camera shy

edward and i have been trying to catch our little one's belly movements on video camera, but it seems that every time we pull out the camera in a moment of activity.. caleb plays possum until we give up and then he's right back to his river-dancing. he's most active first thing in the morning and late at night when it's about bedtime, so if we time it just right i believe we'll be able to snag a video soon. it was always hard for me to understand what was being described by other pregnant moms about the motions happening in their tummies, but now that i'm experiencing it i am always in awe. feeling the kicks since he was 17 weeks old and now at 29 weeks seeing all of the pushing, kicking, shoving, hiccuping, and other activities makes me want an inside look. i am hoping we will get another 3d ultrasound in the upcoming weeks so i can get another peek at what this little boy looks like and how he's grown since last time.

the after

a little shove

with the baby's room near completion (comparison photos to follow), i am feeling more and more anxious to have his room stocked and decorated for his arrival.

lately this little munchkin has taken to shoving hard against my stomach with his wee little hands and feet. watching him shift and shove and kick makes me smile the smile of a proud mother. he's practicing all of those key survival tactics he'll need for when he's no longer residing inside of my body and, though it is a little overwhelming, i am proud to have a front row seat in this process. his hiccups shake my whole stomach and i can feel the outlines of his hands and feet when i gently press back against his insistent pushes. i cannot wait to meet this strong little boy and see what kind of child he will be on the outside.

motivating magic

i've witnessed the near completion of the baby's room this week; tomorrow is the final day of mudding! the guys (edward, pete, and geoff) are planning to attack the last of it to get the room sanding & paint-ready for next weekend. also following closely behind is the tearing up of the carpets and laying of the wood flooring! i've also talked edward into painting the old wood floors upstairs (which are painted grey right now, but i am wishing for a warmer tone). also, stripping and sealing the walls in the big spare room will need to be completed and that should take a while. then painting the living room, putting up some crown molding, new ceiling light, a drop ceiling and new ceiling light in the dining room and we'll be able to slow it down until the baby arrives. i figure i will be able to pick away at the rest of the renovating once caleb is born.

speaking of caleb, he's over a pound in weight now and growing steadily at 27 weeks; lately i feel like he's an octopus and not a human baby as he's kicking and punching me all over. the kicking and punching is leading to pain in areas that he has no business inflicting it, not that it occurs to him. newest place: my lungs & my kidneys. thanks, kid! mommy doesn't need those in tact or anything.

nursing the nursery

our poor nursery room has been the one in the most desperate need of repair and thankfully having such handy men around has begun the process of renovating this darling space. edward and peter have managed to strip all of the (four) layers of wallpaper from the walls and are stepping into the process of sealing the old drywall and button-holing the ceiling. i am preparing to take some storage bins up there soon, as the large bookshelf residing in the room still cannot be moved until all of edward's vhs tapes (he has hundreds) have been removed from the shelves. once the room is painted, i am so looking forward to adorning it with lovely things for our baby boy.
our little house keeps surprising and pleasing me more and more as we step further into it's facelift. whereas before it was in need of much updating, each small measure taken changes the prospect of this home and our own lives within it.

mediocre motivation

i have to admit to being rather lazy the past few weeks about unpacking my kitchen boxes and starting my kitchen revival project. with the heat, my motivation nose-dived, my feet swelled, my head ached, and my eyes burned. BUT. excuses no more. the hot spell is broken as the weather is ten degrees cooler, and i have begun the final steps in my kitchen unpacking.
before, i was taking out piece by piece from the boxes as we found need for them. leaving us drinking solely from coffee and tea mugs (which, let's face it, don't hold nearly enough water for a thirsty momma-to-be.) i have finally unpacked my glasses, more than happy to fill one to the brim and gulp it down, and also my plates, bowls, and other cookware. the happiest moment was last night with the discovery of my long-mourned coffee maker. my dearest not being a coffee drinker, i was lost without my 'one cup' allowance each morning.
the other task in my kitchen revival is getting rid of the miscellaneous junk that has cluttered the kitchen. my darling edward, being a man of great talent but little belongings, had collected hand-me-down kitchenware over the years. the kitchen is full of things like ancient dishes, mismatched mugs, lids to pots and pans no longer in service, a coffee maker without a carafe, and a rather sad drawer of utensils that would never form a matching set. soon many of these items will find their way to the donation center of the local goodwill store.
with the kitchen finally finding order, we will begin our painting project... well, we'll at least think about it.
edward has started the task of stripping wallpaper from the baby's room, then will need to seal the old drywall, mud and tape, button-hole the ceiling, and finally! paint! following that is the spare room.. which boasts a great deal of wallpaper on wallpaper and also more need of sealing the drywall. we agreed to leave our bedroom and bathroom for after baby caleb arrives. that will be my personal project.
just over three months until our bundle of love arrives, and said in terms of weeks, 15 weeks never felt so short!

paper shredder

so, i've begun my task of removing the wallpaper border from our upstairs bathroom.
i also began a small section of our spare room just to see what i was up against...
not only is there a beautiful layer of pearly bamboo paper.. but underneath there is
a colorful orange, lime green, and bright blue paisley-style print, which i must say is classy.

this isn't going to be easy!