Morningside Nature Park

We decided to brave the heat and humidity and go out to Morningside Nature Park for a bit this morning and see the animals. I think this might have been the first time Rosemary saw a cow and she was very excited. She also got to see sheep, pigs, and chickens. It was a nice diversion despite the weather.

Rosemary was anxious to get in the "barn." It was really just walking through the gate.

Rosemary and Grandma W. The roomies have thoroughly enjoyed their time together this past week and a half.
Meeting the cow. She even got to hear it "Moo" several times.

The sheep weren't quite as exciting as the cow, but fun to see nonetheless. We rounded the corner in hopes of seeing the pigs, which had captured Rosemary's interest. We didn't get a very good glimpse. I think that because it was so hot, the pigs weren't up much for entertaining. Can't say that I blame them. :-)

Checking out the old house.
A family pic outside of the kitchen.

Before leaving we had to make sure to visit the cow again.

This afternoon while Rosemary napped, my mom and I went out to the mall to pick up going home outfits for the baby...one for a girl and one for a boy. Afterwards mom treated me to a pedicure and a Double Chocolaty Chip frappuccino (my favorite indulgence while pregnant and one of the positives to being overdue...I can drink more fraps without feeling too guilty. Once the baby arrives those will need to go).

It was a great afternoon. We even made it back to the house before Rosemary got up from her nap. Tonight we went out for dinner then enjoyed our Saturday night of Lawrence Welk. Rosemary danced away.

We'll let you know

Well, we didn't have the baby today (or yesterday for that matter). Just waiting. I'm feeling really good physically, I just feel bad about making other people wait. In fact, I think I've been sleeping better these last few weeks than I did earlier in the pregnancy and much better than I did the last month with Rosemary.

I think it will be easier at this point just to post once the baby does arrive, rather than the daily update of "no baby." So if you don't see a post, it doesn't necessarily mean the baby's here. I'll make sure that someone gets a post up once he or she does decide it's time to venture into the world.

Thanks again for everyone's prayers.

Nada

No baby yet.

Status Quo

Nothing really exciting to report.

My doctor's appointment was quick. Things are progressing so it's still "could be at any time." I have another appointment scheduled for next week. If we still haven't had the baby by then, we'll talk about what to do at that appointment. For now, we've decided just to wait and see how things go. I'm not uncomfortable so it's just a matter of waiting.

Thank you all for your prayers and calls to check on us. We'll let you know when things get exciting.

Not Early

Since there's only a little over an hour left in the day, I think it's safe to say that this baby isn't coming early. Tomorrow's the due date, so it could still be on time, but early seems out of the question.

I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon. Maybe I'll go into labor again while I'm there. It really was exceptionally convenient to do so when Rosemary came. :-)

No Baby, New Dryer

Still no baby. We did get a new dryer though. Yesterday while doing laundry, our dryer decided it was done...something that would not be so fun to work around with a newborn. So we went to Lowe's last night, found one that would work for us that was in stock, loaded it in my parent's minivan, and my dad and Jonathan hooked it up today.

And below are a few pictures from our week. First is Jonathan and Rosemary on Father's Day. The second is one of Rosemary enjoying her pool.

The Full Moon

Yesterday was the full moon. We didn't have a baby, but it was a pretty exciting morning. First my mom and I got to squish all the bugs that got in the house from the trash can. Then, as I was cleaning up the floor afterwards and went outside to throw out the garbage, there was a snake beside the can. I threw down the broom and dustpan, started screaming, and ran inside. If that didn't start labor, I was pretty certain nothing would. Once I got to the church, there was a beetle on the desk. It was dying, but still moving. Lots of things that are creepy, crawly, and gross.

39 Weeks and Holding

At yesterday's appointment, we found out that not much is happening yet. I haven't really felt any contractions, although about a week and a half ago I was feeling a little "off," but I think I just wasn't feeling well. My mom comes into town today we should be able to have some fun together before baby #2 arrives.

In going through some pictures last night I found where Jonathan had started writing down how contractions had started with Rosemary. I remembered them as being close from the beginning and they were. The first ones I felt were an average of 2 to 5 minutes apart...hopefully I get a little more warning this time!

Happy Father's Day 2008

Thanks for being the best daddy!

Love, Rosemary

Baby Update

No baby yet. I had my 38 week check-up yesterday and because my doctor was on vacation I met with one of the midwives. It was a quick appointment and she said that everything looks fine. The baby's heart rate was in the 150's this time.

And below is a picture from last night. Rosemary has started playing more in her room on her own. She usually sticks with books and toys, but last night she went after the bed and came out like this:

A Poll

We've added a poll on the right...do you think we're having a boy or a girl? Let us know what you think!

Getting Ready for Baby

The baby should be here in the next month or so and I think we're on the road to being ready. We had some work to do to get the house ready which we've been slowly working on since around the first of the year. The main project was converting the study to Rosemary's room (see the post below) but that also meant rearranging some other rooms to accommodate the things that needed to come out of the study. Overall, I think we're more organized and got rid of some things that we didn't need in the first place.

The living room became the living room and study. I actually really like having the computer in the living room now. It's a little tough when Jonathan has a paper due, but it worked out for me to just stay in the back rooms during the end of the spring semester and I don't think it disturbed him too much.

We just got the valances hung. I think this room is just about done.

The ladder shelf helped to get some of our many books out of the study and not in our bedroom. :-) It also makes it not seem too bulky for our little room. I hope to post a pic in the next month or so of this red wall. We have something planned to go up here.

Our "study." The desk took us four hours to put together and weighs a ton, but at least it went together easily.

With this being our second baby, there isn't too much that we "need." I did want a sling because I thought that it would be handy with two kids, but after pricing some out and looking at them, I thought I would try to make one on my own. One day, Rosemary and I went and picked out the "gender neutral" fabric at a quilt shop in Alachua and after looking online and asking friends who had slings a lot of questions, this is what I made. I'm hoping the sizing works out. It's kind of hard to measure while pregnant. :-) This is a pouch sling with a padded rail--similar to Slinglings or a Hotsling.

While at the quilt shop, we picked up a yard of fabric to make a nursing cover. I had enough fabric left to make a little matching burp cloth too. I found the boning and D-rings at Joann's and used one of our many baby washcloths to make a pocket in the corner. I may make at least one more before the baby comes. We'll have to see how the time goes.

For the baby's room, we converted the toddler bed back to the crib and moved it back against the side wall. It's made and ready for whenever baby arrives.

There's not too much different in this room although I think it seems so much more together this time around. The carpet helps. Also, having just gone through it with Rosemary, we already know how things work and where things should go. Depending on whether it's a boy or a girl, we may change a few things to make it more personal for the baby.

The changing table is clean and ready to go and all of the green and yellow clothes that we have and that friends have let us borrow are in the dresser. I just need to get some newborn and size one diapers. I think we'll switch to cloth diapers once the baby is a month old, but I don't want to add the laundry responsibility during that first month. We're looking at pre-folds with covers and bumgenius 3.0 (see http://www.sunshinediapers.com/).

The swing and bouncy seat are ready to go too. Jonathan got the gear down from the attic and I threw all of the fabric items in the laundry last night so I was able to get a lot of things put together and batteries installed.
Last night, Jonathan and I put the bassinet together. Once we're home from the hospital, we'll move it to our room.

So overall, I think we could have this baby tomorrow and be okay. (Hopefully, that will NOT happen). Not that we're packed, that should probably be next on the list, but I think we'd be okay. :-)

Happy Memorial Day 2008

Happy Memorial Day! We celebrated with Jonathan's parents and Zach today with lunch and some visiting. The three of us all seem to be fighting illness so pray that we don't get too sick and that we heal quickly.

The hydrangeas and gardenias have just started blooming and I like to bring the flowers inside as centerpieces when we can. Rosemary helped with gathering the flowers for today. (And I'm 36 weeks--28 days left--in this picture).



The feast: barbeque pork, garlic bread, chips, green beans, corn on the cob, and coleslaw...with brownies, ice cream and strawberries for dessert.

Mmmm...corn on the cob, which Rosemary for some reason kept calling "popcorn" today.

Somehow I managed not to get a group shot, but thank you Janice, Richard, and Zach for coming to visit today!

Rosemary's New Room

In mid April, Rosemary moved into her "new room," as she calls it. She's transitioned wonderfully. Below are pictures of the room and its transformation from study/guest/everything room to a little girl's room.

My mom and I made this picket-fence headboard. My mom found the instructions here and we modified them slightly to make this one. For the bolster pillow, I just sewed a new pillowcase for a bolster that we already had.
I painted these three canvases for the wall to complement the flowers and butterflies on the comforter.

For the curtains, we'd originally hung the panels that coordinated with the comforter set, but panels just didn't seem to work in the room. My mom found these simple pink valances and I had the pink polka dot ribbon that I ironed on at the bottom.

These butterflies hang from the ceiling directly above Rosemary's bed so this is what she sees when she wakes up in the morning. When the fan is on, they flutter. :-)

Rosemary helped with this one. She and I "painted" the letter, which really meant decoupaging. We just piled on the modge podge, let it dry, trimmed it up, then repeated for the different layers. She is a very helpful little crafter and since she was involved in this part, I think it's one of her favorite parts of her room.
This wall is still a work-in-progress.
I found the 3 wooden flowers at a garage sale for $0.25 each. My mom made the rose quilt on top for Rosemary after she was born. Then on the shelf she has her Minnie Mouse hat and Disney picture, as well as a few other things that are special to her.
I covered these cork pieces because I wanted to have a place to display Rosemary's artwork. I think I may move them lower, but I'm happy with how they turned out. The other wall tile was from a MOPS craft. It's made out of a ceiling tile then I painted the R and the flowers on it.

A few of my friends from MOPS had made picket growth charts last year as one of the crafts. Since I was going to be buying pickets for the headboard anyway, I thought it would be fun to make one for Rosemary too. So I completely stole this idea from them and made one of our own.
Rosemary is not the easiest name to find on a pencil or toothbrush. I only find her name in the garden section...and that's what happened here. I had picked this up awhile ago and had it in her nautical nursery. It didn't really go, but it had her name on it. Now, it's perfect for her butterfly/garden room and is a great holder for her hairbows and accessories.
Rosemary also has a butterfly net that hangs from the ceiling at the other end of her dresser. Unfortunately, it's come out of the ceiling--twice. So I have to get a better anchor to withstand a two-year old who loves to play in the netting and twirl around. Once I get it back up (maybe before the baby comes, we'll see) I'll add that picture too.

What Makes Rosemary, Rosemary

According to blogger, this is our 100th post. I don't have anything monumental to post, but this is something I've been wanting to post for awhile.

Rosemary is really a fun little girl. We certainly have our moments, but really she has such a sweet and joyful spirit. I thought that I would post a few things about her that aren't so easy to catch on camera, but things that really give you a glimpse of who she is and what is so fun about her.

Bedtime Ritual
Bedtime is one of the sweetest times with the girl. Our routine involves a bath (if it's bath night), letting Rosemary pick out her "jammies" (usually a nightgown if one is clean), getting her a cup of milk, the three of us piling into her twin bed, and reading her two stories--one Bible story and one other story. After her last book, we then pray together. She's recently started saying her night-time prayers. In the past week or so she's started identifying grandparents as "Gramma and Pawpaw Peine" and "Gramma and Pawpaw Workmaster" in her prayers. We're not sure why she says "pawpaw," but it's pretty cute when she says it. I'm impressed that she says "Workmaster" so well. After we pray, we get kisses and hugs then put up her bedrail. I joked with her one night that I was going to sleep in her bed with her and she would have none of it. She looked and me, gave me a little nudge and said, "No, get out." She's serious about her bed--and her routine.

Bathtime
This kind of goes along with the bedtime routine, but it's worth noting separately. It could be argued that Rosemary's bathtime is the highlight of her day. She usually gets a bath every other day, but she asks for one every day after dinner. She loves the water.

Cooking
Rosemary has started to like helping me at dinner time. Most nights, I'm able to find something for her to help with, but sometimes, it doesn't work--like when I tried to get her to help crack eggs last week. She is, however, quite good at making pudding. I have to be careful though, because she also really likes to eat pudding. Below is a picture of her devouring one of her most recent batches.

The Stool
Rosemary has a little step stool that we keep in front of the bathroom sink for her to stand on when she washes her hands. She has learned that this step stool comes in really handy in all sorts of ways across the house. It started with her going to get it to turn on lights. Now, she gets it whenever something is out of reach, even if the step stool still isn't tall enough for her to get what she wants. I'm just amazed at how she figured it out on her own.

Saturday Nights with Lawrence Welk
I'm not sure how it started, but Rosemary really enjoys watching Lawrence Welk. Saturday night at 7, Jonathan turned it on for her and she immediately stopped what she was doing and said, "Go get my nightgown," and headed to her room to get the nightgown that she has to wear while she watches the show. I think she likes to dress up because the women on the show usually have gowns on. She sings and dances and wants to dance with us. It's one of those things that I know won't last for long so it's really a sweet time. Below is from this past Saturday--me, Rosemary, and Lawrence.

Reading
Rosemary enjoys being read to and recently has started to enjoy looking through books on her own. Today, while Jonathan and I were getting a few last minute things ready before his family arrived for lunch, Rosemary went into her room, got out her books and started "reading" them. I couldn't resist sneaking in and getting a picture. She was paging through and talking about the pictures.
The Yard
Rosemary likes working outside with her dad. She'll watch the ants, pick up branches, but most of all, she likes to help water the plants. We have 4 trees that we need to plant that she waters with him. She's learned how to use the sprayer and has pretty good aim, especially when she goes after Jonathan instead of the plants.

Curious George
I don't know what it is about the curious little monkey, but Rosemary enjoys watching George. Most of the time, she learns something pretty interesting about science, math, and even music. Maybe she identifies with him because she likes to jump and climb too.

So that's a little bit about Rosemary that may not be the most exciting, but it is pretty precious to us. She's a sweet girl.

Party Weekend

This past weekend we traveled down to Central Florida to celebrate two birthdays. First with the Stiller's, then with the Giammarinaro's.

On Saturday, Logan turned 4. We left Gainesville early that morning to make it to the party and ended up getting there in plenty of time. Bennett and Sara had set up an outdoor water playground that the kids played on. It was cold, but sure looked fun!

We finally had to get Rosemary out to warm her up. Jonathan held her wrapped in a towel while she ate some cheese. I'm not sure what he was laughing at here...or even if he was laughing.
Bennett makes the best birthday cakes. The party had a rainforest theme and I think Sara found a picture of a cake she liked. Bennett then recreated the whole thing. It tasted great too.

On Sunday, we celebrated Sebastian's first birthday with Paul and Cristina. As soon as I got my camera out to take pictures, Rosemary had to go potty (we almost made it to the toilet...that was fun) so I managed to only get one picture of the party. It was great to be a part of that special day. To see a few more pictures, check out Paul and Cristina's blog.

Early May

Below are a few pictures from the first part of May. Enjoy!

A pretty smile from inside her butterfly net. The net came out of the ceiling the next day...it's yet to go back up.

Dynah and Brandi swim during the Cinco de Mayo party at the Searby's.

The girls enjoy the party.
Before heading to a wedding, we asked Janice to take our picture. Rosemary did NOT want to be left out.
She's really gotten into "glasses" lately. Whenever I put mine on, she wants hers. The ones in the picture, however, are mine. She's got princess ones.

On Mother's Day, Rosemary and I paged through her baby book that is finally finished!