39 Weeks: Any Day Now...I hope!!

As of yesterday I am 39 weeks. It is obvious that Shaun is quite content taking up residence in my belly. I had an appointment on Thursday and was happy to hear that I have made some progress but would have been happier with more. I have to be honest that since we were induced with David I am not sure what to expect this time around. When I had my first contractions with David I was hooked up to a monitor that showed me I was having one before I really felt it.

I joked with the Doc that I won't know I am in labor and he'll end up having to deliver Shaun at home!! I mean he did it a couple time back in Medical School - no sweat!

On the plus side I feel great! It helps that the weather is much nicer in May compared to August and that I am not carrying around an extra 20lbs of weight! I have had very little heartburn and no kankles! This time was a breeze in comparison but I am so over it and want to be done with this!!!

Steph is in town for the long weekend we decided to treat ourselves to pedicures! I thought that maybe the massage chair would spark some contractions. Obviously that didn't happen but now my toes are a nice bright blue and look nice and pretty! It was also very relaxing so even though it didn't work like I hoped it was still worth it!

David is having fun with his buddy Steph. She has a really cool Blackberry phone that he has commandeered. He has even figured out how to make phone calls and send text messages to her friends. I am pretty sure he had a nice conversation with the 411 operator! He has also figured out how to watch videos of her dog Cali.

Here are some new pictures of the handsome big brother to be:

Wearing my sandals and carrying my phone:


Enjoying a new "ride" at the park:

Little monkey!

Kisses from Steph and enjoying some tortillas!

38 Weeks: Doomed to be Pregnant FOREVER!

We survived the Doc's trip to NH on Thursday. He had to take care of getting his new MA drivers license and get the keys to our new place Revere. Since I was going to be 37 weeks and 5 days pregnant - I stayed behind. Thankfully my mom was able to fly down to help me out "just in case". It would have been just my luck that labor would start if I was all alone with David.

The Doc returned VERY late Friday night after a four hour delay. Apparently there was a cloud in Philadelphia and they couldn't land until the cloud moved. The trip was made extra special because MA doesn't actually issue you a real license but just a temporary paper license (that states "not valid for identification"), so he was deemed a "person of interest" and got the full pat down, bag searched and thoroughly checked for bombs and an identity check. I couldn't help but laugh and ask if he managed to escape a full cavity check!!

My mom decided to make a weekend of her trip to Philadelphia and so on Saturday we took David to the park in the morning. He just loves to go down the big wooden slide with Daddy. He also loves when Daddy pushes him on the swing. This time we took him inside to play with the tricycles and cars, proving just how much of a midget he really is - his feet, when stretched out, came no where near the pedals.




We decided to take advantage of Grammy being in town to go to the movies. We saw Ironman and it was awesome! I even got my big bucket 'o popcorn! Later that night we went out to eat at Nifty Fifty's. David enjoyed sharing a chocolate milk shake with Grammy! Grammy left today after a hearty breakfast at Perkins and a walk around the mall.

If you asked me on Monday I would have thought for sure that Shaun would make his arrival this week. I was feeling a lot of tightening and movement on Monday - since then however, I have felt pretty much nothing. I have decided that I am doomed to be pregnant forever. I haven't tried eating pineapple yet...maybe that is my problem. Note to self: Get some PINEAPPLE tomorrow!

Walk Hard

37 weeks and Shaun is considered fully baked. Yesterday we spent the morning walking around one of the local malls. It's a HUGE mall with four different sections. It takes more than an hour to walk the whole length. After David's nap we went to a different mall and walked around some more.

I am hoping that by walking and walking and walking - things will start moving in the right direction and we'll have this baby already.

It will be my luck that this baby is born in June. We have no plans for inducing this time around - we're just going to let it ride!

We're pretty much ready for Shaun. We have all the clothes leftover from David and until the move Shaun will bunk with Mommy and Daddy in the Pack N Play. After the move he will be using David's crib and David will move to the futon. The only item we don't have is the double stroller and we're just still trying to decide which one to get. The Doc and I are not seeing eye to eye on this issue.

As for David - he knows there is a baby in Mommy's belly but I am not sure he understands what that means for the future. The other day when I asked him if he wanted to say hi to the baby he waved to my belly. It was very cute.

If you feel like sending me some serious labor vibes - I will definitely take them. I read online that eating some pineapple can do the trick. Guess I will be getting me some pineapple for lunch tomorrow. There is a fresh fruit cart one block from my work. We'll see if it really works or not!

Going Green:

In an effort to go green we (or rather I) decided to use cloth diapers. It's not only better for the environment but it will also save us from shelling out the big bucks by having two in diapers. We started using them on Sunday. He still wears disposables during the week while at daycare but when he is at home he is in his brand new Fuzzi Bunz.



Tonight I ordered 6 new BumGenius diapers, which are a "one size fits all" cloth diaper. That way I can use the same diapers for both David and Shaun. I can't wait to get my order. They are so cute. While the Doc has been very skeptical of the whole concept...he has been surprisingly helpful. He only has one rule and that is that he will not clean off the poopy ones. I suppose that it's only fair - this was after all my big idea!

The Promised David Update:

This kid is a riot. He has become a sponge, so it's more important now than ever to watch what we say around him. Here are some examples of new things he's learned:

1. I nearly fell off my chair when I heard my little angle yelling down the hallway at my parents house "Pam, hey Pam". He had heard the other... loud... members of my family use that name, and I guess he was trying to get my attention. When I told him "No, I am Mommy" he just laughed and said "Pam". I have to admit it was a little funny!

2. He learned his first curse word when Daddy was changing his poopy diaper and said "Damn!" He, of course, repeated what Daddy said, which in turn made Daddy laugh. So David said it again, so Daddy laughed harder, and so on. Thankfully he hasn't said it again...let's hope it was just a fluke.

He had a great visit with family during our week in NH, and the Doc and I got a much needed break. Our first weekend he had a sleepover with his big cousin Scottie, and then the second weekend he spent the night with his Omi down on the Cape to visit his great Aunt and Uncle. I look forward to having these breaks more often once we relocate back to Boston!



David also got his first "real" haircut - not the butcher job his parents did around Christmas. We thought he might not like it but he was really good throughout...in fact he was so curious we had to give him his own comb so he could help.



We also spent a couple days at this great outdoor playground by the Kingston Fairgrounds. He loved the swing and the see-saw the best.



He is completely independent and does not like to be "tied" down. It makes going out now much more of challenge. It's especially become harder to go out to eat. After about 5 minutes in highchair he looks at us and says "All done, get down". He also does not like to be in the stroller or shopping car when we go to stores. We caved and bought a cute little Bear harness so that he can walk without running away from us. He is very fast and doesn't like to hold our hands. I like it because I don't have to slouch over to try and make him hold my hand.
It's amazing how much he learns and how much he remembers - he even likes to sing us his ABC's and dance to the music. I am most impressed by his pitch! We may have a future singer just like his Mommy!

35 Weeks Already?!

I am now 35 weeks and feeling pretty good. I would feel amazing if it were not for this nasty cold I have had for the last two weeks. The worst part has been the cough. Coughing with an almost full term baby in your belly is quite interesting.

I am also happy to report that there are still no kankles. At this point I would be surprised to see them (knock on wood). I have also had very little heart burn. At this stage with David I was eating Tums like they were M&M's. Probably the best part of all is my weight control this time around.

I have been told that I am bigger than last time but I think that is because people are seeing more belly instead of a belly, booty, bloated face and thunda thighs! It seems like my belly is bigger this time because that is all you really see!

My total weight gain to date is 22lbs. I slipped up a little while we in NH. I blame my MIL for the ice cream place she introduced to us that has a yummy pistachio flavored soft serve. Ice cream has always been my pregnancy weakness. Now that we're back home and cooking our meals I should be able to stick to the pound a week that is recommended by the doctors.

It's been funny to go back and compare my pictures from last time and see the difference. We noticed that it's most noticable in my feet and face. I was impressed by just how bad my kankles were.

Kankles with David - GROSS!


No Kankles with Shaun!


This is my 36 week picture with David. Look how bloated and gross I was...The Doc and I agreed it's not my best look!


Still hard to believe the end is near. Part of me wants this to be over but then I get my reality check and realize that Shaun is much easier to care for right were he is! I just can't help but feel that he is going to make an early arrival. Any guesses?

The Ball is Rolling....

So I know it's been a week since we were in NH but things have been up in the air and I wanted to wait until the ball was really rolling before posting about our trip. There are lots of good things to report!

First (and still keeping our fingers crossed on this one) we accepted an offer on our house. In the real estate world that means we are now "under agreement". They had their home inspection and termite inspection and we are now just waiting for the official report, but it sounds like it went pretty well. We got word on one of the items that our hot water heater was leaking. It was over 15 years old and so we just had it replaced. Hopefully the rest of the items are as easy (but cheaper) to take care of. Again this is all still up in the air, but things are moving forward which is nice.

Second is we found (in my opinion) the perfect place to live. It's in Revere right near the water. The doc says it would be even more perfect if it wasn't in Revere. We have a pretty decent view of Boston from our front window. We just sent the lease, first and last months rent and the security deposit via FedEx today. I am so excited about this place. I seriously fell in love the second I walked in and smelled the fresh paint, newly waxed floors and soaked in the beautiful sunlight that fills the house in the late afternoon.

It is a duplex with a one car garage and small driveway. Our side is the one on the right.



Inside on the second floor is the open kitchen/living room area. The kitchen is gorgeous. I even like the black appliances. I have always been partial to chrome but I may have to reconsider as I can't get over how nice the black looks in this space. On this floor there is also a half bath, closet space for coats and shoes, the doorway to the small patio (similar to the one we have here in Philly) and a sliding glass doors open up to the front where we could also put a couple chairs for relaxing after a long day. There is also one of those faux fireplaces that could be nice for some ambiance in the winter!





That brings us to the third floor where there is the 3 bedrooms, the full bath, stackable washer & dryer that is stored in a closet space so it's not seen when not in use. The master bedroom even has a bathroom that has a stall shower. Not that we needed 2.5 baths but hey...why not, right!


I can't believe that in less than two months we'll be home! We have already done the standard research of the area that will be our home for the next four years - you know, nearest Dunks, Chinese, and Target! I am happy to say that all three are within a mile of our new place!

All in all it was a very productive week for us. I have some pictures of David's week in NH that I promise to post later. But for now keep your fingers crossed for us as nothing is set in stone yet!

David's Obsession with...ELMO:

For the most part I never put on kids shows for David - mostly for my own sanity. About a couple months ago we started putting on Sesame Street for David while he was eating his breakfast. By the time we turn on the TV the Elmo's World segment begins. Now he recognizes Elmo everywhere - on billboards, in the store...he can't get enough!

The Easter Bunny brought David an Elmo's World DVD and I wish I were kidding when I say that I have seriously watched that DVD a hundred times. Anytime we're home and have the TV on he will hands the remote and say "Elmo". I even bought him a little stuffed Elmo doll which he can't go anywhere without including his spring pictures.

Here are David's latest pictures we had done two weeks ago at JC Penny:

Wanna See a Beached Whale?

OK so I am not really a beached whale but I sure feel like it sometimes! Tomorrow I will be 32 weeks. That means I have 8 weeks to go and I still can't wrap my head around it!

At this point my total weight gain has been 20lbs. With David my total weight gain was 50lbs. That would mean that I would need to put on 30lbs in 8 weeks and I won't let myself do that!!

Even though I have been better about my weight gain this time around I feel much more uncomfortable. It must be the way Shaun is positioned. I have been having episodes of shortness of breath and more back pain this time around - two things that never happened with David. Another difference (so far anyway) this time is that I don't have the massive kankles I had with David at this point. Although I think I would rather the kankles than the lower back pain...I don't know....

Anyway this is what a beached whale looks like at 31 weeks 6 days pregnant!

It's Official - Want to Buy a House!

Our house is officially on the market. We have already had two showings and gotten some good feedback from our Realtor. He was really happy we decided to install the pergo floors in the rest of the bedrooms. I have to say that I am too impressed by the amazing difference it made especially in the third bedroom!

The "before" pictures were taken during our walk through before we closed on the house June 3rd 2005. The after pictures we took a couple weeks ago for the Real Estate Listing.

LIVING ROOM:

The Living Room from the front door view:



The Living Room from the Kitchen view:



In the Living Room we painted, added a chair rail and stained the woodwork a dark walnut color. Our Realtor told us that while a lot of people may change the colors - he likes it because it gives the room "texture" and a "homey feel".

KITCHEN:

The Kitchen from the living room:

This kitchen is the reason that I wanted to buy this house. I love our cabinet space the layout and counter space! On the other side of the dishwasher there are bar stools - so the counter also serves as a breakfast bar! The curtains came with the house and we liked the look so we kept them and added the curtain on the back door.

BATHROOM:

The full bath:



The full bath has a jacuzzi style tub - which at first I thought was cool but I only used it a handful of times. We didn't change much in this room either - just a new coat of paint.

BEDROOMS:

The Master Bedroom:



In this room we added the really nice vertical shades - mostly because the cats broke the horizontal ones. The vertical blinds not only look nicer, in my opinion, but they give the cats easier access to sit in the windows. We also painted and installed the pergo. The carpet color wasn't bad in this room - but it's amazing how much bigger it looks now that it's pergo.

The Second Bedroom (David's Room):

We painted and added the pergo floors to this room as well. We decided to keep David's room simple since we knew we would be selling eventually. This room would make a nice bedroom for any age or an office depending on what the next buyer sees fit.

The Third Bedroom (our guest room/computer room):



In my opinion this room changed the most just by adding the pergo and the nice blue paint color. This room is nice because the sunlight really shines in the late afternoon and it's just so warm and inviting because of that. The carpet was hideous in this room - makes me sad we didn't do the pergo sooner so we could have enjoyed it more!

There you have it our house! While I am excited to be moving back home to Boston - I am truly going to miss this house. In the short time we lived here we have made it a home!

Fun in the Tub:

Thanks to a visit from his cousin Cohen - David loves to play in the tub!

Happy Easter!

Look at what the Easter Bunny left for David! He was so excited to see his new Elmo's World DVD and Elmo Bath Toys: