Nursery: step 2

Colors!
We want a cute and soothing green that doesn't look like pea soup, or get too overwhelming at 3 a.m.

So... Taking votes.

Thoughts?

The Nursery: step 1

Yep! We get to call it the nursery now.  (It has been the office as long as I have lived here, but previously served as Dave's room, and Isaac's room.) The desks and bookshelf have been relocated.

However, we must start with the guest room to clear out space...

Step one: move furniture and rearrange what is now the guest room/studio/office.  Now we have a TV set up in the guest room.  It looks a lot smaller, but we got it all in and functional.






Now to pick paint, hang a fan, and get the paint on the walls.

C has Thursday and Friday off work, and we are on a roll! We will post pictures as things get done.

Rocky Mount Baby Shower

This weekend a few family friends, Carol Mascia, Julie Love, and Mary Margaret Love, threw a fabulous Baby Shower to help get us ready for LC's arrival. These ladies have Showers down to a science, these days, and they make the best food!  We had a fantastic brunch with mimosas (faux for me), and I have a request in for a recipe or two!  Thank you for such a great day, ladies!

Lots of family, and "practically-family," made it to the shower.  I was excited that even my Aunt Alicia and Cousin Kate made it from Virginia.  My sister-in-law, Christy, and niece, Isabelle drove in from Hillsborough, as did Katie From Chapel Hill.  The crowd was polled to see who was expecting a boy or a girl.  The overall count was pretty close, but girl was slightly ahead.  The ladies who have known me for many years, and have children of their own all think it's a boy, though, and that is supposed to be the most accurate guess.

I did not get any pictures on my camera, but as soon as I get them, I will post them.  (If you have pictures, please send them to me so I can post them!)

We got lots of the bottles and supplies to help with feeding baby and adjusting to breastfeeding, lots of bath supplies, and a great collection of books!  (I LOVE baby books!)  Of course our diaper supply was started, as well!  We are so grateful for the generosity of our friends and family, and for their excitement and support!

Maternity Leave

I officially requested to have my schedule blocked from July 30 through September 28! Of course this is a tentative plan, and there is roughly a 2% chance things will go according to plan, but we have to start somewhere! It is exciting to have it blocked, and have a rough plan to share with my patients. They know that they better get on my schedule before mid-July or I won't see them until October.

My practice is merging with another clinic in July, which has delayed planning as we still don't know what to expect from short-term disability, long-term disability, and medical insurance. I trust that the clinic will have something, and take reasonably good care of us. My employers are good people. I just don't know what it will be or what to expect.

They should have a plan to announce sometime soon, and I am hoping that between benefits and clinic coverage I can take between 8 and 10 weeks off entirely, then come back three or four days per week until February (when baby is six months). I'd like to be back to full time after six months.

But, of course, to quote Harry (HP7.2-film) "We make a plan, we show up, all hell breaks loose."

Happy Easter!

24 Weeks

Today we had our first visit with the Nurse- Midwife (they are Nurse Practitioners in Midwifery).  At 24 weeks and a day by the calendar, our external measurements were around 25 weeks - a little big, but normal.  LC was elusive today, turns out he/she is laying across my hips (lower and deeper than usual), resting.  LC's heartrate was a little slower at 140 today, I think because I was less stressed than the past few visits.

As you can see, Maddie enjoyed having us get home early on a beautiful spring day. Even Jeff snuck a few minutes of the backyard before I wrangled him back in the house. 

Hopefully we will have the office deconstructed enough for "before" nursery pictures by the end of the weekend!