Mike is holding Gabe right now, so I’ve only got a few minutes to myself before I grab a much-needed nap. Short and sweet: some pictures of our new addition.

Mike hates this shirt, but it's sooo comfy.

Also, my co-workers took me out to lunch today and gave me a very generous gift certificate. I swear, some of those ladies are more excited about this than I am. I’m looking at you, Darcy and Jenn.

Ignore the drip of toothpaste on the mirror.

There’s really nothing else interesting to report. I just can’t wait to meet our little guy face to face. And the waiting… oh the waiting is killing me!

I do realize that once the Sprout is born I won’t be able to jump back into all my old clothes right away, but my limited selection will expand just a little bit — and that makes me happy. Also, I fear that my mile-high work shoes have worn out their usefulness, and I’ll be either giving them away to friends or taking them to the Goodwill. I weep for them. But in time I will replace them with slightly more sensible counterparts. Like these adorable little numbers from plasticland.com. *SIGH*

Perhaps horizontal stripes were a poor choice.

Plus, I am so freakin’ sick of maternity clothes! I squeezed into this non-preggo shirt this morning, and figured I was good to go. On second thought, it might be a little too tight, but I could really care less at this point. My co-workers said I looked cute, but they might have just said it to be nice.

He's getting big in there!

I check out my belly in the mirror every night and this weekend I think he dropped a little. I’m certainly noticing a lot more low movement — perhaps a little elbow or fist jabbing me on the inside of the hip bone. Let me tell you… It feels SO WEIRD! He did it while Mike and I were watching a movie the other night. It happened so fast and without warning that it startled me off the couch.

This may come as a shock to you, but I have almost no concept of how to care for a newborn. Everyone keeps saying, “Just feed him and change him; you’ll be fine!” I mean, I’ve been reading the Baby Book, trying to cram for the trial-by-fire final exam. No amount of cheating is going to help and there’s no bonus extra-credit. I’ve done my share of babysitting, but never a tiny newborn. Rough and tumble toddlers are more my style. It’s not going to be pretty!

Check out that fan! Mike did such a great job.

Any tips on hiding that cord from the star lamp? It bugs me.

Lamp from Lamps Plus, and the hippo I had hanging around.

The toys are keeping the crib warm till the Sprout arrives.

So here are the projects I recently completed. I’ve been seeing a lot of silhouette portraits hanging around Etsy lately, and I thought it would be a really cool idea to make some silhouettes of Mike and me to put in the baby’s room. Then, after he’s born I can add him to the trio in the middle. Cute no? I just never realized my profile looked like that. LOL!

All I have to say is: thank God for a laser level!

Remember the mobile I posted about a while back. I really loved it, but I didn’t love the price tag. I couldn’t see spending 40 bucks plus shipping when I was pretty sure I could make it myself. I bought some steel wire from Lowes and some white, black and gray scrapbooking paper and made it all for under 10 bucks. I do realize that I’ve pretty much knocked off the original, but it’s not identical and I don’t plan on making any money from it, so there!

My $7.00 elephant mobile!

Without breaking out the receipts, I’m pretty sure the entire nursery cost was well under $1,000 — considering that the IKEA rocker and craigslist crib & changing table were gifts from my parents. My biggest splurge was the FLOR area rug at around $400, but I definitely think it was worth it. The rest of the furniture we already had.

Last night, as the Sprout began his evening calisthenics, Mike finally got to see first-hand the extent of the baby’s movement. He’s seen and felt kicks before, but this was a totally new experience for him. The belly wiggled, rolled and jolted for what seemed like several minutes. When I looked up at Mike, his eyes were saucers and his mouth gaped — clearly, the sight had him awestruck. I don’t think he was fully prepared for what he’d see when I said, “Hey, the baby’s moving, check it out.” He’s so used to being disappointed by a lack of action. I can’t help it if the kid usually stops moving at the precise moment I tell him to look. He was so impressed that he coined the spectacle the “Belly Show”.

Yeah, I still refuse to wear maternity clothes sometimes.

Oh yes, the waddling has begun. :)

In related news, the gifts from our two baby showers (one in NJ, one in Rochester) have left us with 30 pairs of 0-3 month infant socks. Some of those I have returned but that’s still a lot of socks! If anyone was still intending to buy us a gift, please heed this message: We have plenty of infant socks, thanks!

But… I am still going to keep posting pics when I am inspired to do so.

Nice onion!

Woah Momma :)

It’s getting tougher to do certain things now: buckle my sandals, pick things up, wash the dishes (my gut hits the counter and I can’t bend into the sink as much as I’d like), etc. All in all, I’ve been fairly lucky in terms of discomforts. I can still sleep pretty soundly and, with the exception of minor soreness/stiffness, my mobility isn’t too limited. But there’s still time… :)