We've gone pink!

 Nine Weeks to Go!!!

OK baby, we have a car seat for you! We're almost ready! 

This week brought more nesting, purging and dusting off of old items to be sold at the garage sale.  The garage is now packed with more stuff than can be displayed inside of it.  We are also short a table or two.  Hoping to get that resolved by early this week so we can be ready to go by Thursday when my mom will bring over her garage sale group from Lyng.  I can't be open on Thursday, since it is one of my busier days at work, but we can be ready for the ladies to rummage through -- a sneak peek.
 

Wednesday, we had another doctors appointment. I did not feel fantastic this week and my iron was pretty low -- so my midwife suggested I start taking some iron supplements -- hoping that it will help with my energy level and the queasiness. But, baby is good and headed in the right direction (head down!) -- I hope she stays that way! I have just been praying like crazy that she's not feet first when she decides she's done cooking.  So, STAY PUT, BABY! I don't know why I still have this picture in my head that she is floating about, arms and legs akimbo like an astronaut in space. She's big now, and packed in there like a sardine, so I don't think she's floating about anymore.
 

Baby's room is still in progress.  The dresser we got from my mom looks fresh and cute with new drawer pulls and new white paint.  Saturday we took a trip to Pottery Barn Kids and picked up a really great shelf that will look cute above the crib.  But, um -- we don't exactly have a crib, yet.  I have looked at approximately eleventy-hundred cribs thus far.  We are still holding out for the best deal on something solid. 

Today is Sunday and it has been anything but lazy.  We woke up early to the sounds of our neighbor across the alley who was already busy with a bobcat and a group of dudes, tearing down his old garage.  I got up and started to work on the baby's room.  Jamie had to run the the hardware store, so he went out back and reported to the boys that while they were bulldozing Steve's garage, he was inside painting a room pink. Sorry, babe -- maybe someday you too can play with large man toys, but today -- pink paint.

We finally decided on what we think may be our tactic for the paint, so we cleaned out the room, washed the walls, taped and got to painting.  I love love love the color -- and outside of a little paint that peeled off the wall where we had taped, but were not planning to paint, it has turned out reasonably well.  Still some touching up to do, but I am excited about how it looks thus far.
 

In the pink at 31 weeks

We had to wrap up our painting early to head to a birthday party.  My Grandpa's sister Evie is 90! Wow, what a party -- tons of people and Evie's artwork was on display all over the two large party rooms at their apartment building.  We hung out with Grandpa and Nefa, ate some food and socialized.   I had some time to catch up with my Grandma's sister, Babs, she reported that she is still looking for a man, preferably one who can drive at night. I guess priorities change when you hit those "golden years".   I had very little time when we got home from Evie's party before I had turn around and head about to another birthday party for my friend Saj (she's the center on my line -- my favorite center!).  Happy Birthday, Evie and Saj! OK, tired now.

 The birthday girl

Hanging with Nefa and Gramps at Evie's party

This week will bring more of the same - working on garage sale stuff, working on baby's room and working on staying upright.

Up next, beyond hocking our goodies in the alley on Friday and Saturday, I'll be participating in a maternity fashion show! Yes, you read that right -- I'll be wearing fashions from Hot Mama and walking the catwalk at Creative Kidstuff! No kidding. Should be interesting.  I guess I'll have something to talk about in my next post!

30 weeks, 3 days...

It's a beautiful Tuesday morning here - they say it's going to be 73 and sunny today.  We've had a just marvelous spring thus far.

I was sick yesterday, just felt crummy and low energy.  I moved two of my clients over to today, canceled one and had the other one covered.  I didn't move far.  It was so nice outside, but I didn't feel well enough to even sit in the back yard.

So today is a busier Tuesday than usual.  I don't have massage clients until 1, but it will be a busy afternoon. I had to run over this morning to put on a gal's socks (long story).  When I walked in, it hit me -- I had been able to put out of my mind just how tough last week was, but not when I walked in.  Last week I had 3 clients pass away.  The hard part about working with aging folks -- they die.  I have to be happy that they are no longer in pain and probably dancing in heaven with their loved ones. But I was personally not prepared to lose 3 in one week.  I had the good fortune to see two of them just before they passed.  It was good to have a little time to sit with them, pray for them -- and give them one last little massage.  They were all sweet and wonderful women, with amazing lives -- some of which was told more by the pictures on their walls than their words.  I had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with some of their family.  Selfishly, it helped me to see that they were "ok" with it... I felt like I could be ok with it too. I was sad to have missed Carol.  Two weeks ago, when I walked by Carol, she looked up and smiled huge at me.  Perhaps doesn't sound like a big deal, but she had not been too responsive to even my voice in the recent months.  I stopped and gave her a squeeze.  Perhaps a little "good-bye" squeeze.

So here's to Norma, Evelyn and Carol - I will miss them dearly.  And here's to hoping for a less eventful week.

We have another appointment tomorrow and soon we'll have to start going more frequently.  Yay!

Happy Tuesday!

Who do you think you are?

This photo is totally unrelated to anything in this post... it just makes me smile.

Last week as I sat and wrote the blog, I watched a show called "Who Do You Think You are?" It follows a different celebrity each episode as they explore the history of their family.  I have only seen this one episode, with Sarah Jessica Parker, so perhaps I should not pass judgment so quickly.  But I had such a hard time with how it seemed to sensationalize a celebrity.  Then, I thought, my blog is just like this show! It seems so self-indulgent.  Sure, I'm just posting a note to relay the events of the week and chronicle the expanding mass of my belly -- but reading back through some of my posts I thought, "OMG, I am totally SJP!"  (Note for the non-tech-speak savvy: OMG= Oh my goodness, SJP= Sarah Jessica Parker). I started to feel that the whole blog thing is a little self indulgent and that I am like sarah jessica parker, smiling and wowing at myself and my amazing life and my amazing family and the amazing way my amazing family was wrongly accused of being a witch -- isn't it amazing that she wasn't an accuser, but actually an accused? Just maybe I am over thinking this a bit, but it's just how it goes in my brain.  All that to say, I will not discontinue this weekly brag letter, because I actually quite like it, and I have never been one to like writing. And who knows, maybe along the way I may find a witch (accused) in my family tree.

OK, so that was a tangent. Here we go...


We are making way for baby! It's been all about nesting and purging, nesting and purging, this week.  Well, not exactly purging, but setting things aside for the big garage sale on April 30 & May 1.  If you are in the area, stop in and buy something really great! Or something not-so-great because you don't want to see me end up with all this junk in my garage.

On Tuesday I spent the day putting the room we painted last weekend back together.  I am still not sure how the whole guest/massage room will work. For now the table is folded and leaning against the wall. It does not take long to set in place.  For some reason (hormones), this hit me like a ton of bricks -- I was really sad!  I have loved my little massage room in the back, where baby will soon call home. It is just the perfect size and nicely appointed with dark shades and good lighting.  I loved that we could be sitting watching bad television and I would say to James, "Want a massage?", and before I'd know it, he'd be on the table with the music playing.   He doesn't get enough massage these days - and these are the days he could really use it!

We're ready for guests again!

This weekend brought more work clearing the basement of garage sale items and moving things toward  the garage. Baby's room is getting, um... closer?  We don't have a crib yet, but we are making space, while still trying to decide on paint colors, patterns, etc. We acquired a very nice dresser handed down to us from my mom, which will be just perfect with some new drawer pulls and a coat or two of white paint.  

Baby's room - in progress

I have been trying to keep up with "exercising" (aka walking).  OK, so no offense to the walkers out there -- but I am an athlete and working out or exercising has always involved sporting equipment, sweat and/or running long distances.  So now that I consider walking my sport, I sometimes need to use the quotations just to remind myself that I am an old athlete/work-out-snob. Anywho... I have really been enjoying my walks and I understand why people do it.  You can actually enjoy your surroundings and listen to the music that is playing in your ears.  So this past week, while I was out on one of my walks, I was listening to Bruce (Springsteen, is there any other?).  I already knew that I might be dealing with an extra dose of hormones, but it was confirmed when "Born in the USA" came on and I started to cry... because -- you know -- our baby will, in fact, be born in the USA.  Come on, really? Yes, really. I was walking down the street crying, then laughing at myself, then crying, wiping tears, laughing and crying again, all the while Bruce was whaling, "BORN IN THE USA..."  She will indeed be born right here in the US of A and for some reason I found that VERY moving. I wish someone had been there to take a picture of me, it was just the most ridiculous thing.

OK, so here is the picture this week -- I know.  Pathetic, right?  We didn't get a good one, even though it was really lovely and sunny this weekend.  So, here is a self portrait of my belly and my chubby legs.  Awesome.   Check back later this week for a real photo.  

The great white belly

Week 29

Week 29

Big weekend here at the MacDonald house -- We completed what might be considered our largest home improvement project thus far.  OK... we painted a room.  But it turned out just lovely! Thanks, Mom, for helping tape and paint and clean and all that stuff.  It goes so much easier with more hands.  We started Saturday with the ceiling which was just a total joy, by Sunday afternoon the room was complete - trim, ceiling and walls all freshly coated in crispy new paint.  The room is now ready to be put back in order.  It will pull double duty as guest room/massage room -- still trying to figure out what that might look like -- but I think it will be ok.  After all, I will not be doing much massage in there over the next few months. That said, anyone interested in coming for a visit (or a massage), your room is now ready.

On Saturday, prior to getting all Bob Villa on the front bedroom, we went for a tour at the hospital.  We learned all sorts of things, like where to park and enter, what to pack and what we might expect throughout the labor and delivery.  It was wonderful. I am so happy that we chose Saint Joe's. Not only is it the same hospital where yours truly was born, but it has a wonderful birthing center and they let you do all sorts of crazy things to help you through the "tough times". We learned about Hypnobirthing, water-birth and birthing balls. Before you pass any judgment on any of those things, you should know that I am open to any and all things that will help makes things more easy and drug-free -- though I am open to medical intervention and drugs and all that stuff too, as needed.  We shall see what happens and how SHE wants to do it! 

I have officially hit the third trimester -- and apparently the third trimester has hit right back.  I was exhausted all week.  I took several naps, including one right out on the patio yesterday afternoon -- I mean, really -- I fell asleep right on the concrete with no chair or towel or anything.  I'm guessing none of our neighbors saw because it must have looked like I'd been serial murdered, right there in broad daylight.  James continued to chip and scrape peeling paint from the back of the house (another DIY moment of the weekend), which was probably clue enough that I was only napping and not, in fact, murdered.

Last week also marked the first full week of Jamie's new part-time (yet very consuming) job.  While MacBaby and I drift off to sleep each week night, he is up cranking away -- and then up, bright and early the next morning to finish before he heads off to Hamline.  It's been quite a grind so far, but hoping to find a good groove to get us through the summer of baby spending.  He is a champion, and I don't think he knows just how much I appreciate his work.  It's nice to have work from home though.  We miss not getting to chat and watch bad tv together, but it's comforting to hear the clicking of his keyboard while I sit and read my book. 

Much to my delight -- and Jamie's chagrin, It's officially garage sale season! I have not gone totally overboard (yet), but I've already scored some great books for MacBaby.  I am kind of easily skeeved out by garage sale items, so I look at only the nicest things with the least amount of germs.  I have  also been a lunatic searching Craigslist for the past few weeks -- I'm looking for a white crib, a car seat, cloth diapers -- or anything else that might be necessary in our arsenal of baby items. We shall see, I have similar issues with things on craigslist.  Perhaps it's just the whole craigslist killer thing.  Though I am pretty sure people selling baby items are just nice people who are trying to get back some of the money that they've sunk in to their children.

I hope this week brings more lovely weather and perhaps a nap or two.  I am starting to think about life beyond all my massages each week.  It's getting more and more difficult to get up and down off the floor and to stoop over to try and massage someone's back who is sitting in a wheelchair.  I know I've said I would miss my clients, but I really will.  Every Thursday, I give massage to a lady who is a former nun, she does not speak (verbally), but each week wants to know how baby is doing and at the end of her massage she blesses the baby with a little kiss and the sign of the cross.  Some of my experiences are priceless, I could write a book already! I feel so blessed to be the vessel for this new little being growing inside of me. I also feel blessed to be a part of people's lives who are transitioning into the next phase of life (or afterlife) as hard as that can be.

He Is Risen!

We had a busy Easter-filled weekend.  Mom, once again, showed off her mad culinary expertise by putting on a wonderful brunch, Saturday morning.  We ate too much and rolled ourselves out the door to another beautiful spring day.  We've had wonderful weather this week.  Sunny and 60's... even some 70's.

We started today with Church, and sang some of the old Easter favorites, much to Jamie's delight -- even though he doesn't really participate in the singing part.  The kids hunted for Easter eggs on the lawn of the church, they were filled with birdseed.  They were instructed to find the eggs, open -- then feed the birds by sprinkling the seed around.  I think I would have been mighty disappointed if my eggs had been filled with birdseed, when I was a kid. But maybe that's just me.  It was cute, nonetheless.

After church, we went to The Krohn's for Easter dinner.  It's always fun at the Krohn's. Their big house is filled with kids and dogs and lots of activity.  There was another Easter Egg hunt, after dinner.  These eggs were colorful and sports themed, and filled with candy, finally! Again, cute.

Apparently my growth has continued, unabated, which is apparent in this week's photos. Maybe it's just the way I am standing, or the outfit I'm wearing.  Ha, wishful thinking!

 28 Weeks