Weeks 19/20

So, um, yeah. Things have been busy around this place. The past two weeks have flown by in a whirlwind of activity--or something like that. Paul and I were trying to figure out why and how we managed to schedule ourselves on so many weekends in September and October. During September, we had an assortment of activities from Labor Day on. The first weekend in October was our anniversary and Balloon Fiesta. The second weekend, we were in Lubbock for Tech homecoming. Last weekend, I went to Ft. Worth to visit Donna although the basis of the trip was actually to go to the IKEA store in Frisco to look at baby furniture.

I kept seeing a crib mentioned on several Best Baby Bargains lists and I really wanted to look at it. I'm not at all sentimental about the baby's crib perhaps because I know it will be used a couple of years and then sold or donated. I didn't care to purchase an "heirloom" crib and I didn't want to lock into a three-way convertible crib (one that uses the crib rails as head/foot boards).

So, to IKEA Donna and I went. I've looked at the website before. I've heard tales about IKEA stores. Holy cow. I don't think either of us was prepared for the enormity of the actual IKEA store/warehouse. It took us 20 minutes just to weave our way to the exit and that was without much dawdling. I do like the looks of the crib--although I will admit that there was a small tinge of guilt that it's not fancier but I think that is just because there was another lady in IKEA who was purchasing one of these cribs as the secondary/grandma's house crib. I will be sending Donna back in December to brave the store once again to purchase Baby's crib and dresser. We're still debating the tall storage unit.

Also during this trip--when we weren't visiting with the couple of friends I could squeeze in during the 36 hours I was in D/FW--we headed to the Container Store. I was wanting to get an idea for redoing the closet in Baby's room. It is a 5-ft. square walk-in closet that Baby will be sharing with some of Paul's books and board games. Currently, it has a single rod and shelf on of the three walls as well as some crummy shelves Paul and I put up a couple of years ago for Paul's books. The plan is to gut the closet and start from scratch I had an idea on what I wanted and Bob, the friendly Container Store employee, hooked me up with a shelving system that gets lots of shelf storage (mostly for Paul) as well as drawers and hanging space. (OK, that link is just to the general elfa page because I can't link to our actual plan.) When I was showing Paul the plan, he commented that he and his dad could do something like that. And I said, yes, you and your dad can install this lovely closet system and it will be much easier than trying to get you and your dad to actually create/build/install such a thing. Again, Donna will be playing delivery person in December and bringing us all this stuff. We figure paying her gas (even over-paying her gas) for the trip home at Christmas is still cheaper than paying delivery costs (and no, ABQ doesn't have a Container Store or IKEA any nearer than Phoenix or D/FW).

We haven't actually done anything in the room to prepare for Baby--it is still currently a ginormous dumping ground for everything that doesn't have a home and assorted Paul things but we've made some serious headway in planning for Baby. In addition to the closet, crib, and dresser, we've also found some narrow bookcases that we like for either side of the window in the room. I'm willing to spend a bit more on these because I know that I will keep them in the room longer or move them to another place in the house to use at a later time. I'm not sure what color I'm going to order--probably play it safe and go with either the espresso or white but I really like the navy blue. The final thing we've found that we like is the crib bedding. I'd toyed around with a couple of ideas on how to do the room but ultimately thought the little guys on this bedding were just about perfect. I also love the polka dots. I'd found a polka dot bedding set that was quite cute and gender neutral but Paul nixed it. This was a good combination of happy animals and polka dots. We'll probably paint the room a blue that coordinates with the bedding and I've debated adding some dots in the same colors as the bedding to the walls. I've got a couple of ideas for artwork (not the ones that match the crib bedding--a little too sweet for me). Now, all we've got to do is get it all together but we probably won't do that until January or February.

I attempted my first shopping trip for maternity clothes last week and came away in tears with two pairs of leggings and a dress that I'm not that fond of but it fit when nothing else did. I assumed it would be easier to buy maternity clothes than regular clothes--like all my trouble spots (butt and thighs) would magically disappear or the clothes would magically be cut to fit my ever-expanding trouble spots. When I was with Donna this weekend, we went to Target because I'd forgotten my toothbrush and while we were there, I tried on a couple of things that were approved by Donna and I acquiesed to purchase (a pair of jeans, a pair black trousers, a sweater, and 3 t-shirts because if one fits, buy it in every color). Apparently, I will need the buddy-system when trying on maternity wear. My ego needs stroking.

In the past two weeks, I've had more people/strangers commenting on the bump. Baby has definitely made his presence known. So far, I've been told I'm really small and I'm really big. Who knows what I actually am. Normally sized pregnant for someone who is 5'4" most likely. I'll admit I'm worried I'm going to be enormous before this is all over. Since I'm almost officially 21 weeks, I'll wait and post a picture in a couple of days.