38 Weeks!

This very well could be the last pregnant belly post which is both exciting and terrifying.  Our little lady is being pretty stubborn and has decided to be facing the wrong direction.  Unless she turns, I'll have to have a c-section which is the complete opposite of the natural, unmedicated birth that I've been focusing on.  I'm still holding out hope that she will turn and I'm doing everything I can do to get her to turn.  Unfortunately my doctors and many other doctors won't deliver a breech baby. If only I lived in Canada.  I'm trying to come to terms with it but since I've never even had stitches, a broken bone, or surgery I'm finding this a little tough.  3-4% of babies are breech...if only I were playing the lottery.

The swelling has settled in this week.  I've been extremely lucky compared to many women I've talked to and read about.  I took off my shoes and socks the other day and cracked up laughing because it looked like my foot was just pulled out of a mold but the toes weren't separated.  I generally have chubby feet but this was a new level of Flintstone feet for sure.  It's hilarious to have this stuff happening to your body and you have limited control over it.

All of that aside, 10 days to my due date.  Her room is ready and we have everything she could ever need.  I am so ready to meet her and share her name!  

36 Weeks!

Time is definitely passing VERY quickly these days.  In April, December seemed so far away yet here we are with last stretch ahead.  We are mostly ready except I have tons to do to wrap up at work and get the store ready for the holidays.  I am waking up in the middle of the night in a panic with worry that I don't know how to do this parenting thing.  I found myself watching videos about swaddling at 3 a.m. the other night.  By morning though, I've usually come to my senses plus everyone says that it's pretty hard to break a baby.  Sometimes I watch the show16 and Pregnant to make myself feel better about where I am in life and to reassure myself that we're ready.

34.5 weeks!

I'm actually closer to 35 weeks but I've been delayed in my posts!  I'm definitely feeling more tired and ready to have my body back to myself.  I have this week off and with Ben back in town, we've been getting her room all ready.  It's almost there and she is almost here!  The next few weeks are going to fly by with the holidays, family, and wrapping up work.  Mild moments of panic creep in from time to time but I'm ready to see her little face.  

Crafty Supermarket Loot!

Crafty Supermarket was awesome yesterday! I can't believe we have another show under out belts. We had nearly 2,600 shoppers and while I thought I may not make it through the day, it was still the best day ever! This third trimester is catching up with me. I've been getting in bed a 8 when all I do is sit at my desk at work so setting up, vending, and breaking down a craft show was way too much for this pregnant body. Six more weeks or so to go. Ben, my pregnant belly photographer, gets home today so stay tuned for a bump update.

I did score some awesome loot at the show for my baby girl. I didn't buy one single thing for myself...or the list Christmas list. Whoops. Despite my extreme fatigue, I couldn't wait to get home and put the whale print in a frame! Here's who made each item:
Whale Print by Marcy Davy (All Things Grow)
Skirted Bear by LUVKT
Cat Onesie by Everyday Balloons
Wooden Elephant and Giraffe by Happy Bungalow 

These are the very first things I've bought for her. Crafty Supermarket has been a pregnancy benchmark for me since I found out I was pregnant right before the last show. I've been thinking for months that I just have to get through Crafty Supermarket, wrap up work, and then she's here. Oh my, time is moving so fast now. Today's to-do list: Get the house back into shape, unpack Fabricate, and hang out with Ben! Luckily my bf Meri is coming to the rescue to help unpack the store.

We Voted Today!

I voted today in a state that I've grown to love over the last 13 years. Tonight I'm really proud to be a part of the vote here. There is no perfect politician but I'm glad that my daughter will have a president that reflects the kind of country that I believe we can be.

32 Weeks!

The countdown is on. I'm feeling like we have more to do than time to do it but it will all work out I assume. Her room is coming together slowly. We spend our Friday night assembling a crib which now startles me every time I walk past the door. She feels like she's taking boxing lessons using my bladder as a punching bag. Other than feeling more tired this last week, I'm still feeling really great so fingers crossed that keeps up over the next 8 weeks. I've been fairly warned that it will not.

30 Weeks!

Tomorrow marks 30 weeks! 10 more weeks or so to go which is feeling really crazy. My to do list is pretty long between the upcoming Fabricate three year anniversary and Crafty Supermarket on November 17th!!! Then my family will be here for Thanksgiving which should be interesting since I usually drink a good bit to make it through. Kidding family, just kidding. THEN our days of just two of us in the house are numbered. Scary, exciting, crazy!!!

28 Weeks!

12 or so weeks go to! We're in the third trimester and the final countdown has begun. The reality of how expensive kids can be is starting to settle in as we are looking at childcare costs, insurance, etc. It's sort of terrifying but I'm so dang excited that I know it's all going to work out. I've had a pretty easy pregnancy aside from not being able to sleep more than 5 hours a night. Lately my brain has been waking me up with a mile long to do list. Then I stay up because what used little tickles of baby movement have turned into full on punches to the bladder. She's a fighter.

One Year

Today was our one year anniversary. It's crazy to believe that it's been a year already but then again it's been 9 years since we started dating and that's a lot to comprehend too. A lot has happened in a year! I took the day off to celebrate and we had perfect weather. I wore my wedding shoes which I still LOVE (thanks Alisha).

We went to brunch at Sugar n' Spice which is pretty much a day off tradition for us. Then we went back to our tree! I have to say, I'm missing my smaller waist looking back at photos from a year ago but we are excited for what is in store for us in this next year. 26 weeks down, approximately 14 more to go! Eek!

On this day next year we will take our little girl to that tree! I can't even handle how excited I am to do that.

Meeting Drawing

24 Weeks

I have determined that time is moving slowly. At 24 weeks, it seems like an eternity until she gets here. I'm slightly impatient and that combined with my tendency to be a little anxious and eager to challenges immediately instead of putting things off, makes me feel like time is creeping by. Everyone says to enjoy this quiet time before the storm but I can't wait to see her little face, give her a name, and bring her home. I look around my house and get teary eyed thinking about this being her first home and the place that many firsts happen for her. I also look around my house and see a giant pile of cat hair, potential for lead paint exposure, and stairs with no doorway. Oh gee, the anxiety is kicking in. Lots to do in the next 16 weeks!!!

22 Weeks!!

This may have been the last day of this dress. We're at max capacity. I can't exactly tell if time is moving fast or slow these last few weeks. I feel like there is so much to do yet I'm impatient to meet her. I'm feeling her move around more and more but mostly in the early hours of the morning. It's very exciting laying in bed in the quiet morning feeling this little life, our little girl!

This Guy

This is the man who pawned a few of the items stolen from my house and from my neighbors house. I wish I didn't know his face because now I see him in my neighborhood all the time, eating at Blue Jay, walking down the street, etc. Today I dropped of school supply donations to C.A.I.N from a Projectmill event that we did and he was getting ready to go in to the pantry. He obviously doesn't have much as do many of the people who need the services that C.A.I.N. offers. I sat there and watched him for a while waiting for him to get off the phone. I've had it in my mind that I would feel better if I just told him that he's hurt someone and that we aren't just sitting around with too many things that we won't miss if he, or someone he knows takes them. I walked up to him, asked him if his name was Edward and he said yes. I introduced myself and shook his hand. Then I told him (calmly in a kind voice) that my house was broken into in January and that he pawned some of the items from my house but one missing item was my grandmother's necklace. He immediately said he found the rings in the park which is so strange because my neighbors house was broken into two weeks or more before ours and he pawned those items too but ours were pawned four hours after our house was broken into. He said you people need to get this straight. I didn't break into anyones house. This part I actually believe. He's sort of a feeble old man I at 5 months pregnant could have kicked his ass there on the street so I can't see him climbing into windows but he knows someone who did break into our house. He probably knows what happened to my grandmothers necklace. I told him that I hope that he got everything he needed from selling my stuff and I just wanted him to know that someone was hurt because of him and that I have a daughter on the way that I wish I could give that necklace to. Then I walked away. Got in my car and cried all the way home. I don't feel better but maybe I know I did everything I could to get back her necklace and now it's just somewhere else forever.

We Grew Girl Parts!

I was completely convinced that it was a boy but we have the picture to prove I was wrong. I guess this is the only time it's sort of socially acceptable to show other people pictures of your kids genitalia.

20 weeks! We're half way there.

Finished

The paintings are hung which I guess means they are done. I wish I had more time to work on them but time ran out. I'll post individual pics of them once the show comes down. I don't think they are my best work but it's work which will hopefully lead to more work. You can see them for yourself at Fabricate through August 8th.

Growing!

17 weeks! I feel like time is passing much faster now. The first 12 weeks felt SO LONG. I bought a body pillow this week to help me sleep and that was the best $31.95 I've ever spent in my life. P.S. I found skinny maternity jeans and the waistline is up to my boobs. I feel so sexy. Not really.

Progress

Painting! I'm feeling quite rusty but they are coming along slowly. I've got to figure out how to make myself do this more often. I always love it when I get in the middle of several paintings at once, it just doesn't happen that often these days. Read more about the show here opening this Saturday! This one that I'm holding is a pic of my mom when she was in high school I think. She has the cutest single dimple!

A Pile of Paintings

They are ready for paint! This will be what I spend every waking minute on this next week that isn't spent at work. I'm SO behind but I like a tight deadline and a good challenge. I hate how I let my hands get so rusty though, the drawings are all so crude in comparison to how they work out when I've been drawing a lot. I had a little scare this morning, I slipped coming down the stairs from the attic and fell pretty hard. I was really freaked out so I went to the doctor to make sure everything was okay with the baby and it was. When I heard the heartbeat, which I've heard several times now, I burst into tears; so relieved that it was still there. I think today was the first moment that my everything registered love for this little life that's growing.

Temporary Studio

I'm in Atlanta on day 1 of a four day conference on girl bullying. It's an interesting experience traveling alone, eating dinner in restaurants alone, coming "home" to an empty hotel room alone. Sometimes it's too easy for me to be this quiet and alone. I've set up a little "studio" for the next few days because I have a group show with PROJECTMILL coming up at Fabricate. With so much napping and thinking about baby these last few weeks I haven't gotten as far on the work as I should have so I packed a few things so I could work while I'm gone. I'm feeling a little mix of emotions tonight. While I'm gone Ben has started transforming my studio into the(I've struggled saying these words and keep calling it the spare room) baby room. My studio has been cleared, carpet ripped out, and there's no going back now. Not that I have worked there much in the last two years since the store opened, it was just a place that I knew would be there for me when it was time to make again. I guess I have something else to make now and hopefully this trip shows me that I don't need a room to make, just a desk, a window and some making supplies. All of that aside, I'm SO excited that the spare room will have a new occupant soon. So strange and exciting.

UPDATE

13 week photo. I did just eat pizza for dinner but that can't account for the 95% of what's going on in my waistline. Yay for stretchy skirts! It's scary how huge I feel and this is only the beginning. P.S. I often get Salt & Pepa's Push It stuck in my head these days. I'm going to be a great mom.

13 Weeks and Counting

I've been a terrible blogger but I have lots of good excuses including the extreme exhaustion that is the 1st trimester of pregnancy! We knew that this was going to be the year we start thinking about a family but things progressed a little faster than we had anticipated. Apparently birth control is very effective because the minute I stopped taking that, this happened. This is me at 7 weeks. I think that slight bump is mostly a food baby. Currently I'm at 13 weeks and those pants have been retired along with many of my cute summer dresses which accommodate my growing belly just fine but not my growing boobs. There may have been a few tears over this matter. SO! This is hopefully the first post of many to come as we make way for another person in our home. December 28th isn't a date that I've ever really thought about but it crosses my mind a thousand times a day now. Will it be that day, will it be sooner, is this baby stubborn like me and make me wait longer? We will see.

The Museum Center IS Awesome

New Bad Veins Video!

I'm in there somewhere.

I QUIT!

I started the year trying to do a photo a day to get my creative mind moving but it's proving to be more of a pain then it's worth. I think the problem in my life might be that I'm using too much of my creative mind between Fabricate, Crafty Supermarket, blog, Projectmill, and my real life career. Why am I giving myself one more assignment? SO! Thank you for watching and I'm just going to try to post more often when I feel like it! The card pictured was made by the lovely Grace Dobush, my partner in Crafty Supermarket crime.

My Husband

Riding home from a Friday night movie where we faintly heard his song playing in the background of a scene in Chronicle.

Cats Make Horrible Assistants

Yet they are very good at knowing exactly what you're reading and laying on top of it.

Dinner With Casey

Ben and I had dinner with our friend Casey at ZZ's Pizza tonight. I'm still liking the lenses that I bought for my iPhone!

I didn't take a photo yesterday but I've been working so much that a photo yesterday would have looked just like the day before. I'm ready for February to be over. I think I'll be able to get my head above water after that.

I'm Such a Dork

There's nothing else to really say about that.

DOJO!

Thanks to Dan and Leah for bringing me my FAVORITE sweet treat in the city. This ended up being my lunch which is how I justified eating an entire pint in one sitting. Thank you Dojo for being so tasty.

Hanging Out

It's awesome having friends three doors down from our house.

Macro Lens

My BFF.

Skyline Lunch!

New fisheye lens!!!

New Toys!!!

I bought three lenses for my iPhone from Photojojo and they arrived in the mail today! I'm pretty excited about them. This one is the wide-angle/macro lens. Gusto looks very stoic here. More lens tests in the coming days!!!

Kosho

1/2 price sushi night!!! It took us about ten minutes to kill this. Yum!

Slacker!

I didn't take a photo today but I did get this done for the upcoming Crafty Supermarket!!!

Game Night!

The Projectmill group took a break from all of our projecting for dinner and games tonight!

Housewarming

Our friend Kevin and Amy just moved into the neighborhood. One less reason to leave.

Friday Night

Relaxing after dinner with friends on a Friday night. Even though I work everyday of the week, I still love Fridays because my brain gets to switch to a new subject for two days.

Prank

So my friend Jen likes a good prank more than anyone I know. We are both in this YWCA board leadership program where we had to submit a headshot of ourselves to go to all of the participants. I sent her a headshot as a joke before I sent the real headshot to the organizer of the event. Unfortunately for me, I forgot that Jen actually works at the YWCA and she convinced them into let her put this lovely photo in my binder. Luckily it wasn't in all of them but it gave me a good laugh. I blocked out everyone's contact information except hers just in case anyone wants to prank her.

Cincinnati Union Terminal

I had a meeting at the Cincinnati Museum Center today and I always forget how amazing the building is!

Day of Presents!

Rick delivered our wedding present painting today and we are so excited to have another Rick Mallette in the house!

I also bought myself a present today which I'm pretty excited about. It's light and AIRY!

Sugar and Spice

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. I don't get to eat here often because they are best for breakfast and lunch so any day off of work, which is rare, you can find me here.

Movie Night!

Sunday night usually means movie night with my husband. I love movie popcorn SO MUCH! I also still like saying the word husband.

Fabricate Opening!!!

Love Song

Ben and I went to see Love Song, a play by John Kolvenbach at the Clifton Performance Theatre and it was awesome! Our friend Marykate was in it and she did such great job. I feel lucky to know such creative people. I totally cried which was unexpected.

First Snow!

I have to say that I like living in a place where there are extreme seasons but I hate winter. That being said, I was really excited to see the first real snow fall of the season today because it's been unseasonably warm here which is weirding me out and the flakes were giant!