Baby update

Things are going well, and in just 3 weeks we get to find out the gender. We'll see if my hunch is right that it's a boy, though talking to a friend the other day, she said the fast heartbeat may indicate a girl. (It was 160). Of course, no one knows for sure, but it would be a major shift in thought for me if it were a girl! But I'll be happy either way.

And I am 95% sure I can feel the baby moving! The other day while eating a Sonic Reeses' Blast (insane amount of crushed Reese's in there...it is almost criminal) I felt about 7-8 little "pops" in the same exact spot. It didn't really feel like tummy rumbles, because it was in the same spot and very quick, like a machine gun. I kept feeling that every time I took a few more bites. I told Jeff and his first thought was, "oh no...our baby's inherited my sweet tooth!"

This really is the feel-good trimester. Sometimes I even forget I'm pregnant. No cravings, no sickness. Jeff has to remind me not to carry groceries or other heavy things (I'm sure it's fine but he gets paranoid).

The time is starting to come that I'm glad I have a few things in my closet that 1) were once too big and 2) have elastic waists. I have 3 skirts left that fit that I can rotate for church and teaching. I bought some Tall Old Navy jeans on ebay, and got them in yesterday (Laura...they fit...my savings of $7 was worth it! :D ) I've still been wearing my regular jeans, though, but after getting my new ones, Jeff told me I need to stop wearing the others. He's afraid I'll give the baby a conehead and keeps reminding me to unbutton my jeans when I'm sitting in the car. I'm just glad there are tall pregnancy clothes out there. Talking with a tall friend, she said just two years ago when she was pregnant she could find nothing, even checking internationally on the web.

The house will be done two weeks early! We saw how fast they were progressing, and Jeff went to talk to the realtor to say he's fine with moving up the closing date if they finish early. April 18th was their conservative estimate so they might actually be done sooner. The carpet is in, lights, lots of other little details...Jeff and I made carpet angels in the loft and tested the soundproof-ness of the music room.

Pics






























And a belly shot at 4 months.

A fun Saturday

It was sunny and clear, though pretty windy, so Jeff and I decided to spend the day outside. We couldn't resist going out to our house again (second time this week!) to see the progress. These men are machines! The wood flooring, all the plumbing, counter tops in kitchen and bathrooms, tile in master bath, linoleum--all this was done in two days!! I posted a few pictures below. The outside bricking is almost done.
After checking out the house, we explored yet another trail at Tribble Mill. This one led us to the old mill...we had fun exploring the stone foundations and the rusted old millwheel. Then we went poking around in Home Depot for rugs and paint chips. We found the perfect color for the nursery, Champagne Dance. It's very pale yellow and doesn't look green, even in flourescent light. I was also snagged by the seed display near the checkout line. Jeff let me buy a few seed packets so that my itchy fingers would stay away from the potted flowers. :) Every year I seem to have a specific "color lust"--last year it was blue flowers, this year it's lavenders and purples. I bought lavender and violet zinnias (the dumb gardener's flower...tough as leather and bloom within a month), some morning glories for around the mailbox, forget-me-nots for the shady spots in the back of the house, and "Convulvus"--big purple flowers that look like morning glories, with yellow centers. I keep looking them over, gloating over my treasures...Jeff just laughs at me!
God is so good to us, and I'm thankful for all the blessings we have done nothing to deserve. Even His beautiful world is a much larger blessing than we could ever ask for. Jeff and I spent the day thanking Him for His lovingkindness!

Tagged

It took me awhile, but I always intended to answer this meme! Thanks, Laura. :)

1. What is your occupation? Music teacher--guitar and piano

2. What color are your socks right now? No socks! But when I am wearing them they rarely match. Sometimes I wear Jeff's.

3. What are you listening to right now? The washing machine going.

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Raisin bran and grapefruit.

5. Can you drive a stick shift? yes, I was forced to learn when we bought a car with one :)

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? maybe a dark green. When I was a kid, my favorite was Burnt Sienna.

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? One of my students' parents about cancelling a lesson

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Who, Supermom? You betcha!

9. How old are you today? 29 years and about 4 months.

10. Favorite drink: Just about anything hot. Cider, tea, coffee.

11. What is your favorite sport to watch? none?

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, I dyed it darker during grad school but it wasn't that noticeable. Didn't love it.

13. Pets? Yes; a very large cat, Frodo

14. Favorite food? Soup! Or anything salty like chips. Also I'm crazy about banana peppers! And I love Subway...

15. What was the last movie you watched? wow...it's been a while. Oh yeah, Jimmy Stewart in a Alfred Hitchcock movie...Rear Window...very good actually and I don't usually like suspense

16. Favorite holiday? Thanksgiving! I like the food...

17. What do you do to vent anger? Huff and puff. Get quiet. Sometimes write out an angry letter (which I throw away). Of course, what should I be doing? Well, you asked what I DO...

18. What were your favorite toys as a kid? I really liked playing with my brother's G.I. Joes. :D Also Barbies. And I remember a favorite pocketknife. Just a touch of tomboy. :)

19. What is your favorite: I've always said fall, so I'll stick with that, though it's a toss-up between it and spring!

20. Hugs or kisses? hugs; Jeff gives the best

21. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry! I love cordial cherries and Nyquil (maybe it's the alcohol)

22. Do you want your friends to do this survey too? sure, if they want :)

23. Who is most likely to respond? Karanena? Maybe? Please? :)

24. Who is least likely to respond? Erin, because she is studying, keeping up with two kids, and has twins on the way.

25. Living arrangements? living with in-laws, moving at the end of April to a lovely house.

26. When was the last time you cried? It's been awhile since I bawled, but pregnancy has had me tearing up quite a bit in the last few months, over little things.

27. What is on the floor of your closet? Jeff's big shoes, my smaller shoes, and the collapsible laundry basket.

28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? I've known Elizabeth all my life...she's been a great friend and cousin and is a wonderful, funny, strong person!

29. What did you do last night? made some lasagna, and while it was baking, Jeff and I went to look at fabric for curtains (he's such a sweetie)

30. Who is your role model? There are many! But I'll just say, my mom. I've grown to appreciate her more the older I get. Her patience and goodwill toward everyone is amazing. I remember being critical of her growing up, but now I see how her spirit shines through and how her training has helped me be kinder and more giving to others! Especially now as I'm about to be a mom myself, I'm beginning to understand a little more all she's done for me.

Gray baby at 3 months

I finally got these scanned. This is our baby at 3 months. Once he/she woke up, he couldn't keep his fingers away from his face and in his mouth. It's amazing how God is knitting him together so perfectly. Though our baby is only about the size of a lemon, everything is in place and growing. Human life really is a miracle!

Blogger malfunction!!

Anyone else having trouble downloading pictures? When I choose a file, blogger does not recognize it. The message says "Please choose at least one file." I've tried this with small pictures, large pictures...nothing works! Just wondering if anyone else is having this problem.

Spring and Christians

I think my moods are affected a lot by the weather! This winter I have been more ready than usual for spring. Things are starting to bloom and my hands are itching to plant something! I'm avoiding Home Depot and the Walmart garden section because once in, I can't resist buying something colorful and pretty! I'm glad God creates so much beauty in the world. It reminds me of His hand at work and His beauty, even admid ugliness...everything is still brown except for a few beautiful, blooming trees.
I think followers of Christ are supposed to be like that. In a world of ugly things we're supposed to stand out and draw people. I met a family that showed Christ's beauty so clearly yesterday. They are from Romania, and the two boys will probably be taking piano lessons with me...and they are really delightful boys, 13 and 10. (This is usually not a delightful age!) When she was a little girl, their mother heard that the president of the United States was a Christian. She was amazed and from then on prayed every night that she could come to America some day. They have been here 11 years now. She told me story after story of answered prayer...she could not find a job for a very long time, and got the kids and her husband to pray...finally found a very good job in a lab, testing for pollutants. Her kids now tell everyone "my mom has a really good job!" because they've seen God answer prayer firsthand. Her youngest boy had meningitis and TB when he was 2, and they happened to be visiting in Romania. The doctor gave him a 0% chance to live. He lived, though, but was totally blind. The doctor said he'd be blind and mentally/physically handicapped his entire life, but God gave her peace about it and she knew he'd be okay. She went in to check his vision. He could see! She brought in the doctor and they tested his vision. He steadily improved over the next few months. Now, he is a normal, vivacious kid with dimples and a quick smile! This family prays about everything, and the boys are an outspoken witness in their public school. The youngest had to stand against the wall for saying his favorite subject was the Bible. The oldest explained the story of Creation to his friends when the class talked about evolution. They're not a bit shy, and I found myself really enjoying their company in a way I enjoy few new acquaintances' company! I really want my kids to be like these two boys. And I'm really looking forward to having them as students...they also want to take in the summer, which is a bonus for me!
I was rebuked and uplifted talking to them...how many times do I forget to take simple problems and requests to God in childlike faith? I have such a cynical, self-sufficient attitude at times! Meeting this lovely family was a breath of fresh air to me...like the scent of flowers in spring. :)

Two more months!

I'm having a hard time just resting in the Lord and waiting for the next two months to pass. I just can't wait to move in and get settled. I'm thinking about all my neglected furniture sitting there in storage unused, and all that lovely SPACE in our house, and it makes me antsy. And, of course, this morning I looked at Elizabeth's blog and saw her gorgeously decorated house, and had to swallow down my impatience again! :)
There are a few things I can do in the meantime to get us ready to move in. (NOT pack everything...thank goodness it's all labelled and boxed in storage!) But I measured the windows, so I can get started on the curtains we'll need right away for privacy. We loved the model home decorations, so I'm basing my curtains on theirs. I found a website for easy lined drapes: http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa020106.htm.
Model home curtains. Simple, but they look great. The pictures don't do them justice.



























We've decided on the nursery colors and theme. We wanted to do something a little different than the traditional pink or blue, so we decided on pale yellow with sage green accents. I was at least partly influenced in my choice by the lovely yellow walls in Ella's nursery! I love the brightness. An instant pick-me-up. Of course we all know nurseries are decorated for the PARENTS, because the kid has no clue about color schemes. :D The theme I chose is "ducks and chicks."
We decided on plain yellow bedding, and Jeff will provide the chick artwork on the walls! (I'm forcing him to do some non-computer related art--he's says he's not good at it--pshaw--what were all those drawing/painting classes for anyway?)

I like the chicks, but ack, too busy!!















Plain yellow is better.

Ma-Ma is home!

Saturday I called my parents, and they couldn't talk long b/c Aunt Frances was bringing over supper for them, but Ma-Ma is out of the hospital and at home! They said she was sitting in her wheelchair in the den watching TV. :) Mom & Dad have a system worked out where the two of them can lift her into her chair and get her back into bed. Uncle Langdon will come by to help too, and Aunt Frances is helping with meals.
I'm so thankful my sweet grandma is out of the hospital where she can continue to recover. I haven't heard yet the status on the wound on her foot (won't heal because of her diabetes), but apparently the staff thought she was well enough to be at home. God is truly good!

Fashion Blurb

Ever since I was little and was ushered into the joys of sewing by my cousin Elizabeth when we were, what, 8? I've had a little part of me that's very interested in fashion. (This may surprise those of you who attended high school with me!) We sewed together, picking out whatever scrap from the "sewing pile" that caught our fancy. Sometimes we sewed without a pattern, certainly never following it exactly, and Elizabeth even made her own patterns occasionally.

I still sew skirts for myself. I have 6 or 7 in the closet, most of which are now a little tight. :( A blissful hour for me constitutes sitting on the high stools at Walmart looking through the Butterick or Simplicity patterns. (You have to keep in mind that they will look better on you than they do in the photos, and worse on you than the drawings! Nobody has legs that long.)

The summer before last, when I was trying to build up a studio at home and had next to nothing to do, I discovered hotpatterns.com. I haven't bought any of their patterns...they're pricey...but I like how up-to-the-minute they are. They had a reference on their site to style.com, and I like to surf it occasionally. You get a sometimes cutting, always intelligent, often completely off-kilter, review of each of the major fashion houses, along with pictures of their work for that season. (Warning: there is a lot of over-the-top stuff that NO ONE would wear, along with quite a bit of immodesty, so not a good idea to leave it on your computer if you have husbands or kids)

Last spring/fall my favorite designer was Olivier Theyskens for Rochas. I'm not original in that opinion, but his stuff seemed feminine, sane, even MODEST, and just exquisitely made.

Today I looked over just a few houses for fall and wanted to cry. The fashion scene couldn't be worse. This fall, skinny jeans, voluminous tops with shoulder pads, psychedelic colors, and just plain old drab, minimalist gray and black "structured" are IN. Zippers abound, "scarf" neck ties a la '70s breeze behind in the wake of models in dagger-sharp pointy heels. I'm seeing lots of shiny fabrics held in at the waist with huge, patent leather belts.

Is this what we have to look forward too?? Not the '80s again. We who lived through them never want to go there again by choice!!

I guess I can say thank goodness for Walmart and fashion-lag! I'm told that Americans are always five or six years behind the "real" fashion scene in Europe.

I actually liked the look we had going for the early 00's. Bell bottoms or bootcut are flattering to almost everyone. You can't say the same for pencil pants. The Boho chic look was sweet, craftsy and feminine. It has some humanity and femininity, unlike the impersonal, structured "tough girl-knight" look that seems to be upcoming. The earthy colors of before are being replaced by grays and blacks, or, when there is color, it's radioactive blue, hot pink, or lime yellow. It seems like we're returning to antiseptic "depressed" instead of glamorous, richly colored and feminine.

On a hopeful note, the '40s are back as well, with suits that look sharp and tailored. Just don't buy them in hot pink!!