew4pZKHLLg2-wcyyeoYPfT0n2Dgiq9vYxbA8OYY65cov1QeCWkynPb5ymhSHVXGRPm3NhdaczM83U-P41D6-oVuK7QgPOYwT2DHWs0fJvfnJrX1KD5Ka6Gxo/s1600/perez+shower.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My throne! That Coors Light is not mine! LOL</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We both got to wear these cool rattle necklaces that say "It's A Girl! </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpKhuiZjP-Yjz7wtYfrB-qHPV2dAQMtyXxtW7OkAYnYf0dbCezz2SufC_c924npvikkqH7m-50-sHpS96y7EhYXN8IbNAs8vofNNGKGYvwyKu63nhN45LoTuaVyogEJ8VQi9W5SVlSJo/s1600/ME+at+Perez+shower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpKhuiZjP-Yjz7wtYfrB-qHPV2dAQMtyXxtW7OkAYnYf0dbCezz2SufC_c924npvikkqH7m-50-sHpS96y7EhYXN8IbNAs8vofNNGKGYvwyKu63nhN45LoTuaVyogEJ8VQi9W5SVlSJo/s1600/ME+at+Perez+shower.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>The next day I treated EH to a trip to the NY International Auto Show! He was super happy to walk around and check out the cars...all the while regaling me with his superior car knowledge and excitement! I feel like we're trying to get in all the fun stuff we can before we're house bound with W.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYW16gndFMor8OcKdUc24xS01SFuYWFYeRxpiAIHakHDG6U6JrCp0VWZhrGcE4cJKfaR-s7Wvy5mqUfZGPZGsDioToeXjyvR2epIrbBcurBBN06zKivfQtahkxIa0hLptVzVD3Azcgqw/s1600/ny+car+show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYW16gndFMor8OcKdUc24xS01SFuYWFYeRxpiAIHakHDG6U6JrCp0VWZhrGcE4cJKfaR-s7Wvy5mqUfZGPZGsDioToeXjyvR2epIrbBcurBBN06zKivfQtahkxIa0hLptVzVD3Azcgqw/s1600/ny+car+show.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He couldn't be happier!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhFnrSJa4gvRzx9CuzU4ZwT5zRSTDnhaEKjCTqNbGtQpYT_ARaRXjqlC-X_-6Tlq4lZS1p14r1a1l7zIvdKSPgZbasf-3R1-aWxJiPCHTsGEsy-4YjF_2Q3iEkwlXSRZU85GbTBMuLlI/s1600/ny+car+show+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhFnrSJa4gvRzx9CuzU4ZwT5zRSTDnhaEKjCTqNbGtQpYT_ARaRXjqlC-X_-6Tlq4lZS1p14r1a1l7zIvdKSPgZbasf-3R1-aWxJiPCHTsGEsy-4YjF_2Q3iEkwlXSRZU85GbTBMuLlI/s1600/ny+car+show+2.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me pretending to drive. My feet couldn't reach the gas or brake pedals...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>I'm making some progress with my "Getting the Apt Ready" list. So far I've gotten summer curtains for the bedroom(linen with a hint of gold) and added a clock from Target. I also spray painted some frames white. I like the look against the gray wall way better!</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg533xewvWlvGdoTxEeF9ouAegVBp2ynwZQGA3wK2X6-ddfrhWBueQeb7zTzDXiFDdokcgyuhVSf6XaBQaP4OD-DmKsMuKsfPzZ3ke6skqxVG_fs06JDxQY97MHMuZ5Fx9iuE5I_HxQmQI/s1600/summer+curtains-clock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg533xewvWlvGdoTxEeF9ouAegVBp2ynwZQGA3wK2X6-ddfrhWBueQeb7zTzDXiFDdokcgyuhVSf6XaBQaP4OD-DmKsMuKsfPzZ3ke6skqxVG_fs06JDxQY97MHMuZ5Fx9iuE5I_HxQmQI/s1600/summer+curtains-clock.jpg" height="320" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing these curtains up was truly satisfying...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvz9mvGZmtmwC0yuPxp-sVQX26fojUtjMVzrpcvbcJbrHBf-pSzyGebeO0f1WADCZyqJTi0nAiS8IxkXgQCh5i9wVh1oi-61gl1zzvQf_xuX150YmFqvhwDb355Th2kjSZAJvaT0ogTvw/s1600/white+frames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvz9mvGZmtmwC0yuPxp-sVQX26fojUtjMVzrpcvbcJbrHBf-pSzyGebeO0f1WADCZyqJTi0nAiS8IxkXgQCh5i9wVh1oi-61gl1zzvQf_xuX150YmFqvhwDb355Th2kjSZAJvaT0ogTvw/s1600/white+frames.jpg" height="236" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><u><b>Remaining TO DO's</b></u> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>Get below 40 watt bulb for changing table.</b> The one we have now is way too bright for 3am changings and feedings</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br />[ ] <b>Artificial plants</b> <b>for living room window</b>.
I saw some really cute artificial plants at Ikea for like $3. I love
plants but my black thumb is no joke. I've avoided artificial plants in
the past but I know I'll be paying even less attention to real plants
when W comes along and our view of a brick wall needs some serious help.
Also, I don't want Josh's curiosity to ,literally, kill him. A lot of
house plants are toxic to kitties.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br />[ ] <b>Aloe Vera plants for windowsills in bedroom. </b>I
do want at least some real plants in the house so I'm gonna start with a
couple of small aloe vera plants..also at Ikea. The window needs to be
prettied up since we face out onto the garbage area in our building.
Aahhhhh...nyc living...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /><span style="background-color: #e06666;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><b><span style="background-color: white;"><span></span></span><span style="color: black;">[X]</span></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span></span></span> <span style="background-color: #e06666;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="background-color: #e06666;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="background-color: #e06666;"></span><strike><b>Summer curtains for bedroom. </b>Because
it's time!! I've already put up my summer curtains in the living room.
I'm probably gonna pair these with some mini blinds because EH hates too
much light in the morning.</strike></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>Carpet runner 3 x ? for entryway.</b>
Our entryway is pretty long so the longer the length the better. I'm
only sure that I need the width to be 3'. I'm really excited about
going back to the carpet outlet for this one. We scored so incredibly
with our living room rug that we can't <i>not</i> go back and see if lightning strikes twice. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><span style="background-color: #e06666;">[X] </span><strike>Clock for bedroom wall.</strike></b><strike>
I've been wanting this one for a long time. The only "clocks" in our
bedroom right now are our cell phones. It'll be nice to see how insanely
late it is without blinding myself with the phone light when I wake up
for feedings and changings. Also, I love the soothing sound of a ticking
clock.</strike></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b><span style="background-color: #e06666;">[X]</span></b> <b>Gold/white spray paint for frames.</b>
This one is overdue. I may do this tomorrow just to get it over with.
I've wanted to update my dark frames in the living room and now is the
perfect time to do it.</span></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>Make hanging paper garland for W's nook.</b>
I've been racking my brain to find a way to add a little more sweetness
to W's nook. It's looking pretty bare in there right now. I saw some
cute ideas on Pinterest with paint chips but I'm not sure I wanna hoard
paint chips at the store. Instead I'll go to Michaels and get some
colored scrapbook paper and make my garland with that. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>Blue/gold/cream throw for poang chair.</b>
The green throw that's currently on Poang doesn't go with my color
scheme at all. This is a pretty easy and inexpensive fix and requires a
trip to TJ Maxx/Home Goods, which is always nice.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>Rugs for bedroom.</b> I'd love to get two matching, washable, his/her throw rugs for our bedroom. This also requires a trip to </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>TJ Maxx/Home Goods. Yay!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>New garbage can for kitchen.</b> Our current one doesn't even have a cover and, while it doesn't smell, it's not visually appealing. </span></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>[ ] <b>Clean the refrigerator.</b>This
is embarrassing but I've only cleaned my fridge once since we moved in.
I know that folks will be bringing food by after W's arrival and I need
the fridge to look somewhat presentable.</span></span><br />
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>Make canvas art for the living room.</b> Also long overdue and requires a trip to Michaels for some paint and canvases. </span></span></span><br />
MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-53361259738269803572014-04-22T21:05:00.000-04:002014-04-22T21:05:05.925-04:0027 weeks/Ikea!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SHYIBmngyS3eA5bQ0U_z1kIS8c_qODH1y0thSxKTYuzFAUPSOoc2K-ue2bBFAIQO6bVErKnAmXEOb_TswhGyOX2Z2O51ud264TG2qPlsO68usmDmTpCb4tK7jysUAdpAL_c3Y4qGvz8/s1600/27+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SHYIBmngyS3eA5bQ0U_z1kIS8c_qODH1y0thSxKTYuzFAUPSOoc2K-ue2bBFAIQO6bVErKnAmXEOb_TswhGyOX2Z2O51ud264TG2qPlsO68usmDmTpCb4tK7jysUAdpAL_c3Y4qGvz8/s1600/27+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></div>
<br />
Hope EVERYONE had a wonderful EASTER!! Our church put on an Easter play extravaganza that was insanely awesome, with several dance routines, contemporary music and our praise and worship team and band, so it was a great day for us. Afterward we checked out a restaurant in the Bx we hadn't been to before and had a great brunch. Then we took a trip to an outlet for ABC Carpet & Home. It's a seriously expensive home store here in NY that I would never shop in but I knew they had an outlet in the Bx and wanted to see if I could score a good deal on a new carpet for the living room. We hightailed it to the remnant section of the store and got a 4' by 7' rug for $20!! My head is still spinning and we practically ran out of there before they changed their minds. I'll show a pic further down.<br />
<br />
EH and I took a little trip to probably one of my favorite places in the world this past weekend.......IKEA!!! <span style="color: #e06666;"><b>::throws confetti::</b></span><br />
<br />
Ikea is just such a dangerous place....for me anyway. Every time I go I have to have a specific list of things I want to get, otherwise it can be a disaster of the gimmie-gimmies. On this trip we resolved to finally get our Poang chair and a bookcase to hold W's clothing and books. My nesting instinct was seriously on high beam in this place. Several times I imagined myself skipping through the store.<br />
<br />
We rolled around the store for about an hour and a half...I really wanted to stay longer but EH was getting antsy. Poang came home with us in a dark brown finish. It's resting on our new, darker, $20 rug.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZPH1b3rWMJlcEhsokv50IYAS1DBhWlT_wfi7J5ORzwtf37x7h_kuzizcwe4Q6YeLiTGILcn3h64UY390260Dt0ekv9MiNjCcBeLRcD4o1PbEVI5pwI3PlB57qU0k9MsE0fLtvFdYnCE/s1600/Poang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZPH1b3rWMJlcEhsokv50IYAS1DBhWlT_wfi7J5ORzwtf37x7h_kuzizcwe4Q6YeLiTGILcn3h64UY390260Dt0ekv9MiNjCcBeLRcD4o1PbEVI5pwI3PlB57qU0k9MsE0fLtvFdYnCE/s1600/Poang.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></div>
I knew that we would eventually have to get a darker rug. Our previous beige one didn't hide dirt or stains very well. We may go back to the outlet and upgrade to a larger rug at some point in the future but right now it suits us fine. Maybe I'll throw a more colorful throw rug under the ottoman just to add some extra color. <br />
<br />
Poang has not disappointed us. We've lived with it in the living room for a few days now and it's extremely comfortable. I've fallen asleep in it at least once. I'm excited to add a different throw to it just to keep the natural padding clean for as long as I can and it needs a thick pillow or two for more back support. I will say it was lower to the ground than I thought it would be but I've gotten used to it. It's nice to have somewhere else to sit in the living room. EH has decided he wants one for himself so we might get another in the future. I also picked up some new pillow covers at Ikea...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZ2wsueg6Y8ZPz5_dc9NywjzvR0Dq6RNj07bl2Cr5P24PHgkuGWFxg03V9Hlc1Uz4gF8cIK5ILSqkKuu_8Len1ivatkrD79LV2LoY73OPClJfo47MMuIkwxkBoh1012iCuo7aiYwohZw/s1600/pillow+cover+ikea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZ2wsueg6Y8ZPz5_dc9NywjzvR0Dq6RNj07bl2Cr5P24PHgkuGWFxg03V9Hlc1Uz4gF8cIK5ILSqkKuu_8Len1ivatkrD79LV2LoY73OPClJfo47MMuIkwxkBoh1012iCuo7aiYwohZw/s1600/pillow+cover+ikea.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think we have every baby book ever published sitting on that end table...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
they're gold and pale blue and I love 'em. I never quite got around to closing up my DIY pillow covers and they were $10 each.<br />
<br />
We also came home with this Borgsjo bookcase:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWzv90z6rUQsmuYFty_dLPv6rz9zm78fMdk_0vFVrGvtFFqg9objVkQJbr069xzMQ35ScUUQgLF6slYHRpcB7LkZAT0t9c2zqDB6lxtwfoKyVvXqbEwebOKChD0GG5OLEgTcmvHEowY4/s1600/borgsjo-bookcase__0137914_PE296725_S4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWzv90z6rUQsmuYFty_dLPv6rz9zm78fMdk_0vFVrGvtFFqg9objVkQJbr069xzMQ35ScUUQgLF6slYHRpcB7LkZAT0t9c2zqDB6lxtwfoKyVvXqbEwebOKChD0GG5OLEgTcmvHEowY4/s1600/borgsjo-bookcase__0137914_PE296725_S4.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I really thought we would get the popular Billy bookcase but it was super tall in person and wouldn't really fit in in our bedroom. This guy was the right height and the right price. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's all assembled.<br />
<br />
********** <br />
<br />
I'm in the process of getting our entire apartment ready for the influx of visitors we'll be having when W gets here. I don't need everything to be perfect, especially since we might be moving to a new apartment before she even gets here, but I do need things to be a bit more pulled together for my peace of mind. I know there are going to be dirty dishes in the sink and unwashed laundry for us for a while but I at least want some nice comforting things to look at while I'm sleep deprived. So, here's my getting the apartment ready list!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>Get below 40 watt bulb for changing table.</b> The one we have now is way too bright for 3am changings and feedings</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />[ ] <b>Artificial plants</b> <b>for living room window</b>. I saw some really cute artificial plants at Ikea for like $3. I love plants but my black thumb is no joke. I've avoided artificial plants in the past but I know I'll be paying even less attention to real plants when W comes along and our view of a brick wall needs some serious help. Also, I don't want Josh's curiosity to ,literally, kill him. A lot of house plants are toxic to kitties.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />[ ] <b>Aloe Vera plants for windowsills in bedroom. </b>I do want at least some real plants in the house so I'm gonna start with a couple of small aloe vera plants..also at Ikea. The window needs to be prettied up since we face out onto the garbage area in our building. Aahhhhh...nyc living...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />[ ] <b>Summer curtains for bedroom. </b>Because it's time!! I've already put up my summer curtains in the living room. I'm probably gonna pair these with some mini blinds because EH hates too much light in the morning.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>Carpet runner 3 x ? for entryway.</b> Our entryway is pretty long so the longer the length the better. I'm only sure that I need the width to be 3'. I'm really excited about going back to the carpet outlet for this one. We scored so incredibly with our living room rug that we can't <i>not</i> go back and see if lightning strikes twice. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>Clock for bedroom wall.</b> I've been wanting this one for a long time. The only "clocks" in our bedroom right now are our cell phones. It'll be nice to see how insanely late it is without blinding myself with the phone light when I wake up for feedings and changings. Also, I love the soothing sound of a ticking clock.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>Gold/white spray paint for frames.</b> This one is overdue. I may do this tomorrow just to get it over with. I've wanted to update my dark frames in the living room and now is the perfect time to do it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>Make hanging paper garland for W's nook.</b> I've been racking my brain to find a way to add a little more sweetness to W's nook. It's looking pretty bare in there right now. I saw some cute ideas on Pinterest with paint chips but I'm not sure I wanna hoard paint chips at the store. Instead I'll go to Michaels and get some colored scrapbook paper and make my garland with that. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>Blue/gold/cream throw for poang chair.</b> The green throw that's currently on Poang doesn't go with my color scheme at all. This is a pretty easy and inexpensive fix and requires a trip to TJ Maxx/Home Goods, which is always nice.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>Rugs for bedroom.</b> I'd love to get two matching, washable, his/her throw rugs for our bedroom. This also requires a trip to </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">TJ Maxx/Home Goods. Yay!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>New garbage can for kitchen.</b> Our current one doesn't even have a cover and, while it doesn't smell, it's not visually appealing. </span></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>Clean the refrigerator.</b>This is embarrassing but I've only cleaned my fridge once since we moved in. I know that folks will be bringing food by after W's arrival and I need the fridge to look somewhat presentable.</span></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[ ] <b>Make canvas art for the living room.</b> Also long overdue and requires a trip to Michaels for some paint and canvases. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well, that's the list so far! Really hoping I can get 'er done before this little one comes along...</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecIz2c0AMXSRbIpkl_UkfCz4fUzu6gJ5mK8KcggtDEfIEPQEVj-RB0I32FjQQhGKNngW5ocZXX2LrXNsbA-HKUeJNzLDdoGab52-k9orbQ2DVEL5FuaQmokS29bhXNWYn_rR_0wB97sA/s1600/27+weeks+3d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecIz2c0AMXSRbIpkl_UkfCz4fUzu6gJ5mK8KcggtDEfIEPQEVj-RB0I32FjQQhGKNngW5ocZXX2LrXNsbA-HKUeJNzLDdoGab52-k9orbQ2DVEL5FuaQmokS29bhXNWYn_rR_0wB97sA/s1600/27+weeks+3d.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></div>
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Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!! We got a 3D ultrasound today at our Peri appointment. Joy is <i>not</i> the word for what I'm feeling. No word exists. I finally know what this little squirming thing inside me looks like....and it's just crazy...MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-83795650057990290472014-04-15T13:09:00.002-04:002014-04-15T13:09:16.428-04:0026 Weeks/Feathering the Nest<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6TQNZZqxqJ9qJSo9g-OmsKvFkvIhfptqHKLsyR67wRNhkoaWe1BHR6NrUIhCjtKa2tyKVtA8tNrmemWxxZF0avCmMb-mg7QBwSiVyy1jRyxMGN_spLi5lW_B7Wdgtx3ReqkwrZOyYEY/s1600/26+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6TQNZZqxqJ9qJSo9g-OmsKvFkvIhfptqHKLsyR67wRNhkoaWe1BHR6NrUIhCjtKa2tyKVtA8tNrmemWxxZF0avCmMb-mg7QBwSiVyy1jRyxMGN_spLi5lW_B7Wdgtx3ReqkwrZOyYEY/s1600/26+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I popped...maybe...hanging out in the nursery nook</td></tr>
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26 WEEKS!!! Arggggggghhhhhhh!!!! I'm really grateful to be here :-) I think I'll finally be able to breathe a little easier when we hit the 28 week mark in a few weeks.<br />
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EH and I put the deposit down on our YMCA space this past Sunday and I'm so happy to get that out of the way. I'm almost to the point of letting it go. All we have left to do is find a place to cater the food and get the drinks! I had a moment of doubt the other day thinking about the food. Should I still go with the sandwiches and hot food? or just hot food and a salad? EH always tells me that I have Jamaican tendencies when it comes to food...i.e. I'm stingy with food! I never go to an event expecting people to have loads and loads of food but apparently this is the Dominican way and he wants me to get with the program. The invite list has been sent to my best friend and I'm feeling pretty OK about it.<br />
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We're in the process of feathering the nest this week. We finally got the dresser complete and I love the way it looks. I convinced EH to leave the sides alone and just draped an extra curtain that we stopped using over the top so that it would hang over the sides. The pop of white against the dark wood really does it for me. I hung a piece of art over the changing table as a place holder. I'm not exactly sure what I want there. EH wants to put a mirror there but I'm leery of putting something so heavy above the changing table. I've put the few dresser things that I have on the dresser for now but I may have to find a new home for them. I'm keeping my little lamp so we have some light for nighttime changing.<br />
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I'm happy to say that Whelpalina now has a sizeable wardrobe thanks to her previously estranged grandma! It was such a weird day. We drove up to see my mom not really knowing what to expect but she was gracious and acted as though we had been in contact with each other for the past three years. It felt very strange for me because I don't like pretending things didn't happen that hurt me and our relationship but I had to keep reminding myself that this is how she deals with things. I don't have to agree with it but I can respect the way she chooses to cope. The best part of the trip was reuniting with my younger half brother who I haven't seen in years. I really thought he wouldn't want to see me so I was nervous. He reached out to me and we hugged a bunch of times before this picture was taken, then he went away to play his video games! I truly had to hold back happy tears I was so happy to see him. He's going to be 16 this year!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68rCJk-2f8hFdMvlQXTDEV2-TjnDItrhUWktyB_VtPCQ5Ooy3Yd7fjMeLqWGzNSGuuPyp973G4PemE8XK83yMTGRsOuRUuowkoy5RhqFdCpUbkakQPj9aLRPhz8kp4AqkhEjDjWuqe3Q/s1600/chris+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68rCJk-2f8hFdMvlQXTDEV2-TjnDItrhUWktyB_VtPCQ5Ooy3Yd7fjMeLqWGzNSGuuPyp973G4PemE8XK83yMTGRsOuRUuowkoy5RhqFdCpUbkakQPj9aLRPhz8kp4AqkhEjDjWuqe3Q/s1600/chris+and+me.jpg" height="640" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm no sure what was happening with this dress. I look about 60!</td></tr>
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We hopped in our cars and went to Woodbury Commons outlet mall, which is apparently a huge thing here in the East. I had never been before and to say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. You can literally get lost in this place. We went there on a Thursday afternoon and it was packed with people from all over the world. We hit up the Carter's outlet and my mother proceeded to rack up hundreds of dollars buying things for Whelpalina. At certain points I had to tell her that it wasn't necessary to buy ALL THE THINGS!! Poor EH's eyes popped out of his head when he saw the total at the cash register. Speaking of EH...I wish I had taken a picture of this man running all over the store...ooohing and aaahing and putting things in his basket for our daughter. He was too, too excited!! It was nice to see him so happy but I was the voice of reason on this trip, ya'll! Here are a few of our favorites:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwRx_xD22wtgoO5x54CN4yr-LrKNATBPHTqYuZO-MI-LGwZopu-8bto2KGA_0VDjhVoc6ozKwqr8BfCQEjsEWZHBscbRDzzT9FbOM-UBFloQeEfKi1B6l2shIcW2K80h7VfgRcKW4zLo/s1600/selah+clothes+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwRx_xD22wtgoO5x54CN4yr-LrKNATBPHTqYuZO-MI-LGwZopu-8bto2KGA_0VDjhVoc6ozKwqr8BfCQEjsEWZHBscbRDzzT9FbOM-UBFloQeEfKi1B6l2shIcW2K80h7VfgRcKW4zLo/s1600/selah+clothes+2.jpg" height="380" width="640" /></a></div>
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The pink frilly onesie on the bottom is her going home onesie. I found it at Marshalls for like 10 bucks! Win! I liked that the frilly stuff was on the outside of the onesie so it won't irritate her skin. I have to admit that I go look in her drawers at least once a week and touch the clothes like a true creepster....<br />
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All in all, we were super thankful to be gifted all of these wonderful things. And who knows? Maybe we can cobble together some kind of actual relationship with my mother. One thing's for sure, she'll have a way better experience with her than I did growing up and that counts for something.<br />
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Getting all of these clothes has highlighted a need I didn't think we would have for a while....closet space! There's no way Whelpalina's clothes can fit in my closet so we're going to have to get her a temporary one. I was thinking of just getting a simple bookcase from Ikea and using it as a mini closet for her clothes, blankets, toys, etc. until she can have her own room. Similar to this but I would probably add a nice kiddie wallpaper to the back of it to add some color.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKC8vOtWEPD3c8TPhf6_TgEMapmi-m0GqxJdt_u1TzESMnU59lysdX4eHoziBy76TLMVkKfpLAH-WmBVigT8GVe6H01GAHklAobuxl63-GIG_yzQZUFtTNe8PMQcF1NCtf9Hh73FNK7No/s1600/selah+closet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKC8vOtWEPD3c8TPhf6_TgEMapmi-m0GqxJdt_u1TzESMnU59lysdX4eHoziBy76TLMVkKfpLAH-WmBVigT8GVe6H01GAHklAobuxl63-GIG_yzQZUFtTNe8PMQcF1NCtf9Hh73FNK7No/s1600/selah+closet.jpg" height="400" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinterest.com</td></tr>
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My best friend graciously gifted us with my Godson's old Chicco car seat this week as well. My little Godchild outgrew that thing in like four months. His momma is super tall so I can't say I was surprised. It's the exact same one we were going to buy, in the exact same color (because she and I are that in sync), and it hasn't been in any accidents so we're confident it's the smart move, especially for something that she may grow out of right away.<br />
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EH loves to pet it when he gets home from work everyday and takes great pride in showing me how it works at least once a week.MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-21557727376428610462014-04-08T16:13:00.001-04:002014-04-08T16:13:49.984-04:0025 Weeks/Silent Nights<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirla5varoavepzBbFlbTkY9uACD_tBTv48I60m5_MG6iAzDbtFhvNWnS7ZArtKtQfRkz2eaxpsDXZkDrQRbncuG1hRtkFR8aPk7yWlq3pYFaOM0cSazq9knDOQQaNHzFqG08h9y8EZKs/s1600/25+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirla5varoavepzBbFlbTkY9uACD_tBTv48I60m5_MG6iAzDbtFhvNWnS7ZArtKtQfRkz2eaxpsDXZkDrQRbncuG1hRtkFR8aPk7yWlq3pYFaOM0cSazq9knDOQQaNHzFqG08h9y8EZKs/s1600/25+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm getting bigger and Whelpalina is moving now...well moving so that I can actually see it!! </td></tr>
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I'm having ultrasound withdrawal! I feel like I haven't seen Whelpalina in FOREVER!!<br />
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Anywho, things have been going pretty well. I haven't been as tired and haven't needed to take an afternoon nap this whole week. This is a big deal. I love having more energy.<br />
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EH and I are still dealing with the dresser/changing table. I really thought I would have an after picture to show by now but my really laid-back husband has totally become "Mr. Type A" overnight! He literally had a meltdown because the sides of the dresser don't look exactly like the top of the dresser. The stain looks pretty drippy on the sides but it's nothing you can see unless you're really looking for it. This is unacceptable to him so he's planning to redo it this weekend. <i>Sigh</i>. On the one hand I'm really annoyed that I haven't been able to put any clothes in my brand new dresser and that my bedroom is messy and, on the other hand, I'm really touched that he wants Whelpalina's changing table to be absolutely perfect.<br />
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Plans for my first baby shower are coming along splendidly! EH and I toured the space we'll be using at the YMCA and it's more than adequate for our purposes I think. We're booking the date for May 24th this Sunday and I am soooo excited to get this part out of the way. I met with my best friend and we talked briefly about the shower so I'm hoping everything goes well. I'm going to try and refrain from bothering her too much about it.<br />
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EH and I are meeting up with my mother this week so we need prayers! I feel pretty ambivalent about the whole thing. I have to keep reminding myself that this meeting is probably a good thing but being in her presence isn't exactly comforting because there's just so much bad history there. I went to TJ Maxx today to see if I could find an outfit for the occasion. I tried on , like, four things...evaluating each one on whether or not they made me look "happy" or "well-cared for" or "confident." Ugh....the neurosis was just terrible!! I hope I <b>never </b>make Whelpalina feel the way I do. I settled on a really pretty, flowy maxi dress. If I had my way, I would wear a maxi dress for every occasion. Maxi dresses are my friends. I also bought two scented candles. Winning!<br />
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<br />I'm kind of obsessed with decorating our apartment right now, though I haven't really bought anything new. This is definitely "nesting syndrome" with a dash of "yay, the weather is finally getting nice." I suddenly must have new curtains for the bedroom and living room and a new living room rug and a clock for the bedroom and that darn Ikea Poang chair. I really want to paint something new for the living room wall so I'll probably pick up some canvases and paint in the next few weeks. I recently picked up one of those white noise sound machines and I cannot tell you how it has changed my life. I have always been a light sleeper, probably a throwback to my childhood again. I can be awakened at night by my cat walking around the living room...it's that bad.<br />
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EH snores like a backhoe or some sort of sea monster or Godzilla and we have been trying any and everything to get the snoring under control before the baby comes. We tried breathe right strips....didn't work. We tried elevating him on pillows....didn't work. I got him a mouth guard from the drugstore which worked better than anything else we've tried but didn't stop it. I know that ultimately EH may have to lose about 10 pounds to really take care of the problem but that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon so compromises must be made.<br />
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Needless to say, I was about at my wits end with the snoring and I've gotten too big to sleep on the couch. We got the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marpac-Dohm-DS-Speed-Sound-Conditioner/dp/B000KUHFGM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396987211&sr=8-1&keywords=dohm+white+noise+machine" target="_blank">Marpac Dohm Sound Machine</a> from Amazon.com. I gotta say I was pretty skeptical because I'd read reviews that said it didn't exactly help in snoring situations but ,since I was going to get one for the baby anyway, I figured I would still use it even if it didn't help with the snoring. The first night wasn't the greatest. I had the frequency up too high, I think. After messing with it a bit I finally got the perfect tone that all but eliminates my need for earplugs. In fact, I've gone earplug free for the past two days!! I am so happy!! I mean I still hear the snoring here and there but it's muted enough by the white noise that I'm sleeping better than I have in a while. I am now confident that both I and Whelpalina will be able to sleep well in the near future and EH can sleep undisturbed at night without me kicking him in the back.<br />
MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-70996939743519308322014-04-01T15:35:00.000-04:002014-04-01T15:35:20.337-04:0024 weeks/DIY disaster??<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qcdI6plSebIDldQuMN9guf252gpbWpTT8vJpMvpSH5HmbKUHu0pTt6dS6Iknq1lMimAzEQ7FNkJ5oqy7pKT8mHSFWsx5eLloPEVuWGT9ygXsEbSwY8g8k2BaRXk5YDxJjCnAw_Plnyg/s1600/24+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qcdI6plSebIDldQuMN9guf252gpbWpTT8vJpMvpSH5HmbKUHu0pTt6dS6Iknq1lMimAzEQ7FNkJ5oqy7pKT8mHSFWsx5eLloPEVuWGT9ygXsEbSwY8g8k2BaRXk5YDxJjCnAw_Plnyg/s1600/24+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting bigger...er...wider!</td></tr>
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The Creator works in mysterious ways; I've actually been talking to my mother a lot lately, albeit by text message, to plan one of my three...yes THREE..baby showers. <i>Sigh</i>. After opening our mouths that I was already having a shower for friends, I felt that I needed to do something for family. But I'm relieving myself of any additional stress by having my mother deal with the family shower. She's eager to prove herself, or something, so I'm letting her. I think the possibility of a grandchild is making her strangely attentive. I'm not sure whether to see this as an answer to prayer or as a power play. I'm going to choose the former. <br />
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EH's family likely won't attend the the shower for my family due to some cultural issues. They don't like to travel very far from their homes and the language barrier is still an issue. We want them to feel just as comfortable so EH would like to hold something smaller for them.<br />
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I'm refusing to get stressed out about this; I'm focusing primarily on the shower for our friends and it's going pretty well, actually. We've decided to have the shower at the Bronx YMCA. It's cheap and doesn't look too horrible. We actually got the idea from friends of ours who held their baby shower at a YMCA in Queens. They provide tables and chairs, we provide everything else. Sounds good to me. We'll be having a local deli cater the shower. I figure we'll get a couple of 4ft heros, some hot food, a cold salad and drinks. I called a local restaurant that we were considering for the shower and was shocked to find that they were charging $1100!!! $1100 for a baby shower??!! Hell No.<br />
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<img class="irc_mut" src="http://bmdarch.net/project/003_client/YMCA-of-Greater-New-York/Bronx-YMCA/images/1.jpg" height="393" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="516" /><br />
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Meanwhile, I'm making another registry list with Target, so family members can have something to refer to. I have to admit it's kind of fun making the lists. I've never really been comfortable with asking for anything from anyone, not even family, so this is a very new experience for me. I like feeling sort of like Cinderella but I'm not really that invested in getting everything on the list.<br />
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We've finally made moves to get our bedroom ready for baby! Our huge elliptical machine has been relocated to the living room to make room for our little nursery nook. I can't wait to show the finished, minimal nook when it's done. It won't be anytime soon. There's still sooo much to get. We purchased a new 10 drawer dresser for the bedroom that will double as a changing table. We like Gothic Cabinet Craft for storage furniture because it's high quality, made with real wood and seems to last forever. We've already purchased a bookcase and a storage closet from them that have held up pretty well. This past weekend we got to work staining it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSZarVV9jrPySX2oitq8o-qZnibAAuOzmPMMOsrDv3IMTdMCNEZ48CwUe9lsx7Czk-wuI-HotIQ6dvzEdcdNAp-I0C0Ysjrm5jAl5nLG8W2NMj4weeP1_8Q1nB3oF3d3RPSsjKXzoxiw/s1600/painting+changing+table+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSZarVV9jrPySX2oitq8o-qZnibAAuOzmPMMOsrDv3IMTdMCNEZ48CwUe9lsx7Czk-wuI-HotIQ6dvzEdcdNAp-I0C0Ysjrm5jAl5nLG8W2NMj4weeP1_8Q1nB3oF3d3RPSsjKXzoxiw/s1600/painting+changing+table+1.jpg" height="481" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is EH's Breaking Bad pose...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I find that whenever we take on DIY projects it's either hit or miss. We got the dresser unfinished/unstained so that we could save some bucks by doing it ourselves. I think that in the future I would rather get it done in the store and delivered. The process was really time-consuming and smelly. It took some prep work and we didn't get the perfect results I was imagining.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGc1_nX0EOl17KoWavStNDy3QQpaTGykvE5A_zx0ev4wPQG0rntT8gWZo-C9h9-uHBRG6MuRCNzDberDoE6iZL241N9V1iBHhuoZobPjfZh-g2tg-ejxuGfPct7JrBKxcQVODOaygkEI/s1600/painting+changing+table+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGc1_nX0EOl17KoWavStNDy3QQpaTGykvE5A_zx0ev4wPQG0rntT8gWZo-C9h9-uHBRG6MuRCNzDberDoE6iZL241N9V1iBHhuoZobPjfZh-g2tg-ejxuGfPct7JrBKxcQVODOaygkEI/s1600/painting+changing+table+2.jpg" height="481" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In progress..</td></tr>
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This morning , I spent some time sanding down the drawers, which were a little nubby. We skipped the part about sanding the dresser BEFORE staining it so the color came out with a pebble-like texture in some places. I decided to spray paint the knobs a different color to add some contrast. I chose white in satin finish.<br />
We've only stained the top of the dresser and the drawers. The sides will have to wait until this weekend. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhk4UtsLxVQ00MWExL2Joc48Y6lcKC-N6uCxgrUwKsMEnWd-lMXcF4ww73MovezV5KpYLSMoJZgwwfeO6vfVSI30puJ8-NHZBuopL5iuy-ccMojjkJ6YjReHaicKCEX8iP42PAa9a7Q4/s1600/dresser+almost+complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhk4UtsLxVQ00MWExL2Joc48Y6lcKC-N6uCxgrUwKsMEnWd-lMXcF4ww73MovezV5KpYLSMoJZgwwfeO6vfVSI30puJ8-NHZBuopL5iuy-ccMojjkJ6YjReHaicKCEX8iP42PAa9a7Q4/s1600/dresser+almost+complete.jpg" height="382" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My job was to put the knobs on...this is as far as I got before I got tired..whomp whomp</td></tr>
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I can't wait for it to be done. I don't know how people do DIY all the time. My biggest DIY so far was painting our old bookcase, which was A LOT easier than this project. Our bedroom is a disaster area but it will be worth it in the end.MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-19147708956686111462014-03-25T11:52:00.002-04:002014-03-25T11:55:04.301-04:0023 weeks/Baby Shower Blues<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3u96PvDGiPpyxCZnmx5IfbL_Y2Vh_phN6qxGMaGcbcKB0-cGzq7hUPhucjVCPFVRnuQoWF03mTe1BWWR82SUJ2a0k8Yd7lT76sUC_4AoCqA5EIoXog2MOgXtViRhsXdYgruJB5sPgPg/s1600/23+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3u96PvDGiPpyxCZnmx5IfbL_Y2Vh_phN6qxGMaGcbcKB0-cGzq7hUPhucjVCPFVRnuQoWF03mTe1BWWR82SUJ2a0k8Yd7lT76sUC_4AoCqA5EIoXog2MOgXtViRhsXdYgruJB5sPgPg/s1600/23+weeks.jpg" height="320" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still growing strong! If you look closely you can see my unfortunate belly overhang!! Ha!</td></tr>
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These days I'm thinking back to a time not so long ago when I was ambivalent about a baby shower. I miss those days. My good friend sold it to me as a small gathering of friends that would only occur after 28 weeks, which I was adamant about. When I sat down and made a list of the few close friends I would like to be there, it turned out to be about 30 people O____O... <br />
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Then, after visiting with my extended family this past week, the questions I got the most was...<i>When is the shower?</i> followed by<i> Don't forget to let us know when the shower is.</i> Le Sigh. So now I'm thinking that EH and I can't exclude the family. So all together, including friends, this small gathering has turned into a guest list of 100 people!! 100 people for a baby shower!! Just writing it seems preposterous.<br />
<br />
EH and I sat down last week thinking about how in the world we could swing it. I can't expect my good friend to plan a shower for 100 people. That's just ridiculous! So I looked into some cheaper alternatives.<br />
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1. <b>Renting space from our local YMCA</b>. We went to a friend's baby shower a few years ago that took place at their local YMCA. The food was catered by a local restaurant. People came and went and it was cool and seemed stress free.<br />
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2. <b>Barbeque in the park</b>. This is still my front runner. EH is not as down with this idea because he's concerned about having to rent tables and chairs. I think it's just the easiest stress free thing to do. The food can be catered by a local restaurant. It would be low key. There are some picnic tables included.<br />
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3. <b>Rent a hall and get everything included.</b> This is my least favorite idea because a) I'm cheap and I don't want to spend the money, b) the food in catering halls is always bad and never what anyone wants to eat, including me and c) all the places I've looked at online are either tacky looking, have no parking or are in not so pretty areas.<br />
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I'm still mulling these things over but I gotta be honest...I'm a teensy bit upset that I'm having to even think about this at all. What it all boils down to is that I HATE asking for help. It's one of my worst character and spiritual flaws, in my opinion. I continue to believe that things will not be the way I envision them unless I do it myself. That the person I reach out to will drop the ball, the whole thing will fall apart and I'll end up looking like a fool. Partly, this is true but partly I tend to surround myself with some flaky folks who promise a lot but then don't deliver. This continues to be a growing edge for me.MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-26703129960565141022014-03-19T20:01:00.002-04:002014-03-19T20:01:40.174-04:0022 weeks!!/I Love Mayonnaise<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkdVgd2_k0nVr5MCw0JDrwteDfAGTC-TzzkhE0JpKtwl-3ATqX92zeCDRPPFqfBFUOySUsp2U6BU7rt_79wGz1qC61hou35c5BI0B-VeC6dvxStksGWM4MXjmsFZOTr0ClmKGgCOGrvI/s1600/22+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkdVgd2_k0nVr5MCw0JDrwteDfAGTC-TzzkhE0JpKtwl-3ATqX92zeCDRPPFqfBFUOySUsp2U6BU7rt_79wGz1qC61hou35c5BI0B-VeC6dvxStksGWM4MXjmsFZOTr0ClmKGgCOGrvI/s1600/22+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm getting bigger, as in fatter, ya'l!!</td></tr>
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Every Tuesday I think to myself, "this is going way too fast. There's way too much to do." All the other days of the week I think to myself, " Eh, I got plenty of time!"<br />
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EH and I saw a heart specialist today to check on Whelpalina's heart. EH was born with a hole in his heart that closed up by itself but we're just doing our due diligence. I spoke to Whelpalina in the shower yesterday and told her she had to be extra nice and not squirm around too much. She was pretty much asleep during today's ultrasound so I was very proud of her :-)<br />
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The doc said her heart looked great and totally normal with a good rhythm so we are thankful for that. He advised us to get another scan at 32 weeks because the Metformin might affect the way the heart develops later on. I've decided I'm not going to worry about it because he added that whatever effects it has diminishes after birth. Did you know that babies "breathe" through their hearts before their lungs develop? Apparently, there are two extra glands in the heart, one of them is called P4, that carry blood and let out extra air...if I'm understanding it correctly. They totally close up at birth. Isn't that cool? Totally blew my mind!<br />
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I've been seeing a lot of family this week due to a death in the family. My Aunt's husband passed away and the family has been gathering everyday to watch over her, cook, clean and generally keep her company. The circumstances have made me think about death in general. I've had only three deaths in my family so far, my grandparents and a great aunt, but these all happened way before my miscarriages. I think those experiences have skewed my idea of death.<br />
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I feel like my emotions regarding this most recent death has been one big shrug. Granted, we weren't exactly close and he has been very sick for a pretty long time. Maybe it hurts less because I expected it? Maybe I'm a little desensitized in that I now KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that bad things can and do happen and people survive? In either case, it's been really good to see family members I haven't seen in years, except on Facebook. I'm taking advantage of this opportunity because I know when Whelpalina comes I'll be preoccupied for a while.<br />
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********** <br />
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EH and my best friend are planning a baby shower for me that will include just our close friends. My mother, who I haven't really had a meaningful conversation with in a while, wants to throw a shower as well. I told her that I didn't really see the point since I was already having a shower so she has settled for just buying a boatload of clothes for the baby. My place isn't that big and I'm afraid I'll just get a bunch of stuff I can't use and that the baby will grow out of before she even wears them. The thought of having too much stuff drives me insane.<br />
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Now I'm feeling a bit guilty about not having a shower for my family members. We didn't include them in the friend shower because they truly are a multitude, on both sides, and I didn't want to saddle my best friend and husband with the cost of feeding and entertaining the whole brood. I'm at a loss as to what to do because I'm afraid feelings will be hurt. I'm totally open to suggestions and alternatives here. I wondered if I might do a little picnic in the park, with no need for gifts, in the summer so that all the family can come.<br />
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Meanwhile, I'm still eating like it's going out of style and my new craving is...mayonnaise! I know, totally gross, but the thought of a sandwich with a nice smear of mayonnaise on it makes me giddy.<br />
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MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-30593384934818544532014-03-11T13:58:00.005-04:002014-03-11T13:58:59.284-04:0021 Weeks!!/ Sleep is a Beautiful Thing<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHyB3LYuHW7dtd-_G-Pl5HRbICTAB6NIIWKpLkE8aVZAXwyuDFrBpKVq4FYr0gakCXNx3fbDnUmRDKGlzU4ulc_E-Ofw6utebLqK9Q6jz9_osj0Md9a_jufBwtsIvWiRf9Jq2fapDScI/s1600/21+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHyB3LYuHW7dtd-_G-Pl5HRbICTAB6NIIWKpLkE8aVZAXwyuDFrBpKVq4FYr0gakCXNx3fbDnUmRDKGlzU4ulc_E-Ofw6utebLqK9Q6jz9_osj0Md9a_jufBwtsIvWiRf9Jq2fapDScI/s1600/21+weeks.jpg" height="320" width="189" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've discovered a pattern; the bump is getting higher and maybe wider! :--)</td></tr>
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EH and I went to our 20 week appt at the Perinatologist this morning and I left feeling disappointed and just a smidge worried. First, their fancy schmancy/hi tech ultrasound machine broke so instead of viewing Whelpalina on a large flat screen we had to settle for a portable ultrasound machine---basically a lap top. It was really hard for me to make out the parts that the tech was pointing out. It all just seemed like a gritty blur on the screen. AND....we got no pictures...whomp whomp. The GOOD news is Whelpalina is doing just fine!! She was not into the ultrasound exam at all and was laying down with her ankles crossed so the tech really had to shake me around to get her to cooperate. Sounds like my daughter already! She's 13 oz and 10 1/2 inches long....HURRAY!! I am, indeed, feeding her enough :-)<br />
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I was a bit worried when the tech pointed out two fibroids that were growing in my uterus. They're pretty small (1cm each) and they don't seem to be affecting Whelpalina at all. The whole thing made my anxiety go into overdrive. I knew there was a possibility that my fibroids could grow back during pregnancy but I was hoping I would escape the inevitable. Either way, the doctor doesn't think they'll grow much more than that and EH assures me that Whelpalina has them beat on size alone.<br />
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**********<br />
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Since Whelpalina is doing well ,and we're feeling more confident with time, we've decided we can finally tell our extended family and good friends about the pregnancy. I ended up going with this card:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGB2rgPHVE1jY8qxCK0_zEkEPZq2fLCSSUCsg-YKp8Z3PBwHaBZvZ-jVLQSHrYBAePciO5KyiRfOj87DzTuwxhyphenhyphenzPSkVuWnI8SubONvNzI67EJptCOZDwi7IZrAxj8fklkisjV2y5vG4M/s1600/New+Announcement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGB2rgPHVE1jY8qxCK0_zEkEPZq2fLCSSUCsg-YKp8Z3PBwHaBZvZ-jVLQSHrYBAePciO5KyiRfOj87DzTuwxhyphenhyphenzPSkVuWnI8SubONvNzI67EJptCOZDwi7IZrAxj8fklkisjV2y5vG4M/s1600/New+Announcement.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></div>
I decided that it said everything I wanted to say so I stuck with it. I'm kind of anxious about the response that we're going to get. I'm sending it out as a private message to a select group of family and friends on Facebook just to make it easier on myself but I'm already feeling anxious about the sheer number of replies I'll have to make. I may just wait a few days for them all to come in and give a standard group "Thank You" to everyone. Am I the only one who gets overwhelmed by all this?? With the exception of my good friend from Canada who I spoke to a few minutes ago, I don't want anybody to call me because I don't have the energy to talk to people about the same thing over and over again. Am I wrong??<br />
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**********<br />
In other news, I'm TIRED. I mean, like, all the time. I no longer take naps during the day because it's a nice thing to do. Now, it's NECESSARY. I was getting ready to cook dinner the other day and I just fell out asleep on the couch and ended up cooking late. I just could not hang. The crazy thing is that when I do nap it's only for at most an hour and I'm still exhausted during the day but can't really sleep well at night, so I end up feeling pretty sleep-deprived. I recently went to babies r us and bought myself a Snoogle:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8PBTaLmP9zI71oIHCy-fvfio9jJ93xs0vhFV85J7eA1lsUJe0vrq1lv8UAkDTvPd2A6vZQBaaWVu5ndD3Nhw0xZh8qO5gkyBLdKiPlkLzAK9laCzVYT_ZN5MpV6hWLSBz4sOcfDLHc8/s1600/snoogle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8PBTaLmP9zI71oIHCy-fvfio9jJ93xs0vhFV85J7eA1lsUJe0vrq1lv8UAkDTvPd2A6vZQBaaWVu5ndD3Nhw0xZh8qO5gkyBLdKiPlkLzAK9laCzVYT_ZN5MpV6hWLSBz4sOcfDLHc8/s1600/snoogle.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey Snoogle, what's poppin??</td></tr>
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I'm convinced it's the best thing in the whole freakin' world!! I told EH that Snoogle and I have decided to run away together on a tropical vacation because Snoogle cuddles me all night long without me asking!.....he was very jealous. :-) Now, if I could only get my hot flashes under control....I may finally have some great sleep!<br />
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MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-32690485429945467802014-03-04T13:48:00.001-05:002014-03-04T13:48:25.842-05:0020 Weeks!!/Nursery Nook Ideas<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Cute idea when crib it in the parents room. Banner decal above the bed makes it look like crib is a part of the room. Love the gray and yellow combo." class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/cc/68/dd/cc68dd9c41ef8e41b2bdba78efd09eca.jpg" style="height: 640px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px; width: 455px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/2013/12/nursery-in-master-bedroom.html" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></td></tr>
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Today, I'm back with a look at some of my ideas for the whelp's nursery nook. That's right, folks, a nook! There are a few reasons why our little one won't be getting her own space until a little later on.<br />
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(1) We just don't have the space. Living in a one bedroom apartment in the city doesn't really allow for a separate space for Whelpalina, a new name inspired by Bek C!. We do plan to move to a different apartment in our building shortly after she's born but there's no guarantee that it'll be a two-bedroom.<br />
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(2) I'm a big proponent of some form of attachment parenting and I can't really see myself being separated from Whelpalina at nap times or overnight.<br />
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(3) Both EH and I grew up in cramped spaces and we'd like to think we turned out just fine. I didn't have my own bedroom until I was well into my teens, I shared with my 7 years younger brother, and EH lived in a one and a half bedroom apartment with three siblings. We've got a pretty large bedroom in our apartment now so she'll be hanging out with us in a corner of the room, similar to my inspiration pic. <br />
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I love a couple of things about the inspiration pic. EH and I finally got a new queen-sized bed on President's Day. We've been sleeping on a full-sized bed since we met in 2006! I say all this to say I'm pretty excited about decorating the bed. The color of the walls looks a lot like Ocean Air, the color from Benjamin Moore that's on our bedroom walls. I would love to get a headboard like the one pictured someday.<br />
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But enough about that. I've tried working with mood boards in the past and just got totally frustrated with it. I decided to give it another try because I need some kind of visual direction so I don't go all over the place with this nook.<br />
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Whelpalina's nook was inspired by the piece of homemade artwork that's in our bedroom, pictured above. It's a large piece I painted that's a mixture of blues, oranges, golds and mango yellow. We're going to place it on the wall above her crib, along with a print I saw on Etsy ( I Am A Child of God) that I'm going to get in a sunny yellow color, another piece of homemade art I drew before I got pregnant of a happy little girl (foreshadowing?? Maybe!), a picture from our yet to be booked maternity photo shoot, and a shot from our yet to be booked newborn photography shoot.<br />
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I'm not really sure what to use as a mobile above her crib. I like the idea of colorful paper poufs placed high up in the corner of the ceiling instead of hanging right over the bed. If I did them over the crib they would probably be a lot smaller than the ones pictured. I don't know if I trust myself to be that creative so it would be great if I could get them pre-made from Etsy or some other place so all I have to do is hang them.<br />
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Speaking of cribs, we probably won't be getting one for Whelpalina until she outgrows her co-sleeper. I love the idea of the co-sleeper for late night feedings and portability. We can take it with us when we're able to leave the house and it turns into a play yard, which I love because I'd like to have something separating her from Josh, the cat. The portable co-sleeper and maybe a baby rocking seat (for naps), like this one,<br />
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<img alt="Amazon.com: Fisher-Price Deluxe Bouncer, My Little Snugabunny: Baby" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/eb/99/7e/eb997e1eaf865e898345c76ab18f3557.jpg" height="200" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px;" width="150" />will be her primary residences until she outgrows them.<br />
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I'm really digging the crib in the picture. It's the <a href="http://www.babyletto.com/mercer-3-in-1-convertible-crib/" target="_blank">Hudson 3-in-1 convertible crib from Babyletto</a>. I love the modern two-tone color and the fact that it can convert to a toddler bed when the time comes.<br />
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Next to the crib, I've placed a good ole' staple from Ikea, <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49860970/" target="_blank">the Poang Rocking Chair</a>. I've wanted to get one of these just as extra seating for a long time but there always seems to be something more important going on so that idea has been benched multiple times. I love the Poang because it's pretty low profile and portable. I can sit with Whelpalina in our bedroom or I can bring it out into the living room and be sociable when we have guests. When it's done being used as a rocking chair/baby feeder I can see myself draping a really pretty throw over it and sitting in it for however long it lasts. I thought about getting a serious glider but when I pictured putting it in our living room it seemed way too big, clunky and generally out of place.<br />
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I've added a gold pouf footrest to my mood board because....it's a gold pouf footrest. It would be great to find something like it for a good price but in the end I have a few small, square ottoman/footrests scattered around my living room and I may just recover one of them in a nice fabric and reuse it instead.<br />
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Underneath the nook area, I'm thinking of placing a neutral, natural fiber rug. The room is already busy enough so no need to add colorful carpet. I'd love to use one of those beautiful Senegalese baskets as a hamper for the inevitable avalanche of dirty clothes Whelpalina will produce. I'm planning to use one of those ubiquitous clear Container Store containers for extra storage in the nook. It'll probably hold some clothing, diapers and extra supplies. The good news is I already have it as storage for my own clothes so no money involved there. I'm hoping to get an actual dresser for myself with real drawers before she arrives. Then, I'll be able to add a changing pad to that.<br />
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So that's it! Not much to the nook but I'm a simple girl and I like it that way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JUcBHvqp7oFYIF0TmfqGP1oQa4AP0gDJ5hwWj1XAi9-TmpP3jflDOb4gvtIwkfF0t2hJNYKBXF-ABijWM67m9g0kebkusen5l7klLaE39vGH7v-3s2Rc4A4KlZ64SqJrnS2hIBODlqE/s1600/20+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JUcBHvqp7oFYIF0TmfqGP1oQa4AP0gDJ5hwWj1XAi9-TmpP3jflDOb4gvtIwkfF0t2hJNYKBXF-ABijWM67m9g0kebkusen5l7klLaE39vGH7v-3s2Rc4A4KlZ64SqJrnS2hIBODlqE/s1600/20+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 Weeks!! I don't see much of a change but new stretch marks have appeared! Oh Joy!</td></tr>
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MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-32524681533717647722014-02-25T12:30:00.001-05:002014-02-25T12:30:47.692-05:0019 weeks!! /Spilling the Beans<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozqpVbtpi_6Zv9nywG_4tiHV5rqAooH6Zfwrwqh7QpqMSZ0iB3E1LiVAMfEtvLMEKWU6E7GFNA08QsTK0XxPvuWfIAOJW_HUzcQsH9GfiWOZ811btg_1rxYjgx_X5cOxANPdCykIfFMs/s1600/19+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozqpVbtpi_6Zv9nywG_4tiHV5rqAooH6Zfwrwqh7QpqMSZ0iB3E1LiVAMfEtvLMEKWU6E7GFNA08QsTK0XxPvuWfIAOJW_HUzcQsH9GfiWOZ811btg_1rxYjgx_X5cOxANPdCykIfFMs/s1600/19+weeks.jpg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I changed my top for this picture 'cause I was looking a HOT mess!</td></tr>
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I am soooo excited today because I can (sort of) breathe! I've been using these babies <img alt="Breathe Right Nasal Strips, Extra Clear for Sensitive Skin" border="0" height="200" hspace="0" src="http://pics1.ds-static.com/prodimg/491388/300.JPG" title="Breathe Right Nasal Strips, Extra Clear for Sensitive Skin" vspace="0" width="200" /><br />
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everyday for the past few weeks and I haven't relied on them as much in the past few days...at least not during the day. Maybe my nose is officially spreading!!! Oh happy day!! <br />
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This past week on EH's birthday (Feb 19th), we trekked over to see David's mom and dad with the good news. We presented them with a cute little card, which I wish I had taken a picture of now, that said something about " a new granddaughter to love" and included one of the whelp's sonogram pictures. The response was epic!! E-PIC!<br />
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My mother-in-law screamed "Mi Nieta!! Mi Nieta!!"(which means my granddaughter) for like 10 minutes straight. The rest of the night was spent plying me with food. Go figure. My father-in-law physically interacted with me for the first time ever. He cut me like 20 pieces of mango after dinner and I dutifully ate every piece..even though I was stuffed to the gills. We had already broke the news to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law so they were in on the surprise.<br />
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I'm super thankful that I got such a great, loving, excited reaction from my in-laws because, with the exception of my brother, the reaction from my side of the family was pretty muted. I invited my brother and my father over for dinner to break the news. My brother was super excited and happy for us. My dad's reaction was a bit more solemn. I believe his response was, "That's great! You got what you wanted." My dad has always been a bit subdued but the response was still a little weird to me.<br />
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Whomp, Whomp!<br />
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I told my mother via email because I didn't want to deal with her in person. I got a phone call from her two days later scolding me for sending the news to her email address because , "I don't check it that often so it's lucky I saw it." Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Now, this response I expected so it didn't affect me as much. Unfortunately, my mother has a knack for making anything that isn't about her....about her.<br />
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She said congratulations but there wasn't any real excitement or happiness in her voice. She extended an invitation for me to contact her in a week, when she's off work, or so if I wanted to meet up with her and chat. I probably won't be doing that because I could tell she didn't really mean it. Anyway, I can't imagine what parenting advice she could possibly give me. EH and I have decided that we're going to leave any further contact/involvement up to her.<br />
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In the meantime, I'm getting ready to tell my gargantuan extended family and our friends about the baby. I'm doing it via facebook/email because I can't see myself calling everyone individually. I searched all over Etsy to find some options and was surprised that there were a bunch of announcements to say the baby was born...but not much to say, "I'm pregnant."<br />
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Option #1<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/024/0/8426281/il_570xN.561614214_ypov.jpg" style="height: 428px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 321px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: LCODesignandPaperie</td></tr>
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Option #2:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/006/0/6703541/il_570xN.384404214_tggl.jpg" style="height: 337px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 471.966px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: EverburgPhotography</td></tr>
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I'm leaning towards option #1....but I like that we would be able to include an ultrasound photo in Option #2. I think EH is gonna be the tie-breaker here.<br />
MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-63150692503052494612014-02-21T13:26:00.002-05:002014-02-21T13:26:17.634-05:00Blueprint Marriage Retreat<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XVBMYhjFsr8TKM2jS0Li9eLmAsaJK-WFb_8K7jMnsAH1UCyMWW5EZtII0LwL3huk28ecZzFcPnpkCwwerWgYoLsLLvEHHa5uR1dYzBP_L7Sukn1VRPE0fiC5wZQL6xlem3SnQBL2oy8/s1600/Marriage+Retreat+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XVBMYhjFsr8TKM2jS0Li9eLmAsaJK-WFb_8K7jMnsAH1UCyMWW5EZtII0LwL3huk28ecZzFcPnpkCwwerWgYoLsLLvEHHa5uR1dYzBP_L7Sukn1VRPE0fiC5wZQL6xlem3SnQBL2oy8/s1600/Marriage+Retreat+2014.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">taken during a break in the marathon weekend...</td></tr>
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On Valentine's weekend, EH and I went off to the marriage retreat put on by our marriage group. We were pretty excited to see everyone again, especially since we haven't been able to meet for the past month due to the crazy snowstorms we've been getting up here in the north.<br />
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Our retreat took place in Bloomington, New Jersey at the Star Lake camp. I really wish we could have walked the grounds and get a feel for the place but it was pretty cold so we spent most of our time indoors. We arrived at the camp at about 9PM and got settled before we plunged headfirst into the first introductory session. It didn't last too long, thank goodness, because I was pretty beat at 9PM! We did end up having a pretty heavy one-on-one session with another married couple that turned out to be a real blessing.<br />
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We shared a little about what we've been going through the past few years and some issues we want to keep working on. They shared some hard things that they've gotten through in their marriage and prayed the most awesome power prayer for us at the end of our session. It really was a balm because at the end of the weekend we were feeling much more secure that our little one was a gift that we would ,indeed, get to open. We also made some really good friends!<br />
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Back in our room, a little gift bag was waiting for us that included this gem, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/101-Conversation-Starters-Couples-Conversations/dp/0802408370" target="_blank">101 Conversation Starters for Couples</a>. We haven't cracked it open yet but I'm really looking forward to it because I loooooveeeee talking. I don't know if I should keep it in the car or keep it in the bedroom. Did I mention there was no television in our room?? I was sooooo happy that we would truly get to spend some quality time together without the darn television. I've become increasingly concerned we spend entirely too much time on media. EH and I have already agreed that we want to severely limit our television/social media usage when the whelp is born. <br />
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The next morning we started our first session at 9AM right after breakfast. We reviewed the chapters we'd read so far and had some nice discussions about hardships in marriage. There were a few cool couples' team-building activities as well. In one, we had to write about something we found difficult to live up to in our marriage...using our non-dominant hand. In another, we had to make a play-dough sculpture together with one hand behind our backs.<br />
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We had a discussion about sex and intimacy, which I thought could have been a little more in depth, but for the time that we had it was pretty good. I really would have liked to talk about how social media, internet and television serve to inhibit intimacy, but maybe I'll get to bring it up another time.<br />
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Since Saturday was our only full day, we went until 7pm. After, we found a cool spot and played a guys vs girls game of Taboo. My favorite part of the trip by far was getting to know everyone better and feeling more connected to our new church family <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQU6VSQvgRhgXYGaMbZJtvdRNv_IL0AWA8UcATyn7rnOKYJlr3tx4qGcb50zk-3BYutSz7rmN17YEPCzbEpMNJnCcZoQqfhqVSdkJnRfWrX3rZXOSQpugiwaADtnx7t8GqkNPf0XQTSc/s1600/TSF+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQU6VSQvgRhgXYGaMbZJtvdRNv_IL0AWA8UcATyn7rnOKYJlr3tx4qGcb50zk-3BYutSz7rmN17YEPCzbEpMNJnCcZoQqfhqVSdkJnRfWrX3rZXOSQpugiwaADtnx7t8GqkNPf0XQTSc/s1600/TSF+2014.jpg" height="320" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We look warm, don't we!?</td></tr>
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MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134545276383430713.post-32491376092616210912014-02-21T12:35:00.001-05:002014-02-21T12:35:20.434-05:0018 weeks!!<u><b>18 Weeks</b></u><br />
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I underwent some sort of mutant transformation this week, ya'll! I took that pic and then compared it to my 17 week pic and was amazed at the difference. I really haven't been eating all that extra. In fact, I've only gained a pound since my last Ob/Gyn appointment. I'm shaking my head at the wonders of the human body.<br />
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I've been watching the scale like a hawk hoping to GAIN weight but so far no dice. This week we had an appointment with the Ob/Gyn and we asked if we should be worried about my lack of weight gain. She said as long as I was healthy, the amount of pounds I put on didn't really matter. That put my mind at ease.<br />
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I've been reading these baby books that are telling me I should be gaining 1-2 pounds a week and it just ain't happening for me. I have to keep reminding myself that every woman's body reacts differently in pregnancy and also that I wasn't exactly a toothpick before I got pregnant so minimum weight gain might be best for me in the long run.<br />
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Now I'm concerned about where exactly this child will go when she gets bigger! She was only 6 inches and 6 ounces last week and I've barely crossed the mile marker of my pregnancy. I'm not the tallest tree in the forest, ya'll! So far, breathing is a little more difficult, my sinuses are kicking my butt, my ribs hurt when I cough and I'm having some back pain. I'm pretty sure there's no more room to grow upwards so I guess it'll have to be outwards.<br />
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In other cool news....I'm feeling some movement! Or at least what I think is movement... It mostly happens at night when I'm laying in bed. I've felt some sharp pains, which could be kicks, and some rolls. I like the rolls better than the kicks. :-) <br />
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MrsPerfectlyImperfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088664216114953653noreply@blogger.com2