Week 36

Here I am at 36 weeks, just less than 4 weeks to go...as you can see the belly continues to grow. I think we may be getting pretty close to the end. The baby finally flipped head down and it turns out I'm already a little bit dilated. It could be any time now or I could stay a few centimeters dilated for several weeks! Once we get past the 37 week mark, you can bet I'll be going on long long walks and eating spicy food to try to get things moving along. As much as I have enjoyed pregnancy I'm ready to meet this little guys who's been kicking up a storm in my belly. I'm also anxious to find out what Peter and I might name him. No, we haven't settled on a name yet, but we're close. I'm hoping once we see him, we'll be able to make a final decision. This strategy seemed to work for a few of our friends.

In the last few weeks I've been in full on nesting mode trying to get the "nursery" ready. We carved out a little nook for the baby by creating make shift walls with Ikea curtains next to our bedroom area. Here are a few pictures of our little urban loft nursery. It's cute and it works for now.

Any excuse to use a hammer drill

While we had originally hoped to surround our bedroom with some walls for some soundproofing, cost estimates put it a bit out of reach. Yes, we could have tried building them ourselves, but with no shop, that gets a bit tough.

What better excuse (a) for Andrea to visit IKEA and (b) for Peter to play with the hammer drill on the concrete rafters and install some curtains. At least they provide some basic light blocking. Added bonus: No more rushed cleaning of the entire house when friends visit!

Andrea's new sleeping companion

For the last several weeks I have not been able to get a good nights sleep. I'd wake up each morning with a stiff neck and shoulders and a aching lower back, not to mention the leg cramps that wake me in the middle of the night. I've slept with various configurations of first 2, then 3 then 5 pillows at a time with poor Peter way on the other side of our bed. Still after 5 pillows I was still not comfortable. I've gotten a few prenatal massages (Zenana Spa is amazing) and they are a beautiful thing, but I still come home to an uncomfortable nights sleep.

I caved in and bought myself the Snoogle Total Body Pillow...ah, finally comfort at night without the mountain of pillows. To all my pregnant friends (and there are so many of you these days), if you don't have one of these already, get one!

Happy 2009!

Wishing everyone a happy 2009!

Andrea has been keeping busy with pottery. The snowmen were "pinched" with Silver Falls porcelain clay.

Paradise Found

Sun makes a pregnant Andrea happy....


click on Andrea's tummy to see for more pictures from Hawaii

ARCTIC STORM BLAST 2008

What started as a comical inch or two a week ago has broken some records in the last couple days. Fortunately we were able to get outside and enjoy some fresh air. In a way our son's first snow fall, but I suppose it doesn't really count.

The 3rd Trimester

I'm now 26 weeks pregnant right at the start of my 3rd trimester. The time is going by extremely fast. Are we ready? Hmm... not quite. We tried to sell our loft to upgrade to a home with actual walls, but the housing market in the Pearl District along with the rest of the country is not so hot. We've taken our place off the market and are exploring the possibility of building up some walls, but we're still undecided. We may go with an "open concept" nursery.

We're gearing up for a final holiday as a two-some heading to Maui on Christmas Day. It will be a welcome getaway from the cold grey rain of the Northwest.

Here I am at 26 weeks, getting ever bigger. I can't wait to tan the tummy on the beaches of Maui.

Happy Holidays,

Andrea