Harper's First Halloween

Michael got me a new iMac for Christmas so I thought I had better start blogging again. Harper is 5 months old now. Time is flying. Here are some pictures from her first Halloween.

With our friends from baby group:

Ready to go downtown for the Spooktacular:
Super excited to trick or treat:

Harper is anxious to crawl and getting up on all 4s and rocking back and forth. I think she might figure it out before Thanksgiving.

Things I've Learned about Motherhood

1. I won't have time to blog!
2. I will be puked on, pooped on, peed on . . .
3. One smile can make all the frustration go away.

More to come!

Spring Time

Here is my first picture in my 30th year, taken March 18th - 29 weeks, 2 days pregnant. Currently 31 weeks, 1 day and will update pictures soon. I'm starting to feel quite uncomfortable - back aches, sore feet and not sleeping very well. Baby W is due two months from tomorrow. I am enjoying the warmer weather and the opportunity to get out and walk more.

Speaking of Baby W, she has a name! Her name is Harper Ann-Marguerite Withouse. I have always loved the name Harper since reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee (her actual name is Nelle Harper Lee). Ann is after my grandma Pat (Patricia Ann Hejl), my dad's mom, whom I am very close to. My middle name is Marguerite and it was also the name of my mom's mom, Marguerite Moore Nusbaum. I had a list of 10 girl names and 10 boy names for Michael to look at, but he refused to discuss names until after we found out the sex of the baby. When we knew we were having a girl, Harper is the name that Michael liked the best. He starting calling her "Harper bug" and so that became her name! I was torn between honoring my grandma Pat, who has been one of the most important women in my life, and keeping the tradition of Marguerite going while honoring my mom's family. I really do think Marguerite is a beautiful, classic name. We decided on a hyphenated middle name to honor both of my grandmothers. Here are the wood block letters we painted and hung in Harper's room:



Michael started his days off the day after my 30th birthday and he definitely spoiled me for my birthday. He picked out some beautiful diamond and aquamarine earrings - I was completely surprised - and took me to stay at a beautiful resort about 20 minutes outside of Moab for the weekend after my birthday. The first day we arrived was beautiful, sunny and warm. We had a beautiful king suite with a stunning view of the Colorado River.



We spent a lot of time reading on the porch.


The second morning was cloudy and windy but we managed to get a long walk in before the weather got too bad.


We also visited the two wineries in Moab, the Hole in the Rock house south of Moab, and the Moab Brewery for lunch. We spent a lot of time relaxing in our beautiful suite, reading and napping. On Sunday morning before we left the resort, we had a couples massage. It was a very relaxing, fun weekend together. I couldn't have asked for more for my 30th birthday.

The Nursery and Other Baby Related Updates

Michael was on his week off last week and for the first time since October, we stayed at home and got some work done (also relaxed a bit, too). I worked on washing baby clothes and organizing baby gear we have on hand. Michael worked on moving around furniture and organizing paperwork that had been in a pile in the closet. We found some bug decals to put on the wall and ordered the baby's bedding (it arrived today!!!). Here are some updated pictures of the baby's room:



As I mentioned, the bedding set we ordered came in this afternoon! It's called Cheerful Critters and is from Pottery Barn Kids. I do not know how Pottery Barn got my information but when I first got the catalog in the mail, I swore I would not order anything from them. However, I did flip through the catalog, only to find the Cheerful Critters set. Unbeknownst to us, the colors we picked for the then-office were Pottery Barn colors (by Benjamin Moore) and this bedding set matched those colors. I absolutely loved this bedding set and when I discovered that the paint matched exactly, I HAD to have it! I checked their website every couple of days and last week, the set went on clearance so I ordered it right away. I put the bumper up just to see what it looks like:



It is just the cutest thing! I have also been working on setting up registries at Target and Amazon.com. I also registered at Colorado Baby (pamperedbuns.com) here in Junction; it is a locally owned business that specializes in cloth diapering supplies. We are going to give cloth diapering a shot. I have received lots of great advice and support from other moms that cloth diaper and it really is a great way to save some money. Plus, the cloth diapers are very cute! Registering can make me feel a little overwhelmed; it's hard for a first time mom to decipher necessities versus luxuries. I've gotten lots of advice from friends who are already moms and of course my mom and grandma and I'm sure I'll figure out what our necessities will be as I go along. Some things are obviously space-wasters - my dad almost fell off of his chair laughing when I mentioned wipe warmers - but there are lots of baby products out there!

Here is an updated picture of me - 25 weeks, 6 days:


The baby is quite active, especially when I am not. She has gotten some good kicks in, which are more jolting than painful. She's started to party in my belly while I'm sleeping and even wakes me up at times. Michael can feel her move now and talks to her regularly to let her know he's here and excited to be her dad. I am feeling pretty good except for some sciatic nerve issues on my right side and some issues with my left hip. These seem to just be aches and pain that come with the territory.

Bathroom Before and After Photos

Our beautiful, updated bathroom is finished (except for a missing part with the shower kit that is on its way). A million thanks to my talented and hard-working Dad for completing most of this project and helping Michael learn how to tile and grout. My brother gave us a gift card to Pier 1 for Christmas so we were able to go get a new shower curtain and mat. I can't wait to take my first bath! What an amazing wedding gift!

Floor before and after:



Vanity before and after:


Shower before and after:




Toilet before and after:

Eastern Caribbean Cruise

Click here to view these pictures larger

IT'S A GIRL!

Our level 2 ultrasound was today with Dr. Simms and she is pretty sure that we are having a little girl! I had a hunch it was a girl because I first felt her move while I was watching all the movie stars in their lovely dresses and expensive jewelry walk down the Golden Globes red carpet. We got to see the baby's brain, heart with all 4 chambers, spine, feet, and other organs. We got an excellent report on the baby's health and it looks like everything is going perfectly with the pregnancy. My mom got to go with us to watch the ultrasound so that was very special for us. Michael and I went for ice cream after our big appointment and started working on the baby's room. We can't wait to meet our daughter! Here are some pictures of our little lady bug.



And here is a picture of me today (21 weeks, 1 day), getting ready for our appointment.



We are headed on a cruise through the eastern Caribbean on Saturday morning and more than ready for some sun and warm weather. We are cruising with my mom and dad, my brother and my grandma Pat for 7 nights to the Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, Tortola and the Grand Caymans. It's our first cruise and we are super excited!

Happy New Year!

I'm a couple days late, but Happy New Year! I know 2011 will be an exciting year for us.

Michael got a lesson in laying tile on Sunday when he was able to help my dad tile the rest of the bathtub walls. He cut the tiles while my dad put them on the wall. After my dad left that night, he told me, "Well, I think I should be able to tile the entry way now." I said that I was excited for the bathroom to be complete and if he did the entryway, that would be awesome (as of now, we have cheap-looking Pergo), to which he replied, "I said I should be able to, not that I would." Very funny.

Here are some pictures:



It looks amazing!

Not much to report on the baby front. We find out if we are having a boy or a girl 2 weeks from today and then leave on our Caribbean cruise 2 weeks from Saturday - our Christmas gift from my parents. It will be a great way to celebrate our 6th month anniversary and our new baby-to-be. After we find out the sex of our little bundle, we can start getting everything in line. I think I will feel much more excited once we know. I still haven't been able to feel the baby move at all and hoping that happens very soon!

I wish I had more exciting news to report! Until next time . . .