Pining for Pumpkin

Here's one more photo from Arlo's one-year session:

Maternity Photos

These lovely photos were taken by Sarah of LuSarah SEAS Photography, and then jack-of-all-trades Melanie edited them and put them into these pretty collages for me.

Baby Shower (Long Version)

Once upon a time, in the sunny and beautiful land of Cleveland, Ohio (I'm allowed to take some liberties here), there lived a princess (Can I refer to myself as a princess? Yes? I'll just go all out then!)—a beautiful princess and her handsome prince.

Princess Amanda and Prince Danny

On an especially pretty Sunday in February, their kind, lovely, and talented friend, Melanie the Great, threw them a baby shower, which we'll be referring to as a baby ball from this point forward. This was no ordinary ball, that's for certain. This ball was special.

Melanie the Great!

To understand how overjoyed the prince and princess were at their ball, you first have to understand how brokenhearted they were last year. There was a time when the princess spent her days crying, fearing she'd never have a big belly for her friends to rub, and that she'd never get to attend a ball for her own baby.

The prince and princess would have been thrilled to have even a ho-hum ball. Just the fact that they could have a ball in honor of their own baby was enough to send them over the moon. The ball Melanie the Great hosted, though, was anything but ho-hum.

You see, sweet Melanie the Great realized what a miracle Baby Celis was, so she made sure the celebration in his honor was extra magical. She pulled out all the stops. Every detail was so special, personal, and well thought out.

The venue was perfect, and the decor was gorgeous.

Please note how adorable Princess Amanda and Prince Danny were when they were babies.

The food was beyond delicious.

Even the activities were creative and marvelous—and left the princess with some priceless keepsakes.

For this activity, each guest was given a letter of the alphabet, and they were asked to draw something that starts with their letter. Melanie the Great is compiling these pages into a one-of-a-kind alphabet book for Baby Celis. 

We can't forget to mention the 30 or so wonderful ladies who attended the ball, eager to celebrate Baby Celis.

Arlo, do you understand how many people love you already??

They spoiled him like crazy!

Since the theme of the ball was reading, the guests were given these practical bookmarks (made with love by Melanie the Great, of course) as party favors:

Everybody had so much fun at the ball, and nearly 2 months later, people are still telling the princess that her baby's ball was the most spectacular one they've ever attended.

See how much fun Laura and Renee are having??

The princess can't thank Melanie enough for being there for her during her worst nightmares, and then helping to turn her happy times into a beautiful fairy tale. The princess can't wait to see Melanie cuddle Baby Celis. (In fact, the princess has tears in her eyes right now, just thinking about it. Come out, Arlo! Aunt Melanie needs to cuddle you!)

The End
(And the Beginning)

P.S.
Melanie the Great is so great that, in addition to butterflies in her tummy and a happy heart, she sent the princess home with this:

Address labels with all of the guests' addresses on them, custom thank-you cards, stamped envelopes with the princess's return address already on them, and sweet heart stickers. How's that for awesome?

39 Weeks = Watermelon

Today, I'm 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant, and Arlo is approximately the size of a watermelon!

I'm not going to complain that this watermelon is too small. Instead, I'll be grateful that I found a watermelon in March, in Cleveland. Thanks, Chuppa's Marketplace!

I remember, so clearly, sitting at our dining room table 8 months ago, eating an apple and setting aside a seed for my first photo shoot.

I want this jawline back. And my wardrobe. 

At the time, my watermelon photo seemed like it was forever away, and it certainly didn't feel like a guarantee—but whether we only made it to raspberry week, or olive week, or whatever week, I was going to celebrate every week of this pregnancy.

And now, here we are, on watermelon week. The wait is over. Well, kind of. My watermelon still has to come on out and play.

I wish I could Photoshop this hand farther up... Oops.

We had an appointment yesterday, and the ultrasound tech estimated that Arlo is about 8lbs, 2oz—which isn't as huge as my OB was anticipating. However, his Buddha belly is in the 95th percentile, so my OB warned us that delivery may not be a breeze. She really doesn't want him to get much bigger, since I'm set on having a vaginal delivery (as long as it's safe for everybody, of course), so she said we'll discuss induction methods next week. Get your chunky butt out here before that, Arlo!

Please note that I'm not sharing our latest ultrasound photo with you. This is because it scared the living crap out of me. I've been saying some very superficial prayers these last couple of days (e.g., Please, God, don't let Arlo really look like a fat gorilla). Once he's here, assuming he doesn't actually resemble the creature in the photo, I'll post the photo. It's a sight to behold.

I'd say those two are pretty similar in size.

Symptoms? Yes. Everything. My biggest issue right now, though, is insomnia. I'm literally sleeping 3 hours a night, and then I'm exhausted the next day. I'd be fine if I didn't have to drag myself to work and was able to nap throughout the day, but that isn't an option. I'm so scared that I'm going to go into labor after a miserable, sleepless night, and everything will go horribly. It's impossible to tolerate pain and stress when you're running on E.

Emotions? Yes. Everything! My due date is 5 days away!

Oh, and did I mention it's watermelon week? Watermelon week!

38 Weeks = Pumpkin

Today, I'm 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant, and Arlo is approximately the size of a pumpkin.

I planned ahead and bought an artificial pumpkin from JoAnn's after Halloween. 

This week's update is coming at you pretty late because it was a hell of a week. When it wasn't snowing like crazy outside, I was spending time in the emergency room, being treated for what the ER doctor originally thought was kidney stones. On our second trip to the ER, though, he decided the back/side/everywhere pain might actually be from ligaments doing whatever ligaments do during pregnancy. All I know is I felt like I was dying, and I have a Percocet prescription in case it happens again (Nooo!).

Any other pregnancy symptoms I'm experiencing have obviously been eclipsed by whatever that horrendous pain was. I'm definitely uncomfortable, and I'm having a hard time fighting the dreaded waddle. I can't sleep, I'm swollen and nauseated, and I've been getting up 5-7 times a night to empty my smushed bladder. When I recall specifics of this pregnancy years from now, when I'm not thinking about how miraculous it was, I'll think of pee.

Anyway, life's kind of weird right now because, in case you missed it in my last post, Danny and I were prepared to meet Arlo this coming week. My C-section was scheduled for Tuesday, March 26th at 7:30 A.M, and we've been so focused on that date for so long that his flipping to the head-down position has been a major adjustment for us. We thought we'd be holding our miracle this week. I didn't research relaxation techniques or pain management, etc. during labor, because I didn't think it would apply to me. That said, I can't tell you how thrilled I am that he's in the proper position and that I can (hopefully!) have a vaginal delivery. It's just been kind of trippy.

I keep thinking it would be awesome if he decided to arrive on March 26th of his own accord, but my gut tells me he's going to bake beyond his April 2nd due date. He defied the odds and flipped past 37 weeks, so it's his prerogative to come out when he's good and ready. (Let's not get too crazy, though, Arlo. We're ready for ya.)

37 Weeks = Carnations

Today, I'm 37 weeks and 3 days pregnant, and Arlo is about 20 inches long, or approximately the length of these carnations (yes, I'm improvising again):

As of 3 days ago, I have officially carried my baby to term (babies are considered full-term at 37 weeks)—something most people take for granted... but I never, ever will. (Keep cooking, though, Arlo. Mama still has to wash your cute little clothes.)

Symptoms? You name it, I have it. My feet are so swollen that they actually hurt, I don't sleep anymore, I pee nonstop, my heartburn is out of control, and I'm just plain uncomfortable. I know this final stretch is going to be pretty rough—but so worth it. 

Most notably, severe sciatica (apparently, sciatica is no joke!) sent us to L&D Wednesday night, which was a blast. It was an all-night affair, of course, so I ended up having to miss my own baby shower lunch that my co-workers had planned for yesterday. I felt like a giant jackass, as you can imagine. They had a quick little celebration for me this afternoon, though, with gift cards (yay!) and cake (which was meant to be eaten at yesterday's lunch but wasn't stale yet, thank God—so I didn't have to feel like an even bigger jackass).  

It's a good thing the end is drawing near because I'm almost miserable, and I'm so, so ready to meet my miracle (as soon as I get that load of laundry done, I mean). The nursery is complete, we've bought (or were gifted) all the essentials, my bags are (pretty much) packed, and the car seat is installed in Danny's truck. This is actually happening! 

Nursery Stuff: Sneak Peek

Oh, dang. 

Nursery Stuff: DIY Book Ledges

The book ledges have been built and hanging for a few weeks now, but we had issues with the paint job until tonight (Sorry for being so Type A, Danny), so they weren't ready for their close-up until tonight.

I'd originally planned on using Ikea's picture ledges as our book ledges, but, naturally, the long ones were way too long for the wall, and the short ones were way too short—so I put poor Danny to work.

Danny based his plan on this tutorial by Ana White. How did this project cost Ana $10 and us $100? Whatever. Anyway, we went with the 32" ledges.

Thank you, God, for letting my wonderful but unhandy husband complete this project unscathed.

Chilling on the floor, ready to be sanded, primed, painted, and hung. And then sanded and painted again. And then hung, sanded, and painted again. And then sanded and painted one more time. You think I'm exaggerating, but I'll spare you the details.  (On Facebook, Danny posted this photo and captioned it "Pinterest should be renamed 'Shit I Want My Husband to Build'"

Done! 

These look amazing, and they were so much cheaper to make than buy, especially considering Pottery Barn seems to be the only place in the world that sells 32" ledges. I couldn't be more proud of Danny!

36 Weeks = Honeydew

Today, I'm 36 weeks and 1 day pregnant, and Arlo weighs about as much as a honeydew.

Weighing in at 6.75 pounds, this thing is heavier than it looks.

Most babies are in the head-down position by now, but not my baby! No, sirree. We're apparently trying to be part of every statistic we can possibly be a part of, so he's still breech. At yesterday's appointment, my OB told me to please give up hope that he'll flip—because she did an internal exam and knows that it's physically impossible for him to do so. His butt is at the gate, and there just isn't room down there for major acrobatics. (But what does it hurt to hope?)

Speaking of internal exams, last week, I was 80% effaced and already starting to dilate, and yesterday, my OB said I'm "really ripe." This could happen any minute! Or not. It's just one of those wait-and-see games, but that's part of the fun, I think.

My symptoms are still very mild, but I've been experiencing some terrible pressure on my cervix, thanks to my li'l low-rider. A few times, we've ventured from the land of discomfort into the land of oh-shit-that-hurts. On the plus side, I haven't experienced lung-crowding to the extent most pregnant women probably do.

I'm happy. I can't even tell you how happy. Also slightly panicky. We still have quite a few things to do and buy before this guy gets here, and life has been so crazy lately that I'm not even sure when we can squeeze everything in. I hope to knock out a few things this weekend, when we're not busy baby-classing or maternity-photoing it up.

Oh, and on the subject of photos... sorry the Baby Shower (Long Version) post isn't up yet! Sarah, the lovely photographer, is swamped right now, and she doesn't think she'll have the photos ready for a few more weeks. I don't want to publish the post without the photos, though, so I truly might have a baby by the time I share our shower story with you.

Nursery Stuff: Dresser

Danny and I finished up the last step of our dresser makeover tonight, so I thought I'd share the dresser story with you. As always, scroll to the end if you just want to see the dresser.

I know I've mentioned that we already own a mid-century dresser that I ruined with paint a few years ago (ugh). Here she is:

Back when I was feeling ambitious, I planned on refinishing that sucker—but as time wore on, the thought of all that stripping and sanding and priming and staining became overwhelming. Plus, if we used that huge dresser, we wouldn't be able to put anything else, like the Ikea Expedit, on that wall.

I searched Craigslist relentlessly for nearly 3 months—to no avail. The very same day I gave up and decided to just buy a changing table from Target (Seriously. Like, 3 hours after Danny told his mom she could buy us a changing table), I stumbled upon this stud (and his taller brother that'll go in our bedroom) on Craigslist:

Looks way better in this "before" photo I took than it did in real life.

I don't know why my gut told me to check Craigslist one more time, but it did. They're in very good condition, and we snagged them both for $200.

However, they looked very dull and dry, which this picture captures nicely:

I also wasn't a fan of this:

Freaking Formica!

...or this:

Disgusting drawer liners.

...but I knew we could remedy these situations.

We borrowed some supplies from my friend, Melanie, who happens to know and love all things furniture.

First we scrubbed the dresser down with Murphy's Oil Soap. Next, we applied Howard's Restor-A-Finish with fine-grit steel wool, then wiped it dry. Last, we polished the entire surface with Howard's Feed-N-Wax. This process really brought the piece to life, and it took less than 2 hours.

I removed the gross drawer liner and replaced it with some pretty gift wrap I found at T.J.Maxx.

I ordered a cut-to-order piece of laminated vinyl from Chic Shelf Paper to cover up the Formica and help tie the piece in with the crib. I have to be completely honest and admit that there are bubbles all over the surface of that thing, and try as we might, we can't get rid of them.

Anyway, this isn't the most fantastic picture in the world, but here's the final result:

All shiny and lovely.

Yay!

35 Weeks = Baguette

Today's a really happy milestone: 35/35; I'm exactly 35 weeks pregnant, and I have 35 days left until my due date. Booyah!

Anyway, right now, Arlo's about as long as this loaf of garlic bread:

Windy and rainy. I'm tired of Cleveland ruining my bump photos.

I probably don't need to tell you that I'm improvising again this week. I charged through the grocery store like a tape-measure-wielding maniac until I found something that's about 18" long.

Arlo's been having lots of hiccups this week, which is strange and adorable. I was wondering if I'd ever get to feel baby hiccups, so we can cross that one off the list. By now, most of his physical development is complete, and his main job is to put on weight. Easy, fella—I've seen those cankles (and Lord, do I love them).

I've had a pretty good week—a little of this, a little of that... lots of exhaustion... about what you'd expect of an 8-month-pregnant body. I try to keep things in perspective and treat every painful leg cramp or trip to the bathroom as a little reminder that I'm pregnant with an awesome, healthy baby.

Nursery Stuff: Lighting

We've been busy working on the nursery lately (almost done!), but I haven't been sharing much of our progress because I don't want to give away too much too soon. Since the pendant's on the ceiling, I can show you that without revealing too much of the room.

Anyway, I knew I wanted to make a statement with the ceiling fixture, but I didn't want to spend a fortune. When Danny and I saw the Knappa Pendant at Ikea, we knew it was the one. Interesting + $25 = Come to mama.

When we got it home, though, we were bummed to find out that it's meant to be plugged into an outlet and hung like this:

Ugh. Ikea directions. 

That wasn't going to fly, so we enlisted the help of our handy friend, Joe, and he figured out a way to hang it from the existing ceiling bracket using a $17 "pendant fitter" from Lowe's.

I should mention that putting the actual pendant together was a nightmare in itself. Just as I was contemplating shoving all of those stupid little pieces down the garbage disposal, Danny (and YouTube) came to the rescue.

Here's the end result, which I adore:

Can you see those birch trees in the background, you sneaky devil? 

Thanks, Joe!

34 Weeks = Bowl of Oranges

Today, I'm 34 weeks and 2 days pregnant, and Arlo(!!) probably weighs just under 6 pounds now. The 8 oranges in this bowl weigh a total of 5lbs 10oz. I'm just improvising this week—and will probably continue to do so—since the fruit comparison charts I was using are nonsensical and really annoying.

I'm sure I looked like a lunatic when I was weighing these at the grocery store, swapping them out and trying to find the perfect combination for this week's representation. It took longer than I care to admit. (And my eyes say it all here. I can hardly stay awake.)

Arlo can recognize simple songs now, and he's urinating about a pint a day. He's just jammin' and peein' and having a grand old time in there.

Let's zoom in on that thing.

My symptoms haven't been too terrible this week. Aside from incessant peeing (waaaaay more than a pint a day) and exhaustion, I had a weird episode of seeing cloudy spots when I was driving home from the mall on Sunday. Supposedly, blurry vision is common around this time, and is caused by a combination of hormones, fluid buildup, and lack of sleep. At least I know I'm probably not going blind, thank goodness.

40 days to go!

What's in a Name?

Poppyseed, Appleseed, Sweet Pea, Blueberry...Watermelon…

Baby Boy, our son, our dancer, Little Man, Guido…

Our fighter, our trouper, our miracle…

The one who saved me:

Arlo.

33 Weeks = 5-Pound Weight

Today, I'm 33 weeks and 2 days pregnant, and at this point, babies weigh between 4.2 and 5.8 pounds, like a durian. Yesterday, the ultrasound tech guessed that Guido is about 5lbs 2oz. right now, so I really phoned it in this week and busted out a 5-pound weight to represent him. This was better than trying to hunt down a durian, whatever that is.  

By now, Guido's eyes are open when he's awake. His skeleton is hardening, and his brain is developing like crazy.

When I think of symptoms, "sweaty" springs to mind—along with exhausted, stretch marks, linea nigra, heartburn, swollen feet, and round ligament pain. All that said, I really do feel fine overall. Just not as fine as I did a couple weeks ago... and I know I'm just going to get more uncomfortable as time goes on. Sign me up!

Breech-ish Baby

We had an appointment today, at 33 weeks and 1 day, to see where exactly Guido's hanging out in there. He did move slightly—but in the wrong direction. Naturally. He's somewhere between transverse and breech now. We'll discuss this issue at my next appointment in 2 weeks.

Aside from that news, it was a pretty uneventful appointment. We did get to see our little chubs, though—and he was as uncooperative and camera shy as always. We've still never gotten a good glimpse of his face, but this just means we'll be extra surprised when he arrives.

I love that his nose somehow looks like both Danny's and mine here. (And only a mommy could look at a photo this distorted and cry because her baby is so beautiful.)  

The ultrasound tech (I first typed "ultratech sound," which made me laugh out loud just now) estimates that Guido is currently about 5lbs 2oz, meaning he's measuring approximately a week ahead. He'll most likely be pushing 9 pounds at birth if he continues to grow at the rate he has been.

I always assumed I'd have smaller babies because my mom and sister did, but this dude apparently has other ideas. Do your thang, Guido.

Baby Shower (Short Version)

Our amazing friend, Melanie, threw us a baby shower today, and Danny said it best when he called it "the shower to end all showers." Seriously, it was something you'd see in a movie and think, "Oh, right, like anybody actually has a baby shower like that!" It was incredible.

The spectacular Mel!

Our very talented friend Sarah, of LuSarah SEAS Photography, took lots of pretty pictures of the festivities, so I'm going to do my real baby shower post when she has these ready for the world to see.

For now, just know that this was one of the happiest days of my life. I haven't found the words to express how fantastic it felt to celebrate this baby with our loved ones. I'll probably never find the words, but I'll do my best when I write my "Baby Shower (Long Version)" post.

I won't make you wait to see a picture of our loot, though!

Daaaang!

Another point of interest is that after a few drinks (Did I mention that this shower lasted for 6 hours and turned into a baby party?), Danny accidentally referred to our baby by name in front of about 7 people. I don't want this group of people to have to keep it a secret from our other friends, so you can expect me to share his name with you sometime in the very near future.  

Nursery Stuff: CHAIR!!

Well, it just so happens that my 100th blog post (!!) is a super exciting one. Okay, maybe I kind of planned it that way, but still.

Remember this post, where I explained how important a sturdy, well-made, beautiful chair is to me—and admitted I'd be splurging in this department? Well, in case you don't feel like revisiting the post, here's the chair I claimed I'd be buying: 

Monte Joya Rocker

I tried to talk myself out of it last month. I really, really did. The $1k price tag was just so hard to swallow. Then, somebody warned me that rockers slide all over the place, so gliders are the way to go. Then, I happened upon a reviewer who complained that the chair was too narrow to comfortably accommodate a nursing pillow and too short to allow her to rest her head against the back .  

Unfortunately, the nearest store that carries the chair is 7 hours away, so we couldn't go check it out for ourselves. I'm crazy, but not crazy enough for that kind of drive. Instead, we contacted the only store in Ohio that carries the brand (not the specific chair), and learned that they carry the Grano Glider, which is basically the glider version of the Joya Rocker, as far as appearance and dimensions are concerned.

As luck would have it, the store is only a half hour or so away from us, so we headed on over to give the glider a test drive.

Danny chilling in the glider and loving it. 

In short, we were blown away. Yes, it's small, and for larger people, it would be a problem. It's perfect for us, though, and while it may not look like it in the photo above, the back of the chair is the perfect height for us to rest our heads against. I was almost sold on the glider, but I didn't want to spend the rest of my life wishing I'd just gone with my dream rocker.

I contacted Land of Nod, and they told me that if I ordered the Joya Rocker and wasn't satisfied, they'd send a truck to pick it up and return it, free of charge. I'd only be out my original shipping fee of $90. Sold.

I decided to go with the heather gray, though, because I couldn't help but think the charcoal gray would be covered in white spit-up and all kinds of lovely things that the lighter gray could better mask. 

Anyway, here she is in Guido's nursery: 

OMG

I removed a couple of items from the scene, because I don't want to show you too much nursery at once. 

I repeat: OMG.

We try to keep the door shut, but if it's ever open for any reason, this is surely happening:

I knew Edgar would try to steal this chair from me.

And when Edgar isn't in the chair, Maynard is, and I was lucky enough to catch him mid-yawn for you tonight.

Judging by this picture, you'd never know that he's the cutest cat in the world.

Admittedly, the rocker does slide around a bit, and I think I'll have to find some kind of little rug to put under it. I know the charcoal would have looked even better in the room, but I think the heather gray was the way to go. This chair is gorgeous—and extremely comfortable—and I can't wait to rock our baby boy to sleep in it.

Oh, and I'll be amazed if I ever regret spending $1,000 on this sucker. 

32 Weeks = Papaya

Today, I'm 32 weeks and 1 day pregnant, and our baby boy is just shy of 4 pounds, much like this papaya:

That lovely fence belongs to the neighbors, not us.

At this point, most babies are preparing for their descent by getting into the head-down position. I can't tell where Guido is right now, but I'm hoping like crazy he's been visiting the same pregnancy websites I've been—and is doing exactly what he's supposed to do. We have an ultrasound next Wednesday, so we'll know what he's up to a week from now. I really, really hope he's flipped by then, and if he hasn't, I'll do all kinds of crazy acrobatics to encourage him to get into position. I'm seriously not in love with the idea of a C-section. It's still early, though, so I'm trying not to stress too much.

Symptoms? Oooh, Lord. Heartburn. Lower back pain. A horrible gas bubble (??) or something in my stomach. Congestion. A cold that's been around since Christmas. I've been a mess. Nights, in particular, are rough—and I haven't been sleeping well at all. Mama's tired.

Danny just loves when I steal his hoodies. Shh. Don't tell him. 

I've been doing a low-impact pregnancy workout DVD most days that focuses mainly on stretching and core exercises, and I do think it's alleviating some of my back pain. When I first bought the DVD, I fast-forwarded through it quickly (I may have been sitting on the couch, eating ice cream at the time) to see what I'd be dealing with the next morning, and I was disappointed. I thought it looked way too easy and would be a big waste of time. Wrong. Everything's a workout when you're off-balance and toting around this kind of poundage. It's definitely easy, but it's not too easy, and it isn't a waste of time.

Lots of excitement happening! Guido keeps getting awesome gifts in the mail from people who love him; every few days, something I've ordered for the nursery is being delivered; and! My baby shower is this Sunday. I don't remember the last time I was so pumped about something. Danny and I can't wait to celebrate this boy with our loved ones. It's going to be amazing.