Wordless Wednesday: Bipedal Swamp Creature or Neptune?

Nursery Progress

We've finally made enough progress in the nursery to warrant a post about it. Jason worked really hard and it looks beautiful so far. I could not be happier with how it turned out. The first step was to clean out all the stuff from the room. It had sort of become the junk room where we put everything that we hadn't unpacked or found a place for yet. I thought I took some 'before' pictures, but I either didn't or I deleted them. Oh well. Just imagine it filled with half-empty boxes, a desk, and some bookshelves. Here's a picture from when Mr. and Mrs. Asshole lived here to give you an idea of the space.

Once we had the clean slate, Jason set up shop to prepare.

For an old house, this room had zero character. We decided that putting up a chair rail would give it a little oomph and make it less boring. Some basic internet research told us to install the chair rail 1/3 up the side of the wall. Jason got to measuring and taping using high-tech laser beams!

We decided to go with a darker and a lighter shade of gray paint for below and above the chair rail. We matched the darker paint to the crib and then went a few shades lighter in the same family for the lighter gray. We used Sherwin-Williams zero VOC paint because we have had good success with it in the past.

Neptune checking out our progress.

Then Jason painted the upper portion of the wall and prepared for the chair rail installation.

Fortunately for us, Jason was able to borrow all the tools he needed from his friend, which really helped keep cost down. The same friend who hooked us up with the great deal on the Chariot stroller. We are indebted to him! Anyway, Jason borrowed some sort of enormous saw and one helluva staple gun. These tools might be familiar to those of you involved in home repair/design, but I for one had never seen such a larger than life compressor. Jason set the behemoth up in the dining room and snaked the air hose up the front stairs and into the nursery to operate the staple gun. Jason picked up the chair rail at Lowe's for around $40. Not too shabby! He painted it using a super high gloss enamel paint from Sherwin-Williams. It was kind of pricey, but he will also use it to paint the furniture he is building.

I was so excited to have it all finished so we could finally put the crib together and see how it looked! While we were going to get an IKEA crib, we found out they pulled all their cribs recently to keep up with recent safety standards. So, we ended up getting a crib at Walmart! I never thought I'd buy a crib at Walmart, but this one was pretty great. The Baby Mod Modena had everything we were looking for: simple design, modern look, all wood construction, JPMA certified, and non-toxic finish. All for $200! Plus, it came in this cool gray color that is similar to the chic, but much more expensive, Oeuf Sparrow. What do you think?

The swing is on loan from my awesome friend who also loaned me a ton of maternity clothes and a playmat for the baby. It will probably go downstairs, but is temporarily being housed in the nursery. The bedding is by Carousel Designs and I love it!

The only other furniture we have right now is the glider, which I also just love. It is new from Babyletto. I was surprised to locate one because it was sold out everywhere, but Amazon found one from BabyEarth. I was a little nervous about ordering it because it was our biggest splurge and with it being a new product, I couldn't find any reviews on it. But, it is perfect! It's a great size and I love the color. It's very sturdy and comfortable. Since the room is so tiny, I opted not to order the ottoman and will use a nursing stool instead. Leroy is keeping the glider warm for now.

And finally, here is what we have so far in terms of clothes and diapers. Nearly all the clothes came from my sister. I haven't started prepping my Green Mountain Diaper prefolds yet, so I need to get on that. We plan on using those until the baby fits into the assorted brands of one-size diapers I have slowly been accumulating. I will rearrange everything once we get the dresser.

So, that's it for now! Slow, but progress is being made. Jason is finishing up a cubby-style bookcase that he is building from scratch. We have to order the dresser and maybe another bookshelf and then the finishing touches. The nursery is very blah in terms of color right now, but we will be adding a lot of bright lime and white accents to color it up a bit. We picked up some cheap frames from Goodwill and will be painting them lime and white. The most difficult part will be choosing one picture of each dog that our baby will see every morning when he/she wakes up:) When we get it all finished, I'll be sure to do one final post, but I wanted to post our progress. Jason is becoming quite the handyman!

Our brush with fame: Meeting Mr. B and Ms. M

When A from Two Pitties in the City contacted me to let me know she, E, and the two pooches would be in St. Louis over the weekend, I was beyond excited to meet the faces behind one of my most favorite blogs! Even Jason, who isn't even on Facebook and doesn't take an interest in blogs, checks in on the adventures of Mr. B and Ms. M because they are two of the cutest dogs around. I have been reading their blog for awhile, and it has recently exploded in popularity due to the adorable pictures, useful information about dog and pit bull guardianship, honest opinions on dog gear, and great ideas of what to do with your dog. Thanks to the devotion of A and E, Mr. B and Ms. M are exemplary ambassadors for the breed.

So, while we were excited to meet them, we were worried about how our two monsters would compare! I mean, Mr. B and Ms. M are celebrities, people! It's like learning you're going to talk politics with the President, or Vatican II with the Pope, or have to cook for Martha Stewart! We hoped Levi and Neptune wouldn't do anything to embarrass us in front of A and E since they are so on top of dog training. We imagine them practicing Ms. M's tricks every night after a round of obedience training, but just before they diligently brush their dogs' teeth and tuck them into their perfectly matching floor pillows. In the meantime, our evenings consist of me yelling at Lola while Neptune farts away without any ounce of self-consciousness and Levi gives me the stink eye when I take up too much room on his couch.

But in the end, Mr. B and Ms. M turned out to be regular dogs just like the rest of them. I mean, they are just as good looking in person as they are on the internet. Ms. M is also softer than you can imagine! And they are both as sweet as you think they would be! But as my dad would say, they put their pants, er, dog boots, on one leg at a time. It was such a blast to take a walk with them and A was a trooper for sticking it out in the heat despite not feeling well. We took a walk over to Tower Grove Park and then let all the dogs cool down a bit at our house before A and E hit the road. It was great to talk to them and they are every bit as nice in person as they come across on their blog. I only wish we had had more time to hang out!

Thank you, Two Pitties in the City, for taking the time to meet us! I hope our starstruck nature didn't scare you away:) Levi and Neptune are happy to have two more dogs and two more humans to call friends.

I was having so much fun chatting, that I only took a few pictures. A took a lot of cute ones if you want to check them out on their blog.

Weekly Updates: Weeks 27-30

[Actually 31 weeks now, but I started this post last week and am just now getting around to finishing it]

[If you didn't see the comments section yesterday, Lola is NOT dead! Just some poor word choice on my part. She is still alive and as annoying as ever!]

Two-thirds of the way there, folks! I can't believe it. October seems far away when it's 100 degrees, but the weather is getting nicer and Halloween decor is appearing in stores and on websites. That must mean that Baby Girlstandstill's arrival is just around the corner, huh? That is scary, but exciting!

Where to start? Well, I had another ultrasound a few weeks ago at 28w3d. It was so fun to see the baby again. I learned that the baby is in a transverse lie, which I kind of suspected based on its movements. Its head is on my left side and its butt is on the right. When I feel the kicks, they are WAY over on my side. I can't believe how far over I feel them. So, I feel most of the big body parts right across my belly button area. I swear, sometimes I think the baby is going to break right through my uterus and pop out through my skin. I can now also identify its little hands moving and feel its butt. Pretty crazy.

The downside of this transverse lie is that there is absolutely no way I can have a vaginal delivery if the baby doesn't move. I do not want a c-section, but fortunately, there's plenty of time for the little one to move around. I will talk to my doctor about doing some special exercises once my due date gets closer if the baby hasn't moved yet. This is purely my own conjecture, but I feel like the way it is positioned might be why I still feel relatively comfortable. Its entire weight is not pressing down on my bladder or cervix and my ribs and lungs feel relatively unmolested from little baby feet.

We managed to stay Team Green during the ultrasound, but I'm starting to really think this baby is a boy. Not that this means anything, but every single one of my cousins on my mom's side and my sister all had boys first. That's six people. Also, almost every single person in my department at school who has had a first baby the last few years has had a boy. These are the 100% unscientific observations that lead me to believe our baby is a boy. Or maybe it's just the idea of having a teenage girl is so terrifying that I am partaking in some wishful thinking.

The tech estimated that the baby weighs 3lbs! No wonder those kicks are getting more forceful. I guess that's a normal weight because neither the tech nor the NP I saw afterward mentioned anything unusual about it or any of the other measurements. I was a little baby (under 7lb) and Jason was big (over 9lb), so how big this baby will be is anyone's guess. Here are a few pictures from the u/s.

This is the side of the head and the back of the head is on the right. The arrow is allegedly pointing to hair.

Here is its little profile with its fist up to its face.

I'm still feeling pretty good physically. I met my goal of running until 30 weeks, which was a huge victory for me. It's all relative, though. A 3.5-mile run on the treadmill at a 10-minute/mile pace would have been embarrassing for pre-pregnancy me, but I'll take it at this point. It's not easy to run with all this extra weight and limited lung capacity! I'm trying to get over the self-consciousness I feel about my body. It's natural for people to stare at pregnant women and analyze their bodies, but I don't like all the attention. It seems like everyone at my gym could double as a fitness model, so I usually feel like a giant whale lumbering in the door. I've also completely lost any sense of what I look like. I mean, I know my belly is huge, but I have no idea whether my ass is also huge, my face is puffy, etc. Do you pregnant ladies/moms know what I mean? Like your body has changed so much, you've lost all perspective?

My showers have all been scheduled and I'm excited to share this time with my friends and family. I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of people who have offered to throw a shower. It's very kind. I have a lot to look forward to in these last few months.

We pulled the trigger and ordered the fancy stroller! Here it is in jogger form, but we ordered the stroller and bike kits as well. Jason assembled it one night before I got home from the gym.

We don't have a lot of stuff yet, but we've been showing the dogs everything that is new, down to clothes and diapers. Here they are inspecting the goods. Levi no doubt thinks that will be his ride when he lays down in the park and refuses to take another step because it's too hot.

On the same note, my friend lent me a swing and I turned it on and played the music for the dogs. Neptune was a little intimidated at first, but investigated it with encouragement. Levi didn't know what the big deal was and stood there while it hit him in the face every time it came forward. Mr. Mellow, that's for sure.

Jason is making great progress in the nursery! We did the painting and he is putting the finishing touches on the chair rail. It's going to look so good. I'll post some pictures when it's more put together.

I guess that's about it for this update! It was a long one.

Here are the belly shots. Getting BIG! All from 30 weeks. Excuse my green shorts c. 1990. They fit, they are comfortable, they are what I wear around the house. I normally wouldn't show them in all their glory, but Levi staring at himself in the mirror is too funny.

From the front. My linea nigra is getting more pronounced. You can also see that my belly has taken on a Yeti-like appearance thanks to the fur that has sprouted everywhere.

And clothed.

How far along are you?: 30w

How big is baby?: squash

Weight gain/loss?: Up 19lb at 30w.

Stretch marks?: This belly cannot stretch much more without them appearing, I'm sure

Maternity clothes?: Definitely except for workout clothes

Sleep?: I'm still sleeping pretty well, but rolling over is a challenge. Can I rent a fork lift to help me?

Best moment this week?: Definitely seeing the baby again.

Food cravings?: Fruit, ice cream.

Gender?: It's a surprise

Movement?: Sometimes I wonder if this thing is going to bust through my belly alien-style!

Belly button?: It's pretty much flat and the top lip is sticking out, so I think it will be an outie soon.

Symptoms?: Starting to slow down a bit, but still feeling pretty good overall.

What do I miss?: Going for a long run and really pushing myself.

What I'm looking forward to this week? Getting the nursery set up!

Milestones?: Third trimester, baby!

Wordless Wednesday: Lola is in heaven

Leaving the Dogs Alone

I think we've finally found a solution to making both dogs safe and happy while we are gone during the day. Before we moved into our house, we began experimenting with leaving Levi out of his crate. Other than the time he ripped open the moving box with his toys, he did really well out of his crate. When we moved into the house and adopted Neptune, we decided to leave Levi out in the house to see how he did. Little by little, he would get into more things while we were gone. First, the trash. Okay, we put the trash up. Things progressed until he got into my purse one night while we were at the shelter and pulled out even non-food items. We realized we needed a new solution for him. In the meantime, Neptune was kept crated in the mudroom. We decided to try putting Levi in there with Neptune and close them off from the rest of the house.

The mudroom was a great solution until Levi ripped the dryer vent out of the wall and chewed on it. Okay, management in the mudroom obviously would not work for him since we couldn't move our washer and dryer. The next place we moved Levi was to the guest room upstairs. We covered the bed in multiple dog blankets and sheets and opened the shades to the big window for him to look out. He did really great in there! Even though he had an entire queen sized bed to himself, he decided he needed his personal throne and we would come home to find him curled up in the small chair. It is now Levi's chair.

When we went to Mexico in April and our dog sitter extraordinaire stayed with the boys, we decided to move Levi to the big empty bedroom so that she could, you know, actually have a clean bed to sleep in. And that is where Levi has been ever since. He has his throne, his bed, and another blanket that he likes to eat his morning Kong on.

In the meantime, Neptune was still crated in the mudroom. I felt badly that he was all by himself, but we left the radio on and the door open for him. Over time, we began noticing Neptune's paws were turning brown. He had obviously been licking them excessively while we were gone. I turned to Dr. Google to see what might be going on with him. We wondered if it was allergies, because the behavior seemed to arrive with spring and allergy season. Or, was it allergies due to food? Atopic dermatitis? We decided to switch him over to a grain-free food to see if his paws improved. Grain-free food is exorbitantly expensive, but we wanted to get to the bottom of his licking problem.

It seemed like he was doing better, but then one day his paws would be a total mess again. In addition to licking his paws, he had destroyed everything we put into his crate-water bowls, sheets, towels, crate pads, "indestructible" (and very expensive) crate pads made of weapons-grade Nylon. We wondered if he was having some sort of negative reaction to his crate, so we tried leaving him in short intervals out of his crate, but locked in the mudroom. That didn't go so well. This is what he did to the doorknob:

And the window panes on the door:

And the wall by the door:

The saddest part of all of this is that he only did it to the area by the door we left out of, not the door to the rest of the house. It was becoming more and more clear that Neptune's issues were due to anxiety and not allergies. Our next strategy was to move him upstairs with Levi. No more crate in the mudroom (sorry it's so dirty in this picture):

And into the bedroom with Levi it went:

Guess what happened? No more licking! Not only that, Neptune is excited to go into his crate in the morning. He wags his tail and we don't have to coax him in. It would sometimes be difficult to get him into his crate in the mudroom, even with the lure of his Kong. Now he happily goes in by himself and doesn't lick his paws. In fact, he has done so well, you can see in the picture above that he has a new crate pad that he has not chewed up (knock on wood). Levi has his throne, his bed, and his green blanket all to himself, but now has a buddy too.

Neptune's favorite thing is to ball up the green blanket. It's pretty hilarious to watch.

Neptune is showing off his white, clean paws:

So, I feel like pretty much the worst dog guardian in the world because he was so stressed for all this time. I'm happy that we finally solved his anxiety problems and that simply being in the room with Levi is enough to make him feel at ease. It's kind of a "duh"realization, but it didn't seem that obvious when we were going through it. We do intend to make that room into a kid playroom/family room, but I think we'll still be able to make something work where the two of them can be together. We'll just cross that bridge when we get to it. But for now, I feel much more confident leaving them in the morning knowing they have each other and seem to be happy!