35 weeks!

I've spent the past two nights at dress rehearsal for "The Marvelous Wonderettes" and it's starting to show. My feet are looking chubby. Usually my feet are super veiny, like Angelina Jolie's hands (look it up, her hands have really pronounced veins.) But now, thanks to heat and lots of working on my feet, they are a little swollen. I won't post a pic because my feet aren't cute. At all. But that is another story....

Baby Shower

Last Saturday my aunts, my sister and my Mom threw me a baby shower.  It was a lot of fun and it was well attended, for a Saturday in the summer (it's always a challenge!)  Hilary spearheaded the decorations with help from Pinterest.  She did a GREAT job, especially since she arrived from Vegas earlier that day.  She is seriously amazing.

I didn't take any pictures at the shower itself so I might add more when we visit my parents.  If I remember.  Until then, enjoy the pictures from right before the shower started!

Cute banner

Treat table

ADORABLE dresser with some of the gifts on top

Hil even decorated the window sill

A close up of the photo

I've spent the past two weeks working at the Lyric (thank you overhire) and working on The Marvelous Wonderettes for Midvale Arts.  It has been exhausting but nice to have a lot to do.  My next doctor's appointment is on July 5th, I'll be 34 weeks!  This pregnancy is going by so fast!

I had a cuh-razy experience on Monday night.  I was laying in bed and I could feel Mina kicking.  I put my hand on my stomach and I could feel her foot.  Her FOOT.  It was so creepy/incredible/unnerving/amazing/exciting that I can't really explain it.  It was just another experience that is reminding me how close Motherhood is getting.  I really hope we're ready!

32 weeks!

I had a routine appointment this morning, the first of my every two weeks instead of every month check ups. I mentioned that I had been feeling a lot of Braxton Hicks recently (especially yesterday) but they weren't regular nor did they intensify.  After Dr. Kirkman examined me he said (approximately) "The good news is that your cervix is closed but the baby is already pretty low.  I'd say you are about 25% effaced.  I think you'll probably have this baby a few weeks early."  He talked to me about paying attention to the symptoms and to call if I start feeling actual contractions.  I don't know how early Mina will come but it sounds like we might have a July baby and not have an August baby!

It was sort of surreal to hear that she will most likely come early (and not just from my Mom who has been saying it for months.)  If Mina is 3 weeks early then we'll have a baby in 5 WEEKS.  That is just over a month, folks.  That is sort of crazy.

I'm not going to post another bump picture because I personally don't really like them.  I figure I posted enough on this blog already.  I just hope I don't regret it later on.  Oh well!

30 weeks!

Almost!
I had an appointment on Wednesday at 29 weeks.  It was my last monthly appointment, now I'll go every two weeks.  It's hard to believe that this pregnancy is going by so fast!  My appointment was "extra fun" because I had to drink the dreaded glucose drink to check for gestational diabetes.  I guess I was nervous about it because I hardly slept at all the night before.  The drink was tolerable but not tasty by any means.  It tasted like flat, thick orange soda.  For someone who doesn't drink pop often, it was a lot to swallow.  An hour later they drew my blood and ran tests.  (Quick side story.  The phlebotomists at the Lodge are AMAZING.  It hardly hurts when they poke and I hardly bruise afterwards.  My past experience hasn't been great so I'm really happy about the experiences I've had at the Lodge.)  After that I had my regular appointment with Dr. Kirkman.  Everything looked good, I've been really fortunate.  He did warn me about being too "good natured" in terms of pains and discomfort.  He told me to pay attention to the pain, especially when the Braxton Hicks turn into real contractions.  I realize I have a little while longer until that will happen but I'm sure it will happen before I know it!

The office called a few days later to say that my levels looked good; no gestational diabetes or anemia.  But, there were trace amounts of Strep so I'm taking antibiotics now.  It's a much better outcome than it could have been!  I might post another bump picture later this week.  I would do it now but I don't look cute because I haven't gotten ready for the day yet.  Speaking of clothes, last weekend we went to the Gap Outlet store in Riverdale. (Since when is OGDEN the place to go?  They get the first Sephora in JC Penney and now the only Gap north of Salt Lake?  Weird!!!)  I was told to visit by my lovely friends, Jenny and Caroline, who both scored major deals when they visited.  I was NOT disappointed.

They don't carry maternity at their store but they did have a lot of blousy tops and tunics.  I bought them in a larger size, added a belt and they WORK!  I bought:

1. A long blue t-shirt (I need to add elastic to ruche the sides, I'll do that today)
2. A silver braided belt
3. Pink and brown dotted tunic
4. White and blue dotted tunic with pin tucks (my FAVORITE top!)
5. Hot pink and black sports bra

The most "expensive" item was the sports bra but it was only $10 so it hardly broke the bank.  The shirts were $2 for the tee and $3 each for the other two.  I think the belt was $5 or $6.   I was so happy to get so much for so little.  I seriously felt like my amazing sister, Hilary, queen of bargain shopping.

Quilt

I think I have figured out what I am going to do with the cute fabric I bought almost two weeks ago.  I am going to make a quilt!

Granted, I need to buy more fabric but I have the dimensions marked out and I figured out how big the squares and rectangles need to be.  I hope I can find a nice green fabric to go with the pink patterned fabric and a brown that coordinates with the brown in the pattern.  It was kind of fun to make up a quilt pattern on the computer using Paint (because it is still 1995...) I took the idea for the quilt from this quilt on Pinterest:

I wanted to add a little bit more interest with the small squares and I wanted to use more of the pink patterned fabric.  That is one thing that I love about sewing, as long as you are logical, you can do whatever you want.  Within reason, of course.

Now the hunt begins to find the rest of the fabric.  I think I'll go to Bernina this time around because it's much closer than Suppose.  And the ladies there are SO nice.  Not like the rude people that work at JoAnn's...

I'll keep "you" posted with my progress.

This could be interesting because I have only ever made one other quilt in my life and two pieced projects.  The quilt was a tee shirt quilt that I cobbled together out of high school and early college era shirts that I loved but no longer wore.  It turned out fairly good.  It's warm and it hasn't fallen apart, yet.  The pieced projects were a pillow I made in 4H (I got a blue ribbon for it!) and a sampler that I never did finish.  The sampler was started in a neighborhood quilting class I took with my Mom years ago.  I'm pretty sure I didn't have a license so it was more than 12 years ago.  With that out in the open I should say that I am pretty competent and I CAN sew a straight line.  That's all this quilt will be, straight lines.

I'll do my best!

Nesting?

Last Monday I went on an adventure to Suppose, an adorable fabric store in Preston, Idaho.  

Welcome to IDAHO!

It was totally worth the drive because I found both of these fabrics on clearance.  

Blush Deco Plants, Filigree, by Art Gallery Fabrics

Glitzy Pink Spring Magic Woven by April Cornell

 Initially I was going to make some maternity tops out of them but after laying both out on our couch I thought about using them in Mina's room.  I should say eventual room because I'm not sure where we will be in August.  I love how they look together, especially in real life, as opposed to sample pictures on web sites.

My Suppose spoils.  I made a shirt out of the cream and blue fabric.  I'm not sure how I feel about it.

The other cog in the machine is this painting:

The Cradle by Berthe Morisot

Obviously not the actual painting, that is in the Musee D'Orsay but a rather subpar reproduction I bought on a whim years ago.  I've loved this painting since I was in 3rd grad and maybe someday I will post a picture of my 3rd grade version.  It's pretty funny because I used crayons and a pencil.  I remember trying so hard to get the colors right, it was a good thing I always had a massive supply of crayons.  No basic pack for this girl!

Anyway, I'm not sure if they go together concept-wise.  Art deco and impressionist?  I'm not really sure.

Something I AM sure about?  How crazy these pants are:

I found this MATERNITY pattern in the Burda pattern book at Jo-Ann's.  I was looking for a cute top pattern but I had no luck.  Apparently pattern makers think that pregnant women want to dress like older ladies, in flowy tops that tent with ugly handkerchief hems.  No thank you!

Last week James cleaned out our dishwasher.  He is such a champ.  It was starting to smell and the dishes seemed dirtier after a wash cycle.  Gross.  While he was working he decided to take the front piece off the bottom to vacuum underneath.  He found a screw driver under there!  We figured it belonged to Darryl so James put it in the shop.  It was pretty funny to see James pull it out.

Is it weird that I miss being able to lay on my stomach?  I totally do.

Way to go Dr. Armstrong!

On Monday my Mom texted me and asked if I wanted to go to Vegas that weekend. She and my Dad were going to for Josh's graduation from dental school. It's hard to believe that it has been four years since my sister and her family moved to Vegas. It's been a bumpy road for them, from Hilary's complicated pregnancy with Avery to to losing Josh's Mom to cancer, they have been through a lot! Add that on top of the stress and hard work of dental school. Josh and Hilary are AMAZING!

When they left for Nevada their family was comprised of two, with one on the way. Now they have two adorable kids and a new adventure in Illinois. It will be hard to have them so far away but it is a great opportunity for them.

Congratulations, Josh! (and Hilary!)