Luck in Chicago!

Scott was in Chicago these past few days attending a Stock Market conference. My search for the cradle ended when I found a listing on Craigslist that was only 4.6 miles away from Scott's hotel! Had to have been meant to be! It is beautiful and reminds me of a fairytale...so sweet. I cannot wait for my little guy to spend his first precious naps right next to our bed in this very sweet magical cradle.

Jack's Active Moves

As mentioned previously, Jack is a very active little boy!! I was able to capture some of his movement this morning on my camera and just had to share!! I think we're gonna have our hands full with this little guy...he already seems to have tons of energy!! ;-)

Who will Jack look like?

Will he look like Daddy?


Or Mommy?

25 Weeks

24 Week Appointment

I had my 24 week appointment today and everything went great! Baby Jack had a heartbeat rate of 150 bpm. They measured my belly and it is 23 centimeters...full term it will measure about 40 centimeters. I also learned that I've gained 12 pounds so far (less then I thought!)...he said I probably have another 12 pounds to go. The doc says I'm doing everything right and I look great! Next month they will test me for gestational diabetes which can be very common in pregnant women.

Update on Baby Jack:

Jack has been growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (about the length of an ear of corn) he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Jack has also been very active....I feel him moving all the time!! I think he's really starting to pick up familiar sounds...last week, it was really quiet in the office and nobody was here. I was sitting quietly at my desk....I think he was sleeping because I wasn't feeling him move at all. Once we left work, Scott and I got in the car and Scott got on his phone....if you know Scott at all, he talks really loud when he's on the phone....well, I'm pretty sure he woke Jack up because all of a sudden he started kicking me like crazy!! It was so cute....I think he's already familiar with his Daddy's voice! ;-)

Painting the Nursery - Check!

Step 1:
Measuring and Taping

Step 2:
Painting around the tape with Chocolate brown to form a seal so the white wouldn't leak through the air pockets due to the textured walls, letting it dry, then painting the white between the tape.


Step 3:
Close your eyes and rip the tape off....pray that it turned out ok! (Thankfully and luckily it did!!)

Scott and I were able to start and finish painting the nursery this weekend! It turned out fabulous! Those stripes had us worried since we have textured walls, but the lines turned out very sharp and professional looking! The trick was to use Scotch Blue(R) Painter's Tape" from 3M! ;-) We also used a laser level to make sure the lines were perfectly straight. This project took up about 25 hours of our weekend (taping took the longest!)...but our little boy now has the coolest room in the house!!! Oh - and don't worry, I double checked and was ok for me to paint - just had to make sure the room was well ventilated! ;-)

Final Nursery Furniture Step: The Cradle

My search for nursery furniture will be complete once I find this matching Bratt Decor Cradle. I am crossing my fingers I can be lucky enough to find one close to home for a great price like I did with the crib! I just love it...timeless, beautiful, sweet...I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I find one!