Esty Needs to Block Me

So - I have a problem with continually shopping on etsy.com during my lunch, and I can't stop looking at MORE diaper bag options!

Here are the new ones I've found: (can you tell I was searching for red?)






And - probably my favorite (oddly it looks the least like "Marie") - and it's tiny - but the maker says she can make any size/style out of that fabric...from a larger version of this with many pockets inside, to a messenger bag style, to a more traditional "diaper bag" look!

Weekend

What a good weekend I'm coming off of!

Okay sure - I'm tired, and I didn't get to relax as much as I wanted - but I did do some fun things.

Friday night we decided to run some much-needed errands. Both Penny (our dog) and Daisy (our cat) were nearing the end of their food bags, so we knew a trip to Petsmart was in order. After that we had some exchanges to make at a few stores, and ended up with some items for Boogie.
One of my radio reps, who I spend a lot of time chatting about babies with, was discussing a must-have item for me the last time we met up. As you may/may not know - you can't cover infants with a blanket - and since Boogie will be born in the winter - he'll need some warmth. (I don't know about any of you but I can't sleep well without covers!). Anywho - she told me that I HAD to get this wearable blanket or "sleep sack" (at least one) that you just put on over the baby's PJs.
Here's one we bought and below it is a picture of a baby modeling one!

Saturday I got to go wedding dress shopping with my future sister-in-law and super-friend Marcy. I was so excited to be a part of the day - and to get to see her in some beautiful gowns. We went to Bella Bridal in St. Charles - which was such an interesting store - that just kept going and going! Plus - parts of the interior were made to look like little city walkways - reminding me of a small-scale version of the interior of the Paris hotel in Las Vegas.
Of course - Marcy looked fantastic in everything she put on - and her mom, my mother-in-law and I were ooing and aahing over her the whole time! I realized how much I loved helping people with this stuff - getting Marcy into dresses and helping her take a look at herself from all angles was great. It was so fun to watch her expressions, and to get to be a part of this huge process! I would post pics that we took of her in some gowns - but 1> it's not my call, 2> my brother-in-law Evan may look on here, and 3> come to the wedding and see her for yourself!

That afternoon I cleaned out all my kitchen cabinets! WOW that was an undertaking - but needed to be done. I don't think I had been through them all since we moved in 3 1/2 years ago! I cleaned out a cabinet for Boogie - and now have a huge stack of stuff on my counter to be given away...including an old coffee pot, our 2nd fondue pot, plastic glassware we have never used, a few random cups, etc. etc. etc. It felt so nice to go through everything - and clean the shelves in the cabinets (which I'd also never done - YUCK). So, once I get all the crap off my counter - I'll feel great about it!

Saturday night we went to Dave & Busters with some friends. We hadn't been in a long time - and it's always fun to go for a while anyways. I wasn't quite the spark plug I usually am when there - but the fact that I am hugely pregnant and we didn't even arrive there until 9:30 to start the evening should play into that.

Then there was yesterday. After sleeping in a bit to catch up - we got ready and headed to the city for my birthday present...our tickets to the final performance of MAMMA MIA at the Auditorium Theatre!
I had never been to a show at The Auditorium - and it was beautiful! I said this to Dain, and he reminds me that I make that comment at every show I go to! For those unfamiliar with the story - it's about a woman and her daughter - who's about to get married and without her mother's knowledge invites the 3 men that could possibly be her father to the wedding. This entire story is set to the music of ABBA - who I LOVE. (Cue "Dancing Queen" here). Here's some "official" photos of the US Tour (the group we saw) - who were fantastic.
Dain didn't love the show - but it was made for women (hence the HUGE bathroom lines) and for people who like the music of ABBA (which he doesn't). He sat through it, and tolerated me shifting around in my seat to remain comfortable during the performance. My stupid hormones even had me tearing up at some of the songs and at the end when they encored Dancing Queen! It was a great time...

Now - back to a long work week. BOO!

My 1st Shower

So I'm finally getting to the blog about my first baby shower.

Last Sunday afternoon, Dain's aunts Patty & Peggy, and his cousin Jessica hosted a shower for me. It was at 2:00 p.m. at Patty's beautiful home in Batavia. Patty's house always looks fantastic, and the decoration and detail put into the shower were amazing. Here's an shot of the beautiful table they had set...
The guests arrived - including many of Dain's relatives and my mom, sister & niece. We played a fun game with diaper pins, making people avoid saying the word "baby" - and then got set to open the gifts. I was truly showered - getting so many things we registered for! In addition, they planned to have everyone bring a book for a library for Boogie - as they know of my love of books. Here's some of the gift opening...



After I received all the wonderful gifts - we had cake and treats. We went back to the living room and played a word unscramble game - and Dain arrived to help load the gifts (and make us all feel stupid by simply glancing at the page and knowing the answer to a word scramble that none of us could figure out!). Dain's mom got him a few gifts - including a dude diaper bag, dinosaur toys for Boogie, and his old favorite childhood toy "bear" wrapped up with a new companion "Frog" which was apparently destroyed at some point.

Here's the whole group of us. It was a great day. Thank you so much to all for the amazing gifts. I am so grateful to have each of you in my life.

3rd of the Day - RANT

So YES this is my 3rd post of the day...and I'm going to RANT.

Yeah - we've determined that I have a big belly - but not really TOO TOO big. I mean, I only measured a few centimeters over normal for the # of weeks that I'm at (30)...but I'm SHORT and so there's no place for it to go but OUT.

Okay - I know all of you - mostly. It's fine for you to make comments to me. I mean - don't be like this guy at my office who when one day I was standing at profile to him at the fax machine and he just said out of nowhere "MAN you're huge." Seriously sir? We're not friends...are you incapable of inner dialogue?

So today I'm walking back down the hall to head to the ladies room, and this woman comes out of another office at the end of the hall and says "You're not having the baby now are you?" To which I want to say "Yes, I'm going to the bathroom stall to self-deliver, because these are the most sterile rooms I've encountered in a long time." - but instead I suck it up and smile and say "Nope, not for a while, anyway."
She then says "Are you having twins?" and I once again stifle myself and say "Nope, just one in there." (Even though I had a freak out earlier this week because my doctor's office accidentally scheduled that ultrasound as a multi-gestational, and that means multiple baby, so I thought they were trying to tell me something - but it was human error).
Does the woman stop there? NOPE. She then says "Oh...well...WOW you're really BIG!" Yep. That's what she decided would be appropriate. I just turned the key to the bathroom and walked in without another word.

If you're reading this and we're friends/family - I don't mind if you make a crack at my size...don't feel like that's the moral. Heck, I'm usually pointing the jokes at myself anyway. HOWEVER - this is just a good life lesson for everyone. If you see a pregnant woman you don't know and she looks like she's pilfering a beach ball - just smile. Save your comments. Tell a friends later about the huge freakshow maternal giant you saw...but don't comment to her. She just wants to go to the freaking bathroom for the 80th time that day in peace.

Shedding Some Light

So - Boogie will need a light in his room.

I had an old IKEA wall-mount lamp on the wall in that room the whole time it was a "guest room" but Dain hated it - and we took the thing down. During the painting process - we brought in the lamp from the office/new guest room - but since it's hard to have a room with no source of light - we need to move that back.

SO - I went looking for a new lamp for Boogie's room. A floor lamp that will light most of the room - then we'll add a little night light lamp (see my internet registry for that) on top of the dresser.

LOOK what I found at target.com for $20! It will provide plenty of light in that little room and go perfect with the colors and white baseboards! I'm ordering it today. How fun!

Just wanted to share...next post will be about my fantastic 1st baby shower I had on Sunday...pics will be included for those who've been waiting!

WHOA!

Is anyone else weirded out that the Boogie Counter over on the right says 66 days left?!?!

I'm a Big Girl

I had another doctor appointment yesterday...I have to go every 2 weeks now that I'm getting close to Boogie time!

Everything looked good according the doctor and the nurse. I had low blood pressure and Boogie had a relaxed heartbeat, so it appears he and I were having a low-key day. I got weighed in, which is always a traumatic experience, but apparently I'm still right on target with my weight gain...so that's something.

Then, the doctor measured my stomach - as they do at every appointment. He sat back down and went over everything on my chart, and said that my stomach was measuring a little big this time (DUH!) and so I get to have another ultrasound to check the size of Boogie to see if he's getting too big. Joy and rapture. I told the doctor I was almost a 10 pound baby, and he nodded and said the baby's size can be relative to the mother's size at birth (not necessarily the father, though Dain was no small fry either).

Here's what babycenter.com says about measuring "large for dates" - which is the reason I'm going in:
What does it mean if I'm "measuring large for dates"?
------------------------------------------------------------------
Measuring large for dates means your fundal height is more than 2 centimeters larger than average for your stage of pregnancy, based on your due date. Your practitioner will probably schedule an ultrasound to find out why. Among the possible explanations are:

• Your due date is off. (The ultrasound can help your practitioner figure out your correct due date.)
• You have looser abdominal muscles than most women as a result of an earlier pregnancy.
• You have uterine fibroids.
• You're carrying twins or more. (WHAT?!?!?)
• You have too much amniotic fluid.
• Your baby is positioned high above your pelvis, which might be the case with a breech baby or if you have a placenta previa.
• You have a bigger-than-normal baby because of gestational diabetes. This condition is known as macrosomia. You may need to be tested to rule it out.
Or you might simply be carrying a big, perfectly healthy baby.
------------------------------------------------------------------

So, before my next appointment (in two weeks) I go in for another ultrasound. This thrills my mother, who will be coming along to catch a glimpse of Boogs before he makes his way into the world...

Childbirth Education

Last Tuesday marked Class #1 of the 4 part series that we are taking called "Childbirth Education" at Delnor (the hospital where Boogie will make his debut).

This class is offered to everyone who will deliver at Delnor (for a fee of course), but is not required.

We walked in last Tuesday not really knowing what to expect (my mind immediately went to one of my favorite people of all time, Bill Cosby and his discussions of their natural childbirth classes).

We were seated in a half circle with about 8 other couples around a screen and a labor & delivery nurse who was going to be our instructor. We were told (via powerpoint of course) that we would be learning about what to expect in early labor, relaxation techniques, touring the hospital, learning about pain relief, and watching VIDEOS over the next 4 sessions. Of course, the videos weren't supposed to start until week 2 - - but that was not necessarily the case.

I had seen a vaginal birth and a c-section video in high school - in Child Development class. Dain, however, had not. We were to be watching a "Stages of Labor" video that night - but it was just going to "lead up" to the birth but not go there yet. We watched women breathing through contractions and getting backrubs and doing squats and walks to help them cope. We saw what the baby was doing during all those stages, and how he makes that glorious trip down the birth canal. And then it happened....a STARK NAKED woman lying on the delivery table pushing out her child - which we watched for the duration. WHAT? Why was she naked? That was my concern. Dain's was different... We walked out of class for the break, and Dain literally apologized to me for how Boogie has to get out of me. I'm hoping to milk that for the next 2 months until I have to be that woman in the video - - though there's no way in hell that I'm giving birth in my birthday suit.

Promised Pictures

HOORAY! Here's some pictures I promised:

Here's my adorable crib. It looks so great now that it's all assembled and with the dresser as a set. It was such a shocker to have it put together. Dain and I sat in the room totally weirded out after the crib was assembled and put into place. It was finally real. I mean - yeah - I have a huge belly, I feel Boogie moving all the time, we've registered at both the places you see above, and we've prepared all kinds of ideas and budgets. However - something changes when you see a crib in your house! Total mind-blown moment.
Here it is: Next to come are the skirt and bumper pad, and the bedding. Of course - it's not time to put that on yet!

Another photo I promised...the mobile status. I had SO much fun creating the "dangles" for the mobile. I had no plans or patterns...just bought textured and plain felts, cotton balls, two colors of ribbon, and two colors of thread. Here they are... Sadly - if you can't tell what they are - there's a peace sign, a dinosaur, a star, a football and a tree. Some of these things will be mimicked in the paintings on the wall. Hope you love them as much as I do. I know you can't see the ribbons and threadwork that well - but I'll take close-ups when it's complete! (Though you can click on the picture for an extreme close up of this shot).

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I have yet to take pictures of the crib or mobile...I know...I'm sorry - but my time has been crunched lately - due to work, doctor appointments, theater rehearsals, and errands. Add to that the fact that my commute to and from work has truly become a nightmare. I work near O'Hare (about an hour commute on a good day)...and lately it's been taking me up to 2.5 hours to get one way! It's exhausting and frustrating. I am always thankful for my Prius in times like these!

A good deal of the commute issues this week came after the flooding of rainfall over Chicagoland last weekend. For those who didn't know - we got record amounts of rainfall, certain areas were declared "disaster areas", major highways were shut down due to flooding, and some people even had to evacuate their homes. Luckily Dain and I didn't have any housing disasters - our area wasn't as badly hit as others. Near O'Hare - where I work was a different story. This photo was sent to a co-worker of mine. Her friend took this at O'Hare airport on Saturday...
I can't believe it. I keep hearing stories from another co-worker of mine who lives just across the border in Indiana, where some of the worst damage occurred. He had helicopters circling the area on Sunday...

Though all this seems a bit crazy...I can't help but think of those affected by the hurricanes. In fact, I got this link e-mailed to me this morning - of some truly unbelievable photos of the damage to Texas/Haiti from Hurricane Ike. You won't believe this...(copy and paste in a new window) file:///Users/mariemeyer/Library/Mail%20Downloads/the_short_but_eventful_life_of.htm

It makes you grateful for the things you have. It really makes me less concerned that our hot water line is still leaking under the sink...and the fact that we've just shut off the hot water to the kitchen to avoid the problem until Dain has the time and patience to get under there to figure it out. I would - but squeezing my big butt under the sink is not pretty!

Voila #1

HOORAY! The painting is done! (Well, except for some touch ups, etc). We just finished last night and I'm thrilled with the results!
We went with different widths of the stripes (the bluey green color always being smaller), so that taping would be easier, and because I like a little more of a "creative" look, not so calculated and exact.

We're still going to be getting new window coverings, stuff for the wall, more furniture in the room (Dain's putting together the crib tonight) and new lighting - so the room will essentially look very very different, but I know some of you really wanted to see the paint...

(These photos aren't really that "color" accurate - but you get an idea). Don't judge the white spots in the paint (we have touch ups) or the mess - it's a work in progress people!

29 Weeks of Boogie-ing

Here she is - pay no attention to the fact that I look half dead...it's 9:00 a.m. and I couldn't sleep past 8:00 on the ONE day I desperately wanted to sleep in (AND I was up until 1:00 the night before)! So, I made some coffee (decaf, calm down mom) and decided to give you all a peek at the hugeness that I've become - without grooming myself whatsoever...
(Caution: Bumps are larger than they appear)

We're finishing the painting today/tonight - so stick around...more fun to come!

Kids By The Dozen

Has anyone seen this new show on TLC?? Kids By The Dozen. It features families that have more than 12 children...and follows them through an event or something so you can see how the family operates.
The Heppner Family has 16-17 kids.
The Arndt Family has 14 kids (13 boys and 1 girl!).
The Jeub Family has 13 kids.
And there was the Sentman family with 17 kids - who were thinking that a puppy would be too much work!!!

There's one family they've featured on TLC lots of times (on their own specials) - The Duggars - who are currently cooking baby #18. (www.duggarfamily.com). I like to refer to these people as the Crazy's. But that's for personal reasons I won't go into on this blog. (You don't want to start me on some of these things). Either way - if you look at their website - you'll see photos like this:
Uh - they have a cafeteria in their house...They have a COMMUNITY closet for all of them...One of the bathrooms has two toilets next to eachother?! Um...
WHAT WHAT WHAT???

Okay okay okay - so when I was little, I used to write stories and draw pictures of families with 12+ children. I loved naming them all. I loved giving them all the same face in the picture - just different heights and hairstyles. I loved having a few sets of multiples in there. Don't ask me why I did these things....I don't know.

Maybe it's because big families aren't that strange to me. My mom is one of 9. Every holiday gathering everyone is there...and it's a madhouse - but it's kind of amazing that she has that many members of her immediate family. The idea of being covered in family and grandkids and love was always appealing to me when I was younger - I used to think I wanted a ton of kids. I would always tell people I was going to have 7.

Now - I am wondering if it will go beyond Boogie! I can't imagine having that many children - making time for all of them - paying for all of them - sending them to college/dance classes/the movies?!?! WHAT? Nothing would be do-able anymore! You'd HAVE to streamline everything - you'd spend half your life preparing meals - these kids would be raising eachother partially, and isn't the point of having kids in the first place to raise them?

I don't know where this blog came from - other than the fact that I watched this show the other day and was fascinated and horrified simultaneously. I can't imagine this lifestyle...and maybe it's because I realize that each one of these women were pregnant that many times...

Mobility

This post isn't about mobility - it was a "clever" titling by me - until I realized, "hey, this COULD be about mobility".

I am no longer the mobile wonder than I once was. I have always been a quick-walker, a stair-climber, and a floor-sitter. Nope, not anymore my friends. I have discovered within literally the past few days - that I have become a waddling blob. Okay, this is partially true because we painted the 2nd set of stripes in Boogie's room and I was doing a lot of bending and squatting. I noticed that I can't pop up from sitting on the floor anymore - and bending over for anything makes me feel like I'm squishing poor Boogie. I did a lot of squatting, which led me to have soreness in my thighs, which leads me to look like the waddling blob. All of yesterday I literally was groaning when getting up, and had to make Dain slow down numerous times in the walk through Home Depot to find a new kitchen faucet to replace our broken one. (Yeah, that's a good story -- we are going back tonight as after all that went along with replacing it - our cold water connection looks like Old Faithful under the sink when you turn the water connection back on - but that's for another day). Anywho - Dain even laughed at me coming down the stairs last night, because here I was groaning and complaining, looking like a ball of stiffness, and wearing a t-shirt that did not cover all of the bulge that is the growing child in my stomach. What a sight I've become.

I got around much better this morning - but realized the spring in my step is not going to be with me until Boogie pops out. I will waddle. I will walk slow. I will moan when trying to get something off the floor. I WILL be a stereotypical pregnant lady...and that just has to be okay.

NOW - back to the original plan for this post...

I'm MAKING A MOBILE for Boogie! That's right. I'm making a mobile for above Boogie's crib and I'm super excited about it.

I couldn't find a mobile I liked - and a few of the ones I found on etsy.com (the homemade website) were cute but not what I wanted. I realized I could have one custom made there - or I could just suck it up and make one that I like that I create in the colors and patterns I want. If I don't like it, I have no one to blame but myself (and probably Dain, just because I like to).

I bought the supplies to make the hanging items - felts in greens and browns, 2 colors of thread, and some cute buttons. SO, now I just have to get crackin. I promise to post pictures if I ever get the thing done...

Back in the Saddle Again

That's right! After TOO long a hiatus - I'm back in the "official" theater saddle again!

For those of you who don't know (which I can't imagine who you are) - I'm a theater gal. I've always considered myself to be a theater gal. I was involved in high school, loosely involved in college, and involved on and off with community theaters, children's workshops, etc. When I moved to Chicago after college - I started auditioning again at community theaters, and just getting back into the groove. Then, when we finally bought our house in Geneva - I found my "home".

First Street Playhouse in Batavia became a home-away-from-home for me. I started producing shows, assisting with promotions, and stage managing. Soon I was on the public relations committee, volunteering at events, and even got back to my favorite part - being on stage. And then - I became a member of the board of directors, overseeing all the marketing efforts of our non-for-profit community theater. I got on stage some more, and even directed.

After 5 years of operating at the location on Water Street in Batavia, First Street Playhouse went dark (closed its doors) late last fall. It was truly sad...but had to be done for many reasons. However, the board stayed together - and set our sites on reopening in a new and better location - and in a city that needed/wanted us more - Geneva.

After months and months of planning and board meetings, and hosting a murder mystery fundraiser dinner - we finally are reopening!! We got the special use permit (needed for any theater in any commercial space) approved by the Geneva City Council last night, and tonight through Friday nights are the auditions for our first show! I'm so excited I could wet my pants (which actually could happen at any time to a pregnant lady!).

The new theater will be on State Street in downtown Geneva, in the basement level of an office building next to Urban Grille restaurant. We will be now known as the GENEVA UNDERGROUND PLAYHOUSE. And, I even designed our new logo!! Here it is!


So - that's my excitement. Of course I've been doing theater things for months - but now it's official - and I finally have a new "home"!

Now to pick which plays I read to Boogie first...

Boogie at 27 Weeks

No - I don't have a new photo of me.
No - I don't have a photo of the nursery painted (we only have one of the three colors of striping done).

BUT - I do have a picture from babycenter.com of how Boogie is looking in there as of this week.

He is a constant ball of motion in there during the day - kicking and punching his way around. He also keeps taking up residence under my ribs on my right side. I have to push him out of there at least once a day, which is bizarre in itself. It's incredible to feel him in there. He's only going to get bigger and stronger - so even though it gets a bit exhausting now - it's only going to get worse! But, I'm excited.