Nursery Progress

Today I wanted to share my recent progress on the baby room! This is all very exciting to me, since this has been "my project" for the past couple of months. My brother-in-law came over and replaced the trim and painted the baby room the colors we picked out: Benjamin Moore's "Milkyway" and "Sunrise". He also painted a changing table I bought off of Craigslist for $40. The paint and trim really freshened up the space!

Before:

After:

Once painting was complete I was able to assemble the crib, put the bedding together, and bring up the glider.  The glider is a Dutailier glider, which my friend Jen highly recommended, the crib a Babyletto Hudson, and the bedding and rug are sale items from  The Land of Nod, my favorite baby store at the moment. My husband and I were so thrilled with the results that we each took turns sitting in the glider and admiring the room.

Baby Update:

Week: 30

Baby Size: 17 inches long and 3 lbs

Changes for Mommy: 

• Walking a LOT slower in the airports, takes awhile to get my momentum going with the added weight.  
• Kicking during swim practice is more challenging, but feels good as it loosens up my tight hip muscles.  
• Get to feel baby kick almost ALL the time! He's quite a little mover, I think we're going to have our hands full! :)

This weekend we're taking our hospital's Childbirth Class, should be interesting! 

Have a great weekend everyone. :)

Shh...Enjoying the Quiet

Just read Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking.  I highly recommend this book, especially to those other introverts out there! 

The author is a self-proclaimed introvert and after years of believing something was "wrong" with her she wrote this book to illustrate just how common and even beneficial introversion is.  For instance, introversion has been correlated with the ability to delay gratification, higher levels of persistence, and creativity. Susan discusses ways in which to optimize the workplace, parenting, and even teaching for introverts.  This book really helped me to better understand myself, my husband, and pretty much the rest of my family. And now I have some ideas on how to be a better parent in case Baby C turns out to be a little introvert too.  Check it out! :)

Side note: the hot air balloons are back! Each morning my husband and I go out to the car and hear a quiet "whoooshing" overhead as anywhere from 5 to 10 balloons take off overhead.  The launch site is only a couple blocks from our apartment, a beautiful sight to start the day here in Winters, CA!

Little Man

Here's a little "mini Todd" outfit that my best friend gave me last week. It's exactly like what my husband wears (minus the teddy bear on the front pocket). :) I can't wait to get a photo of the two of them matching! 

Life has been busy and fun the past couple of weeks. With my friend in town we went and saw the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, very cool! The baby room just got painted, so now I'm super excited to decorate (future blog post about this to come), and Todd and I just spent the weekend in San Francisco where we got to see my brother and a good friend, enjoy some meals, and walk around the Embarcadero in the sunshine. If you're looking for a place to stay in the city, I would recommend the Hyatt Regency. It was very reasonably priced, and located right across from the Ferry Building overlooking the water. Nothing fancy, but easy for a quick weekend trip!

This week I'm really enjoying this song and this one.  Thinking of making either this dish or this.  Just finished reading The Paris Wife - great book!! 

We just watched the DVD "The Happiest Baby on the Block" which teaches parents how to perform the "5 S's" to calm their crying babies. The 5 S's are: Swaddling, Swinging, Shushing, Side Position, and Sucking. Really interesting video, and something I definitely intend to put to use with Baby C! Here's a sample video of someone doing the 5 S's - the baby's reaction blows my mind!! 

Summer Snaps

Here are some of the pictures we've taken thus far this summer: 

The hubby's birthday Manhattan at Restaurant Zoe. 

Nothing beats a cup of French press coffee with fresh cream.

Our woods in bloom! 

Chicken and vegetable pasta, yum.

The husband saw this chubby little bird and said, "Hey! This bird knows exactly how you're feeling!" - Thanks??

View of building during Seattle Art Walk.

Free outdoor dance class in Pioneer Square.

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Let's Eat Cake!

Birthday cake, birthday cake... lyrics to one of my fave Rihanna songs of the moment, also what I baked the hubby for his birthday last weekend. I tried out Ina Garten's Birthday Cake with Butter Frosting recipe - and this thing was a BEAST! I had to offload it to anyone who would take some. Each slice was heaven, but packed with a punch of sugar so you only really wanted a thin slice. Great for a kids birthday party I think, a bit much for two people. 

On another note, Happy 4th of July everyone!! Looks like it's going to be a pretty day here in Seattle. Think we'll have some BBQ after my Masters swim practice this afternoon.  Yup, still hauling my preggo butt into the pool as often as I can these days. It's really the only way I can relieve my leg cramps and bring some peace of mind. Feel sorry for those who have to see me in my two piece though. ;-)