34 Weeks - We have a Nursery!

We officially have a nursery! We've been working on the room for a while, but all of the pieces are finally coming together now. Joel has been a busy daddy-to-be, assembling the crib, stroller, bouncy seat, and (with Grandpa Ken and Grandma Emilie's help - thanks!) moving the two dressers upstairs. Combined with the nesting instinct kicking in on my end, we've made some serious progress!

Here is the 34 week picture and some other nursery snapshots. We ended up changing our plans for the bedding in the room and we are so glad that we did! The new bedding is still gender neutral but is a lot easier to coordinate with. When we saw it, we both thought it was pretty cool and we loved the fun polka dots. It matches so well with so many of the great gifts we've received so we are really happy we made the change.

Assembling the crib:

Jack, doing what he does best - supervising:

"Is this the right one, Jack?"

Almost there....

Ta-Da! Nice job Jack, er, Joel! :-)

34 week belly with crib and new bedding:



How far along? 34 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 30-32 pounds - hasn't changed really at all lately
Maternity clothes? Um yes, although some no longer fit. That was a depressing moment, let me tell you.
Stretch marks? As previously stated, my luck has run out - I have a couple. Oh well.
Sleep: Sleep has been a little rocky lately but I think that's more because of being sick than being pregnant.
Best moment this week: Spending some time relaxing with Joel and the dogs.
Movement: Still plenty of movement going on, although it's changed as the little one is running out of space for his or her little bounce house parties. No feet in the ribcage just yet, but I have definitely noticed that the baby likes to push out on the left side of my abdomen, while pushing off of my right hip bone. Thank you for that, dear.
Food cravings: Sweets if anything. I've curbed my salty food craving because I would prefer to not be confused with the Goodyear Blimp. But I don't have the will power to avoid sweets, too!
Gender: You tell us! Be sure to vote in the poll on the top right of the blog.
Labor Signs: No labor signs still, but we are planning to pack the hospital bag and have the car seat installed soon, just in case. One of the couples from our childbirth class just had their baby last weekend and that hit home that this whole pregnancy thing is coming to an end pretty soon. Yikes!
Belly Button in or out? Oh, belly button, wherefore art thou? Has anyone seen my belly button? Even if it was 'there' I doubt I'd be able to see it anyhow.
What I miss: Remembering what it feels like to not have 30 pounds strapped to my stomach (and everywhere else). I think I've reached the point where it's hard to imagine NOT being pregnant and wondering what it feels like to be 'back to normal'.
What I am looking forward to: Hmmm.... well we are definitely looking forward to bringing home the new addition to the family. Although, when people ask if I'm ready, I am hesitant to say yes because I know - without really knowing of course, that we won't ever really be ready for the chaos that lies ahead!
Weekly Wisdom: Well, after being sick these past two weeks, I can say that a humidifier makes a huge difference in recovering!
Milestones: Thanks to all of the wonderful gift cards we have received, we were able to buy our stroller and car seat system this week. Woohoo!
Current Projects: Decorating the nursery walls, packing the hospital bags, and continuing to organize the house!

Celebrating 28 Weeks and Christmas in LA!

We have been back 'home' in LA for the week, enjoying the holidays with Jenn's side of the family and our friends that we sadly left behind when we moved up north. :-) We were really fortunate to be able to see so many people we love while we have been in town. (Thanks to everyone for making time to see us, too!)

We were also able to sneak in one last visit to Disneyland, just the 'two' of us. As one of our favorite date spots, we really miss our regular, quick visits to the Happiest Place on Earth! We enjoyed wandering around and riding all of the rides (approved for mamas-to-be of course). While it was our last trip as a twosome, it was the baby's 1st visit! We really look forward to passing on our obsession to our kid(s) and we can't wait to experience the magic through their eyes. :-)

How far along? 28 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Don't know - haven't stepped on the scale this week, but it hadn't changed much last week. I'm back to not paying much attention to it.
Maternity clothes? Yup - although I'm going to need some longer shirts soon as I am starting to notice a draft on the underside of my stomach sometimes.... :-(
Stretch marks? None that I can see...so that means no, right?
Sleep: UGH. Well, I think a return to my magical Sleep Number 45 will help, but this week has been a little rough. However, without the dogs around, we've been enjoying sleeping in for probably the last time in our adult lives.
Best moment this week: Too many to choose from! Between seeing my family for Christmas, visiting with friends, and taking our last trip to Disneyland as a childless couple... we have had a great week!
Movement: While I can't seriously use the acronym usually, OMG comes to mind! I'm slightly convinced that the poor child has run out of room in there and is trying to get out. We (namely, my rib cage and I) have noticed a major change in the movement this past week. Joel has been able to feel (and see) plenty of activity, however the baby protested performing for Nana Claudette. Sorry Mom!
Food cravings: Cheese Bread! Just kidding...well, not really - we went to Northwoods Inn for dinner on our first night down in LA. Yum!
Gender: Believe it or not, we've still yet to figure it out! ;-) According to a long list of old wives tales we read online the other day, most signs point to boy.
Labor Signs: Nope....
Belly Button in or out? Again, neither....
What I miss: Being comfortable
What I am looking forward to: Someday being able to lay on my stomach or back again. Oh how I wish I could just sleep on my back some nights!
Weekly Wisdom: When pregnant at Disneyland, wear compression stockings! I think that's why I was so comfortable for most of the 12 hours we were there. Seriously! I couldn't believe how comfortable I was all day on my feet. I'm convinced that the improved circulation made a huge difference.
Milestones: Santa brought us the crib for Christmas! Woohoo! Baby Corcoran has some furniture! :-) Aside from that, more frequent and new movement. We think we can feel the head (or maybe the rump?) pressing into my side. For those of you who have never experienced growing a human in your belly, let me tell you, it's just lovely sometimes.

Current Projects: Clean out the nursery room.... yes I'm aware that I believe that was the current project a few weeks ago. We're REALLY going to get it done this time. Really!

25 Weeks and Freezing!

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Literally - we've had highs in the low 40s lately with lows in the mid 20s at night. Yowzers! We even had a dusting of snow at our house Monday morning. Chilly willy.

Anyhow, we finally broke out the Christmas decorations. Joel took some festive pictures (which he also posted on his growing photo blog here) for this week. Speaking of Joel... we really need to get some pictures of HIM on here, huh? I'll be working on that. In the meantime, here is the 25 week update, complete with a new category in the usual survey.

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: About 22 pounds it appears. I got in trouble with the midwife, but everyone tells me if I feel good and the baby is on track, not to worry - so I'm not going to. I've been increasing my exercise and watching more of what I eat (have you ever checked Sodium content? HOLY COW!). I hadn't been allowed to really exercise for so long (I was on a mild form of bed rest for a couple months) that I got pretty sedentary and I think it caught up with me a little. Oh well I guess.
Maternity clothes? Yes. Once again... temperatures are dropping like crazy around here and I've had to take up wearing Joel's jackets, as mine are all pretty snug fits and no longer zip closed!
Stretch marks? Nada....and hoping my Palmer's Cocoa Butter lotion helps keep it that way
Sleep: I'm so grateful for our Sleep Number bed - I think it's made it much easier for me to stay comfortable throughout the nights. The flannel sheets don't hurt, either!
Best moment this week: The other night, the baby was doing some serious kicking/bouncing around. I thought maybe we could "see" it if we looked. I was right! Seconds after I told Joel to watch, the baby did a monster jump and my whole stomach moved. We were both laughing at how crazy it was! We saw a few more full tummy movements. It's so weird!
Movement: Yes, aside from the above example, he/she seems to think my uterus is a bounce house. During the relaxation part of my yoga class the other night, the kid kept doing some spastic move every time I took a deep breath. Kinda hard to relax with all that action going on sometimes!
Food cravings: Nothing too specific but I crave good home cooked meals. Sadly I also crave really not good for me take out food that I am trying to avoid.
Gender: The other day I told Joel I think it's a boy. Not really sure why. We'll see at some point!
Labor Signs: No thank you!
Belly Button in or out? Is neither an option? :-/ That's pretty much where we are now folks.
What I miss: Being able to get a better stretch in some yoga positions... I was a little surprised at how limiting the belly was during yoga. I haven't done yoga since pre-pregnancy so it was weird to go to do moves with this body that knew what to do, but couldn't quite manage.
What I am looking forward to: Baby showers and nursery decorating! Fun stuff!
Weekly Wisdom: Did you know that a Chipotle burrito covers the ENTIRE recommended daily intake of sodium??? One burrito! Boo. Of course, I'll still be eating there, but at least I'll keep in mind that if I don't want to have cankles at the end of the night... I'll at least be skipping the tortilla for now. Sheesh.
Milestones: Going to the gym and walking almost every night this week. Woo hoo for feeling like an able body again!

Current Projects: It's time to start clearing out the nursery - it currently has a LOT of scrapbook stuff, craft materials, fabric for burp cloths (yes, still making those, but have been on hiatus), sewing machine, and ironing board..... aka the random room of stuff.

Pssssst....

Be sure to check out the new link at the top of the Links I Love list on the right side of the page below. I'm not the only one with a blog in this family now! Joel is really developing his photography skills and already has a a few more photo shoots in the works. I'm so proud of him!

Today is also our old "dating anniversary". Hard to believe we've officially been together for 8 years. :-) Happy Anniversary Turbo - I Love You!