Yeah. So. 12 days since my last post.
I’ve kind of been busy… doing stuff like this:
For some unfathomable reason, the design of our house included drop ceilings in the kitchen and hall bathroom. WHAT THE HELL,1973!? The first plan we made when we decided to remodel our kitchen was to push the ceiling back to the standard 8′ height.
Tim could not put up the sheet rock alone, because the sheets are extremely heavy. So, it fell to me to be his assistant. Problem: I am extremely afraid of heights; I become shaky and I sometimes cry out of panic. Add to that a strange fear of ladders (I don’t trust them) and lack of experience with drills and this was one terrifying experience. But, since I couldn’t hold up the sheet rock myself, Tim had to hold it while I drilled it to the cross beams. Luckily, I have a wonderful husband and coach.
And now look!
The cabinets are from IKEA – the AKURUM cabinets with the LIDINGO doors. The sink is the DOMSJO single bowl farmhouse.
The hood is the LUFTIG – I LOVE this. It looks amazing!
Then these lovely appliances found their way home…
More pictures of the progress to come! I can’t wait for it all to be completed…my dining table looks like this right now:
Photos from the past week
Please forgive this iPhone picture; it was taken right after my workout on Thursday – no makeup and my hair is a bit of a mess - but this will give you an idea of what my haircut looks like.
My Friday night: a Pink Champagne cupcake from Sift and episodes of ‘Castle’ (also taken with my iPhone)
The adorable silhouette bookends I found on clearance at Target yesterday:
Awesome paint color we ended up choosing for our front room (last room in the house! only took us 1 1/2 years, lol):
I don’t have a picture of the finished room yet, but one will be forthcoming. 
Last week, we removed the icky shower doors from our guest bathroom, and I finally found the perfect shower curtain (another Target find!)
What do you think??
Decorating my library is SO FREAKING FUN! Here are the items I’ve chosen, thus far:
Curtains, purchased at Target
I wasn’t sure I’d find curtains that I liked, but these look fantastic in person, and are made from a good quality, thick cotton. I can’t wait to hang them up!
A black chaise lounge, purchased from Overstock.com
I am so excited for this chair. It’s the perfect size and shape for my library, and the seat opens into storage!
Chandelier, also purchased from Overstock.com
So lovely! It will look perfect with the charcoal ceiling.
IKEA is slacking on the delivery of my bookcases, and the overstock items won’t arrive until next week. But, that’s okay; I’ve waited my entire life for my own library…a few more days won’t kill me.
OR WILL IT!?
Timmy ordered the bookcases and shelving for my library!! It’s all due to arrive on Monday, so this Saturday I think we are going to paint. My library is going to be the girliest space in the house; pink, white and black. The bookcases are white, and I think the ceiling is going to be a charcoal color. The 1 1/2 walls that don’t have shelves will be a Behr shade called ‘Fuschia Kiss’. I have to pick out a chandelier and a lounge chair. Eventually, I’ll add a unit for my record player and records, and a small desk.
Now, to decide on the system I’m going to use to organize my lovelies. Can’t make up my mind between the Dewey or my usual( alphabetical by author’s last name). Probably have Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children’s sections. Marco received so many books as gifts, and I’ve saved all my childhood favorites; he’ll have a whole section to choose from! 
I bought some bookplates too. The Mac will be hooked up to our home server, and I’ll have my LibraryThing account pulled up so I can keep track. OMG who wants a Dickson library card?! Might make some for fun. YES, I AM GEEKY. But seriously, I rarely lend books out to people unless I know I’ll get them back; I’ve lost too many books to random people. I STILL don’t know what happened to my copy of The World According to Garp by John Irving. SOMEONE borrowed it. Just can’t remember who. Library cards might help… hee hee
I am so excited! I’ve been waiting my whole life for a library. Tim is amazing, he always manages to make my dreams come true.<3
Decided to share a few pictures of some of the changes that have taken place in our house. The living room is almost complete; we want to put a large mirror above the fireplace, toss the old couch and get some comfy lounge chairs.
Living Room Before:
After:
Guest Room Before:
Guest Room After:
In Marco’s room, we’ve painted the closet doors, added a rug and Tim hung the curtains:
Tim’s diaper bag – a Diaper Dude bag, found here:
Tim needed his own diaper bag, because the one I picked out is too girly for him. I can’t say I blame him!
I also received the purse I’d ordered from the vegan handbag company, Shiraleah, that we LOVE at the Inn. The bags are so well-made (I’ve got two others) and look fantastic (and they’re not too pricey!). Plus, I feel good knowing that no animals were harmed to make it! Don’t mistake me – I do own my fair share of leather goods, I just try to keep it minimal when possible.
Of course, I can’t actually use the darn purse for awhile, thanks to the doc’s orders! Oh, well. I’ll admire it’s awesomeness at home.
How far along? 31 weeks, 1 days
Total weight gain/loss: +15 lbs (did my weekly weigh-in; was surprised I didn’t gain anything this week, but I was pretty sick for a few days)
Maternity clothes? Today I’ve got regular pants on, but a maternity shirt. Yesterday I wore maternity pants and a regular shirt.
Stretch marks? nothing new, just the one up top
Sleep: I actually slept pretty well the past two nights! OMG!
Best moment this week: Tim built Marco’s dresser yesterday and tomorrow I’ll be organizing his clothes (which we”ve already got tons of, thanks to friends with babies). Oh! We are FINALLY planning out my library! We also received our tax refund, and that put to rest a few bills!
Movement: He has lots of energy, that’s for sure.
Food cravings: Apples, cereal, cake.
Gender: boy
Labor Signs: no, but the Braxton-Hicks contractions are more frequent; I have them everyday.
Belly Button in or out? It’s a little crater, but it’s still IN!
What I miss: I miss the ability to get up from a sitting position without all the ‘heave, ho’.
What I am looking forward to: Easter candy.
Weekly Wisdom: Kissing is a good stress-reliever. Thanks, Timmy! 
Milestones: no milestones this week. It’s been kind of tough with the sinus/tonsil infection, but I’ve managed to settle some things that were worrying me (with regards to work and the baby) and now I feel slightly more at ease.
Last week we finally put together the crib! We’re pretty pleased with the look and feel of it. I’m glad we didn’t have to spend an arm and a leg (though, $300 isn’t exactly pocket change!). Yesterday, while I was at work, Tim painted Marco’s room. Here’s what it looks like so far (no mattress yet, still deciding on a dresser and we haven’t even started decorating):
It’s starting to look really great in there, and I am looking forward to finishing.
Yesterday, Tim and I started setting up our garden. We have Gerbera daisies and ice plant in a wine barrel on our front porch. The magenta Camellia in front was here when we bought the house, but I wanted to show a picture of it.
In the backyard, there’s a small planter right outside of the slider. Tim added some more ice plant, and I planted a Potato Vine (it’s a white star-shaped blossom). Across the patio is a big planter with a fountain and now it has Bougainvillea (LOVE LOVE LOVE) and a few more Gerbera daisies. We’ll add some more greenery to it later.
Outside of that, next to the lawn, we’ve added my new favorite flowers, Ranunculus and Snapdragons. Directly opposite is a planter that runs the remaining length of the house. It already contained two rose bushes, daffodils and a spiny bush (thinking of tearing that out). Tim and I have always loved French Lavender, so we added three bushes in that planter, as well as in the front yard.
Needless to say, I was extremely tired and sore after all this bending, digging, scraping and such. But it was so worth it! I can’t wait to add more stuff.
Things I am happy about:
- The cute pink enamel flower earrings from Target (only $8!)
- Hardwood floor in Marco’s room is finally finished!
- I think Tim and I are going to plant some flowers and vines this week in our backyard
- Massages at Spa Solage with Adrienne on Saturday!! I can’t wait!
- I’m 29 weeks pregnant today; just 11 weeks until my due date. WHOA.
- I’m very much enjoying A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. Recommend.
Things I’m annoyed at:
- My belly button will be an outie in just a few weeks, I suspect. UGH.
- We still need to paint Marco’s room, and we won’t have time for several weeks. We bought the paint, but it’s sitting in the can waiting to be used.
- All the pretty clothes I bought last Spring won’t be making an appearance this year 
Things I am considering:
- Skechers Shape-ups? I’ve talked to a few people that have them (including a stranger at Target today, I saw she was wearing them and I asked if they were comfortable) and read some reviews; might be a good idea to help keep me in shape during pregnancy. I could wear them when I take walks with Chloe and work out. Also, they are supposed to help ease back and leg pains. Anyone have thoughts?
- Cutting out chicken from my diet after I stop breast feeding (likely when Marco is 6 months old). I think I might go full-out vegetarian, instead of what Tim calls a “chick-a-tarian”. I’d have to be really dilligent about taking daily vitamins, BUT, it might not be a bad idea. Have to think more on this.
