Fattie Fattie 2 x 4

With 4 weeks remaining I'm afraid of how much more weight I can pack on. Gosh, I'm soooo bloated and I think I even scared a middle-aged man at the store. He was like, "Ahhhh! You're going to have that baby like right now!" I smiled and said, "No, not yet." Then to make matters worse he was like do you have twins in there? I know I have a double chin and enough saddle bag for a Harley but twins???! I think I'll stay home from now on.

Do the Relief Society Waddle.

I met up with all the LDS women at the stake center for Quilt tying and the RS broadcast. 1/4 of the Women were nursing babies, another 1/4 were as pregnant as I am and the other half were past their birthing years. I met a woman whose due date is the 17th of October and I felt so bad for her that I offered my hand to help her out of the pew. We watched the broadcast in agony while our toes turned into tight little sausages and we frequently wiggled our rings off to let the sweat dry under them. I can't speak for her but my tail bone couldn't take much more. When the closing prayer ended I/we popped up and waddled in unison to our cars.

We have a doctors appointment again this week and I'm anxious to see if I've gained anymore weight. The scale at Publix says I didn't but it always lies. I feel heavier and all my maternity clothes are tight. Really tight. Wayland came home early from work on Friday and caught me walking around the house in my grannie undies. He was very surprised and I apologized but my pants were too tight so I took them off during Martha Stewart.

Saturday:
Gretchen and Brielle went with me to shop for a bassinet. We wanted a second-hand one because I know how long those things get used. We went to Goodwill, then 2 Garage sales and then the Salvation Army where we found the most adorable wicker bassinet on wheels before 9:45 am. To top it off it was 50% off. Of course we had to buy a replacement bassinet pad which was $20.00 but we still only paid $39.00 total. We also bought an old school wooden high chair for $15.00 (the money we saved). It was a very successful morning.

Also....
We have decided on a name. Well, Wayland says he's 60% on this name but I'm tired of searching. We've decided to honor a couple of Grandma's and hope that the other couple of Grandma's do not feel left out or offended.

Elaine (Lainie) Rosalie Paxman

I am so excited about this baby! I want to hold her and kiss her and smell her wobbly head. It may be hormones but when I think about her tears well up. I've never felt this way about a baby before and I am so grateful for the bond I am already forming with her. I also feel guilty because maybe I didn't give Gretchen and Brielle as much as I should have. I've found myself over compensating for this lately. It's good for them to feel a little extra love during such a big transition I think.

cloth diaper experiments

This is my first attempt at creating a reusable diaper. It's outer cover is flannel and inner layer is a store bought prefolded cloth diaper. Sandwiched between the two layers is a polyeurethane laminate to make the diaper water proof. I put two nylon snaps on each of the tabs for adjusting (and I hope it fits my newborn). I had to guess at the size because I didn't have a pattern. Total cost... $3.00 and about one hour. I can cut the cost in half by shopping for flannel at the second hand stores.

China Man Sighting

I thought I'd share my China Man sighting for those who have never seen him and only heard of him. He is a miraculous wonder and is hard to spot out of hiding much like a ninja. I couldn't get too close to his tank or he would have fled so this is the best picture we could get. It's still a better image than that of a Yeti or the Lochness Monster.

For those whom have not heard of the legendary China Man... He is my Chinese algae eater fish. When we bought him for our community tank he was no bigger than an inch from mouth to tail. Now, He measures almost 6 inches and is the purest of white in color. He hides all day in the ruins of the tank decor (pictured) except for a small window at the top where only his eye can be seen. He's always watching.

Blog Saturation.

I know I'm blogging a lot but I wanted to share photos of finished products.

The rocker my mom gave me. Ollie feasted on the front of the rocker on the left. I used a stainable wood putty to repair it. After sanding all the white spray paint off of it I used a sangria color stain and polyurethaned as the finish.

I found this paisley panel and fell in love. The back and binding are Eggplant purple. If you look closely at the corners you will find my oragami inspired edges (Brielle recently picked up an oragami book). I quilted a square spiral on top to finish the baby's first blankie.

Good News!

Beast Face said I lost two pounds! Whoo Hooo~! I know the name Wayland gave the nurse sounds a bit mean but this is the same nurse that told me the doc would tell me that I had already gained too much weight a few months ago. This time she said I must be doing something right but I told her I'm not doing anything different. Actually, I've been eating a heck of a lot of cookies (they've been on sale lately). It might be from stress (nesting). Anyhoo, baby Paxman kicked at the doctor when he tried to measure my tummy and it startled him. Good! Keep him on his toes baby! Then he laughed when he tried to determine her position. He told Wayland, "here is her forehead..." and then boom! I got a tiny little foot right into my side. I told him don't touch her face. She doesn't like it, I did it earlier. We go back in 2 weeks for the lovely drop your drawers visit, we love those, and then just a few more weeks and she will be here to great the world!

Things that got done today:

1. wake up kids and pack lunches; drop off at school
2. cut pieces for baby quilt
3. ate lunch with kids at school for Grandparents day (no grandparents were available)
4. sewed quilt layers together and bound the edges
5. picked up kids (including Grant)
6. went to doctor
7. ate dinner
8. went to .75 cent movies
9. went to Brielle's open house at school
10. ate dinner again
11. started quilting top pattern on quilt (almost finished)
12. practice ballet routine
13. put kids to bed
14. blog
15. next.... read book for book club until eyes close.

So close I could scream!

I'm not going to complain this time, I promise. We have been very busy lately and I keep hoping for a little more time to get baby things done. We had the baby shower on Saturday and a few of my friends came, my mom, my sister, and 1 cousin and 2 aunts. It was a good crowd. My best friend Allison said at one point the noise was overwhelming (that was right after the Squeteri's showed up). We had a lot of fun entertaining and eating and gift-giving. We had a raffle at the end for all those who brought a container of Dreft baby detergent. I heard some do this with diapers or formula but since we are planning to use cloth diapers and breast feed, I thought it would be nice to have a bunch of expensive laundry detergent that I wouldn't normally buy. I don't have any of the pictures from the party yet but I'm sure someone will send some soon. Wayland and Gretchen were both big helps before, during and after the party and I wanted them to know publicly that I love them.

Here is my list of baby stuff todo's:

• finish sanding crib
• make baby quilt and cushion for rocker
• shop for dresser, car seat, and crib mattress
• paint crib and polyurethane finish
• wash all cloth diapers and clothing in Dreft/hypoallergenic detergent
• remove all desks, computers and office equipment from nursery
• rearrange master bedroom to accommodate office and bassinet
• shop for bassinet

I'll be sure to post pictures of the nursery when I'm finished. I'm sure there's more to add to this list but I have to run now and get the girls showered and ready for school tomorrow. In addition Brielle and I have been working on a ballet skit for the talent show at the church this coming Saturday. I'm telling you 8 1/2 months pregnant is no time to teach and choreograph a dance but she really wants to do it and I'll put up with the humiliation from Wayland for her. Plus I have to finish a book for my book club by Thursday.

I almost forgot to mention... I changed my name on my D.L. and they made me take a new picture. I'll be taking another one after the baby is born when I don't look like the Michelin Man. However, my name is officially Joanna Marie Paxman.

Check back tomorrow night. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I'm sure there will be something to complain, I mean blog about after that.

Complain, complain & whine, whine whine complain.

Oh my gosh, I am so sick of being pregnant! My amniotic fluid is at its HIGHEST! I am twice as helpless when things go wrong and twice as miserable! I can't sit up straight anymore because there is a lot of stuff shoved up against my diaphragm and other parts. My back aches all day, every day and I can no longer be chauffeured by Wayland because it is too hard to climb in and out of his Jeep. I'm starting to freak out about this baby's name or lack thereof and I still have not finished sanding the rocking chair much less stain it or paint the crib (the nursery is still an office). I realize now that I had very little respect/simpathy for pregnancies before my third time around but I have it now! It sucks! I'm too old for this and I want my active life back. I haven't riden a bike in several months and we can't go bowling or skating. Heck, I can't even walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded. I'm fat, swollen and lazy AND I still have many weeks to go.

Wayland you might have married the Stay-Puft Marshmellow Complainer.