I apologize for the delay in posting, but there's good reason... I've been up to my eyeballs with work and there's no end in sight. Well, I shouldn't say that, I am going to the beach next week.

I deserve this vacation more than ever before, I am truly exhausted and on the virge of breakdown every 15 minutes. I find myself crying more and more, kinda like the old days when I had a "boss". The pressure to get things done these days is unbearable and finding time to look for quality help is near impossible. When I have a free second I find myself eating, showering or cleaning... and if you were to see my house you'd see that there must not be much time to spare!

The only highlight of my day today has been feeling Emma kick. She's been pretty active in the past few days and for the first time this morning she took pleasure in kicking my bladder. That was fun. I'm feeling her kick my lower right side, she must still be breech and liking her newfound motor skills. I just wish I could enjoy it more, these are the moments I want to remember, not the sobbing and complaining I've been known for the last few days. Maybe she's trying to tell me something....

Well, I'll stop complaining now... I have a lot to look forward to and this work will come to an end. I'll just picture myself floating in the pool as I gaze over the fence to the ocean next week. Yeah, you heard right, our house has a pool and is right on the beach. Let's just pray the weather cooperates and I can float for hours. Lauren, are you ready????

The nursery is coming along slowly. My mom is helping with the bedskirt and draperies when she comes to visit in October. I found the perfect fabric, it's sage green Dupion silk with emroidered butterflies, it's gorgeous and 100% the look I am going for. I haven't found the perfect sheets to match but I'm still on the prowl. For now I'll settle for ivory. I also need to find a good rug to tie everything together. I'm looking for something fairly simple with a cream base and touches of sage and maybe yellow/gold. Rugs are hard, they're either really gaudy or $1000 a pop. I think Target is a grear rug resource, if you have 14 hours to dedicate to searching.

I had another doctor's appointment on Monday and learned that indeed my due date has been moved up. The new one is Feb 4th. I think it's too early (since I pretty much know when she was conceived) but she's measuring big so you never know. She's the product of a 5lb mom and a 10 lb dad so anything goes. Dave jokes about her possibly being a Superbowl baby and how much she's going to hate that when she's older. I agree, if my birthday was ever on Superbowl Sunday I'd be pretty peeved too. I guess she'll just have to become a raging Steelers fan!

Well, it was supposed to be my 20 week mark, but since my due date is moved I'm not sure what to do... so, I'll post both 20 week and 21 week updates...

You're at the halfway mark — congratulations! Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's about 10 inches from head to heel. (The way your baby is measured now changes.) A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats your baby's entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance made of dead cells, digestive secretions, and swallowed amniotic fluid, which will accumulate in her bowels and end up in her first diaper.

Okay, that was gross, let's see, is 21 weeks better?

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. Her eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. And you can certainly feel her move. She's oblivious to your schedule, though, so don't be surprised if she starts working out just when you're settling down for the night.

I'll post a 21? week picture soon, just gotta find the time...

love to all.

The verdict is in....

We had our ultrasound this morning and are 99% positive it's a girl! The picture above is a cross section looking up. Our little girl was very cooperative throughout the test and looks perfect! Her heartbeat was 145 and she weighs about 10oz. Her heart, kidneys, brain and spine all look great.

She has 10 fingers....



...and ten toes...



Our ultrasound tech, Laura, told us that based on the 12 week measurements they moved my due date up to Feb. 4th. We still need to check with our doctor to see if that's really the case. We see her on Monday and will know a lot more.

With tears in my eyes I am so happy to introduce Miss Emma St. Clair Simpson!

Wives Tales... are they right?

Ok, it's my last chance to test those old wives tales to determine the sex of the baby... well, that is unless the baby hides tomorrow. Oh golly I hope not.

Here's one test I took on the interet at childbirth.org... pretty interesting!

You have a 14% chance of having a boy.
And you have a 85% chance of having a girl.

And Here's Why...
You are carrying the extra weight around the hips and bottom, so it's a girl.
The hair on your legs is not growing any faster during your preganacy, so it's a girl.
Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread. You are having a girl.
Dad-to-be hasn't been gaining weight along with Mom-to-be, so it will be a girl.
The maternal grandmother doesn't have gray hair (dyed or natural), so a girl will be born.
You didn't have morning sickness early in pregnancy, so it will be a boy.
You are not looking particularly good during pregnancy. Therefore, it must be a girl, because girls steal their mother's looks.
Your chest development has been quite dramatic during pregnancy. You should expect a girl.
Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is even, it will be a boy.
A needle on a thread held over you belly moves from side-to-side, so it will be a girl.
Your urine is a dull yellow color, so you will have a girl.
You are craving sweets, which means that it is a girl.
Your nose hasn't changed during pregnancy, which indicates a girl.
You have been craving fruits, so it is a girl.
Your baby's heart rate is 140 or more beats per minute, so it's a girl.
You must have orange juice every day, so it's a girl.
You are having headaches, so it's a boy.
Your belly looks like a watermelon, so it's a girl.
You show them the palm of your hand, so it's a girl.
You use the body of the mug, so it's a girl.

Everyone pray that we have luck tomorrow morning, I am dying over here... I want to know soooo bad!!!

And, here's the weekly Wednesday update on the baby's growth:

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing 6 million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.

The nursery

The news for the week, until the BIG ultrasound this Thursday, is that we got our crib! Dave and I, with a little help from our furry housemate, cleaned out the nursery and put it together this weekend. I absolutely love it and want to send a special thank you to Bill and Barbara (Dave's parents) for the generous gift.

The crib is gorgeous and I love the way the room is coming together. Here are some pics of "daddy" putting it together and of the final setup:


I am going to take out the top drawer of that dresser and put in some cherry/brown baskets that match the crib. I'm also going to get new lamps with cute lampshades once we find out what we're having. The glider we registered for is the same color wood (a dark cherry) and will have cream colored upholstery to match the dressers.

If it's a girl I also want to put a sheer canopy over the crib like this:
I also really like the dust ruffle that's in that picture... mom, can we make something like that?
I'm also looking at putting this ribbon decal frm Pottery Barn on the wall:

If it's a boy, I really like the paint treatment they did in this room...I'd do it in different colors to match the vintage teddy theme, maybe dark taupe with a hint of rust. We'll be putting up wainscoting and chair rail on the bottom half so the paint will only be on the top half. The bottom will be painted cream.

And I really like this rug....


Goes good with my teddy idea, doesn't it?


I'm sure come Thursday I'll have a lot more ideas... but I wanted to post something fun. :)

Love to all!

We're a large sweet potato

happy Wednesday all. Today started pretty rough but has ended up pretty nice after a long relaxing dinner with Dave at one of my favorite restaurants. We went to Tokyo Japanese Steak House and I got steak, shrimp and scallops with rice and veggies.... I'm so stuffed!

I've been sleeping better now that the anaconda pillow is back on the bed. I'm also having really weird dreams... last night I had a monkey that was trying to escape through the duct work. That and I was doing laundry for a freshman boy I had a crush on! Random? Yes. But I'm thankful that I'm dreaming and not tossing and turning!

I have been noticing the baby kick a lot more lately, especially around lunch time. It's really fun to know it's not just gas! he he he. It's pretty fantastic actually.

Here's the 18 week update... 8 more days until the BIG ultrasound!

Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. (I hope that doesn't happen!!!!)

Bad news this week is I have an eye infection... again! It's not fun but the good news is I can take the medication my optomitrist perscribed. I just can't wait to see again without goopies!

Have a great week! I hear the weather is tapering off (especially in Michigan).. keep warm!

18 weeks

Hi all... I know a lot of you (mom's mostly) have been anxiously waiting to see how the belly has progressed... well, here's my 18 week photo...



I'm not going to post much more tonight, it's been a really long day and I need some rest. Tomorrow I'll post the weekly update.

Love to all...

Danny and Lauren's wedding

I thought I'd share some pictures from Danny and Lauren's wedding this past weekend. The reception too place at the Blackthorn Inn in Upperville, VA, about an hour west of DC. (http://www.blackthorne-inn.com/default.asp).

Lauren had a great idea to use perrenial plants as their centerpieces that they will plant at their new house when they move in. Isn't that a great idea!!!!


Lauren looked beautiful. She wore her grandmother's wedding dress which fit her perfectly - she was stunning in that dress. (Danny looked pretty good too!)

Plus, we got to hang out with all our friends. We haven't seen some of them since our wedding almost 2 years ago...

And, no post would be complete without a pic of my honey... love ya bud.