Nursery is almost Complete!

Finally...we have some pictures of the nursery to show! After long weekends of home improvement projects, we finally dedicated all last weekend to painting and putting the nursery together. Chris did an amazing job on the stripes and we put the bedding on and just love everything about it. It turned out perfect! This weekend we plan to decorate and hopefully get things on the walls. Other unfinished projects include putting up the window treatments which are solid tan to match the chair; hanging baby Frederick's name over the crib; hanging our custom shower curtain, thanks to mom A (Chris' mom for all that do not know the lingo) for making it for us; laps, picture frames, shelving and art for the walls...we have our work cut out for us. But at least it's looking more like a nursery than a storage room :) I will add more pictures as soon as I get a new camera, after 4 years the Canon is finally dying...so sad. These pictures are not the best because my flash doesn't work anymore but at least I can post a few. Our room color is more robbins egg blue but looks more like baby blue in the pics...oh well, maybe this weekend we can find a deal on a camera.

My updates - 33 Weeks!!!

I am going to add just a few highlights instead of adding the list of questions.


Baby Frederick is a moving boy! Some times I feel like I have a little alien inside me because he rolls around so much and it's so strong that it just looks weird. But I love to feel him move and get a good laugh watching him move, especially at work. He still insists on sitting on my right side which is still causing the lower back and hip pain. Not sure why he likes that side so much but I wish he would pick another spot! Being able to go back to yoga has helped a ton and I look forward to my class each week.


I have gained a little more weight, which is no surprise because my appetite for the past few weeks has been out of control! I have read that around 32-33 weeks the baby goes through a growth spurt and your appetite really kicks in. Thank goodness now it has subsided a bit. I have gained 16 pounds so far, which I feel is a pretty good number for 33 weeks. Hoping to stay under the 25 pounds in 40 weeks, so we'll see. Still craving avocados like crazy, in fact I ate an entire avocado for dinner...with a few chips :) I have been also craving fish A TON so every chance we can get to have a date night, I try and order fish. Which is good for me and baby so crave on!


I was in NC two weekends ago for my first baby shower and it was perfect! I got a lot of nice gifts and it was great to see everyone. Charlie took pictures for me and I am adding a few.




We did our maternity tour this week and I was presently surprised at how many private rooms INOVA has and how nice the maternity floors were. It was a little overwhelming being in the Labor and Delivery room but it was great to see it before I was actually there. Chris of course joked about everything and made it fun when I was really scared and nervous to be there.


Oh, and baby Frederick now has an infant seat and lots of newborn clothes, thanks to Mel! She has given us so much and I am so thankful for her! It seems like each week she is giving me something else for him...bring it on, we love any hand-me-downs we can get. The infant seat was key because we were going to buy the same one...Peg Prego and she saved us $300...yeah! We owe them dinner...ha!


We plan to work hard on the nursery and house this weekend so I will post pictures when we 1. get it finished 2. get a new camera :)


Next weekend, we head to PA for my second baby shower and I am looking forward to seeing everyone there. It's so strange to me how I am really excited for baby showers but was terrified at my bridal showers. Guess this is the one time that I will enjoy being the center of attention and just love when people check in on me. I better enjoy it now because baby Frederick will take all the attention when he comes.


Speaking of the baby coming, that is the most common question I get...am I ready?? I think so is my normal response. We are so excited but scared at the same time, which I am sure is normal for first time parents. I think people that are totally ready and clam have unreal expectations...so yes, we're ready but also ready for the challenge and ready to learn how our lives will be with our new little boy.


Exciting things for the upcoming week...my good friend Kelly FINALLY coming out of the pregnancy closet...YEAH! I have kept her secret for months and so happy for her and Matt; Maybe hearing that baby Asher is born...I know Nay is ready to meet him; hearing about so many friends pregnancies and finding out what they are having! Seems like everyone is at that 20 week mark so I can't wait to find out if baby frederick will have lots of buddy's or a few girlfriends...ha!

One cute picture of me and Sadie...she thinks the nursery is her new room and loves the chair and ottoman. So hard to tell her no when she is so darn cute :) Have a great week and weekend!!!

Belly Update

Can we say WHOA...I have grown, grown, grown! It's crazy how much bigger I look and feel just from last week! I am just over 32 weeks now and have noticed several things changing...mostly my belly and my appetite. For the past week I have been hungry all the time...snacking like crazy! I am trying to keep it sensible but it's so hard right now. I am craving salty foods so chips have been my best friend. Luckily the baked lays have been hitting the spot but I can myself breaking down for the itmes I am really craving...french fries and kettle cooked chips :) I'm pregnant right, it's ok to have those things...in moderation...that's the key word...ha! Luckily among the salty cravings I have been eating avocados and hummus like crazy and can't seem to get enough of it! Totally good for me though so bring it on.



I went to NC this past weekend for my first baby shower and it was really nice to see everyone. Baby Frederick got a lot of nice items and the nursery is starting to look like there is a baby on the way :) Charlie (Sarah & MB's dad) took lots of pics and I will post some when he emails them to me. We have one camera and it doesn't work very well so a big thanks to Charlie for coming and taking pictures. We've asked for a nice camera for Christmas so hopefully the broken one will last a bit longer. We're still working on the nursey which has been a little stressful for poor Chris. We are in home-rennovation nightmare and not sure why we thought it would be a good idea to get ALL projects done before the baby comes but now we are feeling the stress of only having 8 weeks to get everything complete! First things first, painting the nursery walls then all the little projects to follow. Thank goodness we have the long weekend to get things finished since it seems like our weekends until now have been packed with events, classes and family visiting!



The weekend was relaxing for me and it was nice to spend time with just me and mom. I got my hair done and also took a few pregnancy pictures with my friend Kerri. I am pretty modest when it comes to these things but found a few cute ones that I wanted go do and she's just getting her photography business started so thought it would be a fun thing to do. We've been friends since we were 3-5years old and grew up dancing together so I felt comfortable taking these with her. I will post a few when she sends them to me...don't worry, they are all G rated...ha!



Monday my company surprised me with a baby shower and lunch which was so much fun! They had it catered with Mexican and lots of guacmole! And Chris came too which was a nice surpirse. They got us a basket with lots of books, bibs, toys, clothes, etc and also got our pack-n-play! I can't wait to see what it looks like set up. I can't believe they were able to keep it a secret all this time.



Tuesday was my birthday and Chris cooked dinner for me...and you guessed it, we made gucamole and had a relaxing night at home.

This weekend we plan to finish the nursery...no seriously this time :) I know we have said that for the past few blog updates but really this weekend is it! We have finished most of our little home projects so we're working on nothing but the nursery.

I will post a new belly pic, shower pics and also finished nursery pics this weekend.

9 Weeks to Go!

9 Weeks to go!!

Me & Sadie...look at that belly ;-)

How far along? Almost 31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 11.5 pounds as of yesterday

Maternity clothes? Still the same...wearing most of my pre-pregnancy shirts but they are getting a little snug now!

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Still getting up 2-3 times a night but sleeping much better! I think now that I am bigger it's easier to find a comfortable position now that my belly rests on the bed when I am on my side. Before it wouldn't quite touch which was pretty uncomfortable unless I had my boppy pillow. Now I am sleeping much better!

Best moment this week: Lots of great moments: Getting the OK from my doctor to start doing prenatal yoga again!! New Frederick Family SUV!

Worst moment this week: Back/hip pain. Baby Frederick must be sitting on a nerve on my right side b/c I have had the worst lower back pain that radiates down my right hip and leg.

Movement: Still rolling around like crazy! My doctor says he is doing "fish flops" b/c you can look at my stomach and it looks like waves moving across. It's crazy! Also, I have been able to see more imprints of feet and am still holding out for a good one to take a picture.

Food cravings: Avocado & Guacamole Still! Not sure why but everything I order has to have avocado on it!

Labor Signs: Nope

Milestones: Realizing that we have less than 9 weeks left before our world will be changed and learning to appreciate all the little things that are going on in our lives right now.

Looking forward to next week: Actually this weekend...my first baby shower in NC. Thank goodness I got the OK to go. Nice relaxing weekend with my mom and friends in Pink Hill.

Updated Pic...it's not a good one but my camera died...so no retakes :)

We have been super busy the past week/weekend with car shopping, having our hardwoods re-finished (yes again b/c they screwed up the poly the first time); buying last minute things for baby Frederick's room (i.e. bookshelves, picture frames...the little things); finishing up our baby registry...so much! Sorry for the late post!

Most importantly, we got a new SUV! That is the most exciting thing of the week. We had several mid-size SUV's in mind and of course wanted to shop around so we got the best deal. We started off at Ford b/c we both LOVE the Ford Edge. I had a Lincoln MKX as a loaner car when my Audi was getting serviced and I fell in love with it. We then realized that the Edge and MKX were basically the same car with about a $15K price difference. So off to Ford we went. Of course started looking at the fully loaded ones until we saw the price...YIKES! So we looked at the basic models with a few upgrades. Then we mentioned to the sales guy that Chris' grandfather worked for Ford for 45+ years and that changed everything for us. The sales guy laughed said we made his job easy to pick anyone we wanted! So we test drove a loaded Ford Edge Limited AWD (All wheel drive), leather, 2 sun-roofs...amazing car! And then after some talking, we were able to get the price down to our price range. Who knew that we would go in looking for something basic and walk out with a loaded SUV! We were so thrilled beyond belief and love our new car!!

Our New 2009 Ford Edge Limited AWD!!

Sadie & Chris below...she LOVES the double sunroofs ;)

I had a follow-up doctor's appointment yesterday and got the best news ever! I can go back to prenatal yoga and start doing a little more...YEAH! Guess the rest has paid off and I am doing really well, my doctor was really happy with me. She also gave me the ok to go to NC for my baby shower, which I was afraid she was going to say no to b/c at my appt 2 weeks earlier, she said that it was probably not going to happen. But, I'm off to NC on Thursday and plan to do nothing but get my hair done and rest until the shower :)

We are still working on the nursery and I promise to post pictures as soon as it's done. It's taken a back seat to all the other house stuff so we plan to complete it by next weekend. We are trying to cram all our house renovations in before the baby is born and it's consuming all our time. So stay tuned...

Almost 30 weeks!!

This past week and weekend were very busy but was so much fun! Both of our parents were in town for our big 4D Sonogram which was great! We grilled out and had some much needed family time. It's always great to have the mom's here...they are so helpful in last minute items for the baby's room :-) They both left with some sewing/monogramming projects and I can't wait to put everything together!


Our 4D appointment was Saturday and we were all so excited to go and see baby Frederick in motion! We got some amazing pictures of him and walked away with 8 printed pictures, CD with 25+ digital pictures and a 20 minute DVD. As some of you know, we were hesitant in doing the 4D sonogram as it's pretty expensive but I am so glad we did! It was definitely worth it and special to have our mom's there to watch...and they also helped pay for it...which was an added bonus :-) Baby boy looks just like Chris and is so sweet. He likes to rest with his little hand on his face which is funny because both of us sleep with one arm up by our face :-) He fell asleep after about 10mins and the technician poked him a little with the wand and he did not like that. He took his hands and feet and started pushing up/kicking me and her wand. It was funny to watch! And we found out that he is still head down but is curved to my right side...hence all the pain by my ribs.




After our appointment we headed to Pottery Barn Outlet to search for a new area rug. And since I was on cloud 9 from seeing baby boy, I had lots of energy and felt great so we took advantage of this and decided to shop for a bit. Only one store though, just to make sure I wasn't pushing it! But we lucked out and found a new 8x10 area rug, drapes, pillows, candle sticks, place mats...and much more! Chris and I have been searching for months for an area rug and have not had much luck. It's so hard to decorate when you can't find your starting colors. We found a simple rug, not sure I would have every thought to buy this rug but then when we put the pillows, drapes and factored in our white sofa, everything seem to match perfect! It looks great and I am really excited to finally have the room together :) Here's a picture of one similar to the rug we got and we also have the same white sofa and our pillows are shades of cranberry, blues, greens and yellow...so you can get an idea of what it looks like.

Changing table...Well, it's almost done and I will post a picture of it before and after so you can see what it looked like. It was pretty ugly but what can I expect for a used changing table. We bought a new contoured pad this weekend and the cover matches our bedding (pictures to come). Chris' mom is making basket liners and we still need to get one more basket. I think it turned out great and for $10, you can't beat that!

Before - Ugly & Beat Up Blue and White with some yellow accents...but I saw it's potential :)

After - We added wood pieces on each shelf and at the top and repaired all the dings, 3 coats of paint and it looks great!

We got our furniture and it looks AMAZING! I can't wait to get the bedding all set up and see what the room will look like. But we have to wait another week before we can complete the nursery because we are having the guys that refinished our hardwoods come back this week to fix some mistakes and put another coat of poly on...yes, this is a huge headache for us (mainly Chris) because we have to move all the furniture out AGAIN for several days and then ask friends to help us move it back in. And I am useless! But we both want to have them done right and while they are offering to add extra coats of poly, we're going to get it done. So we will again, move our china and other small things up into the baby's room while this is going on.

This weekend we plan to start our search for Chris' new car. We definitely need an SUV so hopefully there are some good deals out there. His lease runs out in August so we're hoping that we can talk the sales guy into paying the last 2 months payments and we can walk away with a new car this weekend. We're looking at several different ones so the best deal will sell us :) It will be so nice to have an SUV...we just hate asking people to borrow their SUV's whenever we buy something big and need to load it.

Here's an updated picture and as you can see I have grown, grown, grown!! Also I updated my questions below although I am mostly repeating myself :)

How far along? 29 weeks 4 Days
Total weight gain/loss: I gained a few in the past 2 weeks and am now up to 10 pounds total ;-)
Maternity clothes? Still wearing most of my pre-pregnancy shirts but they are getting a little snug now!
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Still getting up 2-3 times a night but sleeping ok other than that.
Best moment this week: 4D Sonogram!! It was amazing to see him move and to see his little features! He looks just like Chris and is so sweet. And the warm weather!!! I was able to relax and get a little sun this past weekend…it was great! Chris painting baby Frederick’s bathroom and working on painting the room. OH, and our furniture came in this weekend so I will definitely post pictures of the crib and bedding and our glider this week.
Worst moment this week: Not sure that this qualifies as the “worst moment” but it sure has been uncomfortable. Baby boy really likes my right side just under my ribs so he has planted his butt there for the past few days. Sometimes he kicks my ribs and it literally takes my breath away. It has been hard sitting at my desk during the day when he’s in his position and makes for a very uncomfortable/grouchy pregnant lady ;-) I have to lean to my left side and push him over and that lasts for about 10mins and he’s back over to his spot. Guess it’s comfy!

Movement: Gosh, I thought he was partying last week but this week is non-stop! These are more like rolling movements and feels like he is flipping over and over. Also, one funny thing we saw this week is a little elbow or foot or something pokes up at my belly button. It’s almost like he put his little hand up in the air b/c it flipped my belly button completely out for a few minutes until he moved then it went back in…it was really funny.
Food cravings: Avocado & Guacamole!!! And I have been craving Krispy Cream donuts but will not allow myself to have one.
Labor Signs: Nope
Milestones: Growth and movement! I didn’t realize how much I would feel him and how he can sense every little thing I do. He seems to recognize when I rub my stomach because he rests.
Looking forward to next week: Finishing up the Nursery and starting to decorate!