I'm Not a Hippie

I'm not even that granola. I guess I could be medium-granola. We recycle, and I buy organic/local food when I can, and try to remember my own shopping bags, and we each drive a Prius, but it's not like I wear long flax-seed skirts and participate in communal living. I say all this because Pete and I are going to use cloth diapers when our Wee One arrives in April (insert snarky comments from my two brothers here).

We're actually pretty excited about it. I read about cloth diapering on Young House Love when we were newly pregnant and sent a link to the post to Pete. He was surprisingly quick to jump on board with it! I waited until Thanksgiving and sent an email to Sherry at YHL to see if they still loved their cloth diapers as much as they did 6 months ago when their little girl was born. She emailed me back right away (which was really exciting for me since she's sort-of an internet celebrity) and said they DID still love them and really didn't see why more people weren't using them.

Also, an SLP I worked with this semester has two children and she uses cloth diapers too! Now I'm not talking about our grandmothers' cloth diapers. Technology has changed the way of diapering. We've chosen to go with an all-in-one diaper since the thought of having to stuff a liner into something at 3am when I'm barely coherent isn't appealing. Also these are easier for staff at a day-care to use. These have velcro tabs just like disposables. We're also getting individually-sized diapers over the one-size with a bajillion snaps kind. This cuts down on bulk. We'll just install this cool spray-jet to our toilet for those diapers that have a little more er...mass... to them. Just dump the poo in the toilet, rinse out with the jet, and off to the laundry they go!! The bumGenius 3.0 All-in-One cloth diaper:

Obviously there's a cost-benefit to them as well. Big investment at first - but savings in the long term. So, though they come in cutie girl colors like zinnia and blossom, we'll probably get gender neutral colors like grasshopper (in the picture), butternut, twilight, and plain old white.

For those of you keeping track...

Yesterday was my 24 week mark! AND I got myself some of those stickers (thanks Etsy!) As for the papaya on my ticker - I don't know what's up with that. Baby Girl's been a papaya for at least two, maybe three weeks and I'm ready to move on to something more substantial. Especially since she's already been a mango and a cantaloupe - both of which are larger than a papaya at my grocery store. I feel like she's been demoted!! oh well. Another one of my updates tells me that she's the length of an ear of corn this week. My 24-wk doctor's appointment isn't until next week because my doctor's office is closed Christmas through New Year's. But she kicks several times a day so I assume everything is going well in there!!

On the the fourth day of Christmas your Laura gave to you - a recap of Christmas Day!

Christmas morning was pretty calm at our house - we know it will be the last one with just the two of us so we tried to savor the quiet and calm while looking forward to a much more exciting holiday in the future. After we got the monkey bread in the oven we opened our stockings.

Then after stockings came breakfast - which I thought I took a picture of, but apparently did not. The monkey bread looked cute as a wreath with a red licorice string bow - I promise. After breakfast we started opening gifts. Rachael got me the sweetest baby book - I'm so excited to start filling it out!!
And Pete gave me a gift that I would like any time of my life but that seems especially appropriate since I am expecting.
Yum! So far we've tried the spicy and it's delicious!!

After presents we relaxed for a bit - and Fiona found a new friend.
Then it was time to start on Christmas Dinner - I roasted a goose for the second time in my life. He turned out okay - especially seeing as how I didn't have a recipe. I threw some shallots, celery, and two oranges with holes poked in them in his cavity.
Here's the finished product.
After dinner we headed up to Northern Kentucky as we have for the past two years to join Rachael and her family for a night of fun and games!! We're so lucky that they include us - thanks guys!! When we arrived there were MORE presents for us and a present for our baby girl from little Sylvia -- look at those adorable clothes!!

We stayed up late playing Catchphrase, and Pete stayed up even later playing Scrabble with Sylvian. After a quick breakfast in the morning we headed home to rescue our pooches! So that was our Christmas - we loved it, hope you loved yours!!

I hope they pick us!!

Look what we got in the mail yesterday!!! A survey from the folks at Nielson to see if we'd like to become a Nielson family!! It would be fun if they picked us and we knew that we contributed to all the rankings those shows get on t.v. We'll just have to wait and see...

Christmas Eve the rest of the Day

After our crib-assembling morning, we had to prepare for Audrey and Andrew to come visit!! They hadn't seen our kitchen since the remodel and I was excited to share all my Christmas decorations. Naturally, it being Christmas Eve, we didn't have an official lunch or dinner, but lots of nosh-worthy appetizer-type dishes: shrimp, warm crab dip, veggies and dip, cheeses and crackers, pickles and olives, etc. I loved that when I spoke to my brothers on Christmas Day they had each done the EXACT same thing at their houses - Sally Carter traditions live on!!

When we exchanged gifts we found out just how excited Audrey and Andrew are about the arrival of our little one -- they showered us with the sweetest gifts for our little girl!! Among the presents were a perfect My First Cubs tee and a Sophie the Giraffe - which we know from Sylvia to be a MUST for all babies!

Thanks Aunt Audrey and Uncle Andrew - we can tell you're going to spoil her!!

Audrey and Andrew left just after six when Pete and I had to get ready to go to church. We sang in the choir for the 7:30 service, but decided not to go back for the 11:00 service because it had started to snow and the roads were looking icky. Instead we took the dogs for a walk - in the snow- and sang Christmas carols at the top of our lungs to say warm!! This might become a new tradition for us - we had the best time!

Happy 3rd day of Christmas!!

We had quite the weekend at our house - so I have plenty of blog-worthy pictures to share. :)
First we'll start with Christmas Eve Day:

We were done with Christmas shopping and wrapping and decorating and Pete had the day off so we decided to assemble our crib!!

Ta-Da! It was pretty easy to assemble so we were done in a jiffy. On the wall behind the crib you'll see two fabric samples. I'm thinking of green stripes for the curtains and pink and green polka dots for the skirt. There are two bumpers I like that would coordinate with it and they all look pretty good against our pale yellow walls. Those are the colors I like this week at least - last week it was completely different, so we'll see :)

Trim up the tree with Christmas stuff like bingle balls, and whofoo fluff

Now the whole house is decorated! I didn't take pictures of everything (like the guest bathroom - but trust me, it has Christmas stuff in it)



Since it looked so nice - we thought we should have some people over. Of course, we all ended up in the basement to watch the UK game, but Pete and I have been trying to spend some time in the living room each night so that it gets a little bit of attention.

Obligatory random dog photos:

the. perfect. Christmas. gift.

OHMYGOSH!!!! YOU CAN CREATE YOUR OWN MUPPET!!!!!! HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?!?!?

http://www.fao.com/whatnots/index.jsp

finished the tree!

I finished the tree this evening AND had Pete take a picture of my ever-expanding belly. So here's our tree and me at 22 1/2 weeks:

Ice Storm 2010 - no biggie?

Pete had appointments in Cincinnati both yesterday and today so with the forecast of treacherous weather, he stayed in a hotel last night rather than risk driving home and back. We definitely think this was a safe move. Last night, Lexington got ready for another ice storm - school was canceled, stores were selling out of firewood and de-icer, the grocery store was packed like the end was near.

This morning I woke up to maybe an inch of snow and a quarter-inch of ice - which is seriously NOTHING compared to 2003 when I had no electricity for 2 weeks (remember driving home from the airport after the choir trip to NYC, Rachael?) I spoke with Pete and he said Cincy had six inches of snow, but that the roads seemed okay, just slushy. Our road was plowed by 10:30 - which means the rest of town must be done because we are not a through street.

So I've been studying for the Praxis and prepping Christmas packages to be mailed, confident that if I venture out this afternoon I'll be okay. Then suddenly, Hannah starts barking like our house is being invaded. I look out the front window - no UPS truck, what could it be?

Oh. Maybe we weren't totally free from ice storm effects.

Pete might have to buy a new saw - our old one is barely holding on after chopping up the apple tree that fell at Celia Lane from ice storm 2009:

We've had a busy weekend here at our house -- yesterday we went to get our Christmas tree, then watched the UK game at Matt and Jen's house (Matt was in town!!), and THEN went to dinner and played games with our new friends Josh and Bari. After getting our tree home, moving furniture around, and putting the tree in the stand we remembered that we had seen an ad in the paper for a local camera store. Anyone see where this is going?!?!? We knew when we found out we were pregnant that we'd want to get a better camera -- since we no doubt will take TONS of pics of our Little One -- and yesterday we got one!!! A Canon Rebel T2i!!! Merry Christmas to us!!!

Today after church we hunkered down for what was forecast to be a snowy evening. We baked some cookies, and Pete brought all the Christmas decorations up from the basement while the battery charged. I love opening the Christmas decorations each year - it's like having a reunion with old friends. Everything's not quite done yet, but here are a few of our first pictures.

I know Hannah is not a Christmas decoration, but I don't think we've ever had a picture that actually shows exactly what she looks like before.

I got this angel for one of my first Christmases.

Pete's Christmases always involved toy soldiers - this is one of the many we inherited :)

Now we can get the whole room in one pic!! yay!

Lights and decorations on! Hopefully we'll finish it tomorrow - Audrey quilted us a new tree skirt, and we still have to put on the ribbons and topper.

ooh baby, baby!!

I first felt the Little One as a flutter in my lower abdomen about 5-6 weeks ago. It didn't happen very often, and when it did, I still wasn't positive that I was feeling the right thing. Then the week before Thanksgiving - right about the time we found out we'd be having a little girl - the flutters turned into definite pops and bubbles that HAD to be baby movements. I'd put my hand on my tummy to see if I could feel them from the outside, but no luck. They started to get stronger over Thanksgiving - but still Pete couldn't feel anything from his side. I told him I didn't know how long it would be until he would be able to feel her kicking, to which he responded, "Not even by Christmas?!?!?"

WELL. Christmas came a little early to our house because The Wee One has been having a little dance party around 9pm each night - and Pete got to feel kicks on Monday and almost every night since!! This morning our little girl was really rolling around at 6:30am -- I think it was because she knew I should have been out of bed but was trying to catch a few more moments of shut eye.

I keep thinking that maybe I'll get used to the kicks and won't get REALLY excited each time it happens as my pregnancy progresses, but so far, it is still new and amazing each time it occurs.

I am so thankful that I get to do this - that my body can experience all these changes while I go on with my everyday life. Sometimes being a girl is totally awesome!!!

How a banana is bigger than a cantaloupe is beyond me, but I guess this week the ticker is talking about length?!?!?!

SO Disappointing!!!

The University of Kentucky, in yet another money-saving endeavor, has cut individual college graduation ceremonies!!! So rather than having the typical College of Health Sciences graduation at The Singletary Center, where we can see our families and they can see us as we walk across the small stage and shake the hands of our faculty members, there will be one giant Graduate School ceremony at Rupp Arena with our name on the jumbo-tron. BOO!!

AND - so as not to interfere with the Derby, it's on Sunday, May 8th at 9am, rather than the traditional Saturday graduation. Yes, that is Mother's Day - will be my first Mother's Day - so I have to choose between being recognized for three years' of hard work or going to church on my very first Mother's Day. I was literally choking back tears when they made the announcement - I think we were all pretty disappointed.

I had been hoping on having a great little graduation weekend - Saturday could be the ceremony and a little Derby party in the evening, and then Sunday what family was in town could go with us as we returned to church for probably the first time since the Wee Crawford was born, and we could introduce her to everyone in the choir. I know I'm jumping the gun a little, depending on when our little girl decides to make her entrance I might not be feeling well enough to leave the HOUSE let alone have people over for festivities, but this has thrown a serious wrench in things.

oh. my. goodness.

It's halfway over. My pregnancy is halfway over -- how did that happen?!?!? I can't believe yesterday was my 20-week spot and now I'm really in the thick of things. I realize I haven't been very forthcoming with tummy pics, so here is the progression that I have thus far. Forgive the lack of cute tummy stickers or daylight, Pete and I take these when we happen to remember which is usually as I run out the door around 7:30am.

12 weeks

16 weeks

18 weeks

20 weeks

I don't know if I'll be as forthcoming with these as I really get big, but please enjoy :)