Right side of the patio/retaining wall before (just after construction)...
And after...complete with landscaping!
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Another view
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Here's what we did with the left side landscaping...
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Another view
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Yesterday we had our hospital tour at Magee. I found the tour to be beneficial and I'm glad we went. It was fun to see where our little boy will be born in just a few short months!! This upcoming week marks less than 100 days to go until my due date and the last week of my 2nd trimester!
Things have been quite busy around here with the start of wedding season, but I'll write an update post soon.
Until next time,
A friend sent this to me the other day and I HAD to share!! It's a lengthy read and quite hilarious, but definitely carries truth in the points made. Enjoy! :)
Dear Non-Pregnant Person,
I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me - then you should probably read this twice.
1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an ass.
2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father - not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby".
3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it. The same goes for the name of the baby.
4) The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.
5) Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight - ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about to pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invites her to critique your physical appearance, and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!".
6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.
7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents.
8) Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.
9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules, and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.
10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.
Sincerely,
All Pregnant Women
The past few weeks have been full of pregnancy milestones and firsts. We've accomplished a lot in the nursery, found out that Baby Schmitt is in fact a BOY, completed our gift registry, felt baby's kicks and gymnastics moves, and along the way I suddenly "popped", which prompted me to buy my first pair of maternity jeans.
I am now 21 weeks pregnant, so this post is a bit of a recap of the last few weeks, but I wanted to share the latest news and updates with our family and friends who are following this blog.
Nursery
A few weeks ago Rob and I picked up the crib and nursery furniture at BRU (special thanks to our good friends Dave and Sherry who helped us get the furniture into the nursery!) Rob had the crib put together and the furniture in place in under 2 hours! A great accomplishment for someone who doesn't always enjoy reading instructions and putting things together ;)
We haven't started decorating the nursery quite yet, but if you're interested in seeing some of our design ideas, check out my nursery inspiration post here.
Registry
Not much to really say here, other than the fact that we completed our registries. The process wasn't so bad for us compared to what some of our friends told us they went through. I think what helped us was doing research ahead of time, asking friends for advice, and knowing which brands are generally "good" in terms of safety and quality vs. not so good. I am happy to report there were no meltdowns and no arguments during the registry process :)
Baby Flutters + Kicks
At about 16 1/2 weeks is when I first felt the movement of life inside my growing stomach. At first, they felt like little flutters and I wasn't really sure if it was really the baby moving or just my imagination. After a few days, I was confident that what I was feeling was real. Fast forward a few weeks and they are now full kicks and punches. I always enjoy feeling the baby move, especially when I am hard at work at my desk and not expecting it. Sometimes when I'm having a particularly busy/stressful day, his kicks make me realize to sit back and enjoy the little things. Baby seems to be most active at night while we are lying in bed watching TV. I can't wait for him to get here so we can all enjoy family time together.
The Bump
Somewhere between week 15 and 16 is when I really started to notice an "official" bump. A bump that could be seen by others if they knew I was pregnant. Just a few short weeks later, my bump is now pretty recognizable to others, even strangers. I had been sporting a bella band with my regular jeans, but in no time, it seemed that I was getting uncomfortable even in the bella band and needed to spring for a pair of maternity jeans. Speaking of which, I am SO glad I did. They are way more comfortable and actually pretty cute too. I picked up a pair of Pea in the Pod jeans from Macy's in a dark wash, and I'd highly recommend them to other pregnant women. Truth be told, most days you can still find me wearing yoga pants with the exception of client meetings and dinners out :) Over the next few weeks I'll be doing more maternity shopping in preparation for wedding season starting at the end of April. Hoping I can find some cute dresses to wear during these hot spring/early summer months.
That about sums up the last few weeks in pregnancy land.
P.S. The bible verse above is a verse close to my heart that I am planning to frame and display in the baby's nursery.
xo,
Deciding on a nursery theme was actually pretty easy for me - first, I am a huge animal lover, and second, I knew I didn't want anything with Disney characters or cartoons (sorry, just not for me!). The whole airplane/car/train thing didn't really excite me either. After browsing the aisles of baby stores and looking online, I knew I wanted his nursery to be jungle themed. Hopefully he likes animals as much as I do, because he's going to be surrounded by them in his nursery :)
Below is some of my jungle nursery inspiration. These are just some of the small details for now...as our nursery design plans come to life, I will share more along the way.
Wood Name Plaque - I adore this!
Crib Mobile (the actual one we registered for)
Alphabet Wall Art
Elephant Rocking Chair
This is not the actual bedding we picked out nor the crib, but the walls of the nursery are tan and we have dark espresso furniture. This sort of shows the "big picture" of how the room will look once it's completed. I also like the little shelf pictured above the crib.
Oh, and one important side note...Baby Schmitt's name is NOT at all pictured above. These are just inspiration photos and ideas of things we'd like to do in his nursery. No name hints in this post ;)
Well, my intuition was right...Rob and I are expecting a baby BOY and we couldn't be more thrilled! It turns out our 1st trimester ultrasound tech was also right in her early gender prediction. I'll let you in on a little secret...Rob and I were SO convinced that we were having a boy that we actually started to shop for baby clothes already (remember what I said about Rob and I being "do-ers"? Yeah, we just couldn't wait!). Oh, but don't worry, we kept all of the receipts just in case it turned out to be a little girl ;) Even though I'm going to be way out numbered in the Schmitt household, I am absolutely tickled that our 1st child is a boy. I can already envision him in my mind and can't wait to meet him come August!
{The photo above was taken yesterday at 19 weeks. I thought announcing baby's gender with a photo would be a cute addition to his baby book, and I plan to use the chalkboard in his nursery.}
P.S. To answer all of the name questions we got yesterday - we're not telling. We do have his full name picked out, but we're choosing not to share until his birthday! ;)
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