BGC2 reached week 22! and thrifty, nifty and crafty!

Week 22 and she apparently weighs a whole pound.  I still have days where I hardly look pregnant.  Over the weekend, the little miss decided that the back room of her apartment would be the most comfortable.  Maybe for her, but not me.  I'd make it through the day but almost couldn't walk.  My low back and hip hurt so much.  The diagnosis really is stretching ligaments to the point that the muscles forget how to work together.  Luckily, chiropractic, PT and pilates were all scheduled for Monday!  Tuesday was a much better day and I could walk pretty well.  Even figured out that my heeled shoes work better to walk straighter and be able to keep those lazy muscles in check.  Still icing it a bit but doing better.

Beca had a dance recital tonight.  My camera died in the middle of it.  But they did a Spring seeds dance to warm up, an Easter Egg dance, a Tarantella with tambourines, a cat and mouse dance, and a dance where they used shakers.  Beca, as usual, talked through most of it. But she's getting a little better.  I might be able to post some pictures at some point.  She's really silly but seems to love the classes.  And her teacher is such an angel.  She's really trying to teach the kids some good basics of dance.  When we got home we also hung up our Easter Eggs in the tree out front.  Maybe a little late for that to really be worthwhile but Beca enjoyed it.  She also helped Daddy put the Mickey Egg Antenna ball on.

A favorite of hers is to play Uno.  Not the little kid one but the game that is for 7 year olds but she is smart enough to play and she's only 4 (add a little more attitude and pride and that's how she says it).  She's got a pretty good grasp of the game, but since we're playing the Disney Princess version, there are a few rules that are a little complicated for her.  and she can't really hold the cards all that well.  Luckily we have some card holders from another game that are really pretty cool - little round wheels that you can slip the cards in and out of.  A little better ergonomically for little hands.

So, my thrifty, nifty and crafty project tonight involves several things.  Zoe got sick on her bed the other day and the whole thing had to be pulled apart and cleaned.  A bunch of the filling had to be trashed.  For the longest time, whenever a body pillow gets too flat for me, I wait until I have 2 and then I shove them under the original bed, which is usually flattened out.  We always have a hard time figuring out what to do with extra pillows and stuff like that anyway.  Well, I just opened the old body pillows up and pulled the filling out and stuffed it in the liner of the dog bed and she now has a nice fluffy squishy bed.  And I have 3 big pieces of fabric that I can use to make something else.  I have a good idea what to make but I have to figure out the dimensions.  I'm just happy something got accomplished other than laundry and Farmville tonight.

Welcome Home to Happiness Hotel

My favorite place to hear "welcome home" is our Disney trips, because that's how Vacation Club members are greeted and it does always feel like home.  In flying to Minnesota to drive to Wisconsin for working in the plant and checking into a hotel that is back in Minnesota, I have realized the value of a true "Happiness Hotel".  For a while, I stayed in vaious places closer to the plant and every time, I came home sick.  The air was always stuffy and if the was a breakfast, it was not very good.  Enter a brilliant idea - stay somewhere close to a large company headquarters and use their corporate rate.  This only benefits that company by bringing more business to the hotel.  Our choice is the Sheraton St. Paul/Woodbury - a nice little "home" when I have to be away from home.  My travel buddy and I were both recognized by staff members, which also may indicate that we come a little too often.  But by coming often, we know what to expect.  Like a room on the fourth floor, which has certain perks and amenities associated with it.  Like a robe and a shower puff and a really nice shower head.  But even the lower floors have a much nicer feel in staying here than most hotels I've been too.  The hotel is relatively new, there has never been smoking in the hotel so nothing smells like smoke!  The restaurant and bar downstairs is always busy and always good (especially when the previously mentioned corporate rate gets you a complimentary breakfast buffet - oatmeal, sausage and bacon, eggs, pastries, cereals, etc).  Coffee and hot tea on your way out the door (Starbucks and Tazo to be precise).  A large HD flat screen in the room and a nice armoire to store everything in. It's really the cleanest hotel I have ever stayed in (although since I qualified it as a hotel, that rules out our DVC home of Bay Lake Towers which was indeed phenomenal).  Mention you don't want a paper, they take some off your bill.  Hang a plackard out overnight and get a voucher for the facility for $5 off just for having housekeeping stay out of your room the next day (win-win for everyone here).  The workout facilities are fantastic, although I never seem to remember my swimsuit.  There's a big, comfy bed, large desk space and gorgeous bathroom amenities with a lovely French door opening which just makes it feel that much richer.  I'm in heaven to come stay here.  And its only 45 minutes max to the Mall of America.  A very wonderful "happiness hotel".

BGC2 - week 21

Baby girl is just as wiggly as her sister!  According to babycenter.com:

"Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now."

"You may soon feel" made me laugh - she's soooo not just doing martial arts and it's been weeks since I first felt her belt me.  I swear she's rearranging furniture in her apartment most days.  She was extremely squirmy on the plane ride to Minnesota (more on that next post).

As we move clothes and such around, Beca is more excited about a baby sister.  And as I've moved in a few more of her doll clothes and toys, she's becoming more willing to part with the Little People and give those to "Baby Sister".  And we think we might have a name, maybe.  It's still up in the air and I don't want to hear the stories of "I knew a so-and-so and she was a real @#$%@#$" (insert whatever interesting word you feel like).  So for now, her name will just have to wait.  And we'll focus on getting a purple and green nursery together.  Luckily most everything I have is green from Beca's nursery.  I was scoping possible ideas in the PB Kids catalog the other day and there are several big girl sets that I may just have to base the colors on in the room.  Of course, Beca came across a picture of the pink gingham curtains and informed me that they would be perfect in her room.  Ah, indeed they would little miss.  She soooo plays into my plan every now and then!!

BGC2 - week 20

I love the description of size for this week - "Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel - the length of a banana." I mostly like it because Beca has been asking how big her baby sister is - and a banana is an easy concept to understand.  And I think baby girl likes to stretch out to her full length on occasion.  She's moving around to different spots now.  I still have days where I don't even look pregnant and others that I look pretty big. weird.  Yesterday, I had a very uncomfortable feeling all day - like my insides were being rearranged in order to paint a room or something.  And then girlie was practicing some form of karate most of the early morning hours.
I'll be suffering some survivor's guilt as a close friend had another miscarriage.  But I know things can work out in the end.  Science is catching up but its hard to not have a real answer sometimes.
We got a lot of stuff out of the nursery yesterday.  Of course, that means a huge mountain of clothes on the Aero bed in the bonus room so Beca can't really play in there.  Trying to pack up clothes for different people over the weekend.  most of it is Beca's clothes that do not fit her any more.  We've also found a bunch of stuff to put out at a yard sale.  Not sure where we are going to put it until we have a yard sale but I'm sure there are some bins in the garage that have extra space and are really just full of stuff we need to get rid of.  Lots to do in the next few weeks - so maybe a little extra energy and some beautiful weather will help!

copied from Facebook

My friend Marshall had this quote on his Facebook update (which was apparently from an email):

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit.

Movin' Movin' - Shake Your Groove Thang

BGC2 is quite a kicker and puncher.  She's constantly on the go.  All the time!  Steve could feel her last night just before bed and again tonight.  Beca doesn't stay still enough to actually feel her baby sister yet but soon!  Pilates seems to always get baby girl moving - I don't think I'll be on my stomach for too much longer!  At least that's what I keep telling myself.

I'm halfway through this pregnancy.  I had a great week getting out all my spring clothes and starting to clear all the stuff from the nursery.  It's going to be interesting - all of the little baby stuff got sold a long time ago so I could throw Steve his 30th birthday wine party.  But I am finding some really fun adorable stuff that I did keep!  Actually, a lot of it is clothes for me!  Bring on spring time!

Beca has been asking a lot for dresses to wear.  This morning, neither Steve nor I were really ready to be up and we told her to go ahead and just get dressed.  This is what our little fashionista came up with:  A light blue Cinderella long sleeve tee, black Hanna Andersson tiered skirt (now closer to a mini), navy and pink striped leggings, ruffle socks (always requested), and a short Hanna Andersson pink sweater.  All with necklace, bracelet, and hair clips.

Steve and I went for a massage tonight then dinner.  It's the first weekend that we've both not been sick in a while.  Steve also finished putting up a new fan/light in our water closet and then a new ceiling!  It's really pretty plank tiles.  We just need some crown moulding (which a trip to Lowe's solved at least the procurement of the items needed), a smaller light fixture (also Lowe's), and a coat of paint (ceiling and trim)!  I'm so excited that at least one room in the house will be completely finished (albeit the smallest).  Here's a picture of the ceiling so far.  The square light is the new fan (wreaked havoc on Steve's back in the attic to get it in last weekend).

Fun Quotes (well, if you're a woman)

Cynthia (see Two Princess, the Queen Mum and the Court Jester blog) has a daily tear off calendar called Wild Words from Wild Women.  Sometimes it should be wise words.  I thought I'd share some:

"Sometimes I feel like a figment of my own imagination." -Lily Tomlin, world class wit

"I envy paranoids: they actually feel people are paying attention to them." -Susan Sontag, intellectual icon

"I don't worry about rivals. After all, there will never be another me." -Katie Price, bosomy British model

"Bigamy is when you're married to one man too many.  Monogamy is the same thing." -Erica Jong, feminist fatale

"A woman who takes things from a man is called a girlfriend; a man who takes things from a woman is called a gigolo." -Ruthie Stein, simple semanticist

"I'd like to find a man who's sensitive in general and macho in emergencies." -Anne Gibbons, cartoon creator

"Any idiot would know women's needs are simple.  All we want is your basic millionaire/brain surgeon/ciminal lawyer/great dancer who pilots his own Learjet and owns seafront property.  On the other hand, things being wha tthey are today, most of us will settle for a guy who holds down a steady job and isn't carrying an infectious disease."  -Linda Sunshine, American author

BGC2 - she gets a longer nickname

BGC2 - Baby girl Cottle 2.  I think we may have settled on a first name that Steve and I agree on but her middle name is going to take some more work!  And some yelling it down the hall!  Rebecca Dawn was just too easy and this is taking us some work.  I know it doesn't have to be done right away but it would be nice to get something checked off the to-do before baby comes list.  I keep thinking things need to be done early for some reason.

Beca has settled into the fact that its a baby girl.  She still doesn't want to give up certain toys or have to share a lot of her things but at least she's calling her a girl and says "my baby sister".  She also laughed a lot last night and kept telling us that she was all of our baby - mommy's baby and daddy's baby and Beca's baby.   She was trying to get Steve to carry her up for a bath - he usually hangs her upside down over his back - but he had to tell her no because he had been working in the attic trying to install a lighted fan in our master bath (finally the box is out of the bathroom!).  Beca looks at me and says "Mommy can you carry me up?" "No, Beca, mommy is carrying your baby sister." And she says "Oh yeah, you are carrying my sister in your front backpack."  So funny!

BC2 is a...

So Beca was wrong - her sibling is a GIRL!!  Luckily, everything on the scan shows a very healthy and active little girl.  Her heart was very strong and everything measured right on 18 weeks.  She was punching to show everyone her skillful prowess that she has shown my bladder over the past few weeks!  Here's a scan of her sweet (and not unlike Beca) profile.

Steve is very excited "because I know what to do with little girls" and I am very excited to shop for coordinating girl clothes!!  Heehee!  Beca said "Awww mannny" which meant she was not happy about being wrong and then asked if we could name the baby "Tiana".  Ummm, no.  This little one's name will take us some time.  Rebecca's was too easy and we sort of blew our wad on the whole naming a girl thing.  I know we'll get plenty of suggestions until we settle on something.  And the Cottle household will remain in the pink princess fairy land forever!

BC2 - week 18 - but we don't know quite yet...

It's been a crazy time having waited and waited and waited for this appointment to come.  It meant not doing some blood work because we knew that would come back with screwy numbers (my body does not calculate for babies on the normal distribution curve and that makes doctors a little anxious - hello boys, it's just statistics!).  So, everything we've been hoping for has been really riding on this appointment.  Feeling the baby has been somewhat reassuring but actually seeing and letting Beca to see will be a whole different ball game.

So while we were waiting today, I had a series of frustrations - first, still dealing with a sinus infection and I can't hear real well.  Steve was talking in his early morning Barry White voice so I couldn't hear anything he said to me unless he was visually in front of me and I could see his mouth move.  Frustrating.  Then I had another run-in on decision making at work - an infuriating topic that started with me asking questions in November - when will I learn my lesson that questions just lead to frustration?  Oh wait, that's why I'm a Quality engineer - my job is to ask questions.  Dang rock and a hard place...  Then third, Chase is the worst mortgage company to deal with.  And even though Steve talked to them yesterday, they called today (after over a minute of the automated voice telling me to hold on that they were trying to connect) and had no record of  him calling.  And the woman calling could barely speak English so every question I asked her did not appear to be on her script and she would start all over again by saying her name and that she was calling on behalf of Chase.  ARRRGGGGGHHHHH!  I needed a good scream but was warned not to frighten the dog, which was good advice because that just makes her crazy.  Luckily, I've been offered Pei Wei and who doesn't love a fortune cookie on a day like today.

From Baby Center this week:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (like the size of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Anyway, our appointment is coming up shortly and there will be a post on what we find out.  Just hoping this one can "perform" like big sister always has for pictures (yeah, even for ultrasounds she performed).